Lobbying strategies used by financial services Essay

General knowledge about patenting and the patent reform legislation. A patent can be said to be a se of exclusive rights given to an inventor or his assignee for a given period in exchange for the invention details. However in countries like us extras qualification utility patents is used to differentiate them from other types of patents, this should not be confused with utility models grants by other countries. (http://www.ipaustralia-gov.au/patents/what_index.sch.html)examples of these particular patents for invention includes biological patents, business method patents, chemical patents and software patents. In some other countries other types of intellectual property rights (IPR) are called patents while industrial design rights are referred to as design patents which protect the physical designs of objects which are not of great utility. As such therefore, patent should not be mistaken for a right to practice or use the inventor, it(patent) provides the authority to prevent other people from making, using, selling or offering for sale or importing the patented invention for as long as the term of the patent remains, which in most cases is usually 20years. In real sense a patent is a limited property right that the government leases to inventors in exchange of their (inventors) disclosure of the details leading to their invention. Patent therefore, like any other property rights can be leased, mortgaged, assigned, licensed, given away or even transfered.As briefly stated above the rights governing a patent varies from country to country. For instance in Australia, other people are allowed to build on top of already patented invention. This is possible by making use of exceptions from infringement procedures e.g. allowances for academic research (http. /paustralia- gov.au/patents/what_ index .sch.html). While on the other hand in US things are very different on patent rights governing research, whereby even developing of an existing invention amounts to infringement. The mystery of patents is exhibited when one wants to make an improvement of an already patented invention. This can only be done legally by seeking permission from the patent holder, assuming that the patent is still in force When the new improvement is made the owner of it can bar the original patent owner from using the improvement and hence denying him of the right to exploit the patent. However some countries require that the invention be exploited in the jurisdiction it covers. Again the penalties of not working an invention vary from country to country but the common penalties ranges from revocation of the patent rights to awarding of a license to any party in a position to exploit the invention. The patentee can seek legal redress and challenge the revocation or the issuance of the license. But there exists a big hurdle in offering of tangible evidence that, the requirement of the public have really been met by the working the invention. Generally patents can only be put in force through law suits (e.g. in US, patent infringements are handled in the US federal courts) in other countries like France and Australia criminal penalties for patent infringements are given. In case of an infringement the patent owner will demand to be compensated financially for past infringement and then also seek to bar the defendant (infringer)from engaging in any further acts of infringement. However it is not always easy for the patent owner to prove that infringement really took place. As such, he is required to establish that the accused practiced all that the patent was entitled to; again, the issue of independent jurisdictions patent rights tradition also arises. The above statements about the powers of a patent owner are enough evidence to show that there is a great limitation on the patent owner because the accused has a right to challenge the validity of a patent .It is common for civil courts hearing patent cases to declare patents invalid. The basis on which a patent can be declared invalid are stated on the patent agreement, and again this varies from one jurisdiction to another. However some countries like UK have laws discoursing infringers from challenging the validity of patents. In the UK this discouraged through the certificate of contested validity. Nevertheless not all patent rights disputes are settled through litigatation. Majority of these disputes are settled through private patent licensing agreements. These agreement are simply practical, effective contracts whereby the patent owner (also know as licensor) voluntarily decides not to sue an infringer in return of some payment .Research shows that this is common in companies which deals with complex products. These companies also issue patented licenses to other business rivals under what is known as cross licensing agreements. This in turn facilities the cross accessing of each other inventions (special problems in patent cases 66.FRD 529,197 by Howard T Markey) As seen above different jurisdictions have different traditions of approaching patenting, but it should be noted that in many nations both single entities (natural persons) and corporate entities can apply for a patent. On issuance of this patent then the entity (ies) becomes the owners of the patents. However, it is mandatory that the inventor (s) be named so that the public can get to know how the owner(s) of the patent acquired the rights. For example in US only the inventor(s) (natural person) can apply for a patent, in cases of multi inventors then each inventor is given a patent which s very independent from those given to other co- inventors . It is a normal practice also in US for inventors to assign their ownership rights to a corporate body, this is done in cases of multi-inventors so that only one single entity has the rights to grant a license. Another reason is to increase the liquidity of the patent as property, so that inventors can be in a position to sell them to a third party, who in turn owns the patent as though they were the real investors. From the above detailed information about the function ability of patents and patent rights it is evident that patents and patent rights need to be protected by relevant laws so that neither party i.e. patent owners, authorities, and infringers is vulnerable to mistreatment. Therefore nations and also internal communities have come up with laws that govern the enforcement of patents. Patents as such therefore, are governed by laws at a national level and at an international level through signing of treaties. It can be said that patents are therefore not national but territorial in nature. It is traditional that every nation forms a [patent office which carries out patenting responsibilities in regards of the laws of the country. However cases of infringements are left to be catered by national courts. On an international scale it is the work of the world Trade organization (WTO) to harmonize these patent laws. Agreement have been reached successfully in aligning these patent laws .Adherence to these agreements is a mandatory requirement for admission to the WTO, a factor leading to mass compliance by many nations .Even the developing countries are not left back although they have been known to enforce national laws protecting their local industries. A paramount international meting held in Paris relating to patent systems culminated in the signing of the above agreement. Although the agreement does not have a consequential legal effect in national jurisdictions its principles are largely inculcated in many current patent systems. For instance one such principle is the right to claim priority which allows an application filled in a member state of the Paris meeting to be valid for one year and also to be filled in any other member state and still receive its original filling date. This is a great achievement since patent ownership is entirely date oriented. Again the powers and dynamics of patents vary from sate to another. In US for example, the lands prime law (constitution), gives the congress the mandate to make laws, to promote, and uphold the progress of Science and useful Arts. These laws once passed, are then enshrined in Title 35 of the United States Code. The United States patent and trademark office (USPTO) was created under the above laws. (US patent activity, 1790 to present – http://www. Upstaged/web/ offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/h-counts-html). In UR, patent laws are contained in the patents Act 1977 (amended). On international perspective, as mentioned above there exists international freely procedures e.g. procedures under European patent convention (EPC) which works under European patent organization (EPO) and patent cooperation Treaty (PCT) among many others. Similar treaties exist in African content countries. For a natural person or a corporate entity to be awarded a patent then an application requesting the same has to be filled at the relevant patent office. This application contains such information like how to make and put the invention into use and also the utility of the invention. Also contained in the application form is claims which explain more about the invention and the extend of patent rights in regards to applicants wishes. The above details together with a written description with drawings are part of the patent specification. In some nations like US, the applicant is also required to include the most effective way to make and practice the invention. The claim part acts as a disclosure to the public on the limits to which the patentee has over the invention. In other words a claim shows what the patent covers and what does not cover. It should be noted also that a single patent can have numerous claims, each regarded as an independent invention. Once the above requirements have been provided it is now the duty of the patent office to counter check whether the application is in order with the relevant legal provisions in relation to the particular specie of patents. Once it is approved the patent takes effect from the date issued and it is subject to yearly renewals so as to remain in force in relation to (Egbert vs. Lippmenn, 104 U.S. 333 (1881) â€Å"the corset case†) The US supreme court passed a decision that any inventor who has not applied for a patent for more than eleven years of using the invention, cannot be given one. Hence there is a need to seek for a patent once an invention has been made (http://www. Wolf Greenfield. Com/media/news. 9.pdf) In a summary of the above information about patent system four main aspects have clearly been discussed about, they include; i. Inventing: – Through intensive research and consulting Scientists and artists are able to come up with inventions. The desire to dig more and come up with inventions is catalyzed by the existence of patent rights. Which comes with much money as a result of selling patent licenses ii. Disclosing the invention made: – As per the meaning of patent, the disclosure of invention is for a common good. This is so because there are projections as to the rights of invention and hence inventors feel free to disclose their invention. This disclosure facilitates for exploitation of patent right when the current one expire or even improvements are made. iii. To invest in producing, experimenting, and marketing of the invention. This is done out the faith that infrequent cases are well protected against. iv. Designing and improving of earlier patents: – This can only be possible is details of already existing patents are disclosed to the public. All the above stuff concerning modern patent system allows for infant inventors to gain exclusive rights and therefore becoming licensors. They therefore gain financially and in the long run promoting more innovations. Due to loopholes the legal systems governing patents cases of double awarding of patents have been common. (According to R.Buck minster Fuller 1938). Due to the increasing number of inventions the patent filling systems are becoming more complex day and day and hence there is a likehood of awarding a patent to an invention already patented before. However with the introduction of reliable computing system this has been kept at bay. According to Michael Heller, a law professor and Rebecca Sue Eisenberg in a 1998 in their 1998 science article, intellectual property Rights (IPR) have become so much fragmented that signing them will require an agreement with all the owners of fragments. Another big hurdle in patents is that they discourage innovations especially with corporate entities who may own many patents and enter into litigations incases of infringement although they are doing absolutely nothing to develop the invention. Other numerous problems also exist and as a result critisms have been common opposing the patents system and proposing for their abolition altogether. Lastly, it will be fair to put forth some historical information regarding the existence of patents. Reliable evidence suggests that the first stints of patents can be traced to ancient Greek cities whereby any one who came up with a new recipe was allowed to make the food for one year. On the other hand, modern patents can be traced to the republic of Venice whereby new inventions were publicly communicated to prevent undue infringement. Other countries followed suit e.g. U.K, US and therefore the idea of patents spread through other parts of the World. The above detailed account about patents gives a reader of this paper a sound basis to now tackle the issue of financial services industry, lobbying strategies in the addressing of the patent reform bill (legislation) before the 110th congress. As already explained above the patents system in united states are under the body known as United States patent and Trade mark organization (USPTO).This body is therefore incharge of issuance of patents to inventors. According to a 2004 report by National Agency of a sciences and another report of 2003 report by Federal Trade Commissioner a bill (patent Reform Act 2005) was proposed. The main aim of this bill was to try and bring a theme of modernity in the USA patent system. Although it was not until 2007 when this bill was introduced to the bicameral US parliament (Senate and House of representatives). This bill now known as â€Å"The patent Reform Act of 2007† was introduced as a proposal in the 110th US congress for discussion and eventual change of the United States Patent Laws. The bills main objective was to bring the American patent laws to the same level with other countries patent laws. (According to a patent system for the 21st century, by Stephen. A. Merrill Richard L. Levin and mark B. Myers, 2004- (http://www ton.nap.eds/catalog//76.html) The main changes brought by this legislation were – I). Converting US from a first- to- invent system to a first- inventor- to -file system. This bill will bring US to conformity with other countries of world. This system will also reduce legal costs, simplify the patent process, improve fairness and also facilitate a movement towards harmonized international patent system. It is also agreed that this change will reduce the complexity associated with the current USPTO interference proceedings. This will therefore make inventors to focus more on inventing. Since this change would make US to be in harmony with other countries it will help US inventors to pursue their innovative dreams in more consisted manner. On the hand, critics have agreed that this system of first to file will encourage unnecessary USPTO with unharmonized disclosure information; therefore quality of patents is compromised. Again the small scale inventors will be at a disadvantage when competing with large co operations in the race to the pattern office. The next major change was apportionment of damages. The bill will seek to bring sanity in the award of damages due from infringements of patents. The bill allows a court of law to ensure that the damages are paid according to the prevailing economic conditions pertaining to the patented invention. This was seen a measure to cut excessive royalty payment infringed patented. Large technological companies and financial services industries supported this change because they lie on features which are in most cases in patented. Critics of this system argued that, the congress should not attempt to prioritize the factors that a court may apply when determining reasonable damage rights. This system may also undermine the existing licenses and therefore leads to the rise of litigation. Those critics included USPTO, the biotechnology among many others. Other charges embedded in the bill included; Allowing a third party assignee to file a patent application, Revising procedures for patent interference disputes; Allowing financial institutions to infringe patents on the check collection system, Allowing a person who is not the patent owner to file a petition with the board cancel a patent as invalid among many other changes. These changes sought to facilitate a general overhaul of the US patent system. Which according to the coalition for 21st century patent Return was in dire need for periodic examination and foundational changes (http://www.ipfrolmer.com/depts/artic.asp?id=14890&deptid=4) This reform bill on patents was introduced to the House of Representatives by a democrat, MR. Howard Berman and in the senate by another Democrat, MR. Patrick Leahy. It was passed in the House of Representatives but put under more scrutiny pending voting in the senate following its introduction in the 110th United States Congress. The bill has been faced with positive and negative critisms from different organizations. Those organizations lobbying for its subsequent adoption argue that, the bill is necessary to bringing in the much needed changes and consequently reduce the number of soaring ills which are killing innovation. Some of these organizations include coalition for patent fairness, Business software alliance intellectual property owners association and lastly American institute of certified public accounts. Those according to them are weakening the rights of patent owners innovations included the following national small business organization, innovatiove alliance, Biotechnology industry organization among others (http://www.napp, org/resources/nap opp to 2007 senate Bill. pdf) According to the US department of commerce the only part which need some revision is section 4 which they argue may harm the nation’s intellectual property system. The bill also attracted critisms from international community with a Chinese expert calling the bill hypocritical; since it is weakening the rights of patent owners in US when US has been urging the Chinese government to strengthen the rights of their patent owners. An observation also comes from India pharmaceutical Alliance who argued the bills provision allows for the validity of a US patent to be challenged immediately after issuance. They also predict that the bill may favour Indian manufacturers since it reduces legal costs and risks. (Http.economictrimes.com/article show/mst 22256,pr+page – 1.cms1) The lobbying strategies The first question one should ask himself when tackling this debate is very simple, how is the proposed patent reform bill going to affect the performance of the financial institutions? Secondly has the current patent laws been in â€Å"favor† of the financial institutions? With these two questions in mind then it is very easy to the financial institutions stand in respect to these reforms. Consequently, therefore, the lobbying strategies they employ will be directly related to these effects. This issue of patent reforms may seem to a nonprofessional to be of no consequential impact and therefore does not deserve much thought but to the business community things are very different. The above detailed account of the pros and cons of the patent reform bill, it is very clear that there exists a tug-of war between some of the corporate US citizens. On one side of the war are much dreaded patent trolls or better known as patent sharks-small firms or individuals who wit fully trap large manufacturers in patent infringement suits in order to benefit from damage awards. On the other side of this war are financial institutions, which, includes banks and insurance firms who have joined hands with large tech-companies. It is understood that these two sectors have been faced with regular lawsuits coming from the much-dreaded patent sharks. At the center of the dispute is the current Americas patent system that is suffering from lack of a major policy overhaul for along period of time and struggling to stay in level with innovation in thev21st century. Therefore, financial institutions have always found themselves in a hot spot under the current patent laws. It is in this light that any reforms that seeks to address their plight is seen as a relieve to them. The first strategy therefore employed by these financial institutions was the formation of a bargaining platform in the form of â€Å"the coalition of patent fairness†. This group lobbied the senate to help curb the weak patents and bourgeois lawsuits from patent sharks. The group also lobbied against a ruling made by the federal appeals court that opened doors for patents on business methods, including different types of banking, investments and insurance techniques. It is through this lobbying that, the senate judiciary committee included a provision that grants banks immunity against lawsuits from patent holders like Texas Company Data Treasury, which holds patent on a method of digitally scanning, sending and storing checks. Another strategy used by financial firms is by applying for patents. These patents unlike those of other industries are not primarily for financial gains but for defensive purposes against the escalating number of patent infringement cases from the much-dreaded patent sharks. Financial institutions in US are also exploiting the fact that US is the only nation in the world to have been left back using the first-to-invent system of patenting to lobby the international organizations (WTO).this seems to have borne fruits because the USPTO seems to have yielded to the pressure and therefore agreed to bring some changes. This has worked through the harmonization of the US patenting system with the rest of the world. After the House of Representatives passed its version of the bill, many AUTM members frantically contacted their congressional members a move that enabled many parts of the bill to be amended. However the senate bill remained to be harmonized. Following great concern from the university community and other bodies, a number of changes were made. One lobbying strategy, which financial services institution used was voicing their concerns through the AUTM, an organization of many universities and other bodies that induces closeness to industries. It should be noted that the AUTM and the university community were not in anyway against the improvement of US patent system. Their main concern was to see that before the bill was finally voted for in the senate, the contentious parts should be first fine-tuned. As a show of great support to the improvement of the US patent system, the university group therefore put fourth the following suggestions (i) a one-year grace period for first inventor and strong inventor oath should be included. ii)Removal of the previous user rights expansion in favour of study of issue university patent can be in a risk of expanding prior user rights iii) Venue reform provision that exempt universities and technology transfer foundations that offer patent services to universities. The bill as it were had many provisions that were of great concern to US universities chiefly because it undermined the ability of the universities to transfer technology to local industries. This was due to the making of patents difficult to protect decreasing the amount of damages patent holder can get from an infringer and opening new avenues for infringers to put to task the validity of issued patents. This change of USPTO rules and the issue of Supreme Court in mind made it more burdensome, and expensive to get, maintain and even enforce patents. It also poses difficulties for Universities when starting companies, which attract venture funding. Other areas, which concerned Universities and financial institutions were, are as follows:- i. A compulsory search report and analyses, which reflect heavily on the financial aspects of Universities on technology, transfer offices. ii. Absence of meaningful inadequate contact reform iii. An open-ended, post-grant administrative review of patent quality. iv. Venue reform policy that forces patentee to file suits in the infringer home district court and v. Apportionment of damages in patent infringement suits. Another strategic lobbying device at the disposal of financial institutions and other concerned organizations was through approaching federal relations officer near them. These federal relations officers are discharged with the main duty of acting as the intermediaries between the people and senate (legislators). Due to the bill, having so many controversial sections, there was an urgent need for the stakeholders to harmonize their divergent views and come up with a consensus. This was achieved through the congressional research service (CRS) an arm of United State Congress that provides policy and legal advices to committees and members of both the house and the Senate regardless of party affiliations. The CRS committee collects views from the public and then they act accordingly. Again, this CRS also carries out civic education concerning the interpretation of bills and their effect to the lives of the common person. Holding of workshops and seminars with the other stakeholders was another worthwhile strategy used to help bring every concerned party on board so that when the legislation is adopted no one would feel shortchanged. Workshops are known to bring warring parties together on a mutual agreement. These workshops therefore lobbied the opposing bodies into ceding some of their unrealistic demands. Financial services institutions through their attorneys lobbied the senate judiciary committee into making provisions that gave them more power in the using of technologies made by other inventors. These technologies are necessary in the improvement of banking services offered to customers. The bill therefore needed to be lobbied and subsequently harmonized. Conclusion The AUTM through their technology transfer managers evaluated impact of the long legislation on its general operations and therefore come up with a strategy, educate the university management and also other interested and the work with the federal relations officer, who in turn contacts the lawmakers. This technology transfer managers advice the legislators on the need to go the dialogue way so that at end of it all no constituency feels as being shortchanged by the passing of the patent reform legislation. In general, the current state of the bill would weaken the entire American patent system by making patented under to protect. The damages entitled to a patent owner after an infringement has been reduced adding salt to the wound. New avenues for infringers to challenge an already issued patent have also been opened. Although the bill continues to be harmonized bit by bit, the university technology transfer system still view some areas as not fully catered for. The legislation also provides for a patent trial and appeal bond, which is charged with the responsibilities of reviewing decisions of examiners upon applications and reexamination proceedings. Financial services institution therefore can utilize this avenue in addressing and subsequent challenging of the patent reforms legislations. This board comes as an indicator on how this reform legislation has deliberately been drafted and therefore only needs to be harmonized on the small areas. However, it is fair to say that America need this bill to at least bring some uniformity with rest of the world because it has been the only country adopting the first-invent system of patenting. Two, according to Senator Leahy, America needs an efficient and streamlined patent system if it is to remain in the forefront of the world economy. This patent will bring quality and at the same time discourage counter productive litigations. Senator Berman on his side argued that, there should be no doubt, as to whether the US system of patenting produces high quality patents, and therefore changing the existing patenting practices through the congress is the only way out. The bill also, should not be viewed with suspicion since it was founded and introduced in the two houses on a bipartisan basis. It is also the bedrock of American innovation, and therefore there is great need to protect innovation and creativity, according to Senator Hatch. Financial services industry being one of the major economic players of the United State of America, needs also to standup on its own and voice out their grievances. In addition, financial services institutions like banks and insurance companies have a duty to challenge the patent reforms legislation because they have started to seek protection from infringement lawsuits from patent sharks. This was facilitated through the introduction of financial patents. References; More about patent reforms, available at, 1) http://www.ipfrolmer.com/depts/artic.asp?id=14890&deptid=4, accessed on april30 2008 Effects of patent reforms, available at, 2)Http.economictrimes.com/article show/mst 22256,pr+page – 1.cms1) , accessed on april30 2008 Patent reforms for 21st cen. available at, 3) http://www ton.nap.eds/catalog//76.html) accessed on april30 2008 US patent and trademark office, available at, 4) http://www. Upstaged/web/ offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/h-counts-html accessed on april30 2008 Regulations governing patent application, available at, 5) http://www. Wolf Greenfield. Com/media/news. 9.pdf) accessed on april30 2008 More about patenting, available at, 6)http://www.ipaustralia-gov.au/patents/what_index.sch.html) accessed on april30 2008 Patenting and innovations, available at, 7) Heller, M.A., & Eisenberg, R.S. (1998). Can Patents Deter Innovation? The Ant commons in Biomedical Research. Science. Different organizations response towards the patent reform bill, available at; 8) http://dev.bsa.org/country/public%20policy/patents.aspx, accessed on april30 2008

Gwen Harwood “Father and Child” Essay

The poem â€Å"Father and Child† by Gwen Harwood shows Harwood’s father teaching her the concepts of life and death, from when she is a young child in â€Å"Barn Owl† up to when she is around forty at the time of his death in â€Å"Nightfall†, coming to accept the idea that life is not never-ending. In part one called â€Å"Barn Owl†; she has learnt to accept death as a component of life. The persona of the poem experiences a loss of innocence with the discovery of the tragedy of death. Before shooting the owl, the child believes they are the â€Å"master of life and death,† with the noun, â€Å"master,† reflecting the power that the child feels and the ignorance that the child has about the nature of death. This description of the child is later contrasted in the fourth stanza, â€Å"I watched, afraid by the fallen gun, a lonely child who believed death clean and final, not this obscene bundle of stuff.† The emotive term, †Å"afraid,† represents the change in the persona’s attitude after being exposed to the harsh reality that is mortality. However, the rhyme and last line â€Å"what sorrows in the end, no words, no tears can mend† releases an element of inexpressible sadness that she has towards the death of her father showing that although she accepts death, it still upsets her as it did in â€Å"Barn Owl†. Father and Child† Nightfall† is more metaphorical and symbolic suggesting a more mature persona like an adult. The poem represents a human’s journey over time of learning to mature and accept death. The poem â€Å"Father and Child† explores the reversing roles of fathers and children’s roles as time goes on. Nightfall† is more metaphorical and symbolic suggesting a more mature persona like an adult, and is about a child grown to adult age spending time with her father before he dies. The symbolism of the imagery presented through the poem is of the passing of time, this is shown in words like â€Å"temporal†, â€Å"transience†, â€Å"late†, â€Å"night and day†, â€Å"grown† and â€Å"ancient†, this represents the ageing of the father and child and emphasises how they have grown both physically and mentally. The use of the word â€Å"angel† in â€Å"Barn Owl† suggests the closeness of the father-daughter relationship. Also the line â€Å"I leaned my head upon my father’s arm, and wept,† shows the caring and comforting nature of the father. However, â€Å"Nightfall† shows the childish nature towards her father starts to disappear and that she has developed great respect for her father. This is first implied through the phrase â€Å"Father and child, we stand in time’s long promised land† which shows they have a united front facing death  together. This is further emphasised through the rhetorical question of â€Å"Who can be what you were?† showing the appreciation for her father, as she recalls her father’s â€Å"marvellous journey†. Also, the use of direct speech from the father asking, â€Å"Be your tears wet?† is an allusion to Shakespeare’s play â€Å"King Lear†, where King Lear asks this same question to his upset daughter Cordelia on his death bed, this is where King Lear discovers that Cordelia was the only child that truly cared for him, suggesting that the persona has been faithful in caring for her father up until his death. â€Å"Old king† is a similar allusion again implying that the persona appreciates her father’s life thinking it was great and it needs to be treasured. â€Å"Nightfall† is suggesting that although loved ones pass, it is important to hold the memories shared close; so spiritually, they are never really gone even though physically they have passed.

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Gross Domestic Products - Essay Example When wage increases it would yield to higher production costs, thereby producing higher prices of goods and services and also increases the inflation rate. To station an equilibrium, unemployment rate must be consistent with the full employment rate. The interaction of supply and demand is a vital part of macroeconomics, consumer’s ability to adapt price changes and employers increasing the prices of the commodity may have several implications triggering the either inflation or stagflation. If consumers are cannot keep pace on the increasing price commodities, inflation may occur, however if employers are passing their labor cost index on consumers aiming to generate profit through price increase on commodities yet consumer can still cope up with the changes, stagflation occurs, where business did not gain anything and yet did not have any single loss. To illustrate further, we have to examine the country’s GDP of two of the world’s most prosperous nation, Austra lia, and United States. For over the past years, Australia’ economy has displayed worthily, however in 2006, it began to decline yielding only 2.5 % in real GDP. Drought, inflation, high oil prices, and economic deceleration attributed to the decreased in real GDP. (Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2007). Domestic demand brought for the country’s thrust. Domestic demand comprises of business investment. High capacity utilization and high corporate profits served as a catalyst for the growing business investment in Australia.... When wage increases it would yield to higher production costs, thereby producing higher prices of goods and services and also increases in the inflation rate. To station an equilibrium, unemployment rate must be consistent with the full employment rate. The interaction of supply and demand is a vital part of macroeconomics, consumer's ability to adapt price changes and employers increasing the prices of commodity may have several implications triggering the either inflation or stagflation. If consumer's are cannot keep pace on the increasing price commodities, inflation may occur, however if employers are passing their labor cost index on consumers aiming to generate profit through price increase on commodities yet consumer can still cope up with the changes, stagflation occurs, where business did not gain anything and yet did not have any single loss. To illustrate further, we have to examine the country's GDP of two of the world's most prosperous nation, Australia and United States . For over the past years, Australia' economy has displayed worthily, however in 2006, it began to decline yielding only 2.5 % in real GDP. Drought, inflation, high oil prices and economic deceleration attributed to the decreased in real GDP. (Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2007). Domestic demand brought for the country's thrust. Domestic demand comprises of business investment. High capacity utilization and high corporate profits served as a catalyst in the growing business investment in Australia. Capacity utilization refers to the amount pf physical capital available to firms that is in use. Firms are given ample stock of capital equipment such as machinery, office spaces, factories, computers and telecommunications as

Neurocysticercosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Neurocysticercosis - Essay Example The pig is an intermediate host, which harbors the larvae after ingesting the ova, while the ultimate hosts are humans. (Dhawan, 2007) Neurocysticercosis is caused by the intake of food contaminated with the waste products of a T. solium tapeworm carrier. The adult T. solium inhabits itself in the small intestine of humans, where it attaches itself to the intestinal wall by its suckers and hooks. A few pregnant proglottids are detached from the distal end of the body of the worm every day and passed with the feces; every proglottid contains thousands of eggs, which are fully embryonated, and resistant to all sorts of harsh environments and infective. (Etiopathogenesis of Neurocysticercosis, 2002) If pig products infected with the larvae are ingested, the intestines are subject to a tapeworm infection; when these eggs are ingested and subjected to gastric acid found inside the human stomach, their protective capsule is dissolved and the eggs turn into larval cysts, called oncospheres. Oncospheres travel through the vascular system to the brain, muscle, eyes, and other organs and body parts. The ingested ova develop into larvae (cysticerci) and lodge in soft tissues, especially skin, muscle, and brain. Cysticerci are fluid-filled oval cysts, approximately 1-2 cm in diameter, with an internal scolex. Once in the brain, the larval cysts (cysticerci) initially generate a minimal immune response and may remain in the brain as functional cysts for years. A live cyst can remain in there undetected for as long as 5 years before dying or causing symptoms in the host and cause minor inflammation in the tissue around it. (Christopher M. DeGiorgio, 2004) Finally, Neurologic symptoms by the cyst arise when it dies and the human mounts an associated inflammatory response. (Dhawan, 2007) The symptoms include: Seizures, which are severe involuntary movements of the body, headaches, states of confusion, lack of attention with people around and other things in the surrounding, difficulty with balance, Hydrocephalus or the swelling of the brain in which the cerebral ventricle dilate and lastly, sudden death as a cause of heavy infections. The Stages There are basically four stages of cysts within the parenchyma of the brain: vesicular, colloidal, nodular/granular, and calcified granulomas. In the first stage, the viable cyst larva is known as a vesicular cyst and has a minimum amount of activity which is because of little or no host immune response. As time passes the cyst degenerates, fluid from the larval cyst leaks into the parenchyma, creating a noticeable immune response. An enhancing cyst, without a proper scolex, is called a colloidal cyst. During the colloidal this phase, the parasite begins to demonstrate degenerative changes, the vesicular fluid takes on a gelatinous colloidal form, and the wall thickens. The CT scan shows an annular enhancement bounded by perilesional edema. Performing an MRI, the capsule displays a higher signal than the surrounding brain. As the cyst deteriorates more, it forms a nodule. In the nodular phase, the vesicle usually decreases in size, and its contents turn semisolid, and are slowly repl aced by granulomatous tissue. After the parasite dies, a mineralization process takes place that ends up in a calcified nodule that inhibits

The chassis of a typical motorcycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The chassis of a typical motorcycle - Essay Example dy components are made from cast-able aluminum, we will discuss here, the characteristics for aluminum casting with reference to its various grades, as this is the best non-ferrous casting alloy and Accordingly, the proper aluminum grade is to be selected, depending on the type of casting. In most of the cases, â€Å"Twin Spar† type aluminum is used for the manufacture of a motorbike frame. The further techniques and processes for the manufacture of this chassis involve welding, tube manipulation and profiling, sheet metal work and Jigging, tooling. These are described here in brief This process is involved when the product turnover is huge .As indicated above, the sand casting or die-casting techniques are used for the manufacture of a motorbike chassis. However die-casting is the technique mostly used for the aluminum chassis manufacture. The process can be either hot chamber or cold chamber die casting methods. The molds involved are required to be quality tested frequently due to their high ware and tear. Various casting processes have their respective advantages and limitations. Some of them are detailed below Apart from the nonferrous metals like aluminum, which are used for die-casting to manufacture the motorbike chassis, other non-metal materials are used currently. These include high resistance and strong polymer based compounds that may need a different casting procedure. The road-going version of Norton featherbed frame was manufactured using electric arc welding process only. However, the technology has advance a lot since then and it is now found that electric arc welding may not be suitable for the chassis building as the requirement of the tubing wall thickness here is more than 2mm, which makes the material expensive. This is also called CO2 gas welding. The weld material is in the form aof a wire or electrode and the gas fed as a shroud is the mixture of carbon dioxide and argon. While, the process is used mostly for steel tubing and other

The Chemical Detection of Cocaine-Contaminated Currency Essay

The Chemical Detection of Cocaine-Contaminated Currency - Essay Example Hence, the second method is needed for recognition. The additional technique is termed as mass spectrophotometry. A technique avails information of the make-up of the particular constituents of the compound on the note. The combination of these two methods is called GC/MS (Acheson, 1991). The method aids in the investigation of cocaine. Cocaine is a banned substance, hence, law enforcers have to ensure that they find the means of how to detect cocaine in clients if any. According to Acheson(n.d.), cocaine has been use for long. It contains compounds called alkaloids. They are termed as alkaloids as they are basic in acidic media. As a sample, cocaine is interesting as it is said to give a person the feeling of immense power. It also has its many uses in spite of its illegality. Cocaine is obtained from its source as cocaine hydrochloride salt. Why did the study opt for the method and samples used? The study opted to utilize GC/MS technique because it enables of the total identification of the flash (Acheson, 1991). Acheson, E. (1991, 10 16). A Case Study Involing the Chemical Detection of Cocaine-Contaminated currency. Decatur, IL, Kenya. Retrivied from:

India's Contribution towards the British War Effort in World War I and Research Paper

India's Contribution towards the British War Effort in World War I and the Aftermath - Research Paper Example Since the Ottoman Empire sided with the German forces, the Ottoman army started attacking various strategic positions (oil depots, ports and locations military importance) in the Middle East. Moreover despite the neutral role of the Shah of Afghanistan, the Ottoman army influenced some of the local tribesmen on the Indian-Afghan border in the North-West of India to who started attacking the British forces and captured some of the land and supply routes. The British Army was a mixture of races from different dominions and colonies of the British Empire and the British Indian army was one of them. 2 regiments of the British Indian Army were permanently stationed in various other British colonies before the start of WWI but in WWI it played pivotal role on various frontiers in Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The Indian Army mainly comprised of the lower Castes of Hindus; the untouchables, the Shudras (artisans, craftsmen and service providers) and the Vaishyas (agriculturis ts, cattle traders, merchants and bankers) and also in Muslims the Ajlafs (the local converts) and the Arzals. The Indian people were not trained to become high ranked officers in the army and only served as soldiers commonly known as Sepoys (derived from Persian word Sipahi meaning soldier). In World War I the Indian Army fought against the German Empire in German East Africa and on the Western Front. The Indians also served on various other frontiers in Egypt, Gallipoli. The most remarkable of the efforts by the Indian army was in Mesopotamia where nearly 700,000 soldiers served against the Ottoman Empire. In addition to these foreign expeditions the Indian Army also defended the British Indian Empire at the North Western frontier and also in the South East at Burmese border. The Largest Volunteer Army The British established their first cantonment in India in 1757 at Goa to fight against the French forces in India and it marked the beginning of the inductions of Indians to the Br itish Army. As the British invaded more and more land the Indian population in the army went on increasing and when in 1857 the Indian throne was brought under the British crown, the British Indian Army was formally established. The Sepoy mutiny of 1857 forced the British to limit the Indian inclusion in the army to lower rank soldiers and as a result mostly the lower castes joined the army. By 1914, the British Indian Army was the largest volunteer army in the world with a total strength of 240,000 men. The largest increase in the army happened during the WWI when the recruitment process was very fast and the Lower Caste Indians were more and more interested to join the army not only because of the incentives but also the sense of security for being in the British army was a big motivational force for a lower caste Indian who was treated in an inhumane manner. This large induction increased the number of Indians in the British army to almost 550,000 by November 1918. This large str ength also increased the importance of the British Indian Army which was called upon to deal with incursions and raids on the North West Frontier. Moreover the Indian army was also deployed in the British Empire in China, Singapore and Egypt. Events during the War 1. The Indian army was sent to Marseilles on 30th September 1914 as reinforcement to the British Expeditionary Force but the Indian army was not familiar to the local conditions and climate and was poorly equipped to resist weather. Moreover the uneducated, less-trained lower caste soldiers from India could not learn to operate the new war equipment. This force took part in the four major battles namely

Anthropology, Development and Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Anthropology, Development and Tourism - Essay Example Aside from t counurce of foreign exchange, since the hoincome. tourism it is ia ma0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000providing considerable employment opportunities in sectors like the hotel industry, the transport sector and wildlife, tourism helps a country increase its foreign exchange reserves. Over the last 25 years, developing countries have increased their portion of the world’s tourism market by more than 20%. Tourism arrivals to destinations in developing countries made up 46% of the total global arrivals in 2011. In 20 of the 48 least developed states in the world, tourism is either the first or the second export earnings source. In terms of the contribution of tourism to the economies of developing countries, more than 25% of the GDP comes from tourism. This statistic mostly applies to the small island countries (BBC, n.d., n.p.). This paper shall discuss the reasons why most developing countries have chosen to engage tourism as an economic tool for development. Further, it shall expose the challenges that developing countries undergo in choosing tourism as an option for development, and the opportunities presented to developing countries in their quest to use tourism for development. The tourism sector may be the sole service sector that offers quantified and concrete trading opportunities (BMZ, n.d., n.p.). This sector is of immense benefits to any country, regardless of the country’s development levels. For developing countries, tourism is among the most fundamental pillars in their process of development because it has been marked as a dominant activity with the potential to spur economic growth. In some countries, tourism is the sole source of employment and foreign currency, therefore forming a concrete platform for development of the economy 90 (U.S.I.P, n.d., n.p.). The reasons for increased investment in the tourism sector by developing countries are as follows: The tourism sector

Liverpool one shopping development Essay Example for Free

Liverpool one shopping development Essay Liverpool’s CBD needed regeneration for a variety of reasons. During WW2, it was bombed heavily, due to it being a major port for resources from the USA. During the 1960s, it was rebuilt too quickly and then fell into disrepair before 2000, when the design and infrastructure was outdated. Many parts of the city, especially the CBD suffered from urban decline, with its population dropping by 50% and 45% of its industry also leaving. In addition, Liverpool faced competition for shopping by nearby Manchester and Chester, as well as out-of-town shopping centres like the Trafford Centre. Therefore, Liverpool’s CBD needed regeneration to be more attractive to consumers, and regain its spot in the top 5 shopping destinations in the UK. Liverpool One, the project to rejuvenate Liverpool’s CBD was completed in 2008. It was opened in phases on 29 May and 1 October 2008, with the final residential lots opening in early 2009. In the same year, Liverpool was named as the European Capital of Culture. Its total cost is approximately ? 1billion, with 42 acres of Liverpool city centre being redeveloped. It includes 3000 parking spaces, 169 stores or services, as well as a 5 acre park, and 500 new apartments. It also contains a 14-screen cinema and a 36-hole adventure golf centre. Shops present include Debenhams, John Lewis, Ted Baker, Waterstones, Starbucks, Topshop and Caffe Nero. These are all mainly comparison, high-order goods which are chain stores. The area is indoor, yet also mainly open-air. It is of a modern design, and is two storeys tall. There are many cafes and food areas, with many benches. There are also electronic maps and information panels across the centre. The pedestrian areas are wide and escalators are available to proceed to the higher floors. There have also been other improvements in the CBD, such as the rejuvenation of the Docks and the introduction of the Merseytram tram line in the CBD. As well as this, many roads and smaller streets in Liverpool have been rejuvenated and rebuilt as part of the redevelopments. Areas such as Princes Dock and the Kings Waterfront have seen heavy redevelopments. These have been to attract more tourists and shoppers to the CBD. The project has overall been successful as of yet, with 83% of consumers thinking that the city centre has improved. 91% of people said they were likely to return to Liverpool, and enjoyed the experience. And now, 40% of the shops in Liverpool One are new to the city, showing the popularity of the area. The previously redeveloped Albert Dock has been receiving an extra 100000 visitors per week, with Liverpool One itself receiving over 120000 visitors in the first day, and 13 million in the first year. It is safe the say the rejuvenation of Liverpool’s CBD has been a success, and that Liverpool One has played a big part in reversing the effect of urban decline.

Summative Assessment for Poverty as a Challenge Essay Example for Free

Summative Assessment for Poverty as a Challenge Essay A. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS 1. Every _________ person in India is poor. (a) third (b) fourth (c) fifth (d) sixth 2. Vulnerability to poverty is determined by the options for finding an alternative living in terms of (a) assets (b) education (c) health (d) all the above 3. Social exclusion denies certain individuals the (a) facilities (b) benefits (c) opportunities (d) all the above 4. How many people in India live below the poverty line? (a) 30 crores (b) 26 crores (c) 28 crores (d) 24 crores 10. What is the poverty ratio in the state of Orissa? (a) 50% (b) 47% (c) 60% (d) 57% 11. In which state has the high agricultural growth helped to reduce poverty? (a) Jammu Kashmir (b) West Bengal (c) Punjab (d) Gujarat 12. In which state have the land reform measures helped to reduce poverty? (a) Tamil Nadu (b) Punjab (c) West Bengal (d) Kerala 13. Which state has focussed more on human resource development? (a) Gujarat (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Maharashtra (d) Kerala (1 mark) 5. Which organisation carries out survey for determining the poverty line? (a) NSSO (b) CSO (c) Planning Commission (d) None of the above 6. Which social group is most vulnerable to poverty in India? (a) Schedule castes (b) Schedule tribes (c) Casual labourers (d) All the above 7. Which two states of India continue to be the poorest states? (a) Madhya Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir (b) Uttar Pradesh, Utarakhand (c) Orissa, Bihar (d) None of the above 8. Poverty line in rural areas (As per 1999 – 2000 prices) is (a) Rs 328 (b) Rs. 370 (c) Rs 454 (d) Rs. 460 9. Who are poorest of the poor? (a) Women (b) Old people (c) Children (d) All the above 14. In which state is the public distribution system responsible for the reduction in poverty? (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Both (a) and (b) (d) None of the above 15. What is the main cause of poverty in India? (a) High income inequalities (b) Less job opportunities (c) High growth in population (d) All the above 16. Which of the following is responsible for high poverty rates? (a) Huge income inequalities (b) Unequal distribution of land (c) Lack of effective implementation of land reforms (d) All the above 17. What is the biggest challenge to independent India? (a) illiteracy (b) Child labour (c) Poverty (d) Unemployment 18. In rural sector which of the following is not poor? (a) Landless agricultural workers (b) Backward classes (c) Rural artisans (d) Medium farmers 19. Nutritional level of food energy is expressed in the form of (a) calories per day (b) wheat consumption (c) rice consumption per day (d) none of the above 20. As per Planning Commission, minimum daily intake of calories for determining poverty line for rural area is : (a) 2100 (b) 2400 (c) 1500 (d) none of the above 21. Poverty ratio in India as compared to Pakistan is : (a) same (b) half (c) twice (d) two and a half times 22. Common method to measure poverty in India is based on (a) income level (b) subsistence consumption level (c) both (a) and (b) (d) none of the above 23. Decline in poverty in Kerala is due to (a) emphasising more on human resource development (b) land reform measures (c) efficient public distribution of foodgrains (d) none of the above 24. To generate wage employment our government has started (a) National Social Assistance Programme (b) National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (c) Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (d) None of the above 25. In which group of countries did poverty ratio remain constant? (a) South Asian countries (b) Latin American countries (c) Socialist countries (d) None of the above 26. Poverty line prescribed by World Bank (As per 2001 study) is : (a) $ 1 per day (b) $ 2 per day (c) $ 5 per day (d) $ 6 per day 27. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2005) provides assured employment to every rural household for (a) 120 days (b) 100 days (c) 60 days (d) 50 days B. QUESTIONS FROM CBSE EXAMINATION PAPERS 3. Which of the following programmes was launched in the year 2000 ? [2011 (T-2)] (a) National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (b) Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (c) Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (d) Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana 4. Who conducts the periodical sample surveys for estimating the poverty line in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) National Survey Organisation (b) National Sample Survey Organisation (c) Sample Survey Organisation (d) None of the above 2 1. Who advocated that India would be truly independent only when the poorest of its people become free of human suffering? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Mahatma Gandhi (b) Indira Gandhi (c) Jawahar Lal Nehru (d) Subhash Chandra Bose 2. Which one of the following states in India has focussed more on human resource development? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Punjab (b) Karnataka (c) Kerala (d) Tamil Nadu 28. In how many states and Union Territories is poverty ratio less than the national average? (a) 20 (b) 22 (c) 16 (d) 18 29. Poverty line in urban areas (As per 1999 – 2000 prices) is : (a) Rs. 354 (b) Rs. 454 (c) Rs. 554 (d) Rs. 455 30. Poverty ratio in Bihar (As per Planning Commission Report 1999 – 2000) is (a) 40% (b) 43% (c) 46% (d) 47% 5. When was National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) Act passed? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2000 (b) 1995 (c) 2005 (d) 1993 6. Which category does not come under the category of Urban Poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) The Casual workers (b) The Unemployed (c) The Shopkeeper (d) Rickshaw-pullers 7. How many per cent of Indian people were poor in the year 2000? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 36% (b) 46% (c) 26% (d) 29% 8. Which state has the highest percentage of poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Bihar (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Assam (d) Orissa 9. Average calories required per person per day in rural areas in India are: [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2400 calories (b) 2800 calories (c) 3200 calories (d) 3600 calories 10. Which scheme was started in 1993 to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (b) National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (c) Rural Employment Generation Programme (d) Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana 11. For how many days NREGA provides employment? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 70 (b) 80 (c) 90 (d) 100 12. Who is considered as poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Landlord (b) Landless labourer (d) Businessman (c) A rich farmer 13. Which among the following is the method to estimate the poverty line in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Investment method (b) Capital method (c) Human method (d) Income method 14. Which one of the social groups is vulnerable to poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled caste (b) Urban casual labour (c) Rural agricultural household (d) All the above 3 15. By which year governments are aiming to meet the Millennium Development Goals including halving the rate of global poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2011 (b) 2015 (c) 2045 (d) 2035 16. What is the average calories required in rural areas for measuring poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2400 calories per person per day (b) 2100 calories per person per day (c) 2800 calories per person per day (d) None of these 17. What is not one of the major causes of income inequality in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Unequal distribution of land (b) Lack of fertile land (c) Gap between rich and poor (d) Increase in population 18. In which of the following countries did poverty actually rise from 1981–2001? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Sub-Saharan Africa (b) India (c) China (d) Russia GO YA L BR OT HE RS 19. The calorie requirement is higher in the rural areas because: [2011 (T-2)] (a) they do not enjoy as much as people in the urban areas (b) food items are expensive (c) they are engaged in mental work (d) people are engaged in physical labour 20. Which of the following is an indicator of poverty in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Income level (b) Illiteracy level (c) Employment level (d) All of these 21. Which one of the following economic groups is vulnerable to poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled caste (b) Scheduled tribes (c) Rural agricultural household (d) All the above 22. Which one of these is not a cause of poverty in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Low level of economic development (b) Migration of people from rural to urban India (c) Income inequalities (d) Unequal distribution of land PR AK AS HA N 23. Which of the following is not a valid reason for the slow progress of poverty alleviation programmes in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Lack of proper implementation (b) Lack of right targeting (c) Corruption at the highest level (d) Overlapping of schemes 24. What is the accepted calories requirement in urban areas? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2000 cal/person/day (b) 2100 cal/person/day (c) 2300 cal/person/day (d) 2400 cal/person/day 25. Which communities are categorised as economically vulnerable groups in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled caste (b) Agricultural labour household (c) Scheduled tribes (d) All the above 26. Which industry suffered the most during colonial period? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Jute (b) Textile (c) Indigo (d) All the above 27. Calorie requirement in rural areas is more than in the urban areas because: [2011 (T-2)] (a) rural people eat more (b) rural people have big bodies (c) rural people do more hard physical work (d) rural people have to take more rest (c) Lack of access to health care (d) Lack of job opportunities 32. Full form of NFWP is: [2011 (T-2)] (a) National federation for work and progress (b) National forest for wildlife protection (c) National food and wheat processing (d) National food for work programme 33. Who are considered as the poorest of the poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled castes (b) Scheduled tribes (c) Disaster struck people (d) Women, female, infants and old people 34. Which country of South-East Asia made rapid economic growth resulting in significant decline in poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) India (b) China (c) Nepal (d) Pakistan 35. In which part of the world poverty has remained the same during 1981 to 2001? [2011 (T-2)] (a) South Asia (b) Sub-Saharan Asia (c) China (d) Latin America 36. Which of the following states has the poverty ratio below the national average? [2011 (T-2)] (a) West Bengal (b) Uttar Pradesh (c) Assam (d) Maharashtra 37. In year 2000 what was the average Indian poverty ratio? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 15% (b) 43% (c) 26% (d) 47% 38. The organisation that conducts surveys for finding poverty levels in India is. [2011 (T-2)] (a) NSSO (b) USO (c) World Bank (d) None of these 39. The current anti-poverty programe consists of two planks, they are: [2011 (T-2)] (a) Socio-economic reasons and public distribution system (b) Promotion of economic growth and targeted poverty programe (c) Anti-poverty programe and public distribution system (d) None of the above 40. In 2000 the percentage of people below poverty line in India was: [2011 (T-2)] (a) 26% (b) 46% (c) 56% (d) None of the above 4 28. Poverty ratio in which of the following states is above the national average? [2011 (T-2)] (a) West Bengal (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Karnataka 29. The most vulnerable social groups for poverty are: [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled tribes (b) Urban casual labourers (c) Rural agricultural labourers (d) Scheduled castes 30. Which of the following states of India has the highest poverty ratio? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Bihar (b) Orissa (c) Punjab (d) Assam 31. Which of the following is not considered as a social indicator of poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Less number of means of transport (b) Illiteracy level

The Concept Of Imprisonment And Human Rights Criminology Essay

The Concept Of Imprisonment And Human Rights Criminology Essay The terms prison and imprisonment are used interchangeably in a way that the existence of the first term is a mandatory precondition for the existence of the latter one, or vice-versa. In other words in criminal justices process, the first term prison refers to the place where in the latter term imprisonment is to be taken place; and imprisonment indicates the limitation of inmates liberty. However, different terms are used by different countries and legal systems to explain terms prisoner, prison and imprisonment. For example in the US different states use different terminologies like inmate and prisoner; correction and imprisonment interchangeably.  [1]   Of course some legal systems use detention instead of imprisonment and detainee instead of prisoner.  [2]  Hence, these above discussed facts show that there is no uniformity in the use of terms in the criminal justice system of different states. However, after the establishment of the United Nations organization (UN) and the regional organizations states are adopting uniform usage of terms through the ratification of binding and normative treaties and standards. In order to avoid ambiguity during the writing and reading this research paper, the writer will use the term prison to mean a place where individuals deprived of personal liberty as a result of conviction for an offence serve their conviction  [3]  emphasis added. Likewise, the term prisoner will be used to refer to an individual deprived of personal liberty as a result of conviction for an offence.  [4]  Finally, the term imprisonment will be used to mean deprivation of liberty as a result of conviction.  [5]  However, readers should be aware that the term inmate to mean prisoner may be used in some parts of this research paper. Evolution Indeed, crimes as a source of social evil emerged from the biblical times; however with the change of socio-economic situations its nature and techniques also changed; in line with this, the modes of control and punishment used by the state changed.  [6]  Therefore, prisons as we know today are result of recent developments compared to the age of commission of crimes. From these facts one can understand that before the coming of the contemporary prison system there were other modes of punishment against wrongdoers. To borrow the words of Thorsten Sellin; [s]societys offenders have been dealt with in many ways. Until recent times, historically speaking, punishment was harsh; criminals were exiled, enslaved, tortured, mutilated, and executed. The use of imprisonment as a method of treating the offender is relatively new, dating back no further than the last quarter of the 18th century. Of course, jails, lockups, and places of detention of various kinds have been in existence for hundreds of years. But it was only 200 years ago that they were used for anything other than places of detention for offenders awaiting a harsher kind of punishment.  [7]   During the Roman Empire, prisons were used to detain offenders pending trial or execution and to punish defiant servants.  [8]  Hence, it was not used to imprison convicted individuals like the practice today. The English prison was used for the same purpose with Roman ones in the 9th and 11th centuries. However, unlike the contemporary situation, all costs incurred during the stay of a prisoner in the prison, including salaries for sheriffs, would be covered by the prisoner himself.  [9]  To rectify the rising of petty offences in Europe, prison labor was introduced in correction centers in the sixteenth century.  [10]  This new system was aimed at rehabilitating prisoners so that they can serve the society after release. Latter on transporting prisoners from Europe to colonies, which was aimed at engaging them in the farm lands in America and Australia was introduced.  [11]  This system ended together with the end of colonialism in the Northern America and Australia . In America the concept of prison is related with the Quakers, a protestant religious sect, who were highly concerned about the cruelty and harshness of the then system.  [12]  As a result of their concern about the redemption of the souls of the criminals they came up with the idea of the penitentiary, a place of separation where criminals could think upon their evil deeds and repent.  [13]  Though it is debating, there is a view that prisons as a means of social institutions emerged in Pennsylvania in the last part of the eighteenth century.  [14]  In general the need to reform young offenders, the detention of those politically in disfavored and banishment constituted to the 19th century prisons. Function of imprisonment From the historical point of view imprisonment has had different objectives at different times. As mentioned above, prisons used to serve as a place where detainees awaiting trial or execution stay. In this case its purpose is aimed at keeping the individuals until conviction or execution. It is widely known that the purpose of imprisonment is firmly related with the objective of criminal punishment. Accordingly, the best way to discuss about the function of imprisonment would be to look in light of the objectives of criminal law. However, looking at the historical point of view on the treatment of prisoners is of worth. Typically, inmates in ancient times were put to death or used as slave labor force, but, in most of these cases, a period of incarceration or detention was preceded. When they were not otherwise engaged in labor they were held in remote and hostile surroundings, making escape virtually impossible and these drastic sanctions and inhuman treatments continued until the coming of 18th c Enlightenment.  [15]   The 17th c colonial jails and earlier various confinement and detention facilities hardly resembled the institutions that the term prison implies today. That is because such places were solely for the purpose of detention and confinement with no pretence of rehabilitation or reformation and such places were called penal institutions or penitentiaries.  [16]   However, following the coming of 18thc Enlightenment, prison officials began to develop the ideas of reformation and rehabilitation programs to their inmates. For instance, during the 1800s; New York prison officials developed two major systems of prison organization.  [17]  The first system was introduced in 1821 and under this system; prisoners stayed in solitary confinement at night and worked together during the day and it emphasized silence. That is to mean prisoners could not speak to, or even look at, one another because prison officials hoped that this silence and isolation would cause inmates to think about their crimes and reform. However this system failed without fully achieving its purpose partly because the rigid rules and isolation drove inmates insane. The 2nd system, however, was different both in methods of admission and treatment. It was opened in 1876 as a model person for offenders between the ages of 16 and 30 and this system made use of flexible sentences and allowed inmates to earn early release for good behavior and, moreover, it offered physical exercise, military training and an educational program which generally used education as a means of rehabilitation.  [18]  But the institution did not fully achieve its high expectations, largely because it judged inmates on their prison behavior and conduct instead of on their actual fitness for release. Further improvement and modification have been made in the 1900s. For instance, in the 1930s prison officials began to develop rehabilitation programs based on the background, personality, and physical condition of the individual inmate and this approach made rehabilitating and reforming programs more meaningful.  [19]  This is indication of well-developing system that laid the foundation for cotemporary rehabilitation and correction systems. But despite such efforts attempts to rehabilitate and reform inmates could not bring the desired results largely because of poorly trained staffs, lack of funds, and ill-defined goals. An extension of these rehabilitating and reforming process further strengthened and enlarged in 1960s and many people in the field of corrections felt that inmates could be helped better outside prison. As a result, community correctional facilities and halfway houses were established in 1960s and inmates lived in these facilities just before release and received counseling to help them adjust their life outside prison.  [20]  Following the emergence of rehabilitation and reformation programs, modifications of the various prison terminologies became feasible. As mentioned above, in the past, prisons were called penitentiaries or penal intuitions. Now days, however, the popular name is correctional institutions or correctional facilities. Similarly a modification is made from the term guard to correctional officers and these modifications in nomenclature emerged with the professionalism of the field of corrections during recent decades and the desire to modify the harsh images eluted by the terms prison and guard. In the past and still now, there has been a lively debate regarding the purposes for establishment of prisons and sending inmates in to these institutions. Some commentators argue that prisons are established only to imprison convicted criminals.  [21]  That is to say their purpose is to punish convicted law-breakers using imprisonment as a means of retribution. Indeed as Edward Kaufman said, retributive purpose of imprisonment is necessary for the society, however it is considered as barbaric now days.  [22]  He further mentioned that; [I]imprisonment for retribution may drive a delinquent further along the road of crime through forcing association with criminal elements and increasing rage toward and alienation from society. Permitting brutal retribution may stimulate brutal responses not only in the individual but in society as a whole, as in riot control and war.  [23]   Based on the above stated reasonable pitfalls, it is fair to suggest that retribution as a purpose should be supported by rehabilitation to halt further wrongdoings in the community. Others insist that their main purpose is to deter offenders from committing further crimes after they are released and to deter those potential law-breakers from committing crime in the future.  [24]  That is to mean the purpose of these institutions is to present convicted offenders from relapsing in to crime after their release by taking lessons from their first incarceration and the existence of prisons as penal institutions will make potential law-breakers to be refrained from committing crimes as well. However, there is an idea that sending someone to prison might not deter him/her from committing crime inside the prison compound.  [25]  The same problem can be deducted from the third objective of imprisonment incapacitation which is aimed at halting possible commission of crime by the individual prisoner by putting him in prison. Therefore, the deterrence and incapacitation objectives of imprisonment lonely cannot realize the aimed purpose of deterring or incapacitating unless it is supported by other mechanisms like rehabilitation. Still others advocate that inmates are sent to correctional institutions to be reformed or rehabilitated.  [26]  That is to say during their stay in the institutions they will come to realize and learn the wrongfulness and hazardous effects of committing crime and will further learn skills which will help them to be a law abiding and productive citizens when they are released. In practical terms, the purposes for the establishment of prisons could be interpreted as a combination of the above reasons and, therefore, they are established for more than custody and control. Now days, the concept of rehabilitation is being claimed as a right based on different international and regional treaties and standards. This is aimed at striking the balance between the two seemingly contradicting duties of prison centers humane treatment of prisoners and its punitive nature to maintaining peace and security. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), under its article 10 deals on human treatment of prisoners. It further states that [t]he penitentiary system shall comprise treatment of prisoners the essential aim of which shall be their reformation and social rehabilitation.  [27]  As per this provision, states parties have the obligation to employ rehabilitation as a main purpose of imprisonment in their criminal justice system. The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules (UNSMR), which interprets the rights of prisoners under the International bill of rights, states that; [t]he purpose and justification of a sentence of imprisonment or a similar measure derivative of liberty is ultimately to protect society against crime. This end can only be achieved if the period of imprisonment is used to ensure that upon his return to society, the offender is not only willing but able to lead a law-abiding and self-supporting life.  [28]   In a similar way of expression, under its general comment No. 21, the ICCPR human rights committee has stated that no penitentiary system should be only retributory; it should essentially seek the reformation and social rehabilitation of the prisoner.  [29]  Similar way of expression is used in different regional treaties and standards.  [30]   Generally, the above discussed arguments together with the biding and normative international and regional treaties tell us that rehabilitation is the main purpose of imprisonment in todays criminal justice system. Accordingly, it imposes obligation against states in general and prison centers in particular to use rehabilitation tools for their prisoners. But, this does not mean the other purposes of imprisonment will be totally disregarded they will rather use them side by side. Prisoners rights: Do Prisoners have a right? Some people believe that inmates should have no rights for the reason that any rights that they once had were forfeited, while they were incarcerated as part of the price they had to pay for their crimes.  [31]  Of course, rights namely human rights and freedoms are not absolute and, thus, they may be subject to limitations so as to protect the rights of others and the interests of the society. On the other hand, the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), dictates that, All persons are born free and equal in dignity and rights. However, equal enjoyment of rights might not be practicable due to various grounds where imprisonment is one among these. The above stated arguments and other factors pose the question do prisoners have rights once imprisoned? Researches show that, many people are of the opinion that imprisonment results in forfeiture of rights of prisoners in general.  [32]  Sometimes this assertion is confirmed by court decisions. In the famous price v Johnston  [33]  case the US Supreme Court declared that lawful incarceration brings about the necessary withdrawal or limitation of privileges and rights. Indeed history tells us that prisoners were facing the worst punishments in prisons because it is believed that they forfeit their rights. But what about human rights, which follow human beings where ever they go? Are prison center unreachable for human rights? Is it an exception to the universal application of human rights? The above decision of the US Supreme Court is a reflection of the belief of the then society. However, after the establishment of the UN and adoption of the UDHR, SMR, ICCPR and other regional Treaties the perception that imprisonment forfeits rights changed. This is because issues related to the rights of prisoners were included in all the International and Regional Human rights Treaties and Standards. Indeed the concept of regulating the rights of prisoners in the international level was raised during the League of Nations. For this reason the then Penal and Penitentiary commission has prepared rules on the treatment of prisoners which was approved by the League of Nations Assembly in 1934.  [34]  These rules were finally inapplicable and latter on revised by the UN secretariat and finally approved by the UN ECOSOC as Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMR) in 1957.  [35]  These standards are now implemented through many regional and domestic legislation s and standards to gain binding status. Particularly, Europe through its European prison Rules and the US the 1962 model penal code and standard correction rules of the 1973 are considered as Bill of Rights for prisoners.  [36]   It is after such an international effort of the UN and other regional organizations that courts began to pronounce that rights follow human beings. The same court of the US (the Supreme Court) in the coffin v Reichard case decided that -a prisoner retains all the rights of ordinary citizen except those expressly or by necessary implication taken from him by law.  [37]  This decision was a stepping stone for further realization of rights of prisoners in the US and all over the world. In strengthening the above decision of the Supreme Court, Justice Blackmun said, Fundamental rights follow the prisoner through the walls which incarcerate him, but always with appropriate limitations.  [38]  But the main point that has to be asked is what are the limitations and how one can know what his rights are and what are not in prison. Justice Blackmun said that the court shall use a Balancing test of protecting the interest of the individual and restricting them for different reasons. The UN general assembly in the adoption of the Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners has declared the same and urged states parties to apply the standards and international or regional treaties where they are party to. As mentioned above determining what rights of prisoners will be limited during their imprisonment is crucial. There are some people who argue that the rights that are limited and retained by prisoner during his imprisonment could be easily identified by the purpose of punishment intended.  [39]  Form this proposition we can easily understand that except for rehabilitation, most of the other purposes of imprisonment discussed above results in forfeiture of most of the rights of prisoners. Basically, Richard L. Lippke suggested certain criticisms against those who said prisoners forfeit their rights during imprisonment. He said that, in practice it is only state officials who can impose penalties on prisoners, however if their rights are forfeited during imprisonment it is not clear why any ordinary person cannot impose same.  [40]  The other problem identified is the duration of forfeiture, which according to Lippke is difficult to know for the reason that; [M]any criminals violate their victims rights only briefly, though they do them great harm in the process. If we tie the duration of forfeiture to the time it takes victims to recover, the problem is that some victims may never recover from brief, but devastating, right violations. Yet not all right violators can justly be punished indefinitely, not even all serious right-violators who do their victims permanent or irreversible damage.  [41]   The third problem is related to breadth or scope of the forfeiture. Accordingly, this poses a question Does someone who punches another person in the nose forfeit the relatively narrow right to not be punched in the nose, or the broader right to bodily autonomy? For him both the narrower and broader approaches are problematic since the narrower gives dubious ground for officers where as the broader approach authorizes forfeiture of rights which can be claimed not violated by the prisoner.  [42]   Now it seems fairly clear that prisoners retain their rights except those deprived specifically by law and due to their deprivation of liberty. However, there is well known perception and practice that the retained prisoners rights is less stringent than ordinary persons rights, therefore can be overridden for the benefit of less weighty ordinary persons rights.  [43]  It is not clear why a state discriminates between its citizens based on status, in this case prisoner and ordinary citizen despite its prohibition in different treaties including the UDHR. Rights retained Identifying rights retained is highly related with the purpose of imprisonment that we deserved to attain. Most obviously, this involves severe curtailment of their rights to freedom of movement for some period of time. We might also have to curtail their rights to freedom of association and intrude upon their privacy, though to what extent in each case are matters that require further substantive analysis. Prisoners would fully retain other moral rights. These might include rights securing interests in political participation, freedom of speech and conscience, control over labor, subsistence, health care, visitation with family and friends, and access to culture and entertainment. Pp 134 Incapacitation It is hard to see how more extensive restrictions on the rights of prisoners will reduce threats to the rights of others in ways that are clearly greater in magnitude than the direct burdens such restrictions will impose on inmates. Pp135 Keeping prisoners locked in cells most of the time with few opportunities to exercise their autonomy or to maintain or develop social and labor skills may marginally reduce crime within prisons in the short-term. However, such an approach seems a prescription for disaster in the longer term if our aim is to reduce crime. The vast majority of prison inmates will eventually be released from prison, most sooner rather than later. 136 (If prison life is better than life outside prison (an unlikely proposition in any case), the solution might be to improve the living conditions of the least advantaged members of civil society). It should be apparent that rehabilitative crime reduction considerations point us away from harsh prison regimes toward those that impose moderate or minimal deprivations on offenders. Prisoners are unlikely to become better functioning members of civil society if they are kept under conditions that deny them access to education, meaningful work, mental health treatment, and ready access to the family members and friends who care about them.. 138 retribution Retributive logic demands that serious offenders suffer losses or deprivations commensurate with their crimes. In all probability, penal confinement will always satisfy that demand. Thus, the only point of contention among retributivists will likely be about precisely which rights must be maintained and facilitated if prisoners are to retain the capacities vital to moral personality. Pp 141 More intriguing is Edgardo Rotmans claim that prisoners have a moral right to rehabilitation (Rotman 1990, 10-13). Rotman interprets this right both negatively, as a right not to be allowed to deteriorate in prison, and positively, as a right to improvement in such things as work skills and mental health while in prison. His primary argument for this right is that deprivation of freedom is the sine qua non of modern legal punishment. Freedom is the highest value and its loss is what offenders appropriately suffer. The other things (mostly bad, unfortunately) that happen to them in prison are not part of punishment, so prisoners should be protected from them. Moreover, many offenders come from socially and economically deprived backgrounds, and this requires the state to not only prevent them from deteriorating while in prison but to actually improve their lives. Pp 143 critics Even if we grant that freedom is the highest value in modern societies, it does not follow that its loss, or its loss alone, is all that offenders should suffer However, the detention or incarceration of prisoners does not mean that all the rights they have are lost as a result of such detention or incarceration. That is because certain rights like the right to respect inherent human dignity and human ways of treatment, the right to food and health care, shelter and Freedoms like freedom of thought, belief and so on are fundamental to human existence and they are inherent entitlements that come to every person as a result of being human. As a result, inmates under detention or imprisonment have such and the like fundamental human rights and freedoms and retain these rights with the exception of those that have been lost as a result of deprivation of liberty. Following the declaration of the UDHR in 1948, states have developed considerable number of human rights instruments including the Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners (BPT), Standard Minimum Rules of the Treatment of Persons (SMR) and other instruments specifically dealing with the rights and human treatments of prisoners at the national, regional and international level. These basic principles and minimum standard rules form part of customary international law, which means that they are binding, regardless of whether a state has ratified international treaties concerning these instruments. Moreover, states have undertaken obligations under international and domestic legislations both to promote and protect the wide variety of human rights in general and that of prisoners in particular.

A Comparison of Heart of Darkness and Facts Concerning the Late Arthur

Heart of Darkness and Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family    Knowledge Leading to Insanity in H.P. Lovecraft's "Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family" and the influence of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"    "Science, alrady oppressive with its schocking revelations, will perhaps be the ultimate exterminator of our human species-if separate species we be-for its reserve of unguessed horrors could never be borne by mortal brains if loosed upon the world." --H.P. Lovecraft, "Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family"    Both texts, "Heart of Darkness", and "Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family" are about the limits of the human mind.   Some are able to contain powerful universal truths and some are not.   Lovecraft, twenty-one years after the publication of "Heart of Darkness", uses it as a partial basis for the exploration of the dangers of Darwin on the human psyche.   Therefore, I explore Conrad's imagery and ultimate purpose in order to show how it is repeated in Lovecraft's story.    European progression into Africa can be summarized as attempting to draw a straight line to the center.   In "Heart of Darkness", Conrad gives two important   descriptions of European exploration to support seeing it as a linear, penetrating movement.   One is the importance of rivers in exploration, which I will discuss in more detail.   The other is one of the European managers description of the ideal goal of the stations on the river:   to each link up in a line and ferry civilization and goodness into Africa.    Turning to rivers, they appear first when Marlow is discussing the blank spots on the map.   He says that these yellow spaces are filled... ...s lineage back to its origin led Arthur Jermyn straight into death, just as extending the line of stations into the Congo led Kurtz into death.   Twenty-one years after the publishing of "Heart of Darkness", its effect on the perception of Africa can be clearly seen.   Lovecraft is an American commercial author, without the colonial perspective of a 19th century English author, so his appropriation of Conrad is based solely on the power of the text.   Together, both stories make a very powerful statement on the true state of the average human being and what his or her mind might be capable of understanding.    Works Cited    Conrad, Joseph.   Heart of Darkness.   1899    Lovecraft, Howard Phillip.   "Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family."   Dagon and Other Macabre Tales.   Arkham House:   Sauk City, WI.   1965.   orig. pub. 1920.   pp 73-83

The 1st Stasimon in Sophocles’ Play, Oedipus the King :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

The 1st Stasimon in Sophocles’ Play, Oedipus the King The 1st Stasimon in Sophocles’ play ‘Oedipus the King’ is mainly showing the Chorus’ confusion in regards to Tiresias’ accusations made towards Oedipus. The Chorus seem terrified and powerless, and, like Oedipus, do not want to believe the accusations. They feel that the gods know the truth, yet will not reveal it, thus feeling as though the gods are of no real help. There are many issues and techniques to be discussed in regards to the 1st Stasimon, one of these being the significance of the section. The real significance of the 1st Stasimon is that it shows the reader how much of a respected role model Oedipus is to the community of Thebes; they will not accuse him until true proof has been revealed about the incident. This can be shown from the third quote in the 1st Stasimon handout. It reads: â€Å"No, not till I see these charges proved will I side with his accusers.† This shows that the Chorus considers Oedipus to be a true leader, and hence will follow him regardless. Another factor of significance in the first stasimon is that it shows the audience how the Chorus believes that Oedipus was brought to Thebes for a reason; this being to bring joy back into the city. The fourth quote in the handout is a good example of this: â€Å"We saw him then†¦with our own eyes his skill, his brilliant triumph – there was the test – he was the joy of Thebes!† Through this quote we can see admiration shown towards Oedipus due to his defeat against the Sphin x, and ridding the city from the curse. This brought joy back into the city, and turned Oedipus into a hero. Another issue raised in the 1st Stasimon was gender representation. Gender representation played a minor role in the First Stasimon. In this section, all well respected people or gods were men; the only woman mentioned in the text was the Sphinx, whom was rather referred to as the ‘she-hawk’. This can be seen in quote 7 in the 1st Stasimon handout. Hawks are considered to be evil birds, and are often in some texts considered to be possessed by the Devil, which shows that the Sphinx was not respected whatsoever, and was considered evil. Also, when the Chorus was trying to solve the question of who killed Laius, they basically ruled out the thought that the killer could be a woman.

What Makes the Ending of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha so Powerful?

What makes the ending of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha so powerful? I think the end of the novel is successful and very moving because it is what I had expected from the start of the breakup of Paddy’s parents and the breakdown of Paddy’s character. The ending of the novel is where the author shows Paddy’s emotions the most. The fight with Kevin shows an extreme change in what Paddy wants to be like and shows how much he wants to be feared and respected. The end of the novel, when Paddy’s da leaves home, was very sad. I had thought throughout the book that maybe Paddy’s parents would have sorted things out. The author chose to show the breakup from Paddy’s perspective only making it harder for the reader because we knew what was going to probably happen most of the way through the book. The ending I thought was particularly powerful as it showed the terror and personal self-doubt the Paddy was in directly subjected to. When I read the ending of the book, the first thing I thought afterwards was that it finished with no information about how Paddy, or any of the other family members, turned out. At first I was quite disappointed because I wanted wanted to know if Paddy ever recovered from the state he was in at the end of the book, if he ever made friends with Charles Leavy or if Paddy’s ma found someone else. Then I realised that the book was not about what everybody was like and how they would end up, it was about the slow and painful break up of Paddy’s parents break up Paddy’s emotions really get the better of him at the end. This makes the end of the novel more tragic and sad. The transformation in Paddy’s character really becomes apparent, when the fight between Paddy and Kevin happens. This is the time when he loses control and no longer realises the consequences of his actions. This made me feel very sorry for Paddy and very sympathetic of his situation because he had obviously broken down into such a state that he couldn’t control his emotions or actions. All of these factors add up to, what I think is, a very powerful and moving ending to a very sad novel.

Nordstrom Employee Issues

Does the company have an ethics policy? Conflicts of Interest Nordstrom values fair and honest dealings with their customers, coworkers, suppliers, competitors and other business partners. Directors are expected to uphold these values by avoiding conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest also may arise when a Director, or a member of his or her family, receives personal benefits such as gifts as a result of his or her position as a Director with Nordstrom.Directors should use good judgment at all times to avoid relationships that could create a real or perceived conflict of interest. If a Director believes he or she has an actual or potential conflict of interest with Nordstrom, the Director shall notify the Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee as promptly as practicable and shall not participate in any deliberations and decisions by the Board of Directors that in any way relates to the matter that gives rise to the conflict of interest.Corporate Opportunitie s Directors owe a duty to Nordstrom to advance its legitimate interests when the opportunity to do so arises. Directors may not take for themselves a business opportunity (or direct a business opportunity to a third party) that is discovered through the use of Nordstrom property, information or position, unless Nordstrom has already been offered the opportunity and determined that it will not pursue that opportunity ConfidentialityEach Director, during his or her term of office, and after leaving the Board, must maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to him or her by Nordstrom and any other confidential information about Nordstrom that comes to him or her, from whatever source, in his or her capacity as a Director, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated or when the information becomes generally available to the public. . How are employee and labor issues addressed? Nordstrom has an open door policy.Each employee has the responsibility to speak up to create a safer work environment that supports an environment where each can realize their potential, and contributes to the company’s goal of providing excellent customer service. If you have any questions about the Code of Conduct or have a concern about any employee or customer conduct, we want to hear from you. The expectation is that any concerns will be brought up immediately. Also, in the event any employees observe illegal or unethical behavior, they have a responsibility to speak up.An anonymous or confidential option is also available. Call 1. 888. 832. 8358 or visit ethicspoint. com. Retaliation is Not Permitted Nordstrom will not permit any retaliation against employees who report possible misconduct, raise a concern regarding a violation of this Code, participate in an investigation or otherwise engage in legally protected activity. Anyone who retaliates will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. http://shop. nordstrom. com/c/nordstrom-cares-environment? origin=topnav