“Death” Comparison Essay Essay

Editors play influential roles in literature. They can easily alter the overall atmosphere of literature or change the message behind it. Different versions of the poem â€Å"I heard a Fly buzz†¦Ã¢â‚¬  by Emily Dickinson demonstrate different caesura, capitalization and word usage. The 1955 edition by Thomas H. Johnson and the original version by Emily Dickinson portray almost identical ideas and emphasis through limited alteration of caesura and word capitalization in relation to death as somewhat unimportant event. Caesura is one of the most crucial elements in classic English poetry. It can either change the pace or the atmosphere of the work. Emily Dickinson uses caesura in her poem â€Å"Dying† to demonstrate death as a slow and unspiritual event. Both the 1955 edition and the original edition share the same style of caesura from the start to the end. In the original version, Dickinson uses a vast number of hyphens between sentences. For example, the first two sentences of the poem, â€Å"I heard a Fly buzz-when/ I died-†, depicts how the author uses hyphens between every phrase to portray short breaths of a dying individual. The author uses short breathed pace of the poem to describe the narrator’s slow process of death and nonspiritual side of death. In addition, the author implies how death does not contain any kind of sudden or spiritual endings. In the 1955 edition, Johnson places caesuras in almost identical places to preserve the original work’s perception of death. As a result, the 1955 edition successfully displays images of a dying narrator and the short paced poet structure. With the same style of caesura, the 1955 edition brings out the original version’s idea about death being a slow yet nonspiritual everyday occurrence. Often poets use capitalization as a tool to emphasize specific words. Two versions of the poem â€Å"Dying† capitalize overlapping words to express equal emphasis. In the original version of the poem Emily Dickinson constantly  focuses on incoherent words such as â€Å"room† and â€Å"fly.† The author uses emphasis on the room to create an illusion of an isolated space. Dickinson utilize this illusion introduce the emptiness of death. The constant capitalization of the word â€Å"fly† causes readers’ attention to move away from the dying narrator. This ironic emphasis on the fly, transforms this serious theme called death into something that is minor and insignificant. Two versions of the poem, the 1955 edition and the original edition, have minor difference in their capitalization style; the only difference is the capitalization of the word â€Å"around.† In the 1955 edition, Johnson capitalizes the words â€Å"fly† and â€Å"room† throughout the poem. As a result of this capitalization Johnson successfully creates an atmosphere that is identical to the original version. Johnson also inherits Dickinson’s original intention to minimize the importance of death and to make something miniscule, a fly, as the center of attention. The 1955 edition shares an incredible amount of similarities with the original version; the style of caesura and the capitalization of specific words. The 1955 edition places hyphens in the exact same places to preserve the original version’s ideas about death being a slow natural process. In addition, both of the 1955 edition and the original version emphasize significant words such as â€Å"fly and â€Å"room† to represent the insignificance of death, rather than portraying death as a major event in human lives. Bibliography â€Å"I Heard a Fly Buzz – When I Died – (591).† By Emily Dickinson : The Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. .

Personality psychology Essay

Major Constructs in Jung’s Theory Libido (the psyche’s source of energy) Persona (the masks we wear in life) Personal Unconscious (much like Freud’s notion of the unconscious) Collective Unconscious (the inherited force behind our existence) Archetypes (forms for expressing portions of the content of the collective unconscious) 8/6/2009 Personality # 1 expresses the personal and the self (note small case â€Å"s† in self) Personality #2 is more in touch with the collective unconscious Examples of archetypes Shadow (the dark side of the conscious ego or persona) Anima (the feminine aspect of the male psyche) Animus (the masculine aspect of the female psyche) The Self (the â€Å"real deal† discussed at near the end of the lecture) Jung’s theory is a theory of oppositional forces Two fundamental â€Å"Attitudes† Extraversion Introversion 8/6/2009 Four Psychic Functions Thinking Feeling Sensation Intuition Psychological Types Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Go to http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgiwin/JTypes1.htm if you are interested in exploring the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. You can take the test, read the result, and Look up what the results mean. No extra credit for doing that. Concepts pertaining to growth and development Equilibrium Free flow of energy across opposites Individuation Becoming familiar with and ability to use and synthesize all functions and other in-born capacities The Self The â€Å"mother† of all archetypes. The goal of personality development is the full realization of Self Mandala Major symbol of Self

Business plan - It Shoes Business Plan Term Paper

Business plan - It Shoes Business Plan - Term Paper Example lthough companies like Rollasole and Afterheels are selling ballerina shoes through vending machines in countries like UK, USA and Australia but they their penetration in French market is low hence IT shoes has the opportunity to cater to the demands of an untouched market (Fleming, â€Å"Flat shoes in a flash! Vending machines that dispense ballet flats to stiletto-sore party girls take U.S. clubs by storm†). The business venture has the opportunity to consolidate business opportunities in the country due to absence of any market leader. Stable political environment of France has increased the business opportunity for both foreign companies who planning to invest in the country and domestic players who planning to diversify existing business portfolio. Market line (2012) has reported that, government of France has restricted foreign direct invest up to 1, 500, 000 Euros for foreign companies planning to expand business in territories such as Saint Pierre, Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna etc. Government has imposed high corporate tax on foreign players in order to protect interest of domestic players. There is no doubt that favorable government policy will protect IT shoes from competitive threat of foreign players. Conjoint effect of economic recession and sovereign debt crisis has decreased the GDP growth rate and purchasing power parity of people of France. French government is trying to compensate high level of external debt by increasing tax rate on people. Market line (2012) has reported that tax burden on people of France has increased by 20% to 30% within last few years. Increased tax burden has reduced amount of disposable income for French people, which has resulted in reduction in demand for retail merchandises. It is evident from the economic analysis of France, IT shoes should think about using competitive pricing in order to generate demand among customers. Market line (2012) has reported that almost 35% of population in France belongs to the age group

Respiratory Synovial Virus (RSV) Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Respiratory Synovial Virus (RSV) - Term Paper Example Almost every child will have atleast one RSV infection in the first 3 years of life (Krilov, 2011). The disease is prevalent in most parts of the world and is associated with some morbidity and mortality. Mortality rate however is low and less than 1 percent even in hospitalized children. Increased mortality is seen only in high risk groups like immunodeficiency, chronic lung disease and prematurity (Marlais et al, 2011). In these children, even the hospital stay is prolonged. There is some evidence that infants who have suffered RSV infection are likely to develop abnormal pulmonary function tests related to asthma or obstructive disease (Krilov, 2011). It is yet unclear whether the virus itself causes the disease are those who have such problems are prone to the disease. The disease occurs in all races and both the sexes. Reinfection can occur any time in life, with limitation to upper respiratory tract. Virology The virus has 10 genes which encode 11 proteins, M2 has 2 open readin g frames. NS_ and 2 inhibit the activity of interferon-1. N encodes for the nucleocapsid protein resulting in association with the genomic RNA, forming nucleocapsid. The matrix protein that is essential for viral assembly is encoded by M. The viral coat is formed by G, SH and F. G is the surface protein and is glycosylated heavily. It mainly functions as the protein of attachment. F is also a surface protein. It mainly mediated fusion and helps in the entry of the virus into the cell and also transfer of the virus from one cell to another through syncytia (Ji, 2009). Site of infection Infection due to RSV is restricted to the respiratory tract. In young children and infant, the lower respiratory tract gets involved. The virus gets inoculated in the epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract and the virus gradually spreads to the lower respiratory tract through cell-to-cell transfer along the syncytia (Garzon et al, 2002). Clinical presentation Clinically, the child begins with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection and small airway disease many manifest within 2 days. Clinical features include coryza, cough, wheezing, few crepitations, low grade fever and poor appetite. In some children, the disease is advanced and manifests as retractions, cyanosis and low oxygen saturations on oximetry. Secondary bacterial infections are rare with RSV infection, except for otitis media which occurs in 40 percent cases. In very small infants apnea and sepsis like picture can occur. In older children, RSV is more limited to upper respiratory tract. In elderly people, RSV is a severe disease (Marlais et al, 2011). In those with immunodeficiency also, severe disease occurs. Because of decreased oral intake and increased loss of water through increased breathing, children with RSV infection are likely to be dehydrated (Krilov, 2011). Risk factors Factors associated with increased risk of developing the infection are attendance to child care, lower socioeconomic status , crowding, exposure to pollutants in the environment like traffic pollutants and smoking, absence of breast feeding, multiple births sets and family history of asthma. Other risk factors include prematurity, age less than 3 months, congenital heart disease, chronic lung disease, congenital immunodeficiency and severe neuromuscular

Edward Estlin Cummings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Edward Estlin Cummings - Essay Example four lean hounds crouched low and smiling the merry deer ran before. †¦my heart fell dead before (Cummings lines 1-5/ 31-35). The last line varies at the end of the poem from â€Å"the merry deer ran before† to â€Å"my heart fell dead before.† Even with this slight variation, the repeated lines have a magic effect of overturning the theme of the poem from tragic to that of vitality and life. Two most evident details in this repeated verse is the use of colors and numbers for the purpose of description. The persona is describing the green garb of his lover and the golden color of the horse as well as silver dawn. These details chronicle the beautiful atmosphere of the lovers at the time. There are also numbers, which are repeated throughout the poem. In this specific stanza, the persona talks of â€Å"four lean hounds† of deer (Cummings, line 4). The numbers and the colors are a combination of beauty and terror, especially when the carrier resembles the war carriers that take soldiers to war (Bloom 22). At some point in the end when the lines are repeated, the poem draws the beauty of the described place and the lover by engulfing them in an atmosphere of death. The poem describes from the start a chronological event where it first describes the chase and the death of the persona and the collapse of his lover. These images are alluded to but when the repeated lines appear the poem takes the form of vitality and life. As the two lines unite the poem, the lovers are unified in elation. The colors green is the color of life and connects the lovers who are partakers in the succession of life and fatality. B: Edward Estlin Cummings. Xaipe/Seventy-one poems The poem selected from this collection is titled â€Å"I thank You God for most this amazing.† The poem is like praise lyric made whole by playing with words, grammar, punctuation and syntax (Bloom 28). For example, there is lack of spacing and punctuation, which make the speaker, speak without breathing; thus showing the intensity of his overwhelming joy and appreciation. With only four stanzas, the first stanza captures the spirit of the rest of the piece, and it goes thus: i thank You God for most this amazing day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes (Cummings, lines 1-4) In this stanza, the speaker describes the day as amazing with the â€Å"spirit of trees† and a sky of â€Å"blue true dream† with â€Å"everything† ordinary and inestimable and â€Å"yes.† By writing continuously without spacing, regardless of the presence of punctuation, the poet renders the speaker breathless. Reading the poem kills it and gives it a new life afterwards when it is reborn as the speaker reunites and communicates with Mother Nature. Like a small child, the speaker describes the new life in terms of his newly founded cognizance because he is rebor n. The first stanza is precedence to what has already happened, and the speaker is joyous of the renewed sun, life, love and wings; including the earth itself. The praise is merely a subjective experience because the speaker renders everything new because of his personal renewal. With rebirth or a new perspective in life, things become new and one is able to picture things from a different point of view. The persona establishes a personal deity, â€Å"

EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS Assignment - 1

EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS - Assignment Example In meeting principle objectives of the study, evaluation is to be carried out on how helpful dysphalgia screening is vital to this research. The studys number one procedure would be to come up with a validity of the construct in which the process of dysphalgia screening would be measured. Risks and merits of the whole system of swallowing screening would be weighed. Next step would involve sensitivity in which a targeted number of patients identified for swallowing screening would be admitted to an emergency room for follow-up (Stein, 2009). They will be monitored closely during the screening moments. The procedure would help identify those patients with difficulty in swallowing yet not willing to let the nurses know and those without any problem but pretends to be experiencing swallowing problem. Neurological predicaments affecting eating are always due to stroke. More of concern is dysphalgia because it leads to either malnutrition or aspiration of pneumonia (Stein, 2009). This study was conducted to illustrate the available intrusions of screening for detecting dysphalgia in stroke patients and their effects. A procedural evaluation was done through the 1996 methods of the NHS Center for Review and Dissemination that focused on stroke patients. The quality of the study was variable in the number of tests conducted. Liquid foods administered to stroke patients with swallowing difficulties were entirely eaten. Aspiration pneumonia was as a result of swallowing of cold food and

Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln - Essay Example Apart that the two leaders were well respected in their time and beyond; they also share a similarity in the sense that they were both assassinated. They both lost their parents at very young ages and both left a child behind after their death. This paper will analyze and compare the lives Abraham Lincoln and Julius Cesar. Firstly the creation of America by its forefathers can be likened to the Roman Republic. The American forefathers aimed to create a nation with liberty, life and happiness. The comparison between the two nations dates back to the very beginning with Gorge Washington possessing similar qualities to Lucius Junius Brutus whilst King George portrayed the tyrant role played by King Tarquinius (Wineburg, 488-499). Julius Cesar was assassinated differently to Abraham Lincoln; however, the two events are comparable to certain a extent. One similarity between the two is that they were both assassinated by individuals, who were concerned about their leadership and what they would do with their power. In more simplistic words, the two were just simply killed due to the position they occupied. The two leaders both accumulated a larger following and more power as their term in office grew longer. As Julius Cesar began to implement certain policies, his senators began to feel threatened as they were of the opinion that their positions were under threat. However the difference between Cesar and Lincoln in terms of their attitudes towards power is that Cesar was power hungry and aimed to control as much territory as possible. Whilst in office he extended his term to five years rue in IIIyricum and Cispine Paul. However, Lincoln on the other hand was the exact opposite and did not want to control a larger territory (Wineburg, 488-499). Despite Cesar’s hunger for power, he felt it not for his own benefit but for Rome. Cesar frequently stated that if he was to step down from power, it would lead to a civil war in Rome. Cesar is quoted to have said, †Å"I have long been sated with glory and power, however, it is more important for Rome than myself that I survive. If I was to be removed from my position, Rome will never know any peace. A civil war is likely to break out, one far worse than the last. In essence, Julius Cesar was an advocate for peace, a trait similar to that of Abraham Lincoln. Cesar fought for peace which led him to the accumulation of more enemies and his fight for change is similar to that of Abraham Lincoln. Despite the different positions they occupied, Abraham Lincoln and Julius Cesar were both military men. Lincoln enlisted in the army to be a member of the force fighting the Black Hawk war. While he was enrolled he quickly gained a promotion to the position of Captain for a wing of volunteers. Julius Cesar joined the Roman army with great ambition and quickly rose to the rank of military Commander. Their rise to political power was also different as Lincoln was required to perform a series of debates agains t his opponent. The two were both emulated and respected in their time. Both leaders wanted to make changes in their areas and they both gained enemies in the areas which they implemented their policies. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in the year 1862 (Wineburg, 488-499). This act was intended to free all people and eradicate slavery in the Southern part of the country. Cesar gained enemies from the senate due to his advocation for peace whilst Lincoln was eventually assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, who shouted, â€Å"This is for the South!† before he shot him in the hea (Wineburg, 488-499). In fact, prior to being assassinated the emancipation proclamation led to a civil war in

Final Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Final Paper - Essay Example There are statement releases by several autonomous scientific organizations concerning the same around the world. It is true that not every scientist agree in every component of the problem in climate change. It is why the article clearly states that not all engineers and scientists agree on the taking drastic measures against global warming. However, there is extensive agreement that climate change exists, primarily due to release of greenhouse gases from humans (NRC). Evidence of global warming is incontrovertible. It is why scientists are constantly researching various important questions concerning the matter. Questions such as precisely how much will the earth warm, how fast will it warm and the consequences it will cause to various regions. Scientists record an increase in global temperature by over 1.4Â °F throughout the previous century (NRC). According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2000 to 2010 happened to be the warmest decade on record. This fact contradicts the mention of global warming not existing over ten years by the article. Changes in climate and weather are what follow the increasing global temperatures (NRC). So many facts and information show several places experiencing rainfall changes resulting in additional intense rain. There is also evidence of more intense and frequent heat waves. It is hard to deny that oceans are becoming acidic and warmer while ice caps at the North Pole are melting. All these observations prove that there is an increase of warmth in the world. We have scientists who continue to research the questions of global warming to inform society better on how to prepare for climate change. However, sufficient certainty is real concerning basic causes and impacts of climate change to validate taking actions that decrease future risks. Claiming that global warming is not a crucial matter to deal with because the evidence is smaller than predicted does not mean society should stop paying

Separation of a mixture of solids Essay Example for Free

Separation of a mixture of solids Essay Purpose: Purpose: To determine and execute the separation of mixture of solids through different means. Examples are magnetisms, evaporation, and filtration Procedure: I used a measuring device such as a scale, funnel, beaker, magnet, saucer, and graduated cylinder to determine the values for each measurement. Data Table: Experiment data Grams Percent of Mixture Iron filings 1.4g 1.4/4.5*100 = 31.1% Sand 1.3g 1.3/4.5*100 = 28.9% Table salt 1.0g 1.0/4.5*100 = 22.2% Benzoic Acid 0.8g 0.8/4.5*100 = 17.8% Total 4.5g 100% A. I would have used the magnet to separate iron fillings as suggested in the lab. But I would have used the filter paper second to separate sand from rest of the solution rather than evaporation. B. Major disadvantages would have been not all the benzoic acid would pass through the filter paper which would make our procedure more difficult. C. Contamination of the other substances left in the sand.D. I feel there are four errors;1. Not thoroughly moving iron out with magnet.2. When pouring acid salt mixture into funnel some of the acid crystals stuck to the cup which made it difficult to get all sample out.3. Some of the benzoic acid might have passed through the filter paper into the salt water mixture. 4. Not proper dissolving the salt when separating it from the sand leaving salt in the sand mixture. Conclusion: When using various means of separating a mixture (magnetisms, evaporation, and filtration) it is possible to get accurate measurements of each particular material. However there is a high chance of error if care is not taking due to several reasons enu merated above.

Managing Time as an Adult Learner Essay Example for Free

Managing Time as an Adult Learner Essay Proper management of our time can be described as using skills and techniques to manage time in order to complete a designated task or goal. Time is a valuable thing, it should not be wasted. One needs to be very careful how they use their time. Adult learners have unique difficulties with time management due to other important aspects of their lives, which require much time and attention; some of these aspects may include family, a home, and full time employment. However, with a little organization and better time management skills, the adult learner can find more free time for family and reduce the stress in their personal lives. One important aspect of adult learning is study goals in order to help focus ones time and energy. Use a calendar to keep track of all class work and personal obligations. Often a personal organizer is best, something like a palm or blackberry. Do not forget to schedule in some break time and be sure to take them. Study goals should begin with large, long term goals. Start with a year plan and work down from there. Continue to break down the year into semesters, then months, weeks, down to the days. (Karr, M. Siebert, A. 008) Create a daily to do list to be sure one completes everything. Always study in a specific place that works well for the individual learner where one is comfortable and be sure there is good lighting. Remember distant learning can be more difficult, so do not fall behind. Work hard to reduce noise distractions while studying. Some examples may be television, children, and anything else that may cause one’s mind to drift. Often, a studying student will benefit from a low white noise in the back ground to help drowned out other noises. It is recommended for students that are working full time to take no more than two classes at a time. For every hour in class, the student will need two to three hours for homework. (Karr, M. Siebert, A. 2008) One aspect that is very important when working a job and taking classes is being able to adjust your school work load during busy work times. For example, if a student works in a retail job setting, one should lighten their school load during the Christmas holiday season. A student should be aware of their learning style before beginning college courses (Steinbach, R. 000). For example, if a student is a visual learner they need to see information in order to learn it. They learn through seeing. This type of student enjoys maps, charts, graphs and diagrams. They take detailed notes and benefit from power point presentations and videos. On the other hand, if a student is an auditory learner they will benefit more from lectures, lessons, and discussions. This type of learner rarely takes notes and often reads aloud in order to comprehend the information (Siebert, A. Karr, M. 2008). Keeping the stress out of one’s life is another important aspect of being an adult learner. It is important that the student understands how to separate regular life events and activities and school work. This can be a very hard balance to find, but if done correctly it can reduce the stress of going back to school tremendously. Remember to keep on track with your schedule and do not procrastinate by putting things off until the last minute. Doing this can cause unwanted stress and may possibly effect your grade. Something else the student can do to keep stress under control is to set aside some time to do the things most enjoyable to them. Include ones family and friends, and this can double as family time. Social life and family time are another area that needs to be kept under control while attending school as an adult. The student needs to be open and honest with the family regarding the time commitment and the help that will be needed as one travels down this road. It may take six months to a year before ones family has truly adjusted to the student and the schedule (Smelser, L. Ph. D 2009). The student must be very specific in asking for help and support and do not forget to say thank you to those that do help. If the student has children, consider including them in a study session and always reserve special time for them each week, remember quality is better than quantity. As an adult student it is easy to get caught up in the activities of the day and overwhelmed with the responsibilities of a job, children, spouse, and a home. Remember, one needs to take care of their bodies and minds in order to be a successful student. One important aspect is to continue to eat right. Do not skip meals or rely on sugar and caffeine to get you through your day. Healthy, small meals throughout the day will keep your energy level up and your brain active. Also, do not underestimate the need for sleep, the temptation will be there, but ultimately this is one of the worst things a person can do. Exercise is another activity that is important but often over looked. Exercise can reduce stress and strengthen muscles. â€Å"The more sensory systems and muscles involved in learning, the faster you learn and more you retain. † (Siebert, A. Karr, M. 2008). There are some study tips that a student should take into consideration when taking college courses as an adult. It is important that the student learns how to increase studying efficiency, comprehension, and one’s ability to remember. For example, this can be done with a chapter review. The first step would be to skim through the chapter objectives or questions, then continue to look for the chapter summary. Second, read through the chapter and turn titles, subtitles, and highlighted terms into a question form. Now is the time to read the chapter, but read it fast. Next, right a summary in your own words and finally, recite what you remember out loud. In conclusion, a student needs to keep their stress to a minimum, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and learn to delegate other responsibilities out to family and friends when the need arises. The busy student should allow some personal time doing things enjoyed most. Always maintain a support system of friends, family and classmates, one never can tell when a favor will be needed. Of course, keep an open line of communication with the instructors for the college as well.

Sources Of Finance For Marks And Spencers

Sources Of Finance For Marks And Spencers Marks Spencer is one of the leading retailers in UK with average 21 million customers visiting per week in stores. They provide with quality clothing, home products and food which is supplied by approximately 2000 suppliers all over the world. The company has 75,839 employees as evaluated in 2008 and has about 700 stores in UK. The 49% of the sales is occupied by clothing and home products while 51% is occupied by food products. Outside UK the company operates in approximately 40 other countries which include India, China and Indonesia etc. The companies 90% business comes from sales in UK while rest comes from overseas sales. Marks Spencer values Quality, Value, Service, Innovation and Trust. The company generated an overall revenue of  £9062.1 million as on 28th March, 2009. The overall profit was  £768.9 million of which  £652.8 million was generated from operations in UK and  £116.1 million from operations overseas. The case study takes into consideration the analysis of financial reports of Marks and Spencer and relates the academic principles of Corporate Finance with the analysis of the report. 2. SOURCES OF FINANCE 2.1 SHORT MEDIUM TERM FINANCE Trade Credit Trade Credit is finance obtained from suppliers of goods and services over the period between delivery of goods and the subsequent settlement of the account by the recipient. (Pike Neale, 2006) It is sometimes also called spontaneous finance as the company can enjoy the goods or benefit from the service provided without having to pay up. Common way of expressing the credit term is- 2/10 : net 30 This implies that the supplier will provide 2% discount if the money is payed back in 10 days otherwise the company has to pay full payment in 30 days. The length of the trade credit depends on certain factors like industry custom and practice, relative bargaining power and type of products. Factoring- Sometimes the suppliers need payment earlier than expected. Institutions called factors help by offering to purchase a firms debtors for cash. Factoring involves raising immediate cash based on the security of the companys debtors, thus accelerating payments from customers. Bank Credit Bank lending to companies is predominantly short term, although now it is also a valuable source of medium term finance. Overdrafts Overdrafts specify the amount that a company may withdraw either in forms of cash or cheques. Interest is charged on a daily basis depending on how much the company is overdrawn each day. Bank generally takes security which can be fixed charge (where overdraft is secured against specific asset) or floating charge (which offers security over all of the companys assets) Short Term Loans Short term loans are generally provided for more than 1 year. The bank can charge variable or fixed rate of interest. Usually fixed rate of interest is quite high. Variable rate of interest can be also in various forms: Bullet Loans Balloon Loans Revolvers It allows the borrowers to borrow, repay and re-borrow over the life of loan facility. Securitisation This is the practice whereby instead of lending money to customers, banks raise finance for them by arranging and selling to customers their securities like commercial papers often allowing lower interest rates. Bill Finance Bill allows the company to pay out a specific amount after a specific period of time. Bills of Exchange Trader purchasing goods from suppliers draws up a bill stating a promise to pay at some future date and its up to the supplier to keep the bill or sell it in the market at a discount if he needs the money earlier. Acceptance Credit It is a tie up between the company and the bank. The bank issues a bill for the company and company can use it at a later date. The bank can sell the bill in the market at a discounted price. If it does then the company collects the money from the company which bought the bill from the bank. Hire Purchase It may be simply defined as hiring with the option to purchase. On payments of final installment ownership of the asset passes to the customer. The inland revenues will generally permit the customer to claim and retain capital allowances provided that the option to purchase fee is less than the market value at the end of the contract term. Leasing A leasing transaction is a commercial arrangement whereby an equipment owner conveys the right to use the equipment in return for payment by equipment user of a specified rental over a pre-agreed period of time. (Pike Neale, 2006) 2.2 LONG TERM FINANCE Equity Shares are described as permanent capital because the funds supplied for their acquisitions are non-returnable in most circumstances other than in the event of a liquidation. Shares are issued at nominal value and are sold at the market price. Shareholders have a share in ownership of company and also have voting rights. Dividends are payed as a percentage return on their nominal value. A company can receive equity finance from various sources like Business Angels: Private equity investor with spare funds to invest who wishes to gamble on the future prospects of young companies. Venture Capital: Sale of equity to a specialist institution that may also provide management assistance. For e.g. 3i. Obtaining a Quotation (IPO) Preference Shares Preference shares are entitled to a fixed percentage dividend, which is paid before any profits are distributed to ordinary shareholders. Participating preference shares may be entitled to some extra dividend, over and above their fixed dividend entitlement. Convertible preference shares can be converted to ordinary shares. Cumulative preference shares have unpaid dividends that are carried forward and must be paid before dividends are paid to ordinary shareholders. Preference share holders do not qualify for tax relief. Debt Debentures Debentures are basically loan secured on company assets with floating or fixed interest rate. It is a multiple loan to the company in the sense that it is contributed by several people opposed to just one individual. Debenture holders are creditors but not members of the company. Loan Stock is a kind of debenture that is issued at face value. It is not secured on assets but effectively secured on firms earning power, thus more risky and lower ranking of payment. Debentures issued at large discounts and redeemable at par or above are known as Deep Discount Bonds. They are generally issued at low rate of interest but have cost of redemption. Mortgages It is a form of secured loan placing the title deeds of property with a lender as security for a cash loan. The interest is payable on the amount borrowed. Warrants They are rights given to investors allowing them to buy new shares in a company at a future date, at affixed given price. They are generally issued alongside unsecured debt as a bribe to potential investors. 2.3 SOURCES OF FINANCE IN MARKS SPENCER 2.3.1 Current Non-Current Liabilities Current liabilities are the one MS needs to pay within 1 year time whereas non-current liabilities are the one MS can pay any time after 1 year. As per the annual report for MS, Current Liability MS has short term loans in the form of Bank Loans and overdrafts worth  £147.9 millions. Syndicated Bank Facility worth  £781.2 million which relates to a  £1.2 bn committed bank revolving credit facility set to mature on 26 March, 2013. Finance Lease liability worth  £13.7 million. The average lease term for the equipment is 6 years and 125 years for property. Interest rates are fixed. Non-Current Liability Bank Loans worth  £11.2 million. Finance lease liabilities worth  £88.2 million. Medium-term notes worth  £ 2018.5 million. 2.3.2 Net Assets Equity Ordinary Share Capital Shares  £m Allotted, called up and fully paid ordinary shares of 25p each At start of year 1,586,478,423 396.6 Shares issued on exercise of share options 2,217,763 0.5 Share purchased in buy-back (10,901,267) (2.7) At end of year 1,577,794,919 394.4 2,217,763 ordinary shares having nominal value were allotted during the year under two schemes namely Save As You Earn (SAYE) Share Option scheme and Executive Share Option Scheme. In SAYE, the board may offer options to purchase ordinary shares in the company once in each financial year to those employees who enter into an HM Revenue Customs approved (SAYE) savings contract. In terms of Executive Share Option Scheme, the Board may offer options to purchase ordinary shares in the company to executive directors and senior managers at the market price on a date to be determined prior to the date of the offer. 10.9 million shares having a nominal value of  £2.7m were bought back and subsequently cancelled during the year in accordance with the authority granted by the share holders at the Annual General Meeting in July 2007. Share Premium Account A reserve setup to account for the issue of new shares at a price above their par value. (Pike Neale, 2006) In MS, Share Premium Account had  £ 236.2 m as on 28th March, 2009 out of which  £ 231.4 m were carried forward from previous year and  £ 4.8 m was from share issued on exercise of employee share options. Capital Redemption Reserve It is a reserve established when the firm buys its own shares in a scenario that result in loss of share capital. In MS it was worth  £ 2202.6 m. As discussed earlier  £ 2.7 m worth were purchased in buy back, thus added to the capital redemption reserve. Hedging Reserve Hedging is an attempt to minimize the risk of loss stemming from exposure to adverse foreign exchange rate movements. MS as on 28th March,2009 had  £ 62.6 m in Hedging Reserve. 2.3.3 Net Debt Cash Cash Equivalents It includes short term deposits with banks and other financial institutions, with an initial maturity of three months or less and credit card payment received within 48 hours. It was worth  £ 422.9 m for MS. Financial Assets MS has current and non-current assets worth  £ 53.1 m that includes unlisted investments and Listed UK Securities. Bank Loans Overdraft MS has current and non-current loans overdrafts that include  £ 4.0 m loan from the Hedge End Park Limited joint venture. Syndicated Bank Facility It relates to a  £ 1.2 bn committed bank revolving credit facility set to mature on 26 March 2013 and is worth  £ 781.2 m. Medium Term Notes These are notes that actually retire in 5 to 10 years. A corporate note continuously offered by a company to investors through a dealer. Investors can choose from differing maturities, ranging from nine months to 30 years. (Forbes Digital) In MS these notes are issued under MS plcs  £ 3bn European Medium Term Note Program and all pay interest annually. The medium term notes are worth  £1848.1 m. Finance Leases It is groups policy to lease certain of its properties and equipments under finance leases and is worth  £ 101.9 m. 3. COST OF CAPITAL 3.1 Weighted Average Cost of Capital 3.2 Weighted Average Cost of Capital for MS As seen earlier MS has capital in the form of debt and equity. To evaluate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital, we need to evaluate Cost of Debt ( Kd) Cost of Equity ( Ke) Weight or proportion of debt equity Cost of Debt (Kd) To evaluate Kd, we need to find I = Interest paid for the debt MV(Market Value) = Total current Market Value of the Debt T = Corporate Tax if any As Kd = [I(1-T)] / MV X 100 Looking at the Annual Report we can see in Cash flows from financing activities that : I =  £ 197.1 m which is approximately 7.9% In Taxation Charges T = 28% In net Debt MV =  £ 2490.8 m Thus we can calculate Kd by putting in the values as: Kd = [ 197.1 m(1-.28)]/ 2490.8m X 100 = (141.912/2490.8) X 100 = 4.7 Cost of Equity To evaluate Ke, we need to evaluate D = Dividend on ordinary share capital MV = Market value of equity As Ke = (D/MV) X 100 Looking at the report we can find Net dividend = 22.5 p per share The total no. of shares at the end of the year = 1,577,794,919 The total Dividend D = .225 X 1,577,794,919 =  £ 355 m approx Market Value MV= .25 X 1,557,794,919 =  £ 394.4 m Therefore Ke = (D/MV) X 100 = (355/394.4) X 100 = 90 Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) Weighted Average Cost of Capital can be calculated by formula WACC = Ke[ E/(E+D) ] + Kd [ D/(E+D) ] Where E = Market Value of Companys Equity D = Market Value of Companys Debt Therefore WACC = 90[394.4/(394.4 + 2490.8)] + 4.7[2490.8/(394.4 + 2490.8)] = (90 X 0.135) + (4.7 X .86) = 12.15 + 4.902 = 17.052 % 3.3 Gearing Indicators for MS To be done Capital Gearing Capital Gearing = 4. INVESTMENT APPRAISAL TECHNIQUES An investment project is a series of cash inflows and outflows, typically starting with cash outflows (the initial investment outlay) followed by cash inflows and/or cash inflows in later periods. (Gotze, Northcott, Schuster, 2008) The financial manager needs to employ appraisal techniques in order to decide which projects to accept and which to reject because these decisions largely shapes the future of the business and its ability to manage its future operations. The project accepted must meet the financial criteria of the company, generally its a return greater than the cost of capital needed to finance it. 4.1 Return on Investment (Accounting Rate of Return) This approach expresses the profit before tax arising from an investment as a percentage of the total outlay on the investment. When using the return on investment approach the project which gives the highest ARR is the one that should be accepted. Difficulties arise with the method when the duration of the investment extends for more than one year, as it then becomes necessary to determine some representative profit and investment value for the duration of the project. Other problem is that profits are the results of receipts and outgoings and they do not represent cash transactions and the cash flow arising is not taken into account during the term of the investment. 4.2 Return on Investment (ARR) related to MS As per the annual reports of MS from year 2006 to 2009, MS has invested on property. The investment, depreciation Net Profit are described in the annual report related to property. The tax budgeted profits are assumed accordingly. Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 Investment  £ 38.5 m  £ 24.1 m  £ 24.3 m  £ 24.3 m Budgeted Profits  £ 4 m  £ 4 m  £ 32 m  £ 8 m Less Depreciation ( £ .1 m) ( £ .2 m) ( £.3 m) ( £ .5 m) Tax ( £ 9.6 m) ( £ 1.9 m) ( £ 4.7m) ( £ 1.1m) Net Profit ( £ 4.7 m)  £ 1.9 m  £ 27 m  £ 6.4 m The average profit for the four years would be: Average Profit = [ (4.7) + 1.9 + 27 + 6.4] / 4 = 29.6 / 4 =  £ 7.4 m We can compare this with the original investment made in four years: Average investment = [ 38.5 + 24.1 + 24.3 + 24.3] /4 =  £ 28.55 m By comparing, Avg Profit/ Investment= (7.4/28.55) X 100 = 24.91 % Thus the company can decide on whether the investment is good or not. 4.3 Payback This method refers to how quickly the incremental benefits that accrues to a company from an investment project payback the initial capital invested. When faced with a straight accept or reject decision it can provide a rule where projects are accepted if they payback the initial investment outlay within a certain predetermined time. In addition, the payback method can provide a rule when a comparison is required of the relative desirability of several mutually exclusive investments (Lumby, 1988). This method simply measures the time period taken until the profits generated from the investment equal the initial cost of investment. The advantage of Payback is that it focuses on risks in considering the period during which the investment remains outstanding. The drawback is that the method takes no account of cash inflows after payback, neither is there any attempt to consider reinvestment possibilities for incoming funds during the period prior to payback. 4.4 Payback related to M S With relation to MS, we again take the project of investment in property, plant equipment. We take the 2 investments made in 2008 and 2009 and compare them with assumptions made for returns in the following years. 2009 2008 Investment Outflow Year 0 ( £ 540. 8 m) ( £ 958.4 m) Cash Inflows Year 1  £ 58.3 m  £ 91.6 m Year 2  £ 142.6 m  £ 400.4 m Year 3  £ 222.4 m  £ 300.2 m Year 4  £ 100.4 m  £ 286.7 m Year 5  £ 143.7 m  £ 123.2 m Total cash Inflow  £ 667.1 m  £ 1202.1 m Now comparing the two projects of 2008 2009 we can see that payback for 2009 is 5 years and payback for project in 2008 is 4 years. Thus project that MS invested is 2008 is better in terms of investment. 4.5 Net Present Value Net Present Value is the net monetary gain (or loss) from a project, computed by discounting all present and future cash inflows and outflows related to the project. (Gotze, Northcott, Schuster, 2008) Using the NPV method, all future cash flows related to investment project are discounted back to time 0. In order to establish the cash flows arising from a project into their present values, it is necessary to establish the cash inflows and outflows arising from it, and what cost of capital should be used to evaluate such projects. In order to determine the NPV of a project, we need to list all the cashflows related to the project. The net cash flows are then discounted at the cost of capital using the formulae: Discount factor = 1/ (1+i) n where n represents the number of periods and i represents the cost of capital per period The general rule is that if NPV is positive, the project is accepted else it is rejected. 4.6 Net Present Value related to MS We assume the example that taken in the pay back technique for the year 2009 and we assume the cost of capital to be 10 %. Year Net Cash Flows Formula Disc. Factor NPV  £  £ 2009 ( £ 540.8 m) 1  £ 540.8 m 2010  £ 58.3 m 1/(1+.1)1 .909  £ 52.99 m 2011  £ 142.6 m 1/(1+.1)2 .826  £ 117.78 m 2012  £ 222.4 m 1/(1+.1)3 .751  £ 167.02 m 2013  £ 100.4 m 1/(1+.1)4 .683  £ 68.57 m 2014  £ 143.7 m 1/(1+.1)5 .621  £ 89.094 m  £ 126.3 m ( £ 44.35 m) As we can see above the NPV for the project is negative thus this project should be rejected. 4.7 Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Internal Rate of Return of a Project is that cost of capital which makes the net present value of a project equal to zero. If the cost of capital required to reduce the future cash flows to zero is greater than the companys cost of capital, then the project will be accepted because it gives a positive return for the business. 4.8 Internal Rate of Return related to MS In internal rate of return we need to assume cost of capital so that NPV nears 0. Thus we assume the cost of capital as 9% first. Year Net Cash Flows Formula Disc. Factor NPV  £  £ 2009 ( £ 540.8 m) 1  £ 540.8 m 2010  £ 58.3 m 1/(1+.09)1 .917  £ 53.46 m 2011  £ 142.6 m 1/(1+.09)2 .842  £ 120.06 m 2012  £ 222.4 m 1/(1+.09)3 .772  £ 171.69 m 2013  £ 100.4 m 1/(1+.09)4 .708  £ 71.08 m 2014  £ 143.7 m 1/(1+.09)5 .650  £ 93.40 m  £ 126.3 m ( £ 31.10 m) Now we try with cost of capital as 7 % Year Net Cash Flows Formula Disc. Factor NPV  £  £ 2009 ( £ 540.8 m) 1  £ 540.8 m 2010  £ 58.3 m 1/(1+.07)1 .935  £ 54.51 m 2011  £ 142.6 m 1/(1+.07)2 .873  £ 124.48 m 2012  £ 222.4 m 1/(1+.07)3 .816  £ 181.48 m 2013  £ 100.4 m 1/(1+.07)4 .763  £ 76.6 m 2014  £ 143.7 m 1/(1+.07)5 .713  £ 102.45 m  £ 126.3 m ( £ 1.7 m) As we can see that with cost of capital as 9% the NPV is  £ 31.10 m and with cost of capital 7% the NPV is  £ 1.7 m, thus it shows that NPV will be zero between 6 and 7 % cost of capital. As the companys cost of capital is 10 % and the cost of capital to make the NPV zero is between 6 7 %, thus this project cant be accepted as its less than the companys cost of capital.

Making Ethical Bids in a Competitive Market :: Engineer Engineering Job Papers

Making Ethical Bids in a Competitive Market As the United States economy struggles through a sluggish time with the stock market dropping and unemployment rising, being competitive in the job market has become extremely important among professionals. Engineers are no exception. For most engineering firms, being competitive and successful requires obtaining design projects offered by companies in other fields. These projects can range from designing heating and ventilation systems for office buildings to water systems for cities to computer networks for businesses—the list of possibilities and disciplines is extensive. To get these jobs, engineers must make a bid proposal for the project. Bidding involves estimating the entire cost of the project, including the designing and building processes, as well as the materials and labor. Usually, the company with the lowest bid and the best plan gets the job. The ethical issue in this process is determining the cheapest building materials and construction procedures possible wit hout compromising public safety. The enormous responsibility that an engineer has when designing a project is often overlooked. His or her job is not only to create a design that will work under ideal conditions, but that will meet the regulations of environmental and building codes and will also survive the unpredictable forces of nature that structures are sometimes subjected to. An article in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, "Structures are Held up by Both Skill and Luck,"1 describes many risks involved in the designing process and the failures that can occur when small details are overlooked. In light of a recent surge of failures in the Northwest, the article says: "While the Northwest has experienced some unusual weather conditions this year, the effects of these weather conditions were not all unpredictable. Many tragic failures in the Pacific Northwest (and in other parts of the country) can be traced to poor land-use planning decisions. Despite the availability of hazard mitigation information and qualified technical consultants, the information is often ignored and the consultants bypassed as development continues in the flood plains and on unstable hillsides. Often, unwise site selection and ill-conceived site development results in unnecessary exposure to severe natural hazards." Although the initial reason for not hiring a technical consultant in these cases of poor land choice is most likely an attempt to lower design and construction costs, in retrospect it seems obvious that the money spent on the expertise of a geotechnical engineer would have been significantly less than the "millions of dollars of direct losses and litigation costs.

Symbols and Symbolism Essay - Role of Symbolism in The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

The Crucial Role of Symbolism in The Great Gatsby The critic Harold Bloom once wrote, "Never has symbolism played such a crucial part in the very foundation of a novel as it does in Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, The Great Gatsby." The dictionary defines the word symbolism as, "The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships." The novel takes place during the summer of 1922, in Long Island and New York City. Daisy and Tom introduce Nick to Jordan Baker, a beautiful female golfer who cheats at the game; Nick and she begin a relationship. Not long after they meet, Nick travels to New York City with Tom and Myrtle. Gatsby asks to speak to Jordan alone, and, through Jordan, Nick later learns more about his mysterious neighbor. Gatsby's extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are simply an attempt to impress Daisy. After an awkward reunion, Gatsby and Daisy restore their connection. Tom soon grows suspicious of his wife's relation ship with Gatsby. Daisy realizes that her marriage is to Tom, and Tom sends her back to East Egg with Gatsby, attempting to prove that Gatsby cannot hurt him. When Nick, Jordan, and Tom drive through the valley of ashes, however, they discover that Gatsby's car has hit and killed Myrtle, Tom's lover. They rush back to Long Island, where Nick learns from Gatsby that Daisy was driving the car when it struck Myrtle, but that Gatsby intends to take the blame. The next day, Tom tells Myrtle's husband, George, that Gatsby was the driver of the car. George then goes to find Gatsby; he finds him at his mansion and shoots him. An excellent example of symbolism in The Great Gatsby can be found in many places including, the ash heap, Gatsby's silk shirts, the green light, The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, and Gatsby's library. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, "bespectacled" eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes, "But above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment the eyes of Doctor T.

National Integration Essay

National Integration Indian civilization has survived-through the ages despite temporary setbacks. Since the earliest times, Indian civilization has marched with common objectives of culture and society. In early days, great emperors like Ashoka unified the country and its civilization and knit ft round a common culture from one end of the country to the other. During and after the Hindu period and later by the spread of Buddhism in whole of Asia, Indian culture and civilization got a further impetus. It brought about integration among different classes of people and common ideological and political thinking. The spiritual content of Buddhism spread through the country and brought a strange renaissance in the Indian social set-up. After the 14th century, the impact of the Muslim culture penetrated into the Indian civilization and created a plural social structure without, however, impairing the units of the country. The Mughals when they came to power also tried to bring the whole country under one array . The arrival of the British in India started a new chapter in India’s history. Always aiming at dividing the people so as to rule themselves, they launched a number of disintegrating measures to litter away the common points among various religions, communities and classes in the country. The British rule, however, provided one common economic system to the country although the British did their best to divide the people socially and economically in order to retain their supremacy. The most important single factor which brought unity in the Indian fabric was political struggle for independence from the British rule. The great personages who founded the Indian National Congress to fight out the British and to attain political independence for the country brought to one platform varying interests, communities and sections of society. The national image came to prominence with the national movement which provided a focus for the developed feeling of patriotism. The English language, although alien to the spirit of the country, brought educated classes of various communities to one platform and made them fight shoulder to shoulder against the mighty British. By the end of the 19th century, the feeling of the Indian unity became rooted in the minds of all Indians. The arrival of Mahatma Gandhi on the Indian scene started yet another chapter in Indian history. Mahatma Gandhi brought the gift of a non-violent movement as a new weapon to the  national struggle of India. Under the circumstances of the times, this method proved highly efficacious and brought the British under political and moral pressure of the times and made them to bow At the eleventh hour, however, certain reactionary elements in the country exploited the situation created by the British policy of ‘divide and rule’ and demanded the partition of the country, according to the communal ratios and majorities prevailing in various parts of the country. In order to avoid too much bloodshed, Mahatma Gandhi and other national leaders agreed to the partition, even though it was based on the ever-condemned two-nation theory. Ever since independence, India has adopted a secular constitution and given birth to a nation based on the principles of equal rights to all its citizens, irrespective of caste, creed religion or sex.The Constitution has provided fullest freedom to all religions in matters of worship, customs, etc., and protected them in every way. As a secular democracy, India is marching on the path of progress in all spheres—economic, political, social and cultural. In order to provide and encourage national integration in India, the Government office India has taken numerous steps which are worth mentioning. It has provided a national programme of education on secular lines and encouraged the development of national institution and policies. Through various media of education like the radio, the cinema and the T.V., it ha s provided for emotional integration of the people as one nation and encouraged them to think as one people. Equality of rights in various spheres has provided the people with common interests and enabled them to work and progress side by side without thinking of the narrow interests. The five-year plans of economic development have contributed to the raising of standards of people without regard to community, caste and creed. The class distinctions of the people have broadened out to economic distinctions from those of religion, community or caste. The art and culture of the country is also being developed on nationalistic lines. There is also due effort to develop a national language, although its imposition is being avoided for the time being in order to avoid conflicts of regional linguistic interests. The cinema, which is one of the most important means of recreation for the common man in India, is providing a uniform all-India pattern of art and culture to the whole country, thus contributing to emotional integration. Let us hope the movement of national integration now in motion goes faster  and achieves the desired object of binding various communities and sections of the Indian society to a common way of thinking, without impairing the local and the reg ional arts and cultures, which should be allowed to flourish within the overall pattern of national art and culture.

Learning Enviroment and Its Effects on Student Academic Performance in Integrated Science Essay

In Nigeria, secondary education is the education children receive after primary education and before the tertiary stage. Consequently, the broad goals of secondary education are geared to prepare the individual for useful living within the society and to progress to higher education (Federal Government of Nigeria, 2004). The school at this level is established so that students can learn in order to be able to transmit knowledge from one generation to another for the continuity and well-being of the society. Learning as a hypothetical construct can only be inferred from observable behavior. Psychologists usually define learning as a relatively permanent change in behavior due to past experience or the process by which relatively permanent changes occur in behavioral potentials as a result of Experience (Gross, 2010) In fact, secondary school education is an investment and an instrument that can be used to achieve a more rapid economic, social, political, technological, scientific and cultural development in the country. The role of secondary education is to lay a solid foundation for better academic performance of students in their pursuit of university education and in other higher institutions with the aim of producing competent manpower for the growth and development of the nation. Recent trends in this tier of education in Nigeria show poor academic results from our children. The preponderance of mass failure in the final examinations conducted by various examination bodies (WAEC, NECO NABTEB) has led to the hue and cry by all and sundry over students’ poor academic performance. It is clear that this tier of education is now seriously threatened by total near collapse as evident by students’ abysmal performance in 2011 examination results in Nigeria. Dissenting groups have passed the blame of students’ poor performance on teachers, parents and government policy somersault. According to Aremu and Sokan (2003), and Aremu and Oluwole (2001), secondary school students’ poor performance may be hinged on students because of their low retention, parental factors, association with wrong peers and motivation. Previous research evidence showed that poor academic performance at the secondary school level of education is a product of teacher, school and the home environment. According to Morakinyo (2003), the falling level of academic performance of secondary school students is attributable to teachers’ non-use of verbal reinforcement. Also the home environment or family background of learners affects their academic performance (Ajila & Olutola, 2007) The sharp decline in the academic performance at various levels of our educational system in Nigeria is largely attributed to the poor conditions in our educational institutions. These include lack of modern instructional technology, poor classroom conditions and lack of adequate training programmes for teachers. Similarly, classroom learning environments and school factors exert some dominant influence on learners, since man is a product of his environment. The importance of learning environment to a successful academic achievement cannot be overemphasized. The learning environment includes school location and physical buildings, laboratory equipment, library services and materials, instructional aids and effective classroom management. Intelligence is not the only determinant of academic achievement. Learning environment affects the academic achievement of a student. According to Basque and Dore (1998), learning and teaching environment ought to implement six functions: inform, communicate, collaborate, produce, scaffold and manage. They added that conceptually speaking, the learning environment refers to the whole range of components and activities within which learning happens. Learning environment that is free from barriers or distraction such as noise, gas/smoke pollution and so on, will promote students’ concentration or perceptual focus to learning (Sprinthall, 1987). Similarly, the entire unattractive physical structure of the school building could demotivate learners to achieve academically. This mismatch promotes poor academic performance. Danesty (2004) stated that dilapidating building lacking mental stimulating facilities that are characterized with low or no sitting arrangement, will also affect students’ learning. Class size has also been identified as a determinant of academic performance. Schools with smaller class size perform better academically than schools with larger class size. Kraft (1994) in his study of the ideal class size and its effects on effective teaching and learning concluded that any class size above forty (40) has negative effects on students’ achievement. Generally, good teaching is best done in classes with small numbers that allow for individual attention. Teachers do make a difference to motivate students in learning, working in tandem with parents who are the first teachers to children. Noordin, Azizi, Jamaludin, Shahrin and Zurihanmi (2010) opined that teachers can make school life miserable or appealing by filling the classroom with excitement and hope. Students will continue in their learning and even search for more knowledge under the leading of enthusiastic teacher (Wlodkowski & Jaynes, 1990). Atkinson (2000) found a positive relationship between teachers’ motivation and the students’ performance. The availability and use of teaching and learning materials affect the effectiveness of a teacher’s lesson. The use of a variety of media increases the probability that the students would learn more and that young children are capable of understanding abstract ideas if they are provided with sufficient materials and concrete experience with the phenomena that they are to understand. Adu and Olatundun (2007), Adediwura and Tayo (2007), and Star (2002) suggested that effective teaching is a significant predictor for students’ academic achievement. In short, poor academic performance of students has been linked to poor teachers’ performance in terms of accomplishing learning tasks (Ofoegbu, 2004; Asikhia, 2010). The home environment or family background of students affects their academic performance (Ajila and Olutola 2007; Nzewuawah, 1995; Ichado, 1998). The home environment sharpens the child’s initial view of learning. Parents’ beliefs, expectations and attitudes about education have a profound early impact on students’ conceptions of the place of education in their life. ` Children in poverty often face problems at home and at school that compromises their learning (Ceballo and McLoyd, 2002, Evans and English, 2002). At home, they might have parents who do not set high educational standards for them, who are incapable of reading to them, and who do not have enough money to pay for educational materials and experiences such as books and trips to zoos and museums. They might be malnourished and live in areas where crime and violence are a way of life (Santrock, 2004). The home environment is as important as what goes on in the school. The home factors include: parental involvement in children’s education, how much parents read to young children; how much television children are allowed to watch; and how often students change schools. Phillips (1998) also found that parental education and social economic status have an impact on students’ achievement. Students with parents who were both educated tended to achieve at the highest levels. Income and family size were moderately related to achievement (Ferguson, 1991). Thus from the analysis of academic achievement, home environment (including family income) and educational activities, it can be concluded that home environment and educational activities explained the greatest amount of variance (Peng and Wright, 1994; Kamaruddin, Zainal, Aminuddin and Jusoff, 2009) The performance of secondary school students in science and non-science subjects in NECO, WAEC and JAMB calls for proper investigation. Student low performance in those subject can be traced back to the effect of their learning environment. Although, several scholars have proposed various factors responsible for the poor performance of students, few research have been dedicated to the correlation between student learning environment both at school and home and academic achievement of students. Thus, this study addressed those learning environment factors that hinder student from performing better in integrated science. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of learning environment on secondary school student academic performance in integrated science. Specifically, the study will; Examine 1.How do secondary school students perceive the quality of learning environment in relation to their academic performance? 2.How do secondary school students perceive teachers’ teaching methods in relation to their academic performance? 3.How do secondary school students perceive parents economic status in relation to their academic performance? 1: How do secondary school students perceive the quality of learning environment in relation to their academic performance? Ho 2: How do secondary school students perceive teachers’ teaching methods in relation to their academic performance? Ho 3: there is no significant difference between class size and student academic performance in integrated science?

Dream Act

Education is a benefit for society. Higher education offers higher economic advantages for both workers and the economy. The United States is the home of about 65,000 undocumented children who graduate high school each year and have lived in the country for more than five years (Dreams Deferred, 2010). These children are intelligent, outstanding class presidents, valedictorians, and honor students who aspire to be successful doctors, engineers, teachers, and lawyers.However, because of legal and financial obstacles confronting them just because they are undocumented students, many are unable to live their American dream and attend a college or university. It is estimated that only about 5 to 10% of undocumented high school graduates go on to college (Dreams Deferred, 2010). According to the Immigration Policy Center, â€Å"Studies of undocumented immigrants who legalized their status through the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 reveal that legal status brings fiscal , economic, and labor-market benefits to individual immigrants, their families, and U.S. society in general† (Dreams Deferred, 2010). The U. S. Department of Labor found that wages of these immigrants who received their legal status under IRCA increased their wages to 15% five years later. If given the opportunity, undocumented students will expand their education, get better jobs, and pay taxes. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a proposed federal legislation in the U. S. that will enact two major changes in current law.The DREAM Act will 1) â€Å"Permit certain immigrant students who have grown up in the U. S. to apply legal status and to eventually obtain permanent status and become eligible for U. S. citizenship if they go to college or serve in the U. S. military; and 2) Eliminate a federal provision that penalizes states that provide in-state tuition without regard to immigration status. † (DREAM Act: Summary, 2, 2010)The passa ge of the DREAM Act is critical to raise the quality of the U.S. workforce through higher education to maintain a strong economy. The DREAM Act will increase the number of undocumented immigrant students who attend college, it will benefit the nation’s economy, and the nation will save the high cost of ignoring these undocumented immigrant students. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a bipartisan legislation led by senators Richard Durbin, Chuck Hagel, andRichard Lugar, this bill will restore states’ rights to offer in-state tuition to undocumented immigrant students who live in that state in order to make it easier for students to afford a higher level education. The DREAM Act will also provide citizenship to the hardworking immigrant youth who was brought to the U. S. as children and who pursue a higher education or military service, allowing them to contribute to the American society (Basic Facts about In-State Tuition for Undocum ented Immigrant Students, 2006).The bill has been introduced several times in the House of Representatives and the Senate, but it has never been brought to a floor vote. In the senate it was brought to debate on October 24, 2007, but failed by a 52-44 vote. The DREAM Act was reintroduced on March 26, 2009 by Richard Durbin and Richard Lugar in the senate and in the House of Representatives by Howard Berman, Lincoln Diaz, and Lucille Roybal-Allard (DREAM Act: Summary, 2010). To qualify, a DREAM Act beneficiary would have to meet the following requirements: * Proof of having arrived to the U.S. at the age of 15 or younger. * Proof of residence in the U. S. for at least 5 consecutive years since the date of their arrival. * Must be between the age of 12 and 35 at the time of the enactment of the bill. * Have graduated from an American high school, or obtained a GED. * Display â€Å"Good Moral Character† defined as â€Å"the absence of significant criminal record or any major ch arge of drugs† by the National Council of La Raza (The ‘DREAM Act’ and the ‘American Dream Act, 1, 2007). The student must have accomplished one of the following within six year after the permanent residence was granted: * Earn a degree from a 2 or 4 year institution, or have maintained a â€Å"good standing† for at least two years at a 2 or 4 year institution while working toward a bachelor’s degree or higher (The ‘DREAM Act’ and the ‘American Dream Act, 2007). * Served in the U. S. Armed Forces for at least 2 years. Without the DREAM Act the U. S. faces critical financial and emotional costs.After years of hard work and achieving success in high school every student in America expects a reward. 65,000 undocumented students currently living in America expect these rewards as well. They were raised the American way. According to the National Council of La Raza, the American way is to â€Å"offer equal opportunities to all an d encourage all to make the most of their talents† (The ‘DREAM Act’ and the ‘American Dream Act, 2, 2007). As young children, these students were brought to this nation by their parents; it was beyond their control to stay in their native land.Brenda Garcia states, her family faced monetary problems while living in Mexico, the only solution to their problem was to come to the United States, she had no say so in this decision and was forced to follow her parents and leave her country (2010). These students have shared all the American values and traditions; they see this country as their home. These students grew up pledging allegiance to the United States of America, and now the United States of America can’t give its loyalists the opportunity for citizenship and a more affordable higher level education.Current law punishes these students for a decision they did not make and for their lack of documentation. America has imposed insuperable obstacles fo r these students and crushed their hopes of exceeding in their education, as a result â€Å"only 5 to 10 percent of undocumented young people who graduate from high school go on to college† (Basic Facts about In-State Tuition for Undocumented Immigrant Students, 2, 2006) either because schools deny them admission, they are charged out-of state tuition which is much more than the in-state tuition rate, they are not eligible for financial aid, and cannot work legally in the United States.The discouragement is too much and most of these hard working, and goal oriented undocumented students with high academic standing don’t get to live their American dream. With the passage of the DREAM Act these student’s dreams could be attainable and as a result more students could attend college, exceed in their education, and contribute to the United States economy. The DREAM Act will â€Å"facilitate access to college for immigrant students in the U.S. by restoring statesâ₠¬â„¢ rights to offer in-state tuition to immigrant students residing in their state,† states the National Council of La Raza (The ‘DREAM Act’ and the ‘American Dream Act, 1, 2007). Many states argue that the schools will not have revenue if undocumented students are charged only in-state tuition, but who said in-state tuition meant free tuition? â€Å"In-state tuition is not the same as free tuition.It is a discount,† claims the National Immigration Law Center (Basic Facts about In-State Tuition for Undocumented Immigrant Students, 2, 2006) if the discount is provided, more undocumented students will attend an institution of higher level education and the money paid by these students will increase school revenues by far because it will be money that would otherwise not be there, and even then, after all, education pays for itself, claims the National Immigration Law Center (Basic Facts about In-State Tuition for Undocumented Immigrant Students, 3, 200 6).The United States’ economic future depends on its current students, documented and undocumented. If given the opportunity, through the DREAM Act, undocumented students will expand their education and raise the schools revenues; they will get better jobs in which they will help out the U. S. society by curing the ill, sharing their knowledge with young people, designing new buildings for the community, and opening new businesses, etc.The National Immigration Law Center claims that â€Å"As baby boomers age, the number of retirees in the U. S. swell (Basic Facts about In-State Tuition for Undocumented Immigrant Students, 2, 2006) and that’s why in the future the U. S. will need new proficient people to take over those jobs. These young immigrants can be the future professionals the U. S. will need, they are â€Å"key to our ability to counteract the serious demographic challenges we face† (Basic Facts about In-State Tuition for Undocumented Immigrant Students, 2, 2006).We as a nation must â€Å"raise the caliber of our workforce through higher education to have a chance to maintain a strong economy† (Basic Facts about In-State Tuition for Undocumented Immigrant Students, 2, 2006). Additionally each person who attends college and obtains a professional job means one less expense to the state in terms of social service, as well, an asset in terms of tax payments to the state. The nation cannot burden these motivated and high achieving immigrant youth; after all they will only benefit the nation in the future.Undocumented students who don’t have the opportunity to get the best out of their education are simply wasted talent, a new report from the Immigration Policy Center by Roberto Gonzalez, Wasted Talent and Broken Dreams: The Lost Potential of Undocumented Students, makes it clear that â€Å"without means to legalize their status, these children are seldom able to go on to college, cannot work legally in the United States, and therefore cannot put their educations to good use† (Dreams Deferred, 1, 2010).The United States has invested in the education of these undocumented students since they were in pre-kinder all the way through their high school education. If the United States cuts their education short by not gathering the full potential of these children’s’ education it will face an enormous cost because there will be no benefits for the nation. In the future these tudents will not give back to the nation, and that will be a result of waste talent, wasted money, and lost potential. Why not let these students contribute back to the country that gave them so much? The American way is to be fair and offer equal opportunities to all and encourage everyone to make the best out of their talents, America, now is the time to live up to your American way. Don’t punish these undocumented students for a decision that they did not make.These students are your children, they are Ame ricans, they are friends, classmates, outstanding students, they are family. There is a significant cost in denying these children their college education. Don’t crush their American Dream. â€Å"This wasted talent imposes financial and emotional costs not only on undocumented students themselves, but on the U. S. economy and U. S. society as a whole† (Dreams Deferred, 1, 2010). Dream Act Cynthia Nguyen Ms. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011 â€Å"Amy's Story. † Immigration and Multiculturalism: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 329-333. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Definition/Background History: The IRCA (Immigration and Reform Control Act) was introduced in 1986, this act enabled immigrants who came to America illegally residency and citizenship. The widespread amount of illegal immigrants caused border controls for those who are foreigners.Unfortunately Amy, an anonymous illegal immigrant, and her family surpassed the deadline by three and a half weeks. Amy tells her story about her family and financial struggles due to being an undocumented immigrant. She faced out-of-state tuition fees because of college requirements of being resident in the United States. Hiding undercover pretending to be a citizen was becoming tough for Amy so she had to drop out of school. Now she tutors and has low-paid jobs to support her parents and herself. Cynthia Nguyen Ms. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011Bennion, David. â€Å"Undocumented Youths Organize to Pass DREAM Act. † Legal Intelligencer. 31 Aug 2009. Print. David Bennion. â€Å"Children of Illegal Aliens Should Go to College and Gain Legal Status. † â€Å"What Rights Should Illegal Immigrants Have? † Noel Merino, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. Positive Effect: David Bennion, an immigration attorney at Nationalities Service Center in Philadelphia, stated: â€Å"Each year, about 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school in the United States.They then face often insurmountable barriers to pursuing further education or employment opportunities. † By passing the DREAM Act the amount of undocumented immigrants that are already living in America could help the economy and prosper in education and em ployment. Negative Effect: Keeping the act repealed is beneficial because the amount of illegal immigrants in America could incline. By permitting the â€Å"Dreamers† to pay in-state-college tuition and become a citizen of U. S. would promote more illegal immigrants into America. Cynthia NguyenMs. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011 â€Å"Dream on. † America 19 July 2010: 5. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Positive Effects: President Obama reignited the idea of allowing illegal immigrants education and ability to attend colleges under certain circumstances written in the DREAM Act. He states â€Å"We should stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents by denying them the chance to stay here and earn an education and contribute their talents to build the country where they’ve grown up. With this idea, this allows the children who are documented an opportunity to succeed in the United States not only for themselves , but our economy as well. Cynthia Nguyen Ms. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011 Ling-Ling, Yeh. â€Å"The Dream for Some, a Nightmare for the Rest. † The Daily Californian. 19 Oct 2007. Print. Yeh Ling-Ling. â€Å"Children of Illegal Aliens Should Not Go to College and Gail Legal Status. † â€Å"What Rights Should Illegal Immigrants Have? † Noel Merino, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press. 2010. Print. Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. Undesirable Effects:Yeh Ling-Ling an executive director of the Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America, and an immigrant states â€Å"Passing the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, is a bad idea. Allowing illegal immigrant students to pay in-state college tuition and gain residency would only encourage more illegal immigrants in the United States. The act would have a negative economic impact and hurt American citizens. † Passing the Dream Act would economically stress our f unds because in reality most illegal immigrants are low-paid and cannot afford to pay taxes.The amount of children in American public education would rise. â€Å"This cost can exceed $9,500 per child per year if the student receives the so-called bilingual education, not to mention the costs of other social services. † By accepting this act, it would be a reward to illegal immigrants and would cause more to migrate to America. The Dream Act would negatively effect politics as well. For example, Hispanic activists encourage the pressuring of the United States to be identical as Mexico. This factor effects the future of millions of our nation.Not only politics would be effected but, â€Å"The U. S. population has quadrupled since 1900, from 76 million to 303 million. In the last 15 years alone,over 50 million people have been added to the United States mostly due to immigration-derived growth! If our population continues to grow at the rate of last decade, by 2100—withi n the lifetimes of today's children's children—the United States will have India's current population. † Cynthia Nguyen Ms. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011 â€Å"Illegal Immigrants. Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. Definition/History/Background: â€Å"An immigrant is a person who migrates from one country to another. An â€Å"illegal† immigrant is a person who does so without following the established legal procedures of the destination country and who resides in that country without proper visas or other documents. Illegal immigrants are sometimes referred to as â€Å"illegal aliens† or â€Å"undocumented workers. † Most illegal immigrants of the United States come from Mexico by crossing the 1,955-mile border or the northern border with Canada. Desirable: Economic effects of immigrants can be positive. Illegal immigrants are more open to low-wage jo bs because without paperwork they are not allowed to apply for a job. â€Å"†¦ immigrants take on hard and dangerous jobs that native Americans will not do. These defenders maintain that immigrants’ labor and entrepreneurship helps to revitalize American industries and create more jobs than they take. † Undesirable:For the people who do pay taxes, immigrants are expensive to have. â€Å"The study concluded that taxpayers were paying $4 billion annually in unemployment, medical, educational, and other government programs and services. † Cynthia Nguyen Ms. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011 Texier, Le Emmanuelle. â€Å"The Debate for In-State Tuition Fees Regardless of Immigration Status: The Right to Educate. † La Prensa San Diego 9 May 2003. Print. Emmanuelle Le Texier. â€Å"Undocumented Immigrants Are Entitled to In-State Tuition. † Lori Newman Ed. At Issues Series. Greenhaven Press, 2006.Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Positive Eff ects: Enabling illegal immigrants to continue with education formulates a chain reaction to the economy’s rise. Educating a large portion of our country promotes skilled workers, in which help with building a better future for America. Students have not done anything to harm our economy. No matter illegal, or not the children are the future of America and should be rewarded by the ability to fulfill higher education. Allowing this higher education promotes more skilled workers â€Å"building the future of a country. † Dream Act Cynthia Nguyen Ms. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011 â€Å"Amy's Story. † Immigration and Multiculturalism: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 329-333. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Definition/Background History: The IRCA (Immigration and Reform Control Act) was introduced in 1986, this act enabled immigrants who came to America illegally residency and citizenship. The widespread amount of illegal immigrants caused border controls for those who are foreigners.Unfortunately Amy, an anonymous illegal immigrant, and her family surpassed the deadline by three and a half weeks. Amy tells her story about her family and financial struggles due to being an undocumented immigrant. She faced out-of-state tuition fees because of college requirements of being resident in the United States. Hiding undercover pretending to be a citizen was becoming tough for Amy so she had to drop out of school. Now she tutors and has low-paid jobs to support her parents and herself. Cynthia Nguyen Ms. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011Bennion, David. â€Å"Undocumented Youths Organize to Pass DREAM Act. † Legal Intelligencer. 31 Aug 2009. Print. David Bennion. â€Å"Children of Illegal Aliens Should Go to College and Gain Legal Status. † â€Å"What Rights Should Illegal Immigrants Have? † Noel Merino, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. Positive Effect: David Bennion, an immigration attorney at Nationalities Service Center in Philadelphia, stated: â€Å"Each year, about 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school in the United States.They then face often insurmountable barriers to pursuing further education or employment opportunities. † By passing the DREAM Act the amount of undocumented immigrants that are already living in America could help the economy and prosper in education and em ployment. Negative Effect: Keeping the act repealed is beneficial because the amount of illegal immigrants in America could incline. By permitting the â€Å"Dreamers† to pay in-state-college tuition and become a citizen of U. S. would promote more illegal immigrants into America. Cynthia NguyenMs. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011 â€Å"Dream on. † America 19 July 2010: 5. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Positive Effects: President Obama reignited the idea of allowing illegal immigrants education and ability to attend colleges under certain circumstances written in the DREAM Act. He states â€Å"We should stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents by denying them the chance to stay here and earn an education and contribute their talents to build the country where they’ve grown up. With this idea, this allows the children who are documented an opportunity to succeed in the United States not only for themselves , but our economy as well. Cynthia Nguyen Ms. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011 Ling-Ling, Yeh. â€Å"The Dream for Some, a Nightmare for the Rest. † The Daily Californian. 19 Oct 2007. Print. Yeh Ling-Ling. â€Å"Children of Illegal Aliens Should Not Go to College and Gail Legal Status. † â€Å"What Rights Should Illegal Immigrants Have? † Noel Merino, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press. 2010. Print. Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. Undesirable Effects:Yeh Ling-Ling an executive director of the Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America, and an immigrant states â€Å"Passing the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, is a bad idea. Allowing illegal immigrant students to pay in-state college tuition and gain residency would only encourage more illegal immigrants in the United States. The act would have a negative economic impact and hurt American citizens. † Passing the Dream Act would economically stress our f unds because in reality most illegal immigrants are low-paid and cannot afford to pay taxes.The amount of children in American public education would rise. â€Å"This cost can exceed $9,500 per child per year if the student receives the so-called bilingual education, not to mention the costs of other social services. † By accepting this act, it would be a reward to illegal immigrants and would cause more to migrate to America. The Dream Act would negatively effect politics as well. For example, Hispanic activists encourage the pressuring of the United States to be identical as Mexico. This factor effects the future of millions of our nation.Not only politics would be effected but, â€Å"The U. S. population has quadrupled since 1900, from 76 million to 303 million. In the last 15 years alone,over 50 million people have been added to the United States mostly due to immigration-derived growth! If our population continues to grow at the rate of last decade, by 2100—withi n the lifetimes of today's children's children—the United States will have India's current population. † Cynthia Nguyen Ms. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011 â€Å"Illegal Immigrants. Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 9 Nov. 2011. Definition/History/Background: â€Å"An immigrant is a person who migrates from one country to another. An â€Å"illegal† immigrant is a person who does so without following the established legal procedures of the destination country and who resides in that country without proper visas or other documents. Illegal immigrants are sometimes referred to as â€Å"illegal aliens† or â€Å"undocumented workers. † Most illegal immigrants of the United States come from Mexico by crossing the 1,955-mile border or the northern border with Canada. Desirable: Economic effects of immigrants can be positive. Illegal immigrants are more open to low-wage jo bs because without paperwork they are not allowed to apply for a job. â€Å"†¦ immigrants take on hard and dangerous jobs that native Americans will not do. These defenders maintain that immigrants’ labor and entrepreneurship helps to revitalize American industries and create more jobs than they take. † Undesirable:For the people who do pay taxes, immigrants are expensive to have. â€Å"The study concluded that taxpayers were paying $4 billion annually in unemployment, medical, educational, and other government programs and services. † Cynthia Nguyen Ms. Thompson ENC 1101 November 28, 2011 Texier, Le Emmanuelle. â€Å"The Debate for In-State Tuition Fees Regardless of Immigration Status: The Right to Educate. † La Prensa San Diego 9 May 2003. Print. Emmanuelle Le Texier. â€Å"Undocumented Immigrants Are Entitled to In-State Tuition. † Lori Newman Ed. At Issues Series. Greenhaven Press, 2006.Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Positive Eff ects: Enabling illegal immigrants to continue with education formulates a chain reaction to the economy’s rise. Educating a large portion of our country promotes skilled workers, in which help with building a better future for America. Students have not done anything to harm our economy. No matter illegal, or not the children are the future of America and should be rewarded by the ability to fulfill higher education. Allowing this higher education promotes more skilled workers â€Å"building the future of a country. †

Bioethics Essay

There are so many things in this world that people see an ethically unacceptable. A few topics are adoption, cloning, and consent. These are big topics because they are common and most of the public is aware of these controversies. To start, consent is a huge issue in America today. You will not find one thing in that does not require some kind of consent. Patient consent, consumer consent, or parental consent. In the medical field patients have to give full consent to all of their treatments, and or procedures. If a patient does not give consent then the doctors cannot legally proceed with any type of medical treatment. Consent to any treatment is a vital part to both the doctor and the patient. The doctor can only tell the patient the information needed, and tell them what is best for their health, it is up to the patient to decide if they want to continue with treatment or not. For the patient to consent the treatment has to have a high percentage of success, of not they may look for other options. Sometimes doctors will add or embellish information to get a certain response from their patient. It is important for the patient to fully understand their condition, and to know all of their options. A doctor cannot legally make a decision about a patient without that persons consent, and if they are physically/mentally unable to provide the consent the doctor needs, a family member or parent is put in place to make those decisions for the patient. The respect for the human body is determined by the patient. If the doctor feels the patient does not care about how they become healthy, and only wants a positive outcome it leaves many doors open for the doctor to do what they feel necessary to benefit the patient. Ethics in the public sector, such as in hospitals and other health care organizations, cannot transcend politics completely, because the public sector is the political arena. For ethical guidelines to survive, however, they must be based not on political expediency but on sound ethical principles and reasoning. As the knowledge of medicine, technology, and science continues to grow, the challenges of regulation, policy, and ethical issues in the hospital setting and elsewhere in the health care system will occupy physicians for some time to come. Medical informed consent is essential to the physician’s ability to diagnose and treat patients as well as the patient’s right to accept or reject clinical evaluation, treatment, or both. Medical informed consent should be an exchange of ideas that buttresses the patient-physician relationship. The consent process should be the foundation of the fiduciary relationship between a patient and a physician. Physicians must recognize that informed medical choice is an educational process and has the potential to affect the patient-physician alliance to their mutual benefit. Physicians must give patients equality in the covenant by educating them to make informed choices. When physicians and patients take medical informed consent seriously, the patient-physician relationship becomes a true partnership with shared decision-making authority and responsibility for outcomes. Physicians need to understand informed medical consent from an ethical foundation, as codified by statutory law in many states, and from a generalized common-law perspective requiring medical practice consistent with the standard of care. It is fundamental to the patient-physician relationship that each partner understands and accepts the degree of autonomy the patient desires in the decision-making process. As a matter of both ethics and the law, adult patients who have no cognitive impairments should be centrally involved as decision-makers during their medical care. In ethics, the well-established principle of â€Å"respect for persons† that supports this perspective Because no one is usually better suited than adults themselves to appreciate what a diagnosis and treatment means for their lives, patients should ordinarily be respected as â€Å"experts† about the medical treatment that is desirable to them. Respecting patients as the central decision-maker also protects against paternalism, the view that health care practitioners should make decisions they believe to be in patients’ best interests. The law converges with ethics in making it inadvisable for physicians to impose tests and treatments on patients without their knowledge or consent. In the United States, the law will treat medical treatment imposed without consent as a wrongful action. In response to a charge of unwanted treatment, Justice Benjamin Cardozo offered a classic legal opinion in the 1914 case Schloendorff v. Society of N. Y. Hospital: â€Å"every human being of adult years has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body; and a surgeon who performs an operation without his patient’s consent commits an assault for which he is liable in damages.† Subsequent cases have underscored this right to accept or refuse treatment and underlined rights to self-determination and the right to be left alone – even if choices seem poorly made to others. Informed consent is therefore both a theory and a practice of patient involvement in health care. Its theory rests on well-established ethical and legal views in the United States. In practice, informed consent means providing information that enables someone to make a meaningful decision about the desirability of a medical test or treatment, as measured in terms of its risks and benefits. Some states require that very specific information be provided when certain medical interventions are offered. For example, the U. S. Supreme Court upheld the right of states to require that physicians provide specific information to women seeking abortions. In Pennsylvania, physicians must advise a woman seeking an abortion about the state of fetal gestation, the availability of state-sponsored child support, legal and financial obligations of fathers, and so on. Proponents of this law argue that it is the state’s responsibility to ensure that women know this information before they make final decisions about abortions. If physicians working in states that require specific information to be disclosed fail to do so, they open themselves up to various legal charges. For most medical tests and treatments, however, the state does not direct the specific information that must be disclosed. In most situations, it is physicians, their professional organizations, and institutions that set the standards for disclosure. Of course, the law still has a role to play, it requires that physicians provide all the information that a person could reasonably expect to receive and that the disclosure is consistent with a professional standard of care. This information should be offered in a manner accessible to the patients and in languages they easily understand. Verbal consent is ordinarily sufficient for many if not all routine medical procedures such as blood draws, standard drug regimens, or standard tests. Written permission to test or treat can sometimes be useful documentation in medical records. Major interventions such as surgery or involvement in experimental protocols such as a drug study usually require written documentation of the consent process. The standards of informed consent also forbid physicians from exceeding the scope of any test or treatment agreement, except in emergencies. There is continued debate about the extent of information that should be provided to a particular patient regarding a proposed test or procedure. For example, patients may not always be able to appreciate technical information and for that reason it is sometimes tempting to oversimplify explanations of medical tests and treatments. Research also shows that many people fail to recall central points of the information offered to them when they are told about medical tests and treatments. Nonetheless, as a matter of ethics and the law, it is better to err on the side of more explanation rather than less when it comes to the explanation of medical treatments, and this advice increases in importance as the degree of risk associated with a treatment increases. In practice, health professionals will encounter patients who signal that they do not wish to make decisions themselves. In some instances, patients may not wish to participate at all in discussions about their care, or their family members will make clear that they wish their relative to be protected from medical information (especially if bad news or risk is involved). Situations of this kind are a challenge to implementing practices of informed consent, but to the extent possible physicians should engage patients in discussions about the nature and consequences of their treatment. Parental consent is another issue in adoption. The birth mother does not have to consent to have their child removed for their custody. Adoption is an ethical issue because there are many factor in the adoption process, and the outcome of the child during and afterwards. When the birth parents come into play, things get even more complicated. Many people adopt because they get financial aid from the government to help support the child, and the adoptive parents don’t always use the money for that child. It is important to provide all parties of the adoption with proper options and make sure no rights are violated. No child should be pulled out of their home unless there is a proper cause, and the child is in danger. Another Problem that is often seen with adoption is that the birth parents decided they want the child, or want to be a part of the child’s life. The court and the adoptive parents have to decide if this is a good idea or not. In many cases it is not up to the kids, and they just get tossed where ever someone else feels necessary. Adoption is governed by State law in the United States. Laws and practice in each State vary. No matter where the adoption takes place, overarching ethical considerations should be applied consistently. Consent refers to the agreement by a parent, or a person or agency acting in place of a parent, to relinquish a child for adoption and release all rights and duties with respect to that child. Consent to adoption is regulated by State statutes, not by Federal laws, and States differ in the way they regulate consent. In most States, the consent must be in writing and either witnessed and notarized or executed before a judge or other designated official. In all States, the court may determine that consent of the parent is not needed under specific circumstances, including when parental rights have been terminated, the child has been abandoned, the parent has been convicted of specified crimes against the other parent or the child, the parent has failed to support or establish a significant relationship with the child, or the parent is mentally incompetent or unfit due to abuse or neglect. The court may terminate the rights of one or both parents for reasons including abandonment, failure to support the child, mental incompetence, or a finding of parental unfitness due to child abuse or neglect. An unwed father’s consent may not be needed if he has failed to establish legal paternity, is found to have abandoned or neglected the child or to be an unfit parent, or fails to respond to notice of an adoption proceeding. Nearly all States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U. S. Virgin Islands require that older children give consent to their adoption. Approximately 25 States, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands set the age of consent at 14. Eighteen States, American Samoa, and Guam require a child’s consent at age 12, while six States, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico require consent of children age 10. In 11 States, the requirement can be dispensed with if the child lacks the mental capacity to consent. In 16 States and the Northern Mariana Islands, the court, in its discretion, may dispense with consent if it is in the best interests of the child. Colorado requires that the child be provided with counseling prior to giving consent. In Maryland, a court may grant an adoption only if the child to be adopted is represented by an attorney. The manner in which consent can be executed varies considerably. In many States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, consent may be executed by a written statement witnessed and/or notarized by a notary public. Other States may require an appearance before a judge or the filing of a petition of relinquishment. Some States require the parent to be provided with counseling, have his or her rights and the legal effect of relinquishment explained to him or her, or be provided with legal counsel prior to consent. In cases in which custody has previously been placed with an agency, the head of the agency may sign an affidavit of consent. In most States, a birth parent who is a minor is treated no differently than other birth parents. However, in some States, the minor parent must be provided with separate counsel prior to the execution of consent, or a guardian ad litem must be appointed to either review or execute the consent. In five States, Guam, and Puerto Rico, the consent of the minor’s parents must be obtained. Adoption is meant to create a permanent and stable home for a child; therefore, a validly executed relinquishment and consent to adopt is intended to be final and irrevocable. As a result, the right of a birth parent to revoke consent is strictly limited. The territory of the U. S. Virgin Islands makes no provisions in statute for revocation of consent; Massachusetts and Utah specifically require that all consents are irrevocable. In most States, the law provides that consent may be revoked prior to the entry of the final adoption decree under specific circumstances or within specified time limits. Idaho requires a parent who revokes consent to reimburse the adoptive parents for any expenses they may have paid on his or her behalf. In Michigan, consent may not be revoked if the child has been placed with an adoptive family unless an appeal of a termination of parental rights proceeding is pending. Virginia permits one or both parents in a direct placement to waive the 7-day revocation period at the time of consent if the child is at least 10 days old and the waiving parent has received independent legal counsel. Waiver by one parent does not affect the right of the other parent to the revocation period. In all jurisdictions, consent becomes final and irrevocable once the court issues a final decree of adoption. Something else that has become a public issue is the consumption of cloned animal products. People want to know they are not eating something fake and man-made. A lot of cloning issues revolve around animals and humans. Some people do not like this due to their religious beliefs because they don’t think you should artificially create someone, and that its God’s will who is created. They also have a problem with the fact that once an embryo is conceived it is a human life, and researchers use them for research and do not preserve the life. The researches do not see the embryo as a human life, and conduct many test on them. Scientists do not view these experiments as people with strong religious beliefs. People often view this as a type of abortion because they are taking a life. People have decided that cloning today is unwise, and unnecessary, and in some cases criminal for humans, although in 2006 the government approved the distribution and consumption of cloned meats. This raised significant objections because the public wasn’t sure if they really wanted to be consuming cloned animals. Most of the ethical issues of cloning be it in animals or humans have been raised by the Catholic Church, as well as other religious organizations. They all strongly oppose cloning as according to the religious belief life begins at conception and that life cannot be created artificially but from the unity of a man and a woman. At the same time, the church together with the other religious organizations argue against therapeutic cloning as well because, as mentioned above, they are guided by the idea that life starts at the conception and once the embryo exists it must be treated as a person, and thus destroying embryos and using them only for the purpose of research is not consistent with the religious view on the issue. Concerns about cloning animals for food go beyond questions of food safety. In addition to concern for animal welfare, many people have ethical and moral qualms about animal cloning. According to recent surveys, for example, 64 percent of Americans think cloning is â€Å"morally wrong,† and another 63 percent would not buy cloned food even it were labeled as â€Å"safe. † A fundamental argument of those who have ethical concerns about animal cloning is that just because scientists can clone animals for food, doesn’t mean they should. The 2008 report by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production concluded that significant changes are needed in how farmed animals are raised in the U. S. , but cloning would move us in the opposite direction. Cloning promotes the objectification and commoditization of animals, treating these living sentient beings as mere machines for human manufacture. In addition, as the public becomes increasingly aware of the treatment of farmed animals, many are concerned that cloning highly productive animals exacerbates animal welfare problems, because these animals tend to suffer from painful infections of the udder, lameness, and other ‘production-related’ diseases. In addition to concerns about animal welfare, many worry that the technology used to clone animals is the same that can be used to clone humans or produce transgenic animals, but the implications of such applications have  yet to be fully examined. Researchers in England and Australia have already backed proposals to create human-animal hybrids, for example by fusing a human cell to an animal egg to create embryos that are 99. 9 percent human and 0. 1 percent rabbit. People are concerned that cloning represents a dangerous ‘transgression’ of science. Many also feel that cloning is â€Å"not natural† because, overall, cloning requires a significantly greater level of involvement and interference with animals’ reproductive performance than conventional production methods. Several religious groups, including from Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist faiths, have rejected animal cloning on ethical grounds. Cloning and genetic engineering are viewed by these groups as tantamount to â€Å"playing God. † Nearly 90 percent of Americans want the government to factor in ethical considerations when making a decision on animal cloning. Such discussions are taking place around the world, with countries such as Canada, Taiwan, Japan, and the European Union saying they will consider the public’s concerns about animal cloning before deciding if they will accept the technology. The European Commission, for example, asked the European Group on Ethics to issue an expert opinion on the ethical implications of cloning animals for food. The group concluded in early 2008 that, particularly due to the animal suffering involved, it could find no ethical justification for cloning animals. The European Food Safety Authority also concluded that, â€Å"The health and welfare of a significant proportion of clones has been found to be adversely affected.† It was irresponsible for the FDA to allow cloned animals into the food supply without allowing similar discussions to take place in the U. S. Given the severity of the animal health problems associated with cloning, and the magnitude of ethical qualms Americans have with using the technology, there is both a pressing need and an overwhelming demand for the government to establish a proper regulatory framework to oversee animal cloning, one that takes into consideration both ethics and science. In October 2006, AAVS joined with the Center for Food Safety and several other animal welfare, consumer, and environmental organizations to petition the FDA to establish an ethics Advisory Committee, similar to ones set up to discuss human genetic technologies, to provide an opportunity for public participation and transparency in the animal cloning debate. An advisory committee, mirroring the Health and Human Services Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society, which serves as a public forum for deliberations on the broad societal issues raised by the development and use of genetic technologies in humans, would serve to deliberate both publicly and officially the ethical challenges presented by animal cloning. Though the FDA chose to deny the petition, AAVS continues to work with federal agencies and Congress to ensure that the animal welfare and ethical implications of cloning are fully considered before the moratorium on animal clones is lifted. As surveys have shown, the public’s concerns for animal welfare and ethics have the potential to greatly impact the agricultural market and foreign trade, and consumers should have a voice in how their food is produced. However, the FDA has stated that it will not require food from cloned animals to be labeled. That means that consumers who oppose animal cloning on animal welfare, religious, or moral grounds would be forced to unwittingly make purchases that violate their ethical principles. That is why AAVS is also supporting legislation that would require food from cloned animals and their offspring, if they are approved for sale, to be labeled. Consumers have a right to know how their food was produced so they can make informed decisions about what they buy and what they feed their families.