Health Psychology Health Belief Model Free Essay Example, 2500 words

A good example is the patients with chronic illnesses like tuberculosis and when a doctor makes the decision that the patient should quit some disastrous habits like smoking when suffering from tuberculosis, the patients who may be involved in smoking will be blamed but the doctors will also be blamed for not informing the patient of the best methods to quit smoking and hence not helping the patient to comply with the physician s decision. This means that both the patients and the physicians are to be held responsible if the patient does not comply with the decision of the physician. This is a psychological model that was developed by Rosenstock in the year 1966 and it was very instrumental in the studying and the promotion of the services that were offered by a psychologist. The model has been subject to many amendments throughout the years and the last time that the model was amended was in the year 1988. These amendments have been made to accommodate various developments in the f ield. It is important to note that the model was initially developed to study the behavior of the patients in relation to the response the patients had to treat. We will write a custom essay sample on Health Psychology: Health Belief Model or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The model initially concentrated on the response of the chronic and acute patients but in modern times, the model has been used to study more general patients (Rosenstock, 236). The health belief model has the basis that an individual will do an action that is related to health if the individual is aware that the health problem is avoidable. The individual will also take an action if the individual has a positive expectation that by the virtue that the individual is doing an action that is recommended by the health fraternity, and then the individual will avoid a health problem. The individual also feels that he or she can effectively and successfully to avoid a negative health condition (Conner, 165). In its initial inception, the health belief model was spelled out in four construct terms that highlighted the threat and benefits. The four constructs are susceptibility, severity, benefits, and barriers.

Gun Control in America - 758 Words

Nathan 3/30/08 Gun Control in America Ever since the days of the pioneers, firearms have been an element of the American tradition as defense and a means of hunting or activity. As we progress through the 21st century the use of guns has changed significantly. The reason that the use of the gun is changing is fast and steady increase in crime and the battle for the right to have possession of a hand gun, the introduction of legislation for gun control, to try to decrease the felony in the United States, has been a brutal debated issue in recent years. Even though many people believe that gun control violates the right of the people, set in the second amendment the right to bear arms.† Controlling distribution and sales and the†¦show more content†¦Metropolitan centers and a number of suburban communities of America are setting new records for homicides by handguns. Larger Metropolitan centers have ten times the murder rate of all Western Europe. For example in Washington, D.C. the re was an estimated 400 homicides including guns. In addition gun control has been seen as necessary because of the violence by criminals using guns. Gun control is wrapped in a series of social issues such as crime and drugs. GunsShow MoreRelatedGun Control in America785 Words   |  3 Pages There has always been and always will be a problem with crime in America. Gun control has become a hot topic when talking about crime prevention. Gun control is any law, policy, or practice created to regulate the possession, production, sale, and use of firearms by private citizens. The majority of the American citizens believe that we should be able to own firearms for protection, leisure and sporting purposes. These people believe that denial of ownership of firearms infringes our SecondRead MoreGun Control in America1480 Words   |  6 PagesGun Control in America On March 24, 1998, firing from the woods overlooking their school, 13-year-old Andrew Golden and 11-year-old Mitchell Johnson shot and killed four middle school students and a teacher and injured ten other students in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The two boys had a semiautomatic M-1 carbine with a large ammunition magazine, two other rifles, seven handguns and more than 500 rounds of ammunition which they took from the home of one of the boy?s grandfather, who had a large arsenalRead MoreGun Control in America1313 Words   |  6 PagesGun Control in America Peter Z Bliss ENG/215 February 2, 2012 Kim Holloway Gun Control in America Gun control is a debate topic that comes up every election and when a major event happens that involving guns. Pro-gun lobbyists say â€Å"Guns don’t kill people, people kill people† [ (Hagan, 2007) ] the anti-gun advocates want to take away the right to bear arms. This topic has no right or wrong answer it is a preference of the individual. This is why gun control is such a fiercely debated topicRead MoreGun Control in America2011 Words   |  8 PagesGun control is one of the biggest issues in America. Alfred Blumstein states, â€Å"As Americans, violence is a priority in everybody’s concerns in this country.† America is fighting a constant battle against crime and violence in this country. Murder is one of the biggest incidents happening on a daily basis in this country. 70% of homicides are reported to have some sort of firearm used in the crime. The depressing truth is that gun violence is increasing in young teens. Since 1985 people younger thanRe ad MoreThe Issue of Guns and Gun Control in America1146 Words   |  5 PagesIn America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, to hunt for food and to engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control takes on a proportion of extreme magnitude. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one ofRead MoreThe Gun Control Debate in America1159 Words   |  5 PagesGUN CONTROL DEBATE IN AMERICA Gun control has become a very hot topic of contention in America today. What seems to echo here are two words: â€Å"guns† and â€Å"crime†, in a sense that are these words mutually exclusive to each other? Does the use of guns ultimately lead to crime? On the flip side, have the laws in America restricting firearm use been effective enough to protect the lives of the citizens? These are some of the questions that strike the hearts of many when the gun control debate music isRead MoreGun Control Laws On America1369 Words   |  6 Pages Many activist think that they could control the gun violence in America, just by taking away weapons from the people and making new laws. What they don’t know is that there are many loopholes in the laws that they make so peoples find ways to get guns. We already have gun control laws from back then. the government just passed more laws instead of enforcing the laws that we already. †The activists pass more and more laws thinking that the more laws we have the better they would be enforced.† (Drake)Read MoreGun Control in America Essay765 Words   |  4 Pages Gun control laws in America have been a long standing issue that is still a problem today. In America it is excessively easier to obtain a gun license than to obtain a driver’s license. Americans who want to obtain a license to drive in the United States must pass a written and a driving test with a government official driving instructor. Some states require a drug and alcohol course before issuing a license to drive. The same concept should apply for obtaining a gun license. Due to guns licensesRead MoreGun Control in America Essay828 Words   |  4 Pages Guns Control Living a life in America, we all get to have all the rights that included in the Constitution. One of those was the Second Amendment which is the rights to bear arm, the purpose was to protect ourselves from danger but nowadays a lot of people have take advantage of it and use it in the wrong way. I believe our government need to have a strict limit on guns possession. Gun control had been a phenomenal issue in our country. In December 15, 1791 the second amendment establishedRead MoreThe Effects Of Gun Control On America Essay1492 Words   |  6 PagesThe Effect of Gun Control on America Guns have been prevalent in the United State’s culture for hundreds of years. Firearms have been, and still are being used for hunting, protection and even sport. In fact, if it was not for the help of firearms, we would not be graced with the many freedoms we have today. Currently, owning and obtaining a firearm is a controversial topic that sparks heavy emotions. Many people argue for eliminating all guns, and applying heavier regulations to prevent tragic

Environmental Revolution Free Essays

string(61) " being driven or riding busses to school instead of walking\." The Next Step Broad Social Change Through Personal Commitment Introduction In the last thirty years, America has witnessed an environmental revolution. New laws like the 1963 Clean Air Act and the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act forged new ground in political environmentalism. Social phenomena like Earth Day, organized by Dennis Hayes in 1970, and the beginning of large-scale recycling, marked by Oregon’s 1972 Bottle Bill, have help change the way Americans think about the environment. We will write a custom essay sample on Environmental Revolution or any similar topic only for you Order Now As we approach the third millennium, however, we must reconsider our place on the planet and reflect on our efforts and progress towards a sustainable society. As global warming becomes a scientific reality, natural disasters make monthly appearances in the headlines, and communities continue to find their ground-water contaminated by industrial and nuclear waste, we must ask ourselves: are we doing enough? The environmental movement in the past has largely been a social and political phenomenon. While many of us recycle (yet still only 35 percent of us) and take dead batteries to our town’s Hazardous Waste Day, most Americans have not made the environment a personal issue. Very few of us have taken the kind of personal life-changing steps that are necessary to create an environmentally sustainable society. It is simply naive to believe that America’s present rates of consumption, waste production, and environmental contamination are sustainable. The kind of social change required can only happen when we as individuals embrace the effort in our everyday lives. Only then will corporate America and the government realize that they too must change to maintain their customer base and public support. This kind of personal commitment to change would also create a new social ethic based on the environment under which people and companies who do not care for the earth would be held socially and financially responsible. In six parts, this article will re-examine our place in the environmental movement and investigate exactly what changes we can make in our personal lives to bring about positive change. These areas are transportation, energy, recycling and waste management, toxins and pollution, food, and water. Some of the changes discussed will require sacrifice. But, more important, these changes will often simplify our lives, bring our families and communities closer together, and help us to better understand, revere, and coexist with the world upon which each of us is directly dependent. Transportation The invention of the automobile is one of history’s greatest environmental disasters. The automobile decentralized our society. People with cars moved out of the city and drove to work from their suburban homes. Before the automobile, agriculture was local. Food was grown by farmers living in what was soon to be the suburbs, and delivered fresh to markets in the cities. Because of the short distance food had to travel, farmers didn’t need to add preservatives or other additives to maintain freshness. Clearly, the automobile, like other harmful inventions, makes our lives easier in many ways, but how often do we consider the environment when weighing these benefits? Fossil fuels account for the automobile’s most significant effect on the environment. Not only are the emissions from cars and trucks toxic to every air-breathing organism, but every step of the fossil fuel process, from extraction to disposal, is bad for the environment. According to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), millions of gallons of untreated water contaminated by the drilling processes are dumped into waterways and oceans annually. Once extracted, fossil fuels are frequently refined on site, burying 179 million tons of toxic waste annually. During transport, an average of 1 million gallons of oil is spilled into the ocean each month. Upon arrival, fossil fuels are usually burned in automobiles or power plants. The average coal-burning power plant burns about 10,000 tons of coal in a single day. With even a low estimate of five per cent waste, that leaves 500 tons of toxic waste produced each day by a single power plant. If used in cars, oil must be refined further, wasting more energy and creating more toxic waste before drivers purchase it. The combustion engines used in cars and trucks emit toxic gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect and acid rain, deplete the ozone layer, and create more than 50% of the smog producing toxins that city-dwellers breathe every day. Even if we disregard the environmental damage caused by fossil fuels, we should recognize that, as a non-renewable energy source, the earth’s reserves will eventually run out. Hundreds of millions of years of organic decomposition will be wiped out in a single century. Conservative estimates say we have 30 to 50 years left of oil use. With more and more developing nations rapidly increasing their use of fossil fuels, and the continuing growth rate of fossil fuel use at four times the population growth, our time with fossil fuels could be significantly less. Just imagine the economic and political upheaval a major oil shortage would cause. Simply put, the country that depends on fossil fuels the least will be the most likely to survive the economic strife and wars resulting from global depletion. Fossil fuel consumption is deeply entrenched in the American mode of life. We rely on automobiles for almost all of our transportation needs, enjoy motor boats and jet skis on our vacations, and use gas-burning engines in most of the tools we use in the yard. (Although electricity is another major consumer source of fossil fuel consumption, that will be discussed in the Energy section. Yet we can make numerous changes in our lifestyle that will significantly decrease our personal consumption of fossil fuels. Let’s return to America’s biggest weakness: the automobile. Simply not driving is the best and most obvious solution to the problem of automobiles. Americans have gotten used to their cars and seldom walk or bicycle even short distances. Gym class became a federal requirement in the 1930s because students were being driven or riding busses to school instead of walking. You read "Environmental Revolution" in category "Essay examples" Americans have also become significantly more overweight since we started driving. Consider your Saturday errands around town. Most errands we make are to destinations less than a few miles away and frequently involve dropping off or picking up something small. These kinds of errands can just as easily be accomplished by walking or bicycling. Your body will thank you, and so will the environment. Public transport, if available, is also a great way to stay out of the car. Consider an area’s public transportation system in choosing a place to live, as some cities have significantly better systems than others. When your destination is too far to walk or bicycle, there are still numerous ways to minimize the use of automobiles. If you drive to work, find other people at your company or other companies near you that live in your town and start a carpool. Even carpooling once in a while makes a difference, so don’t get discouraged by occasional scheduling conflicts or other obstacles. When running errands, plan ahead to consolidate them into one trip and consider the most efficient route. If possible, park in a central location and walk to multiple destinations. Ask a neighbor or friend if they need to go out (everybody has to go to the grocery store, for example), and share a ride. For every ride you share, the fuel consumption and emissions for that trip are cut in half. There are also many ways that your driving habits effect the fuel efficiency of your car. Try to avoid fast accelerations, for instance. They use significantly more fuel than gradual accelerations. Likewise, avoid driving at excessive speeds. Every car engine has an RPM (revolutions per minute) at which optimal fuel economy is achieved; you’ll find it in your car’s manual. Check your tachometer and try to maintain that RPM while driving. Minimizing the work-load on your car is another way to increase fuel economy. Remove any unnecessary heavy objects from the car, and avoid using the air conditioner when possible. Finally, turn off your engine if you expect to be idle for even a short while. Starting a modern fuel-injected car uses less gas than idling for 30 seconds. Did you know that warming up your car by letting it idle in the driveway in cold weather actually causes engine damage? This is also when your car’s emissions are at their worst. The best and fastest way to heat up a car is by driving it. When it’s time to buy a new car, there are many ecological alternatives to the gas guzzling beasts typically driven by Americans. Many compact cars on the market today achieve stunning fuel economy. The four-wheel-drive trucks so popular in today’s market get comparatively bad gas mileage and usually carry one person over a paved road. Buy the smallest car you can, and don’t buy a larger car for infrequent needs-consider buying a used trailer for infrequent cargo hauls. If you’ve been putting off the purchase of a motorcycle as whimsical, think again. Many motorcycles (and scooters in particular) achieve significantly better fuel economy compared to even the most fuel-efficient cars, resulting in less over-all consumption and emissions. Maintenance is the final step in minimizing the environmental impact of automobiles. Modern cars have very sophisticated emissions systems and engines that must be finely tuned to achieve maximum efficiency. Regular check-ups for your car will protect your investment and ensure the car is in its best possible working order. The longer you keep your car, the more value from it you receive and the less waste is created and energy spent in the production of a new car. If you have to commute to work every day, consider an electric car. Electric cars have come a long way in price, distance and efficiency, and will soon be available from large manufacturers like Ford and Toyota. Several small companies around the country convert small gas powered cars and trucks to electric, zero-emissions vehicles and sell them for slightly more than a gas-powered car. As electric cars become more common and are manufactured on a large scale, their prices will drop significantly. Many hobbyists, with no prior automotive or electrical expertise, have created their own electric cars from their used gas-powered vehicles. Check your local library for one of the many conversion guides available. Today’s electric cars take about four hours to charge, plugged into a standard outlet, and can go anywhere from 50 to 200 miles on a single charge. While you wouldn’t want to take an electric car across the country (though this has been done), their distance per charge is plenty for a typical commuter to get to work and back. Most electric car owners keep a gas-powered car around for longer trips. Owners of electric cars generally find the increase in their electric bill minimal compared to the amount they save in gasoline. While electric cars create no emissions themselves, and create almost no waste (even the batteries are recyclable), the electric company is still burning fossil fuels to create the electricity needed to charge the car. Nevertheless, electric companies are capable of converting fossil fuels to energy much more efficiently and with fewer emissions than a gas-powered car. Electric cars also leave room for improvement in any method of large-scale energy production, such as biomass, hydro, and solar (see the Energy section). This section has focused primarily on cars, but Americans also use many other gas-powered engines. The small engines in motor boats and lawn equipment do not have to meet the emissions standards of cars, and thus, emit far more toxins into the air. Consider using a quiet, powerless mulching mower on your lawn if you have one, and an electric weed whacker rather than one that is gas powered. If you enjoy the water, consider learning to sail rather than motoring. Motorized water vehicles not only emit air pollution, they also pollute the water, contribute to sound pollution, and injure fish and other animals in the water. Energy in the Home Automobiles are not the only consumers of fossil fuels or sources of air pollution stemming from our personal lives. According to the EPA, furnaces, hot water heaters, and other fossil fuel burning appliances in American homes produce 20% of all U. S. carbon dioxide, 26% of sulfur dioxide, and 15% of nitrogen oxide emissions, the leading causes of acid rain and global warming. Note that these figures do not take into consideration the power our homes draw from fossil fuel-burning power plants. By making our homes as energy-efficient as possible and minimizing our personal use of electricity, we can significantly reduce our personal impact on the environment. The main sources of power consumption in our homes are the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Maintaining, repairing, or upgrading these systems will not only save us money, but also reduce the amount of energy needed to run our homes on a day-to-day basis. The EPA’s Energy Star Homes program brings environmentally aware developers and manufacturers together to build homes that are better insulated and utilize 90% efficiency or better HVAC systems. If you are looking to build a new home, call their toll-free hotline, (888) STAR-YES, for literature, or save paper and visit their Internet site at www. epa. gov for more information. Unfortunately, building new homes is not an environmentally sound thing to do. New homes require previously undeveloped land or disposal of the property’s old construction. Further, new wood and materials must be used unless costly measures are taken to restore materials from an old construction. Beyond environmentally unsound, new construction is many times more expensive and time-consuming than renovation and repair of most existing houses. Even if your house is too costly to upgrade, consider buying an already renovated house or one easily renovated before building new construction. A furnace using heating oil, natural gas, or electricity heats most American homes. Still others use a wood or pellet stove. Of these, electricity is by far the least efficient. One truth of energy conservation is that electricity should not be used to produce heat, whether in a stove, water heater, or central heating. The exception to this is the microwave, which is the most efficient way to heat small amounts of food. Edward Harland’s book, ECO~RENOVATION: the ecological home improvement guide, an excellent resource for anyone interested in environmental renovations, provides this revealing chart: Fuel Kg of CO2 Emitted per Useful Kilowatt Delivered (approx. ) Gas 0. 7 Oil 0. 5 Coal 0. 40 Electricity 0. 83 As you can see, electricity is more than twice as polluting as a coal burning furnace. Electricity is even worse if you take into consideration the amount of energy created by nuclear power, which creates nuclear waste instead of carbon dioxide (CO2). There is also a significant amount of energy wasted in cooling power plants and lost in the power grid, which further degrades electricity’s viability as an environmentally sound energy source. As the chart shows, natural gas, or methane, is the cleanest burning fuel. While most of the natural gas used in America is drawn from non-renewable reserves, it can be produced renewably through biomass production, a method currently used by China. Methane is produced in massive quantities by decaying waste and agricultural operations, so much that methane is one of the most serious greenhouse gasses. If methane could be captured from these sources, we would be slowing the greenhouse effect and using clean-burning renewable fuel at the same time. For these reasons, if you have an aging or inefficient oil burning furnace, consider converting to an efficient natural gas furnace. Wood or pellet stoves still fuel many homes in America. Wood, if used wisely, is a renewable and relatively clean-burning fuel. While burning wood does produce CO and CO2, new technology allows wood stoves to reuse unspent output by re-burning it before emission. Pellet stoves, quickly replacing log-burning stoves, use pressed recycled paper and wood pulp that look like rabbit pellets. Pellets, while more expensive, are more efficient to burn and take up less space during storage. Before investing in a wood stove, however, be sure to investigate which brands are most efficient and emit the least gases and particulate. Also, wood stoves must be used carefully and maintained properly to avoid inefficient operation, excessive emissions, and leakage of carbon monoxide into the home. The best way to minimize the amount of fuel-produced heat your home requires is to insulate it properly. Insulation is the most important factor in the amount of energy required to heat your home. Consider a hypothetical home with 100% perfect insulation. This home would need to be heated only once, and never again. This puts into perspective the idea that we only need to heat our homes as much as heat escapes to the outside. Most houses in America are poorly insulated at best; only one in four houses have insulated walls. Consider the fuel savings if you increased your home’s insulation quality by even 20%, which in many cases is a realistic goal. Initially, insulation costs time and money, but it pays for itself quickly in reduced fuel costs and a warmer, more comfortable home. Unfortunately, the finer points of insulating a home are beyond the scope of this article. An excellent resource on maximizing your home’s insulation is Home Insulation by Harry Yost. Your local library should have, if not this book, several books on insulation that will at least get you started. Beyond updating your furnace and insulating your home, consider your personal use of heat in the home. The average American household’s temperature during the winter is slowly rising because of increasingly sedentary lifestyles and lighter dress. The healthier we eat and the more exercise we get, the more internal heat our bodies will produce. The more above the outside temperature a home is heated, the less efficient its heating system becomes. If we simply wear more clothes, we will need substantially less heat. Wearing sweaters and slippers, eating nutritious food, and getting plenty of exercise are simple but frequently overlooked ways we can reduce our heating energy needs. Next to furnaces and stoves, the air conditioner is the second most energy-hungry appliance in American homes. Unfortunately, air conditioners rely on lots of electricity, the most polluting form of energy available. The use of air conditioners should be avoided at all costs. If you live in a climate with extreme heat, consider your air conditioner and its placement carefully. The EPA has outlined efficiency standards for most household appliances, air conditioners included. Make sure, if you buy an air conditioner, that it has the EPA’s Energy Star mark of approval. This does not mean that the air conditioner is good for the environment, but that it uses its electricity efficiently instead of wasting it as many older models do. If you must have an air conditioner, purchase a small, efficient model and place it in a small, closed-off room where you spend most of your time. Make sure this room does not contain any heat-producing appliances like a washing machine or clothes dryer, and that sunlight does not enter through windows. Under these conditions, air conditioning can be relatively efficient and economical. Central air conditioning, on the other hand, is extremely inefficient and usually goes largely unused. Outside of heating and air conditioning, almost all of the energy used in our homes is electricity. Many Americans take electricity for granted, leaving unused lights and appliances on without thinking. A simple awareness in turning things off can greatly reduce our electric bills. Further, choices can be made in the kinds of lights and appliances we use, and whether they need to be used at all. As for lights, there are several high-efficiency bulbs on the market that, for slightly more money than a typical light bulb, can get by on a fraction of the electricity. Fluorescent lights, for instance, are five times more efficient than incandescent (typical) lights. Standard incandescent light bulbs use electricity to heat a filament that glows to create light, whereas fluorescent lights send very rapid and brief charges of electricity through a filament. The days of flickering long tube fluorescent lights are over. According to Edward Harland, new Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) flicker at more than 20,000 cycles per second (compared to 60 in tube lights), are 30% more energy efficient than tube lights, and come on almost instantly. These lights, while more expensive, will significantly reduce your electricity bill and last five to ten times longer than standard light bulbs. Before even turning on the lights, make the best possible use of natural light in your home. Place your reading chair by a sunny window instead of in a corner facing out a window. Consider adding skylights to your home. These can create a surprising amount of natural light during the day, and contribute to your house’s heat during the winter. Mirrors strategically placed on walls can also make better use of light and heat from the sun coming in through the windows. Use only what electric lighting is necessary: low-wattage task lights for individual applications instead of high power lights to illuminate a large area. If you must use outdoor lights, consider purchasing a motion detector that will turn the light on and off only when it senses movement. When purchasing appliances, check to see that they are EPA Energy Star approved. These appliances use energy more efficiently than others. Most refrigerators, for instance, have compressors at their base which produce significant heat and cause the refrigerator to work against itself. During fair weather, consider drying clothes on a line outside instead of using a dryer, which inefficiently uses electricity to heat cold wet clothes. Your clothes will last longer, and you’ll see the difference in your electric bill. When undressing at night, ask yourself whether your pants can be worn again before washing. Americans, in particular, tend to balk at this sort of a suggestion. Allowing ourselves to think logically beyond social qualms and customs will allow each of our personal environmental movements to transcend many of our unsustainable habits. If you work in an office or at home, chances are your clothes aren’t that dirty at the end of the day. You’ll be surprised at the decrease in your weekly laundry load. The last big source of energy consumption in our homes is our favorite appliance of all. The average American household television is on 7 hours and 20 minutes per day, and 98% of all households have at least one television. At 170 watts per hour, that comes to 452,965 watt hours (or 453 kilowatt hours) of television use per year in an average household using one 25†³ television. Look at the breakdown of your electricity bill to put this number into perspective. You’ll see that America could save a lot of electricity and money by simply turning off the television. Instead, we can read a book, go for a walk or hike, work in a garden, or talk or play a game with our families. Quite simply, the less television we watch, the richer our lives will be, the less we will spend on electricity, and the more we will be doing for the environment. All of the information in this section has focussed on minimizing the use of energy in the home. Imagine if you could use electricity in your home without burning any fossil fuels and without any monthly electric bills. This is not only possible, but a reality for thousands of Americans. With one initial investment in a photovoltaic system (silicon cells that convert the sun’s light into electricity), you can end your dependence on polluting power companies and begin a new life of clean energy self-sufficiency. You can get started with a simple photovoltaic setup for a single zone of your home for less than one thousand dollars, or go all out with a top-of-the-line fully self-sufficient photovoltaic power center for about $13,000. If these prices sound high, consider the savings. If your monthly electric bill is $100, a top-of-the-line system that requires only a moderate degree of energy efficiency would be paid for in less than eleven years. And there is a whole spectrum of cheaper systems that can easily power a typical home. For less than four thousand dollars (paying for itself in about 3 years) the Real Goods Trading Corporation sells a system â€Å"designed to handle all the lighting, entertainment, and small kitchen appliances for a modest, energy-conserving household of one to four people in a full-time home. † This description is taken from the Real Goods Solar Living Source Book, 9th Edition. This seven hundred page tome covers everything from taking care of the land to water conservation and every alternative form of energy from solar to hydro to wind. It is a must-have for anyone who wants to live lightly on the earth, and is available at most major book stores and libraries. Recycling and Waste Management There is no environmentally sound method of dealing with the 200 million tons of municipal solid waste produced in America each year. There are many things we can do, however, to minimize, if not eliminate, our personal 4 1/2lb-a-day contribution to that figure. The now ubiquitous threesome, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, still defines what we all must do to bring our personal trash production down to a sustainable level. With the media and certain high-positioned nay-sayers claiming that recycling is worse for the environment than it is good for it, and laws making recycling just another stupid rule rather than a social imperative, perhaps a redux of America’s trash situation is called for. Households and other residences produce 100 of the 200 million tons of annually produced garbage in the United States. Most of that goes to land-fills, where it is covered up (if not purposefully sealed to prevent leakage) and starved of the oxygen needed for biodegradation. Here is just a taste of some garbage statistics from Geoffrey C. Saign’s well-researched book, Green Essentials: More than 1/2 of U. S. landfills have closed in the past 10 years, and nearly 1/2 of the remaining 5,800 landfills do not meet federal or state standards for human health and environmental protection. More landfills are being closed as they fail to meet 1993 and 1994 guidelines and as communities resist allowing new landfills in their area; 22 states will run out of landfill capacity within 10 years or less. The nation’s 10 largest cities use a land area for their garbage that is larger than the state of Indiana. And this is just landfills. Incineration is quickly becoming the chosen method of dealing with garbage. Incineration actually concentrates the toxicity of garbage by mixing volatile chemicals at high temperatures and reducing its harmless biomass content. Approximately 1/4 of the ashes produced in a typical incinerator escape into the atmosphere, where they combine with the toxic gases emitted to cause acid rain, smog, and global warming. The remaining ashes are highly toxic and dumped in landfills or stored in toxic waste facilities. A few states mix this ash with pavement, where it will slowly decompose and leach into the ground. The simple fact is that most of this waste could be recycled or composted instead of burned or buried. Green Essentials offers this breakdown of garbage ingredients by weight: Ingredient % by weight Alternative disposal methods available Paper and paperboard 34% Recyclable Yard trimmings 20% Compostable Plastic 9% Recyclable Food waste 9% Compostable Metals 8% Recyclable Glass 7% Recyclable Wood 4% Compostable, can be used as fuel Rubber and leather 3% Recyclable (tires) Textiles 2% Donate Other 4% As this chart displays, 58% (not counting the 3% for rubber and leather) of our garbage is recyclable; 33% of the remainder could be composted. That means that 91% of all the garbage produced in this country (that’s about 182 million tons annually) could be kept out of incinerators and landfills. Even a fraction of this ideal estimate would have a profound impact on the environment. Despite the amazing potential for waste reduction that recycling makes possible, The New York Times joined the media’s misinformed recycling myth extravaganza in their June 30th, 1996 article, â€Å"Recycling is Garbage. From the beginning, pessimists and special-interest industries have spread incorrect â€Å"myths† about recycling. These claims frequently charge (among other things) that landfill space is abundant and cheap; there is no market for recycled goods; and recycling doesn’t pay for itself. Consider the facts on these three points: Landfill space has become a precious commodity in the U. S. , with many states paying to export trash to other states or countries. Recall Geoffrey Saign’s statement that â€Å"22 states will run out of landfill capacity within 10 years or less. The market for recycled goods, while fluctuating like any burgeoning market, has increased with the amount of recycled goods available to create a powerful new industry. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, â€Å"U. S. pulp paper manufacturers have voluntarily built or expanded more than 45 recycled paper mills in the 1990’s, and are projected to spend more than $10 billion on such facilities by the end of the decade. † To argue that recycling doesn’t pay for itself is like arguing that landfills and incinerators don’t pay for themselves-of course they don’t. Recycling plants, even in the industry’s infancy, cost about as much to operate as conventional disposal methods, but are considerably more environmentally sound (costing less when environmental damage and cleanup costs are considered) and reduce pollution from manufacturing and mining for new production. Recycling is an easy thing to do, and good habit to get into as many towns and cities are requiring their citizens to recycle by law or charging by the pound for non-recycled garbage. First, find out what your town recycles by calling your local waste management facility. If your town or city doesn’t recycle or recycles only a few materials, consider getting a â€Å"recycling-only† dump permit for a near-by pro-recycling town or city. Next, reorganize your home’s main trash area to include receptacles for all the different materials you will recycle. Food containers like tin cans and bottles should be rinsed to keep your recycling receptacles from smelling. You’ll be amazed at the decrease in waste the next time you take out the trash. If we make a commitment to recycle our garbage, we must support the effort on the other end by buying recycled goods. Many products’ packaging claims â€Å"100% recyclable. † This is good, but keep in mind that it doesn’t mean the material is recycled. Look for the percentage of â€Å"post-consumer waste† to tell you if it is and how much of is recycled. Recycled products like paper and cardboard have come a long way in quality and price. Seventh Generation, a producer of a full line of 100% recycled and earth-friendly household products, posts a convincing advertisement on the side of their bathroom tissue packages: If every household in the U. S. eplaced just one 4-pack of 430 sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissues with 100% recycled ones, we could save 1 million trees, 4. 1 million cubic feet of landfill space (equal to 4,618 full garbage trucks), and 427 million gallons of water (a years supply for 12,300 families of four). About 33% of the garbage we produce, like food scraps and yard trimmings, can be composted. Composting is nature’s answer to garbage control, converting organic waste back into the soil it came from. While many people compost to create nutrient-rich soil for their garden, you don’t have to be a gardener to compost your organic waste. You should cover your compost pile, but not suffocate it. The organic waste needs plenty of oxygen to feed the microbes that decompose the matter. You can build a box for your compost, or buy one pre-made at your local garden shop. Look for an organic gardening book at your library for instructions on building a How to cite Environmental Revolution, Essay examples

Accounting Financial Analysts

Question: Discuss about theAccounting for Financial Analysts. Answer: Introduction: Business operation in any country is very crucial and critical as the same depends on lot of external and internal factors of the business. Regulatory framework is one of such factors. Australia is considered to be very investment friendly country and investors often tend to invest in various ventures headquarter or incepted in the country. However, it has been identified that there have been few instances where the business grew in Australia and subsequently went into liquidation in a time span of 10 to 15 years. This essay considers the case of DickSmith Holding Limited (DSH) which went through similar situations that is to say the inception of the company, its growth, expansion, gradual problems and lastly the demise of the organization. In other words, the current study attempts to evaluate Dick Smiths history and formation with its initial success drivers and achievements. The study also explores the changes in companys structure, cause of the companys demise and its impact on t he society. This essay discusses about the brief history of the company and how it was formed. It also throws light on the key initial success drivers, financial milestones or achievements of the company. Also, major changes in its structure over the corporate life are also talked about. This essay also shows how the company managed to enter into various deals of mergers or demergers. Furthermore, this also depicts the generally accepted reasons that caused the liquidation of the firm and its consequential social impact, both internally on staffs and externally, across the wider business community and society in general. Lastly, this essay ends with a summary of the lessons learned and recommendations. Dick smith is a public company that was founded in the year 1968, and owned by Dick Smith and his wife till the year 1982. Dick Smith is a retailer of consumer electronic products. The company specializes in four broad categories: office, mobility, entertainment and other services. Dick Smith has two segments: Dick Smith Australia and Dick smith New Zealand. The companys network of stores consist of approximately 393 stores across Australia and New Zealand. In the year 1982 Woolworths Limited purchased Dick Smith. The company was later sold to Anchorage Capital Partners in the year 2012. In January 2016, Dick Smiths share price has fallen 80% in the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) as a result a halt in trading was requested and on July 25th 2016 Dick Smith was liquidated. Considering the previous content, Abdel-Kader Luther (2008) claimed that, due to the devaluation of Dick Smith Companys shares; it was forced to sell its rights to Kogan.com in May 2016. Dick Smith Holding Limited (DSH) was started in the year 1968 with initial capital of AU$610. The business was established in a rented premise of a car parking space. The founder, Dick Smith, named the company after his own name. In the words of Zhang (2011), Dick Smith introduced the concept of self serve shopping, which was included free in the popular magazine Electronics Australia and Electronics Today International. Dick Smith gained its profit majorly from the sales of CB radio during 1970s. Dick Smith took the advantage of exploding sales of personal computer; as a result the company established electronic components and kit lines. Dick Smith gained popularity with the sale of Dick Smith Cat (Apple II clone), which was highly successful in the production line. The company also gained popularity from the sale of VZ-200 and VZ-300. Dick Smith sold personal computers with brand name Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore 64. Dick Smith and Electronics Australia magazine entered a joint v enture to develop the Super-80 computer kit in the year 1981. Dick Smith was the fastest growing retailer of consumer electronic product in Australia, with the largest number of stores spread across the country. As per opinion of Block (2008), to put Dick Smiths initial success into consideration, the fact can be stated that, two years after listing in the Australian Stock Exchange with a valuation of $520 million, the company had a profit of $37.9 million. Dick Smith had a sale base of $1.3 billion and debt of just $40 million. In this context, Blndal (2011) stated that Dick Smith had an aggressive growth program. Dick Smith in its initial business days added 75 new stores, after initial public offering. The network of Dick Smith expanded at the rate of 25%. On the other hand the company launched new formats and brands in the market, entering in the category of small appliances. The company aggressively increased its offering in private label. The inventory base of Dick Smith grew from $171 million to $293 million. It was a major leap for Dick Smith, as its sales base grew over 70%, compared to a growth of just 10% in the last two years. Dick Smiths achievement was contributed majorly by its range of private label electronics during 1980s. In the year 2007, Dick Smith Electronics used its brand on a broad range of products, which included DVD players, set-top boxes, Television aerials, AV receivers and amplifiers, NiCd and NiMH rechargeable batteries, alkaline and lithium batteries, speakers, digital cameras, etc. In the initial days, the main activity of the business was installation and providing repair servicing of taxi radios. Gradually the business expanded to car radios. Few months later, the business grew more. The owner opened new line of service which is Dick Smith Wholesale. During 1970s and 1980s, the business expanded its product range further and sold products like answering machines, cordless phones, computer games etc. By 1980s, the company managed to open 20 stores. Dick Smith sold off 60% of the companys share to Woolworths Limited in 1980 and in the year 1982, Woolworths Limited acquired the balance share of the business. In this way, Woolworths Limited became the primary owner of the business against a total payment of AUD$25 million. In 1990s, Dick Smith Electronics Powerhouse was formed in New South Wales. This Powerhouse was established to provide products and services in the field of audio-visual and amateur radio areas. Booth Andrew (2011) stated that in the year 2003, the Powerhouse concept was rebranded to target the home appliances market such as kettles, coffee makers, toasters etc. In the year 2007, DSH introduced PowerSquad. It was a home installation service to install items such as television, computers and other electronics appliances for household. In the year 2012, Woolworths Limited announced that the business would close down approximately 100 Dick Smith stores across the country and sell off the business. Dick Smith, at that point of time, was still associated with the business against a very minor interest in the enterprise. The deal ultimately took place between Anchorage Capital Partners, an Australian investment firm, and Woolworths Limited under the supervision of Dick Smith. Value of the deal was AUD 20 million. Anchorage Capital Partners converted DSH into a public limited company by floating the shares of the firm in the market. At that time, the total market capitalization of the firm was around AUD 520 million. In 2013, business of Dick Smith allied with David Jones whereby Dick Smith acquired around 30 retails stores in the country and online. One year after, the business bought MAC1, an authorized apple service center and reseller. This deal was proved to be beneficial for Dick Smith. Also, in the words of Breal ey et al. (2013), an alliance with Trade Me platform further strengthened the market share of Dick Smith as millions of customers using online platform of Trade Me was able to purchase directly from Dick Smith stores. In the early 2016, the disaster occurred. Share prices of Dick Smith Holding Limited (DSH) dropped by more than 80% in the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). This had lead to a trading halt for the business. The very next day, the company went into receivership. National Australia Bank (NAB) and HSBC Bank Australia were primary creditors of the company and administrators cum liquidators were appointed by them only. Few months later, it was reported that Kogan.com, an online retailer, acquired the business of DSH. In July 2016, creditors of the company placed the company in liquidation. It was assessed that the creditors of the company would lose around AUD 260 million. Bushman Smith (2011) inferred that the primary reasons of the failure of DSH were almost in line with a dynamics of a competitive economy. It is a well known fact that if the business does not utilize the economic resources efficiently as the way the competitors are using the same, the business may fall down. The same situation happened in case of DSH also. Secondly, the method of accounting followed by the Woolworth Limited was also not accepted by Anchorage Capital Partners. In this context, Charupat et al.(2012) stated that these two companies were in disagreement with respect to the valuation of inventory. Anchorage wrote down the value of inventories of Dick Smith. This artificially inflated the profit position of the firm. Same policy was followed by the Anchorage in case of property, plant equipment. Investors got more attracted to the business. However, when these assets and inventories were sold off, these were not worth of the price these assets were shown at. Besides, Re bate based purchase also put negativities on the business profit. Choo Tan (2012) opined that due to the presence of profit, profit increased in the month of purchase. However, the profit remained flat in the month of sale. This impacted the general business transaction cycle adversely. The one of the most important and primary reasons of failure of Dick Smith Holding was the intention of Anchorage Capital Partners to reap of the benefit out of the said business as quickly as possible. Comment Jarrell (2011) stated that Private Equity firms (PE) in Australia are not much compliant with the regulatory provisions and hence the act of the PE firms often goes unnoticed and unregulated in the cou8ntry. This was one of the important considerations for the Australian Government after the massacre of DSH. According to Deegan et al. (2006), it was interesting to note that the financial statements of Dick Smith were audited by the auditors and no adverse findings were noted by the auditors. It might be understood that the auditors missed to identify any loopholes around the inventory. Since inventory is one of the most crucial factors in any retail business system, inventory management should have been one of the primary areas of interest for the auditors. Based on the clean chit provided by the auditors, stakeholders continued to keep maintaining faith in the management of the Dick Smith in the operations. As per the opinion of Degtiareva (2012), The impact of the gradual demise of the organization was adverse on the internal and external environment of the enterprise. Customers, who bought the gift cards for Christmas 2015, were intimated that the cards could not be used. Employees were given notice of retrenchment. Dick Smith had around 3,300 plus employees before the firm went into liquidation. The liquidation resulted in huge negative repercussion among these employees. Moreover, Dick Smith had borrowing of about AUD 140 million to NAB and about AUD 30 million to Macquarie group. These amounts proved to be bad. Conclusion: From the above discussion, it is inferred that the incorporation of a business does not need much of initiatives. However, a lot of plans and strategies are needed for the sustenance and growth of the business. According to Paramasivan Subramanian (2009), regulatory changes should be made in such a way so that the business acquisitions, financial accounting and reporting methodology are monitored and controlled by the regulators. Private Equity firms and other houses such as banks and financial institutions should also be brought under the regulatory umbrella. References: Abdel-Kader, M. Luther, R. (2008) The impact of firm characteristics on management accounting practices: A UK-based empirical analysis. The British Accounting Review, 40, pp. 2-27 Ang, C., Andrew, E., Hodrick, R J, Xing Y, Zhang, X. (2011), The cross-section of volatility and expected returns. Journal of Finance, 61(12), pp. 259299. Block, S.B., (2008), A study of financial analysts: practice and theory. Financial Analysts Journal, 15(8), pp. 86-95. Blndal, J. R. (2011), Issues in Accrual Budgeting, OECD Journal on Budgeting, 4:1, pp. 103-119. Booth, A. Andrew, S. (2011) "Capital Structures in Developing Countries," Journal of Finance, 56, pp. 87-130. Brealey, Richard, A. Myers, C.S. (2013) Principles of Corporate Finance. Seventh edition, McGraw-Hill publications. Bushman, R. Smith, A., (2011), Financial accounting information and corporate governance. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 32(24), pp. 237 333. Capital tier (2015) Available at: https://www.qcb.gov.qa/sitelists/CircularsToBanks/Lists/Circulars/Attachments/76/Circular%20no.%206-2014.pdf (Accessed: 18 July 2016). Charupat, N., Huang, H. Milevsky, M. (2012).Strategic financial planning over the lifecycle. New York: Cambridge University Press. Choo, F. Tan K.B. (2012), An Income Statement Approach for Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) analysis by using a Companys CVP Model. Journal of Accounting and Finance, 11(4), pp. 23-36. Comment, R. Jarrell, G. (2011), Corporate focus and stock returns, Journal of Financial Economics, 37, pp. 6789. Commercial Bank of Qatar Financial Results for the year ended 31 December 2015 (2016) Available at: https://www.cbq.qa/EN/AboutUs/News-Room/Releases/Pages/Commercial-Bank-of-Qatar-Financial-Results-for-the-year-ended-31-December-2015.aspx?y=2016m=01 (Accessed: 18 July 2016). Credit rating (2016) Available at: https://www.cbq.qa/EN/AboutUs/For-Investors/Pages/credit-rating.aspx (Accessed: 18 July 2016). Deegan, C., Rankin, M. Voght, P. (2006), Firms Disclosure Reactions to Major Social Incidents: Australian Evidence, Accounting Forum, 24, pp. 101-130. Degtiareva, E. (2012), Minimizing risk by analyzing a lessees financial position: Analysis of financial position and projected cash flow. Leasing-Courier, 5(17), pp. 1-5. Paramasivan, C. Subramanian, T. (2009). Financial management. 1st ed. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers.

Tragedy free essay sample

Arthur Millers  The Crucible  illustrates a tragedy due to intense emotional suffering brought on by the accusations of former friends, manipulation, infidelity, and ultimately the death of John Proctor. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay, the American romantic hero, devotes his life to proving himself worthy of Daisy. He would have sacrificed his freedom and his life for her, yet she couldn’t spare the time to go to his funeral and pay her condolences. While tragedy consists as a powerful medium in books and short stories, there are many real life cases of tragedy as well.For example, a mother, impaired from drinking vodka and smoking marijuana puts children and other innocent people in harms way while driving home from a weekend camping trip. This trip ends in a tragic disaster when she goes the wrong way on a highway and crashes head on with another vehicle. Eight innocent people are killed including four children. We will write a custom essay sample on Tragedy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Overall, from a book, or from our society today, we, as humans, use tragedy to teach us to learn from the mistakes and misfortunes of others. â€Å"Tragedy is a form of drama  based on human  suffering that allows the audience to experience catharsis or pleasure from the viewing. The audience, through its viewing of a tragedy, can experience the magnified human emotions brought forth, from a safe distance. Essentially, to see suffering without having to actually suffer is what makes tragedy such a powerful medium. As humans, we may need this so that when faced with suffering of our own we are better prepared. A tragedy is a story in which the main character, usually a hero, is brought to his downfall. In Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth, despite his infallible attitude is brought to ruin by his flaw, which is his â€Å"blind ambition†.Overall, Macbeth is a man with a flaw that the witches were able to see and use for their own amusement. This ambition is exacerbated by the witches and their prophecies, thus making Macbeth a somewhat sympathetic character. In Macbeth, the audience feels throughout the play that Macbeth’s murders are for his own benefit and are cruel and unjustified. Even though Macbeth feels sorry, guilty and has doubts about what he is doing, he still goes through with these acts, which makes us feel that he should be punished and not rewarded the kingship. As a result, the audience feels the need to rid and â€Å"purge† all of these emotions about Macbeth.With the death of Macbeth, the audience finally feels the true meaning of catharsis. The Crucible’s tragedy, in the larger picture, is the downfall of what appeared to be an innocent, pristine community. In addition to this, Proctors hanging and the suffering inflicted upon his wife Elizabeth are also tragic. Although Elizabeth is a good  moral woman who would protect her husband and family with her own life, she is still falsely accused of witchcraft and imprisoned. At the end of the play, she is left without her loving husband who was everything to her.However, as well as the pain and tragedy that Elizabeth experiences; the larger tragedy revolves around all the innocent people accused of witchcraft who are imprisoned or killed, because of un-trustworthy teenage girls. In the story, the reader is easily able to connect with John Proctor due to the fact that adultery is a common culprit in tragedies today. More specifically, the audience is drawn in to experience these extreme human emotions with out the real life suffering and as a result is better prepar ed for the suffering that they may encounter. Jay Gatsby is seen as the tragic American romantic hero because he devoted his life to Daisy, yet in return suffered dire consequences. It excited him, too, that many men had already loved Daisyit increased her value in his eyes. (Fitzgerald 119) He accumulated wealth to impress her, moved from his native land to be near her, held lavish house parties to attract her, battled Tom to win her over, and most importantly took the blame for killing Myrtle, which lead to his death. His biggest flaw is his incorrigible love for Daisy.Jay says, â€Å" your wife doesn’t love you, she’s never loved you, she loves me (Fitzgerald 137) This shows Gatsby’s stubborn attitude towards seeking Daisy’s ultimate love. Although he has achieved great success, his achievements mean little with out Daisy’s returning love. In the end, he dies because of her, which is a direct result of her impact on his life. Throughout the book, the audience feels sympathy for Gatsby because of his devotion to Daisy and her lack luster love back. In the end, though still frustrated, the audience finally feels a release of emotions by seeing Gatsby’s struggle with Daisy end. So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight. (Fitzgerald, 116) This â€Å"purge† of emotions is the audience’s relief, which ends with the draining of their intense feelings. However, had the story ended without the death of Gatsby, the suffering would have been incomplete, leaving the reader frustrated without any emotional cleansing associated with catharsis. A widely publicized real life tragedy revolved around a New York mom who had at least 10 drinks and smoked marijuana before driving five children the wrong way down a highway and crashing head on into an SUV.She was killed instantly and also took the lives of her 2-year-old daughter and three nieces, also in her van, as well as three men who were in the SUV. Her 5-year-old son was the lone survivor of the crash. â€Å"Schuler had a blood alcohol content of . 19, more than double the legal limit, and was also impaired by marijuana, which just further exacerbated the problem†, according to state attorney Janet Difiore. At one point her 8-year-old niece called her father to say her aunt was behaving strangely. Unfortunately, while the family attempted to monitor Schuler and the children’s location, they were unsuccessful.An event, which results in the untimely death of young children, always evokes tremendous emotion. This event, well popularized and viewed by many, serves as a key reminder in helping us deal with suffering we may experience on our own. By reading about this story, we feel these emotions from a safe distance to better prepare ourselves. This is why a topic/event with tragedy like this draws a large amount of attention. Tragedies in all of these examples are similar due to the effect they have on the audience.In each of these books and real life events, there are common elements causing an emotional effect on the audience. For the most part, these events are the down fall and â€Å"tragic flaws† of the main characters. For example, in The Crucible and The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby and John Proctor are driven and flawed by love and romance. In The Great Gatsby, Jay is unable to let his love for Daisy go, thus causing him to go to great lengths to be with her. In The Crucible John Proctor also shows his flaw through love when he commits adultery.Overall, in both of these books, the characters are so indulged in their love they loose sight of what is dangerous and could cause them harm. On the other hand these tragedies also have many differences. For instance, the real life example allows the audience to learn from the tragedy for their own benefit while with Macbeth the audience feels more relieved and cleansed at the result. More specifically, the real life example provides you with less of an emotional roller coaster because you are getting all the information at once.In literature, there is a deliberate design by the author to build you up slowly to a crescendo, culminating in an emotional release. In the real life situation the news media broadcasts the suffering instantaneously, having almost a numbing effect. In conclusion, whether it is a real life example or within a book, tragedy evokes a variety of emotions in the audience. Aristotle describes catharsis as â€Å"the purging of the emotions of pity and fear that are aroused in the viewer of a tragedy† (Aristotle 23).Debate continues about what Aristotle actually means by catharsis, but the concept is â€Å"linked to the positive social function of tragedy†. In Macbeth, Macbeth’s life frustrates the audience with his cruel and unjust ways of becoming king. By the end of the story, when Macbeth dies, this emotion is finally released and the audience is relieved. In The Crucible, John Proctor, by cheating on his wife, causes tragedy to be inflicted upon not only himself but also on his wife. Ultimately, this allows the audience to experience this pain and suffering from a distance, and learn from these mistakes. In the Great Gatsby, at first blush, Jay is seen as a romantic because he did everything for Daisy. However, pursuit of a material life is ultimately his undoing, and in the long run he is faced with dire consequences. Lastly, tragedy is also seen in the death of 8 innocent people in the car crash, a crash that could have been prevented. This also allows the audience to learn from these mistakes and use the emotional experience to better equip themselves. Essentially, to see suffering without having to actually suffer is what makes tragedy such a powerful medium.

The Contrast of generals and b essays

The Contrast of generals and b essays One Thousand and Eight officers were appointed to the general ranks on both sides during the American Civil War. In the Union Army, for most of the war, there were only two general ranks, brigadier and major. In 1864 the rank of lieutenant general was reactivated and given to Ulysses S. Grant. The insignia distinguished the three grades: one star for brigadier general, two for major general and three for lieutenant general. In the Confederate Army, by 1862 there were four grades of general: brigadier, major, lieutenant and full general. All wore the same insignia making it impossible to identify a generals rank by his uniform. (1. Htp://www.generalsandbrevets.com/) Uniform also differed between the two sides. Union generals wore their blue uniforms with stars on their shoulder to show rank or casual clothes thinking it raised the moral in their camp by showing they were just like their men. On the other side, Confederates wore gray uniforms with stars on their collars showing rank or special tailored suits so they could show off their aristocratic life styles. The strategies used by both sides were also considerably different. On the Union side during the beginning of the war the basic strategy was to over power the confederates with swelling numbers and better guns. This strategy was not found very effective during the first few battles of the war and was abandoned. Strategies from then on were usually based on trying to lower the moral of the south by taking over major cities and highways. They also were focused on destroying the small amount of factories that the south had which would cripple gun manufacturing. The Union also set a blockade up in southern ports and set an embargo on them. This blockade for the most part was effective at stopping merchant ships from getting through but could not stop large fleets of Confederate ships. The Union was also...

Asthma worse in schoolchildren Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Asthma worse in schoolchildren - Research Paper Example A survey of schoolchildren in Taiwan had revealed that owing to fungal spores in classrooms, the rate of the disease has increased from 6 percent to 11 percent. Hence it is understood that schoolchildren are faced with significant environmental challenges that impact their health and cause asthma to deteriorate (Asthma worse in schoolchildren with more fungal spores in the classroom, 2014). In general, buildings that are not maintained properly and lack proper systems of ventilation tend to allow mold to thrive in. as a result the quality of indoor air within the buildings get affected severely. Spores of mold are known to drift down through classrooms, if school buildings are considered from tiles of the ceilings. Consequently, health hazards for schoolchildren arise, of which the impacts of asthma are significantly concerning as the condition gets worsened owing to such fungal spores (Dykiel, Hobbs and Roberson, 2009, p.140). There are certain schools that have evaluation systems for their various facilities. From such evaluations, it has been obtained that shortcomings in the facilities of a school buildings result in problems related to mold and their spores. This can be associated with larger problems associated with the buildings such as poor oversight in relation to the construction of the buildings, lack of planning for handling situations of crisis, and so on (Dykiel, Hobbs and Roberson, 2009, p.140). The presence of fungi is possible anywhere if oxygen and moisture are available. In buildings, the growth of the fungi increases when excessive accumulation of moisture occurs in the buildings, and the problem persists or increases if the issue remains unattended. Different studies have similar views that reflect on the fact that airborne fungal spores act as allergens causing severe impacts of asthma. However some studies are not sure of the

Find a dataset of your own choosing. The dataset can be from your own Essay

Find a dataset of your own choosing. The dataset can be from your own place of work, your own country, or connected to your MSc, although it does not have to be Financial or monetary data - Essay Example In the current complex business environment, dataset is widely used in several forms to analyse and interpret data and to draw up meaningful conclusions. With the recent developments in the computing technology, it is easy for individuals or businesses to prepare datasets and transform them into meaningful information. Today, MS Excel is widely used to develop datasets because even a non-tech savvy person can use this programme for arranging the relevant data in the form of a dataset. It is important to note that a data set must not necessarily contain financial or monetary data but it may contain any other form of data that can create a deep understanding of the given topic. This paper will analyze a dataset prepared by IC Insights about the sales performance of top 12 smartphone companies during the 2011-2013 fiscal periods. The paper will provide an explanation of the dataset, identify the meaning of the variables, and comment on its overall purpose and limitations. The dataset chosen for this project contains the data of smartphone sales of leading 12 companies for the three consecutive years beginning from 2011. Samsung, Apple, LG, Lenovo, ZTE, Huawei, Sony, Yulong/Coolpad, Nokia, HTC, RIM, Google/Motorola are the companies discussed in this dataset. In addition to presenting the sales data of smartphone sales, the dataset provides percentage change of increase/decrease in sales from year to year under consideration and also the industry ranking of these companies during the same period. An analysis of this dataset may assist the reader to form a clear understanding of the market growth of each company over the 2011-2013 period. From the dataset, it is clear that Samsung was at the #1 position of the global smartphone industry for the three consecutive years with convincing increases in sales each year. The company’s sales rose from 95 million units in 2011 to 218 million units in 2012, achieving 129% increase in sales. In 2013, the

Database Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Database Systems - Essay Example Conflicts may occur which likely to generate erroneous outcomes. Notice the precedence graphs are acyclic, that is, they do not have loops. Thus, they cannot represent cyclic computations. Since many of the computations in operating systems are cyclical, this is a strong restriction. The Workspace is a collection of the pathways, as well as custom annotations and other private data. Custom annotations may include folders and text fields functionally classifying a gene (for example, as a receptor) or linking it to a specific disease. Users may add both new nodes and links, which will be saved to the Workspace. The Buffer block redistributes the input samples to a new frame size, larger or smaller than the input frame size. Buffering to a larger frame size yields an output with a slower frame rate than the input, as illustrated below for scalar input. System managers may specify physical block sizes and database designers, subject to constraints set by the machine architecture and operating system. One important aspect of file and database design is producing a good match between physical "pages" and logical units like tables and records. Once a transaction has been committed (completed), the results of a transaction are permanent and can survive future system and media failures. DBMS's control the storage of data in a variety of ways, depending on the type of data and users and their relative

A Fundamental Extension In Morality Philosophy Essay

A Fundamental Extension In Morality Philosophy Essay In this essay I will try to explain and analyse the effects of the tragedy of the commons when dealing with a global ecological crisis. Moreover it will be observed how the tragedy of the commons prevents us from solutions to solve ecological problems which affect the world as a whole. I will try to put a focus on the economical problem of the tragedy and the solutions which have been proposed yet. The last decades have made it clear that our planet is on the verge of an epochal shift, different organisations dealing with ecological problems raised the alarm concerning the short- AND long-run future. It is well summarized by Al Gore: Unfortunately, in the intervening years, time has not stood still for the global environment. The pace of destruction has worsened and the urgent need for a response has grown more acute. ()The relationship between human civilization and the Earth has been utterly transformed by a combination of factors, including the population explosion, the technological revolution.() the worlds leading scientists, have offered increasingly dire warnings.2 Some wise, man already acknowledged this long before the status quo of ecological crisis in the modern world: () the white man does not understand our ways. ()he is a stranger who comes in the night and takes from the land whatever he needs. (), and when he has conquered it, he moves on. () His appetite will devour the earth and leave behind only a desert.3 Indeed the lifestyle of many societies is not sustainable, and has not been so even in ancient times. We just need to think of the fact that the roman empire 2000 years ago, during its thriving period was responsible for the destruction of the biggest forests in Europe. deforestation did not cause the Roman collapse, but that one could make a case as to being a part of it. 4   If we think of how small we are compared to the enormous, massive number of individuals in society, we could feel that we are insignificant members of a huge machine, which is moved by its self-enforcing and self-imposed rules. We feel insignificant and weak. (This kind of view is known in philosophy as Holism the idea that systems, in this case ecological and demographical systems, can only be explained as a whole and not a collection of parts. Moreover Holism states that society determines individuals and not the other way round) On the other hand we feel that it is not only our personal fault but also of the others who waste, abuse, exploit and prefer comfort to responsible and conscientious use of natural resources.(This will be explained better in the paragraph dedicated to the Tragedy of the commons) Garret Hardin 1968 Al Gore 2006 Chief Seattle,1854 Joseph A. Tainter, 2006 The Tragedy of the commons The tragedy of the commons was first described in an article by the ecologist Garrett Hardin published in 1968 in the Science journal. Hardin arrived to this dilemma starting his article from the concern of nuclear arms race between United states and the Soviet union during the years of cold war. His conclusion was that since our world is finite no technical solution is possible. What he means by technical solution is best defined by Hardin himself: A technical solution may be defined as one that requires a change only in the techniques of the natural sciences, demanding little or nothing in the way of change in human values or ideas of morality.5 Hardin only started from this concern to define a no technical solution problem , a category of dilemmas which cannot be solved in a technical way. The reason is that we live in a finite world and even technological innovations cannot solve the problem of exponentially growing population, that is why we have to assume a finite world. The tragedy of the commons is one type of this dilemmas as will be explained. Concretely the tragedy of the commons is the situation which emerges in social systems, which leads to over exploitation of common resources and therefore their destruction. As common resources affected by the problem we usually find things like non polluted water, air or environment in general; forests; but also clean streets, roads without traffic, fisheries resource, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ At the base of these resources is the fact that they all belong to the public good (or perfect public good for certain authors) category as defined by economic theory: A public  good  (or  service) may be consumed without reducing the  amount  available for others, and cannot be withheld from those who do not  pay  for it. Public  goods   include (), national defense, parks, and other things for the use and  benefit  of all. No  market  exists for such goods().6 As defined above these goods have basically two characteristics : Non- rivalry in consumption and non-excludability of potential users. They are basically opposed to the private goods which have the opposite characteristics; for instance food is a typical private good: there is rivalry in consumption as if one person eats it, it cannot be eaten by someone else. Certainly they are also excludable a as is evidently clear. We can summarise the types of goods in the following table: 7 We wont focus on Common goods and Low congestion goods (also known as club goods) since they are more technical and not of the concern of this paper. Hardin 1968   businessdictionary.com livingeconomics.org As stated in the introduction of this text, environment it a typical public good and people have an ambiguous feeling concerning protection of the environment as conscious behaviour. Regarding this last point we can observe a certain psychological process occurring in an agentsA mind and logic. Agents is the economic definition of individual. They are purposeful agents who interact in space and time and whose micro-level interactions create emergent patterns. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) 8 The agent has two distinct feelings. The first one is a sense of injustice which can be summarized in the sentence Why should I care while anyone does not, and moreover enjoys the benefits of taking advantage of nature. The second reasoning going on in an agents mind is more rational. Furthermore if the person thinks of his utilityB he will end up noticing that if he chooses to protect the environment and act consciously he will not get the benefit (utility) of his actions (for instance a less polluted air) because anyway other agents will abuse the environment increasing their own utility. B. In  economics, the level satisfaction the person derives from a good or service. Utility is inherently subjective and thus difficult to measure(). Historically, it has been thought that one can  quantify  the utility of each unit, but some  economists  disagree with this. 9 Hardin makes the example of a pasture in the land to which everybody has access to. Given a group of many herdsmen anyone willing to increase his own utility and therefore revenues, it appears clear that one is better off having many animals than a few. If we imagine a rational herdsman taking decision whether to add an additional animal to his herd, he has two effects from the decision, one is a positive and the other a negative in regard to his utility. The positive is the fact that he will have all the proceeds from an additional animal. We can therefore imagine an incensement of utility equal to +1. The negative one is that the pasture is exploited more and more and will yield less. But since the herdsman is not the only owner but there are many, this negative effect will be shared with the others, it is therefore only a fraction of -1. 10 Since they are rational it is reasonable to add an additional animal but as all do so, the pasture gets ruined. Indeed this is due to the fact that the revenue is individualistic, the loss on the other hand is shared by all. Additionally each one is only applying his individual rationality which is different from collective one. Each man is locked into a system that compels him to increase his herd without limit-in a world that is limited. Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush10 At this point one could argue that after some years the herdsmen understand that abusing the pasture by over exploiting it leads to a worse outcome for all since it gets infertile and no one can profit from it anymore. But even if they do understand the mechanism of the dilemma it is very difficult to enforce means of controlling the others: pastures are huge and there are many animals, so how to distinguish one from another? If it would be conceivable to create such a control in the herdsmen case it would be even worse and unthinkable for cases like pollution. How to control every person who is dirtying the streets? Agreement to prevent polluting action is almost impossible, violators are difficult to catch because the agents are many and the damage produced by each action is relatively small and hidden. What is even worse is that violations are hard to identify not only because the group is big, but also fluid (lots of agents are in the place for a very short period of time) New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2008 Farlex Financial Dictionary. 2012 Farlex, Inc. Hardin 1968 Conclusions As we have seen the tragedy of the common is the biggest deal preventing us to deal with a global ecological crisis. We know that the problem of each person will be asking what would change if they act in a conscious way, but the conclusion will only be that the environment gets ruined anyway and the individual will be worse off than when acting selfish. This is not only true for single people but also for entire nations. The latter concept is also known in international law as Transboundary damage: Transboundary damage can arise from a wide range of activities which are carried out in one country but in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ict adverse effects in the territory of another. Traditionally, however, transboundary damage as a term of art normally refers to border-crossing damage via land, water, or air in dyadic State relations11, 12, 13 It is the idea that industrial or economic activity conducted by one country for its own sake creates damage for others. The technical definition is That large-scale industrial, agricultural, and technical activities conducted in the territory of one country can cause detrimental effects in the territory of another country or to areas of the global commons.11,12,13 The problem is still that: Everyone is waiting for everyone else to act first, the result being that no one acts at all.14, 15 Economic theory deals with this kind of problem as a market failure. As we said in the previous paragraph, public goods lead to market failures because a certain part of the cost of the action is not paid by the agent. For instance the cost of a polluted environment is not paid by the polluting industries. These agents are known in economic theory as free riders: Party  that enjoys a  benefit  accruing from a collective effort, but  contributes  little or nothing to the effort.16 General solution to the problem is to tax the agent who is creating the social cost so that he has to pay the price for the damage he is creating. This kind of taxation is known as Pigouvian tax, from the name of his inventor: Arthur Cecil Pigou What is different in our case is that we deal with a global ecological crisis so there is no global financial institution which could enforce taxation on national states. A particular solution which is interesting in our case is the one of emission trading. This refers to a system of tradable permit which can be bought on a market. Each permit gives the right to pollute a certain quantity, the outcome of the trading is unexpected: An industry whichs cost of reducing pollution is high might buy the permits, on the other hand an industry with low reduction cost for emission might reduce its emissions and sells its permits to others. The more efficient in reducing emissions are rewarded. This system is not only a theoretical one but was actually applied for the Kyoto protocol of 1997 about CO2 emissions. Still as stated above and previous to our times by Garret Hardin these are mostly technical solutions and will only delay the moment in which resources will not suffice especially with a growing population. Therefore a different approach is necessary, a shift in the way we act but fundamentally in what we believe to be the goal of our lives and therefore societies. Certainly one answer to the problem would be the one of the Ecologist view of the world. Green parties have been asking for reduction of emission and preservation of environment since the late sixties. The basic foundation of their claims is that human society as a whole should reduce its consumption and live a life which is sustainable. () the more fundamental response is to try to reduce or avoid those human activities that are seen as endangering sustainable development.17 We should demand ourselves if we really need all the material good provided by society and if this really makes us happier. Market economy states that the price is the value a consumer gives to a certain good. If he is willing to pay one hundred dollars for a good or service this means he values it exactly one hundred dollars of utility. But the question is does our happiness really depend on this? Because in the end, at the deepest layer it is just about it Happiness. It has been questioned if the relation with nature is only one sided or if it might be that our life depends from what nature gives to us : Weve heard copious accounts of our impact-as humans, as a society-on the natural world. But this is not a one-sided relationship. Lost in these dire and scolding accounts has been the impact on us and our well-being.18 This is Lambins view in his book ecology of happiness. Further he arrives to the conclusion that You sense it while walking on a sandy beach, or in a wild, woody forest, or when you catch sight of wildlife, or even while gardening in your backyard. Could it be that the natural environment is an essential part of our happiness?18 The answer is a positive one, we were born as natural beings but the development of modern society pushed us extremely far away from our original situation. We should really think if the direction our society is going will bring to a better life for all? Hanqin, Xue 2003 Crawford, James 2003 Bell, John 2003 G. Smith 2002 J. Connelly 2002 The Business dictionary Szarka, Joseph Eric Lambin 2012

adoption :: essays research papers

adoption adoption, act by which the legal relation of parent and child is created. Adoption was recognized by Roman law but not by common law. Statutes first introduced adoption into U.S. law in the mid-19th cent., and today it is allowed in all states of the United States and in Great Britain. Adoption is generally a judicial proceeding, requiring a hearing before a judge. Adoption statutes usually provide that the consent of the parents or guardian of the child—and that of the child, if above a certain age—must be obtained. An adopted child generally assumes the rights and duties of a natural legitimate child. Similarly, the rights and duties accompanying natural parenthood generally accompany adoptive parenthood (e.g., the right of custody and the obligation of support). The natural parents have no right to control an adopted child, nor have they any duties toward it, but in some states the child does not lose the right to inherit from them. In many cases children are adopted by relatives. Many states now permit adoption by unmarried adults; some allow adoption by homosexual couples. Most adoptions are of the same race. Transracial adoptions are controversial, pitting issues of culture and heritage against the need of a child for a stable parent-child relationship as early in life as possible, regardless of race. The Multiethnic Placement Act (1994) made it illegal for U.S. states to hold up adoptions solely in order to match racial or ethnic background of the child. In adoption by unrelated adults, the courts have traditionally attempted to ease adjustment to the adoptive family and protect the privacy of the (often unwed) mother by maintaining secrecy regarding the child's birth parents. Since the 1970s, however, a growing number of adopted children have attempted to identify their birth parents, and â€Å"open adoption,† in which adoptive and birth parents maintain a relationship, has become more accepted. Questions of parental rights and where these stand vis-à  -vis the rights and best interests of the child have also been highlighted in cases in which the courts tranferred custody of adopted or fostered children to birth parents who had previously given them up. Many children are adopted through public or private agencies, but a growing number are adopted through private placement, in which the prospective adoptive parents advertise for or are otherwise put into contact with a birth mother, usually with the help of a lawyer who is familiar with the process and the legal requirements of the individual states.

Essay About Multitasking

Multitasking – â€Å"the ability to do several different things at once† Nowadays, people prefer to divide people in two groups; people who masters to multitask, and those who can’t. Almost everyone place themselves in the former group, thereafter they put the rest of the people in the latter. But of course most people are lying. I personally take advantage of multitasking daily to a certain extent, yes, practically all the time – in a certain level. And my perception of multitasking is the same as http://www. google. no/ ‘s perception on what multitasking is; it’s simply to have the ability to do several different things at once.But something that should be mentioned here is that no one can really multitask. It's when we think we're multitasking; we're only jumping from one thing to another. This way of doing things is addictive and can of course eventually cause us difficulties among our ability to concentrate. With other word; it is physica lly impossible for a human to do two things at the same time. Then, I don’t mean that it is completely impossible to do two things at the same time; such as talking while walking, or smiling while dancing.No, I mean that it is impossible to multitask – to do two things at the same time – as long as the two things that should be done at the same time, requires a lot of concentration and attention to be done correct. I guess you yourself are able to distinguish between which tasks that requires a lot of concentration, and which requires less. Whether you're driving a car while talking on the phone, or if you write e-mails during meetings, it is not true that you do both at once – it's impossible. Unlike the other examples I’ve already mentioned.What you actually do when you’re doing the concentration demanding-tasks is to focus on the first one and then the other, a so-called â€Å"switch-tasking†. Because if you’re doing two con centration demanding things at once , of course your concentration is divided between to tasks at the same time – therefore the result of your actions won’t be as good as they could’ve been – if the tasks were done separately and thoroughly. It's been proven time after time over the last years: multitasking is something only computers can do.What we humans do, when we think that we’re â€Å"multitasking†, is to jump from doing one thing to another, as mentioned earlier. But let us not forget that there's one more group; those who need to multitask. I'd most probably put myself in that group – the group of people who can't concentrate and focus on one specific thing unless she or he is doing at least one more thing at the exact same time. Now, you may call it ADHD, while I would rather call it being efficient.Of course there’s possible to listen to music while you’re doing your homework – to exclude the other actio ns around you, and to increase your concentration, like I personally do. But also here, the perceptions are different. Some people find hearing music while doing homework as disturbing. I think that the perception and the results of multitasking are different from person to person, depending on whom the person concerned is and what tasks there is to be done. A day should absolutely have more hours so all tasks on the to-do-list could’ve been done!But that isn’t something we can change†¦ so I think that the only thing we can do is to make the best out of it and remember to relax now and then. Sources: http://m. theglobeandmail. com/report-on-business/careers/careers-leadership/the-lunch/eileen-mercier-its-all-about-multitasking/article2021801/? service=mobile http://www. klikk. no/kvinneguiden/helse/article761396. ece http://www. universityessays. com/example-essays/business/the-ethics-of-multitasking. php http://www. webopedia. com/TERM/M/multitasking. html http:/ /www. tinbergen. nl/discussionpapers/11044. pdf

How to Start a Private School

How to Start a Private School Starting a private school is a lengthy and complicated process. Fortunately for you, plenty of folks have done the same thing you are thinking of doing. You will find much inspiration and practical advice from their examples. In fact, you will find it extremely useful browsing the history section of any established private schools website. Some of these stories will inspire you. Others will remind you that starting a school takes lots of time, money and support. Here is a timeline for the tasks involved with starting your own private school. Todays Private School Climate Below, important information is outlined to guide you through the process, however, its important to note that in todays economic climate, many private schools are struggling. The Atlantic reports that private k12 schools saw an almost 13% decline over the course of a decade (2000-2010). Why is this? The National Association of Independent Schools reports that the growth forecast for 2015-2020 is declining, with fewer school-aged children between the ages of 0-17. Fewer children mean fewer students to enroll.   The cost of private school, and especially boarding school, is also concerning. In fact, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) published a strategic plan for 2013-2017, in which it pledged to increase efforts to help schools identify and recruit qualified families in North America. This pledge led to the creation of  the North American Boarding Initiative to address the declining enrollment in private boarding schools. This passage is taken from their website: For various economic, demographic, political, and cultural reasons, the sector has faced serious enrollment challenges during distinct periods in its distinguished history, surviving the Great Depression, the specter of two World Wars, and the social turbulence of the 60s and 70s, among other disjunctions. Always, boarding schools have adapted: ending discriminatory policies and admitting students of different races and religions; adding day students; becoming coeducational; expanding philanthropy; investing aggressively in financial aid; modernizing curriculum, facilities, and student life; and recruiting internationally.Again, we face a serious enrollment challenge. Domestic boarding enrollment has declined gradually, yet consistently, for more than a dozen years. Its a trend that shows no sign of reversing itself. Moreover, multiple surveys have confirmed that a lions share of boarding school leaders identify domestic boarding as their most pressing strategic challenge. As a commu nity of schools, it is time once again to take decisive action. Considerations In todays day and age, it does warrant careful consideration and planning to determine if creating another private school in this already struggling market is appropriate. This assessment will vary greatly on a number of factors, including the strength of area schools, the number of and quality of competitor schools, geographic area, and needs of the community, among others.   For example, a rural town in the midwest without strong public school options may benefit from a private school. However, in an area like New England, which is already home to more than 150 independent schools, starting a new institution might not be quite as successful.   Identify Your Niche 36-24 months before opening: Determine what kind of school the local market needs. (K-8, 9-12, day, boarding, Montessori, etc.) Ask parents and teachers for their opinions. If you can afford it, hire a marketing company to do a survey. It will help you focus your efforts and ensure that youre making a sound business decision. Once you determine what kind of school you will be opening, then decide how many grades will actually open the school. Your long-range plans may call for a K-12 school, but it makes more sense to start small and grow solidly. Establish the primary division, then add the upper grades over time as your resources permit. Form a Committee 24 months: Form a small committee of talented supporters to begin the preliminary work. Include parents with financial, legal, management and building experience. Ask for and get a commitment of time and financial support from each member. This important planning work which will demand much time and energy. These people can become the core of your first board of directors. Co-opt additional paid talent, if you can afford it, to guide you through the various challenges, indeed, roadblocks, which will inevitably confront you. Incorporate 18 months: File incorporation papers with your Secretary of State. The lawyer on your committee should be able to handle this for you. There are costs associated with the filing, but he should donate his legal services to the cause. This is a critical step in your long-term fundraising. People will give money much more readily to a legal entity or institution as opposed to a person. If you have already decided to establish your own proprietary school, you will be on your own when it comes to raising money. Develop a Business Plan 18 months: Develop a business plan. This should be a blueprint of how the school is going to operate over its first five years. Always be conservative in your projections. Do not try to do everything in the first five years unless you have been lucky enough to find a donor to fund the program in its entirety. Develop a Budget 18 months: Develop a budget for 5 years. This is the detailed look at income and expenses. The financial person on your committee should be responsible for developing this critical document. As always project your assumptions conservatively and factor in some wriggle room should things go wrong. You need to develop two budgets: an operating budget and a capital budget. For example, a swimming pool or an arts facility would fall under the capital side, while planning for social security expenses would be an operating budget expense. Seek expert advice. Find a Home 20 months: Locate a facility to house the school or develop building plans if you will be creating your own facility from scratch. Your architect and contractor committee members should spearhead this assignment. Think carefully before you leap at acquiring that wonderful old mansion or vacant office space. Schools require good locations for many reasons, not the least of which is safety. Older buildings can be money pits. Investigate modular buildings which will be greener as well. Tax-Exempt Status 16 months: Apply for tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. Again, your lawyer can handle this application. Submit it as early in the process as you can so that you can begin to solicit tax-deductible contributions. People and businesses will definitely look at your fundraising efforts much more favorably if you are a recognized tax-exempt organization.Tax-exempt status might also help with local taxes as well, though I do recommend your paying local taxes whenever or wherever possible, as a gesture of goodwill. Choose Key Staff Members 16 months: Identify your Head of School and your Business Manager. Conduct your search as widely as possible. Write job descriptions for these and all your staff and faculty positions. You will be looking for self-starters who enjoy building something from scratch. Once IRS approvals are in place, hire the head and the business manager. They need the stability and focus of a steady job to get your school open. You need their expertise to ensure an opening on time. Solicit Contributions 14 months: Secure your initial funding - donors and subscriptions. You will need to plan your campaign carefully so that you can build momentum, yet are able to keep pace with actual funding needs. Appoint a dynamic leader from your planning group to ensure the success of these initial efforts. Bake sales and car washes are not going to yield the large amount of capital which you will need. Well-planned appeals to foundations and local philanthropists will pay off. If you can afford it, hire a professional to help you write proposals and identify donors. Identify Your Faculty Requirements 14 months: It is critical to attract skilled faculty. Do so by agreeing to competitive compensation. Sell them on the vision of your new school. The chance to shape something is always appealing. While it is still over a year until you open, line up as many faculty members as you can. Do not leave this important job until the last minute. An agency such as Carney, Sandoe Associates will be helpful at this stage in finding and vetting teachers for you. Spread the Word 14 months: Advertise for students. Promote the new school through service club presentations and other community groups. Design a website and set up a mailing list to keep interested parents and donors in touch with your progress. Marketing your school is something which has to be done consistently, appropriately and effectively. If you can afford it, hire an expert to get this important job done. Open for Business 9 months: Open the school office and begin admissions interviews and tours of your facilities. January before a fall opening is the latest you can do this. Ordering instructional materials, planning curricula and devising a master timetable are just some of the tasks your professionals will have to attend to. Orient and Train Your Faculty 1 month: Have faculty in place to get the school ready for opening. The first year at a new school requires endless meetings and planning sessions for the academic staff. Get your teachers on the job no later than August 1 in order to be prepared for opening day. Depending on how lucky you are at attracting qualified teachers, you may have your hands full with this aspect of the project. Take the time needed to sell your new teachers on the schools vision. They need to buy into it, or else their negative attitudes could create a host of problems. Opening Day Make this a soft opening at which you welcome your students and any interested parents at a brief assembly. Then off to classes. Teaching is what your school will be known for. It needs to begin promptly on Day 1. The formal opening ceremonies should be a festive occasion. Schedule it for a few weeks after the soft opening. Faculty and students will have sorted themselves out by then. A feeling of community will be apparent. The public impression which your new school will make will be a positive one. Invite local, regional and state leaders. Stay Informed Join national and state private school associations. You will find incomparable resources. The networking opportunities for you and your staff are virtually limitless. Plan on attending association conferences in year 1 so that your school is visible. That will ensure plenty of applications for vacant positions in the following academic year. Tips Be conservative in your projections of revenues and expenses even if you have an angel who is paying for everything.Make sure real estate agents are aware of the new school. Families moving into the community always ask about schools. Arrange open houses and gatherings to promote your new school.Submit your schools website to sites like this one so that parents and teachers can become aware of its existence.Always plan your facilities with growth and expansion in mind. Be sure to keep them green as well. A sustainable school will last many years. One which is planned without any consideration of sustainability will fail eventually.