The Eyes of Faulkner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Eyes of Faulkner - Essay Example This paper will focus upon the eyes of the two characters; the symbolism used by Faulkner to reveal particular character aspects of the individuals themselves and how his use of language supports those traits and communicates the plot of the stories in a succinct, encapsulated way. They eyes of Emily Grierson are truly windows into her soul. We are introduced to her at her death, but in the subsequent tale Faulkner reveals much about her character; and we can see much of it through his description of her eyes. Emily Grierson is a woman born to a southern family once prominent, but now poor. The daughter of a controlling father, Emily dies many years after killing her suitor in her own home. There are two descriptions of her eyes in the story, one from when she is middle aged and purchasing the poison that she will use to kill an unspecified victim, be it a rat or human, and the other from an older age when she is confronted for not paying her taxes. Faulkner portrays the younger woman, who is slender at the time, as possessing "cold, haughty black eyes in a face the flesh of which was strained across the temples and about the eye sockets as you imagine a lighthouse-keeper's face ought to look" (Faulkner 125). In the description of her appearance years later, t his same woman has gained weight, and her eyes are described as "lost in the fatty ridges of her face, look[ing] like two small pieces of coal pressed into a lump of dough..." (Faulkner 121). When she is buying the poison, Emily has cold and haughty eyes. These are the eyes of a woman contemplating murder, as we ultimately learn that her erstwhile suitor and probable husband's skeletal remains are found in a room of her house that hasn't been seen for forty years. Her soul, that of a murderess, is thereby revealed; haughty and cold. She is calculating, angular, unfeeling, and capable of buying poison without revealing her intent to the druggist. Contrast these descriptive elements with the pieces-of-coal-in-a-swollen-face description used for her latter years. Her eyes, black in both instances, are now described using a substance, coal, that provides considerable heat. In the scene where this description occurs, she has long-since committed the crime. Faulkner is showing us that Emi ly has gone from thin and cold to fat and burning; the primary intervening event being the killing of an innocent man. The descriptive changes in Emily are those of a woman who as lived with what she has done. She has become a bloated, intensely-eyed woman as her soul has dwelt upon her deeds. From icy calculation, she moved on to commit a fervent act. The act of passion, murder, has transitioned Emily's eyes from cold to hot just as Emily's own soul has evolved from frigidity to burning guilt. Faulkner embodies the essence of the entire story line within the eyes of his protagonist. This same literary convention applies to Colonel Sartoris Snopes (Sarty) in Barn Burning. We meet Sarty at the trial of his father, who has been accused of burning a neighbor's barn after a dispute over a hog. Throughout the story, as Faulkner reveals the boy's relationship with his angry and arsonist father, we come to the understanding that there are

Liberation Theology and Marxism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Liberation Theology and Marxism - Essay Example By contrast, Marxism is an earthbound ideology, content to reward or punish those in the here and now based on their support of the ideals of fairness, equality and the distribution of wealth. Both Christianity and Marxism are fundamentally concerned with promoting the general welfare and improving the lives of the vast majority of the world's citizens, yet both have suffered as much damage to their credibility from followers as from opponents. The extreme and selfish proponents of these ideologies have severely undermined their cause through the organization of vast bureaucracies that leave precious little time for doing the real work of making lives easier. At the same time, both Christianity and Marxism have a long history of supressing dissident voices and violently repressing infidel movements. Marxist liberation theology as applied to Latin American countries that were systematically exploited first by and then for European, and later American, interests has long been viewed a s an ideological threat to traditional Christian liberation theology. ... Since Christian liberation entailed not just applying to the needs of the oppressed, but also to inculcating an ideology that coerced followers to view the Church and its leaders as infallible, the only possible conclusion one can make is that is that while it is a contradiction to speak of a Christian Marxist, the contradiction lies in the fact that Marxism is much closer to Christ's original intentions for the human race than the religion that was founded in His name. Pope John Paul II directly addressed the issue of liberation theology during the course of his Papacy; not surprising considering that he had first-hand experience with the worst excesses of the perversion of Marxism as practiced under Soviet-dominated totalitarianism. Recognising that Christianity in its purest form had much in common with Marxism in its purest form, Pope John Paul II wisely avoided condemnation of Marxist liberation theology's desire to find a common ground between Christian charity and missionary work and Marxist economics designed to liberate the working classes. It was not the Marxist preoccupation with the incompatibility of capitalist economics and social welfare that John Paul found objectionable. Rather the Pope pointed to the limitations of Marxist liberation; the liberation was not of human suffering, nor the soul, but merely the liberation of one citizen from an undesirable economic circumstance. The question that Marxism doesn't answer, therefore, becomes what happens after the revolution How do the newly liberation people respond to the destruction of the class system. Even Pope John Paul II recognised that the end of Marxism was not

The History Of Cheese

The History Of Cheese In the world today, the cheese has become a key ingredient in many dishes in the world. Cheese is an ingredient that has been cruising around the place and make improvements delicious food, especially Italian Cuisine such as Spaghetti Carbonara, Cheese Pizza and many more, which has attracted many people enjoy of eating the food. In addition, the cheese has made everyone not only chefs and ordinary people also want to enjoy the cheese to create a different dish with cheese in it. Do all people on this planet know what the content in the cheese while everyone including children enjoy cheese even eat like that only. Cheese is a product of milk-based groups in it. Cheese produced in the time now not only produces one type but different types of cheese were produced from it.Differentiation each cheese produced has their different flavors, shapes, textures and more. Moreover, the cheese has its own life so that it can retain the moisture. We also need to know not only cheese produced from cows milk instead of the animals such as buffaloes, goats, sheep and more. Cheese not only be used but it is used as a secondary food such as Cheese Platter yet mixed with other cold cuts. Often guests will enjoy eating cheese after dessert. Chef who has a high talent, will always create something new by using cheese with other ingredients like black pepper, chives, garlic and more. This not only creates new foods and even enhance the flavor and aroma of the cheese. In this report, we can add more knowledge about how the cheese is produced. Apart from that we can learn more deeper about the origins of this cheese. Moreover, we also learned how cheese found in Ancient Greece, Roman Europe even in the days that have now spread throughout the world which has made cheese as an ingredient of their cuisine. Cheesemaker, the person who incharge or makes cheese according to the process of cheese production. Furthermore,we will attach the details of nutrition that has been in the cheese that makes people would obtain the cheese although in a small bite in a day. Lastly, we will see the impact that cheese has given towards the culture of the citizen in a country, which has become a trend even taking a picture. SAY CHEESE 2.0 History of Cheese The origin dates of cheese making range from 8000BC to 3000BC. However, no one really knows who made the first cheese but most authorities had considered that Middle East was the first area which is cheese being made. According to the ancient legend, it was made accidently by an Arabian merchant. The Arabian merchant has put his milk into a pouch which has been made by sheep stomach. The merchant carry the pouch along with him as he set out on a days journey across the desert. As he travelled, the heat from sun activated the enzyme rennin which found in the stomach lining. This action has caused the milk to separate into curd and whey. Thus, cheese was revealed. Based on ancient Greek mythology, the evidence of cheese making has been found in Egyptians tomb murals around at 2000BC. During the Ancient Greek period, cheese are been eaten. In Greek, cheese is called fornos which related to the basket where the cheese was deposited and separated from the whey. Cheese in other languages was derived from this greek word, for example, at French they used to call cheese as fromage or seems goes to Italian people they called cheese as formaggio. In Greek tradition, there was consumption that it was the Gods who showed the mortals how to make cheese. It is believe that cheese using has been use wider in Asia before it migrated to Europe. Then, during at Roman Empire, the process of cheese making has been expanded. Lots of different sources of milk began to be mixed and varieties of seasonings were added to produce cheese with rich in flavours. The Roman culture has developed the art of cheese making. The Roman cheese makers was a skilled artisans and they also has developed varieties of cheese. The Roman also credited with the first aging of cheese or cheese storage. The roman cheese makers were aware of the affects of various ripening technique which will be related to the taste and character of a particular cheese. The Romans and the Greeks has considered cheese as a luxury food and accessible to the wealthy. Cheese also has became their staple food which been used in both sweet and salty dishes. During Roman Empire, over 13 varieties of cheeses were produced. The Roman has spread their expertise in cheese making to Europe. In making cheese, they has developed dairy farming which to use cows milk to become the standard raw material. During this time, they are in an effort to perfect the curd-draining process. The Romans also invented the cheese press which is a technique that they exported as far as Great Britain. In France, especially in south and west, they have developed a wider range of cheeses because of rich in agricultural areas. They are more preferred in soft-cheese production and the hard-pressed cheese appeared to play a secondary role. This production was the reflection from the Rome-influenced culture of the nation. The production also mirroring the type of cheese that produced in the Mediterranean as opposed to the hard-pressed. It also more durable cheese that was developed in the northern regions of Europe which is can be stored and eaten during cold winter months. However, throughout the dark ages which is the Western European Early Middle Ages, circa 500 to 1000CE, there were little progress was made in developing new type of cheese. During the Middle-Ages, the European monks has invented of ripening and ageing techniques for cheese. The monks have produced milder-tasting cheeses. The communities of Jura and Alps mountain farmer could get together in dairy associations. In this situation, they enable to produce first-rate quality of cheeses. In the 7th Century, many cheeses been known by the region in which they were produced. However, during Renaissance on 14th to 16th century, cheese was considered as unhealthy food and the popularity of cheeses has decline. Luckily, in 19th century cheese regained favour and in start from this period they have started to move from farm to factory production. 3.0 SYMBOLISM OF CHEESE Cheese can be symbolized with a different perception by a different people. But generally cheese always related to something that can bring happiness. Here we had divided the symbolism to four which are economy, culture, religious, and social. 3.1 Economy If we look into the revolution or the movement of cheese began before Christ, different region or countries had their own originated cheese. During the glorious of Romans Emperor, they had develop the cheese into a high level with the manufactured of many types of cheese. The rich emperor at that time was a little bit dissatisfied with the quality of the cheese and later they had imported cheese from the Alpine areas, England, France, and parts of Asia. There we can see a network of import and export that they build in terms of exchange into their economy. We owe the Romans once again when they taught the techniques and the process to produce the cheese to the peoples that they conquered such as the Helvetti tribe in an Alpine area which is called Switzerland now. Nowadays, the industry of the cheese making is an important industry for the Switzerland and during 1900 they started very aggressive by operating 700 to 800 of cheese factories and now they are one of the largest producer of cheese based on world demand right now. Pasteurization actually came from its creator name which is Louis Pasteur that develop the process and introduce the concept of fermentation. He contribute and introduce the bacteria that can form a cheese in a fastest way and controlled bad bacteria. 3.2 Culture In France, cheese had their own specialty during the course of French meal. Not only at the fine dining restaurant they served course meal but at home they also practiced that. Every house at French will have stocks of cheese even they had special drawers for cheese in the refrigerator. The sequence of French meal start from appetizer and aperitif drink, which is light course and then followed by the main course, then the salad, and last but not least selection of cheese before the dessert and sometimes cheese can be a closing course which is replace the dessert. There is a maxim about cheese in France, A French meal without the cheese course is not a French course. Peoples mentality about cheese before this believe that eating cheese before sleep can cause a nightmare and gives you a restless night. However, in 2005 The British Cheese Board study made an experiment to the 200 participants which equilibrium to 100 of males and 100 of females to eat six different types of British chee se which were British Brie, Cheddar, Cheshire, Lancashire, Red Leicester, and Stilton before they sleep for a week. The results after a week show that no one had a nightmares and oppositely they had a good nights sleep with the pleasant dreams. Flash back to the traditional believes for the Arabian, Persian, and European. The Arabian believe that if they dreams about fresh cheese its symbol as a happiness and health but if Cutted cheese its mean you will get an illness and need an operation. The Persian believe that if we eat fresh cheese in a dream its mean someone will have a good fortune according to how much the person ate. Dreams about Swiss cheese is something special to the European because it means the promises of prosperity, health and amenities of life. Dream working in the cheese factory show that you will have an improvement in the situation. 3.3 Religious As we all know that Islam and Judaism strictly prohibit their follower from eat cheeses that made with rennet from animals that not slaughtered properly according to the Halal or Kosher laws. Both faiths recognize cheese as a dairy products, but the Judaism cannot eat dairy products in the same time meal with any meats except poultry and fish because it is against the Kosher rules. Actually the Hebrews scripture said you should not eat meat in its mothers milk, some study believe that when the meat and dairy products consume at the same time, the protein of both sources cannot be digested properly by the body and can affect health. 4.0 PROCESS PRODUCTION OF CHEESE In the process production of cheese we will divide it into two which are in the primitive era and the modern era. 4.1 Primitive Era The African, Asian, and Latin-American very addicted to yogurt and cheese no matter where they live even in the isolated area or in the urban areas. Usually the one that often making cheese is the woman at that time at their home. An example of cheese making in South America which is Cocoa Blanco cheese. The cheese started made with sour whey, and then coated with rancid butter, boric acid, coffee grounds, and ground chocolate cocoa -bean shells. After that, it is left under the scorching sun to dry and until it is sold. Another survey that had been made in other parts of West Africa found a small village where the farmers make cheese. The technique unusually impressive show good principles of manufacture, below are the steps of making the cheese by the farmers. First the fresh milk that they milking from the cow is heated in a pot to about the boiling point. After that, they added the extract called Quantum satis of leaves of a plant called Calatropia procera to the hot milk and the heating process is continued until it is coagulate. The coagulated substance then put in any cloth and dripped off for about 24 hours. The cheese mass that surfaces are next dried in the sun will formed a discus-like shape. To extract a strong red colour, the head of the threshed sorghum will boiled in the water. To make it look nice and as a protective layer, the dried cheese will dipped in the dye and becomes red like Edam cheese. The cheese can be keeps for more than one year, but if in the rainy season it is necessary to store it near to the fireplace. Cheese at that time majority were produced just for individual needs not in terms to gain profit or try to commercial it. However, the revolution of the cheese start in the modern era where the producing of cheeses were unlimited. 4.2 Modern Era In the modern era, they already build the technology that used to make cheese faster with good quality. There are few steps to make the quality cheese. First step To make a large of cheese, we need to use a lot of milk to produce it which is inquired the quality and purity of the milk. Second step Once the milk been tested and weighed, the milk has to pasteurized. It is to ensure that the cheese is made perfectly. In addition, it is to make sure the cheese that has been made is standardized. Third step Once everything is in order, we need to use a good bacteria and add in it to start the cheesemaking process. Now days, scientist has create a good bacteria, so that they able to produce a good and quality cheese. Besides that, the bacteria is to help enhance the falvor and texture of the cheese. Then, rennet which is called as the milk clotting enzyme are added in it, to coagulate the milk and form like a mass custard. Fourth step Next, they will cut into small pieces, where they begin to process of seperating the liquid and the solid of the milk. The solid of the milk (curds) will be cooked with a lower temperature to form a softer cheeses such as Ricotta, Mascarpone cheese and many more. Meanwhile the liquid of the milk (whey), are cooked with a higher temperature to form a harder cheese such as Romano, Gruyere cheese and many more. Fifth step To make the cheese, there will be a cheesemaker to cook it. The cheesemaker will cook and stir the liquid and solid of the milk with the proper temperature. They will achieve the firmess of the solid of the milk (curd). Meanwhile for the liquid (whey), they will drained it off properly and leaving it as a tightly curd. Sixth steps Once the liquid and solid changes into perfect curd according to the deisred temperature, the curd will be added with cheese salt in it which is to preserve the moisture and enhance the flavor of the cheese. Seventh steps The cheesemaker will pressing the determines the characteristic and shape of the cheese. Cover the cheese that has been pressed with a cloth or tissue. Most cheeses are pressed within three to twelve hours to complete the curd formation which is depending the size of the cheese. Cheese that will be pressing will be poured into a mould according to the sized that required. Eight step This is the last step process of making cheese which is curing. Curing for cheese is used for expand the ages of the cheese by developing the flavor and texture of the cheese within the time. Usually the cheese will be kept in a room that is carefully monitorized and controlled for the humidity of the cheese by using proper temperature on the cheese. 4.2.1 Equipment that has been used during modern era Pilot scale batch cooker It is used to cook the liquid and solid of the milk within the period of time with a proper temperature to cook it in a batch. Grinding machine It is used to grind the cheese into paste that is suitable with accurate moisture and fat for the next stage of cheesemaking process. Load cell conveyors It is used to control and record the weigh of the cheese through the process. Auger dump hopper Method that used to transferring the product from the blender into the batch cooker, where all the milk product has been added in the earlier stage. 4.2.2 Factor The spread of cheese through out the world Nutrition It is happens because the cheese contains the nutrition such as the vitamin, mineral and also fats that a body need most. In addition, it has become part of the daily meal of a person. Label/ Brand When a brand of product famous throughout the world, it enhances many people from other country to try the products and create a new product by using the cheese as the main ingredients. Technology In the new era, many people has invented a technology which able to cook, seal, packaging the product which contain cheese in it within period of time, which has make demand of obtain the cheese has increase from a level to another level. Production Different type of cheese, has different type of texture and flavor. That is why, many people would like to obtain the different type of cheese from the normal cheese, which has make to create a new creation of product by using the cheese that obtain. 5.0 TYPES OF CHEESE There are many types of cheese and can be classified to a few types. According to the International Dairy Federation, there are a round 500 types or varieties of cheese. The varieties of cheese can be classified into a few groups according to their characteristics. There are a few criteria that being looked to classified the types of cheese. Such as, ageing, milk content, fat content, country, moisture, method of making, moisture and more. Commonly cheese are categorizing by content, firmness, moisture and texture. The cheese are being categorizing from soft to hard. These are a few categorized of cheese; Fresh cheese, Natural rind cheese, Soft white-rind cheese, semi-soft cheeses and hard cheese. 5.1 Fresh cheese Fresh cheeses are eaten a few days after the cheese being cooked and only have a little time to develop a flavour. Those fresh cheeses are used in cooking to add texture and help in enhance flavour of food. It also helps to absorb oil and enhance other ingredient flavour to the foods. As we known, according to the history, fresh cheeses are originally discovered by nomadic tribes where accidently milk that being filled up inside the animal skin drained away. The milk leaving a firm and crumbly white lumps of fat that can be dried, store and kept for days. Fresh cheeses have a mild, lemony and acidic flavour. The fresh cheese flavour depend the type of animal milk use. Fresh cheeses have a high moisture content compared to the hard cheeses. It has wet and mousse-like texture. Example of cheese: Feta cheese The name of feta cheese from the Greek word fetta means slices. Feta cheese was originated from Greece. During 17th century, cheese was being served by cutting the cheese into slices. That why the name of cheese was given as feta cheese. Feta cheese is one of the age crumbly cheeses and commonly produces in block. The story of this cheese making is not known certainly, but there is a myth about the making of feta cheese. According to Ulysses narrates in Book 9 of the Homers Odyssey, Cylope Polyphemus was the first who create cheese (specific to feta cheese). If refer to the traditional method, the mixture of goat and cow milk are being left for around 30 hours than rennet being added inside the milk. It will help the coagulated process of milk, causing the separated of liquid and curdle. After that, the curds are being drain and resembles into a block shape. Muslin cloth, are use to raped and hanged the cheese to dry. Some people still use traditional method hanged the cheese by putt ing inside the animal stomach. Other examples of cheese are Ricotta cheese, Mozarella cheese and more. 5.2 Natural rind cheese Some fresh cheese, especially cheese that being produces using goat milk, will turn into natural rind or aged cheese. This process is due because of the cheese left to dry and drain for a long period time. The wet and rich protein surface of cheese attracts the production of moulds. These moulds are edible and it contributes to the ripening process. Nowadays, cheese makers will spray a solution that contains edible moulds (such as penicillium candidum) that helps ripening process. Mostly peoples are suspicious of moulds and sometimes the rinds flavour or texture doesnt suit with the taste of the customer. These types of cheese have different shapes and can be covered with paprika powder, herb or peppers. There are traditionally three stages in the production of natural rind cheese; Stage one: The fresh cheese are still moisture and has no rinds. The flavour is still mild and lemony. (Up to 10 days) Stage two: The cheese that being stored in a room or cellar. The cheese will start lose moisture and thin rind will start to develop. The surface will attract a variety of micro such as pinicillium candidum. The moulds will star appears around ten days. Stage three: At around 10 to 12 days, a blue mould will appear and over a few weeks it will appear on the surface of the rind. Cheese will started to shrink and causing the wrinkles. The surface of the cheese will be encrusted with mould, has brittle texture and become firmer. Sometimes, it has a nutty, pungent aroma and taste. Examples of cheese: Crottin de Chavignol This cheese is the famous cheese, among the varieties of cheese base goat milk. This cheese was originated claim from the village of Chavignol, France. Since 16 century, the productions of small size of cheese were started. The word crottin is derived from the word Crot meaning small oil lamp made from burned clay. The mould clay is being use as cheese moulds. The shaped of this cheese is solid but soft and has nutty taste. Other examples of Natural rind cheese are Banon cheese, Bouton de Culotte nad more. 5.3 Soft, white-rind cheese Is a type of cheese where it has buttery-yellow colour inside and has white rind. There are at least 80 types of soft, white-rind cheese are being made from cows milk. There are two popular soft, white-rind cheeses, known as Camembert and Brie. Mostly these cheeses are almost liquid texture and not contain high fat this is due to the high content. Traditionally the making of these cheese are simple, milk are being reheat until warm, then rennet being add to help coagulated process. After the liquid and curd separate, the curd being scoop and put inside a moulds and left in a humid rooms. After the desire of moisture reached, the cheeses are removed to other room and place on the straw mat. This will help the ripening process. Nowadays, the cheese maker will spray the mould (Penicilium candidum) to help to develop faster rinds. The faster development of rind will help or protect the inside of cheese drying out. This is why the soft, whit rind cheese has soft texture inside and has whi t rinds. Examples of cheese: Camembert de Normandie At years 1791 camembert cheese were firstly made by Normandy farmers known as Marie Harel. According to the history during French revolution, she gave a shelter to a priest know as Abbey Bonvoust since 1790. With the help from the priest, she improved the making or recipe of Camembert cheese. After a few year, the improvement of transport facilities help in the spread of this cheese and opening of camembert cheese outlet around Europe. In 1890 French engineering also contribute to the spread of this cheese. Where he creates a wooden box for easier to carried, those ideas have being used by all cheese camembert cheese producers. Camembert cheese is moulded flat round cheese that covers with white rind. This cheese has different taste according to their age. When it young it has milky and sweet taste around 20 days, when it reached 30 to 45 day it will have fruity and strong taste. Other examples of soft, white-rind cheese are Brie de Meux, Bomdard cheese, bougon cheese and more. 5.4 Semi-soft cheese Semi soft cheese can be classified into types washed-rinsed and washed-curd cheeses. The flavour of semi soft cheese ranges from mild to buttery to pungent flavour. Depend on their types these types of cheese can be slices, shredded and cube. 5.4.1 Washed-rinsed cheese According to the history washed rinsed cheese was being made During the Dark Ages Trappist. The Trappist monks need to go through 100 days fast without meat each year. They decide to produce stronger and meaty cheese. The moisture consistency of washed rinsed cheese similar to soft cheese but, the cheese used more rennet in the making process. More rennet is being added to produce firmer cheese. Besides that, the cheese are being put in more humid rooms, then being washed and rubbed with a mix of brine and bacteria. This act will encourage rapid growth of orange bacteria to brown-red bacteria on the rind. The bacteria growths on the surface of the rind and help create a texture similar to crà ¨me caramel. Examples of cheese: Epoisses de Bourgogne This cheese is a pungent unpasteurized cheese cow milk cheese. This cheese is made in a Village called Espoisees. Brillat- Savarin popular gastronome classed this cheese as King of The cheese. On the end of second war the production of this cheese stopped due to the decreasing of men population due to the war. On 1956, a farmer partner known as Robert and Simon Berthaut re-launch the production of Epoisses Cheese. This cheese has strong flavour and sweet cheese. Other examples of washed rind cheese are Baguette Laonaisse, Bishop Kennedy, Brick cheese and more. 5.4.2 Washed-curd cheese Is a cheese where during production process mix of the curd and whey being washed in water, to prevent the bacteria converts any remaining milk sugar into lactic acid. This act contributes to produce sweet cheeses that have smooth and rubbery texture. Examples of cheese: Leiden or Leidsekaas cheese On 17 the century, the Dutch East Indies one of company that lead to the beginning of spice trade between Indonesia and Europe. During that time cheese are already well known, the Dutch decide to do some experiment by adding spices to their cheese such as cumin, peppercorns and cloves. To create leiden cheese, the liquid is drained and the curd are sprinkles with a cumin and salt. Then the cheese is put inside a mould and lined with muslin cloth and pressed. After a few days the chesses are soaked in brine. 5.5 Hard Cheeses Many hard cheeses are factory made. These types of cheese content low moisture then soft cheese. These cheeses are being put inside a mould than be give forced with high pressure. The age of hard cheese are longer then soft cheeses and can be stored for a long time. Examples of cheeses: Cheddar cheese According to the history cheddar cheese were originated from English village of Cheddar at Sommerset, England. There is one myth about the making of cheddar. The story started where one girl decide to put a bucket of milk in the cave. Then she went home without brought the milk. After a long time she start to remember that she had put a bucket of milk in the cave, she went back to cave. While she came to the cave, she realized that the bacteria have turned the milk to hard curdle cheese. They also another myth, that believed King Henry have buy 10000 pounds of cheddar cheese and it shows that cheddar cheese were originated in England. As age of the cheese become longer, the taste of cheese become sharper and flavour. Young cheddar is age around 3 to 6 years, while other cheddar may be age and stored for several years. Other examples of hard cheese are Parmigiano cheese, Emmenttal cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, Asiago cheese and more. 6.0 CONTRIBUTION Cheese has many contributions in culinary world in the past and in current. Cheese has been in the culinary world for such long time. With this kind of history, cheese is no doubt has many contributions in nutrition ways. People in the past accidentally produce cheese when they left the milk in the warmth or heated it in the earthenware pot. In the past, people often use cheese as one of ingredient. Nowadays, people have study the cheese and discover that cheese has much nutrition that is good for human body. In the past, cheese has been a kind of currency by the traders and merchant. In the culinary world, cheese has been one of the flavor enhancements. This can be seen when the Italian put cheese in their cooking. Cheese provides saltiness and buttery taste to the dish. Cheese also has been contributed in pasteurization method for milk product. Pasteurization method been created by Louis Pasture, the French chemist and microbiologist in April 1862. Current contribution is in health benefit. Scientist has study the art of cheese and discovers that there are several amount of nutrient in cheese. The major nutrients in cheese are protein, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin B2, and vitamin B12. Protein is important to human growth and helping in build and repairing the tissue. Calcium is important muscle development, normal nerve and maintains the health of bones and teeth. Zinc is important in helping the immune system of our body and contributes in skin structure. Phosphorus is kind the same of calcium because it help in maintaining the bones and teeth. Vitamin A is important for our vision. Vitamin B2 is important because it is use as converter of food into energy in our body. Vitamin B12 is important for helping in producing cells in our body. 7.0 CONCLUSION In conclusion, there are many varieties of cheese in the world and it is one of food or ingredient that has long history. Even though it has been producing many centuries ago, it is one of well known ingredient in the culinary world. Cheese are very famous right now even if we go to the famous luxury restaurant or even the Mamak stall that used to sell Roti Naan with cheese. The use of cheese in culinary world was started centuries ago until today. The spread of cheese from the origin place has contribute to the world of culinary. Other than that, a question, why in the cartoon the mice always been trapped and crazy with the cheese?, look at the mice teeth, they were strong and it show how nutritious the cheese was. Nowaday cheesen are being made with full of nutritious because of proper procedure and process are use to ensure the high quality of cheese produce. Other than that, the revolution about dairy products nowadays are very agressive. Because of new invention and technology t he making or manufactured of cheese are rapidly growth. New recipe and vareties of chees are be created. Maybe in our country it is not global used yet but we are hoping someday Malaysia can produce their own cheese with our own style. Lastly, we will see the impact that cheese has given towards the culture of the citizen in a country, which has become a trend even taking a picture. SAY CHEESE

Statement of Philosophy and Educational Goals Essay -- Philosophy of E

Statement of Philosophy and Educational Goals In the following report, I will be discussing my personal philosophy on education and my educational goals. My philosophy will include some of my personal opinions on the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the purpose of public education, teaching methods and the importance of curriculum. My educational goals will focus on my development plans and future education. I feel that it is natural for students, or for that matter anyone, to want to learn. In my own experience, the pursuit of learning requires a high interest level in the subject matter being taught. You may have the most exciting subject on earth. However, if it is presented in an ineffective manner, interest levels will probably drop. I also feel the reverse is true. If a subject seems to be boring to a student, but it is presented in an entertaining, enthusiastic manner, the chance of increasing interest levels and thus learning is more likely to occur. I also feel the nature of knowledge is important, however, I feel the nature of knowledge differs based on subject matter. Matters that deal with sciences and mathematics are often absolute. 2 + 2 will always equal four and so fourth. When discussing social studies, my area of specialization, I feel that most knowledge is relative. Of course certain dates and facts are absolute, but the interesting part of social studies is interpretation. One may gather a group ... Statement of Philosophy and Educational Goals Essay -- Philosophy of E Statement of Philosophy and Educational Goals In the following report, I will be discussing my personal philosophy on education and my educational goals. My philosophy will include some of my personal opinions on the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the purpose of public education, teaching methods and the importance of curriculum. My educational goals will focus on my development plans and future education. I feel that it is natural for students, or for that matter anyone, to want to learn. In my own experience, the pursuit of learning requires a high interest level in the subject matter being taught. You may have the most exciting subject on earth. However, if it is presented in an ineffective manner, interest levels will probably drop. I also feel the reverse is true. If a subject seems to be boring to a student, but it is presented in an entertaining, enthusiastic manner, the chance of increasing interest levels and thus learning is more likely to occur. I also feel the nature of knowledge is important, however, I feel the nature of knowledge differs based on subject matter. Matters that deal with sciences and mathematics are often absolute. 2 + 2 will always equal four and so fourth. When discussing social studies, my area of specialization, I feel that most knowledge is relative. Of course certain dates and facts are absolute, but the interesting part of social studies is interpretation. One may gather a group ...

Oxford Brookes Bsc(Hons) in Applied Accounting (Acca)

PART IPROJECT OBJECTIVES AND OVERALL RESEARCH APPROACH 1. 0. 0 INTRODUCTION Business and financial performance in the tourism industry Tourism is now one of the largest industries in the world. According to the WTO, the export income generated by international tourism ranks fourth after fuels, chemicals, and automotive products. Furthermore, the WTO points out that, for many developing countries, tourism is one of the main income sources of foreign exchange, and creates much-needed employment and opportunities for economic development. The industry has also enjoyed staggering growth over the past six decades. ttp://www. qfinance. com The tourism industry is also a major contributor to Zimbabwe’s economy thus I chose to assess the performance of a company in this sector to obtain a clear picture of how the performance of a major player in such a sector would contribute to the economy. In the tourism industry business and financial performance is highly dependent on the politica l factors of the host country. Political stability and good international relations are important for the growth of firms in the tourism industry as tourists only go to places where they feel safe and protected. Spending on tourism and hotels is also closely related to the economic cycle. Certainly, spending on leisure activities such as holidays tends to be one of the first things that consumers cut back in times of economic hardship. REASONS FOR CHOOSING RTG 1. 2. 1 Rainbow Tourism Group Background Rainbow Tourism Group was established in 1992, and is the second largest tourism group in Zimbabwe and a major player in Zimbabwe’s Tourism Industry. Listed on the Zimbabwe Stock exchange, the company has spread its wings into the regional markets through management contracts  and Strategic Alliances. In Zimbabwe, RTG operates  four brands namely, The Rainbow Towers, Rainbow Hotels  (three star city and resort hotels), Touch the wild (top of the range eco-tourism lodges offering unique safari experiences)  Ã‚   and Zimbabwe Tourism Services (a destination management services company that caters for travel arrangements). (www. rtg. co. zw) RTG has a good corporate governance struct ure and is the second largest tourism group in Zimbabwe the largest being Africansun RTG’s operating environment For the period 2007 to 2009 Zimbabwe’s business environment was extremely hostile, most businesses were closing down and the few lucky survivors were scaling down their operations massively. The economy was ranked the worst in the world and inflation at its peak was around 6. 5 quindecillionnovemdecillion percent (65 followed by 107 zeros) . Long term planning was impossible in the industry due to the political instability and bad publicity that the country received following violence surrounding the March 2008 presidential elections as well as cholera outbreaks affected tourist arrivals in 2008, thereby limiting any growth in the economy. The highest decrease in the number of tourist arrivals was reported from traditional source markets, such as the UK and the US. Http. //www. euromonitor. com/Zimbabwe The managed exchange rate and high inflation rate made budgeting difficult. The introduction of price controls by the government in the sector meant that RTG could not increase their prices in line with inflation as they were supposed to request for price increases first whereas their expenses were increasing therefore cutting down their profits unreasonably. The rampant shortage of basic commodities such as food and drinks increased costs as supply could not match demand it also meant that hotels and restaurants could not offer services to its customers and therefore a drop in revenues and standards of services. A high unemployment rate of about 94% and a shrinking economy also meant that the local customers had no disposable income as 98% of the population was living under the poverty datum line and had to cut back on leisure activities. The tourism sector also faced a crumbling air transport sector, with ramifications for the entire economy and the withdrawal of a number of reputable airlines, citing viability problems. Approximately 18 international airlines are reported to have left the country since the start of the economic crisis in the year 2000. Some of the airlines that pulled out of the Zimbabwe route were Zambian Airways, British Airways, Swissair, Lufthansa, KLM and Air France. High fuel prices, combined with political and economic turbulence, were the reasons cited for the withdrawals. Zimbabwe’s isolation was a major blow to the already ailing travel and tourism industry, which relies heavily on high-spending incoming tourists. (www. newzimbabwe. com) Purpose and objectives of the research The objective of this research is to find out how RTG’s business and financial performance over the three year period 2007 to 2009 contributed to Zimbabwe’s economy when it was in a massive economic recession and when foreign currency and jobs were needed most. RTG is a major player in the tourism sector which contributes a significant portion to the GDP of Zimbabwe therefore RTG’s business and financial performance was not only important to its shareholders but also to the whole economy. To achieve this objective the researcher will also establish the following: * To establish how RTG measures and assesses its performance. * To find out what strategies RTG adopted to meet its business and financial performance objectives. * To assess whether RTG’s business and financial performance was adequate to survive the economic crisis it was facing. The research aims to answer the following questions: What measures were used by RTG to assess the business and financial performance and were they adequate? * What were the strategies RTG used to achieve its business and financial objectives and were they adequate? * How did RTG perform compared to its main competitors? * How did RTG’s business and financial performance contribute to the economy of Zimbabwe? * Did RTG meet the expectations of all its stakeholders? * How can RTG improve its performance? Research approach The researcher used a case study approach employing both qualitative and quantitative techniques to evaluate the performance of RTG. This approach enabled the researcher to make a balanced assessment and to consider other stakeholder’s interests that might be difficult to measure quantitatively. To answer the above questions the researcher will use traditional techniques such asratio analysis and trend analysis to establish the patterns of performance while comparisons with other organizations in the same industry will also be done. Modern techniques such as Kaplan and Norton’s balanced scorecard will also be used in order to develop a comprehensive framework of assessing the business and financial performance of RTG. Gaps will be identified, conclusions drawn and recommendations will be made as to how RTG can improve its business and financial performance in future. PART IIINFORMATION GATHERING AND ACCOUNTING / BUSINESS TECHNIQUES Introduction Description of methods This section identifies the research methodologies which will be used for data gathering by the researcher. â€Å"research methodology refers to a whole range of questions about the assumed, appropriate ways of going about social research and is therefore a theory or an analysis of how research should operate† (hitchcock and hughes 1995:20). Data collection procedures Data collection is about using the selected methods of investigation which Robson (1997:304) believes there is no generally best methods as all methods have their weaknesses. Various methods of data collection were used in this research and the following are the primary and secondary data collection methods that were used. Primary methods * Interviews * Observation Secondary methods * books * journals and publications * internet * Published financial statements Secondary data Secondary data are statistics not gathered for the immediate study at hand but some other purpose. Churchill 2002). Secondary data was used in this research to get an in-depth understanding of the business and financial performance of RTG. Saunders (2007) gave the following advantages and disadvantages of secondary data Advantages * Saves time and money * High quality of information compared to data gathered by an individual at the point of research * Provides a general framework for c omparing data collected by the individual. Disadvantages * Accessibility of data maybe costly or difficult * The purpose why the secondary data was collected may not be relevant to the research being undertaken. There is no control over the quality of secondary data therefore accuracy maybe difficult to verify * Information gathered maybe outdated Primary data Advantage * The most important benefit of primary data is that data is original. Disadvantages * Results may not be representative of what is found in the population * The flexible nature of methods used can result in ambiguous results Research instruments Interviews An interview is a social survey conducted in a face-to-face or personal conduct situation. Heyward and Sparks (1984) define an interview as an occasion when one or two people ask questions that seek to find out opinions and ideas. Advantages of interviews Face to face * Immediate feedback * Quick feedback * Easy to tell whether respondent understood the questions, * physical gestures and personal contact adds emphasis * allows for a wide exchange of ideas * Good relations are established E-mails and Telephones * Immediate feedback * Appropriate for â€Å"always busy† interviewees * E-mails can be easily stored for other uses Disadvantages of interviews Face to face * Data is difficult to record, code and analyze * time consuming interviewee accessibility may be difficult * The interviewee maybe uncooperative E-mails and Telephones * late feedback caused by disruptions due to network congestion and technical breakdowns * High telephone charges Literature review 1. 1. 11. 1. 1 Financial performance Financial performance is a subjective measure of how well a firm can u se assets from its primary mode of business and generate revenues. It measures a firm’s overall financial health over a given period of time and/or compare with similar firms across the same industry www. investopedia. com/terms/f/financialperformance. asp 1. 1. 2 Business Performance Business performance can be defined as â€Å"the integration of financial and non-financial systems and processes to achieve organization goals and objectives† http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/business_performance_management Business performance is about creating value for the stakeholders of a business. Measuring business performance is therefore very subjective and finding suitable measures is very difficult. An organization’s business and financial performance cannot be measured in isolation it has to be compared with prior periods or other organizations in the same economic sector taking into consideration the company’s business environment. Business performance is guided by an organization’s vision and mission these outline the aims to be achieved and the desired end results. Research Approach The researcher will use a variety of business and financial performance measures. Firstly the researcher will consider traditional financial performance measures such as return on capital employed, liquidity gearing indicators, earning per share and trend analysis which shows the value added to the shareholder’s investments. The traditional argument is that shareholders are the legal owners of a company and so their interests should thus be to maximize shareholder wealth. Shareholders are generally concerned with the following: * Current earnings * Future earnings * Dividend policy * Relative The objective of wealth maximization is usually expanded into three primary objectives which are survival growth and to make profit Kaplan 2007:184) Traditional financial performance measures will be used to measure how RTG has been able to satisfy its shareholders. Weaknesses of ratio analysis As illustrated by Owen G (1994:386) the following are the main weaknesses of using ratio analysis * It uses historical information which maybe out of date * Can mislead when making comparisons if accounting policies are different * Can be distorted by one-off transactions * Takes no account of cyclical changes throughout a period * One dimensional To fully assess the business and financial performance of RTG the researcher will also use non-financial performance measures through the use of the balanced scorecard and other performance measures. The Balanced scorecard The balanced scorecard was developed by Kaplan and Norton as cited in Kaplan ACCA P5 (2009) defines it as a tool to translate an organization’s vision and strategy into objectives and measures. It looks at four perspectives namely financial perspective, customer perspective internal business perspective and learning and growth perspective. The aim of the balanced scorecard is to enable the business to develop a comprehensive framework for translating a company’s strategic objectives into a coherent set of goals and performance measures. Kaplan ACCA P5 (2009) Limitations of the balanced scorecard Neely (2002) argues that the most difficult problem of Balanced Score Card (BSC) is that it lacks several important interest groups in its structure: such as suppliers, co-operation partners and close neighbors. The International Institute of Management (2002) states the following implementation pitfalls and limitations of the Balanced Score Card: * Cut the jacket to fit the person do not cut the person to fit. * The balanced scorecard should not be balanced, success factors are not equal and their relationships are not linear. Trying to balance the scorecard will lead to confusion, conflict and lack of focus. * Insufficient cause and effect relationships and performance drivers. * Conflict of interest (different stakeholders want different things) * Measuring intangible assets (information and human capital) is difficult. Other measures of performance The researcher will also use other Critical success factors and Key performance indicators such as revenue per and room occupancy rates, among others to fully analyze the performance of RTG Ethical issues The researcher took into consideration ethical issues such as confidentiality and objectivity in carrying out the research and analysis. The researcher assured RTG that he was going to use the information he collected strictly for academic purposes. The researcher also assured all the individuals he interacted with that he was going to be objective in analyzing the information they provided. All the information the researcher obtained was kept secure at all times to preserve anonymity and confidentiality. . PART 3  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Results, analysis, conclusions and recommendations This section is dedicated to the presentation of the data collected, its interpretation, drawing of conclusions and making recommendations. The researcher will start by presenting and analyzing his findings on the financial performance of RTG for the period 2007 to 2009 using ratio and trend analysis. In latter sections the researcher will present his findings and analyze RTG’s performance using non-financial performance indicators to assess its business performance. 3. 1 Traditional Financial Ratios of RTG 3. 1. 1 Profitability ratios of RTG Analysis of profitability was made very difficult by the hyperinflationary environment that was in Zimbabwe between 2007 and 2008. On 14 February 2008, the Central Statistical Office announced that the inflation rate for December 2007 was 66,212. 3%. On 20 February 2008, the Central Statistical Office said that officially, inflation had in January 2008 gone past the 100,000% mark to 100,580. 2%. On 4 April 2008, the Financial Gazette (FinGaz) reported that officially, inflation in February 2008 jumped to 164,900. 3%. On 15 May 2008, the Zimbabwe Independent reported that officially, inflation in March 2008 jumped to 355,000%. On 21 May 2008, SW Radio Africa reported that, according to an independent financial assessment inflation in May 2008 jumped to 1,063,572. 6%. The state statistical service in April 2008 said there were not enough goods in the shortage-stricken shops to calculate any new (official) figures. On 26 June 2008, the Zimbabwe Independent reported that, latest figures from the Central Statistical Offices (CSO) showed that annual inflation rose by 7,336,000 percentage points to 9,030,000% by June 20 and was set to end the month at well above 10,500,000%. According to Central Statistical Office statistics, annual inflation rate rose to 231 million percent in July 2008. The month-on-month rate rose to 2,600. 2%. By December 2008, inflation was estimated at 6. 5 quindecillionnovemdecillion percent (65 followed by 107 zeros) The Zimbabwe Central statistical office stopped publishing inflation figures and therefore the Zimbabwe Consumer Price Index was not available to adjust the 2008 financial statement figures. The historical figures used were out of date and comparison of costs and revenues gave a false picture and thus care should be taken in interpreting them. The researcher therefore could not analyze trends in revenue and cost as they had been heavily distorted by inflation and no adjustments could be made as the Central Statistical Office stopped publishing the inflation figures and the Consumer Price Index. Gross Profit Margin The gross profit margins of RTG in 2007, 2008 and 2009 were 74%, 99% and 84% respectively. The gross profit margin shows the gross profit generated per every dollar of sales. In 2009 Africansun limited’s gross profit margin was 65% therefore showing that although RTG’s gross profit margin had decreased from the prior year it was still better than its competitor. In the researcher’s interview with Mr L Chasakara RTG’s operations director, he said thatâ€Å"RTG managed to increase its gross profit margin from 74% in 2007 to 99% in 2008 by specifically targeting the domestic market†. Sales from the domestic market were increased from 78% in 2007 to 83% in 2008 as the foreign market was deteriorating due to the political instability in Zimbabwe in this period. The researcher however also noted that the increase in gross profit margin from 74% in 2007 to 99% in 2008 could have been due to the fact that the use of historical cost in 2008 overstated revenues due to high inflation figures and understated costs as most costs had been incurred earlier in the year. Revenue will generally be overstated in hyperinflationary environments if historical costs are used as costs are normally incurred before revenues are realized. Net Profit Margin The net profit margins of RTG in 2007 was (0. 62%), it rose dramatically in 2008 to 879% then decreased again sharply to 0. 13% respectively. In 2008 the net profit margin was heavily distorted by the RTG’S investment income which it gained from trading on the Zimbabwean Stork exchange which was booming at this time. In 2009 the use of the United States dollar as the official currency in Zimbabwe (Dollarization) saw inflation dropping to below zero percent. This resulted in more realistic profitability ratios with the gross profit margin dropping to 84% from 99% in 2008 and the operating net profit margin dropping to 0. 913% in 2009 from 879% in 2008. Removing investment income from the net profit before interest and tax in the 2008 statement of financial position gives us a net profit margin of 17% which is more indicative of RTG’s performance in 2008. The researcher asked Mr L. Chasakara, RTG’s operations director if the large profits that RTG had reported in 2008 were a true indication of its performance. Mr L. Chasakara responded saying â€Å"these were unusual results in unusual circumstances we did what we had to do in order to survive and excel in one of the most hostile economic situations in history† The trend in the gross profit margin and the operating and the net profit margins of RTG from 2007 to 2009 is presented in the table below: Source; Kembo H (2011) The table below shows the trend in net profit margin after subtracting investment income from RTG’s 2008 net profit before interest and tax: Source: Kembo H (2011) Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) ROCE is an indicator of the management’s efficiency in generating profit from resources. In 2007 RTG’s ROCE was 2%, it then rose sharply to93. 5% in line with the high profits that were earned in 2008 and then came down to 29. % in 2009. In 2009 Africansun Limited which is RTG’s main competitor had a negative ROCE of 18. 75%. Therefore even though RTG’s ROCE dropped from 93. 5% in 2008 to 29. 1% in 2009 it still was better compared to its rival in the Zimbabwean tourism industry. RTG’s ROCE was also higher than the average borrowing rate in 2009 of 15% which means that RTG added value to its investor’s funds as it managed ROCE above the minimum borrowing rate to compensate for the extra risk they took upon investing in RTG. Asset turnover The asset turnover ratio shows the revenue generated per dollar of assets that is the efficiency of assets in generating revenue. RTG’s asset turnover ratio for 2007 was 0. 20 times per annum then decreased to, 0. 094 times then rose to 0. 92 times per annum The Asset turnover trend between 2007 and 2009 is shown in the table below: Source Kembo H (2011) In 2007 and 2008 investment income contributed to the bulk of the net profit therefore RTG’s asset turnover ratios were very poor at 0. 20 times per annum and 0. 94 times per annumrespectively. This suggests that the group was using its funds for other investments rather than its operating activities as the operating environment was extremely hostile. In the researcher’s interview with the Operations Director of RTG, heexpressed that this move was necessary for survival as the mismatch of revenues and costs due to hyperinflation meant normal operations of the RTG would result in heavy losses. Asset turnover of RG T improved dramatically in 2009 rising to 0. 2 times per annum meaning that the group was using its assets effectively to produce revenue. Although RTG’s asset turnover ratio improved in 2009 it fades in comparison with its main competitor Africansun Limited which had an asset turnover ratio of 1. 32 times a year. This means that RTG was less efficient in generating revenue from its capital than its competitor. Working Capital Ratios Current ratio The current ratio measures the adequacy of current assets to meet liabilities as they fall due. (Financial Reporting F7 Kaplan 2009) In 2007 RTG’s current ratio was 0. 7:1 which meant that RTG’s could not service its liabilities in the event that they fall due. In an interview with the researcher the Accountant of RTG Mr G Nzunga said hyperinflation made it difficult to keep too much cash it would quickly be eroded, thus they had to channel their resources into the acquisition of tangible assets and keep current assets at a minimum. In2008there was further decrease of the current ratio to 0. 32:1 as inflation continued to rise and most people discouraged to keep cash or cash equivalents. In 2009 the current ratio of RTG was 0. 76:1, an improvement from the 2008 current ratio but still not satisfactory. In 2009 the use of the United States dollar as the official currency in Zimbabwe (Dollarization) saw inflation dropping to below zero percent thus the improvement as the economic environmentbecame began to normalize. Mr G Nzunga, RTG’s Accountant said that RTG was still in a difficult position as far as working capital management was concerned as a liquidity crisis began across industry soon after dollarization in Zimbabwe in 2009. The company was not generating enough money from its day to day activities to pay mostly suppliers and other current liabilities as they fell due. In 2009 Africansun Limited which is the biggest tourism group in Zimbabwe’s current ratio was 0. 49:1. The liquidity crisis in Zimbabwe made it very hard for companies in Zimbabwe to maintain decent current ratios and most of them had to employ aggressive working capital management. With a current ratio of 0. 76:1 RTG is considered to have performed quite well given the surrounding circumstances. Inventory Turnover Period Due to lack of information the researcher was unable to calculate RTG’s inventory turnover ratios, receivables periods and payables periods for the years 2007-2008 and could only calculate the inventory turnover ratio, receivables and payables periods for the year 2009. RTG’s inventory turnover ratio for the year 2009 was 143 days which was very bad considering the fact the larger percentage of RTG’s inventory is food that they sell to guests. Normally in the food industry inventory turnover should be fairly quick so as to preserve the reputation of the company and quality of the meals served. Africansun’s inventory turnover in the same period was 70 days which was better than that of RTG in this period. The accountant of RTG commented in this high ratio saying that they purchased large amounts storks to avoid the effects of stork outs in the event of food shortages which were common in Zimbabwe in 2008. In 2008 the retail and Food industries were almost facing ruin as shelves in shops went empty due to the economic and political challenges Zimbabwe was facing, therefore it was generally reasonable for RTG to keep relatively large amounts of stork. Payables Period RTG’s payables period was 726 days in 2009 which represents the credit period it was taking from its suppliers. RTG had such a bad payables period mainly due to liquidity problems that the majority of companies was having in industry and partly as an aggressive working capital management strategy. This however resulted in RTG gaining a very bad credit reputation from its suppliers. One of their major security suppliers Chubb Locks’ Manager was once quoted saying â€Å"RTG is the worst paying customer in the country†. Some suppliers have stopped supplying RTG as a result of RTG’s bad credit record but because they are a large firm RTG still gets new suppliers. Some suppliers now demand cash for all purchases made by RTG. RTG has also been forced to purchase their supplies from more expensive suppliers or poor quality supplies. RTG is also losing out on discounts they could gain by paying promptly. In an interview with the researcher Mr G Nzunga the accountant for RTG said that the company did not have enough liquid funds to pay all their suppliers. He also stated that it was also part of an aggressive working capital management strategy as they were receiving free financing from creditors. He however admitted that the strategy was getting over-aggressive and it was ethically questionable to pursue this strategy any further. In the same period African sun’s payables period was 12 days which was better than RTG’s period and hence its good reputation with suppliers across the industry. Receivables Period The receivables period for RTG in 2009 was 94 days. This was in line with their credit policy which states that the credit period allowable to customers should be three months. The receivables period for African sun was 59 days in 2009 which was better than RTG’s period this obviously shows that African sun Limited faces less risk from irrecoverable debts. Gearing The gearing ratio indicates the degree of financial risk the company is facing and the sensitivity of earnings and dividends to changes in profitability and activity levels. Kaplan ACCA F7(2009)) In the years 2007 and 2008 RTG did not have any long term borrowing thus the gearing ratio was zero. This meant that risk for financial risk for RTG was very low. Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe made long term loans difficult to get as any lender would find it very difficult to set interest rates as inflation was highly unpredictable in this period. The value of any money borrowed could be eroded within days if not hours therefore no companies had meaningful long term liabilities. In 2009 after the introduction of the US Dollar as the official currency in Zimbabwe companies started gearing up although the liquidity crisis that followed made it difficult to get funding from local financial institutions. In 2009 the gearing ratio for RTG was 2%. RTG’s gearing ratio was very low and induced very little credit risk to the shareholders. A low gearing ratio means that RTG has the scope to borrow more if there are any profitable ventures in the future and for their current refurbishment and expansion project at their A’Zambezi River Lodge unit and increasing the group’s room capacity. Financing will also be cheap for RTG as lenders will face very low levels of risk in extending loans to them. In 2009 Africansun Limited’s gearing ratio was also very low at 3. 5% which means it also had low levels of financial risk. The low gearing across industry also reflected the liquidity crisis which was eminent in Zimbabwe in 2009 where lenders did not have the funds to extend loans to firms and they were also still skeptical about the economic and political situation in Zimbabwe. Interest Cover Interest cover is the ability of a firm to pay interest out of its profits. In 2009 RTG Interest coverwas1. 52 timesand indicated that the shareholder’s dividends were at risk. However the ability of RTG to pay its interests having emerged from difficult economic times should satisfy its shareholders as Africansun Limited its major competitor failed to make profits to pay for their finance costs. Earnings Per Share The earnings per share of RTG for 2008was384 billion Zimbabwean dollars per share and the earnings per share for 2007 was 253. 7 Zimbabwean dollars per share. Converting these figures to United States dollars at the unofficial exchange rates that were ruling at the 2007 and 2008 year ends would make the respective earnings per share figures less than 0. 000001 US cents. Due to the hyperinflation in these periods the researcher found analyzing these figures very difficultand almost impossible. The earnings per share for RTG in 2009 was USD0. 01 which was quiet impressive compared to its rivals in the tourism industry as most of them. In 2009 the earnings per share for African sun Limited was negative USD0. 8. Customer Perspective Occupancy rates One of the main indicators of performance in the tourism industry is the occupancy rate of hotels. RTG managed an occupancy rate of 44% in 2007 which was below the Zimbabwean tourism industry average occupancy rate of 45%. In the tourism industry the more customers are satisfied by your service the higher your occupancy rate will be. In 2008 the occupancy rate of RTG decreased by 9% to 37%. The decr ease in occupancy rate was due to the economic and political instability during the 2008 Zimbabwean Elections were here was widespread violence in the country, therefore the number of tourists decreased. Most airlines also pulled out of the country ma The industry average room occupancy rate in Zimbabwe’s tourism industry was 41% which was higher than that of RTG which was 37%. This shows that RTG performed badly compared to peers in the tourism industry. The fall in RTG’s occupancy rate can therefore be attributed to failure to satisfy customers better than its rivals. In 2009 RTG’s occupancy rate increased to 40% which was an increase of 3% from the 2008 occupancy rate. The increase could be attributed to the improvement in the political and economic environment in Zimbabwe after the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU) and the dollarization of the economy. The industry average occupancy rate for 2009 was 31% which was 9% below that of RTG. In an interview with the researcher Mr L Chasakara the operations director for RTG attributed the higher occupancy rate to better brand management, better marketing strategies and service excellence. RTG’s higher occupancy rate means that it was more able to satisfy its customers better than its competitors. RTG’s main competitor and the largest hotel group in Zimbabwe African sun Limited’s occupancy rate in 2009 was 32% showing that RTG performed exceptionally well in 2009 in managing to attract customers The table below shows RTG’s occupancy rate compared to the tourism industry average: Source Kembo, H(2011) . In an interview Mr G Nzunga RTG’s accountant said that the occupancy rates also improved because 65% of their sales come from repeat business from satisfied guests and large groups of organizations who hold seminars at RTG’s hotels. Service lead time In 2009 RTG managed to reduce its service lead time in its hotels to an average of 20 minutes between the time food in restaurants and rooms is ordered to the time it is served. In 2007 and 2008 the average service lead time was 30 minutes. Better training and process improvement helped in achieving the reduction in service lead time as said by the Mr L Chasakara the operations director for RTG, he also added that benchmarking against the best restaurants also helped in achieving the improvement. In 2007 RTG was not recording complaints in late service delivery to customers but in 2008 RTG recorded 2700 complaints and the figure improved to 1100 in 2009 which was a 59% improvement. This improvement shows that RTG improved in satisfying its customers in 2009. Service Quality RTG keeps books at all its hotels were customers are asked to write a comment on the services they would have received before they leave. A review of these books at two of RTG’s units Victoria Falls Rainbow Hotel and A’Zambezi showed the results presented in the table below: Comment| 2007| 2008| 2009| Favorable| 98%| 96%| 99%| Unfavorable| 2%| 4%| 0. 9%| Will Return| 68%| 80%| 70%| Will not Return| 0%| 0%| 0%| The results from the review of the comment books showed that the majority of guests were satisfied by the service they received on staying at RTG units which means that RTG performed very well in this regard. Internal perspective Room service complaints were 3500 in 2007 and increased to 4550 in 2008. This was mainly due to the shortage of basic commodities in Zimbabwe in 2008. Shortage of commodities meant that the hotel could not provide its customers with some luxury items they were used to having every time they visited and hence the increase in complaints. The Accountant at RTG Mr G Nzunga explained that they made sure that their staff would explain the situation very carefully to the customers and extensive training of staff ensured that they were able to utilize the few commodities that were available. In 2009 complaints decreased to 2900. This could partly explained by the end of the commodity crisis in Zimbabwe. This also shows that RTG managed to improve its internal processes to reduce the number of complaints they were receiving from customers yearly. Learning and innovation RTG has invested heavily in the training of its staff in order to give better service to its customers. RTG has opened a Hotel School for the training of its workers and other external students. The commitment of RTG to continuously improve its operating processes and learn new ways of doing things has seen them being able to keep costs low and increase room capacity to make when its competitors are making losses and their occupancies are dropping. In an interview with the researcher Mr G Nzunga RTG’s Accountant said that every worker at RTG attends at least 1 seminar every month in order to keep them abreast of changes and new ways of doing things. Interview review Question1 In the first question the researcher asked the operations director and the accountant of RTG what their financial and business objectives were. The responses can be summarized as follows: * To be profitable and to create value for our shareholders. * To survive and grow in the long run thus protecting the interests of all our stakeholders. In 2008 the main objective was to survive in the harsh economic climate in order to save the tourism industry and the Zimbabwean economy itself * To achieve service excellence in tourism and hospitality. Question 2 In question 2 the researcher asked the accountant of RTG how they measure their business and financial performance. In response he said RTG assesses its performance through traditional financial perform ance measures such as ratio analysis and trend analysis and other modern measures especially the balanced scorecard as they are equally concerned about the qualitative aspects of performance. Question 3 In the third question the researcher asked the accountant and the operations director of RTG if they could explain the trend in the ratios that had been calculated from 2007 to 2009 financial statements. They gave various explanations for all the fluctuations in these ratios some of them have been quoted in the analysis of these ratios in the section above. The most common response to the financial ratios was that they were unusual results in an unusual environment referring to the hyper inflationary environment that was in Zimbabwe during this period. Question 4 Question 4 was to establish which strategies RTG used to ensure that they met their business and financial objectives. In response the accountant and operations director outlined the following as some of the strategies they implemented: * Employing an aggressive working capital strategy to mitigate the liquidity and operational challenges they were facing * Investing in money markets rather than core operating activities to improve the cash and revenue inflow. Focusing on the local markets rather than the traditional international markets that had been negatively impacted by bad publicity and political instability. * Process and service improvement through employee training. * Intensive marketing both nationally and internationally * Strict stock management to curb the shortages of basic commodities that were prevailing as a result of price controls by the government. Questions 5, 6 and 7 These questions were to establish how RTG business and financial performance contribu ted to the economy and how it can improve its performance in future. In response the interviewees stated that in making profits and surviving through the historic hyperinflationary environment in the period under review RTG saved the tourism industry in Zimbabwe as its downfall would have surely resulted in the collapse of the tourism and hospitality industry. They also stated that they managed to save thousands of jobs and provided business for hundreds of their suppliers. They also stated that to improve performance RTG would spend more on capital through hotel refurbishments and also taking advantage of their low gearing by taking loans thus improving working capital. They also stressed the need to advertise and restore the image of Zimbabwe as a tourist destination. Conclusion The researcher found out that RTG uses both financial and non-financial performance measures through the balanced score card which gives a comprehensive framework for performance measurement. This ensures that both quantitative and qualitative performance objectives are assessed. RTG used various strategies to ensure that it met its financial and business objectives which were mainly to survive the harsh economic environment and to protect its investors employees and all its stakeholders. RTG used strategies such as aggressive working capital management, investing in the money markets instead of its core operational activities and shifting their attention on the local market rather than the traditional international market. RTG also innovated through constantly innovating and improving its processes to achieve its business and financial objectives. Limitations of results The major limitation of these results is the unavailability of inflation adjusted figures for the proper analysis of financial ratios and trend analysis which might have given a false picture. The researcher held interviews with only 2 members of the executive management team which might have given a narrow picture of RTG’s performance. Interviewing all members of the management and the board would have given the researcher a broader understanding of the business and financial performance of RTG, but time and the availability of most of these people was a challenge. The researcher could not visit all RTG companies due to limitation of resources as they are geographically dispersed. This might have limited the researcher especially when he looked at the qualitative aspects of RTG’s performance. Recommendations The researcher recommends that RTG should employ less aggressive working strategies. RTG’s current working capital strategy may see suppliers refusing to supply them with critical supplies. RTG might also face legal action from its suppliers which may increase its legal costs and even loose customers who may not want to be associated with firms who have bad credit reputation. RTG should thus reduce its payables period to a more reasonable period of perhaps 90 days. The researcher also recommends that RTG should increase its gearing levels as they are currently very low in order to take advantage of loans which provide cheaper financing than equity. Zimbabwe’s reputation as a safe tourism destination was severely damaged due to the political and economic instability in 2007 and 2008. The researcher thus recommends that RTG should form partnerships with other players in the tourism industry to market the Zimbabwean brand in the international tourism market.

DFA’s investment portfolio Essay

Identify the sources of value DFA is providing its investors DFA creates different value to its customers. For Registered Investment Advisor, the value was the educative access to top researchers who were developing innovative theories and empirical analyses. For high-net-worth individuals, it is low management fee as the services are provided through RIA. For other investors, the value is high performance of portfolio it manages. The sources of values DFA managed to create come from: – Close relationship with prominent academics, who also have stake in DFA. The academic research has played crucial role in the performance of DFA’s investment portfolio and brought substantial return to its customers over a long period of time. – Reputation of the DFA in small cap market help the firm reduce transaction cost, pick and choose the right stock to invest, contributing to positive return for its customers. 8. What are some of the trading costs associated with small, value stocks? How does DFA manage these potential trading frictions? Given the fact that small and value stocks have lower liquidity compared to large and growth stock, transaction of small and value stock is more difficult. There are some trading costs associated with them: – When investment fund wants to buy small and value stocks in open market, their price will go up very quickly. This increase in price will negatively affect the next purchase of the same stock of the investment fund. DFA instead of going to the market and bid for stock, it absorbs the selling demand from the others. By taking a large part of stock, it can even obtain a discount on the stock purchase. – Once the investment fund owns an amount of a certain stock, the future sales of stock to the market may pose some pressure on the price of stock. DFA when buying stock from seller would try to make sure that it take the whole position of th e seller so that it avoids the scenario when the seller sells the other part to the market and the price of stock goes down immediately after DFA buys it. – Same applied when the fund tries to sell its stock. If investment fund sells a large block of stock, the price of stock will be pushed down. To avoid this transaction cost DFA normally offers small amounts of stock to the market each day. It takes more time to sell out but the price of stock will be maintained. 12. Likewise, throughout the 1990s, growth stocks outperformed value stocks. Hence, should DFA reconsider its current strategy? What if growth continues to outperform value over the next five years. Would your answer change?  Again, how would you explain the poor performance of the fund to your clients? Although the growth stock outperformed value stocks in 1990s thanks to the high-tech boom, DFA should not reconsider its current strategy because of the following reasons: -Looking at a long period of time (from 1926 to 2004), despite some up and down, value stock still outperform growth stock (Tim’s calculation) -DFA’s philosophy of investment has been based upon market efficient. And according to market efficient theories, the higher return of growth stock given the lower level of risk compared to value stock will go away as people start to chase growth stock. Switching to growth stock will not help DFA to make sustainable return. Even though the growth stock continues to outperform for the next five years, our answer would not change. The growth stock cannot outperform the value stock for too long because it has lower level of risk. Value stock will soon bounce back in terms of return soon. 14. What future strategies would you recommend DFA pursue? Make a specific recommendation, and justify it. Should they abandon/modify/maintain their current size and value strategies? Should they explore other interesting anomalies and adopt similar strategies?

Free Essays on Wendys And The Fast Food Industry

Wendy’s International & The Fast Food Industry Introduction and Background: Founded in 1969 in Dublin, Ohio, by Dave Thomas, Wendy’s International has grown to be one of the leading companies in the restaurant industry. As of the year 2003, Wendy’s has over 8,000 restaurants worldwide, including more than 3,500 Tim Hortons and 800 Baja Fresh restaurants, which are two companies that Wendy’s owns (Milton, 2003, p. 1). Currently Wendy’s is the third largest fast food chain in the world behind only McDonalds and Burger King (â€Å"Industry Surveys,† 2003, p. 8). This is an interesting company to look at because of the respectable growth Wendy’s has attained while other leading restaurants have faltered. Wendy’s has been able capture market share from historically invincible rivals through better service and a higher quality product. A concern that would keep Wendy’s CEO up at night is if Wendy’s will be able to continue to be innovative and outperform rivals, or will Wendy’s fall victim to the problems that face their competitors from growing to big and losing a sense of consumer demand. The main issue to look at is if Wendy’s can take advantage of McDonald’s and Burger King’s recent troubles in order to become the number one fast food restaurant in the world. The External Environment The external environment has a profound effect, both positively and negatively, on the restaurant industry. Firms have no control over the external environment, but they do have the ability to alter their strategies in order to take advantage of opportunities and to prepare for threats. In the demographic segment, an opportunity that restaurants could exploit is the fact that the baby boom generation, who were the first generation to grow up with fast food, is getting older and has more money to spend on food. Another demographic opportunity is the ever-increasing Hispanic population, which could influence restaur... Free Essays on Wendy's And The Fast Food Industry Free Essays on Wendy's And The Fast Food Industry Wendy’s International & The Fast Food Industry Introduction and Background: Founded in 1969 in Dublin, Ohio, by Dave Thomas, Wendy’s International has grown to be one of the leading companies in the restaurant industry. As of the year 2003, Wendy’s has over 8,000 restaurants worldwide, including more than 3,500 Tim Hortons and 800 Baja Fresh restaurants, which are two companies that Wendy’s owns (Milton, 2003, p. 1). Currently Wendy’s is the third largest fast food chain in the world behind only McDonalds and Burger King (â€Å"Industry Surveys,† 2003, p. 8). This is an interesting company to look at because of the respectable growth Wendy’s has attained while other leading restaurants have faltered. Wendy’s has been able capture market share from historically invincible rivals through better service and a higher quality product. A concern that would keep Wendy’s CEO up at night is if Wendy’s will be able to continue to be innovative and outperform rivals, or will Wendy’s fall victim to the problems that face their competitors from growing to big and losing a sense of consumer demand. The main issue to look at is if Wendy’s can take advantage of McDonald’s and Burger King’s recent troubles in order to become the number one fast food restaurant in the world. The External Environment The external environment has a profound effect, both positively and negatively, on the restaurant industry. Firms have no control over the external environment, but they do have the ability to alter their strategies in order to take advantage of opportunities and to prepare for threats. In the demographic segment, an opportunity that restaurants could exploit is the fact that the baby boom generation, who were the first generation to grow up with fast food, is getting older and has more money to spend on food. Another demographic opportunity is the ever-increasing Hispanic population, which could influence restaur...

What Freezing Point Depression Is and How It Works

What Freezing Point Depression Is and How It Works Freezing point depression occurs when the freezing point of a liquid is lowered or depressed by adding another compound to it. The solution has a lower freezing point than that of the pure solvent. Freezing Point Depression Examples For example, the freezing point of seawater is lower than that of pure water. The freezing point of water to which antifreeze has been added is lower than that of pure water. The freezing point of vodka is lower than that of pure water. Vodka and other high-proof alcoholic beverages typically dont freeze in a home freezer. Yet, the freezing point is higher than that of pure ethanol (-173.5Â °F or -114.1Â °C). Vodka may be considered a solution of ethanol (solute) in water (solvent). When considering freezing point depression, look at the freezing point of the solvent. Colligative Properties of Matter Freezing point depression is a colligative property of matter. Colligative properties depend on the number of particles present, not on the type of particles or their mass. So, for example, if both calcium chloride (CaCl2) and sodium chloride (NaCl) completely dissolve in water, the calcium chloride would lower the freezing point more than the sodium chloride because it would produce three particles (one calcium ion and two chloride ions), while the sodium chloride would only produce two particles (one sodium and one chloride ion). Freezing Point Depression Formula Freezing point depression can be calculated using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation and Raoults law. In a dilute ideal solution, the freezing point is: Freezing Pointtotal Freezing Pointsolvent - ΔTf where ΔTf molality * Kf * i Kf cryoscopic constant (1.86Â °C kg/mol for the freezing point of water) i Vant Hoff factor Freezing Point Depression in Everyday Life Freezing point depression has interesting and useful applications. When salt is put on an icy road, the salt mixes with a small amount of liquid water to prevent melting ice from re-freezing. If you mix salt and ice in a bowl or bag, the same process makes the ice colder, which means it can be used for making ice cream. Freezing point depression also explains why vodka doesnt freeze in a freezer.

Twelver Shiites, or Ithna Ashariyah

Twelver Shiites, or Ithna Ashariyah Twelver Shiites, known in Arabic as IthnÄ  ‘AsharÄ «yah, or ImÄ miyÄ h (from Imam), form the principal branch of Shiite Islam and are sometimes synonymous with Shiitism, even though factions such as the IsmÄ Ã„ «lÄ «yah and ZaydÄ «yah Shiites do not subscribe to Twelver doctrine.   Alternate spellings include  IthnÄ  ‘AsharÄ «yah,  ImÄ miyÄ h,  and ImamiyÄ . Twelvers are the followers of the 12 imams they consider to be the only rightful successors of the Prophet Muhammad, beginning with Ali ibn Abu Talib (600-661 CE), Muhammads cousin and son-in-law, and ending with Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (born 869 CE), the 12th imam whoaccording to Twelver beliefwill emerge and bring peace and justice to the world, becoming the ultimate savior of humankind (Muhammad never appeared publicly and is currently considered in major occultation as the Mahdi). Sunnis recognize Ali as the fourth caliph, but founding commonalities between Sunnis and Shiites end with him. Some Muslims have never recognized the first three as legitimate caliphs, thus forming the nucleus of Islams protesting Shiites. The seeming subversion never sat well with Sunnis, whose habit it became to mercilessly and brutally persecute Alis followers and assassinate subsequent imams, most spectacularly among those the killing in the battle of Hussayn  (or Hussein) Ibn Ali, the third Imam (626-680 CE), on the plains of Karbala. The killing is most famously commemorated in the annual rituals of Ashura. The copious bloodletting gave Twelvers their two most prominent characteristics, like birthmarks on their creed: a cult of victimology, and a cult of martyrdom. The Safavid Dynasty Twelvers never had an empire of their own until the Safavid dynastyone of the most remarkable dynasties ever to have ruled Iranwas established in Iran in the 16th century and the Qajar dynasty in the late 18th century when Twelvers reconciled the divine and the temporal in the leadership of the reigning imam. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, through his 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, pushed the fusion of the temporal and the divine furthest, adding a layer of ideological expediency under the banner of Supreme Leader. A strategic revolutionary, in the words of writer Colin Thubron, Khomeini created his own Islamic state above Islamic law. Twelvers Today The majority of Twelverssome 89%reside in Iran today, with other large populations existing but being mightily oppressed in Azerbaijan (60%), Bahrain (70%), and Iraq (62%). Twelvers make up some of the most destitute populations in countries such as Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Pakistan as well. The three major legal schools of Twelver Shia Islam today include the Usuli (the most liberal of the three), the Akhbari (who rely on traditional religious knowledge), and the Shayki  (at one time absolutely apolitical, the Shaykis have since become active in the Basra, Iraq, government as its own political party).

Use of forensics in the court system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Use of forensics in the court system - Essay Example Scientists also act as professional witnesses involved in the presentation of evidence. In courts, the magnitude of the crime determines the frequency of usage of science in the court systems. Scientific applications are increasingly used in common crimes including car theft and burglary. With the availability of DNA evidence, the uncovering rate goes up by 30 percent (Desportes, 2008). Forensic discipline can successfully convict criminals, and also pardon innocent people. The Forensic Science Service meets the forensic needs of precise police investigations. The agency dealt with thousands of cases in 2005, and the agency staffs appeared as expert witnesses in courts cases in over 2,000 cases. These experts include individuals such as psychologists, medical doctors or welfare professional (Starling, 2007). Scientific techniques used in forensic science do not need to pass formal tests for the admissibility of evidence derived from it in the courts; that task belongs to the judges. Courts have the discretion of using vast and latest technological and scientific knowledge in their activities. Forensic science successfully convicts criminals or pardon innocent people (Desportes, 2008). Forensic science does not lack it flaws, and its applicability in criminal justice needs reforms. Reforms are necessary to ensure accurate and fair criminal system. Reforms are necessary to improve objectivity, independence and reliability of forensic study. Common perceptions concerning forensic analysis as an objective and precise science obscures the fact that forensic science involves flexible interpretations by individual, professional analysts. However, with implementation of reforms, forensic science is a valuable tool that for the court justice system in its endeavor of seeking justice and

Choose a good topic for this paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Choose a good topic for this paper - Essay Example Quite rightly so, in order to find out how something is morally right or wrong, the need is to know where the line has to be drawn because then only can the distinctions be made between the right and wrong steps. If actions and undertakings bring in a positive aspect to the fore where there is no problem for the people concerned with it, then there is understanding available. This optimism shall suggest for further usage of ethics in a quantifiable manner. However, it is important to know that the flip side is equally fatal. The unethical means are also significant to draw and gain something from (Shafer-Landau, 2012). What this will do is to inform everyone how things shall shape up and how sanity needs to be restored. As a parent, this seems like a difficult process all along, yet the basis for comprehension is there for one and all to see. This oxymoron is apparent because ethics seem to differ from person to person. There are some individuals who believe that ethics is all about doing ‘good’ for one’s own self but not for others. This is a flawed mindset which has drastic results in the end, and more so for the societal regimes. Ethics when taught to the young ones should always be in such a manner that there are more positive undertakings for everyone irrespective of his position within the society. It needs to comprise of the collective goodwill of the society to bring forward seriously positive results. Essentially speaking and focused more towards the junior-high age youngsters, teaching ethics to them is a difficult process as they might have readymade alternatives for them. With so much negativity being highlighted by the media and the different domains of the society, the children can only be confused rather than getting corrected. In the end, it would be justifiable to say that there is a dire need on the part of the parents and teachers to enact ways and means to bring correction which is long-lasting and has a positive

Fallacies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Fallacies - Assignment Example One common source of fallacies is the media and this paper seeks to examine two exemplary and common fallacies from this source and illustrate how this source construes information to convince the audience. This is a common fallacy that is committed over the television. Ignoratio elenchi directly translates to "irrelevant thesis", which in formal perspective refers to a negation that fails to concentrate on the central argument (Destiny 2008). As commonly seen in televised political debates between presidential candidates, the interviewer might ask one of the candidates how he can handle the rising unemployment rates should he or she become the president, then the candidate may answer â€Å"I am glad you asked, since unemployment is a major problem facing our country, however, my opponent’s strategy to handle this situation is entirely insufficient,† (Destiny 2008). As illustrated from this example, the presidential candidate completely negated the question. This is a potent and a simple form of illogical fallacy. It occurs when an individual misinterprets the position held by the opponent (Destiny 2008). Such an argument was televised in the year 2001 when President George Bush assumed office he advocated for a new system of testing in schools, and then formed an argument that those opposing such a system were not interested in holding the schools responsible for their poor performance. On subjection to retrospection, such an assertion was not true, and it is dismissed on the basis that other political opponents had offered other adequate alternatives. After having studied logic, I explicitly understand how to distinguish between firmly grounded arguments that in essence have a basis from fallacious statements. Therefore, I do not think that I will be fooled by these fallacies. Presenters of fallacious arguments essentially construe information to appeal to the viewer, and as such they generally assume