Locke's Argument for the Conclusion of the Primary Qualities of Essay

Locke's Argument for the Conclusion of the Primary Qualities of Objects and the Secondary Qualities of Objects - Essay Example I shall argue that the distinction is well-grounded and interesting, that Locke had grasped an important truth about it, and that Berkeley's treatment of this matter is impercipient and unhelpful. Berkeley assimilated the primary/ secondary distinction to that monolithic 'theory of material substance' which he thought he detected in Locke's writings; and I shall argue that that is the dominating fact about his failure to deal competently with the distinction between primary and secondary qualities. Locke has two general, true things to say about the primary/ secondary distinction. One of them is his thesis that primary qualities are such as are utterly inseparable from the body, in what state so ever it be; and such as in all the alterations and changes it suffers, all the force can be used upon it, it constantly keeps; and such as sense constantly finds in every particle of matter which has bulk enough to be perceived. In most of Locke's theorizing, a thing's primary qualities are taken to consist in its being spherical, two feet across, and falling rapidly; but here they are thought of rather as a thing's being shaped, of some size, mobile, etc. That is, in the thesis that primary qualities are ones which a body cannot lose, it is determinable qualities which are in question and not determinate ones. Locke's example reinforces this reading: 'Take a grain of wheat, divide it into two parts; each part has still solidity, extension, figure, and mobility: divide it again, and it retains still the same qualities.' It is not clear that 'solidity' is a determinable, either in its normal meaning or in Locke's specialized sense in which 'solid' means 'impenetrable'. Locke has a good point here, but he ought not to express it as though it were a prediction about the outcome of an experiment, for really it is a point about the meaning of the word 'body', or about the concept of a body or a physical thing. I ndeed the word 'primary' for Locke partly means that these are qualities a thing must have to count as a 'body'. Locke's discussions of the concept of body involve detailed points which are of some interest but which lie beyond my present scope. His general thesis that the raw materials which constitute the concept of body are to be found within the realm of primary qualities, and that secondary qualities are conceptually inessential, seems safe enough. Yet Berkeley apparently denies it: 'It is not in my power to frame an idea of a body extended and moved, but I must withal give it some color or other sensible quality . . . In short, extension, figure, and motion, abstracted from all other qualities, are inconceivable.' The quoted passage is, as it stands, true: a thing's being extended, or its taking up space, must involve some spatial region's being occupied by something--some quality must be manifested in that region other than mere extension. But the quality could be solidity, w hich is on Locke's list of primary qualities. If Berkeley really is saying only that 'body' could not be defined out of extension, figure and motion, without recourse to solidity, then

Financial collapse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial collapse - Essay Example Prior to the crises ,about half of the overall capital inflow to developing countries was directed towards Asia. This was precipitated by high interest rates that made these economies attractive to foreign investors with attendant increase in asset prices. the economies of Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand particularly experienced high growth rates of between 8 and 12 per cent in the late 1980's and early 1990's.This feat was lauded far and near by economic institution of repute the IMF and World Bank Inclusive. One of the reasons advanced for these crises was recovery of the U.S economy from a recession it had suffered in the early 1990's.To checkmate inflation ,the U.S through its federal reserve bank at the time began to raise interest rates. This move naturally attracted lots of investors to the detriment of the fledging Asian economies. This move also grew the value of the dollar against which the currencies of these economies were pegged .This caused a slow down in the export activities of the Asian economies as it became less competitive. Malaysia witnessed a transition from its traditional mining and agriculture driven economy to manufacturing in the 1970's with assistance coming from Japan and western countries .The result of this was the establishment of heavy industries that became the economic driving force with concentration on exportation .There had been fluctuations in the country's current GDP per capita over time that rose to 59% in the 1990's courtesy of the export-oriented industries .However following the massive pull-out of capital by foreign investors in 1997.A chain reaction was set-off that caused major changes within the economy, particularly the substantial depreciation of the country's currency-the Ringgit from its MYR2.50 per USD to levels of up to MYR4.80 per USD,loosing about half its value within the period. The composite index of the country's market fell drastically within a few weeks. There was a 7.5% drop in GDP in 1998.The government responded by pegging the ringgit at MYR3.80 per USD.Whi le also implementing a capital control regime. Unlike its Asian neighbours Indonesia ,Thailand and other Malaysia rejected a relief package in the form of economic aid from International Monetary Fund(IMF) because of the attached austere lending conditions .This singular act differentiated Malaysia and the rest of its Asian neighbors in the sense that the rest of its neighbours were affected to a larger degree than Malaysia .Furthermore in the quest to revive the economy, the government kept injecting funds into it which resulted in budget deficit for a number of years, in addition it has maintained a low interest rate policy through the country's central bank. In terms of the its post-crises economy, it has enjoyed a faster economic recovery compared to its neighbours ,with a strong exports sector with the United States as its principal trade and investment partner. In 1999 the country's GDP grew by 5.6% with analyst predicting an 8% -and- above growth for the year 2000.A managed f loating system

Pressure Groups And Stability Of Regime In Pakistan

Pressure Groups And Stability Of Regime In Pakistan The literature review will focus on the issues and the reasons that affect the stability of regime in Pakistan, mainly focusing on the different forms of pressure groups, the role they have played, whether positive or negative in the past and what is the future of Pakistan if these pressure groups continue to be dominating and influential. Also some of the important eras will be highlighted like Zias regime or Musharrafs regime. Most of the articles are basically theory based with no such statistical model applied and basically focus on the prevailing instability in Pakistan and issues related to it. According to the writer the reason behind the instability is basically the lack of a proper political system in Pakistan. No government has survived for long and successfully. The national assembly has been dissolved 10 times and 3 times the reason was military interference. No political parties have worked together in peace. There has been always a conflict of interest or power. At the same time religious parties have created their own brand of Islam and are exploiting the situation. Lack of fair elections and corruption has led to extreme cases like political victimization and political polarisation. Even though democratic political institutions exist they are weak and fragile. Another factor is of the existence of feudal lords, which has caused a structural imbalance between the middle class, and the upper class, which comprises of mostly landlords and industrialists. Majority of the power lies in the hands of the upper class. Another issue that has been highlighted in the article is the ethnic conflict that has been in debate for years. Other issues that are discussed in the article are the role of army, rising power of the religious parties and lack of proper rule of law. To conclude the article discusses that future of Pakistan lies in a more democratic environment where there is less corruption and the role of judiciary would be stronger in maintaining a balance between the arbitrary power and the party in power. Today the masses are more informed about the political system in Pakistan and one way it has contributed to the development of the country as a whole however there are other major factors like increase in the level of suicide attacks, food shortage, water and power shortage which has adversely affected the country. What was a basic ideology for the existence of the country is now more of a pressure group that seeks to gain power by exploiting the constant military intervention and forcing out the secular political parties. The creation of political polarisation amongst civilian and military, among different ethnic groups and provincial groups and among Islamists and secularist has disrupted the regime stability. Also now religious pressure groups have become more powerful, well armed and well financed and influence different branches of government. People have lost trust in the secular parties like Muslim League (Nawaz) and PPP and at the same time most of the military rulers have used Islamist for their own political purpose, be it Zia or be it Musharraf. According to the author the best way to control the growing power of Islamists is through democracy and strengthening the civil society. Also he suggests that U.S intervention in such matter should be taken especially after September 11 attac ks. The biggest limitation of this article is that it focused more on the role of Islamist in the past than their existing role. Also the conclusion is very uncertain and vague as to how should this pressure group be controlled. The condition of Pakistan is deteriorating and if we look at the current scenario the one of the biggest problem the religious groups that has created disruption and fear among the lives of the people. The writer focuses more on the past the past then the future. From 1947-1958 the two most economically powerful pressure groups in West Pakistan were the landlords and the business groups. In East Pakistan the power lied in the hands of the middle class income groups, after the land acquisition act in 1951. Whereas in West Pakistan feudalism was on it peak whereby one-fifth of the cultivable land was owned by one-half of one percent of the owners. Not only were these landowners active in politics by capturing the majority seats in the assembly. In provincial elections in 1951 in the former Punjab about 80 percent of the members elected were landlords. Out of 40 members in the constituent assembly 28 members were landlord groups. The landlords groups have been long engaged in rivalries. As rival groups were more or less in agreement in retaining their landed interests, politics in Pakistan has become a cynical pursuit of sheer power. The domination of feudal lords and family rivalries affected the politics of Pakistan. The influence of business groups was small since at that time there were few industries. It was indirect, whereby they were formally organized and they put effective pressure on the decision-making authorities from outside the governmental institution. The labor class is very weak, but slowly the trade unions are growing strong and influential when it comes to labor issues. Feudal system is still prevalent in the rural areas whereby the decision of the big landlord is considered to be the final verdict. Also the major leaders of political parties have the landowning background be it Asif Ali zardari, Sharif brothers or Altaf hussain. These landowners due to their rivalries have affected the stability in a bad way. Even though this article is very old but is of extreme relevance as discuses the root cause that lead to the emergence of Pressure groups in Pakistan and is can be of importance when comparing the regimes over-time and how the roles have changed. The later impact of this was that when Zias regime ended the position and the jobs that were promised to the religious Ulemas who had no formal education but merely an informal education in the madrasas were rejected. This frustrated the religious militancy, which resulted in an extreme behavior and disruption. Furthermore religious groups can be categorized as the role of Taliban in destruction of Pakistan. The impact of the training of Talibans during the Afghanistan war and providing them with arms and funding them has now become problematic for Pakistan with a huge number of suicide attacks happening and terrorizing the whole country. Zia-ul-haq immense support for the Islamic activists has resulted in the religious polarisation that exists in todays Pakistan. The statistics say that by 1996 there were around 2463 madrasas only in Punjab and 1700 were supported from outside sources that included the Persian Gulf and Middle East. These Islamic teaching centers are more now a centr al place for the political activities. Thus, it can be concluded from this article that the rise of Islamists and constant battle between Sunni and Shia has resulted in instability in Pakistan over the years. However Pakistan which is presided by Musharraf and is in the shackles of economic recession and anarchy needs heavy financing for not only sustaining the Musharrafs regime but also its economic well being. Despite strong U.S alliance it doesnt do a sufficient to save Pakistan from drenching. Religious extremism diverts a lot of attention of the government of Pakistan as the attacks and events leading to deaths and bloodshed have recently increased in the country. People feel insecure and threatened by their own fellows. In the name of religion wrong doers are exploiting the weaker ones. Military has taken over the country, sometimes directly by enforcing Marshal law and sometimes indirectly by influencing the government when making the decisions. Also the prevailing condition as the country is on the verge of Civil war military is more active within the country than on the outskirts to protect it from its neighbors. The four categories of elites are economic, political social and religious. Each of these exerts different levels of influence over the government. According to the author Political elites include, officers, and members of large landowning families. Economic elites include the industrialist class, which can be considered as newly wealthy and newly influential. The conflict between the two elite classes is one of the major reasons for instability. As 4th president has been dismissed since 1988, the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif won the majority of seats however Benazir Bhutto claimed that the elections were unfair and there has been extensive fraud. Although PPP became popular because of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for giving an ordinary man a political voice but Benazir ruled the party in a completely opposite opinion of her father by supporting privatization over nationalization and viewing US as a major ally rather than a potential threat. From a position of weakness in martial law period the judiciary has began to re-assert its independence. However, the role of judges is still controversial. The emergence of free press was a positive sign but at the same time, Pakistans mismanagement of economies reflects the weakness of the political structure. The political game has taken over a priority in the long-term policy making. Problems such as fiscal deficiency, debt and long-term business interest erosion have always drifted the economi c cursor. The increase in ethnic fragmentation, religious extremism and centralization if political power has created political crisis which needs to be solved as soon as possible otherwise it will result in civil war amongst the ethnic groups, domestic and international terrorism and implementation of marshal law. Not only the government of Pakistan should work on this but also should form allies with the external players like US, Japan and European Union (EU). Furthermore in this article the author talked about the regime of Nawaz Sharif as this article is written during that period of time. Here the writer highlights some of policies adopted by Nawaz Sharif, in which he aims at centralizing the power to the central and creating anarchy. Furthermore the conflicts between the ethnic groups have increased widely whereby Punjab is considered to be the most popular, developed and largely focused on in terms of allocating resources, improving education system. This has resulted in other 3 provinc es becoming more backward and less developed and sense of deprivation. The writer also discusses on how the civil institution have weakened during Nawaz Sharifs era as he is trying to gain popular support of the military. Other problems that were identified in the article were drug trafficking and settling of refugees. In conclusion the writer has basically focused on support from the international players. first is democratization and civil-military relations; and second islamization and Islamisms relation to the state. Both of issues are separate yet interdependent on each other and needs to be analyzed and focused on as the future of the country is at stake. The writer also highlighted Musharrafs era and despite that he was more liberal than Zia but he used the brand of Islam and is exploiting the public.

Justice for All Ages Essay -- Justice Philosophy Essays

Justice for All Ages The question of â€Å"What is Justice?† plagued the ancient philosophers and continues to plague the professional and amateur academic philosophers of today. The question is so hard, because it is quite difficult to know where to begin. Socrates1 spoke of justice in relation to the gods, Plato in relation to an individual’s duty in society, and Achilles, in a somewhat indirect way, in relation to honor and loyalty. All three of these men had very convincing arguments about the true nature of justice, but it is impossible to say now, or most likely ever, whether any of them actually got it right. The current goal is to synthesize their ideas with those of Aristophanes, Euripides2, and even Richard Kraut, representing the modern academic philosopher, in an effort to further develop and test the concept of justice. In order to approach this daunting task, it is important which medium is chosen through which to proceed. Following in the footsteps of Plato and Socrates, it seems fitting to do utilize the dialogue format. The dialogue format consists of a conversation in which a discussion ensues, questions are asked, hypotheses are formed and challenged, and hopefully, in the end there is some clearer understanding of the issue at hand. This dialogue takes place on the Isle of the Blessed where the now-immortals Achilles, Socrates, Aristophanes and Euripides live. Lasthenia3, a philosopher from ancient Greece, has brought Plato to the island and, naturally a discussion begins. The discussion, as promised, brings in the ideas of justice from many different points of view and ends with the unannounced entrance of Richard Kraut to add yet another twist. Characters of the dia... ...versity Press, 1998. Euripides. Bacchae. Translated by Paul Woodruff. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1998. Homer. The Iliad. Translated by Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1990. Kraut, Richard. The Defense of Justice in Plato’s Republic. Plato’s Republic: Critical Essays, edited by Richard Kraut. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1997. Plato. Apology of Socrates. Translated by Thomas G. West and Grace Starry West in Four Texts on Socrates. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998. Plato. Euthyphro. Translated by Thomas G. West and Grace Starry West in Four Texts on Socrates. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998. Plato. Republic. Translated by G.M.A. Grube, revised by C.D.C. Reeve. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1992. Vlastos, Gregory. Socratic Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Was Public Health Better in the Roman Era or the Middle Ages?

In my opinion, the Romans had superior public health, as they had much better sanitation and plumbing systems, which were in the Middle Ages available solely in monasteries, rather than entire towns. This was due to the fact that the Romans' infrastructure and methods of treatment were more developed than Medieval ones, as well as the fact that the Roman government were far more involved in the health of their citizens than later rulers, who found war and developing trade far more important, and viewed civilians' health as their own responsibility.The Roman towns were also much better planned and built than those in the Middle Ages, which often placed wells and sources of drinking and bathing water in close proximity to cesspits and sewers, which led to infected water and cholera and typhoid outbreaks. Furthermore, many Medieval streets were filled with filth, such as animal carcasses, human and animal excrement, waste from butchers and tanners, and many more sources of disease, as b acteria could grow freely and infect people very easily.As well as this, there were also very poor food standards, and it was not unusual for dishonest meat sellers to sell low-quality meat which could have caused disease, although a law was instated, decreeing that distributors of bad meat would be locked in the pillory. The Romans also had better waste disposal and water transportation systems, which allowed people to obtain clean drinking water, although there may still have been a risk of illness, as most pipes were made of lead, which is toxic.Their medical skills were also slightly better than those of Medieval doctors, as most Roman doctors were much better trained and taught about natural causes of disease, which gave them a considerable advantage over the mostly Church-educated doctors of the Middle Ages, who believed more extensively in supernatural ideas and religion-based methods of prevention and treatment of disease.An example of this is the Black Death, which killed 5 0 000 people in Europe, and was spread very quickly due to poor sanitation, ineffective cures, which would in many cases have made the patient worse, such as ingesting bile or faeces, or relying solely on prayers or religious ideas, rather than actively seeking a reliable cure, which was impossible without a knowledge of the true cause of diseases, although they did attempt to limit its spread by locking up houses which were infected with the disease. However, the Roman Empire was also poorly quipped to deal with plagues, such as the one which occurred in AD 80, and claimed hundreds of lives. However, public health in the Middle Ages did have some benefits: the towns often employed people such as gong farmers and muck rakers to survey and clean the streets to prevent disease, and remove sewage, although it was not possible to employ enough to maintain the cleanliness. The Romans had a similar system which worked to much greater advantage. Medieval towns also developed regulations an d fines for littering and dirtying the streets, although these could not be easily enforced.As well as this, the rich were happy to pay the fines and continue to deposit refuse in the streets. Moreover, near the end of the Dark Ages, butchers were banned from working in the inner city, which prevented pollution and assisted in keeping the streets clean. In conclusion, I believe that public health was much better under Roman rule, although the Medieval government did endeavour to improve the situation (albeit without much success. ) This is further evidenced by the average life expectancy in each era: it fell from 42 in the Roman era to 35, proving that standards had dropped dramatically since the Roman period.

Case Study †AES Corporation Essay

Dennis Bakke, the CEO of AES, a company that develops, builds and operates electric power plants, sat in his office late in 1996 and thought about the question that was perennially posed to him: could AES, soon to have some 25,000 people located literally all over the world following a recent purchase of power plants in Kazakhstan, continue to operate with virtually no staff functions and, specifically, without any human resource staff anywhere in the corporation? The absence of centralized staff — or, for that matter, much staff at all — had been one of the themes guiding the design and operation of the corporation since its founding. The company, in addition to having no personnel department, had no public relations, legal, environmental, or strategic planning departments. Its chief financial officer, Barry Sharp, saw his job not so much as running a centralized finance function but rather as helping all the AES employees as they made important decisions about financi ng and investments in a very capital intensive business. But the company was becoming much larger and increasingly geographically dispersed. Perhaps those early decisions needed to be rethought. Could what worked for so long continue to work as the corporation grew and operated increasingly on a global basis? Could the advantages of flexibility and having virtually every employee feel responsible for almost all aspects of the corporation’s operations continue to outweigh the costs of an absence of specialization and the need to have people always learning new tasks and new things? Was this continuous learning of new things really a disadvantage at all, or as Bakke thought, how one created a real â€Å"learning organization?† What Bakke recognized was that AES was different from most other corporations. How different should and could it remain? And if it remained different, how should it deal with the strains that growth and geographic differentiation would inevitably place on an organization that had always been managed by a strong set of values and a shared culture? This case was  prepared by Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Support for this case was provided by the Human Resources Initiative of the Graduate School of Business. The author would also like to acknowledge Robert Waterman for his introduction to the company. BACKGROUND AND HISTORY AES (originally called Applied Energy Services) was founded in 1981 by Roger Sant and Dennis Bakke. Originally supplying consulting services to the energy industry, the company began operating its first power plant in Houston in 1986 and went public as AES in 1991. By the end of its 1995 fiscal year, AES was selling electricity to customers in the United States, England, Northern Ireland, Argentina, and China, and had plants under construction in Pakistan. A list of AES operating facilities, their size, and fuel source, is provided in Exhibit 1. The company saw itself as â€Å"the global power company† and had as its mission â€Å"supplying electricity to customers world-wide in a socially responsible way.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ The electric power generation business has always been very competitive and the competition was increasing. Many subsidiaries of large oil and gas companies, organizations with substantial financial resources, were entering the business. The business was also complex. Building or purchasing existing power plants was a process that was heavily influenced by governmental decisions and actions, and often took two to four years at least to complete. AES owned and operated its plants under a number of different financial arrangements. Some plants were whollyowned by AES. Others were owned under various joint venture arrangements. For instance, the Medway plant in England was joint venture between AES and two privatized British utilities, Southern Electric and SEE-BOARD. The plant in San Nicolas, Argentina was owned by a partnership in which AES held 70% interest and Community Energy Alternatives, Inc. and the people at the plant held the rest. AES’s operations in China were conducted by a separate subsidiary, AES  China Generating Company Ltd., that was capitalized in February, 1994 with funds from AES and an initial public offering. The company was traded on the over-the-counter market, but recently AES had announced plans to purchase the interest in the subsidiary it did not own. Thus, financing and ownership arrangements were varied and often required protracted negotiations and the ability to work with a number of different partners. Most of the growth in demand for electricity, as well as most of the privatization opportunities, were occurring in developing or emerging economies and three-quarters of AES’s development people and financial resources were focused on those markets in 1996. AES saw as its competitive advantage against larger and better financed competitors its agility or speed and its ability to commit corporate equity and to arrange complex financial transactions. It also had some â€Å"disadvantages,† particularly its emphasis on integrity that precluded the company from doing some things to obtain business that not all of its competitors were as reluctant to do. The company’s two founders both had extensive experience in government prior to founding AES, and to some extent this helped steel their determination to avoid creating a bureaucratic organization resembling the government. Bakke, a 1970 MBA graduate from Harvard Business School, had worked following graduation at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and then in the Office of Management and Budget before moving to the Mellon Institute’s Energy Productivity Center in Washington, D.C. There, he and Sant, another Harvard MBA who had headed the Ford administration’s energy conservation efforts, worked together and AES 1995 Annual Report, p. 1. wrote a book, Creating Abundance: America’s Least-Cost Energy Strategy. Out of the research for that book and their work on energy policy for the Ford and Carter administrations came the idea to start AES as a participant in the new independent power producer industry. Both Bakke and Sant are individuals with strong moral convictions and indeed both have a touch of the missionary in them. Bakke is very active in both charitable and  Christian church (Baptist) activities. This social conscience and sense of a higher purpose or calling has pervaded the operation and management of AES since its inception. For example, Bakke’s description of the purpose or mission of AES is â€Å"to steward resources to meet the needs of society.† 2 From the beginning, AES has had a strong set of core values and beliefs about people that it works hard to operationalize on a continuing basis. The four core values are: Integrity †¦ Integrity comes from the Latin word, `integra,’ which means `wholeness.’ By carefully weighing all factors–ethical concerns, stakeholder interests, and societal needs–AES strives to act with integrity in all of its activities. Fairness . . . the term `fairness’ means `justice.’ Often `fairness’ is confused with `sameness’ †¦ We don’t mean that. AES aspires to give everyone special treatment. Everyone is unique †¦ And the effects of treating people justly in corporate systems and organizations can be profound. Social responsibility. The most socially responsible thing a corporation can do is to do a superb job of meeting a need in society. Therefore, companies must carefully manage capital, employees and intellect to meet a societal need. For AES, the first step in this process is to ensure that every generating plant is operated in a clean, reliable, safe, and cost-effective manner. But we have chosen to go beyond these essentials †¦ That is why we plant millions of trees to offset carbon dioxide and build new schools and take numerous other steps to improve our environment and build communities. Fun †¦ For us, `fun’ means establishing an environment in which people can use their gifts and skills to make a difference in society without fear of being squelched. Creating a fun workplace environment requires a positive view of humanity that begins with the people who work in the corporation.3 AES also has a set. of core assumptions about people that it tries to use in design ing and managing its organization. These assumptions are that AES people: 1) Are creative, thinking individuals–capable of learning and making decisions, like to control their environment and can be trusted; 2) Are responsible–can be held accountable; An important element of AES is its commitment to four major â€Å"shared† values .. . AES believes that earning a fair profit is an important result of providing a quality product to its customers. However, if the Company perceives a conflict between these values and profits, the Company will try to adhere to its values–even though doing so might result in diminished profits or foregone opportunities. Moreover, the Company seeks to adhere to these values not as a means to achieve economic success, but because adherence is a worthwhile goal in and of itself The Company intends to continue these policies after this offering.s To AES, simply maximizing profits is not the primary objective of the corporation. Dennis Bakke has written: Where do profits fit? Profits . . . are not any corporation’s main goal. Profits are to a corporation much like breathing is to life. Breathing is not the goal of life, but without breath, life ends. Similarly, without turning a profit, a corporation, too, will cease to exist. . . . At AES we strive not to make profits the ultimate driver of the corporation (although I admit we slip from time to time in this regard). My desire is that the principles to which we strive would take preeminence.6 AES operationalizes its values and its commitment to them in myriad operating policies and practices. An example, drawn from a common stock offering prospectus in 1993, helps to illustrate how the company turns its values into actions: Most of the Company’s plants operate without shift supervisors. The project subsidiaries are responsible for all major facility-specific business functions, including financing and capital expenditures†¦. Every AES person has been encouraged to participate  in strategic planning and new plant design for the Company. The Company has generally organized itself into multi-skilled teams to develop projects, rather than forming `staff’ groups †¦ to carry out specialized functions. Two examples illustrate these principles of decentralization and empowerment in action. Most financial decisions at this financially-leveraged company are not made by the chief financial officer, Barry Sharp, but rather by AES project teams comprised largely of people with no formal training in finance. For instance, â€Å"hard as it is to imagine, CFO Sharp has raised less than $300 million of the approximately $3.5 billion of funding for AES’s 10 power plants. The multidisciplinary project team working on each new plant is charged with that task, even if the team has little finance experience. Bankers phone Sharp expecting him to call the shots, but he demurs and instead gives the bankers a list of the team members so the bankers can call them directly. At the AES plant in Thames, Connecticut, a task force including front-line people invest the plant’s debt reserves, negotiating directly with investment bankers and, in the process, learning a lot about finance and fi nancial markets. Pam Strunk, the financial superintendent at the plant, said that it was important that â€Å"they have the fun and novelty of doing something that’s different from what they do all day. If we lose 100 basis points for a few days, then that’s the price we pay.† 8 Another example comes from a description of how the corporation built a $404 million project in Cumberland, Maryland. The project took ten years to put together and was handled by a team of 10 people who â€Å"secured 36 separate permit approvals involving two dozen regulatory agencies and arranged financing that involved tax-exempt bonds and 10 lenders. Normally, such projects require hundreds of workers, each with small specific tasks to perform within large corporations.†9 What is particularly noteworthy is the composition of the team. With two exceptions, they were all under 40 years old and many had little or no previous experience doing what they did on the project. Paul Burdick, a mechanical engineer with no MBA or any formal training in finance, handled the complex financing of the project. Ann Murtlow, the team leader, was a thirty-five year old chemical engineer who also did not have an MBA degree. The composition and operation of the team illustrates a core AES concept of allowing people to try new things. Although eschewing the pursuit of profits or maximizing shareholder value as the primary objective of the company and, in fact, doing numerous things to operate according to the four core values, the company has nonetheless been very financially successful. As seen in Exhibit 2 using data drawn from its 1995 Annual Report, the firm enjoyed a 105% growth in revenues between 1991 and 1995 and during that period grew its earnings per share more than 113% while its total assets grew almost 70% and its shareholders’ equity grew 289%. The annual report also illustrates some other unique things about the company and how it views itself. The document lists by name each of the 1,258 people who work for the company on pages 49-53. The discussion of operations in the letter to the shareholders has, as its first section, one on Shared Values/Principles. That section reported on the results of the annual employee survey and discussed both improvements (â€Å"there is less concern this year about an imbalance between shareholder and other stakeholder interests. There is also less fear that our principles will erode as we create businesses in many nations†) as well as problems (â€Å"Some of our people at Thames . In eight years, the value of a share of AES stock went from $2 to $250, and $10,000 invested in AES in 1982 would now be worth $10 million. In late 1996, the company’s shares were near an alltime high and were selling at a multiple of about 30 times earnings, indicating that Wall Street appreciated — even if it did not always fully understand — at least the financial aspects of the AES story. THE THAMES, CONNECTICUT PLANT Although no plant at AES is exactly like any other, in part because of the value placed on decentralization, the operation in Connecticut is typical of AES. The Thames plant is located in Uncasville, Connecticut, near New London, and about 45 minutes from Providence, Rhode Island. The plant is located on only seven acres and is in close proximity to neighboring houses. The plant cost $260 million to construct and uses coal for fuel. It began commercial operations in March, 1990, supplying 181 megawatts of electricity to Connecticut Light and Power and up to 100,000 pounds of steam per hour to Stone Container’s paper recycling plant that is adjacent to AESThames. The plant has operated on average at over 95 percent of capacity since it opened, compared to 83 percent for the industry as a whole. Consistent with the AES value of social responsibility, the plant strives to be a â€Å"good neighbor† to those living nearby. A visitor to the plant is immediately struck by its cleanliness, and the people who work in the plant are proud of its appearance. The walls of the plant exterior are very light colored (off-white), so that any dirt would be immediately visible. The color of the walls was intentionally chosen to encourage respect for the physical environment and cleanliness. The place where the coal is unloaded from the barges that bring it up the Connecticut River is also immaculate. The coal handling system is covered to  avoid excess dust or debris getting into the surroundings and the unloading dock and surrounding area is swept by a mechanical sweeper after the once a week delivery. There is no smell of sulfur in the air, and in fact, no odor at all. The attitude of cleanliness extends inside the plant as well. For instance, there are two â€Å"lunch rooms,† although both have stoves, and one has a microwave oven, cooktops, refrigerator, and   dishwasher as well, which makes them more than a typical plant eating area. Quite elaborate meals are cooked there. Both lunch rooms are clean with no dirty dishes sitting around. The cabinetry is of excellent quality and appearance as are the appliances. The turbine rooms are also imma culate. In keeping with AES’s social responsibility and concern for the environment, the AES Thames plant has funded a project to plant 52 million trees in Guatemala, designed to reduce the greenhouse effect produced by the burning of coal to produce power. The number of trees was selected based on estimates of the number required to absorb the entire amount of carbon dioxide produced in the plant during its anticipated 40-year life span. In the fall of 1996, Thames employed a total of 59 people, including five in adininistration, seven area superintendents, nine in maintenance, five in material handling and processing, eight instrument and electrical repair technicians, and 20 operations technicians. The full staffing level for the plant is 63 positions, and hiring was occurring at the time. A number of the plant’s employees had previously worked either for the Navy or General Dynamics at the nearby Groton, Connecticut shipyard. About 20% of the people in the plant have college degrees, including Associate’s degrees. Recall, these are the people that are handling the investment of the plant’s debt reserves of several millions of dollars and essentially making all of the decisions in a collaborative environment. There is very little emphasis on  formal credentials in the hiring process. And this is true throughout AES. The company has about twenty to thirty MBAs, many of whom have been in the company a while. Most have come from their home (non-U.S.) countries. At AES, no one gets hired into the company at a senior level, and the company tends not to use headhunters for jobs at any level. The company also has tried not to hire directly into project director (new development) positions. AES-Thames has an extremely low turnover rate, as does AES generally. One of the reasons for the low turnover is that AES is a different and special place and people know it and value that fact. To be written about in the Wall Street Journal and other publications, to receive many visits, reinforces the pride and feeling of uniqueness that AES people share. People do often move within the company. Out of perhaps 70 people who were in the Thames plant when it began, only 4-5 people have left the company in seven or eight years. The low turnover is also because, as one person put it, â€Å"we all have the ability to expand what we do.† The plant organization has three levels — the plant manager, the seven area superintendents, and the front-line people. Because the facility operates continuously, there is some shift work. After some experimentation, people now work three twelve-hour shifts and then have three days off. They then rotate between the night and day shifts. The first shift is from 6:30 in the morning until 6:30 at night, and the second shift is from 6:30 P.M. to 6:30 A.M. Maintenance has a standard 40 hour week but the individuals have pagers, and they rotate responsibility for off-hours coverage.

Free Essays on The Green Fields

The Green Fields is the story of Levi Yitskhok. He leaves his studies in the big city to go into the country and find â€Å"True Jews.† The first person he meets on his journey is Avrom-Yankov. Levi asks Avrom-Yankov is he is Jewish and if there are other Jews around. Avrom-Yankov takes Levi back to the house where the family is excited to meet him. They decide that Levi should stay with them and he will teach the children, both the children of Rohkl and Dovid-Noich and of Gitl and Elkone. The families argue over who he will stay with. Elkone wants him to stay at their house so that Stera can have Levi instead of Hersh-Ber. Dovid-Noich’s son whom they don’t approve of. Levi complains that he misses his books and often talks of leaving. Everyone is trying to make him stay. Tsine is very upset at the prospect of him leaving. She is in love with him and very jealous of the love that her brother and Stera have. Tsine confesses her love of Levi to her mother and she finally understands why Tsine was so upset. Tsine changes her ways to impress Levi; she starts to wear shoes and nicer clothes, she even cooks him a meal and learns how to write from Avrom-Yankov. Levi admires the work that all of them do on their farm. He feels that he too should be working in addition to studying the Torah. Levi finds it amazing how they can survive off of their land. When Tsine is showing off her writing skills to Levi she leans in and kisses him and then runs off. Very soon after Levi asks Dovid-Noich for her hand in marriage. Both Dovid Noich and Rohkl happily agree. After a short argument where Hersh-Ber yells at Elkone it is also decided that Stera and Hersh-Ber will be married. There is much rejoicing and everyone lives happily ever after. The end of this story is not a typical one in Yiddish drama. There usually aren’t happy endings. Also not typical of Yiddish theater or Jewish culture is the fact that there are two c... Free Essays on The Green Fields Free Essays on The Green Fields The Green Fields is the story of Levi Yitskhok. He leaves his studies in the big city to go into the country and find â€Å"True Jews.† The first person he meets on his journey is Avrom-Yankov. Levi asks Avrom-Yankov is he is Jewish and if there are other Jews around. Avrom-Yankov takes Levi back to the house where the family is excited to meet him. They decide that Levi should stay with them and he will teach the children, both the children of Rohkl and Dovid-Noich and of Gitl and Elkone. The families argue over who he will stay with. Elkone wants him to stay at their house so that Stera can have Levi instead of Hersh-Ber. Dovid-Noich’s son whom they don’t approve of. Levi complains that he misses his books and often talks of leaving. Everyone is trying to make him stay. Tsine is very upset at the prospect of him leaving. She is in love with him and very jealous of the love that her brother and Stera have. Tsine confesses her love of Levi to her mother and she finally understands why Tsine was so upset. Tsine changes her ways to impress Levi; she starts to wear shoes and nicer clothes, she even cooks him a meal and learns how to write from Avrom-Yankov. Levi admires the work that all of them do on their farm. He feels that he too should be working in addition to studying the Torah. Levi finds it amazing how they can survive off of their land. When Tsine is showing off her writing skills to Levi she leans in and kisses him and then runs off. Very soon after Levi asks Dovid-Noich for her hand in marriage. Both Dovid Noich and Rohkl happily agree. After a short argument where Hersh-Ber yells at Elkone it is also decided that Stera and Hersh-Ber will be married. There is much rejoicing and everyone lives happily ever after. The end of this story is not a typical one in Yiddish drama. There usually aren’t happy endings. Also not typical of Yiddish theater or Jewish culture is the fact that there are two c...

World Hunger Essay

World Hunger Essay World Hunger Essay World hunger essay An estimated 24000 people die from hunger so a world hunger essay should start by pointing out that hunger is an important issue in third world countries. A global problem A good way to start a world hunger essay is to give a birds eye view on the issue of hunger by referring to hunger statistics the world over. It makes sense to start a world hunger essay with statistics from countries that are most vulnerable to food shortages. One of the greatest anti-hunger advocates - Sir John Boyar examined how hunger is a thorn in the side of all Third World counties and tried to offer solutions as the director-general of the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization. One of the first things we have to do he said is to stop viewing food as any other commodity and to see it as an essential to life. Move over Im famished! A world hunger essay can also examine some of the worlds most devastating famines and how they could have been avoided. Develop the topic After giving the statistics the next thing your world hunger essay should do is to examine the causes for hunger and starvation. These can be as diverse as:Large population Free trade Viewing food as a means to earn money rather than to sustain life Ending on a hopeful note How can the problem of world hunger be solved? End by offering possible solutions to the problem. What active steps have been taken by the government of various nations to fight world hunger? What is the United Nations doing to get food for the needy? These are some of the points a thought provoking world hunger essay should touch upon. Lastly a world hunger essay would do well to analyze some sociological theories on dependency that can change the face of world hunger and make it smile. Farmers from the third world should be discouraged from sending all their produce to other countries for profit. The world would fare better if everyone realized that feeding the hungry is more important than money in the bank. Since a starving nation cannot be a productive one. These are some of the points to be covered in a good world hunger essay.

Individualized Education Plan Goals for Place Value

Individualized Education Plan Goals for Place Value Learning place value is critical for expanding mathematical understanding past single-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division- even for students who are on an individual education plan, or  IEP. Understanding ones, tens, hundreds, thousands as well as tenths, hundredths, etc.- also referred to as the  base 10  system- will help IEP students manipulate and use large numbers. Base 10 is also the foundation of the U.S. monetary system, and the metric measurement system. Read on to find examples of IEP goals for place value that align to the  Common Core State Standards. The Common Core State Standards Before you can write IEP goals for place value/the base-10 system, its important to understand what the Common Core State Standards require for this skill. The standards, developed by a federal panel and adopted by 42 states, require that students- whether they are on an IEP or mainstream students in the general education population- must: Understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens and ones. (They must also be able to):Count within 1,000; skip-count by 5s, 10s, and 100s.Read and write numbers to 1,000 using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. IEP Goals for the Place Value Regardless of whether your student is eight or 18, she stills  need to master these skills. The following IEP goals would be considered appropriate for that purpose. Feel free to use these suggested goals as you write your IEP. Note that you would replace Johnny Student with the name of your student. When given a two-digit number, Johnny Student will model the number using place value rods and blocks, with 90 percent accuracy in four out of five trials administered over a one-week period as measured by teacher-charted data and work samples.When presented with three-digit numbers, Johnny Student will correctly identify the digit in the ones, tens, and hundreds places with 90 percent accuracy in four out of five trials administered over a one-week period as measured by teacher-charted data and work samples. Specific and Measurable Remember that to be legally acceptable,  IEP goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-limited. In the previous examples, the teacher would track the students progress, over a one-week period, and document progress via data and work samples demonstrating the student can perform the skill with 90-percent accuracy. You can also write place-value goals in a way that measures the number of correct student responses, rather the percentage of accuracy, such as: In a classroom setting, when given a missing numbers chart with numbers up to 100, Johnny Student will write nine out of 10 correct numbers in three out of four consecutive trials over a one-month period as measured by teacher and staff observation as well as work samples.When presented with a three-digit number between 100 and 1,000, Johnny Student will count up by 10s in nine out of 10 trials over a one-month period as measured by teacher and staff observation as well as work samples. By writing the goals in this manner, you can track student progress through simple worksheets that allow the student to count by 10s. This makes  tracking student progress  in using the base-10 system much easier.

Introduction of Democracy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Introduction of Democracy - Research Paper Example The constitution will  give power to the Congress to grant statehood to the district of Columbia according to this law. The residents of Washington D.C will then have full voting rights in both the houses of Congress (DC statehood). Citizens of Washington D.C should be granted equal voting rights by raising the status of the city to a state. The citizens should be allowed to vote representatives in the house of Congress in the same manner as it is allowed for the citizens of other states of America. This will ensure full voting rights to the residents accordingly as a democratic government is suppose to allow fair and equal voting rights to all its citizens. As the citizens of the city of Washington D.C pay federal taxes, there seem to be no reason of them being deprived of the very basic rule of democracy, that is, the right to vote. Paying federal taxes without being given the right to choose the representative for America is deemed unsatisfactory. Not giving voting rights is sim ilar to their treatment as international residents residing outside of the United States of America. Wade Henderson states, â€Å"The right to vote is fundamental in our democracy† (Leadership Conference on Civil Rights  2002). The Americans have long been striving for their voting rights. Their struggle to acquire voting rights has been a central policy in almost all their civil discussions. Many important laws have been enforced by the Congress regarding this matter over the past years. One such law includes the â€Å"Voting Rights Act of 1965†. Without giving the right to vote, the citizens of Washington D.C are just like spectators in an election. This is indeed unfair as it proves to be biased among the citizens of Washington and other cities; it produces a clear distinction among the citizens. There is no other country in the world which does not give voting rights to its citizens regardless of which ever state or district they belong to. Following the terroris t attacks of 9/11 on the twin towers in the U.S, the importance of the city of Washington was pointed out clearly. The terrorists destroyed the financial centre of the city of New York together with the central government in Washington D.C. Their attacks clearly reflected on all Americans, of every race, religion and color. Americans from around the nation condemned the attacks with utmost generosity for the victims and sadly, Washington D.C also had a share of the victims in the attacks of 9/11. Even after that, the citizens of the city of Washington were granted with no voting representations in the government which they were actually fighting for. To add to it, they were the first ones’ to respond to the Pentagon attack. The occupants of the city duly fulfill all their responsibilities like paying of taxes and services in the armed forces, yet they are deprived of such a basic right and cannot enjoy those privileges of equal voting which residents of other states enjoy. It is time that they should be declared the right to vote and choose their representative. The residents of the District of Columbia pay taxes at the rate of second highest per capita in the United States. Therefore, they should be fully represented in the Congress of America (Henderson. 2002). D.C was not a part of any state by the year 1801. This was in accordance to the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"District of Columbia Organic Act† passed by the Congress that very year. Thus, the District's residents lost the right to give votes and select their representatives. The residents of Washington City were eventually deprived to vote in the president election (American bar Association. 2006). In 1973, the Home Rule Act gave certain powers to the district

Characteristics of an enterpreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Characteristics of an enterpreneur - Essay Example Not only does he invent but also oversees the progress and performance of the business venture. According to most economists, an entrepreneur is one who is willing to bear the risk of a new business venture if there is a significant chance for profit (Davidsson 70). Entrepreneurial ventures are considerably different and depend on the type of organization, individual and creativity involved. The ventures range in scale from solo projects to major undertakings creating many job opportunities. Various entrepreneurial ventures include establishing a communications store that get people talking by selling cell phones and other devices, starting a mobile computer training that prevents employees from having to leave their offices to undertake computer courses, starting a glass shop that collects and recycles used glass materials, the list practically endless as noted by Parker (66). What is needed to be a Successful Entrepreneur In order to succeed in doing business, an entrepreneur must have a great deal of passion in their undertakings. In other words, he or she must love what he does, passion driving him/her toward working harder and harder toward set objectives. With hard work, the business person becomes more productive and much happier with time. Yet another trait that the entrepreneur must posses is persistence (Krueger 23). This means that the entrepreneur must be determined to succeed in all that they do. They must be prepared to overcome daily challenges and to do the things that they may not like to do. The entrepreneur must also be able to work toward achieving an ultimate goal in a creative way. Since the entrepreneur always desires to grow and meets challenges along the way, he/she has always to think about the next step to take. For example, the business person must always think of creating a new product, business, or service. Being creative on how to address conflict and service to customers and willingness to engage in new and exciting ideas will pl ace the entrepreneur above many competitors. He or she must be independent, ready to make things happen and very disciplined in managing time. A good entrepreneur should be intuitive. Always able to look beyond the obvious and able to make quick decisions that may affect the business. A good entrepreneur must be self-confident, always optimistic and maintaining faith in what he or she does. This allows the entrepreneur to be realistic and open minded and not afraid to ask questions and take risks on the journey to success. Yet again, the entrepreneur needs be hardworking and ready to forego comfort so as to realize the laid down objectives (Barrow, Brown &Clarke 20). In order to succeed in any business one must possess certain attributes and acquire specific knowledge and necessary business skills. Personal qualities are important, such as the desire for continuous education, self motivation, discipline, clear vision, and a great passion. Beyond the personal attributes business men and women must be good communicators. They need to be good in both written and spoken language. This will ensure that the business person establishes good understanding with the clients. The business people also need to be socially networked. This is because in business, it is more of who you know than who you don’t know. One current customer is worth more than several other potential customers. One

Erick Erikson Stage 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Erick Erikson Stage 8 - Essay Example In the art of making up a balance between these two forces, there arises a psychosocial vacuum. It is from this point of view that Erikson developed his theory. He believed that the ego exists all through a lifetime (Bee, 2009). He also challenged a fellow psychologist, Sigmund Freud, by noting that behavior was not all defensive. In his belief on the enormous influence of culture on behavior, he explained the interaction between the body (physiology), mind (psychology), and culture (ethos) in the process of development. Philosophically, he summed the stages into two important principles; One’s world gets bigger as they grow, and, Failure cumulates along the stages (Bee, 2009). The literature describes Erickson’s eight stages of psychological development. Infancy stage (birth to 18 months) According to Erickson theory of psychological development, first stage occurs from birth to one year or 18 months. This is a fundamental stage for child’s development. At infan cy stage, the basic conflict is between trust and mistrust, significant event at this stage is feeding. At this phase, a child develops senses of trust to their parents or caregiver, after they have shown care, reliability, or consistency, and affections. Lack in providing support, care, and reliability; will lead to a child developing senses of mistrust to people surrounding them; the guardians, caregivers, and parents (Crain, 2011). Infants are usually dependent, thus, their development of trust is ultimately based on quality and dependability to their parents or caregivers. In a successful development of child’s trust, she/he will be feeling secure and safe with the world. Caregivers and parents who are emotionally unavailable, inconsistent or unreliable, and rejecting their children, they will lead to the development in feelings of mistrust (Crain, 2011). Therefore, failure of a child to develop trust with their caregiver, will lead to believe that, the world is unpredict able and inconsistent, hence, leading to fear. At the later ages in life, child with trust will have personality of confidence or fearless while those who had mistrust will develop personality of fear. Stage two: Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt It begins from 18 months to 3 years. Mobility of children was focused during development of the theory. The physical development advances, and the child try to press for their independence. Some of the common behaviors noticed are making choices on clothes to wear, picking the toys to play with, and choosing what to eat. A child in this stage tends to be autonomous or independent (Wrightsman, 2010). The child is in dire need of their parent’s support, to avoid experiencing failure. In this process, protection from constant failure and ridicule should be avoided through encouragement. Parents should not criticize their children for accidents, and failures, at the same time, not to perform every task for the child. If self- control is at tained without loss of self –esteem, then the child grows will be characterized with will as a virtue. If children are encouraged at this stage, they will become more independent and therefore, autonomy will be achieved. However, if constantly criticized, they begin to feel ashamed of their abilities, thus, developing poor self- esteem and later become doubtful (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2010). Stage three, pre-school (3 to 5 years) At the third stage of psychological development, it occurs between the

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Keurig Coffee Case Study

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Keurig Coffee - Case Study Example This research aims to evaluate and present Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Keurig that are operating in processed and packaged foods industry and their sector is coffee makers. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR) was founded in year 1981 as a small cafà © and combined its operations with Keurig in 2006; it has its head office in Waterbury, Vermont. As the case says, currently it is considered as the market leader in specialty coffee industry because it is offering top quality coffees, implementing innovative technology for brewing and fulfilling various socially responsible business practices. GMCR and Keurig had to master various skills to acquire top position in the market. GMCR is operating in coffee maker business and specialty coffee sector; it obtains, manufactures and then sells various kinds of coffee, teas, cocoa and other form of beverages in K-cup portion packs and coffee in conventional packaging style. It is believed that it is offering more than two hundred v arieties of hot beverages. In addition to aforementioned products, GMCR is providing wide selection of whole beans, ground coffee in fractional packs and ground coffee selections in bags that can be easily used by customers of At-home (AH) and Away-from-Home (AFH) markets; AH and AFH has much more potential of growth as no coffee brand has been targeting these attractive markets. The main issues and challenges faced by GMCR presented in the research.... Blanford is Chief Executive officer of GMCR. The financial highlights of the company are shown in the following figure (ttm stands for trailing twelve months, yoy stands for year over year and mrq stands for most recent quarter). (â€Å"Key Ratios of GMCR†, 2012) SWOT Analysis Strengths Valuable strategic partnership with Keurig – As mentioned in the case, it is GMCR’s biggest strength as incorporation of Keurig that is the leading manufacturer of single-cup brewing systems allowed it to enter specialty coffee market conveniently. It acquired Keurig License and all its licensees in 2006. It elevated its position from small coffee company to pioneer in specialty coffee market with K-Cup single serve brewing system of Keurig. Focus on coffee consumers – GMCR focuses on its valuable customers by offering them high quality coffee that is easy to make and can select from wide range of choices. It provides specialty coffee in simplified brewing machine that allo ws customers to choose from twenty-seven brands and about two hundred beverage varieties. Collaborations with well-known brands in market – GMCR has entered into collaborative agreements with various multi-channel distributors so that sales and awareness of GMCR and Keurig products could be increased as mentioned in the case. It is trying to reach as many consumers as possible by using various marketing avenues especially partnerships with leading brands such as Starbucks, Aramark, JC Penny’s, Cusinrt, Starbucks and Costco. Well-organized expansion plan – It has expanded its operations in Southern California and Canada by acquisitions and is opening new manufacturing plants in Virginia and California to support its fast growing expansion plan. Weaknesses K-Cup pack patent expiration – In September

Optional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Optional - Essay Example It is, therefore, necessary that the government implements a tax-cuts with caution and one of the ways of achieving this is letting the tax cut on the rich expire and extent AMT at a permanent way. In lieu of turning around the living standards of individuals, family and society through promoting economic activity, different national administrations around the world have brought together economists and lawyers to draft government policies whose principal pillar is tax cuts. The most notable of all is that tax cut polices are the ones proposed and enacted by The President George W. Bush’s administration in years 2001-2003. The basic tenet of this ideology is the macro-economist approach of supply-siders that, according to the Laffer’s curve, a reduction in the tax rate especially for the middle class increase their spending, which in turn increases demand that forces supply to increase by the law of demand and supply. Eventually, this leads to an increase in economic activity. Increased economic activity means that the labor market absorbs many people and at a better pay, people pay low prices for commodities, business have more capital to invest, and government c an broaden its tax base by closing tax breaks and other tax leaks. However, there is no empirical backing to this claim, by the respective governments, even after adopting tax cuts on temporary terms. This is explained by the fact that reducing the tax rate actually increases government debt in the long-run, which may cause budgetary problems in the future. The best way of dealing with this is to reduce tax rates and simultaneously reduce government spending in response to reduced government revenue. However, in an effort to ensure equality, welfare and improved living conditions/standards for all, some essential services are not an obligation or mandate of players such as the corporate world, but the responsibility of the government. In this view,

Textbook Reading Strategies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Textbook Reading Strategies - Research Paper Example Also, the individual needs to think about any prior knowledge or information about the subject matter before reading. In the second step of question, the individual should read the subject as an exercise of critical thinking. The reader should prepare some questions about what information is required to be retrieved from the reading material and accordingly while reading the questions should be put up. Questions can be taken from end of chapter exercise; this allows the process of reading to be done with concentration as one is finding the answers to the question while reading. The third step is to read. The individual should carefully read all the material of the chapter paragraph by paragraph and ensure that nothing is missed. All the sections that are not clear in the first attempt of reading should be re-read. When unclear sections are re-read, the paragraph becomes clear and the reader understands what the section is about The fourth step is to record, once the individual has thoroughly read the chapter then now it is time to make notes for each section. The notes can be made for each of the headings of the chapter. Notes should be formed of the main points being discussed in each section. Notes should be such that when the reader reviews the notes, it should not be necessary to read the section again as all the main points of the section should be included in the notes. The fifth step is to recite. In this step, the individual should recite aloud the information gathered from each section of the chapter. By reciting the reading material aloud, one is able to store the information for a long term in their memory. Also the individual should explain the concepts of the chapter to someone else as this would ensure that the reader has understood everything. While explaining it to other, the reader would be able to recall many other things

Optional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Optional - Essay Example It is, therefore, necessary that the government implements a tax-cuts with caution and one of the ways of achieving this is letting the tax cut on the rich expire and extent AMT at a permanent way. In lieu of turning around the living standards of individuals, family and society through promoting economic activity, different national administrations around the world have brought together economists and lawyers to draft government policies whose principal pillar is tax cuts. The most notable of all is that tax cut polices are the ones proposed and enacted by The President George W. Bush’s administration in years 2001-2003. The basic tenet of this ideology is the macro-economist approach of supply-siders that, according to the Laffer’s curve, a reduction in the tax rate especially for the middle class increase their spending, which in turn increases demand that forces supply to increase by the law of demand and supply. Eventually, this leads to an increase in economic activity. Increased economic activity means that the labor market absorbs many people and at a better pay, people pay low prices for commodities, business have more capital to invest, and government c an broaden its tax base by closing tax breaks and other tax leaks. However, there is no empirical backing to this claim, by the respective governments, even after adopting tax cuts on temporary terms. This is explained by the fact that reducing the tax rate actually increases government debt in the long-run, which may cause budgetary problems in the future. The best way of dealing with this is to reduce tax rates and simultaneously reduce government spending in response to reduced government revenue. However, in an effort to ensure equality, welfare and improved living conditions/standards for all, some essential services are not an obligation or mandate of players such as the corporate world, but the responsibility of the government. In this view,

Ethical Responsibilities of Corporations Enron’s Downfall Essay Example for Free

Ethical Responsibilities of Corporations Enron’s Downfall Essay Ethical Responsibilities of Corporations; Enron’s Downfall Introduction            Enron, in the 1990’s was a premium company that had the much-coveted global stature that most company heads desire. It is considered the most innovative company in the United States of America. It was a change from the old industrial trend that other old and rusty enterprises and industries were used to; hard assets, in the favor of the much softer e-commerce business world. The company was a premium employer in the USA and the world, employing over 20,000 staff by the time of winding into bankruptcy, in 2001 (NPR). The company dealt in natural gas, electricity, pulp and paper and communication. A year before closure, the company was valued at $111 billion and had held the title-for six years running-of the most innovative company in America.            However, this valuation respect was based on falsehood. The company was discovered to have been operating a scandalous accounting fraud, orchestrated by systematic, institutionalized and creativity. Ironically, as it was named the most innovative company, which might have been true, but not in the upright way that it was perceived to be. This was but in underhand deals that its employees and management had mastered. What culminated into the ‘Enron Scandal’ has since become a frequently referred to a case of willful corruption and corporate fraud.            Companies and corporations, under the federal law, have a duty to their employees, consumers, the government and the environment in which they operate. To the government, corporations are supposed to ensure tax compliance and safety of production to citizens and environment. The firms and companies have a duty to protect their employees and provide safe work environment conditions for them so that all employees are always treated equitably and satisfactorily. Consumers have a right to accurate information regarding the products they purchase. The information is to provide at free will and is to guarantee consumer safety.            In Line with that responsibility as stated in the paragraph above, Enron management failed to safeguard their employees’ future and livelihoods in case their bubble burst. At the time Enron went bankrupt, Thousands of employees it had in its baskets were plunged into joblessness suddenly. This scandal involved even top government officials who were then shareholders. In the light of them knowing that Enron engaged in malpractices-they still were happy to take home the hefty dividends they got from the stock market gains.The Times Magazine talks about the top executives who enjoyed lots of privileges that even top CEOs envied. For example, Kenneth Lay, the Former Enron Chairman is said to have received a golden parachute worth $25 million and about $200 million in salaries since 1999 to its point of fall. Despite all that, he also enjoyed the access to about $7.5 million revolving credit line from Enron (Roston, 2002). Others who enjoyed such benefits include Jeffrey Skilling (former C.E.O), Duncan David (Former Anderson Partner), Nancy Temple (Anderson Lawyer), Thomas White (Secretary of the Army), and Sherron Watkins ( Former Enron Vice President).The government through the law has set up different commissions to ensure that these obligations are duly followed (example of one is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)). FTC is charged with taking complaints about false business promises that turn out fraudulent, or cause harmful side effects to the consumers and forwarding them to investigation agencies for further action (Federal Trade Commission, 2014).            In the past, the things that brought down companies were far from cleverly crafted schemes such as what took place at Enron. The operation on the stock exchange while on a negative financial record and receiving probably more than their fair share of investments. Among other key ethical issues that had arisen in the past included racial profiling, product safety concerns, employee rights infringement and even environmental degradation. There have been lists each year of companies that should be shunned for disregard of ethics. For the past few years, companies such as ExxonMobil, Apple, Toyota, Trafigura, and recently Wal-Mart and Nestle had made headlines for breaking the crucial ethical rules.            The Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA), establishes mechanisms for compensation of employees who are injured, or get any damages in the line of duty (Office of the Secretary, 2014). In the case where an employee was hit by a truck and laid off without compensation, is very inhumane act of the company’s executives.            The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is set to be the benchmark for equitable pay distribution to all American employees. It provides guidelines for employment and wages to be paid to employees who are not exempted from work. Conditions have been set for certain jobs and age restrictions. These labor laws, for example, require that particular groups of people not work at certain times, and in particular professions, citing dangerous operations (Office of the Secretary, 2014). If the labor laws are followed to the letter, no employee will complain about unsatisfactory pay, as the minimum wage is set with all employees in mind and ensures a comfortable life away from welfare.            Kirk O. Hanson, a university professor at the University of Santa Clara, explains the ethical responsibilities of a corporate board. He lists five important points that are to be keenly upheld by any board of directors in order to ensure satisfaction from all quarters. Among other key assignments on a board, one of them is to understand the company’s ethical culture. Most board members are less involved with the day to day activities of their businesses, and to get feedback from employees, they rely on pro forma reports and complaint letters. It is their responsibility to investigate the validity of the reports and come up with disciplinary measures if need be (Hanson, 2014).            Business fair play is an important aspect of ensuring healthy and profitable competition among business people.            Such a supposition that they respect individual rights of association and expression and yet reject the idea of unionization is ridiculous. Under sections 7 and 8 of the National Labor Relations Act of the Federal constitution, employees are granted rights to make a join and take part in labor union activities. This is without any intimidation from employers, or punishments of any kind. All employees have a right to read, distribute and discuss matters of union membership during hours away from work. They are free to share the information with whomsoever they please. Once they decide on a group plan for whatever union, they have a right to ask their employer to recognize the specific union, bargain and complete any relevant requirements by the terms and condition. The employees have a right to display Union messages in whatsoever manner they please; be it caps, pins, T-shirts or whatever else available on the job or away from work.Company executives are not suppose d to profile any employees by forcible transfer, denial of benefits, pay rise or desirable assignments in effort to thwart employees’ quest to join or form a union. They are not to be harassed, threatened or dismissed from work if they support any union (Lisa Guerin, 2014). All in all, we do need quick solutions to problems such as these. It is not just an issue for the employees alone because it affects all American citizens, and per the house committee on education report.            General Electric, a company that was founded by Thomas Edison, has on many occasions received accused on several occasions of trying to monopolize the inventions by him. It is the current military contractor for war machinery. However, they have once been reported for facilitating the development of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons have long since been banned and are regulated by the international bodies. The purpose of such an undertaking should be investigated, and due punishment administered.            The American public should check indicators of unethical codes of conduct and shun such businesses. It will be a significant boost in fighting such a vice as it will prevent oppression of fellow citizens. If people followed such a trend, companies such as this would lack a ready market and might be forced to change the practices or close shop.            All firms that are established in corporate agreements uphold certain fundamental duties. In order to solve this massive crisis of ethics, law should be passed forcing private sectors to publish their financial reports in detail in the public dailies. The public should be trained to watch for companies that uphold employee rights and safety. These statements should be audited by government agencies for any lies. If the reports are found to be untrue, government should snatch such operators their licenses.            Companies and corporations that evade taxation of any kind should be imposed with huge fines. In order to shun such practices, and in extension, be barred from operating for a particular period of time and board members is investigated. If any allegations of misconduct are proven right, all board members should be forced to resign and take responsibility for their ineptness. Enron was a culprit in this category, avoiding any financial obligation it would have to offset to the government or anyone, provided that it was able to cover its tracks well.            On an opinion proposed from the Financial Times magazine, the graph of performance shows that the downfall was carefully planned. It seemed that most of the top echelons had long planned the exit, but it did not happen in the most expected way. The stock price came crashing in a year, from a cost of about $80 in January, the year 2001 to a tumbling zero by January in the year 2002.            In the Film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Gibney, 2005), as based on the same name written by Bethany McLean, the Enron Disaster is the greatest disaster any company has witnessed in the whole of history. A crash in a year with more than seven corporate walking away from the mess with over 1 Billion US dollars. Investors and employees went down flat without any landing gear. This kind of corporate ethics gap left more Americans depending on the public for necessary handouts and relying on other meager means to survive. The Drama resembles a Greek tragedy and a show of the domino effect that could shape the face of the American ethical code and ultimately the economy for a long time into the future.Kenneth Lay, the company’s chief who had saved ib once before in the ‘80s and later taken over as C.E.O wielded so much influence In both the business and political circles. Probably out of the campaigns he had funded for the presidency among other le gislative dockets. In the Business circles, he was an enviable C.E.O, who was practically â€Å"untouchable†. But in the wake of the ethical backlash, all these attributes could not save his company from sinking to the bottom of the sea that is failed companies.            Ethics is more than just producing good products, supporting community initiatives and giving good salaries. Companies with a sound ethical background will go to extents to ensure consumer safety, business fair play and ensuring that employees who served diligently go home safe to retirement. Even after retiring, they will be entitled to the same happiness they had while working for the same company, and health.            All corporations that breach conduct on ethics should be nationalized in order to safeguard the interests of the public. Its owners should then be duly compensated and never allowed to start any other business within the country. Such a law will instill fear and caution among those who have a penchant for breaking the law.            Consumers and the government need to be careful about safeguarding the economic environments. Since any turmoil could lead to financial turmoil like it did with the instability of some few big companies in the early 2000s that lead to the 2007-2009 global financial crunch. The government can help by sealing off all loopholes that could allow any forms of corruption while the consumers could channel their money to the right businesses.            If we all stopped buying brands that do not have its people at heart, all companies and many other manufacturers would forcefully comply duly with laws of labor, taxation, and biosafety. We will have a better world where many Americans and people around the world can eat by their sweat, as opposed to having jobs but still relying on welfare for upkeep. References Federal Trade Commission. (2014). Bureau of Consumer Protection. Retrieved December 06, 2014, from Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protectionGibney, A. (Director). (2005). Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room [Motion Picture]. Hanson, K. O. (2014, August 14). Business Ethics in the News. Retrieved Dec 06, 2014, from Santa Clara University: http://www.scu.edu/ethics-center/ethicsblog/business-ethics-news.cfmLisa Guerin, J. (2014). The Right to Unionize. Retrieved December 06, 2014, from NOLO For all: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/employee-rights-book/chapter15-7.htmlNPR. (n.d.). The Fall of Enron. Retrieved Feb 4, 2015, from http://www.npr.org/news/specials/enron/Office of the Secretary. (2014). Summary of the Major Laws of the Department of Labor. Retrieved December 06, 2014, from United States Department of Labor: http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/lawsprog.htmRoston, E. (2002, Jan 22). The Enron Players. Time . Source document

Factors Affecting The Frequency Of Digital Oscilloscope Information Technology Essay

Factors Affecting The Frequency Of Digital Oscilloscope Information Technology Essay Oscilloscopes are measuring equipment which displays electric waveforms on a screen like a small Television.   An oscilloscope is known as CRO, DSO, scope or an O-scope. Its common usage is to observe wave shapes of signal. There are four sections in an oscilloscope: the vertical and horizontal controls trigger controls and finally the display screen (the screen consists of cathode ray tube).   The research on oscilloscope has been done through books, internet, magazines etc. Karl Braun was the inventor of oscilloscope in 1897 (http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventors/a/Karl_Braun.htm). The main sector oscilloscopes used in are engineering, medicine, telecommunications and science. In October 2010 Tektronix Inc manufacturer of oscilloscopes discovered that Series of digital and mixed signal oscilloscopes that now deliver 100 GS/s sampling rate performance. This enables lower noise along with increased data points on 5x oversampled 20 GHz acquisitions (http://www.prlog.org/11 013155-tektronix-raises-bar-for-oscilloscope-sampling-rates-signal-integrity.html) There are several numbers of oscilloscope e.g. digital, analogues, dual beam, mixed signal etc.   This reports main focus will be the design and operating principle of digital storage oscilloscope.   Firstly the report will look into how the oscilloscope works, and then it will follow on to how its designed and finally how to set it up. A digital oscilloscope is a measuring instrument that uses binary numbers which writes to samples of the voltage.   ADC (analogue to digital converter) is used to change the analogue data into digital data then it makes the signal digitally.   For it to be displayed in the screen its then converted back to analogue. A digital oscilloscope has its limitation to performing just like an analogue oscilloscope.   There is a limit to the frequency which it can work up to. The limits of frequency are affected by analog bandwidth front-end section which is known as -3 dB point  and sampling rate of the oscilloscope,  the samples is taken in regular breaks.   When the sample rate is high, the frequency increases on screen.  Ã‚   Factors affecting the frequency of digital oscilloscope: Bandwidth specification Oscilloscope sample rate Bandwidth specification The bandwidth specification determines the frequency range which the scope (oscilloscope) measures accurately in the display. As the frequency is increasing the oscilloscope accuracy decreases. The bandwidth is mainly defined as a drop of 3 decibels (dB) or sensitivity at lower frequency at 0.707. Bandwidth in Hz x rise time in seconds = 0.35. E.g. to resolve an oscilloscope pulses with the rise of 2 nanosecond would have a bandwidth of 700MHz. but for a digital oscilloscope the sampling rate would have to be ten times higher frequency to resolve. E.g. 10megasample/second would measure up to 1 megahertz of signals. Oscilloscope sample Rate The oscilloscope sampling rate indicates on digital oscilloscopes how many samples per second the analog to digital converter can gain. The quicker it can sample, the accurate the results are displayed for fast signal. The maximum sample rate is given by MS/s which is mega samples per second. The minimum sample rate might come in handy if you need to look at signals changing slowly. The sampling rate can be change by the controls (sec/div) on the oscilloscope. Digital storage oscilloscope The digital storage oscilloscope is of the three digital oscilloscopes but DSO is the conventional form of digital oscilloscope. Its screen is like a computer monitor or TV screen as it uses raster type screen. By using the raster screen its helps to display images that fill the whole screen and it may include text on the screen. (www.Radio-electronics.com). First you have to store the waveform in the digital format to get the raster type display on screen. As a result of storing the waveform form digitally it can be processed by the oscilloscope or by connecting to a computer. This enables a high degree of processing to be achieved, and the required display provided very easily and often with a very cheap processing platform. It also enables the waveform to be retained indefinitely, unlike the analogue scopes for which the waveform could only be stored for a very limited time. (www.Radio-electronics.com). The operation of the digital storage oscilloscope is pretty simple, The first stage the signal enters within the scope is the vertical amplifier where some analogue signal conditioning is undertaken to scale and position the waveform. Next this signal is applied to an analogue to digital converter (ADC). (www.Radio-electronics.com). The samples are taken at regular intervals. The sampling rate is important because it determines the resolution of the signal. The samples are taken in per second or MS/s (mega sample rate). All the samples are stored within is the oscilloscope as waveform points, and several samples of waveform make up a single waveform point. The overall waveform is stored as a waveform record and its start is governed by the trigger, its finish being determined by the horizontal time base time. (www.Radio-electronics.com). The digital storage oscilloscope is an in the digital format which means there is a signal processor. With having a signal processor it helps to process the signal in different ways, before it passes the display memory and the display. Digital storage oscilloscope www.doctronics.co.uk Controls of digital storage oscilloscope Screen this is where all the waveform signals are displayed by using the X axis and Y axis. www.photoshelter.com Switch to turn ON the oscilloscope and to turn OFF. X-Y control its used to display component characteristic curves. Its mainly used for output position. TV-separation it allows the display to be shown on TV system so it can compare signals different points. TIME / DIV by using this control V/t graph horizontal scale can be changed. Trigger controls it allows the oscilloscope display to be coordinated with the signal you want to look into. Intensity and focus this control is used to change the brightness of the scope by adjusting it. X-POS by using this control the whole V/t graph can be moved side to side. X-MAG horizontal scale of the V/t graph is increased by 10 times in the IN position. CAL outputs -the top terminal gives square wave at 0.2  V peak to peak but the lower terminal gives square wave of 2  V peak to peak at 50 Hz. Component tester A changing voltage is provided by the output socket to allow component characteristic curves to be displayed. Y-POS I and Y-POS II this control allows the resultant outcome to move up or down Invert when its invert the waveform signal on the screen is turned upside down. CH I and CH II inputs using the BNC plugs the signals are connected to the BNC input socket. The smaller socket is called earth or ground. VOLTS / DIV independently the vertical scales for CH I and CH II can be adjusted. DC/AC/GND slide switches In the DC position, the signal input is connected directly to the Y-amplifier of the corresponding channel, CH I or CH II. In the AC position, a capacitor is connected into the signal pathway so that DC voltages are blocked and only changing AC signals are displayed (www.doctronics.co.uk) Trace selection switches settings of control switches for oscilloscope screen. How to set up an oscilloscope First you warm up the oscilloscope by switching it on. At this stage do not connect any input leads. Select the DC/AC/GND switch to DC (the Y-input) Select the X-Y/SWP to SWP (sweep) Put the trigger level to AUTO Select the trigger source to INT (the Y input, internal) Put 5V/cm at the Y-AMPLIFIER Put the TIMEBASE to 10ms/cm Select 1 or Cal for the time base VRIABLE control. to map out the middle of the screen adjust the Y-SHIFT (up/down) and X SHIFT (left/right) to brighten up the focus adjust the INTENSITY and FOCUS now the oscilloscope is ready to go http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/cro.htm Digital storage oscilloscope Digital Phosphor Oscilloscope Bandwidths 100  MHz 200  MHz 500 MHz, 300 MHz, 100 MHz Sample rate 2  GS/s Real Time 5 GS/s Channels 2 or 4 Channels 2 or 4 Channels 8 Hours of Continuous Battery Operation with Two Batteries Installed, Hot Swappable for Virtually Unlimited Freedom from AC Line Power Full VGA Color LCD on all Models Optional Power Application Software offers the Broadest Range of Power Measurements at its Price Point Built-in Floppy Disk Drive for Easy Storage and Documentation Measurement Quickly Document and Analyze Measurement Results with OpenChoice ® Software or Integrated CompactFlash ® Mass Storage 21 Automatic Measurements Fast Fourier Transform FFT Standard on All Models FFT for Frequency and Harmonic Analysis Triggers Advanced Triggers to Quickly Capture the Event of Interest Advanced Triggers, such as, Glitch, Width, and Logic Traditional, Analog-style Knobs and Multilanguage User Interface for Easy Operation Multi-Language User Interface Quick Setup and Operation with Auto set Menu, Auto range, Waveform and Setup Memories, and Built-in, Context-sensitive Help Quick Menu User Interface Mode for Quick, Easy Operation Backlit Menu Buttons for High Visibility 9-bit Vertical Resolution 11 of the Most Critical Automatic Waveform Measurements Telecommunications Mask Testing (TMT) Centronics Port Standard on all Models for Quick, Convenient Hardcopies Extended Video Application Module Support for Active Probes, Differential Probes, and Current Probes that Provide Automatic Scaling and Units Digital Phosphor Oscilloscope http://infrared.als.lbl.gov/content/PDF/equipment/Tektronix_TDS3052_Data_Sheet.pdf Digital storage oscilloscope http://www2.tek.com/cmswpt/psdetails.lotr?ct=pscs=psuci=13304lc=EN

Schools :: essays research papers

SCHOOLS There are hundreds, if not thousand of schools in this world. In Malaysia, we have seven types of schools. They are Malay schools, Tamil schools, Chinese schools, international schools, private schools, and religious schools. There is only one type of Malay schools and they are the Malay government schools. Malay schools are the most common types of schools in Malaysia. You can find at least one Malay school in a town. Malay schools are divided into two. They are the Malay primary schools and the Malay secondary schools. Malaysians start their primary school education at the age of seven. They will then be in standard 1 and they will stay until they are in standard 6, which is until they are 12 years old. The following year they will go to form 1 in the secondary school and they will continue studying there until they finish form 5 so that they can go to either college or start work immediately or they can continue to form 6 so that they can go to university immediately thereafter. Every student has to sit for the UPSR examination when they are in standard 6, the PMR examination when they are in form 3, the SPM examination when they are in form 5, and the STPM examination when they are in form 6. All the lessons in the primary and secondary schools are, with the exception of the English lesson, are conducted in Malay. There is only one type of Tamil school in Malaysia and they are the government ones. Tamil schools are very much like the Malay schools with the exception that all lessons except English and Malay are in Tamil. Their syllabus is a lot like the syllabus of the Malay schools. The only difference is that they have to enter a Malay school when they go to form one. They normally spend a year in a special class after they finish the UPSR examination so that they can cope with the high standard of Malay in the Malay school they will be going to. Then they will they will continue studying at the school like any other student. Chinese schools are very much like Tamil schools. All their lessons except English and Malay are in Chinese. Their syllabus is a lot like the syllabus of the Malay schools. However, they can choose to continue their education in a Chinese secondary school after they finish their UPSR examination or they can choose to go to a special class after the examination and then continue their education in a Malay secondary school.