Justice and the Island of Tagg PowerPoint Presentation

Justice and the Island of Tagg - PowerPoint Presentation Example Unjust laws deny citizens the right to utilize public resources for their own benefit. The council of elders should scrap laws that discriminate on gender in the island of Tagg. Laws that compel the state to make decisions on behalf of the citizens of the island of Tagg should be rejected because they are unjust. Authorities ought to repeal laws that prohibit freedom of expression among citizens of the island of Tagg. Repealing the laws benefits the public by giving them the right to access information. Laws that allow authorities to refute the public the privilege to access vital information are unjust because they create tension and anxiety among members of the public. According to Sandel (2007), a law is unjust based on an individuals’ rational thinking.    Comparison between just and unjust laws   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Walzer, (2006), Laws are constructed social limitations to human behavior. They are devised to ensure order in the society.   Each individual in the island is held responsible for maintaining the laws of the land. Laws can be just or unjust.   In the case of Tugg Island, a just law is the one seen to represent an individuals and the society equitably. It elevates the human personality no matter the race, status or gender.   It is rooted in the moral and religious laws of the people. An unjust law is one that is in disharmony with the moral laws (Sandel, 2007). For a law to be just one must have an understanding of the wrong they did and the punishment or reward should commensurate to the offence. Therefore, any law that lowers the human nature is unjust. Unjust laws relegate people to the status of animals or things. It classifies people

The Malaysian Tobacco Industry

The Malaysian Tobacco Industry CHAPTER 1 The Malaysian tobacco industry is a copious industry which comprehends leaf production and curing, product manufacturing to product marketing and distribution. Tobacco is the countrys most widely cultivated non-food crop (British American Tobacco Malaysia). Malaysia is not considered as a large tobacco leaf producer by world standards. Neither is a major contributor to the Malaysian economy. However, tobacco farmers are used politically by the tobacco industry. According to a study conducted by Ernst and Young in June 2005 for the Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers, the industry contributes extensively to the countrys economy with more than 190,000 people depending on it for employment in 2003. Tobacco production has increased due to a rise in the demand for tobacco from cigarette manufacturers. (See Table 1.0) 1.1 Impact of Tobacco Use Cigarette demand has long been a crucial issue and has become especially prominent in the wake of the recent colossal settlements between government and cigarette companies ( Huang and Chin, 2006). According to the press statement by the Minister of Health, the Hon Dato Chua Jui Meng on Tobacco Control in Malaysia on 7th November 1996, cigarette smoking is an avoidable addiction which hold responsible for a massive 25% of all deaths in Malaysia. Smoking is a deadly and expensive pastime which is dangerous to both smokers and the second hand smokers (Costa and Mossialos,2006). Studies showed that 30% of cancer deaths and 90% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Malaysia were associated to smoking (The Star). According to World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco is going to be the biggest cause of death in the world if current pattern of smoking continue, with no changes in cessation rates or significant declines in initiation rates by 2020. There are more than one billion smoke rs in the world and 5.4 million people were killed by tobacco use a year. Moreover, smoking is not only destroying the health of the smoker but it is also an economic burden. These include primarily direct or indirect medical costs to the smokers and also productivity losses. Indoor places where smoking is allowed will incur a higher renovation and cleaning costs. The management will have to pay a lot to maintain the cleanliness in the workplaces. Furthermore, it increased the risk of fire and may acquire higher insurance premiums. Since the first report on tobacco by Surgeon General was released in 1964, awareness relative to the negative effects of tobacco use has increased. Smoking cigarettes during pregnancy can cause impromptu miscarriage, underweight babies and premature delivery. Most importantly, it will also cause sudden infant death (SID) syndrome. At the same time, it is also very dangerous for the people who do not smoke but breathing in a smoke-filled room. Second-hand smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution which can damage the health of both the children and adults. There are almost half of the worlds children breathe second-hand smoke today. In recent times, the smokers are increasing from day to day (See Table1.1). Despite of all the negative effects, smokers dont seem to be affected by the side effects. Teenage smoking is a severe problem in Malaysia and according to the World Tobacco Marketfile, the number of youth smokers are increasing (See Table 1.2). The risk of youth commencing tobacco use by socio-demographic, environmental and personal factors is increasing. Family with low socioeconomic status is an example of socio-demographic factor. There are more young people who smoke nowadays because tobacco products are easily accessible and available everywhere. Young people who are lack of parental guidance will be easily influenced by peers. These are the examples of environmental risks factor. While personal risk factors include low self-esteem and the belief that tobacco use provides an advantage which can help them to reduce stress. People who get older should understand the danger of smoking better than the youth . They should be able to experience the side effects if they have been smoking for quite some time. Some people may not be aware of the specific health risks of tobacco use as they are not exposed to the side effects. If the smokers are aware of the dangers of tobacco, most want to quit. 1.2 Governments Regulation towards Cigarette Demand The Malaysian government has done various efforts and implemented regulations restricting people to smoke. Government policy is divided into price and tax measures; and also non-price measures such as Protection from exposure to tobacco smoke; Regulation of contents of tobacco product; Regulation of tobacco product disclosures; Packaging and labelling of tobacco products; Education, communication, training and public awareness; Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and Tobacco cessation (Zain, 2007). National Tobacco Control Program is one of the strategies taken to reduce tobacco use. The general objective of this program is to provide comprehensive support and assistance to help smokers quit smoking. The programs include legislative control; health promotion and public advocacy; tobacco tax policy; smoking cessation services; research, monitoring and evaluation; multi-sectoral collaboration and capacity building. In legislative control, under the section on the Prohibition on Tobacco Product Advertisement of Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 restricts printing, publishing or distributing of any tobacco product advertisement. It bans on cigarette advertisement on television and radio. Health warning messages are placed on every cigarette pack to raise peoples awareness. Furthermore, government has legislated smoke-free policy in Malaysia to curb smoking. There is total ban on smoking in government meetings. Places like health and educational facilities, governmental offices, public transport, shopping complex, cinemas and places of worship are smoke-free zone. Besides that, health promotion and advocacy covers campaigns such as Tak Nak Campaign; Healthy Lifestyle Campaign; Kempen Nafas Baru Bermula Ramadhan; World No Tobacco Day and also events by other agencies. On top of that, government also introduce excise duties on imported cigarette and further increase in sales and import tax . Increase tax will reduce the consumption on cigarettes without negative impact on revenue. At the same time, National Smoking Cessation Program was introduced to provide comprehensive support and assistance to help smokers to quit smoking. Under this program, it helps to inform and educate the smokers regarding the advantages of quitting smoking. Government has created a lot of awareness program to help people to quit smoking and the most effective strategy to reduce smoking is raising the price of the cigarettes. So as all these efforts and accumulation of knowledge are done, the demand for cigarettes and smoking should be reducing. 1.3 Problem Statement Tobacco use in Malaysia has escalated over the past years in spite of the numerous health warnings. Despite the various implementations of mass anti-smoking campaigns by the government, smoking is still a popular activity among the people. In the past there is a lot of domino effect of smoking leading to health problems yet it can seem surprising that some people still choose to smoke. Tobacco users still continue with it in pursuance of the risks or the expense because smoking is a habit hard to break for the reason that it contains an addictive drug called nicotine. In addition to that, the effect will be amplified this time around as the price of cigarettes increase simultaneously. Subsequently, the price affects the middle and lower income group of wage earner adversely because smoking is an expensive activity. The rising of cigarettes price will cause them to be overburdened by the rising living cost. People start smoking for a variety of different reasons. Although most of the people is aware that smoking is dangerous and harmful to the people around them but there are still 40-50 new smokers created everyday and the smoking popularity among the youth are increasing. There is about 9 out of 10 smokers start before the age of 18 years old (See Table 1.2). Most of the youth started to smoke as an act of rebellion and also because of peers pressure. The teenagers may not be conscious about the effects but it will become apparent later on in their life. Furthermore, survey has shown that the trend of young female smokers is increasing at such an alarming rate. According to the statistics by Healthy Living, it shows that there are 22% of smoker ages around 18 to 24 years old, 22.8% of smoker ages around 25 to 44 years old, 21% of smoker ages around 45 to 64 years old and 8% of smoker ages above 65 years old. 1.4 Research Question The questions arise in this study is: Will the people above the age of 65 years old decrease the consumption of cigarettes? Will the implementation of the government policy towards the cigarettes reduce the number of smokers in Malaysia 1.5 Objectives of the Study The general objective of this study is to determine the demand for cigarettes. More specific, this study tends to Determine the price and income elasticity towards the demand for cigarettes. Determine the impact of demand for cigarettes on aging population. 1.6 Significance of the Study This research on the aging population is important in the attempt to reduce the overall demand for cigarettes in Malaysia. This study will test the level of awareness of population of Malaysia on the impact of smoking between different age groups. Most of the diseases caused by tobacco use will only be noticeable when the users reach the later stage in life. This study will justify why policy makers should take into consideration people of all age groups when coming up with new policies regarding tobacco use, instead of focusing only on the younger population. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter is to review the existing literature on the demand for cigarette. There is a large volume of published studies describing the price and income elasticity on cigarette consumption. Furthermore, there is also a large and growing body of literature has investigated the effects of taxes and anti-smoking regulations on the demand for cigarettes. So far, there are only a few studies regarding the relationship between aging population and the consumption of cigarette. 2.1 Theoretical Studies of Demand for Cigarettes The law of demand is an important law in microeconomic theory. In theoretical economics, economists develop models to explore economic activity and outcomes. Reliable statements about economic behavior enable the prediction of probable effects of specific actions. The law of demand is an economic law that states that, all other factors being equal, as the price of good increases, demand for the good will decrease. This law summarizes the effect price changes have on consumer behavior. The negative relationship between price and quantity demanded is caused by two reasons. One of the reasons is the income and substitution effects. Income effect means that for a lower price product, a consumer can buy more than they could at the higher price point. Other similar products now seem more expensive compared to the lower priced product is the substitution effect. The second reason is the diminishing marginal utility for the inverse relationship between price and quantity demanded. Consumers get less satisfaction from each additional unit of product they consume over a specified period of time. They will only continue to buy if the price is reduced at each point. By increasing the real price of tobacco, a tax increase has colossal potential to be an effective policy lever to decrease tobacco consumption. The impact of taxes on tobacco consumption depends on the extent to which changes in taxes are reflected in tobacco prices and the responsiveness of consumers to changes in prices. People tend to reduce their consumption on tobacco use as the price increase. The demand functions show that cigarette consumption is related to the price of cigarettes, prices of related goods, income, and individuals tastes. A general conclusion from the precious studies is that tobacco prices and the demand are inversely related. Marshall illustrated the law of demand with both a table and a demand curve by assuming that the period of time is sufficiently short to justify a ceteris paribus assumption. 2.2 Empirical Studies of Demand for Cigarettes Several studies conducted have reported that there is an inverse relationship between the price and cigarette consumption and positive effect of income. Franke (1994) reveals that Granger Causality is significant from price and income to cigarette consumption in the United States. No significant change is observed in the estimated demand elasticity which occurred during the period studied. In order to test a model of the demand for cigarettes in the United States from the period of 1961 to 1990, he uses quarterly data and multiple analyses. The outcome of the study illustrates a positive effect of income and negative effects on price. Likewise, Zheng, Zhu and Li (2008), in a separate study also finds that there is indeed a positive income elasticity but negative cigarette price elasticity based on the best fixed-effects spatial-temporal model. They construct a demand equation to study on the elasticity of per pack cigarette price and per capita disposable income in 2008. This is done by considering the cigarette demand in a spatial panel of 46 states of the United States over a period of 30 years which ranged from 1963 to 1992. They then propose a new spatial panel model and implement a fully Bayesian approach for model parameter inference and prediction of cigarette demand at future time points using the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. Chaloupka et al. (2002) examines data from documents of the tobacco industry to discover what tobacco companies know of the impact that cigarette prices has on smoking among youth, young adults and also adults. They assess on how this understanding would affect their pricing and price related marketing plans. The tobacco company documents provides velar evidence on the consequence of change in cigarette prices on cigarette smoking habits, relating how tax and other increases in price led to significant decline in smoking, predominantly among the younger people. They conclude that future efforts towards tobacco control which targets to increase prices and limit price related marketing efforts are critical in achieving reductions in tobacco use and public health toll caused by tobacco. This view is supported by Fernà ¡ndez et al. (2004) which shows that between the period of 1965 and 2000, there is indeed an inverse relation between the prices and consumption of cigarette in Spain, wh ich indicates that involvement at the economic level, for instance real increases in price may have an important public health impact in control of tobacco. Correspondingly, Gallus et al. (2006) present a similar study to determine the influence that cigarette prices has on tobacco consumption in Italy. A survey is conducted on 3050 individuals aged 15 and above which suggests that prices had an intermediate to high influence on cigarette consumption in the young. Younger people as well as less educated smokers are more susceptible to an influence of prices. They conclude that cigarette prices have substantial influence on tobacco consumption in the younger people. On the contrary, Raptou et al (2005) argues that cigarette demand is extremely insensitive to changes in price. They employ data collected via questionnaires which was administered by personal-in-home interviews and estimate a two part model of cigarette demand (Cragg, J. G. B Some Statistical Models for Limited Dependent Variables with Application to the Demand for Durable Goods, Econometrica, 39, 5, 1971, pp. 829Y44). They conclude that cigarette price measures would not affect cigarette demand. However, it is discovered that smoking restrictions in workplace areas as well as educational establishments, and also most of the psychosocial variables will affect the demand of cigarette. According to Huang and Yang (2006), current estimates of the income elasticity to cigarette demand have shown a troubling result which is nearly zero or sometimes negative income elasticity. They engage in a four-regime panel model (dynamic fixed effect) which is use to predict the function of cigarette demand within the United States with intentions to investigate the nonlinearity embedded in the cigarette demand structure. They apply a multi-regime model to 47 states using data from 1963 to 1997. They claim that there is a nonlinear relationship between personal income and cigarette consumption. Evidently, as income rises, cigarette has become an inferior good. The results from the four-regime model suggest that income elasticity is negative when per capita income is greater than US$ 8,568 but become is positive though insignificant when income is above US$ 18,196. In the income ranging from US$ 8,568 and US$ 18,196, the income elasticity is significantly negative. There is a nonli near relationship which prevailed for the price elasticity. Furthermore, Martinez, Mejia, and Estable (2008) claims that the demand for cigarettes in Argentina over the long term is influenced by the changes in real average price and real income of the cigarettes in Argentina. They analyse the data based on monthly time-series data between the periods of 1994 to 2004. The results that they obtain show that when the prices are increased at 120%, a maximum of revenues from the cigarettes tax can be attained and also there is a big effect on the reduction of the total consumption of cigarettes within the country. Similarly, Abedian (2000) also states that there is an inverse relationship between the price and consumption of any good which include cigarettes. This negative relationship is further affected by other factors such as income levels and the degree of addiction. He argues that increasing tobacco consumption is a problem faced in a developing country and it could bring harm to the people. He also argues that there are no adverse economic consequences following such policy framework. In 2000, Joni Hersch in his studies states that smoking behavior relates to the changes in price, which is not unlike many other economic commodities. He finds that a higher price would reduce demand for cigarettes in both men and women with regard to smoking participation and cigarette consumption levels, with elasticity ranging from -0.40 to -0.60. In distinction to other studies, he finds that the price elasticity is alike for both men and women. Income also has negative effects on smoking behavior. He also states that excise tax policies can dissuade smoking, but their effects will be largely restricted to the low income segment of the population. This finding suggests that there might be constructive responses by smokers to informational efforts which warn about the dangers of smoking and also the environmental tobacco smoke poses to others, especially when it is a member of ones household. Further observations suggest that increase in taxes also play an essential role in reducing cigarette consumption. Following recent years, there has been a growing amount of literature on higher prices that result from increased tax leading to significant reductions in cigarette smoking. A recent study by Chaloupka et al (2010) which performs to supply empirical evidence on the consequence of the cigarette excise tax structure towards three outcomes which are the government revenue, cigarette prices, and cigarette consumption. A cross-sectional time-series data for 21 European Union (EU) countries is composed from year 1998 to 2007 out of various data resources. The estimates suggest that the greater reliance on the ad valorem excise tax leads to lower average cigarette prices and larger price gaps between premium and low-priced cigarette brands. In addition, these impacts from the tax structure are smaller in more concentrated or less competitive markets. They also propose that a la rger reliance on a specific tax will have a greater impact on cigarette smoking, but the impact lessens with the growth of manufacturers market power. In view of this, Peng and Ross (2009) estimates the Ukraine population in its sensitivity to prices of cigarettes and the cigarettes affordability using the macro level data with the aim to compute the efficiency of cigarette tax policy. They use a monthly time-series data from 1997 to 2006 in Ukraine to estimate the generalized least square (GLS) model with an AR(1) process. The result shows that the cigarette price is not significantly associated with legal domestic sale of cigarette. Higher household income and more active outdoor advertising have positive and significant impact on cigarette sales. There is also a positive relationship between the affordability for cigarette and legal domestic cigarette sales. Increasing the cigarette excise tax by 10% would increase the price of cigarettes by 3%. This shows that cigarette tax policy can be used to regulate cigarette price in Ukraine. The people are found to be relatively insensitive to cigarette prices and cigarette taxes, even t hough of low magnitude, but the effect of cigarettes affordability is significant statistically. Similarly, Lee et al. (2005) concludes that price elasticity of cigarettes is approximated to be less than one, which implies that the tax will have some result in reducing cigarette consumption, although it will also generate further tax revenues. Moreover, Hidayat and Thabrany (2010) study the demand for cigarettes in Indonesia using a myopic addiction model and uses it to analyse the price elasticity of cigarette demand. They use an aggregated panel data structured from three waves of the Indonesian Family Life Survey over the period of 1993 to 2000. They claim that the short run and long run price elasticity of cigarette demand are estimated to be at -0.28 and -0.73 correspondingly. Price increases have a significantly negative impact on cigarette consumption. Increasing cigarette prices via excise taxes can control tobacco use and thus raise government revenue. They then conclude that excise taxes are more likely an efficient tobacco control rather than a key source of government revenue in the long run. Besides that, Lee (2008) conduct a study which analyses the readiness of current smokers to stop the smoking habit or reduce the consumption of cigarettes when experiencing an increase in tax of NT $22 per pack, which is a consequent rise of 44%. Lee uses cross-sectional study on 483 valid questionnaires conducted during a telephone survey from April to July 2004, targeting current smokers aging 15 years and above, around the 23 major cities in Taiwan. The methods that he uses to measure the elasticity in cigarette demand are the Tobit regression model and also the maximum likelihood method, and estimation results shows a price elasticity of -0.29 following the 44% increase in the cigarette price. Interestingly, the most significant response to the increase in price was found among women, smokers with low salary, smokers who are only moderately addicted, and smokers who purchase low priced cigarettes. Lee concludes that the smokers are relatively insensitive to a hike in cigarette pr icing, since the prices of cigarettes are low in Taiwan. Thus, a marginal increase in cigarette tax would consequently reduce cigarette consumption and thus also increase the cigarette tax revenue of the government and the income of cigarette merchants effectively. This result is consistent with the findings of previous studies by Townsend (1996) and Sissoko (2002) which reflects that the price has a major effect on cigarette consumption and consequently diseases caused by smoking, especially in low income groups. Progressive rise in cigarette tax rates offer a powerful contribution to policy for reducing cigarette consumption and generating extra government revenue. Consequently, when Ross and Al-Sadat (2007) evaluate income elasticity and the price on cigarette demand and also the effect of cigarette taxes towards cigarette demand and cigarette tax revenue within Malaysia, they find that income is positively connected to cigarette consumption. A 1% rise in real income boosts cigarette consumption by 1.46%. They use time series regression analysis for 1990 to 2004 applying the error-correction model. The per-capita consumption of domestic and imported cigarettes is calculated using the excise tax and import duties collected by the Malaysian government and the size of the adult population which are aged above 15 years old. The model estimates that a rise in cigarette excise tax from RM 1.60 to RM 2 per pack will effectively reduce cigarette consumption in Malaysia by 3.37%. They conclude that taxation is an effectual means for reducing cigarette consumption and deaths linked to tobacco while bringing up the revenue for the Malaysian government. According to Huang, Yang, and Hwang (2004), future cigarette consumptions will depend entirely on tax share, price and income elasticity of remaining heavy smoker. They use a panel unit root test to calculate the demand for cigarettes over the period of 1961 to 2002 for 42 states including Washington D.C. The cigarette data in this study is obtained from The Tax Burden on Tobacco published by the Tobacco Institute. They find that price and income elasticity are approximately -0.41 and 0.06. Other than that, a decrease in tax elasticity leads to decreasing price elasticity, and smaller tax shares seems to be interconnected to declining tax elasticity. This study shows an interesting implication, whereby cigarette consumption is a normal good to transfer payment recipients and wage earners, which however is an inferior good to the elderly population and stocks owners. In 2002, Hu and Mao examine a policy dilemma in China on public health against the tobacco economy through added cigarette tax. In order to analyse the impact of tobacco consumption and production towards government revenue and also to the entire economy, they use published data from 1980 to 1997. Imposition of cigarette tax increase will have a significant impact in generating extra central government revenue and reducing cigarette consumption. Therefore, increasing additional tax on cigarettes will be beneficial to the Chinese government from both the financial and public health perspective. Levy, Cummings, and Hyland (2000) use a simulation model to evaluate the effects of taxes on the smoking rate and smoking induced deaths. The method they use in their study projects the number of smokers and smoking attributable deaths from a baseline year of 1993. They find that increase in taxes is to reduce the percentage of the total population that smokes. Youth groups experiences greater effects. The effects of a tax hike tends to increase over time as younger individuals who are more responsive to price increase grows older, but federal and state taxes on cigarettes are currently set at a fixed amount per unit. Moreover, the price of cigarettes falls comparative to the purchasing power of the population as wages increase. These effects grow over time and lead to a substantial savings in lives and health care cost. Lanoie and Leclair (1998) investigate the relative ability of two anti-smoking policies which are taxes and regulations, in inducing a decline in cigarette consumption and in providing incentives to quit smoking. Based on a Canadian data over the period of 1980 to 1995, the results show that cigarette demand react to taxes with the elasticity of -0.28, not regulation. This result implies that the policies are both acting in a corresponding fashion to influence the incidence of smoking. In addition to that, Galbraith and Kaiserman (1997) analyses Canadian cigarette taxation and consumption within the period of 1980 and 1994. During that period, there is a large price rise and decline, and a dramatic increase in the consumption of the contraband tobacco products. In their study, they examine the elasticity of legal cigarette sales and total sales which include contraband with respect to the price of legal cigarettes and various other factors. They conclude that price elasticity regarding demand towards cigarettes tends to increase in absolute value over time, making taxation an increasing strong instrument with which to influence smoking behavior. In considering untaxed sales as well, it becomes clear that the sensitivity of total cigarette sales to the taxation instrument is much lower than would otherwise appear, and has fallen obviously. According to Meier and Licari (1997), a rise in federal tax is more successful than increases in state taxes in reducing tobacco use. Cigarette consumption drops when labels with health warnings were added. They use a pooled time-series analysis from the period of 1955 to 1994 with 50 states as units of the study. The effect of excise taxes on cigarette consumption for numerous different models and econometric techniques is asset to analyse the usefulness of state and federal taxes in bringing down the consumption of cigarettes and estimate the effect of government health warnings. Their study also shows how warnings and taxes interact. Tobacco control programs also has some impact towards the consumption of cigarettes as stated by Farrelly, Pechacek and Chaloupka (2003) that increase in tobacco control program expenditures reduce cigarette sales. Additionally, in reviewing the evidence on the effectiveness of comprehensive tobacco control programs, the recent Surgeon Generals Report on Reducing Tobacco Use concludes that comprehensive tobacco control programs work. Although these studies consistently suggest that state tobacco control programs decrease tobacco use, these studies can easily be confounded by changes in excise taxes, cross-border sales, and other factors. Nevertheless, Leu (1984) reveals that anti smoking advertisements in Switzerlands mass media has a significant permanent effect on cigarette consumption. It is a powerful instrument to reduce cigarette consumption. He claims that extended publicity, following the 1964 US Surgeon Generals Report, accompanying various tax increases which preceded by a public vote on an advertising ban for tobacco products, helps reduce consumption permanently by a total of 11%. It is also supported by Keeler et al (1993) who examine the impact of income, taxes, prices, and anti smoking policy on the consumption of cigarettes in California. They use a monthly time-series data throughout 1980 to 1990. He also declares that the effect of the increase in tax in the long run will be to decrease cigarette consumption. Anti-smoking regulations decreases cigarette consumption, and thus, it shows that consumers behave consistently with the model of rational addiction. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY This chapter is to describe on the methods used in this study and the collection of data. It also explains the procedures used in collecting the data and the measurement of the variables. Thus, it provides a summary of expected result of the study. 3.1 Data types A time series data is used for the empirical analysis in this study. The data is collected annually over the period of 1998 to 2008. The types of data obtained are real price of cigarette, real income per capita, cigarette consumption, and also the aging population. 3.2 Data Source The secondary data is collected from the previous studies by other researchers. Mainly, the sources of data are from Departme

Chief Justice Earl Warren Essay -- essays research papers fc

Chief Justice Earl Warren Earl Warren was born March 19, 1891 in Los Angeles, California. Earl’s father was a Norwegian immigrant, which left him dealing with prejudice and equal rights at a very young age (Grace, 1). This lead to early indications that law would be Earl’s profession. Even before entering High School, he listened to criminal cases at the Kern County courthouse. Attending the University of California at Berkeley, Warren worked his way through college. He majored in political science for three years before entering the law school at UC. â€Å"He received his B.L. degree in 1912 and his J.D. degree in 1914. On May 14, 1915, he was admitted to the California bar. After graduation Warren worked in law offices in San Francisco and Oakland, the only time in his career when he was engaged in private practice† (White, 61). The young lawyer became a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, and eventually became district attorney in 1925 when is opponent decided to resign from th e race (Weaver, 40). He would go on to win the next four elections. â€Å"During his fourteen years as district attorney, Warren developed a reputation as a crime fighter. As a prosecutor Warren was sometimes accused of high-handedness in his methods, but in thirteen years and in thousands of cases ranging from murder to window-breaking, he never had a conviction reversed by a higher court† (Ely, 964). Warren served as attorney general from 1939-1943, enjoying the image of an effective foe of racketeers. In 1948, Warren was the Republican Party's nominee for vice-president of the United States. He and fellow republican Thomas Dewey would end up losing the race, the only election Warren ever lost, to Democratic candidate Harry S. Truman. In 1953 President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren the fourteenth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (Compston, 101). This new job would prove to be the most important and difficult job Warren had ever taken. â€Å"He inherited a court that was deeply divided between those justices who advocated a more active role for the court and those who supported judicial restraint† (Compston, 133). Among the Warren Court's most important decisions was the ruling that made racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The Brown vs. The Board of Education case dealt with the segregation of public schools. Although all the schools in a ... ... Brown vs. the Board of Ed. Case from this source. In addition, this book contain a lot of criticism that Warren faced because of his ruling. Weaver, John D. Warren: The Man, the Court, the Era. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1967. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book provided information about Warrens career early on, most importantly his becoming District Attorney of California. White, Edward G. Earl Warren: A Public Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982. - This source had information about Warren’s accomplishments in school and his job right out of school. Internet Sources: Cray, Ed. â€Å"Landmark case Biography: Earl Warren†. Earl Warren/Brown vs. Board of Ed. Information page. 1997. 5 March 2005 < http://www. landmarkcases.org/brown/warren.html>   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  - This website contained a great deal of information about the Brown vs. Board of Ed. case. Grace, Roger M. â€Å"Earl Warren, Norwegian American†. Earl Warren Information Page. June 1998. 4 March, 2005 < http://www.mnc.net/norway/warren.htm> -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This website provided me with information about the end of Warren’s career and his retirement.

Accrual And Cash Accounting Essay

These are two methods of keeping track of income and expenses in a business, (accrual and cash accounting). Accrual and cash accounting difference is in when a sale and purchase are credited and debited to the account. The cash method is when cash is received, and the expense is when it is paid. An example is when I am contracted to paint a room, which will be completed within a couple of hours, the client pays me. After completing the job my client pays me with cash or check. Therefore, it is considered cash accounting and recorded as so. Cash accounting tracks the cash flow but does not track revenue. With accrual accounting, all transactions are recorded if cash is received or not. Most companies use accrual accounting on a weekly basis to monitor cash flow to ensure they have enough cash on hand for the business to operate. Accrual accounting transactions are, the day they of service. For an example, with my business there are some jobs that I and will be completed, but not paid until later. When it’s a company, their contracts are paid on a monthly basis. For a company these are considered the companies account payable, that arpaid monthly. As for me these are accrual accounts, but arerecorded. â€Å"The cash and accrual methods can produce the same,† www.inc.com/articles/2000/04/19194 Cash and accrual accounts can have no difference if all transactions are paid in cash when completed no matter what methods are . Accrual accounting shows the income and debts in partial of a business and cash accounting only shows the cash flow. Each method used together will give a more accurate picture of the company business. References: www.inc.com/articles/2000/04/19194.html, Cash vs. Accrual Accounting/Bookkeeping Articles www.dummies.com, Deciding between Cash-Basis and Accrual Accounting-For Dummies

Identify the Key Aspects of Current Legislative Requeirments and Code of Practice Relevant to Your Subject and the Type of Oragnisation Within Which You Would Like to Work

IDENTIFY THE KEY ASPECTS OF CURRENT LEGISLATIVE REQUEIRMENTS AND CODE OF PRACTICE RELEVANT TO YOUR SUBJECT AND THE TYPE OF ORAGNISATION WITHIN WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK At present there is no specific legalisation related to beauty/ holistic/ wellbeing, it’s self not statutorily regulated. Therapies operate within their own codes of practice which relate to the ethical actions of the therapist in any situation including teaching and sharing the benefits of such therapies through consultation. Aromatherapy and nail treatments teaching though must take into consideration legislation regulating the use of potentially harmful oils and substances: ? Control of substances hazardous to Health 2002 (COSHH) ? Good management which help asses risks, implement any measures need to control exposure and establish good working practice. There is however legislation which cross-cut organisations and must be observed regardless of regulation such as: ? Equal opportunities Act ? Data protection Act 2007 Safeguards the fundamental rights of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and its free movement ? Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 ? Protecting others against risks to health and safety in connection with the activity of persons ? Special educational needs and disabilities act 2001 ( an amendment to the Disability discrimination act 1995) ? Making it unlawful to discriminate against disabled persons in employment and the provision of goods and facilities Offering th e holistic and beauty courses means being aware of legislation pecific to the settings which make provision about quality standards, independence, wellbeing and choice relating to the way in which services are delivered. ? Further education training act 2007 ? The health and social care (community health standards) act 2003 ? Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services 2006 ? Choosing health: making healthy choices easier 2004 ? FENTO standards for teaching and supporting learning in further education ? Office for standards oin education (OFSTED) ? Employment equality (age) regulations 2006 – vocation training ? Learning and skills act 200

Pollution Essays

Pollution Essays Pollution Essay Pollution Essay Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: Pollution Pollution is the release of contaminants into the atmosphere that causes hazardous effects. Pollution takes place indifferent forms. The main cause of pollution is human activity. These activities affect the atmospheric air quality, water bodies or land inhabited by man. Pollution of the ecosystem has become so rampant, calling for control strategies to be implemented. The agents that cause pollution are broadly known as pollutants. Pollutants are substances that cause damage to any of the three main areas where pollution occurs. This definition gives us three main types of pollution. These are air pollution, land pollution and water pollution. These are classified based on the agent that causes the pollution. Air pollution refers to the release into the air of either fumes containing dangerous chemicals or loose particles such as dust and natural materials. These cause disharmony and spoil the natural air. This can lead to health defects when such air is inhaled by the occupants of such an environment. The health defects can also occur indirectly through the consumption of crops planted in areas having polluted air. This is because the normal gaseous exchange will continue. Here, contaminated air is used in the plant’s growth process and as such forms harmful components in the plant. Fumes from industries also cause air pollution. Industries normally emit fumes containing dangerous chemicals. The fumes contain sulphurous compounds. This has a direct effect on human life since they are the cause of cancerous diseases. Water pollution occurs after the release of pollutants into water bodies or their sources. This affects plant life, human life and organisms that depend or live in these water bodies. Industrial effluents, when released untreated into water bodies, are a significant source of pollution. This kills a vast amount of aquatic life. When plants are irrigated using this water, they carry on the pollutants which stunt their growth or eventually kill them. When human beings consume such water, they develop health problems. Water pollution is the major cause of waterborne diseases, which is one of the causes of death of human beings. Treating polluted water is vital before consumption to avoid waterborne diseases. Land pollution forms the other main type of pollution. It is characterized by the release of contaminants directly into the land. It also involves practices that lead to the overuse of the land resources. This leads to ruining of the soil and destruction of the natural habitat. Dumping of wastes containing heavy metals leads to land pollution. This has a health risk as plants grown in such areas end up taking in the heavy metals instead of nutrients. When such plants are consumed by either animals or human beings, health disorders may arise. This includes defects of the digestive system to animals and harmful diseases such as cancer to human beings. Land pollution is also caused by human activities such as farming. Chemicals used to improve the production of crops in the form of pesticides and herbicides cause this effect. When they are washed into the soil, they affect the natural condition of the soil. Land should be utilized appropriately to avoid pollution and conserve it. Work Cited â€Å"Pollution† Science Daily 2012. Web. 10 January 2013.

Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” Essay Essay Example

Arthur Miller’s â€Å"The Crucible† Essay Essay Example Arthur Miller’s â€Å"The Crucible† Essay Essay Arthur Miller’s â€Å"The Crucible† Essay Essay Unfair Justice Systems ; A comparing of the West Memphis Three and The CrucibleImagine posing at place one dark and holding constabulary officers show up at your hosiery and apprehension you for a offense you had no thought was committed. Three teenage male childs in West Memphis. Arkansas and over 39 characters in The Crucible went through precisely that. The West Memphis three is the test of three teenage male childs who were charged with killing two eight-year-old oys in the forests and taking a hatred group. The test portrayed in The Crucible are based on the existent life Salem Witch Trials. the accused in the drama were charged with witchery. Evidence in both instances was deficient and largely oculus witnessed. Both offenses committed were abstract and referred to as the Satans work. All accused in both tests were doomed from the beginning. In The Crucible to salvage oneself if accused 1 must squeal to something they didnt do and so name people that did make it. fundamentally if they wanted to populate thy had to lie and impeach other guiltless people. The West Memphis three had to travel through the tribunal system with corrupt people lying and no manner to turn out themselves guiltless. Arthur Miller portrayed the grounds in The Crucible as merely oculus witness histories and junior-grade concluding. such as the ability to forge a swoon. The characters that danced in the forests were considered dependable and what they said was all that was needed to convict the people of witchery. In the existent life histories of the West Memphis three. the grounds used against the adolescents were black Metallica shirts. the confession that didnt fit the incident. and equals that told the constabulary that they overheard one of the adolescents say they were traveling to kill two male childs. The equals narrative subsequently changed when under curse but the justice reffered back to the first narrative to assist convict the accused. In both instances the accusers could non counter argue the grounds because it was their word against the informants. Before the West Memphis trials the constabulary had a confession from all three teenage male childs. T was used against them in tribunal. The ground for the confession. some argue. is a status called Satanic Panic. Person who has Satanic Panic creates false memories that place themselves at the scene of the offense they were accused of. The offense usually is devil related. for illustration colza. thaumaturgy. and jujus are all known as the work of the Satan. Peoples who are diagnosed with Satanic Panic are usually besides diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder. The enchantresss in The Crucible were charged with harming others with thaumaturgy. They had to squeal themselves to maintain themselves from being hanged. This is an illustration of how Demonic Panic is described. When Mary Warren says. Its non a fast one! I-I used to conk because I-I thought I saw liquors. ( miller 47 ) she is depicting Hysteria. or Satanic Panic ; she created the liquors because the other misss saw t he. In The Crucible Hale. an expert in the country of witchery. played a big function in the courtroom. In the test of the adolescents there was a physician who was an expert in the country of stanic terror. Bing experts in such countries are difficult to turn out. the physician of demonic terror did non hold a grade or any cogent evidence that he studied such a topic. He simply stated that he has worked with patients claiming to make things because the Satan told them to. In the drama Hale merely forces people to squeal to salvage their lives. which is non the work of a physician but more of a inducer. Both work forces subsequently on reviewed the instance. the accused. and the grounds and wanted to salvage the guiltless people. Hale describes his alteration of sentiment by stating. Let you non misidentify your responsibility as I mistook my ain. ( miller 58 ) THey besides were unsuccessful. Both offenses are abstract. significance that there is no grounds attainable for a merely strong belief. but both offenses have serious effects. In The Crucible the people who denied being a enchantress were sentenced to be hanged. Two of the adolescents were sentenced to be hanged. Two of the adolescents were sentenced to life in prison and the last was sentenced to decease by injection. Is that just? The adolescents still had a full life in forepart of them but because they were used as whipping boies. it was cut short. Can you name a justness system that convicts people for such offenses merely? The 1994 instance of the West Memphis three and the 1953 play The Crucible have similarities. Abstract strong beliefs. false accusals. and unfair executings are all portion of both tests. Neither history is something to be proud of. nor should such times be repeated. When you look at such similar occures. which are separated by four decennaries. you begin to inquire if worlds truly learn from their errors. Jessie Misskelley. Damien Echols. and Jason Baldwin. the West Memphis three. are sitting in gaol ; they have been at that place for 5220 yearss and expecting their decease. Spreading cognition of this horrid instance and raising support could assist acquire them and appeal and salvage three guiltless people.

Mettre les pieds dans le plat - French Expression

Mettre les pieds dans le plat - French Expression Expression: Mettre les pieds dans le plat Pronunciation: [ meh treu lay pyay da(n) leu pla] Meaning: To mess up, to speak with excessive candor, to discuss something inappropriate Literal translation: To put ones feet in the dish Register: Informal Notes You cant help but notice the similarity between the French expression mettre les pieds dans le plat and the English to put ones foot in ones mouth, but they dont mean quite the same thing. The French expression means to bring up a delicate subject without any delicacy at all, or to discuss a topic that everyone else is avoiding. This is probably not embarrassing to the speaker, who just wants to talk about that subject (even if that means unintentionally embarrassing everyone else in the room). The English expression, however, definitely implies embarrassment on the part of the speaker, since it means that youve just committed a social blunder by saying just about anything you shouldnt have, possibly about something that is- was- a secret (such as the person youre talking to getting fired, or you knowing about someones extra-marital affair). This would probably be translated by something generic like faire une gaffe. Examples   Ã‚  Ã‚  Je parle trà ¨s franchement- je mets souvent les pieds dans le plat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  I speak very frankly- often too frankly.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Oh l l, tu as bien mis les pieds dans le plat, l  !   Ã‚  Ã‚  Oh dear, you messed up there!

Christianity Compared to Muslim Traditions Research Paper

Christianity Compared to Muslim Traditions - Research Paper Example In the year 1689 John Locke argued that no citizen of a state should be denied rights merely based on their religious beliefs. On the basis of this argument, a radical change spread across the Western nations, beginning in the New World and eventually into the European states towards a tolerance and level of acceptance that was intended to provide everyone the same opportunities without regard to their religious affiliation (Lewis and Churchill, 1). Bias, on the other hand, is a very different sort of experience and the bias that exists against other belief systems has been a driving force for the evil that men will do for thousands of years. In recent history two religions that have come into conflict based on political ideologies are those of Christianity and Islam where neither people fully understands the other. If looked at from an observational perspective, however, the religions are not that far apart in their beliefs or in the practice of those beliefs. While aspects of the I slamic and Christian religion are very far apart, the central ideas that hold each of the religions together are very similar in practice. Perspectives on Christianity Christianity encompasses a number of different denominations that all have small differences in the way in which they worship. Denominational differences primarily occurred during the time of the Reformation after Martin Luther took exception to the idea of selling forgiveness by the Catholic Church. The Christian religion has undergone a long list of changes from its beginning. The followers of Christ were originally rebels against a polytheistic society. After centuries of spreading the word, European followers were suddenly the oppressors creating wars and hosting invasive organizations like the Inquisition which judged and harmed. The organization of Christianity into a political system created a spiritual world with one foot in the secular as it began to function as members of state and as a center of wealth. Catholicism There about 900 million Catholics in the world today, which comprise about half of the Christian population. A Catholic church is headed by the clergy who are m ostly priests and bishops. There are ranks within the Church with the leader of the Church being the Pope. One of the more interesting practices of the Church is the event of electing a new Pope. As the Cardinals vote on electing a new Pope they will release black smoke form the chimney on days that they fail to vote in a new leader. On the final day that they choose a new Pope, the chimney will release white smoke, indicating to the masses that a new Pope has been elected (Penney 12). The most important celebration within the Catholic Church is the taking of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is Communion, which means that the individual has confessed their sins and is in a state of forgiveness, opening them to communication with God through sharing in a symbolic meal with Him. The worshiper takes in a wafer that symbolizes the bread which is the body of Christ and drinks wine, believing that this symbolizes the blood of Christ. This practice had many tribal communities that missionaries had approached and tried to teach the ways of Christian worship believing that Christians were cannibals (Jones 62). This practice, however, is intended to symbolizing becoming one with God through sharing of food and drink. As well, the worshiper becomes connected to the divine, thus the requirement for having cleared the conscious before participating. There are many symbolic rites that are conducted in the Catholic Church. The sign of the Cross is made when entering into a Church as the worshiper kneels before entering a pew. As well, this practice, called genuflecting, is also conducted when the worshipper leaves the pew. The worshiper has dipped their fingers into holy water before making the sign of the cross, creating a a symbolic washing of the heart before touching the head, solar plexus, left

Individual Critica Essay - Strategic Analysis of an Organisation

Individual Critica - Strategic Analysis of an Organisation - Essay Example Here, the researcher will conduct PESTLE analysis in order to understand how external factors are shaping Network Rail’s strategic initiatives. Based upon pertinent internal and external pressures on Network Rail, the paper has selected corporate social responsibility (CSR) as key strategic issue to be discussed. In the main discussion, the paper will review strategic initiatives being taken by Network Rail in order to address corporate social responsibility issue. In context to corporate social responsibility, the paper will analyze issues regarding nature of the emerging stakeholder, tensions and challenges within Network Rail and pertinent industry. Strategies of Network Rail to address corporate social responsibility issue will be addressed from leadership or change perspective will be analyzed to understand effectiveness of strategy of Network Rail. Before going into main discussion, the essay will shed light on business matrix of Network Rail in order to create backgroun d for further discussion. Network Rail Ltd uses the trade name of Network Rail and the company has multiple subsidiary companies. The company is headquartered at London, United Kingdom and was established in the year 2002 (Network Rail, 2014). Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd works as subsidiary of Network Rail and the subsidiary operates and owns rail infrastructure across different cities in UK. However, Network Rail does not operate underground railway track or railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland (Network Rail, 2014). From structural perspective, Network Rail Ltd works as a statutory corporation, which can be classified as "not for dividend" private company (Network Rail, 2014). As a result, Network Rail Ltd neither has shareholders nor is it controlled by any particular owner. The company is vulnerable to government ownership as well as intervention, due to absence of legal owners. During 2012, Network Rail announced

Mumbais Dabawalahs - A World Class Service Coursework - 1

Mumbais Dabawalahs - A World Class Service - Coursework Example As Annie Leonard has pointed out in her ‘The Story of Stuff’ (2007), 51 percent of the world’s largest economies are those of corporations (Leonard, 3). The case study of the Mumbai Dabawalah’s tiffin delivery service is an excellent example of human endeavour in action. Achieving accurate and fast delivery to over 200,000 hungry office workers every day is no small feat- and that too in an extremely fast turnaround time of twenty seconds of stoppage by the trains-to collection and reversal of the entire process after the lunch break, to reach the dabba home before the worker arrives at the end of the day- is nothing short of phenomenal. With just a code to guide them, the delivery is as unerring as Six Sigma or one defect in a million deliveries (Mullins, 326). When it comes to a question of how to attract and retain the best staff, we have to look at the various theories of motivation proposed by different thinkers and writers over the ages. In ancient times, management used the carrot and stick approach or what McGregor calls Theory X and Theory Y (McGregor, 1960) to get the desired results within the organization-some firms still do. Motivation is anything that induces one to perform or do something. Most basic of these is Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, in which he has defined human needs as being in a ladder or hierarchy from the lowest to the highest points- or from the basic physiological needs of food, clothing and shelter to the higher needs for safety and security, further to esteem needs and ending at the point of self actualization needs, where man has achieved his life purpose through his actions and work (Mullins, 257). Very few of us are fortunate enough to realize this in our lifetimes. Herzberg gives his Two Factor or Hygiene Theory (Mullins, 261) as an explanation on how and what motivates workers based on an actual field experiment that he conducted. He concluded that there were a group of satisfiers and dissatisfiers in every work environment- which could be anything from strict and unyielding work policies or the lack of management attention to the needs of the workers on the negative side, to a fair and equitable wage and hygienic conditions that took into account the health and safety of the workers on the positive side.

Business environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Business environment - Essay Example The pre-privatization organization of electricity in United Kingdom is symbolized by broad vertical integration of production, transmission, distribution and its supplication (DTI, 2006). For instance, the structure of nationalized industry in Wales and England was control by one huge production and Transmission Company called CEGB which sold electricity in mass to 12 area distribution boards. Each of them served a franchise or a closed supply area. In Scotland, existed two vertically integrated boards that practiced regional monopolies though they cooperated nearly in utilization of their producing plant into ensuring that the demand was catered as viewed in the figure below: One of electricity innovation sector at privatization was the building of electricity pool of Wales an England (DTI, 2006). The pool become one of initial mechanisms of its type and thus, there involved little experience on other countries to rely on its creation and regulations connected with it. In its establishment, considerable weight was offered to arrangements functioned pre-privatization by CEGB, the time when electricity system was publicly-owned and centrally organized. Electricity Association (2002), after the first increase in numbers of licensed electricity suppliers functioning in electricity supplying market, the modern increase in acquisition and merger practices proposes the trend toward consolidation of electricity supply market. Electricity Association (2002) points onto the lowering prices and relentless competition, since spurring on companies gets a chance of consolidation to ensure they become more competitive (Electricity Association, 2001). There has been the recent trend into integration of production and supplication in recent years. In July 1998, Powergen purchased East Midlands Electricity as National Power purchased Midlands Electricity supply business. After the National

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift (Summary Response) Essay

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift (Summary Response) - Essay Example However, the beautiful view is distorted by street children begging for money (Swift par 1). In addition, the street children are accompanied by their mother. Swift insists on the need to develop a solution to address the problem (Swift par 2). However, he provides that not much has been done to help street families. Consequently, the numbers of street families are increasing significantly. Swift provides a suggestion that the children may be employed in construction and agriculture, but they lack the skills required in the fields (Swift par 17). Years later the children are turned into thieves a scenario that cannot be avoided. To address the problem, Swift develops the argument that the children may feed a massive population if they are served as meals (Swift par 8). He further provides direction on how well to prepare the carcass of a child. In addition, he asserts that their skin after the carcass has been used may be used to make gloves and boots for the rich (Swift par 13). Swift asserts that the solution may be well welcomed by England. This is based on that the country has failed to help Ireland. Consequently, eradication the course of the need would be an effective strategy. Swift uses satire to express his anger on the failure of the government and England to address the poverty problem in Ireland. He proposes cannibalism as the only way that the street children in Dublin could be eradicated from the streets. However, this solution does not reflect his real intent in solving the problem. He asserts that he has no pleasure towards his work, but he seeks to benefit the public (Swift par 31). His objective is to create a written piece from which the reader could understand the depth of the problem. Additionally, the reader is also able to understand the failure by the government. Consequently, the need to suggest such an extreme alternative as solution is developed. In regards to

Medical School Application Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Medical School Application Question - Essay Example It is seen that the government has a lesser share than the private entities in the field of health care. Insurance policies have however been given out to individuals who are needy by the government from programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. If I had the opportunity to change the health care system of the United States I would firstly change the whole set up of the facilities provided. The government share in the health care facilities would be increased by me so that a monopoly is not created in the health care of United States. I would create hospitals which would be designed for the overall general public and not only for a particular segment. The health care professionals would be given such expertise by me that they would change the system as a whole. They would be given the expertise to research on certain diseases and would be given the charge of finding out the root cause of the disease. This way the health care in United States might find a breakthrough in decreasing the n umber of patients. Not only this, but several other health care facilities would be formed by me which would help to decrease the load of patients on a single hospital. The healthcare of the United States is proficient in spending as it is spending much more dollars on a person than any other healthcare in the world. The number of uninsured in the United States is much more than many countries as the percentage uninsured are almost 45%. The insurance policies issued in Canada are much more effective and funded by the government than those of the United States. It is seen that the insurance coverage of the United States is not as perfect as it should be but the new health care reform introduced by Barack Obama might prove to be a success for many uninsured individuals. The health facilities are not adequate enough yet in the United States to

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift (Summary Response) Essay

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift (Summary Response) - Essay Example However, the beautiful view is distorted by street children begging for money (Swift par 1). In addition, the street children are accompanied by their mother. Swift insists on the need to develop a solution to address the problem (Swift par 2). However, he provides that not much has been done to help street families. Consequently, the numbers of street families are increasing significantly. Swift provides a suggestion that the children may be employed in construction and agriculture, but they lack the skills required in the fields (Swift par 17). Years later the children are turned into thieves a scenario that cannot be avoided. To address the problem, Swift develops the argument that the children may feed a massive population if they are served as meals (Swift par 8). He further provides direction on how well to prepare the carcass of a child. In addition, he asserts that their skin after the carcass has been used may be used to make gloves and boots for the rich (Swift par 13). Swift asserts that the solution may be well welcomed by England. This is based on that the country has failed to help Ireland. Consequently, eradication the course of the need would be an effective strategy. Swift uses satire to express his anger on the failure of the government and England to address the poverty problem in Ireland. He proposes cannibalism as the only way that the street children in Dublin could be eradicated from the streets. However, this solution does not reflect his real intent in solving the problem. He asserts that he has no pleasure towards his work, but he seeks to benefit the public (Swift par 31). His objective is to create a written piece from which the reader could understand the depth of the problem. Additionally, the reader is also able to understand the failure by the government. Consequently, the need to suggest such an extreme alternative as solution is developed. In regards to

Is Thai Airways going to bankruptcy Research Paper

Is Thai Airways going to bankruptcy - Research Paper Example uld take up shares with the business, beginning April 1, 1988, to be the major shareholder with an estimated 51.03% of the company’s shareholdings, while the remaining 48.97% is owned by investors in the domestic and foreign markets, also including the company’s employees (THAI, 2013). Through the years, the company has experienced various challenges, benefits, and implemented different strategies to remain competitive and profitable in a highly competitive international market (Shoffner, Shelly, & Cooke, 2011). There is speculation that Thai Airways may be going bankrupt, following several challenges in generation of revenue. Different scholars and publications have closely followed the progress of the company, often making speculations, and detailing the actions taken by various entities in an effort to prevent the company from going bankrupt. The impeding bankruptcy of the airline follows a number of decisions made by the company, with respect to the market forces. T he extent to which the investors are willing to get involved in the recovery efforts will determine the probability and possibility of the company failing. In this study, the aim is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the company finances and situation to establish the basis of bankruptcy claims and probabilities. Thai Airways is an entity in the transportation industry, such that the ministry of transport manages the domestic, regional and international routes. The nature of the venture means that the products and services offered include air passenger, cargo and mail transport, warehouse, ground passage, ground equipment, and catering and maintenance services. Although the company is renowned for the air passenger services, the other services serve to support this core service. Under the service, the company has witnessed growth in the customers as well as fleet of airplanes, but challenges have resulted in premonitions on the company’s bankruptcy. Improvements to the services offered and

Aristotle Ethics Of Happiness Philosophy Essay

Aristotle Ethics Of Happiness Philosophy Essay In Ethics, Aristotle argues the highest end is the human good, and claims that the highest end pursued in action is happiness. Aristotle also claims that happiness is achieved only by living a virtuous life our definition is in harmony with those who say that happiness is virtue, or a particular virtue; because an activity in accordance with virtue implies virtue. Indeed, we may go further and assert that anyone who does not delight in fine actions is not even a good man.(Aristotle) The virtuous life is full of reasoning for the good. Good is complete and most choice worthy. It is the human good in life that expresses virtue. Happiness is an essential aspect of Aristotles philosophy because for him it was an activity of the soul which attained at a high level of excellence refined over the span of a complete life that accords with virtue. The concept of virtue for Aristotle was anything that makes something good. The good is the result of what someone rationally aims for. If someone performs a job or a task that it is meant to be done and does it well, then it has good virtue. It is specifically the ability to use reason that sets humans apart from the other mammals and creatures. According to Aristotle, human virtue means virtue of the soul and not the body, just like human happiness means happiness of the soul. Virtue of humans also will be the state of character which makes them good and which makes them do their own work well. It is a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean relative to us. Such a mean is determined by a rational principles and reasoning, and it is by reasoning that a wise human will determine it. Happiness in general terms is a belief, an idea and a theory. Just like other theories, beliefs, and ideas may have fallacies, the theory of happiness might too. According to Aristotle happiness is an end, an end result of all the things a person does. Most of our acts are committed for a reason to achieve something else, but happiness is different. Aristotle believes that searching for happiness is for being happy only and not for something else. A happy man is the man that thinks he has everything he really needs. He has those virtues in which he needs to realize his potentials. Once realizing his potentials heà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s able to achieve happiness. Thatà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“s why Aristotle said that the happy man wants nothing more. Happiness is sought-after in itself and never for the sake of something else. Happiness meets Aristotles criteria for completeness viz. An end pursued in itself, we say, is more complete than an end pursued because of some thing else. (Aristotle) Happiness, according to him is just as self-sufficient as good, because both make life choice worthy. Apart from being chosen for themselves honor, pleasure and wealth, are also chosen for the sake of happiness, judging that by means of them we shall be happy. Desires compiled of wealth, honor, and power are good but, they do not lead to happiness because they are superficial. Happiness, on the other hand, is not chosen or searched for, for the sake of these, or, for anything other than itself. Happiness is something final and self-sufficient. This leads Aristotle to his definition of the happy life as a life made perfect by the possession of all good things such as health, wealth, friendship, knowledge, virtue all these are constituent parts of happiness. Happiness is the whole good of which they are component parts. That is how happiness is related to all other goods. For the question as to why do we want to be healthy, one could answer by saying à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ because by being healthy would enable us to do the different kind of work we want to do. If then asked, why do you want to do that kind of work, the crucial answer would be because you wanted to be happy. Now that if you were asked, why did you want to become or be happy, the only answer would be because you wanted to become and be happy. There is an argument as to what constitutes happiness. Is it pleasure, honor, health, wealth, knowledge or something else? Aristotle clarifies that happiness is not found in living for pleasure because such a life is slavish. Nor is it found in seeking honor because honor depends not on the person but on what others think of him. In addition, Aristotle holds that the happiness of a human can be defined by determining the function proper to the human soul. This function cannot be one that plants and animals also perform, because it must be particular to human beings. Therefore, the function must be a part of the practical life of the rational part of a human, the term practical implying determined conduct, which is possible only for rational beings. It follows, then, that happiness consists in the action of the rational part of a human. The ultimate good of a human should naturally flow from performing his function well. To constitute true happiness this action must persist with conti nuity throughout a lifetime. Aristotles argument can be considered flawed when he suggests only human beings with full use of reason can be considered happy because happiness comes by reasoning. Aristotle argues that what sets humans apart from animals are reason and the ability to perform actions that only humans can perform. Children are human, but until a certain age they cannot reason or perform actions. Though they are not animals but their reasoning capability is similar to animals. A child may be happy at any age and hence Aristotle cannot say that happiness is only for humans as they can reason. Animals can be happy, even if they lack reasoning. This level of happiness might not be familiar to humans, but it doesnt mean that they cannot be happy. There is another point in Aristotles argument that can be faulty. Aristotles search for the good is a search for the highest good. He assumes that the highest good, whatever it turns out to be, has three characteristics it is desirable for itself, it is not desirable for the sake of some other good, and all other goods are desirable for its sake. But someone can attain happiness by having other goods. In other words, cant a particular individual reach happiness through wealth, power, and honor? If that same individual has those things taken away, he is not happy. Those other goods are what help that individual reach Aristotles highest end. As without them happiness becomes reliant on those other goods in order for that individual to reach happiness, so happiness in some sense does depend on other goods. Can virtues and pleasures change mans definition of Happiness? It can be decided on that virtues, and pleasures bring happiness because happiness is an end result of these things. But situations can change your definitions of what virtues and pleasures bring you happiness. Thus stating that happiness can not only be attained by having some virtues and pleasures, you must have possessions of all virtues and pleasure to be truly happy and stay that way. However does that imply that you lack some virtues and pleasures, and that you can never be truly happy. For example a poor or sick man can never be truly happy. Can anyone ever be happy? According to Aristotle they can be happy and lead a happy life. If a man adheres to virtues and pleasures then there should be no reason for him not to be able to attain happiness. Aristotle also makes a point about having moral virtues not lying, not taking a personà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s life, and other morally right things. Being moral ly virtuous is a way to living a happy life. By not stealing, or killing, or lying one can be content in knowing he or she is good therefore bringing happiness. But can moral, truth build the absolute definition of good; can some lead a good life without lying in the world? If you are to be put in a situation where you must lie to help or save someone, would you be able to find that happiness even though you are not morally virtuous? If this is possible then is disproves Aristotles belief that you always must be morally virtuous to be happy. These situations can always arise and if one moral virtue is chosen over another does that mean that you will not be able to be happy with the outcome. If you do not need moral virtues, then what is it that is needed to be happy? There are certain traits and virtues which are necessary in todays world in order to ensure a happy life. Traits such as conformity, patience, self content, self assurance, as well as virtues such as justice and temperance are key elements in attaining happiness. If one does not learn to accept himself, reality, then how can he ever truly be happy with his life? We must be moral ly virtuous, but it cannot constitute our lives. Having a good character consists in nothing more than being willing to suffer some immediate pains or willing to give up some immediate pleasures for the sake of obtaining a greater good later on. It consists in nothing more than making the right choices. The right choices are always those that determine on, what is good in the long run. They are hard to make. But if we do not make them, we are likely to have some fun from day to day for a while, and in the long run ruin our lives. In the process of building our lives, Aristotle says we keep our eye on the future, and on the result we want to achieve for our life as a whole, counting all the days to come. What he teaches us is that we cannot become happy by living for the pleasures of the moment. We often have to choose between having a good time and leading a good life. And this is something, Aristotle says, most men often do not do. In this sense Aristotles theory can be credible. H appiness can be attained if a person leads a good life. The term a good life may be interpreted in many different ways, but ultimately a good life must be lead. Then and only then is happiness attained. Happiness cannot be seen as an immediate result, for all that would amount to be is a momentary pleasure. Happiness must be seen as an end result, and in thus being an end result it can only be achieved as a long term goal. To be happy is to attain a balance (the mean) between virtues, morals, pleasures, and goals. If a person can learn to find a balance and become content with his situation as a result of that balance, he will be happy. Throughout time people have claimed to have been happy, and it is universally known of what things we must do in our lives to be happy; be just, virtuous, and morally right. Consider the situation of this final paper It has taken me multiple hours to complete, and I have had troubles in writing it, but I write it to achieve a greater goal, a good grade. By achieving a good grade I will pass this class, and thus be happy, but there is always the chance that I may not get a good grade thus not achieving happiness. This possibility now presents a problem in all theories. No matter what we do, if we complete our duties and if we are morally virtuous, there are always cases that have the possibility of hindering us from achieving happiness even if that was our goal. Thus one must never lead his life by the assumptions of others, on what paths must be taken in order to achieve happiness or a good life. We must lead our own lives to the best of our ability, and in being at ease knowing we have made our own paths, then and only then can we really be happy. Overall Aristotles teachings have pointed out that happiness as an end in itself is the ultimate end and f unction of human beings. The only method of reaching this happiness is through reason. A life that does not exercise the role to reason will end up in some way being incomplete and never reach perfection. Therefore, reason is not only good for us but needed to reach an absolute existence.

herody Free Essays Homers Odyssey: Odysseus as Heroic Archetype :: Homer Odyssey Essays

Odysseus as  Archetype of a Hero  in  The Odyssey      Odysseus, of Homer's Odyssey, is an appropriate hero and ruler of Ithaca. He does not act irrationally but contemplates his actions and their implications. Odysseus is an appropriate hero because he embodies the values of bravery, intelligence, astuteness, and competency. Odysseus is an appropriate ruler for Ithaca by virtue of his hereditary right to kingship as well as his diplomatic skills, familiarity with his male subjects, discipline, and his impartiality and compassion. However, he is a character that does make a foolish decision. There is a rare instance when his pride supersedes his intellectual ability. Odysseus is an appropriate hero for he embodies the values of bravery, intelligence, astuteness, and competency. While he trying to return home from Ilium, numerous suitors attempt to seduce his wife, Penelope. However, when he returns Odysseus cleverly plans and carries out the demise of the evil and wasteful suitors with the help of Athena, goddess of wisdom: "Come on [Athena] weave me a plan to punish them [the suitors]." Odysseus' wisdom is admired by Athena, the goddess of that aptness. Athena is also impressed by his battle heroics and so she endeavors to provide him with succor: "And you didn't know Pallas Athenaia the daughter of Zeus himself, your faithful stand-by and guardian in all your labours!" With Athena's assistance Odysseus becomes a true hero. Odysseus is the epitome of honor and virtue for his Ithacan subjects. Odysseus' kind and stalwart leadership is revealed by Eumaios, his faithful swineherd, and Philoitios, his loyal cowherd, who have both remained loyal to him for twenty years. Eumaios praises Odysseus as "A rare fine master." "Indeed I do not mourn so much for them as for him [Odysseus], though I long to see 'em again and my native land, but I do miss Odysseus since he went away. I don't like to speak his name, man, although he is absent, but I call him 'his honour,' even when he is far away." Odysseus is a befitting king because it is his ancestral right, for he is familiar with his male subjects and understands their desires. Odysseus' equity and mercy is displayed after his triumph over the suitors, whom he executed because of their lawless behavior. However, Odysseus shows compassion by allowing Phemius, the minstrel suitor, and Medon, a herald suitor to live. "Cheer up, my son has saved your life.

What it Means to be an American Essay example -- Papers USA Citizenshi

What it Means to be an American What does it mean to be an American? In my eyes to be an American means to have privileges, rights, and freedom. America isn't perfect, but it is one of the only countries that have rights given to people of different diversities and gender. America does not have tremendous poverty. Instead we have choices given to us by the people who fought and died for the American people. Without George Washington and the other patriots who planted the first seed in the ground and help plant the American nation we live in now who knows what America would be like now. One of the most important and well-known facts about America is freedom. We are granted the freedom or choice in our lives and how we live. We are given freedom of speech and press that lets us give our opinions and aspects of the community we live in. also we have the freedom of voting for our leaders and representatives. The American people are also given freedom of clothes, music, and number of kids. This right of freedom in our lives is one of many rights given to us. Equality in America is very important, and people have fought for it for years. In my opinion equality makes people more open minded about other peoples cultures and creates a better nation. There are still people in America and in other countries who do not believe in a community of equality and the respect of other cultures, and that is something that is not perfect about America. With that way of thinking and believing those people create the hysteria of violence and hate in America. All because they do not know about the culture they hate so bad, but we still have the people who do believes that equality is important, and they ... ... The people in America are not surrounded by a majority of starving people. Instead we have one of the most powerful economy in the world. America offers so much to the people who live in the U.S., but America will always be full of criticism, violence, and people who are offended by everything. America still seems to manage to be one of the world's best nations. The first Americans planned America to be as successful as it is, but for America to be more peaceful. America is not one of the most peaceful places, but it is not the most dangerous place to live. Even political parties lie and cheat each other. A lot of the Americans are greedy, because they take advantages of what America offers to their citizens. Even though America is not perfect I am still glad to live in the U.S.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Essay

There are many examples in the Catcher in the Rye, that show Holden’s hate toward the idea of losing innocence. Holden mentions a lot about children, his love for them and how he wants to save their innocence. He seems to relate more to people younger than him, whether they are male of female. He cares about them so much, becuase they haven’t lost their innocence, unlike adults who are all â€Å"phonies.† There are three main things he does and talks about, that shows his concern. His fascination to save innocence, erasing profanity, and Allie’s baseball glove. The first thing he constantly mentions is the loss of innocence. Holden seems to gravitate toward children; he shows them respect more then anyone else. He backs this up by mentioning how childrem are not phonies. Whenever he is around children he seems to curse less, and he has a nicer attitude toward them, rather than complaining. â€Å"Thousands of little kids and nobody’s around – nobody big, I mean except me. Ans what I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all† (Salinger 173) He is more worried about the children and their innocence, then worrying about himself and school. The second things hes does is erasing the profanity that was written in the school’s walls. He hated the ides of children seeing it and reading the swear words that were being written on the walls. He has a feeling that children would lose their innocence and more or less have the mentality of an adolescent and become â€Å"phonie.† â€Å"Somebody’d written â€Å"**** ***† on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy, I thought how Phoebe and all other little kids would see it, and how they’d wonder what the hell that meant, and then finally some dirty kids would tell them.† (Salinger 201) What ironic is, that even though he doens’t want the kids to know any profanity, he always swears, even when he is around Pheobe. The third thing is that he keeps talking about his borther Allie, his baseball glove, and his death. Holden has a really hard time dealing with the death of Allie. Reason being that he does not like to see a child lose his/her innocence. He hates the fact that innocence was lost, and he could not save it, because he is not the catcher in the rye. The glove is the only memory of Allie and his innocence. Another thing that pained him is that his brother did not lose his innocence from adulthood, but from life and his death. â€Å"He got leukaemian and died when we up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. You’ve liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but he was fifty times intelligent.† (Salinger 38) In conclusion, Holden’s fascination with children exceeds everything, even the respect for his parents. Children in a way do have an innocent aspect. Holden’s perception of innocence made the book very intriguing, because no one knos what he is going to do or say next. It is almost like he has a double personality, sometimes he is cruel to people and criticise them, and sometimes he is caring and looked everything in a nice way, especially  children.

Industrial Revolutionists Thomas Edison

During a time of industrial economic revolution there were few people who were recognized as major contributors to the country†s evolvement. Among these people were Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Thomas Edison. These three men possessed incredible intuition, genius and personal determination that shined brightly throughout their extraordinary lives. Each individual proved to be nothing less than successful in his career by striving to surpass his competitors and by constantly trying to reach goals that were practically unattainable. In this essay I will cover each individuals life and accomplishments, identify how these men helped the nation fix its domestic economic flaws and explain why I think they were successful over achievers rather than â€Å"robber barons. † Andrew Carnegie was one of these individuals. Although he was born poor, he did not let his financial disability get in the way of success. He started out his career at the bottom of the social latter. In fact his first job was working as a bobbin boy at a textile mill. He labored more than sixty hours a week receiving $1. 20 for each week†s work. As horrid as this seems, he displayed his potential by becoming Pittsburgh†s fastest telegraph reader. Unbelievably he read the telegraph by reading the sounds of the keys by ear. After decoding many of the city†s business leader†s messages, Carnegie developed an insider†s view of their operations. Finally, in 1852 a superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Tom Scott, hired Carnegie as his secretary and personal telegrapher. He worked as the railroad†s telegrapher for seven years until Scott was promoted to vice president of the company. This enabled Carnegie to be promoted to Scott†s former position. Now that he had the ability to â€Å"stretch his legs† he showed just how valuable of an employee he was. He did this by doubling the company†s road mileage and quadrupling its traffic. Not too long after, his annual income rose to almost $60,000! Even though Carnegie had already embodied the â€Å"rags to riches† dream he was not satisfied. In the 1870†³s he decided to build a steel mill. He furnished it with nothing but state of the art steel producing technology. He named it the J. Edgar Thompson Mill. With the combination of his management knowledge and intuition he learned how to produce steel much more cheaply than his competitors. He did this by salary cutbacks and by making sure no materials were wasted. â€Å"Watch the cost, and the profits will take care of themselves. † This was his motto and what he firmly believed in. Because Carnegie could see the â€Å"big picture,† he began vertical integration (controlling all aspects of manufacturing). This gave him the ability to control every thing from the extracting of raw materials to the selling of the finished product. Basically, Carnegie had built a monopoly (exclusive control over the entire steel commodity). By now Carnegie had help in running his company. Along with his business associates, he developed a partnership with Henry Clay Frick who eventually became the chairmen of Carnegie Steel. With Frick†s leadership, profits constantly rose giving Carnegie more time to focus on his philanthropy. Carnegie felt that â€Å"fortunes corrupted their possessors†, so he donated over three hundred million dollars to philanthropy projects! This funding helped establish foundations and proved to be beneficial to universities, libraries as well as his popularity. About ten years later, the aged Andrew Carnegie agreed to sell Carnegie Steel Company to J. Pierpont Morgan. It was agreed that Morgan would buy the company for five hundred million dollars. Once the transaction was complete, United States Steel was born. Carnegie proved himself to be a self made man of success who started at the bottom and trudged his way to the top. With his amazing intuition and decision making ability he built an empire that made a notch in American history and helped bring about the industrial revolution. John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil Company, also played a role in the industrial revolution. He too longed for wealth and prosperity. He went about this by making many little decisions rather than huge ones. He did this by adjusting every single aspect of his oil company until it was a finely tuned money making machine. He stressed the importance of â€Å"providing a reliable product† and used the latest techniques in ensuring the quality of his products. Like Carnegie, his crude business techniques along with his extraordinary intuition in the understanding of the industry provided for a complete monopoly over the industry. He displayed his power by pricing his products below cost. This caused his competitors and merchants that refused to sell his products to go under financially. By 1879, Rockefeller owned ninety percent of the nations oil refining capacity. Unlike Carnegie, Rockefeller devised a plan to merge all of the competing companies into one giant system. He did this by persuading stockholders of forty companies to exchange their stock for certificates of trust. He formed a board of trustees to run all of the companies. This proved to be a remarkable idea indeed because within three years the Standard Oil Trust had cut the number of refineries in half. This resulted in a rapid growth of Standard Oil and its spread to several other continents. Because other fields of manufacturing began to catch on to Rockefeller†s tactics, monopolistic control began to rise in different areas of the country. This provoked the public to ask for an investigation of trusts and their operations. In 1890, Senator John Sherman led Congress into passing the Sherman Anti-Trust Act which outlawed trusts and contracts or combinations in restraint of trade. It also established fines and jail times as penalties. Because the government vaguely defined â€Å"trust† and â€Å"restraint of trade† few were prosecuted. When Rockefeller and Standard Oil were finally challenged in 1892, he simply transformed his nine trustees into the board of directors of Standard Oil. This helped the company elude prosecution and caused the continuation of growing profits. Like Carnegie, Rockefeller found the loophole in the economic system and took advantage of it. But he also displayed his keen sense of intuition and decision making by making decisions that helped his company adapt to the changing laws. He too showed that through hard work, determination and understanding of one†s surroundings a person could be successful. The third of these successful individuals is Thomas A. Edison. An inventor born in 1847, he believed in hard work and self-promotion. Like Carnegie and Rockefeller, Edison envisioned an interconnected industrial system founded. This though was being founded on the basis of technology. Through out his life he had many inventions having the stock quotation printer as his first. The profits he received from the sale of the printer†s patent gave him enough money to build his very own â€Å"invention factory†. After the invention of the telephone, Edison focused on electric light. During this time he invented the phonograph which gave him even more determination and self-motivation to develop a new filament for incandescent light bulbs. He finally perfected a process of generating electricity and found a filament that would glow dependably in a vacuum. Backed by J. P. Morgan in 1882, the Edison Illuminating Company opened a power plant that furnished light for eighty-five buildings. Even though Edison was prospering, he did have competitors stealing his ideas. One example would be George Westinghouse. Westinghouse developed a system that used alternating currents of electricity to provide cheap high voltage power. Of course Edison sued, but it cost two million dollars to defend his patents and relinquish control over his enterprises. Like Carnegie and Rockefeller, Edison merged with a competitor in 1892 to form General Electric. Just four years after, GE agreed to exchange patents with Westinghouse in order to dominate the market. Edison continued to pump out invention after invention. By the time he was done, he had 1,903 patented inventions and had put together an estate worth over six million dollars. Thomas Edison did not quite achieve the financial status Carnegie and Rockefeller did, but he did follow the same path and ended up with a fortune. His presence is still felt every time someone turns the light on. That is definitely an admirable achievement. His inventions helped shape our nation and contributed greatly to the industrial revolution. Although Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Thomas Edison were considered â€Å"robber barons† or tycoons, the big picture can be over looked. During their time many things such as industrialism and business techniques were evolving into a new era of technology and business. It is obvious that these three men were born with an incredible intuition for the industries they were in. It†s not to say no one else of their time shared this ability, but they were among the few who â€Å"reached for the stars† instead of a weekly pay check. These men put into perspective what pursuing the American dream is all about. It was their personal determination and work ethic along with their keen intuition that enabled them to be successful. Many people feel as if it was their greed that lead them to monopolize their chosen industry, causing other competitors to suffer. I think it hadn†t much to do with greed at all. Like any successful person they set their goals beyond their limits. They did nothing more than try to accomplish as much as possible in their lifetime. Doing so they found flaws in the nations economic system and capitalized on them. If anything, this provided for the correction of these flaws and the betterment of the nations domestic business structure. Of course there were those at the bottom of the social chain that suffered, but that still lives on today. Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Thomas Edison not only contributed to our country†s industrialization and economic growth, but also proved that the â€Å"American dream† does exists and can be achieved if one puts forth enough of himself to grasp it.