Hinduism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Hinduism - Essay Example Such is the her greatness that the kings and all other men seek help from her as she is the one praised by all the gods; Goddess Lakshmi holds a dominant position in the hierarchy of Hindu gods. She is called many things such as; the sacred fire, the golden one, the one garlanded in silver and gold, are some of her attributes. Her arrival means good news for the people and her procession brings good luck and happiness for them. When the goddess approaches the poet it brings them comfort. Her sacred fire looks fierce but it glistens like smooth cool water. She herself is very content and also bestows contentment on her people. She is also the protector of people; the poor seek refuge in her presence. Her arrival is glorified in the original Sanskrit poems so much so that it appears that the concept of happiness and comfort is her creation. The poem tells that worldly pleasures like gold, cattle, horses and even loyal friends become the destiny of her followers when she arrives. It is as if when the goddess gives attention to the one invoking her she bestows contentment, love, satisfaction and worldly p leasures onto that person; Be it the common people or the king, everyone bows before the goddess Lakshmi and seeks her help. The poem praises her beauty and calls her the ‘sun brilliant’. The poem says that through her austerity the bilva tree springs up and gives fruits that has the power to dispel Alaksmi (the goddess of misfortune). Later the poem also asks the goddess to bestow fame and give wish fulfilling jewel. The fame and fortune is also in her powers to bestow upon the common people. Goddess Lakshmi does not only provide worldly pleasures and wealth. She also gives the peace of mind, the pleasure and the truthfulness in speech. When goddess Lakshmis daughter, Kardama, dwells in a person it will make Lakshmi dwell in his home. The Lotus garlanded Shri is also her title.

Macro economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Macro economics - Essay Example It categorically defined employee and enables the Federal government to enforce acceptable means necessary to promote employment for economic stability (McConnell and Brue 214). These statues as well as other directives from the government are factors that shape a country’s fiscal policy. Prior to the Great Depression, national government intervention was limited to foreign policy and national defense. Most of fiscal policies are determined in state levels of government who had ample discretion in the formation of their own guidelines. Economists often refer to another important factor in the determination of economic dynamics in the form of political influence as a major factor in the federal budget. When there is unsupervised spending by politicians into particular interests groups then this could lead to exhaustive government expenditure relative to the tax revenues and leads to federal budget deficits (Boyes and Melvin 248). Staggering budget deficits is a major problem fo r any economy that brings imbalance to the entire system and impedes growth bringing adverse effects to members of a country’s population. There are two broad categories of fiscal tools as enumerated by McEachern as automatic stabilizers and discretionary. The first are programs that regulate the economy by stabilizing disposable income through the real GDP and consumption. The best example of an automatic stabilizer is income tax which automatically modifies the disposable income of an individual. The second is a direct manipulation by the government to encourage its macroeconomic objectives including full employment, growth and price stability. They may differ in the length of execution and as to... This paper discusses such important macroeconomic concepts as business cycles, fiscal policy and fiscal tools. Business cycle is essentially the rise and decline of economic activity. There is no specific or clear-cut span of time that determines a business cycle and the same may range for several years. There are four phases of the business cycle that comprises of peak, recession, trough and recovery A widely used measurement of output is the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country which sees peaks and lows The occurrence of business cycles and its concurrent effect on increasing unemployment and inflation prevents economic growth.The mandate of a country to influence economic activity is the central purpose of fiscal policy. Macroeconomic theories are utilized in the formulation of the scope and limitations of fiscal policy. An example of a direct reaction of the government founded on fiscal policy is the Employment Act of 1946 when unemployment became a major problem after World War II. Prior to the Great Depression, national government intervention was limited to foreign policy and national defense. There are two broad categories of fiscal tools as enumerated by McEachern as automatic stabilizers and discretionary The first are programs that regulate the economy by stabilizing disposable income through the real GDP and consumption. The second is a direct manipulation by the government to encourage its macroeconomic objectives including full employment, growth and price stability. The 2009 stimulus plan implemented by President Obama is a good example of a discretionary fiscal tool adopted by the U.S. Government

Reporting Practices And Ethics Paper Essay Example for Free

Reporting Practices And Ethics Paper Essay As you visit a medical clinic or hospital you may have concerns about the medical care you will receive. You would hope that you will receive fair and ethical treatment from the staff. It is the responsibility of the staff to do the best job possible to service not only the paient but also the employer. There is a need for an ethical foundation, especially in the health care setting. According to Bringing Ethics And Integrity Into Focus (2012), â€Å"Patients and family members desire high quality care, patient safety and the latest medical technology. But, ultimately, trust in the integrity of the caregiver is the foundation for their peace of mind.† Elements of Financial Management Financial management is vital to an organizations effectiveness. Financial management consists of four elements. The financial manager takes the necessary steps to identify and organize the organizations objectives. This is the element called Planning. Controlling is when the financial manager ensures that the plans set by the organization are being followed properly and efficiently. The financial manager then makes the decision of how to use the resources of the organization to carry out the plans that have been established. This is where the organizing and directing comes in. The last step that the financial manager makes is the decision making process. This is where the financial manager will make informed choices through primary tasks of analysis and evaluation. Accounting Principles and Financial Ethics Standards It is very important that accounting and financial professionals abide by the ethical standards that regulate what kind of business is conducted, how they use their skills and who they serve. This is called Gernerally Accepted  Accounting Pricinples. Ethical standards are determined largely by professional accounting and finance organizations and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Accountants and financial professionals must continue their education and practice the ethics that prepare them for their positions, and they must also continue that education by learning new information that can affect their practices. Accountants must be objective, avoiding conflicts of interest. They must not, for instance, perform accounting services for firms that they have a vested interest in. When working with a clients financial information, financial professionals have access to a great deal of personal information. This is not only limited to financial information but also includes the names and contact information of employees as well as the names and locations of firms with which the company does business. Financial professionals are required to keep that information private except when ordered to disclose it by a court of law. Keeping information private is an example of an ethical standard. Another example of ethical standards of conduct and financial reporting practices would be the company Enron. Enron is a company known for its ethical scandals. Enron was unethical due to the fraud that was committed by its top executives. On paper the accountants made Enron more powerful than they appeared. Subsidiaries, known as special purpose entities have a single purpose and it was not necessary that they were included on Enrons balance sheet. These subsidiaries were used to hide risky investment activities and financial losses. (Folger, 2011). It was later determied that Enron assets and profits were inflated, and even fraudulent and non-existent. Enron was one of the worst accounting scandals of all time. Conclusion With the Enron scandal, organization ethics are more important now than ever, but not only does it make a businesses practice sound, it also allows the employees of the organization to go by a higher standard of integrity in their daily functions. It is more critical in health care settings than any other environments that there is an ethical foundation. It is important that health care staff conduct themselves with integrity, honesty, and respect for others and health care organizations must adopt standards of professional practice and having ethics is critical to the care patients  receive. . References Bringing ethics and integrity into focus. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/bringing-ethics-and-integrity-focus Folger, J. (2011). The Enron Collapse: A Look Back. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1211/the-enron-collapse-a-look-back.aspx

Standard Form Of Contract With Quantities Construction Essay

Standard Form Of Contract With Quantities Construction Essay This report will outline the full range of roles and responsibilities within the JCT 2005 Standard Form of Contract with Quantities (SBC/Q) for the project of Oasis Leisure Complex. This project is at the request of the employer the Gallagher Brothers, Duck Construction (UK) Ltd have been successful in winning the contract to complete the building works. For this project the contract to be used is the JCT 2005 Standard Form of Contract with Quantities (SBC/Q). With this type of contract being selected there are certain roles and responsibilities that each party involved in the contract must observe. The key personnel involved in a contract of this type are as follows:- Roles Within Project (Standard Building Contract: Ed 2 Construction Contracts: Ed 4) Employer Client The client is the employer for the project; this can be a single person, a partnership or a large scale company. The client is the role which issues the project requirements and provides the funding for the building works to go ahead. The client must select a principle contractor or a representative who is skilled in this type of contract to ensure the contract and project are carried out correctly. Professionals Principle Contractor/Project Manager/Representative The principle contractor will work on behalf of the employer to carry out all the major elements of the building project and the contractual procedures. The principle contractor will be in contact with all of the key personnel within the project liaising and instructing all of the external companies brought in to carry all of the building and design related work. As can be seen on the diagram below (Standard Building Contract: Ed 2 ) the principle contractor will have to liaise with multiple parties throughout the whole of the projects duration ensuring all the employers requirements are carried out. Architect An Architect must also be employed in most projects, this can be done by the employer prior to appointing a principle contractor or they can be selected by the principle contractor when the project is underway. The architects role is to work with the client and the principle contractor to come up with an overall design from the requirements laid down by the employer. They will ensure that the building is functional and achievable and will provide all the drawings for the complete project with exact measurements and details for construction. The architect will also work with designers and technologists to complete the drawings for the project to take shape. They are responsible for any changes that need to be made from the existing drawings. The roles of these specialists are:- Technologist The technologist will ensure the structure and design ideas from the architect are feasible. They will specify materials and structural design for the contracted builders to follow Designer The designer will specialise in fit out and interior area design and functionality. They will specify finishes and qualities of areas throughout the building project. Quantity Surveyor The role of the quantity surveyor is to provide measurement and costing from the architects drawings. The QS will carry out this task to get an accurate cost model for the project from the drawings they are supplied with to give to the employer as a projected quote for completion of the building. The QS will work throughout the project adjusting the costing and final accounts as the job progresses if any changes or variations occur. Management Main Contractor Person in Charge (PIC)/Site Manager The role of the PIC/Site Manager is to be permanently on site to supervise the building works. They are usually specified by the principle contractor to act upon the role of the principle contractor via an onsite basis. The PIC/Site Manager is responsible for all building works taking place onsite; they are also responsible for all direction and specification given by any inspectors or Clerk of Works. Clerk of Works The Clerk of Works is employed by the client to work with the Architect in an onsite inspector role. The Clerk of Works responsibility is to ensure that all the design elements of the architects plans are being carried out and are being done to the correct specifications from the employer. Contractor The role of the contractor is to work on behalf of the principle contractor to appoint each of the specialist trades needed to build the project; these specialists are known as sub-contractors. The contractor will source builders, glazers, plumbers etc to carry out each of the individual tasks that will need to be carried out to complete the final structure. The contractor will also liaise with suppliers to ensure that correct materials are ordered, the best prices are paid and that all materials are delivered to site at the right times. They ensure that the Sub-contractors are aware of the work that is required of them and coordinating all the elements taking place on the site at specific times of the construction process. Works Contractors Sub contractors This role consists of the builders, plumbers, glazers etc employed by the contractor. They are specialists in each of their individual trades and will be responsible for the actual construction and works that take place on site. Suppliers This role consists of taking orders and supplying materials on site that are required by the sub-contractors. Specific suppliers are normally stipulated in the contract and they will provide all of the required materials for the project for an agreed amount. Materials that they will supply can consist of sand for brickwork, block work, hardcore etc. Problems Conflicts (Construction Contracts: Ed 4) Many of the individual roles that have been outlined above will have never worked in collaboration with each other on a personal basis as well as the client potentially being inexperienced in the contract and construction process. With so many different roles having to come together and work efficiently over a large scale project inevitably problems will occur as the plans take shape. These issues are common with most projects and if managed correctly can be easily overcome, the use of a JCT contract will aid in solving the problems that occur and build a strong and reliable team. Some of the common problems and conflicts are as follows: Large-scale Project Team The size and scale of man power and people involved even within the smallest of construction projects is very difficult to manage without problems. With so many different trades and specialisations coming together on one project communication and understanding is key. Many different professionals will no doubt be spread out across the country and will have to work together efficiently to ensure the project takes place, is to the correct specifications and on time. The timing of each trade or skill taking place must be streamlined in order to minimise the problems that may occur. Communication must be focused on at all times as this is the easiest solution to the problems that occur with large scale teams. Professional Pride Due to most people and trades involved with the project never working with each other on a single construction project pride and ignorance can play a huge role in conflicts occurring. Each individual is responsible for their part of the project and will face charges or sanctions if they do not carry out their role properly. Because of this some trades or individuals will feel that they are at a higher worth than other members of the project and that other roles are inferior. This attitude should be avoided at all costs, the principle contractor should ensure that all roles are working well together and take relative steps to counter any problems occurring or remedy any existing problems by liaising with the personnel involved. Task/Timescale Overlaps Almost all projects will have a timescale associated with them. Most projects will be meticulously planned so that all building and consultation works take place as efficiently and smoothly as possible. Each stage will be in line with all of the other tasks to ensure that no conflict occurs. Unfortunately task/timescale overlaps are also inevitable, damage limitations or contingencies should be thought through to ensure projects do not fall too far behind. The best way to counter this problem is to have someone meticulously monitor and adjust a semi-flexible timescale plan which is developed as the project takes place, this will ensure that the problem planned components can be changed quickly without too much disruption. As shown above all the roles and responsibilities are outlined in the JCT contract, this helps to minimize the problems that can occur on a construction project. The JCT does this by clearly outlining each persons role and responsibility with in the whole of the construction project, it ensures that each person is fully aware of what is expected of them and if problems do occur the contract outlines can be used to source and remedy the problem immediately and efficiently.

The Namib Desert :: essays research papers

The Namib Desert   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Namib Desert is a parched and rippled desert, an endless expanse. It stretches along the wouthwest coast of Africa from Angola in the north, through Namibia, into South Africa. The name Namib means â€Å"emptiness.† About 1,700 km (1,060 mi long and 100 km (60 mi) wide, the desert is bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The Namib has an approximate area of 170,000 sq km (65,640 sq mi). It rises from sea level 914 m (3,000 ft). Temperatures average 16 deg C (60 deg F). Sands, varying from yellow to red in color, form dunes reaching 240 m (800 ft) in height. The annual rainfall averages only 25 mm (1 in), but high humidity results in fog and dew. In the north deeep canyons have been cut by streams. The area's main rivers, the Orange and the Cunene, follow the southern and northern borders, respectively, of Namibia. One river, the Queeseb, is made of water collected from over 160 km (100 mi) inward. The Queeseb causes water holes, for which many organisms rely on for water besides the actual river itself. Acacia trees grow along the rivers, and short grasses and succulents thrive everywhere. One of the most important animals of the area is the baboon. The baboons excavate for underground water that many other animals depend on. There are many other animals that have adapted to live in the Namib desert farther away from the rivers and streams including 45 species of lizards and more than 200 species of beetles. The nocturnal gecko, like many other animals, burrows in the sand to escape the days heat, 77 deg C (170 deg F). The palmado gecko drinks the moisture that forms on its own body from the fog and dew, as does the sidewinder snake. The sidewinder has adapted a special way of moving in the loose sand which gives it its name.

A Seperate Peace Essay -- essays research papers

A Separate Peace Essay In the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the protagonist, Gene Forrester â€Å"battled† within himself to find â€Å"a separate peace† and in this process directed his emotions at Phineas, his roommate. Forrester and Phineas formed the illusion of a great companionship, but there was a â€Å"silent rivalry† between them in Forrester’s mind. Self deceptions in Forrester led him to believe that Phineas was â€Å"out to get him† (Forrester). Subconsciously Forrester jounced the limb of the tree and forced Phineas to fall and break his leg. Phineas found out the truth of his â€Å"accident† with the help of Leper Lepellier and Brinker Hadley, who were friends that attended Devon High School. Gene Forrester’s conflict between his resentment of and loyalty toward Phineas’ personality and athletic abilities was resolved by the death of Phineas. Gene Forrester and Phineas formed an illusion of a great companionship, which was sincere when they jumped from the â€Å"forbidden† tree. â€Å"We were the best of friends at that moment,† said Forrester when he remembered the instant (Knowles 10). Forrester â€Å"looked deeper† into his relationship with Phineas and became jealous of his talents, â€Å"I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn’t help envying that a little, which was perfectly normal† (18). A â€Å"silent rivalry† was developed between Forrester and in his mind Phineas. Forrester attempted to become â€Å"better† than Phineas by studying more and maintaining a highe...

Principles That Define the Culutral Level of Analysis Essay

Explain how principles that define CLOA may be demonstrated in research. ’ The first Principle states that Humans are information processors. Cognition refers to the mental tasks or thinking involved in human behavior. Thinking may involve memory, attention, perception, language and decision making at any one time. Cognitive psychologists see these cognitions are active systems; In between taking in and responding to information a number of processes are at work. Information can be transformed; reduced, elaborated, filtered, manipulated, selected, organized, stored and retrieved Therefore the human mind is seen as active system processing information, and cognitive psychologist’s aim to study these processes. Central to this information processing approach is the computer metaphor. One of the difficulties facing cognitive psychologists is that they were trying to study processes that are not directly observable. Consequently the computer revolution of the 1950 provided the terminology and metaphor they needed. People, like computers, acquire information from the environment (input). Both people and computers store information and retrieve it when applicable to current tasks; both are limited in the amount of information they can process at a given time; both transform information to produce new information; both return information to the environment (output). This information processing approach was adopted by Atkinson and Shiffrin in their Multistore Model of memory (1968). This model sees memory as an active process. Information flows in through the sensory stage (input). It then flows to the short-term memory before it is transferred to long term memory where it can be stored and later retrieved. A further example of information processing is the organization of information into schemas in the LTM. Schemas are mental models of the world. Information in LTM is stored in interrelated networks of these schemas and these schemas can affect retrieval. Simply put, schema theory states that all knowledge is organized into units. Within these units of knowledge, or schemata, is stored information. A schema, then, is a generalized description or a conceptual system for understanding knowledge-how knowledge is represented and how it is used. According to this theory, schemata represent knowledge about concepts: objects and the relationships they have with other objects, situations, events, sequences of events, actions, and sequences of actions. A simple example is to think of your schema for dog. Within that schema you most likely have knowledge about dogs in general (bark, four legs, teeth, hair, and tails) and probably information about specific dogs, such as collies (long hair, large, Lassie) or springer spaniels (English, docked tails, liver and white or black and white, Millie). You may also think of dogs within the greater context of animals and other living things; that is, dogs breathe, need food, and reproduce. Your knowledge of dogs might also include the fact that they are mammals and thus are warm-blooded and bear their young as opposed to laying eggs. Depending upon your personal experience, the knowledge of a dog as a pet (domesticated and loyal) or as an animal to fear (likely to bite or attack) may be a part of your schema. And so it goes with the development of a schema. Each new experience incorporates more information into one’s schema. The second principle of CLOA states that the mind can be studied scientifically. Cognitive processes are difficult to study. They often occur rapidly, and inside the mind so they cannot be observed directly. It is only the responses that participants make when given some cognitive task to perform that can tell us about cognitive processes. These tasks usually take place under tightly controlled lab experiments where the main aim is to isolate a particular component of the cognitive process for the study. One of the earliest and most famous experiments into cognitive processes is the Stroop Effect. The Stroop effect is a phenomena involved in attentional processes. Although we will actually focus on the process of memory this is a good study to look at. People are often introduced to the Stroop Effect in beginning psychology classes as they learn about how their brains process information. It demonstrates the effects of interference, processing speed (reaction time) and automaticity in divided attention. The effect is named after John Ridley Stroop who first published the effect in English in 1935. In his experiments, J. R. Stroop administered several variations of the same test for which three different kinds of stimuli were created. In the first one, names of colors appeared in black ink. In the second, names of colors appeared in a different ink than the color named. Finally in the third one, there were squares of a given color. In the first experiment, 1 and 2 were used. The task required the participants to read the written color names of the words independently of the color of the ink (for example, they would have to read â€Å"purple† no matter what the color of its ink was). In the second experiment, stimulus 2 and 3 were used, and participants were required to say the color of the letters independently of the written word with the second kind of stimulus and also name the color of the dot squares. If the word â€Å"purple† was written in red, they would have to say â€Å"red†, but not â€Å"purple†; when the squares were shown, the participant would have to say its color. Stroop, in the third experiment, tested his participants at different stages of practice at the tasks and stimulus used in the first and second experiments, to account for the effects of association. Stroop noted that participants took much longer to complete the color reading in the second task than they had taken to name the colors of the squares in Experiment 2. This delay had not appeared in the first experiment. Such interference was explained by the automation of reading, where the mind automatically determines the semantic meaning of the word (it reads the word â€Å"red† and thinks of the color â€Å"red†), and then must intentionally check itself and identify instead the color of the word (the ink is a color other than red), a process that is not automatized. This is a classic laboratory experiment that involves the manipulation of an independent variable (colour or name of word) to see what effect it has on the dependent variable (reaction time). It attempts to control the influence of all other extraneous variables – such as other cognitive processes or skills. It also allows us to establish a cause and effect relationship between task and mental process. The strengths of the experiment are that it got valid results but however was still very unethical which not usuall in psychology is. One more strength is that it is an easy experiment which does not need a lot of input to carry out. The study can be considered cross cultural as any human would act the same in this situation. Obviously the reaction times would be different but in the end anyone would take longer to read the words writte in a different colour. Cognitive processes are influenced by social and cultural factors, is the statement which forms the third principle. Although cognitive tasks such as memory and attention are universal, there are cross cultural variations in processing mechanisms. Bartlett’s study demonstrates how memory can be distorted by cultural schemas. Schemas are representations of knowledge based on experience. In his study in which British participants were asked to recall a native American folktale. He found that the story of ‘The War of the Ghosts’ was difficult for Western people to reproduce exactly because of its cultural content which was unfamiliar to them so in fact they encoded the meaning of the story adapted to their existing cultural schemas. As a result Bartlett concluded that interpretation plays a large role in remembering events or stories. We reconstruct the past and try to make it fit into our schemata, the more difficult this is to do, the more likely it is that elements are forgotten or distorted so that it fits and remembering is integrally related to the social and cultural context in which it is practiced. Cole and Scribner (1974) studied memory skills in both American and Liberian children. They argued that cognitive processes are universal but not cognitive skills. Cognitive skills are dependent on the environment – education, social interaction, culture and technologies make up the environment they observed the effects formal schooling / education (culture) had on memory they compared recall of a series of words in the US and amongst the Kpelle people using word lists that were culturally specific. They found that in general educated Kpelle children performed better in the recall of list than no educated Kpelle children and those overall American children performed better than Kpelle children. Although this could be interpreted as memory skills being better amongst Americans children than Kpelle (African) children such an interpretation would overlook the influence of culture. Western schooling emphasizes certain cognitive strategies such as clustering / categorizing. It is unlikely such parallels exist in traditional societies like the Kpelle People learn to remember in ways that are relevant for their everyday lives, and these do not always mirror the activities that cognitive psychologists use to investigate mental processes The strengths of this lab study are that it was carried out ethically and the with the results we can almost confirm the cross cultural validity but of course we cant confirm it with 100% as exceptions will always be there. The applications of this study are basically already demonstrated within the study as it can be used for memory in schools or even at a working place.