On the Sidewalk Bleeding by Evan Hunter

On the Sidewalk Bleeding Critical Essay Marianne Lavery The story â€Å"On the sidewalk bleeding† by Evan Hunter deals with the issue of identity through the central character Andy, a young gang member who struggles with his identity as his death draws near. A young boy called Andy who left a nightclub to go and get cigarettes. He started walking through the alley when suddenly he got stabbed. As he got stabbed he heard a voice saying â€Å"That’s for you Royal! Andy had always been proud to be a Royal because the Royals and the guardians were two of the biggest and he was a Royal. Now as he lay dying on the sidewalk with the rain surrounding him, he thought of being a Royal but now all he wanted to be was Andy. It is evident that Andy had felt very proud to be a member of the Royals: â€Å"The Royals and the Guardians, two of the biggest. He was a Royal there had been meaning to the title†. I think Andy was too involved in the Royals to understand that it was o nly a gang name and his life was ending at sixteen because of it. Andy decided to join the gang in the first place because it made him powerful, it made him feel like he was somebody. The extent of his pride was shown when it said: â€Å"Even in his pain, there had been some sort of pride in knowing he was a Royal! † This tells the reader that he didn’t regret ever becoming a Royal. A young person like Andy would join a gang so that they would feel safe from other gangs. Additionally, if they were in a gang they would feel important to be a member of that gang as it would give them a sense of belonging. After Andy was stabbed and he realized that he was going to die, he began to resent his identity as a Royal and just wanted to be known as Andy. â€Å"I’m Andy; he screamed wordlessly, I’m Andy†. As Andy lay there dying, alone in the dark he wanted to shout out â€Å"Hey, I’m alive! Hey look at me! I’m alive! Don’t you know I’m alive? Don’t you know I exist? † Andy was so frustrated and confused. â€Å"He felt very weak and tired†. As every second went by, Andy got increasingly weaker. Andy’s identity as a Royal not only got him stabbed it also prevented people from helping him as they walked past. An example of this was when Angela and Freddie came along and they saw him on the pavement hurt. They were going to hep him but as soon as they realised that he was a Royal, they quickly changed their minds. They said â€Å"if we get a cop, the Guardians will find out who. † I thought this was very cowardly and selfish of them to leave him there, dying just because they were scared. Andy knew he was at deaths door but he didn’t want them to find him and say â€Å"oh he’s a Royal! † So with great difficulty and determination, he rolled over onto his back. He felt the pain tearing at his stomach when he moved. He lay struggling with the shiny, wet jacket. Pain ripped fire across his body whenever he moved. He squirmed and fought and twisted until one arm was free and then the other. Taking this purple jacket off with the lettering on the back that read â€Å"THE ROYALS† was very important to Andy because this jacket had ended his life at only sixteen years old. The final part of this story was very sad because Andy died. Andy’s girlfriend found him first, but when he did not answer her, she ran until she found a cop. The first thing the cop said when he looked at Andy’s dead body was, â€Å"A Royal, huh? † So Andy didn’t even get his final wish, which was to be remembered as just Andy. By reading this story it has made me think about my own identity and I have realized how important it is to keep out of trouble. As I most definitely do not want to be in the same situation as Andy was.

Social security policy

Social security policy is a major, convoluted issue in all societies. Millions of people are heavily reliant on social security as a means of support to achieve a basic standard of living. There is thought to be three main welfare regimes, in western society. These regimes are corporate-conservative, socio-economic and liberal. This essay aims to give a brief description of these regimes in action, in relation to the USA, France and Sweden, respectively. Then, go on to compare the regimes, in relation to social security. It will take in to account unemployment, pensions and family policy. Social security is basically the procedure of benefits and transfers in the form of financial assistance as income maintenance which is funded by taxation and/or insurance contributions. (Baldock et al, 1999) There have been three principle types of welfare regime. These are corporatist-conservative, socio-democratic and liberal. The corporate-conservative regime is usually based on individual's contributions, therefore very work-orientated. The socio-democratic regime is usually based on universal values. The liberal regime is usually residualist. This means that the welfare is seen more as a bag-up, only to provide for those who would not manage at all without it. (Esping-Anderson, 1990) France is an example of the corporatist-conservative regime in action. Social security is hinged on solidarity. In this context, it means mutual responsibility, shared risks and common action. It was first brought in to place by the introduction of a regime general for social and health security. This was then expanded. In the 1970's additional measures were introduced to include all ‘excluded' people. The most significant measure was introduced in 1988. This was called the Revenu Minimum d'Insertion. It amalgamated a rudimentary benefit with a personal contract for social inclusion. The French regime is somewhat expensive. The control of expenditure has become the focus of social policy. Pensions play a very prominent part as they are very costly. (www2. rgu. ac. uk/public policy/introduction/wstate. htm) The French regime basically advocates the rights are in accordance status and class. Support comes mostly through private insurance, which is supported by the state. It aims to fortify civil society while limiting the market. (Esping-Anderson, 1990) Sweden is an example of the socio-democratic regime in action. This Swedish model is often judged as the exemplary form of welfare state. One of the integral components is the sense of organised co-operation. (www2. rgu. ac. uk/public policy/introduction/wstate. htm) The socio-democratic regime advocates equality and universalism of high standards. This is through the state. The state is the main way of support; there are high levels of benefits. It aims to amalgamate welfare and work and promote full employment. (Esping-Anderson, 1990) The United States of America is an example of the liberal regime in action. The liberal regime advocates residualism, laissez-faire, individualism and a severe stand on poverty. These are all dominant subjects in USA debates on welfare, yet the USA does not have a unified welfare system. The predominant measures of federal provision came in the 1930's from the Roosevelt administration. (www2. rgu. ac. uk/public policy/introduction/wstate. htm) it was called ‘the new deal'. It was instigated to be a safe-guard against market failures, which was desperately needed after the mass unemployment of the depression years. The main principle behind it was that the state should provide more than just support; it should actually protect the individual. (Miller, 2003) The liberal regime basically has a strong work ethic. Support comes through means-tested assistance. It aims to strengthen the market. (Esping-Anderson, 1990) Unemployment is a very contentious issue. The three countries all have differing ways of dealing with it. France has a twofold system of providing unemployment benefits. One of them is an unemployment insurance scheme. This scheme is when individuals are part of a national collective agreement, which is mediated by the state. This system is financed by contributions. The unemployed are allowed to receive benefits if they are a member of this scheme and it was not their own fault that they lost their job. The provision and duration of these benefits also depends on how long the individual has been part of the scheme. Its payment has two forms. These are either the basic benefits or post-entitlement benefit. (www. eurofound. ie/under. tm) The other system of unemployment benefit is a guarantee supplementary scheme. It is funded by the state and was set up in 1984. its aim is to provide unemployment benefits for widowed or divorced women, young people and other disadvantaged groups, who have not been in the job-market long enough to make substantial contribution. It also helps those who have had been in unemployment for a very long time and are no longe r eligible for the insurance scheme. Its payment comes in two forms, either a work programme allowance or a guaranteed supplementary benefit. (www. urofound. ie/under. htm) This rigid system is in stark comparison to Sweden. Their unemployment insurance benefit (UIB) has been thought to be one of the most generous in the world. It is controlled by the trade unions, finance by the state and administered by 40 voluntary societies. The level of contribution varies as it depends on the likelihood of unemployment. UIB encompasses about 3/4 of unemployed people, the rest rely on social assistance. In the 1990's UIB came under intense pressure because of an increase in unemployment and concern to limit social expenditure. This resulted in that by the late 1990's there was a decreased eligibility and the proportion of previous income received was slashed from 90% to 80%. There is now a far greater pressure on unemployed individuals to join in AMS schemes (Government training schemes) to indicate their availability to work. Involvement in AMS schemes permits the re-establishment of eligibility to UIB. This can be seen as a huge incentive! There is a three year benefit duration limit. Despite this limit, it is still safe to say that it is more generous and less disciplined than that of France. (Cochrane et al, 2001) In comparison to France and Sweden, welfare for unemployment is very complicated. The administration of social assistance is controlled by state or local government agencies, on a decentralised basis, even though funding does come from federal Government. However, USA welfare on employment is mainly through unemployment insurance (UI). Unemployment insurance varies significantly depending on state and local government. However, there are some principles which are relevant to most states. (www. tiss. zdu. uni) Unemployment insurance is not aimed at being long term support for the unemployed. It is designed to be a bridge till they obtain a new job. Unemployment insurance operates under very strict condition for limited periods of time. The number of covered people is relatively low. This is due to the fact that a lot of people are not eligible foe unemployment insurance. (www. law. cornell. edu/topics) Unemployment insurance is not available to the self-employed, domestic servants, farm workers, Government employees and those who have only been briefly employed. (www. buzzle. com) To actually receive unemployment benefits from the state is incredibly complex. The actual law on benefits and who is eligible to welfare schemes is very convoluted. In extreme cases, where vulnerable individuals do not even meet the criteria for schemes of federal support or assistance, may be entitled to state and local or purely state relief. This is called general assistance. (www. law. cornell. edu/topics) It has been found that the population age profile of western societies is changing. We are now living in an increasingly ageing population. The age structure of the population comes from past birth rates, increasing mortality rates, increased longevity and migration trends. This inevitably means an increase in the amount of people who will be eligible for a pension. (Baldock et al, 1999) Therefore, welfare regimes have to account for it. France has a pay-as-you-go system. (www. news. bbc. co. uk) The pay-as-you-go system is basically that the pensions that are being paid out today are being funded by taxing the employed of today. This is in stark contrast to private pension scheme (those favoured in the USA) as these are based on paying pensions out of the contributions an individual made during their entire working life. (Baldock et al, 1999) It is believed that this is going to be unsustainable. This is due to the increasing longevity and the declining birth rates. This means that in the future there will be far fewer workers to pay for the multiplying amount of pensioners. (www. news. bbc. co. uk) This is now worrying the French Government. They are now beginning to take steps to remedy the situation. One example of this can be seen by looking at a bill approved by the French Government, in May of last year. They approved a bill that meant that the amount of time that all Government employees must work in order to get a full pension increases from 37 years and 6 months to 41 years and 9 months. www. telegraph. co. uk) In comparison to Sweden, the French system leaves a lot to be desired. In Sweden, there are two mandatory statutory pension schemes. These are a basic flat-rate payment and a contributory earnings-related scheme (ATP). Both schemes are funded on a pay-as-you-go system. They are paid out of contributions from the current workforce. Every citizen and long-term r esident are entitles to the basic flat-rate pension. To get the ATP pension, they have to have a thirty year history of contribution. However, there is a supplement that can be obtained with the basic pension if an individual has no ATP or a very low level of ATP. For most of the people in Sweden, the two statutory pension schemes, replace or provide around 65% of pre-retirement gross salary. However, these pensions are liable for taxation. Also, 90% of employees in Sweden top-up the statutory schemes by covering themselves with extra occupational pension schemes. These cover various groups of employees and provide up to an extra 10% on replacement income. The extra occupational pension schemes encompass four main schemes and they work on a collective agreement. They cover people employed by local and central government as well as blue-collar workers and white-collar workers. In Sweden, in 1992, only 6. 3% of elderly households were defined as being poor after taxes, this is in stark comparison to the USA as in 1996; just over 20% of elderly households were poor. These are phenomenally different statistics. (Cochrane et al, 2001) There are two public pension schemes in the USA. They are the public flat-rate pension and the public earning related pension. The public pension scheme encompasses both the means-tested, basic-rate pension (Supplementary security income, or SSI) and the earnings related pension (Old-age, survivor and disability insurance, or OASDI). The flat-rate basic pension is financed by general federal Government revenues. However, some states give an additional small state-government supplement. All SSI pensions are subject to income and asset testing. The earnings related pensions (OASDI) are financed through contributions. It is broken down as follows: employee provides 6. 2% of earnings and the employers provide 6. 2% of payroll whereas the self-employed provide 24. % of earnings. The minimum eligibility requirement for OASDI pensions is ten years of contributions. This is also a pay-as-you-go system. However, occupational, private pension schemes are highly recommended. (www. reformmonitor. org) Family policy plays a very significant part in social security. In France, family allowance is assigned to all families with at least two children, under the age of 18, regardless of income. However, there are numerous supplementary means-tested benefits available. There is the family supplement, which is for families with three children, over the age of three. There is also the single parent allowance, adoption allowance, the parental education allowance, the special education allowance for children with disabilities and also the annual school allowance for children between the ages of 6 and 18. There is also the housing allowance; this is calculated by the expense of rent and the families' situation. Additionally, there are also birth payments, maternity benefits and parental leave benefits. These include a means-tested young child allowance; it is available from the fourth month of gestation until the child is three years old. Also, included is a maternity benefit that increases by the amount of children plus if the mother is insured there are even more benefits. There are also paternity leave benefits, where the mother or the father can be on leave up until the child's 3rd birthday. Since 1998, there have been means-tested allowances to decrease the cost of childcare for children under 3 years old. The childcare can be in the home (child minder) or at a registered facility. There are also allowances in childcare for 3 to 6 year olds. (www. reformmonitor. org) Like France, Sweden has a universal child allowance. This is for children under the age of 16 years. This goes up to 20 years, if they are in full-time education. Families, with more that 3 children are entitled to a large family supplement. There is also a family allowance for handicapped children who attend a public school. They also, like France, have a housing benefit. This benefit is also dependant on the expense of rent and the size of family. There are also birth payments, maternity benefits and parental leave benefits but the do not seem as good as France is. There is a paid parental leave for 450 days, which is divided up between the parents. Also, the mother gets special allowances because of reduced work ability. In Sweden, they can also claim a sick child benefit. This is available for a maximum of 60 days, per year, per sick child under the age of 12 years. There is a positive infrastructure of support services to help working parents meet their childcare obligations. It also includes the support of single parents. Since July 2001, childcare expenses were lowered for families with children in subsidised childcare facilities. With this reform came a guaranteed 3 hours a day for childcare for unemployed people. This was so that they could actively seek employment. (www. reformmonitor. org) The USA is completely different from France and Sweden. In the USA, under the temporary assistance for needy families programme (TANF), benefit payments differ widely across states. The TANF programme is to support poor families with low incomes and dependant children. It is often reduced or even stopped after a family has received benefits regularly for 6 to 24 months. This is supposed to help reduce dependence on the state. The main family assistance, which is practically available in most states, is provided through federal income tax. Families with 1 or more children are provided with an ample amount off of income tax and people who earn a very low wage plus have children are given refundable income tax benefits. Unlike both France and Sweden, there are very few employees, who are given paid parental leave, when a child is born or is sick. However, since 1995, unpaid leave for both child birth and child illness has been mandatory. There are 5 states, which do provide income replacements, subject to certain conditions, for up to 52 weeks. Federal employees do benefit from 24 hours of paid leave a year, for child related activities. Some employers, in the USA, do offer subsidised childcare facilities for their staff. However, the majority of employers do not. Federal childcare funding was provided so that states could be flexible in designing inclusive, integrated childcare facilitates, to make it easier for unemployed or single parents to get back to work. (www. reformmonitor. org) To conclude, there are some major differences between each of the welfare regimes. The biggest differences come from looking at unemployment differences and family policy. The USA is probably the most diverse plus the have all had very different consequences. However, there are similarities between some of the aspects. This comes from pensions. All regimes are based on the pay-as-you-go regime, to a certain extent. However, they all have differing success. All in all, it would be hard to say for definite that any one of them would be superior but Sweden would be a definite contender. However, it is safe to say that welfare regimes in the future could benefit from utilising the most successful parts for the present regimes and learning for the unsuccessful parts. Social Security Policy New Labour promised to halve child poverty by 2010 and to eradicate it by 2020, (Walker, 1999). Social security is not merely about poverty relief, as the relief of poverty requires more than just social security reform, it is important to address the position of social security policy at present to see whether Labour can live up to this rather ambitious target it has set. The term ‘Social Security' is used to refer to the range of policies which aim to transfer cash resources between individuals and families. It is concerned with policies which govern the redistribution of resources within society. After coming to power in 1997 the Labour government reviewed the key principles of social security policy. They developed the ‘Welfare to Work' strategy, as they want people of working age to look for employment within the labour market and avoid dependence on the state. The maintenance of a high and stable level of employment was one of the fundamental assumptions of the Beveridge report, and an objective to which all governments were positively committed after 1944 (Lowe, 1993). Hills (1997) argues that since Beveridge, the objectives of social security have never been set out in a way allowing measurement of whether benefit levels are adequate to meet their aims. The original aim of the National Insurance system as introduced following the recommendations of the Beveridge report in 1948 was to set up a system of subsistence level flat-rate social insurance benefits which were intended to cover all the main causes of inability to earn, such as old age, sickness, unemployment, widowhood and orphanhood. It also included virtually the whole body of the populations, whether employed, self- employed or non- employed, as far as possible in the same terms (Sleeman, 1979). Changes in the welfare system have been needed for a variety of reasons, society has changed, and policies need to change to keep in tune with this, these changes include changing families, working women, an ageing society and rising expectations (Giddens, 1998; Hills, 1997). In the UK, the earliest form of social security was the Poor Law which was based around discretionary payments related to individuals' assessment of need, and this continued to play a part in the delivery of many means- tested benefits until the last two decades of the twentieth century (Alcock, 2003). The Elizabethan Poor Law (1598) distinguished between the deserving and undeserving, this is something which is still reflected in Social Security policy; Hewitt and Powell (2002) point out how the use of contracts can be taken back to the deserving and undeserving poor, only now the terms being used are responsible and irresponsible; and this is reflected in the ‘Security for those who cannot' (DSS 1998)- which means no security for those who can but do not. Another similarity between the poor law and the modern welfare state is that Parishes excluded the traveling poor from its boundaries; this is still evident today with the treatment of travelers and the single homeless. This argument is supported by Hills and Gardiner (1997). Within Social Security, Employment policy occupies a crucial position in the post- war reconstruction, and without which the welfare state could not exist. Full employment would both finance the development of the welfare state, and government welfare policy would help to maintain economic growth. Barr (1993) has outlined three social aims of state intervention in income distribution; the relief of poverty in order to protect a minimum income standard was the first. The second is the protection of accustomed living standards to ensure that none has to face an unexpected and unacceptably large drop in their standard of living and the third is, smoothing out income over the life cycle. However, as pointed out by Glennerster and Hills these three interact, the balance between them and the responsibility of the state can differ over time and between countries. The aims of Social Security policy are not merely to be measured in income terms. Social and political participation may be seen as important civic virtues by a broad spectrum of political opinion. Social Security maintains a standard of living that supports inclusiveness (Townsend 1979), the consequences of failure in this respect is ‘social exclusion'. The miseries of unemployment in a work- ethic society are well- documented by Sinfield, (1981). To these are added the harassment and insecurity of dependence on means tested welfare (Bradshaw and Deacon,1983) and the despair of living at a standard of living which steadily falls behind that of the working class in work. (Taylor- Gooby, 1985). Glennerster (1999) has criticized the critics, arguing that paid work brings dignity and respect. Social welfare imposes controls on society, social security regulations distinguish those who do and do not deserve support. As pointed out by Taylor- Gooby (1985) regulations which ensure that a household head is usually responsible for the living standards of family members defined as dependents encourage a certain household pattern. Social Security is traditionally divided into a contributory and a non- contributory sector, the former covers benefits such as sickness benefits, unemployment benefits, retirement pension, widows' benefit- those regarded as the important benefits. In the latter most benefits are allocated to those who can prove that they do through a mean test. Eligibility for social security has two elements, the first being the formal rules and regulations governing provision of benefits and secondly the perceptions of eligibility held by claimants and potential claimants. The contributory principle, whereby National Insurance benefits are linked to earnings established under rules of eligibility which disproportionately excludes those in intermittent or low paid work, those with a higher risk of unemployment as well as recent migrants. The establishment of such policy on the basis of a White, Male norm thereby formally excluded many of those in minority ethnic group from social citizenship rights to such benefits (Amin and Oppenheim, 1992). Post war welfare reforms and immigration legislation have continued to institutionalize racially exclusionary rules which determine eligibility to welfare benefits these include residence tests, rules on ‘recourse to public funds' and sponsorship conditions. This is well documented in the case of asylum seekers in Britain. Compared with some of the other developed industrial countries, Britain has been relatively successful in establishing a general and comprehensive welfare floor. (Sleeman, 1979) As argued by Hills (1997) benefits for those without work may ameliorate their immediate position but they do not solve the problem. A prime aim of social security policy should be for claimants, where possible to find independent sources of income. While the overall level of employment depends on wider economic factors, the social security structure may discourage employment under some circumstances. Under the Conservatives, due to rising unemployment and the recession in the early 1990's changes were made to social security policy with regards to the unemployed. Not only did the costs of paying unemployed people's mortgages reduced, but Income support (IS) payments for mortgages were withdrawn for the first nine months of unemployment. In 1996 Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) was created when contributory unemployment benefit and means- tested Income support were merged. With JSA for the first six months of unemployment there would be a contributory basis and after that it would be means- tested. It was decided that those under the age of 25 would receive a lower rate of benefit and that contract would be introduced between claimants and the benefits agency to formalise job searches and training criteria, as well as establishing availability for work. With regards to means tested benefits, we have all heard politicians expressing their concerns about benefit ‘dependency'. According to Glennerster and Hills (1998) unemployment benefit has been the largest single source of growth in means- tested populations, followed by lone parenthood. A major theme of policy has been to sustain a gap between income and benefits and in work to ensure incentives to work in the face of increasing levels of unemployment, decreasing relative levels of wages for the unskilled, and increased part- time and temporary working, Benefit policy has been changed to both decrease relative value of benefits for the unemployed and to increase use of means testing. This leads to two problems for ensuring incentives to work: one is to ensure that benefit rates are not close to or greater than in- work income and to ensure that those who are working on the margins of benefit entitlement are able to improve their incomes through work. The side- effect of means testing is that benefit is reduced as income rises alongside the incidence of tax and social security contributions on increased earnings. As benefits have fallen relative to incomes over time, the incentives to work, therefore, in general have been improved (Glennerster and Hills, 1998). The main theme of social security policy is ‘work for those who can; security for those who cannot'. Which consist of a rights and responsibilities discourse. Those who cannot work have a right to security. However, for those who can work, the right to benefit is more conditional. The basic philosophy is that work is the best route out of poverty. ‘Making work pay' includes a national minimum wage, tax reform such as Working families tax credits and nursery credits, which increase the return from low paid work and reduce the poverty trap. The government aims to achieve full employment, instead of paying people in poverty more benefit, New labour will redistribute opportunities and take a preventative approach, giving people the skills to escape poverty. Within Social Security policy is employment centred social policy which is based around the ‘New Deal' programmes; which target different groups. For example for young unemployed people there are four choices; education; a subsidized private sector job; a voluntary sector job or an environmental task force; the opportunity for sitting at home on benefits is not an option, as benefits will be reduced. For lone parents there are no penalties for not taking up employment, although they do have to attend work- focused interviews, in order to make them aware of the opportunities available to them. With regards to pensioners; pensions are uprated by prices rather than earning, the poorest pensioners do have a means- tested minimum pension guarantee that ties in with the increase in earnings. This represents a move from Universalism to selectivity. This also means that gradually pensioners will carry on falling behind workers (Powell and Hewitt, 2002). This in itself demonstrates the lack of respect for the elderly, and the fuels the argument that once someone passes working age, they are no longer deemed an integral part of society, and are pushed out of mainstream society. This essay aims to look at the provisions in place for younger people, of working age, for whom the government are trying to move into the labour market. What New Labour is trying to aim for is an active, preventative and intelligent rather than passive welfare state that encourages people to realize their potential rather than being chained to passive dependency (Powell and Hewitt, 2002). The bulk of National Insurance expenditure is on pensions, whereas for sickness and unemployment contributory benefits do still apply. JSA covers unemployment, for the first six months there is non- means tested support for hose who meet the NI contribution conditions and is linked to an agreement by claimants to take steps to secure a return to the labor market. Jobseekers allowance is no longer an Insurance benefit for the unemployed, after six months claimants remain on the benefit, and are subject to the same job search criteria, but their benefit moves onto a means- tested basis, which means any other resources (income from a partner) will reduce one's overall entitlement. In practical terms, means- tested JSA is Income support, given another title, as Income support has for some time been payable to unemployed claimants not covered by National Insurance benefits. It is still available for those out of work, who are not required to seek work under JSA rules, such as lone parents and people with disabilities and Carers. ‘Income support is a minimum income scheme for British citizens' (Alcock, 2003), payable only to those who are out of full- time employment (16 hours a week) and is reduced if there are any earning or any capital above à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3000 in total. Housing costs are not covered, but claimants who pay rent can apply to their local council for housing benefit and council tax benefit, in some cases interest payments on mortgage debts are covered. For children of parents who are in receipt of Income Support or means- tested JSA free school meals are available. A major feature of social security protection was once sickness, but in the 1980's , under the Tories support for short term sickness (up to six months) was shifted to employment, employers were expected to pay workers a minimum level, whilst they were off sick. After six months, claimants with chronic illness or disability move to Incapacity benefit (NI protection) if they meet the contribution conditions with a medical test, which requires they are incapable of ‘all work'. For those who do not satisfy the contribution condition, they are paid Income Support which is means- tested, as long as they can satisfy the conditions for Incapacity Benefit. For those in low wage employment means- tested support is also available through tax credits, payable through employers, administered by the Inland Revenue. Alcock (2003) argues that there has been a significant shift in the operation of means – tested benefits under the Labour government since 1997. Family Credit was replaced by Working Families Tax Credit, made available to a wider range of low- income families. Not only does this act as a supplement to the wages of low income workers with dependent children, it also aims to make low paid work seem more attractive, to encourage labour market participation as part of the governments commitment to promote employment. The most important of the Universal benefits is child benefit which is paid to all parent or guardians to help them with the cost or rearing children. Critics would argue that, like all Universal services, Child benefit is a waste of public resources by paying benefit to wealthy parents, who do not need this money like poorer parents do. The benefit of Universal benefits is that there is no stigma attached to being in receipt of it. Jones and Novak (1999) argue that the whole benefits system operates to control and discipline citizens rather than support and protect them. There are a number of different theories and ideologies of welfare, the main traditional theories are the Classical Liberal theory; Marxist theories and Fabian theories. Classical liberal theories are based around ideas that see freedom as absence of coercion rather than protection from misfortune and hardship. Within classical liberal thinking there are two contrasting views on the state. Traditional or negative liberal defend the individual liberty while challenging what they perceive as the arbitrary misuse of power. Negative liberals say the role of the state should be minimal. On the other hand there are positive liberals who say that the state can adopt a more constructive role in dealing with social problems. Both positive and negative liberal thinking have been influential on the modern British Conservative party. It is important to make the distinction that not all classical liberals are opposed to the welfare state. Classical liberal theory points out that unwarranted state intervention will only amplify social and economic problems since the market system will be less efficient and economic growth will slow. It is also believed that individual freedom is of paramount importance and any attempt by the state to provide fiscal help to the poor compromises that individual freedom, this is said to be done in two ways; the first is by asking those who earn wages to pay extra taxes to support the poor and secondly, by creating the conditions under which poor individuals and the state will have a relationship of dependency. Classical liberals regard the causes of poverty to be personal, rather than structural; poverty is traced to personal feelings rather than to failings of the political or economic systems. They go on to say that individual rights must be preserved at all times, and go as far to say that people have the ‘right' to be poor. Barnett (1986) stated that the welfare state was necessary for a short time, following the problems created by the Second World War; that those who supported it did not take a long term view of the countries economic needs. The welfare state is no longer beneficial. A recurring objection to the welfare state is the belief that services provide benefit to those who do not need it; such as child benefit, which is a universal benefit and it paid to everyone, regardless of earning, some would see this as a waste. Sidney and Beatrice Webb were influential figures in Fabianism, they believed that collective welfare through the state was not only essential, but an inevitable development within British capitalist society. An early example of the influence of Fabian thinking was with regards to the Poor Laws, whereby in 1905 the Royal Commission was set up to review the old Victorian support system. The significance of this was the governments' recognition that it had to implement major changes to the welfare state. Fabianism is a variant of British Socialism. The ‘New Left' is a term used to describe a broad range of differing approaches to social structure and social policy from a Marxist perspective. In general many agreed that the achievement of the welfare state in Britain was neither as desirable nor as successful as had been assumed. Marxists argued that the welfare state had not been successful in solving the social problems or the poor and of the broader working class, in practice the welfare state supported capitalism, as opposed to challenging it (Ginsburg, 1979) The New Left has been criticized for its theoretical assumptions of the assumed desirability of state welfare services, arguing that for many of the working class social security was seen as being oppressive and stigmatizing. Hayek (1944) argues that despite the overwhelming influence of Fabianism within social policy, right wing critics of state welfare had always argued against the interference of state provision with the workings of a capitalist market economy. This neo-liberal thinking was referred to by Fabians and the new left as the ‘New Right; as it was interested in returning to the classic liberal values of a laissez- faire state, which advocated for self- protecting families and communities. The main argument of the new right was that state intervention to provide welfare services, and the gradual expansion of these which Fabianism sought, merely drove up the cost of public expenditure to a point at which it began to interfere with the effective operation of a market economy (Bacon and Eltis, 1976). They claimed that this was a point that had already been reached in the 1970's , where the high levels of taxation needed for welfare services managed to reduce profits, crippled investment and driven capital overseas (Alcock, 2003). Like the New Left, the New Right also challenged the desirability of state welfare in practice, arguing that free welfare services only encouraged dependency and provided no incentive for individuals and families to protect themselves through savings and insurance (Boyson, 1971). Hayek (1982) argued that state intervention involved unwanted interference with the freedom of individuals to organize their own lives. Neo- liberal thinking is opposed to extensive state intervention to provide public services; effectively they are opposed to the ‘welfare state'. They argue that it is undesirable on ideological, political and economic grounds; that is undesirable in theory and impossible in practice. Their ideological objections to it revolve around their concern about dependency culture; by providing welfare through the state, individuals are discouraged from providing these for themselves and their families, which could in turn trap them into relying on others for support. Murray (2002) makes the point that in social security if everyone is going to be provided with a basic standard of living, this makes it an attractive option for individuals to choose this, rather than seeking paid employment. Which applies to means- tested benefits, whereby entitlement is related to an individuals' income level, this means any increase in income means a loss in benefit. Economically speaking, the welfare state is undesirable because it interferes with the free working of the market, leading to failures in markets developing properly. Although neo- liberals argue that the welfare state is not practical, most recent neo- liberal theorists agree that a safety net should be in place, as it may still be needed. Neo- liberalism, therefore still remains within the mixed economy of welfare, which is found in all modern welfare capitalist countries (Alcock, 2003). Marxist theories are based around the idea of Marx (1970) whose claim was that capitalism is an inherently oppressive economic structure in which the working class are exploited by the capitalist class through the labour market. It is argued by Marxists that Socialism or Communism is the logical and desirable alternative to the failures of both capitalist markets and the welfare state. However, they do not provide any explanation as to how this is to be achieved, except that it needs to be done revolutionarily, rather than gradually and involves the overthrowing of the existing democratic governments. This ideology has never attracted much attention in Britain, making its political potential limited here. Marxists believe that the welfare state uses taxes paid by everyone to provide services and to foster the illusion that the state is altruistic and redistributiove, whereas in actual fact the stae is preserving and reinforcing certain norms and structural relationships. Ginsburg (1979) argued that institutions of welfare operated within British society to control and suppress people as well as to provide for them; arguing that the social security system in practice stigmatized claimants and forced them into low waged employment. This criticism of the British welfare state comes from a Marxist perspective. The strength of the Marxist critique of the welfare within Capitalism is its ability to demonstrate the contradictory nature of social policy as providing social control and social protection at the same time. In 1998, New labour developed a ‘third way', Blair argued that both the right wing pro- market approaches and the old left's support from state monopolistic services should be rejected in favour of a new (third way) which would be located between the state and the market. The new labour government was not interested in whether services were best provided by the state (the old, Fabian, left) or by the market (the right) instead it was looking to find the most effective way to meet social needs; which was a practical judgement based on empirical evidence of effectiveness. Hills (1997) has pointed out that some benefits, such as child benefit, state pension and unemployment benefit for some, go to people unaffected by means- testing, and argues that further means- testing would allow spending to be better targeted. Some have argued that elimination of universal benefits would free up sizeable sums of money, which could then be spent on those that need it the most, which would mean for New Labour that they could go a little further to achieve its targeted with regards to child poverty. Eliminating Universal benefits would mean a substantial reduction in the overall cost of welfare spending, meaning the government could put more money into other areas such as the National Health Service. Social Security is the largest element of public expenditure, greater than both health and education, and accounts for 11 per cent of gross domestic product (Alcock, 2003). Social Security is an important aspect of our society, through state intervention individuals are provided with a basic standard of living, and kept out of absolute poverty. An interesting Marxist theory of the purpose of the welfare state states that the state maintains a ‘reserve army of labour' , through which a certain portion of society are kept out of work , but may be asked to join the labour force when needed. By providing these people with benefits (the unemployed, disabled and lone parents) the welfare state is serving capitalism by maintaining these groups who can be called upon at short notice. Marxists would argue that welfare constitutes social control and ‘polices' the state. They claim that the unemployed and other members of the reserve army of labour are treated harshly, to remind others of the consequences of not working. Lowe(1999) points out that the history of postwar social security was riddled with contradictions. The promise of the Beveridge report was to realize the new ideal of social security, through a simplified system of state relief without resort to the unpopular means- test, aroused immense popular enthusiasm and lay at the heart of the new values and perspectives upon which the new welfare state was initially built. Yet within ten years the social security system was no longer popular. The means test did not wither away and the system started to become so complex that it became self defeating. Social Security has both positive and negative connotations, in practice it can be seen as a benefit and by others a cost (Alcock, 2003).

Is the Octoroon a Typical Victorian Melodrama

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the genre of melodrama as, â€Å"a stage play, usually romantic and sensational in plot†, this description certainly applies to The Octoroon. It was an extremely popular form of stage drama and what I will discover is whether its themes, content and structure are typical of the Victorian period melodrama. From the first time it was presented at the start of the nineteenth century, melodrama attracted big audiences. It started out very popular with the lower classes in society but as the century progressed melodrama became appreciated by large sections of society(Leaver,444). It usually contained themes of love, murder and honour. Audiences that went to see melodrama’s were looking for cheap entertainment that was accessable for all and didn’t require a knowledge of other more sophisticated modes of drama. As the genre progressed, events on stage became more and more sensational, none more so than the burning steamboat scene in The Octoroon(Faulkner,35). Melodrama contains a few characters that are common to the majority of plays, the hero, the heroine, an old woman, an old man, a comic woman and a comic man. These characters are reproduced constantly(Booth,26). Evidence of these stereotypical characters in The Octoroon is blindingly obvious. A common component of melodrama was the upkeep of strict moral justice, and social and ideological justice aswell. This is evident in the American ending of The Octoroon, when Zoe takes poison to commit suicide, thinking that because of the society she lives in, she cannot be with her beloved George. Maybe Boucicault felt that the American audience’s sense of moral justice could not allow Zoe and George to be together. Dion Boucicault was one of the most successful and prolific dramatists of the nineteenth century. He produced a huge number of plays of which the exact number is between 135 and 400 titles (Kosok,82). He is a prominent figure in Victorian era drama and is said to belong to more than one national literature, Irish, English and the United States. He is said to have â€Å"combined sentiment, wit and local colour with sensational and spectacular endings†(Nova). His greatest successes however, were on London’s stages. Only three of his plays were to have an American setting, The Octoroon is one of these. The version of The Octoroon Boucicault used in Britain differs from the version he premiered In the U. S. A. The U. S version had a tragic ending while the London version had a happy one. At the British Premiere in the Adelphi Theatre on November 18th, 1861, to the shock of boucicault and the performers, the fifth act was hailed with boos and jeers from the crowd. Zoe’s suicide angered the British audience. They had heard that Southerners sometimes found a way around the problem of mixed-race marraiges by cutting their veins and mixing blood(Enkvist,167). Some argued that the audience had felt it wasn’t melodramatic enough, even though there was a slave sale and a burning steamboat in the play. One critic said, â€Å"Deep tragedy will not do for melodrama†. The audiences active dislike of the death of Zoe, forced Boucicault to substitute a more happier ending(Enkvist,170). At the end of the play in the London version, the mixed race couple, Zoe and George are united. The fifth act which shows Zoe’s final agony and death is simply omitted. Boucicault was perhaps showing that Victorian British audiences harboured less predjudices and could accept the marraige of a young southerner of good birth to a slave girl and see nothing unusual in that ending(Degen,76). More likely he was giving the audience what they wanted by changing the ending to one that is more appropriate to the melodramas that the Victorian public would have been used to. This ending shows me that boucicault altered his play to fit the British publics preconceptions of what a melodrama should be, therefore making it into a standard melodrama for the time. The fact that the plot in The Octoroon is based around the topic of slavery shows us that it is in someway different from other melodrama’s of the time. Slavery was a hot topic when the Octoroon was produced and some argue that it is abolitionist in its tone. Victorian melodrama’s while sensational, tended to be centered around more common everyday settings and themes. Some argue that the play is abolitionist in its tone but I disagree. Boucicault himself denied the piece was meant to be an anti-slavery statement(Degen,173). In a letter to The New York Herald in December 1859, Boucicault explains that he is not taking sides, â€Å"I have laid the scene in the South, and, as slavery is an essential element of society there, insomuch I have been obliged to admit it into my scheme. . . .I believe the drama to be a proper and very effective instrument in the discussion of all social matters. . . .It is by such means that the drama can be elevated into the social importance it deserves to enjoy. Therefore I have involved in ‘The Octoroon’ sketches of slave life, truthful I know, and I hope gentle and kind†(NY Times,6/12/1859). I think that the use and portrayl of slavery in The Octoroon is not Boucicault venting his feelings on slavery, but just the background and setting of the overall text and his honest view of the South. There are no anti-slavery tirades in the play and the villian of the piece, McClosky, is not a Southern slave-owning tyrant but an Northener(Faulkner,35). I think this shows that The Octoroon is being different from other melodramas of the time by containing a divisive topic like slavery but it is also being typical of its counterparts by not being a political piece of drama.

Create a multi-task workforce to satisfy customer demands at Etisalat Essay

Create a multi-task workforce to satisfy customer demands at Etisalat Abood - Essay Example d this project is the need to find out how Etisalat can make sure that the customer gets all the help needed and services required from the staff without bothering himself to get up from his seat. Whereas, the staff also will not need to waste their time in waiting for the customer and allow the company to get the maximum output and utilize their staff. This project goal is to have more focus on the way Etisalat needs to adopt to have better reach to customer with the best personnel customer care. This deployment and reach of customer satisfaction will guarantee customer loyalty and sustain the number of subscribers in the company with services that enhanced customers’ experience and success in increasing the number of customers will lead to growth in the revenue. Training will play an imperative role within the achievement of Etisalat’s success as a business. Every now and then business owners such as Etisalat will regularly find the accessible training is too ambiguous and not apposite to the individual requirements of the business. The preeminent return on Etisalat’s training venture will be accomplished by identifying the company’s training requirements, taking a methodical approach to finding the source of appropriate training, and enrolling its workers on the correct courses for skills needed for the job. Once Etisalat will have identified its employee skills or even knowledge gaps, the subsequent thing is to get the best training form to accomplish the results the company will want. Etisalat will try to steer clear of finding training primarily, and afterward fitting this to Etisalat workers. For best possible results, Etisalat will try to go with its preferred training alternative with the requirements of the business, along with the way its staff will learn best. Etisalat will utilize a number of training concurrently namely ‘off-the-shelf’ training courses, in-house training, job shadowing, mentoring, conferences, seminars, workshops, and

MILITARY SECURITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MILITARY SECURITY - Essay Example Both these military engagements are more similar to each other than to conventional warfare; once the bases are established in a foreign nation, a guerrilla war usually ensues much similar to a local insurgency. Military security can further be categorized in respect of its needs in and outside a military base. This categorization is based on the security dynamics of defending a stronghold and escorting a moving vehicle, crowd or even protecting civilian infrastructure. Both are essential for a military force to dominate; having a secure military base is not enough for a military to be considered successful when it is being harassed by a much smaller force in hit and run attacks. Bloody, city wide, offensives often cause millions to displace. Though this helps secure the city, the consequences are not pleasant for the security in the long term. Once the population returns to the war struck region, it is easy for the insurgents to mix up in the civilian population to infiltrate. This is a significant security challenge for the military. Wadhams reports in The Cincinnati Post, in 2004, of an insurgent infiltrating a fully guarded US security base that was protected by barbed wires and blast walls at Mosul and setting of one of the deadliest explosions. Under such circumstances, security measures often keep on changing to meet the dynamic needs. Adaptability is an essential in ‘fluid situations’, 1st Sgt. Steve Valley is reported to have said in the same report. Suicide attacks change the whole nature of security dynamics as the attacker aims to kill himself in the attack. For the conventional and nuclear warfare, the security of the personnel and equipment is foreseeable but for terrorist attacks, knowing what the enemy is capable of is solely dependent upon previous encounters and intelligence. Pappalardo (2004) reports in â€Å"National Defense† about US military as bases being equipped with chemical and biological detectors as a precaution against attacks from weapons of mass destruction. Security of military bases in the current situation is much sophisticated, especially when it comes to the smaller installations; they rely on first responders and outside help unlike the major ones which have coordination with the local authorities, be it in an occupied territory or in the home country. As the requirement puts it, smaller bases are much more in number and raise the need for sufficient security for undisrupted operations so that they can continue to operate in balance with survival and mission success. Kemp (2008) lists a series of security measures used in protecting the bases in his report on base protection in Armada International. With sufficiently trained personnel, the security measures can range from deploying simple sandbags, screens to disrupt direct line of sight, barriers and fortifications to all weather sensors, patrolling systems, anti personnel mines, counter rocket and mortar systems (C-Ram) and a com mand and control system. Intruder alarms and alertness is the key to defusing any grave situations in event of an attack. Dunigan (2011) highlights the peak utilization of private military security contractors in Victory for Hire: Private Security Companies' Impact on Military Effectiveness. This takes off the load of training and recruiting from the military and allows the military to focus

Biomolecular techniques (bitter taste perception of Research Paper - 1

Biomolecular techniques (bitter taste perception of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) - Research Paper Example The project was done to determine the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of students, and the results that were obtained were matched to those of European and Sub-Saharan cohorts. It was found allele combination of homozygous tasters, heterozygous tasters, and homozygous non-tasters were similar to those of the European cohort. This implied that the experiment was largely successful and accurate for the determination of phenotypes and genotypes of the PTC gene. The results can be used in making informed decisions with regard to dietary intake of foods rich in anti-oxidants, in planning of alternative nutrient rich meals for children that are sensitive tasters and finally it can be used by clinicians in the treatment plan of cancer or cardiovascular complications patients. Every individual is different from another, and this is attributed to their genetic make-up. The sense of taste also varies between different categories of people where, for example, some people can sense the taste of some chemicals while others are not able to. One such chemical is phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) or phenylthiourea an organic compound that tastes very bitter to some people while others are unable to taste it at all. Studies done in the past have indicated that polymorphisms in sensory receptor genes in humans can alter the perception in individuals through the coding for receptor types that are functionally distinct (Bufe et al., 2005). The ability of an individual to taste PTC depends primarily on their genetic makeup and is controlled by the PTC gene known as the TASR238 taste receptor gene, located on the chromosome 7 (7q34) and is about 1003 bp long. There are three coding SNPs that are non-synonymous within the taster TAS2R38 gene which are: rs713598–G145C, Ala49Pro; rs1726866–T785C, Val262Ala; rs10246939 – A886G, Ile296Val, and are responsible several haplotypes (Kim, et al 2005; Bufe , 2005). PTC sensitivity is a Mendelian

Globalisation of Logistics & SCM 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Globalisation of Logistics & SCM 2 - Coursework Example Jasper (2003) defined performance as the process of accomplishing given tasks that are measured against stipulated standards of completeness, accuracy, speed, and cost. Performance is considered to be fulfillment of various obligations in ways that release performers from all the liabilities under business contracts. In my journey of development, learning has played a major role in what I am today as I have been able to acquire knowledge in school and the society hence ensuring better performance in my general activities. Covey (2004) observed that anything human beings do depend partly or wholly on what they learnt either in educational institutions or the society and partly how they put the learning in their actions. People skills are the capabilities of individuals to understand themselves and ability to moderate their responses. Learning people skills has enabled me to empathize accurately, to talk effectively, and to build relationships of respect, trust and very productive interactions in my journey of development. Redmond (2004) noted that good people skills are considered as an asset in business and our daily lives as they enable us to relate and communicate to other individuals on both professional and personal levels hence the ability solve problems effectively and work together to achieve common goals and objectives. Emotional intelligence is the ability of recognizing our emotions and other individual’s feelings and discriminating between various sensations and labeling them appropriately hence enabling individuals to apply that information in thinking and changing behaviors (Redmond, 2004). Emotional intelligence has enabled me to interact with individuals of different characte rs effectively as I have been able to identify, understand, use, and manage sensations in positive ways in order to communicate efficiently, relieve stress, overcome challenges, defuse conflicts, and to empathize with other society members. I am

Oxygen releasing compounds in groundwater remediation Essay

Oxygen releasing compounds in groundwater remediation - Essay Example In the past, there have been methods enacted to treat the underground water, which in turn is used by the citizens after it gets treated. There have been many methods of treating this water for the benefit of the persons consumer; also, this water is used for irrigation of crops and also animals. Recently, there has been the physical method used to treat the water. Nevertheless, some people have been claiming that this is not appropriate water to use for consumption. The methods used, seems to be sufficient just like the biological methods too (Canadian petroleum products institute 1991, p. 88). I believe that all these methods are quite good, and many people believe that the use of the physical method is appropriate and commendable since there are not many chemicals used or none at all. Pump and rate have been the most commonly used method of treating the underground water. It has been the most globally used remediation technology. This method has been considered to be the most suitable among all and not expensive. It is not costly compared to other physical methods of the purifying underground water (Wheeler & Adams 1905, p. 55). This method involves the process of pumping the water from underground to the surface and later, the water gets treated using biological treatment. There is also another physical method that can be used, which is known as the air sparking method. It is a very interesting method whereby, the air is usually bowed directly to the ground water and as the bubbles rise, the impurities get removed from the water and the impunities are directed to the soil, which calls the to another work to treat the soil. There has been also another method that could be used as a physical method. The Dual vacuum extraction. To avoid people being infected with t he deadly contamination, they can be used with the bioaugmentation method that increases the enzyme reactive concentration in the system to fight the germs rate in the water.

Can Video Games be Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Can Video Games be Art - Essay Example Different critics have argued that generally, games cannot be considered as forms of art. These include film critics such as Roger Ebert and art critics such as Jonathan Jones. The argument of these critics against qualification of video games as art mainly draws from a philosophical point of view (â€Å"The Guardian† WEB). However, the recent criticism of Robert Ebert about video games was countered by the US government, which emphasized that video games are a form of art (Tassi WEB). Regardless of all the controversies surrounding video games and their authenticity as an art form, there are those individuals, who like to identify with video games, and are greatly involved in playing them. Such individuals support video games, and most think of it as a form of art, despite what the critics might say about video games. An example of such individuals is Blissel Tom, a popular author of the book Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. He is a man that is obsessed with video games, and confesses publicly, how he can spend many hours playing video games. Blissel is convinced that video games is a form of art, and in his book, he refers to video games as an art form. According to him, video games are an important art form. Recently, I met one of my childhood friends, who lives in a different state. I learnt that he has taken up video games seriously, and he loves playing them whenever he is free. I talked with him lengthily about video games, and realized that he is well informed about video games. When we separated back while still young children, my friend had not been exposed to video games, and had never played them. However, several years down the line, he presents himself as an ardent fan of video games, and comes out as being obsessed with video games and being knowledgeable about them. He too considers video games as an art form, since like other art forms; it requires skills and talent to play them. Besides the Federal Government, which has categorized video games under the other traditional art forms, the Smithsonian American Art Museum also considers video games as an art form. Previously, this museum undertook seven consecutive months hosting an exhibition, which they called ‘The Art of Video Games.’ In this exhibition, the museum aimed at celebrating video games as an art form, which has existed in homes for an approximate 40 years (â€Å"Smithsonian American Art Museum† WEB). According to Jewell, video games today have revolutionized, and cannot compare to those of the past decades. She notes that these are an amalgamation of all the different types of the traditional art forms (WEB). These views coincide with Blissel’s views, as all these consider video games as art. According to Blissel (350), video games are an important part of a person’s social life. In his book Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter, Blissel sharply argues against the critics of video games, including those who do not cons ider video games as an art form. In the cultural aspect, Blissel considers video games as important as other art forms in the society, and equal to them in capacity. In his book, Blissel compared video games to traditional art forms such as movies, and novels. In Blissel’s comparison of video games with other traditional art forms, he finds out that video games have both a positive and

Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Taxation - Essay Example Taxation in essence is a system created in order to fuel the society, a manner of giving back to society for its protection. This however is not the case in modern times. Governments use taxation to run the national affairs. One thing which has still not changed is using taxation to fund wars. This practice was carried out by empires thosands of years ago and is still in pratice today. An income tax is a tax levied on the income of corporations or individuals. The amounts of tax is determined by not a fixed amount but by a percentage. This means that the tax would increase as the income increase. In most economies there are different tax brackets. This would mean that a certain percentage would be charged for an income of a certain level, however as the income would cross that threshold the tax rate would increase. There are four different types of income taxes based on sources of funds accquired i.e. personal income tax, corporate income tax, capital gain tax, payroll tax and inheretence tax. The idea of income tax is not just to aquire money to run the society (government) but also to keep a check on earnings of the rich. This system of check and balance ensures that a share is given back to welfare of state. Inflation is also controlled through this mechanism. Moreover incomes taxes can be progressive, regressive or proportional. Sales tax is a form of consumption tax. Unlike the income tax it is not applicable when you earn but only when you spend. This is because although the tax is paid by sellers of commodities, it is not in fact actually paid by them. A typical example can be buying your favorite perfume from a shopping mall. When the payment is made there is a few extra pounds charged above the selling price. This is the sales tax; the perfume seller will pay this amount to the government. The income tax would still apply on the seller on his profits and would be collected separately. Adam Smith

Most of the civilizations discussed in this section of class were Essay

Most of the civilizations discussed in this section of class were established on major rivers - Essay Example These were made of perfectly curved blocks whose construction have remained a mystery since it is not known how the builders carried the over five tones of building materials to the top of the building. Another technology included the production of dyes and inks by the use of plants, soot gum, fish and water. There were also water and sundial clocks. The seasonal flooding of the River Nile resulted in the deposition of fertile silt from the deserts thereby promoting agriculture along the river (Spielvogel, 2009). The Egyptians ploughed using human and animal drought machinery. Since the River Nile was prone to seasonal flooding, trenches were constructed to guide water to crops hence promoting basin irrigation. Agrarianism was a major practice in the ancient Egypt. The communities in the Upper Nile however carried out fishing, hunting and gathering as their major economic activities (Spielvogel, 2011). They hunted Zebras and cattle to bring food into the Nile. Agricultural products, game meat and fish were traded amongst themselves on a barter trade basis. The hunters and gatherers exchanged their game meat with farm products from the agrarian communities. This was because there was no trade and cultural diffusion between Egypt and the surrounding countries at that time. The river did not only provide water for irrigation and fish, but also provided a means of transport. The communities around the Nile used boats to travel along the river from one settlement to another (Quie & Bell, 2011). Winds helped boats travel against the river current and along the river. For fear that large boats would capsize; the Upper Nile communities used small boats such as canoes to travel through the region. Egyptian social system was strict and the government was centralized; it was divided into social classes in the order of the Pharaoh, Pharaoh’s family and relatives, nobles, priests, scribes, soldiers, workers, peasants, foreigners and slaves. In

The Tell Tale Heart Essay Essay Example for Free

The Tell Tale Heart Essay Essay In Poes The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator claims that he is not mad but his behavior tells a different story. He is truly determined to destroy another male human being, not because of jealousy or animosity but because one of his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale blue eye, with a film over it (1206). The narrator sees the man with this ghastly eye as a threat to his well being, but it is he who is a menace to his own being. He kills the man with pride only to concede to his horrific crime due to his guilt-ridden heart. His heart is empty, except for the evil that exists inside which ultimately destroys him. The narrator insists that it his duty to kill the man with the evil eye because he can no longer bear to observe the horrifying sight. He has become obsessed with the eye and when he conceives his ultimate plan he says it haunted me day and night (1206). Just as he describes the mans eye as similar to that of a vulture, the narrator suddenly bares the resemblance of a true vulture. He is now a predaSymbolism in Edgar Allen Poes The Tell-Tale Heart In Poes The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator claims that he is not mad but his behavior tells a different story. He is truly determined to destroy another male human being, not because of jealousy or animosity but because one of his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale blue eye, with a film over it (1206). The narrator sees the man with this ghastly eye as a threat to his well being, but it is he who is a menace to his own being. He kills the man with pride only to concede to his horrific crime due to his guilt-ridden heart. His heart is empty, except for the evil that exists inside which ultimately destroys him. The narrator insists that it his duty to kill the man with the evil eye because he can no longer bear to observe the horrifying sight. He has become obsessed with the eye and when he conceives his ultimate plan he says it haunted me day and night (1206). Just as he describes the mans eye as similar to that of a vulture, the narrator suddenly bares the resemblance of a true vulture. He is now a predaSymbolism in Edgar Allen Poes The Tell-Tale Heart In Poes The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator claims that he is not mad but his behavior tells a different story. He is truly determined to destroy another male human being, not because of jealousy or animosity but because one of his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale blue eye, with a film over it (1206). The narrator sees the man with this ghastly eye as a threat to his well being, but it is he who is a menace to his own being. He kills the man with pride only to concede to his horrific crime due to his guilt-ridden heart. His heart is empty, except for the evil that exists inside which ultimately destroys him. The narrator insists that it his duty to kill the man with the evil eye because he can no longer bear to observe the horrifying sight. He has become obsessed with the eye and when he conceives his ultimate plan he says it haunted me day and night (1206). Just as he describes the mans eye as similar to that of a vulture, the narrator suddenly bares the resemblance of a true vulture. He is now a predaSymbolism in Edgar Allen Poes The Tell-Tale Heart In Poes The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator claims that he is not mad but his behavior tells a different story. He is truly determined to destroy another male human being, not because of jealousy or animosity but because one of his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale blue eye, with a film over it (1206). The narrator sees the man with this ghastly eye as a threat to his well being, but it is he who is a menace to his own being. He kills the man with pride only to concede to his horrific crime due to his guilt-ridden heart. His heart is empty, except for the evil that exists inside which ultimately destroys him. The narrator insists that it his duty to kill the man with the evil eye because he can no longer bear to observe the horrifying sight. He has become obsessed with the eye and when he conceives his ultimate plan he says it haunted me day and night (1206). Just as he describes the mans eye as similar to that of a vulture, the narrator suddenly bares the resemblance of a true vulture. He is now a predaSymbolism in Edgar Allen Poes The Tell-Tale Heart In Poes The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator claims that he is not mad but his behavior tells a different story. He is truly determined to destroy another male human being, not because of jealousy or animosity but because one of his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale blue eye, with a film over it (1206). The narrator sees the man with this ghastly eye as a threat to his well being, but it is he who is a menace to his own being. He kills the man with pride only to concede to his horrific crime due to his guilt-ridden heart. His heart is empty, except for the evil that exists inside which ultimately destroys him. The narrator insists that it his duty to kill the man with the evil eye because he can no longer bear to observe the horrifying sight. He has become obsessed with the eye and when he conceives his ultimate plan he says it haunted me day and night (1206). Just as he describes the mans eye as similar to that of a vulture, the narrator suddenly bares the resemblance of a true vulture. He is now a preda

Indian Premier League Marketing Case Study

Indian Premier League Marketing Case Study Cricket is just one of those many sports which was conceived by the English and perfected by the world; the Indian Premier League is just an extension of this phenomenon. The Twenty 20 format was invented in England in 2003 but it really took off when the master strategist that is Lalit Modi took it upon himself to take this format a step higher into crickets first franchise based sports event. In late June 2007 Lalit Modi who was then Vice-President of the Board of Cricket Control for India spoke to Andrew Wildblood of the International Management Group (IMG), a company with a vast experience in the whole area of sports management. IMG and Lalit Modi then sat down to discuss this model and finally came up with the idea that is the IPL in its current format. The idea behind creating city based teams was based on the model present in sports in US and UK. IMG designed the IPL after an intensive study of the primary sporting leagues around the world such as the NHL, NBA, NFL and EPL. They examined the theoretical models and also the result and impact of each of these leagues before arriving at the final blueprint. As in most other areas, there were at least as many learnings from the shortcomings and weaknesses as there were in the strengths and benefits mapped to the individual market contexts. What has finally emerged as the IPL design is one that has been meticulously refined to work for cricket.The league structure has been modeled so as to flourish in the uniquely Indian context, and drive the development of grassroots talent in Indian cricket. The idea had all the ingredients to be a success. The best cricket players of the world, fans from around the world and a dollop of glamour due to the presence of Bollywood celebrities, corporates and Indian politicos. The IPL was the first of its kind sports extravaganza of its kind, prior to this India has been fed a steady diet of 50 overs and test cricket. This kind of model which is common in the west but a first of its kind in India provided many new avenues for all the stakeholders. The grand old game of Cricket has undergone several makeovers in its history. Test cricket was followed by 60 over one dayers which later became 50 overs. The all white strip of the 70s gave way to the colored clothing and day-night matches of the Kerry Packer era. The Twenty 20 format which originated in England was devised to bring back the crowds in English County Cricket. The game in England was going through a major crisis and the introduction of T20 was instrumental in bringing a much needed dose of excitement in the game. Once again English were left to marvel as the sport they had created in their own backyard was spun into the Great Indian Tamasha by Lalit Modi and his comrades. Commercialization of IPL: Indian Premier League (IPL) has defined a new set of paradigm to do business in the Indian landscape. This was bound to happen someday, looking at the craze for the cricket in this country. IPL is not a yet another cricket extravaganza but an event where money is spun around with many different angles and huge stakes are involved in it. IPL has corporatized cricket in a unique way. It has added a new dimension of marketing and branding the sport in India. IPL is a business which has big economy of scale. India has seen the success of different businesses and the organizations or entrepreneurs running them and now it is the turn of IPL. Overall IPL itself has become a big brand under the leadership of Top management and it is a matter of interest that how it has been done as compared to the failure of its rival league ICL. The Value Positioning of IPL is Fast and Quick Entertainment Which has its own pros and cons according to the test and 50-50 Over Cricket Fraternity. The Making of the Franchises: The biggest USP of the Indian Premier League is that, here the teams are run and managed by various corporate houses or Bollywood celebrities. The owners of the teams went through a bidding procedure to buy the teams and after that, the cricketers were also put up forauction. The managements of the teams took part in the auction and bid for their desired cricketers, with a view to make their team the strongest one among all others. Cricketers from around the world, including the Indian cricketers were put up for auction. The BCCI actually followed the format of England`s most popular football event, the Barclays English Premier League (EPL) for governing the rules and regulations of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Right from the ownership of the franchises to the games themselves, IPL saw an exciting cocktail of Cricket, Bollywood and Business Barons. The people involved in buying these franchises were the whos who of Bollywood and Indian Business Houses.The winning  bidders  for the eight  franchises  were declared on 24 January 2008.   The total base price for the auction was US $400 million but the auction went on to fetch US $723.59 million.On March 21, 2010,  Pune  and  Kochi  were unveiled as the two new franchises for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League. The base price this time around was $225 million. While Pune was bought by Sahara Adventure Sports Group for $370 million, the Kochi franchise was bought by Rendezvous Sports World Limited for $333.3 million. The process was to have been completed on March 7 but was postponed by two weeks after many bidders and the  BCCI  objected to stiff financial clauses. The second franchise auction fetched total $703 million. This auction brought a lot of attention towards the IPL for the alleged involvement of Union Cabinet Minister ShashiTharoor . His involvement in trying to tip the scales in the favor of a particular consortium created much furore in the media Open Auction for Individual Players: Highest bidder becomes the buyer. Each player has a base annual fee which is on a pro-rata basis depending on his availability. Each IPL franchise has a max limit to spend on bidding for players. Franchise Owner(s) Captain Price (USD) Price (Rupees) Mumbai Indians Mukesh Ambani  (Reliance Industries) Sachin Tendulkar $ 112.9 m Rs. 441 Cr Royal Challengers Bangalore Vijay Mallya  (UB Group) Anil Kumble $ 111.6  m Rs. 440 Cr Deccan  Chargers Deccan Chronicle  (Venkat Ram Reddy) Adam Gilchrist $ 107.0   m Rs. 422 Cr Chennai Super Kings India Cements  (N.Srinivasan) Mahendra Singh Dhoni $ 91.90 m Rs. 359 Cr Delhi Daredevils GMR Group( G.M Rao) Gautam Gambhir $ 84.0 m Rs. 331 Cr Kings XI Punjab Ness Wadia  (Bombay Dyeing),  Priety Zinta, Mohit Burman (Dabur) and Karan Paul (Apeejay Surendera Group) Kumar Sangakkara $ 76.0 m Rs. 300 Cr Kolkata Knight Riders Red Chillies Entertainment  (Shahrukh Khan,  Gauri Khan,  Juhi Chawlaand  Jai Mehta) Saurav Ganguly $ 75.1 m Rs. 296 Cr Rajasthan Royals Emerging Media (Lachlan Murdoch, A.R Jha and Suresh Chellaram), Ultra tech cements, Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra Shane Warne $ 67.0 m Rs. 264 Cr Pune Sahara Adventure Sports Group TBD $ 370 m Rs. 1702 Cr Kochi Rendezvous Sports World Limited TBD $ 333.3 m Rs. 1533 Cr Economics of IPL Television rights and sponsorships: The IPL is predicted to bring the BCCI income of approximately  US$1.6 billion, over a period of five to ten years. All of these revenues are directed to a central pool, 40% of which will go to IPL itself, 54% to franchisees and 6% as prize money. The money will be distributed in these proportions until 2017, after which the share of IPL will be 50%, franchisees 45% and prize money 5%. The IPL signed up  Kingfisher Airlines  as the official umpire partner for the series in a  Rs.  106 crore (1.06 billion) deal. This deal sees the Kingfisher Airlines brand on all umpires uniforms and also on the giant screens during  third umpire  decisions Television rights: On 15 January 2008 it was announced that a consortium consisting of  Indias  Sony Entertainment Television  network and  Singapore-based  World Sport Group  secured the global broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier League.  The record deal has duration of ten years at a cost of US $1.026 billion. As part of the deal, the consortium will pay the BCCI US $918 million for the television broadcast rights and US $108 million for the promotion of the tournament.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  This deal was challenged in the Bombay High Court by IPL, and got the ruling on its side. After losing the battle in court,  Sony Entertainment Television  signed a new contract with BCCI with  Sony Entertainment Television  paying a staggering  Rs.  8700 crores for 10 years. Sony-WSG then re-sold parts of the broadcasting rights geographically to other companies. Below is a summary of the broadcasting rights around the world. On 4 March 2010 ITV announced it had secured the United Kingdom television rights for the 2010 Indian Premier League. ITV will televise 59 of the 60 IPL matches on its ITV4 free to air channel. Sony charges Rs 4-5 lakh per 10 seconds, (top soaps charge Rs 1.5 lakh per 10 seconds). According to Television Audience Measurement (TAM), the average Television Rating Points (TRP) of the first 14 matches in Season 1 was 4.97; in Season 2 it was 4.52, and in Season 3 its grown to 4.69. If IPL-1 reached 77 million people in the first 14 matches, IPL-2 went to 96 million and IPL-3 is at 108 million. The ratings have also raised team earnings. Winning Bidder Regional Broadcast Rights Sony/World Sport Group Global Rights,  India ONE HD Free-to-air HD and SD television in  Australia. Owned by Network TEN. Sky Network Television New Zealand  broadcast rights PCCW Hong Kong  broadcast rights, broadcast on Now Sports. StarHub Singapore  broadcast rights, broadcast on Cricket Extra. Astro Malaysia  broadcast rights on Astro Box Office Sport. SuperSport South Africa,  Central Africa  and  Nigeria  broadcast rights. Arab Digital Distribution Middle East  broadcast rights on ADDs  CricOne. Broadcast to  United Arab Emirates,   Bahrain,   Iran,   Iraq,  Jordan,  Kuwait,  Lebanon,   Oman,  Qatar,   Palestine,  Saudi Arabia,  Syria,  Turkey, Algeria,  Morocco,  Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan,  Libya  and  Nigeria. GEO Super Pakistan  broadcast rights Willow TV Rights to distribute on  television,  radio,  broadband  and  Internet, for the IPL in North America. DirecTV United States  Exclusive broadcast rights on Cricket Ticket. Asian Television Network Canadian  broadcast rights. Aired on Pay-per-view channel. Aired on  XM Radios ATN-Asian Radio  as well. Sports Max Caribbean  broadcast rights. ITV United Kingdom  broadcast rights, broadcast on  ITV4. Sponsorships: Indias biggest property developer  DLF Group  paid US$50 million to be the title sponsor of the tournament for 5 years from 2008 to 2013.Other five-year sponsorship agreements include a deal with motorcycle maker Hero Honda worth $22.5-million, one with PepsiCo worth $12.5-million, and a deal with beer and airline conglomerate Kingfisher at $26.5-million. Revenue and Profits: The UK-based brand consultancy, Brand Finance, has valued the IPL at $4.13 billion in 2010.  It was valued at U$2.01 billion in 2009 by the same consultancy. There are disputed figures for the profitability of the teams. One analyst said that four teams out of the eight made a profit in 2009.]While the London Times said that all but  Kings XI Punjab  made a profit. In 2010, the IPL expects to have 80 official merchandising deals. It has signed a deal with  Swiss  watchmaker Bandelier to make official watches for the IPL. Official IPL applications: DCI Mobile Studios (A division of Dot Com Infoway Limited), in conjunction with Sigma Ventures of  Singapore, have jointly acquired the rights to be the exclusive Mobile Application partner and rights holder for the Indian Premier League cricket matches worldwide for the next 8 years (including the 2017 season). Recently, they have released the IPL T20 Mobile applications for  iPhone,  Nokia  Smartphonesand  Blackberry  devices. Soon it will be made available across all other major Mobile platforms including the  Android,  Windows Mobile,  Palm   others. How Does IPL make Money? Auction of broadcasting rights. Title sponsorship and corporate sponsorship. Sale of Tickets (20% allocated to IPL). Auction of Franchisee rights. Official Umpires sponsorships. How is the Income Distributed? Share of the broadcasting money with franchisees. Share of the sponsorship money with franchisees. Share of ticket money with franchisees. Inauguration expenses. Prize Money. Sources of Income for an IPL Franchise (ROI) Share in revenue from the broadcasting rights. Share in the sponsorship money. Share in revenue from the sale of tickets. Revenue from In-stadium Advertising. Sale of Players to other franchise. Revenue from own sponsorship and corporate sponsorship. How is the franchise income distributed? Franchisee fees: 10% of the total franchisee costs every year to IPL. Players cost. Match fees and Inauguration expenses. Rent of Stadium. Marketing and promotional cost. Fees for coaches, physiotherapists and other members. Administrative cost. Franchisees can earn profit in IPL as Team owners get 80% of broadcast revenues, 60% of sponsorship revenues, 100% of team sponsorship revenues, 80% of ticket revenues, 87.5% of all merchandising revenues, and 100% of all hospitality revenues. Brand Finance, which came out with IPL brands latest valuation at $ 4.13 billion, said that the brand alone has risen significantly, providing tremendous economic value to its owner, BCCI. Although the English Premier League is valued much higher at $12 billion, the IPLs valuation has risen above $4 billion in just three years, Brand Finance pointed out. Indian Premier League would generate revenue of $1 billion this season, thanks to huge fan following across the globe, attracting a large number of advertisers. Indian Premier Leagues brand value has more than doubled to $4.13 billion (over Rs 18,000 crores), while Chennai Super Kings has emerged the most valued franchise this year, says a study. Ranked fourth last year, Chennai Super Kings led by MS Dhoni has moved to number one with a valuation of $48.4 million, followed by Shahrukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders ($46 million) and Shilpa Shettys Rajasthan Royals ($45.2 million). The valuation of teams pale in comparison to the IPL brand itself, which has more than doubled from last years $2.01 billion. The individual franchisees have also seen a fair amount of uplift in value since last year. Vijay Mallya-promoted Royal Challengers Bangalore is ranked fourth this year with a valuation of $41.9 million and is followed by Nita Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians ($40.8 million), Delhi Daredevils ($40.5 million), Kings XI Punjab ($36.1 million) and Hyderabad Deccan Chargers at the bottom with a valuation of $34.4 million. Consider this. Chelsea, one of the wealthiest, most powerful football clubs in Europe the Premiership giants, who were bought by Russian oligarch Roman Abrahmovic for  £140 million (Rs 966 crores) in one of the most high-profile takeovers in international sport in 2003, would appear a mid-table struggler if compared to the  £246.35 million (Rs 1,702 crores) Sahara splashed out to buy the Pune team. While it is almost certain that Rendezvous Sports pumping in money for a Kochi-based T20 franchise sounds the death knell for Keralas traditional favorite, football, at Rs 1,533 crores, the cricketing venture heads both Chelsea and Liverpool, which was taken over by US ice-hockey team owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks for  £219m (Rs 1,511 crores) in February 2007. It should be noted that seven seasons ago, the Russian oligarch was paying the amount he did for an established brand, one that was almost a century old, while the Indians paid these astronomical sums merely to gain entry into what is still a fledgling venture, which recently began only its third season. THIRD SEASON VALUATION: The crowds are swelling, with experts estimating a 25 per cent jump in gate money. In Season 1, higher-end ticket sellers like the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils earned Rs 15 crore each. Gate money for bigger franchises could hit Rs 20 crore this season. The gross revenues from gate money, television advertising and sponsorships on an IPL double-header day, industry experts say, could touch Rs 40 crore. Marketing Strategy: IPL The DLF Indian premier league is a concept sell. It is clearly observed that IPL is a perfect example of controversy marketing Strategies: Auctioning the franchisees. Auctioning the players participating in the IPL tournament. Advertisements on various TV and radio channels. Cheerleaders were one of the most important thing that is talked about, foreign girls attracted huge crowd. Worldwide telecast. Locations: the venue chosen for the cricket matches was a strategic choice of places which are named after franchisees, which helped attract people. Conflicts with some media partners and some other cricket boards again demanded the attention of people. Timing: IPL has shown its strategic application of intellect by choosing the evening time for the matches, which made people watch game comfortably. ICL: the rival ICL had been one of the reasons for the publicity and emergence of IPL. People started comparing the IPL ICL that caused the huge publicity for the IPL Opening ceremony gala, Live Concerts. Franchises taken by film stars like Shahrukh Khan, Pretty Zinta and JuhiChawlaetc are the center for attraction, which made some Bollywood stars come for the game. Use of models and Bollywood stars for anchoring and promotion of teams like Akshay Kumar for Delhi daredevils, Shahrukh khan for Kolkata Knight Riders. The commentators were not less than PROs, use of phrases that pleased sponsors and made them pay more. Example: for every six it was a DLF Maximum, for every special moment it was city moment of success. Advantages and Disadvantages Players: Advantages Disadvantages Earn at least Rs 80 Lakhs ($200000) or more per season on average. Due to the tight schedule of international cricket, Chances of injury lowers the tenure of career. Bonuses and Prize Money from Team owners. Neglecting other forms of cricket A great stage to show case skills and compete with the best in the world. Fast game. Stamina and patience to build an innings and bowl tirelessly to get wickets is lost. The top 4 highest earning international cricketers are Indians, with the captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, leading the way with annual earnings estimated at US$10m, Tendulkar at US$8m, Yuvraj and Dravid earning in excess of US$5m. Franchise: Advantages Disadvantages Using the cricket property to promote other businesses. Financial Loss if the IPL fails to take off. Prize money if the team wins. Franchises Pays the team and financial costs i.e. Cost of acquisition. They earn from the share in revenue from IPL. Promotional expenses have to be paid by franchises. They also pay the franchisee fee e.g. RCB has to pay $11.16m p.a. for 10 years. Sponsors: Advantages Disadvantages Spot rate charged from advertisers of IPL. Spot Rate may go down if any IPL season is not a blockbuster. Improves customer base. Too much reputation at stake tied to the fortunes of the franchise teams as a whole. Sponsors get branding and recognition. BCCI: Advantages Disadvantages The BCCI makes good money solely from the sale of TV rights, promotion and franchises. May forget to put efforts to promote other forms of cricket Domestic and Test Cricket. Got a great source of revenue. Viewers: Advantages Disadvantages Unlimited Masti and entertainment. Chances of family fights over Channel viewer ship. A great arsenal to make the case strong against the Saas Bahu fans in the family. Capital costs in terms of additional investment in television sets. A very good reason to increase productivity in office Return home by 8 pm.

Four Causes And The Problem Of Change

Four Causes And The Problem Of Change Once a buffalo entered a field and began to destroy it. Suddenly the owner of the field saw it, took the stick, and hit the buffalo. The buffalo ran away from the field. Here we see two actions taking place, firstly the owner hitting the buffalo, which we can call as the cause and the second action is the buffalo running away from the field, which we can call the effect. Therefore, there is a clear relationship between these two actions or events. The word cause gives us the clear meaning that anything responsible for change, motion, or action,  [1]  as we saw in the above action. There are many philosophers who spoke about the cause especially Aristotle. He explains what cause is. Why there are causes? In order to make us understand He wrote about four important causes because, whatever he saw on the earth he began to question why? Therefore, the outcome of this question is the theory of causality and the problem of change. In this assignment, I would like to go in depth into Ar istotles theory of four causes and the problem of change. Because in this universe the Non- livings and the livings do not remain the same; rather they change in anything and everything. Aristotles theory of four causes and the problem of change As we know, Aristotle is one of the great Greek philosophers. He studied under Plato. He has written many books on many subjects. He is a father of many subjects like logic, political science, etc. Aristotle was convinced about his ideas and thoughts that is why he did not agree with some of the ideas of his guru and even with the other philosophers like Parmenides arguments. Plato believed in the world of ideas, for him the idea and the form were real. However, For Aristotle the individual things were real, he believed in the world of reality. Since he believed in the world of reality, he saw on this earth many beings so he called them as substances. Aristotle says, The substance is a unity of form and matter. Substances undergo two types of changes: accidental and radical.  [2]  Since he spoke about changes, there was a clash between Parmenides and Aristotle. The Greek philosopher Parmenides said, Reality is one and stable,  [3]  that means there cannot be any change. In other words, In reality there is no change at all; all change is mere appearance; because reality is one, which is unchanging.  [4]  Because Parmenides believed that there are only two possibilities, they are being and non-being. According to Parmenides if there is something then only something comes out and if there is nothing how can you expect something? The problem was that later he said that from being no being comes because He has no idea of potentiality in being. However, Aristotle says, every being has potentiality therefore there is change in everything. Since Aristotle said about the change, he had to bring out the proper arguments. Therefore, He began to explain by giving theory of four causes and the problem of change. Aristotle begins his arguments by saying that If something comes to be it must be rooted in something. It cannot be rooted in nothing. But also it cannot be rooted in itself. So it must be rooted in a potentiality that something has for a range of (opposite, contrary) properties.  [5]  What he says is true because nothing can come from nothing rather. For example if you have an apple then only you can cut it and give it to others if we do not have how can we think of giving to others. Similarly, if we want something to come then there has to be something. A something that exists he calls them as substance. This substance under goes two types of changes as I mentioned earlier. He calls them as accidental change. In this type, a sculptor goes to sculpt a statue from a marble; there he realizes that inside that marble the statue exists. From this incident, Aristotle discovers the concept of potency. The word potency means the ability or the power. For instance, the marble has the po tency to become a statue. Finally, he concludes by saying every being has the potency to change. He calls another change as the substantial change. In which an animal is dead and the other animal eats the dead animal here substance turns to something different which is not the same. Finally, with these incidents Aristotle comes to conclusion that the substance undergoes changes. These substances are functioned by four causes. Now let us see the theory of the four causes by Aristotle. The material cause: material cause deals with whatness of the substance. In other words, what an object or matter consists is a material cause. Every substance or object under goes a change, that receives a new form or a new look. We can take an example a carpenter makes a table out of wood. This we can call as an accidental change. We can take an another example a jack fruit is fallen down and a monkey begins to eat now the jack fruit is no more a jack fruit rather it is a part of that monkey. This kind of change we can call as a substantial change because the substance loses its original form and becomes something else; this is very common in this world because every day the animals, plants etc die, they become different forms. Therefore, this kind of change we can call as a material cause. I personally understand material cause as, in this universe whatever that exists has the matter and the form. The thing what it is I would call it as the material cause. Even when a new thing co mes out and that new thing has identified by what it is therefore I would agree with Aristotle. The formal cause: In this cause, the word formal itself gives us the idea of a form. As we read in the beginning there is no matter without form and no form without matter. Any wood is a substance and it is made of matter and the form. For example a brick, when a man makes the brick by giving the proper shape to it then only it becomes as a brick and secondly he has the idea of the brick in his mind therefore he makes the brick. According to the formal cause, the word form itself gives us the idea, that which exists should have the form. So similarly, a person has the idea of a brick in his mind and makes the brick. When the same bricks have arranged in proper order to build a house it has called as the formal cause. If a builder uses the bricks however he wants the wall will not rise and even if it rises it collapses. Similarly, if the librarian does not arrange the books in proper order then it will be something else but if the librarian arranges the books in the cupboard then it t akes a better look and the shape. It has called as the formal cause. Finally, I want to say in simple words that the idea or the imagination that the maker has in his mind, the characteristics of the object that the maker or the designer gives to a thing can be called as the formal cause. The Efficient cause: the efficient cause is the effort and the work of the designer or the agent, which changes the object. It means how the designer plans and what are the instruments he uses, how much hard he works counted in the efficient cause. So the efficient cause begins with the agent or the designer. In other words, that from which the change or the freedom from change first begins, e.g. the adviser is a cause of the action, and the father a cause of the child.  [6]  I would like to explain it through an example. I am going to a pond and collecting some clay and I prepare a beautiful statue. Here my effort and the force, which I used to make the statue, is the reason for the efficient cause. In this example, I have an idea of a statue and since I have an idea, I make the statue. It is because of my effort and hard work that a new statue comes to existence. I would say that it is an important cause because of this cause; a new thing comes to exist. The final cause: the final cause is an important cause in which a new thing exists. Here a question arises why the agent or the designer made this thing for example the same story of mine making a pot out of clay. I make the pot because I wanted to keep it in my house in order to make use of cooking and to keep water in it. Similarly, a carpenter makes chair in order to sit on the chair. I walk everyday because it is necessary for my health so the final cause is the purpose for which the change takes place. Therefore, there is a clear connection between all these four causes. These are the four causes of Aristotle. Later another great Christian philosopher Thomas Aquinas adds one more cause to these four causes. Which is called as an exemplary cause. Exemplary causality is the casual influence exercised by a model or an exemplar on the operation.  [7]  If I take the same example of the clay and the statue here, first I have an idea in my mind therefore I make the statue. This idea in the mind we can call as the exemplary cause. However, it may have the same resemblance of the other causes but it deals with the idea. It guides the inner intellect. Aristotles causes were mainly on actuality but Aquinass cause is on potentiality and actuality that means on idea and the actual factor. Since Aristotle also dealt about this, Aquinas gives more importance on idea, which he calls as essence. Since he added to the theory of Aristotle on existence and essence, Aristotles theory took a better form and got more value than earlier. Finally, Aristotle concludes his theory of four causes by saying there is cause and effect, everything under goes a change. As I mentioned in the beginning Aristotle saw everything that exists and asked why these are in this way. This made him to find out why everything changes in this world. Finally, when he finds out the reasons for change he concludes by saying that there must be somebody who is a supreme mover and the cause for a change. Because according to his theory if there is a watch there must be a designer or the Watchmaker, similarly when there is a change in everything there must be someone who is a cause maker. Aristotle calls him as a prime mover. He also believes that the prime mover is the final cause and he is unchangeable, because he has no form. For Aristotle the prime mover is divine. After long arguments and disagreements with other philosophers Aristotle says, in the universe everything changes. The whole universe depends on the prime mover and he is cause for all the changes, which take place. He is the ultimate cause or the prime mover. Aristotle calls him as a supreme being or the supreme mover but the great Christian philosopher Thomas Aquinas calls him as a God. I too agree with Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle because both believe in the divinity. Since I believe that if I have something then must be a creator of that so when I say this universe exists it is sure that the creator of the universe exists. I also agree that in this universe everything changes. God is the prime mover. Conclusion I would conclude by saying that the four causes of Aristotle and the other one cause by Thomas Aquinas are the main reasons, which affects an object. The five causes play an important role in everything that exists in the universe. All these causes linked to each other. Each and everything that exists on this universe has a purpose that is why all the causes explain to us the existence of the beings. These beings undergo a change. God is the ultimate change maker or the beginner of all the causes.