Sase study on leadership skills Essay

Mary Herzen felt lucky to be hired for the supervisory position in the Patient Services Depart-ment at North side Hospital. She had lost a similar job at Central Hospital three months earlier. Chris Sapiro was Mary’s boss and had conducted the selection process. It took him five months to fill the position as a result of the internal job-announcement and job-interviewing procedures. Two employees in the Patient Services Department had applied for the supervisory job: Juanita Ramirez, 32, who had been in the department for eight years, and Sue Williamson, 26, who had less experience. Both were rejected because they were not seen as strong enough to be promoted. Chris told Mary about this when he met with her on Mary’s first day on the job. He suggested that Juanita might be a problem and told Mary to handle it the way she saw best. He then took her to the department, introduced her to the staff, and left her to settle in. Later that day, Mary held meetings with each of her new employees. The meeting with Juanita turned out as predicted: she was defensive, uncommunicative, and noncommittal. For example, Mary wanted to learn what Juanita’s job duties were, but could not get adequate replies. Finally, in exasperation, Juanita began arguing that it was Mary’s job to tell Juanita what to do. Mary replied that they would have problems if this was as well as they were going to communi-cate. Juanita then told Mary that she had not been promoted because she was Hispanic, and accused the hospital of discrimination. She began to cry and said she was not going to answer any more questions. Answers to Case Questions 1. Should Chris have informed Mary about the internal applicants before offering Mary the job? Yes. It is important to give job applicants all relevant information about the job for which they are applying. This is especially true for information that might be considered negative. The bulk of research in this area makes it clear that â€Å"realistic job previews† are very important for creating the most favorable initial job conditions. 2. Was meeting with each employee as part of Mary’s orientation a good idea? Although Mary’s idea was backed by good intentions, problems resulted. In general, individ-ual and group meetings both have advantages and disadvantages, and whether one would work better than another for a new supervisor is a matter of personal judgment. One obvious advantage of a group meeting is that certain messages from the new supervisor can be given to everyone at the same time. Another advantage is that the presence of a group has the potential to pressure employees into opening up and sharing what is on their minds. In Mary’s situation, a group meeting could have been especially helpful in this regard, creating an environment in which Juanita felt additional pressure to be more forthcoming. It should also be noted that a new supervisor can also follow up a group meeting with individual meetings, thus combining the two methods. 3. Evaluate the agenda Mary used. How could it be improved? Again, the general intention was appropriate, although the execution was not as good as it could have been. The purpose of the introductory meetings is to initiate dialogue. Mary needed to share information as well as receive it. A more suitable agenda would have Mary share information on such matters as her personal background and goals, her leadership style and practices, her priorities for the near term, and how she would like to work with the employees. She should ask each employee for informa-tion on their job duties, where they stand on projects, any particular problems they are experiencing, and anything else they can tell Mary that would help her supervise CASE STUDY 2: Right Boss, Wrong Company Betty Kesmer was continuously on top of things. In school, she had always been at the top of her class. When she went to work for her uncle’s shoe business, Fancy Footwear, she had been singled out as the most productive employee and the one with the best attendance. The company was so impressed with her that it sent her to get an M.B.A. to groom her for a top management position. In school again, and with three years of practical experience to draw on, Kesmer had gobbled up every idea put in front of her, relating many of them to her work at Fancy Footwear. When Kesmer graduated at the top of her class, she returned to Fancy Footwear. To no one’s surprise, when the head of the company’s largest division took advantage of the firm’s early retirement plan, Kesmer was given his position. Kesmer knew the pitfalls of being suddenly catapulted to a leadership position, and she was determined to avoid them. In business school, she had read cases about family businesses that fell apart when a young family member took over with an iron fist, barking out orders, cutting personnel, and destroying morale. Kesmer knew a lot about participative management, and she was not going to be labeled an arrogant know-it-all. Kesmer’s predecessor, Max Worthy, had run the division from an office at the top of the building, far above the factory floor. Two or three times a day, Worthy would summon a messenger or a secretary from the offices on the second floor and send a memo out to one or another group of workers. But as Kesmer saw it, Worthy was mostly an absentee autocrat, making all the decisions from above and spending most of his time at extended lunches with his friends from the Elks Club. Kesmer’s first move was to change all that. She set up her office on the second floor. From her always-open doorway she could see down onto the factory floor, and as she sat behind her desk she could spot anyone walking by in the hall. She never ate lunch herself but spent the time from 11 to 2 down on the floor, walking around, talking, and organizing groups. The workers, many of whom had twenty years of seniority at the plant, seemed surprised by this new policy and reluctant to volunteer for any groups. But in fairly short order, Kesmer established a worker productivity group, a â€Å"Suggestion of the Week† committee, an environmental group, a worker award group, and a management relations group. Each group held two meetings a week, one without and one with Kesmer. She encouraged each group to set up goals in its particular focus area and develop plans for reaching those goals. She promised any support that was within her power to give. The group work was agonizingly slow at first. But Kesmer had been well trained as a facilitator, and she soon took on that role in their meetings, writing down ideas on a big board, organizing them, and later communicating them in notices to other employees. She got everyone to call her â€Å"Betty† and set herself the task of learning all their names. By the end of the first month, Fancy Footwear was stirred up. But as it turned out, that was the last thing most employees wanted. The truthfinally hit Kesmer when the entire management relations committee resigned at the start of their fourth meeting. â€Å"I’m sorry, Ms. Kesmer,† one of them said. â€Å"We’re good at making shoes, but not at this management stuff. A lot of us are heading toward retirement. We don’t want to be supervisors.† Astonished, Kesmer went to talk to the workers with whom she believed she had built good relations. Yes, they reluctantly told her, all these changes did make them uneasy. They liked her, and they didn’t want to complain. But given the choice, they would rather go back to the way Mr. Worthy had run things. They never saw Mr. Worthy much, but he never got in their hair. He did his work, whatever that was, and they did theirs. â€Å"After you’ve been in a place doing one thing for so long,† one worker concluded, â€Å"the last thing you want to do is learn a new way of doing it.† QUESTIONS: ï‚ · What factors should have alerted Kesmer to the problems that eventually came up at Fancy Footwear? Could Kesmer have instituted her changes without eliciting a negative reaction from the workers? If so, how? Case study 3: Mini Case Study on Leadership and Dysfunctional Management â€Å"Trouble in a Mental Health Center† Alessandro Cavelzani, Ph.D., Psy.D. Ten years ago, a well-known and highly respected hospital located in the center of Rome, opened its Mental Health Center dealing patients with anxiety issues and depression. The administration and its staff included a lead psychoanalyst and four psychologists who were serving as unpaid interns. The leader of the Center supervised the interns who meet weekly in order to help them solve difficulties with patients and to offer clinical suggestions,based on his years of experience. Despite their busy schedules, the interns were required to prepare weekly written reports about their patients for the supervision session with the lead psychologist. The four psychologists felt comfortable, supported, and generally happy with their training. In the past ten years, the Mental Health Center has grown tremendously. It has become well-known in Rome and abroad as a well-organized, professionally run mental health center for psychological treatment. Three years ago, the administrative leader of the Center retired. The Human Resources department of the hospital recruited and hired Dr.xxx, a well-known external psychiatrist, as the new administrative leader and chief psychiatrist for the Mental Health Center. The new Mental Health Center leader has been given a part-time (three days per week) contract because he has other professional commitments at the university and in his own private practice. The Center’s popularity has grown over time. Many local citizens and some foreigners have sought psychological treatment at the Center. To handle the increased patient load, Dr.xxx has increased staff psychologists-in-training from four to eight. In order to provide amore thorough treatment service, Dr. xxx has also added a second group of eight cognitive psychologist interns. Now there are sixteen psychologists-in-training, evenly split between psychoanalytic and cognitive psychologists.Dr. xxx’s many commitments have forced him to schedule supervision meetings with the psychologists approximately every two weeks. Now however the meetings are very tense.Many psychologists try to discuss patients enigma, but the scheduled time is insufficient to accommodate all sixteen psychologists. An additional problem concerns divergent professional philosophies about treatment plans (psychoanalytic vs cognitive), proposed respectively by the two different groups of psychologists. Often, it is almost impossible to reach a common understanding or to compromise on treatment plans for patients. Some young practitioners are voicing complaints that the supervision meetings are useless because Dr. xxx has limited time to help them with the most challenging patient dilemmas. As a result, now only five psychologists –fewer than a third- attend Dr. xxx’s bi- weekly sessions. The other practitioners argue they cannot do any pro-bono work, because they aren’t allowed to leave their offices to attend to

The Cost of College Tuition

Nose Snotty October 11, 2010 English 112 Position Final The Cost of College Tuition The cost of college is very high compared to how the economy has been and how wages and financial aid have not risen with the cost of tuition. This makes it harder for students to graduate and brings a lot of stress to their lives. Without the funding that is needed many students drop out or take a longer time finishing their degree. Going to college is stressful enough without the need to worry about how you’re going to pay for it and what other costs will continue to rise with getting a degree.The cost of college is too high compared to the amount Americans make and how much they are expected to contribute. This issue is very close to me because I am attending college, along with many of my friends and hearing about their struggles with paying for college is something I hear about often and is something I constantly think about. Some of my friend’s parents are paying for their educatio n and this is a great help to the students but this causes a strain on the parents and can make them decide to pull money out of their retirement (carpenter).While going to college is important it can be very tough to pay for it. Some students have to rely on student loans to pay, while others have parents who are paying for it, while others can’t go at all because it would be too hard financially and to their everyday life to be able to go. Finding the right way for you can be a process. While many jobs require a degree, the cost of getting one has risen very dramatically over the years. Colleges seem to be able to raise tuition with a moment’s notice and expect the student to deal with it.The government can only shake an angry finger at them because they don’t want to take complete control over the colleges all over America. How the parents, student, and government look at the cost, the need for a degree, and how they will pay for it determines how much they a re willing to sacrifice for it. Most parents want better for their children. To some this includes paying for their college education. With the economy with the way that it is and people losing their jobs all the time this can be harder than expected.This has caused many students to change their choice on which college to attend to a cheaper choice or go to a community college before going to a four year school. (Carpenter) This isn’t a bad choice but it can be hard to transition from one school to another and hope that all the credits will transfer successfully. Many parents feel like they are letting their child down if they do not help them, but many believe that the student should pay for it them because it will help them learn responsibility with juggling school and a job. According to Public Agenda only 42% of students whose parents did not help them graduated (Clark).This could be blamed on how hard it can be to be working and to find time to fit in time not only for c lass but preparing for class without their parents help. This can help time management skills, but for a student to be able to graduate in four years and work enough to not have a mountain of debt can be a hard thing to accomplish. Something else that also comes up is it’s not just tuition that has to be paid for, it’s also all the fees added on and the costs that most people don’t think about when budgeting for school like food for each week and transportation.With added on fees for every class it can be very frustrating so how the student pays for college affects a lot of aspects in their lives. The government has done a lot to help students with grants and scholarships so that they can afford college. With FAFSA many families are given money that they would otherwise not have so they don’t have to worry about bettering themselves while struggling to make tuition payments. But what about the students whose parents make too much to get any grant money, b ut their parents don’t have enough money or don’t want to pay for them going to college?Tuition costs have raised very quickly compared to the amount of grants or scholarships available. In Indiana the university trustees set the tuition cost but many legislators are asking them to think about keeping it lower or not raise them at all (Kenly). The government thinks that the parents should be responsible for helping students pay until they are 24, married, a veteran, or have a child (Clark). This leaves a lot of students in need of help before any of these things happen.For a student to file as in independent they first need to be 24 even if they are not living with their parents and are on their own. Many students would qualify for financial aid if they could file independently but this stipulation leaves them to flounder by them. Also if a student graduates at the age at 18 and goes to school for four years this would only make them twenty-two and they would never mak e it to get financial aid as an independent so, they would have to get loans unless they were awarded scholarships.Having financial aid and grants from the government have helped a lot students go to college who otherwise couldn’t but it also leaves many students out who do not fit into the formula created for everyone. Going to college is a great way to better someone’s self but getting to the degree is much harder than just being a good student. Parents can only provide so much as well as the government but the rising cost of tuition with the financial far behind it is outrageous. It is understandable that universities need money to run themselves but the dramatic increase each year is something to wonder about.This is a close to home topic for me because I fall in the bracket where my parents cannot afford my education, but I do not receive any financial aid so my only option is to get loans. The government cannot provide for everyone but making college more afforda ble for everyone would really help our nation rise up to be more competitive with other countries. It is very sad for students who are hard workers and have the ability to get a degree, but the price discourages them from accomplishing that goal. College is an important step in many peoples’ lives in the world today.It is a requirement for many jobs and can help people reach more goals than without it. Some people believe that the need for college is greater than the sacrifice that is needed to get a degree. Even with the economy today college should be something that everyone should strive for no matter what the cost is. With a degree you can earn more money, get better jobs, and be more of an educated person. This is vital to many people in their everyday lives. With a college education you can earn double than having just a high school diploma (Longley).This makes the debt and sacrifices people make to go to college very important to better themselves. Without those sacrif ices a person could not get a better paying job and provide for their families or help better other things in their lives. The sacrifices that are needed to be made can be paid off with the bettering of oneself with a degree and to some this can be priceless. How the parents, student, and government look at the cost, the need for a degree, and how they will pay for it determines how much they are willing to sacrifice.The need for a degree and the cost of getting a degree can be analyzed and give facts and figures of how important or how unimportant it is to struggle with things that are required to graduate. The good can outweigh the bad but getting there can be a hard process, but some believe that the way it is now is a fine way to get to the end goal, because the end goal can be so rewarding.Works Cited 1. Carpenter, Dave â€Å"Cost of Degree is Forcing some to go to Plan B. † Associated Press. 26 September 2010. http://www. msnbc. msn. om/id/39277351/ns/business- personal _finance/. 14 October 2010. 2. Clark, Kim â€Å"Should your kids pay for their college? † 11 December 2009. http://www. usnews. com/articles/education/2009/12/11/should-your-kids-pay-for-college-themselves. html 15 October 2010. 3. Kenley, Luke â€Å"Response to High College Cost. † Indianapolis Star. 20 September 2010. Print. 15 October 2010. 4. Longley, Robert â€Å"College Degree Nearly Doubles Annual Earnings† http://usgovinfo. about. com/od/censusandstatistics/a/collegepays. htm. 31 October 2010.

What is sovereignty?

The idea of sovereignty is the idea of someone holding supreme power. For example in the United Kingdom we have parliamentary sovereignty. This means that parliament holds supreme power in the land with no constraints. However sovereignty is affected and controlled by certain things such as public opinion and outside influences including the media etc. That is why although sovereignty gives supreme power to the bearer it can sometimes be restricted by uncontrollable means. However ultimately, if remove all other influences and theories, sovereignty is the word used to describe something that is given to someone or something to hold supreme power, and this power should technically be un-unquestionable, that is the idea of sovereignty. Where is sovereignty located in the UK? The monarch originally always held sovereignty. However in 1649 after the English civil war sovereignty in the UK was handed over to parliament after the execution of Charles I, and the running of the country became a dictatorship under Oliver Cromwell. Ever since then, although the monarch is still head of state, parliament has always held supreme power in the land. The monarch still holds theoretical powers such as the command of the army but in practice these powers belong to the executive and ultimately the Prime Minister. Unlike the American presidential system where the President forms only one third of the three areas of power, the British system relies on a majority to form the government. This can sometimes be a problem as the majority party holds all powers because the house of commons makes legislation and the house of lords can only block legislation for so long. The only person in theory that can stop a law being passed is the queen but this would be very unpopular so in practice is not done. Although the House of Commons and ultimately the executive hold supreme power, whilst we are a part of the European Union we must follow the laws and guidelines set by them. This was shown when be introduced the Human Rights Act after the EU had made it law. So although in theory the UK could leave the EU if it really disagreed with something, in practice this would not be economically or politically viable and so we are bound by their laws. So although sovereignty ultimately rests with the executive, the monarch still has to agree to laws and the monarch still holds military powers but these are never used in practice. The only constraint to sovereignty is the EU that we could technically leave at anytime. So practically sovereignty in the UK is located within the government but in theory the EU can say ‘no' to our legislation. This is where sovereignty is located in the UK. Why has the UK's un-codified constitution been criticised? Over the years the UK's un-written or un-codified constitution has been criticised. This criticism has not only come from countries with a codified constitution but also within the UK as well. Although the UK constitution is un-codified it has however been around longer than any constitution in the entire world. This says that that fact that it has never been fully written down means that it has had a chance to evolve and so last for a long period of time. Some may argue that the American codified constitution was a necessity, as after the American war of independence the Americans needed a quick constitution straight away in order to run the country. There is no way that a country could have been set up without a codified constitution. The advantage of a codified constitution is that all of the information is there and cannot be removed unless two thirds of the government/senate agree. Acts can only be amended. This could also pose as a disadvantage as a law that needed to be passed quickly would take at least a week to go through all of the houses to be added to the constitution. The advantage of an un-codified constitution is that not everything is in black and white. This is where we get conventions and case law. As not everything in the constitution is set in stone, if something were to be ambiguous then it could be taken to court for a ruling. Also we have conventions that are things that we do but are not written down. The advantage of having an un-codified constitution is that in an emergency and act or law can be added pr removed completely within twenty-four hours as no government can bind another government. So basically there are both advantages and disadvantages of both systems. With an un-codified constitution not everything is set in stone so things can be adjusted from case to case and also it is very quick and easy to change. The disadvantage to this is that this gives a lot of power to the executive and in theory they could run a dictatorship with no one to stop them. This is an advantage of a codified constitution because it is not very easily change and so does not give a lot of power to a few people. The disadvantage of this system is that things take a long time to change and can never be completely removed. Despite both the advantages and disadvantages of both of the systems, each system works best for the country that uses it. So all the UK's constitution has been criticised it obviously works because it has lasted for such a long period of time.

Management and Leadership development Assignment

Management and Leadership development - Assignment Example As the workforce is the valuable asset of a company, it is vital for the managers to ensure co-ordination among the widely dispersed operations around the world. HR department has to ensure that the changes in the organisations are easily accepted by the employees working within the firms and help them in aligning their tasks with the ever changing and dynamic business environment (Jayawickrama, 2011; Walumbwa et al., 2008). According to Baron and Cayer (2011), leadership development is a process or activity which enhances the leadership quality that is possessed by an individual so that the person can lead a team or show an appropriate course of action to an organisation so that it can move in the right direction. Since, it has become a mandatory requirement in most of the organisations, the activities of the leadership development comprise of MBA programs that are offered at the business schools (Drew, 2011), action learning courses and retreats done by executives (Bolden, 2007; Whitehead, 2009). The leaders have to develop the competencies and skills in their personalities so that they can manage their followers and motivate them to get engaged in activities that will be beneficial for themselves and the community as a whole (Ardichvili & Manderscheid, 2008; Yulk, 2010). There is no precise explanation of the qualities that make a person qualified for the position of a good effective leader (Yammarino et al., 2008). However, it is believed that an effective leader is one who can share perceptions, communicate with others clearly, motivate the subordinates, be responsive to the needs of the group members, encourage team efforts, willing to take risks and possess the ability of setting vision and goals (Popper, 2005; Tahilramani, 2010). It is generally believed that the leaders like any other professional such as an entrepreneur, doctor, engineer, artist and etc. are born and they cannot be made (Dalakoura, 2010). There are some people

LEVEL 4 VTCT BEAUTY THERAPY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LEVEL 4 VTCT BEAUTY THERAPY - Essay Example e salon is a safe place for all, and that by default the practices in the salon will not lead to accidents or pose health, safety and security risks to customers and employees. These are   fundamental to business practice The justifications for such recommendations and proposals stem from the need to secure the salon and to make it safe, primarily because accidents and harm to customers can result in lawsuits, loss of trust, the tarnishing of the image of the salon, and even business closure and loss of revenues.    Compliance with the law ensures that practices relating to safety, security and health meet legal standards and regulatory standards. This is good business practice that can protect the salon from lawsuits and regulatory fines and problems. What can happen when regulations and the law are not followed is that the salon can be subjected to lawsuits and legal problems that can hamper operations. Also, these translate to shortcomings that can be used against the salon by customers in cases of legal and regulatory disputes. A good way to manage improvements is to benchmark processes versus a checklists of compliance targets, and those targets must meet minimum legal and regulatory standards for such points of compliance. The checklists must be strict and that post-implementation measures to measure compliance must be put in place to gauge whether the compliance activities led to adequate compliance with such minimum standards. The regular evaluation of salon health, security and safety measures acts as a kind of regular audit of how well the salon is implementing procedures and measures to ensure those, and how well the work processes of the salon meet minimum regulatory and legal standards for compliance. As well, the idea is to exceed those minimum standards. This acts as a kind of health check for the salon, to make sure that it does not slide downwards in terms of its security, health and safety standards and practices. Written communication modes

Existence of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Existence of God - Essay Example I feel that this argument is the strongest because it is the one that is seen most often, especially in a religious setting. It is something that is entirely based off of faith; it is the one argument does not require evidence for a person to believe that such a thing as God does exist, which, in my opinion, makes it one of the strongest arguments. Many people believe that God is not something that should be, but needs to be. They can find no other evidence to support the creation of the universe, of humans, or of anything else that is upon this Earth. They are unable to explain what they believe to be miracles, nor do they fully understand why some things happen and others do not. Yet, while they can find no solid, concrete evidence for the existence of God, they still believe that, based on intuition and reason, God does, in fact, exist, and he is the being behind the aforementioned events. One of the reasons that I feel that this is the strongest argument is because there are so many people out there that are ready to stand up for this belief, regardless of the fact that they have nothing solid to prove for it. This act is known as faith; in this case, I believe that faith can replace the lack of evidence, even if faith is not something that can be seen or felt, though it is capable of being witnessed by others when someone believes strong enough. I am one of those people that believe the only evidence needed to prove the existence of God is the intuitive feeling of a person; if someone did not believe that something or someone existed, like God, then they would not feel it and they would leave that argument and position alone. However, if they feel so strongly about something that can yield no proof, then I think that that is all the proof that is needed. That is what faith is - acting on something because you believe it, because you feel that there is no other way or no other explanations for some

Faith involves a 'teleological suspension of the ethical' Essay

Faith involves a 'teleological suspension of the ethical' - Essay Example In the book, Kierkegaard explores the 4 Abraham story retelling; he dwells majorly on the ethical and religious. Kierkegaard argues that Isaac being killed is bad and wrong ethically but it is right religiously. Kierkegaard is also seen to apply the Abraham story for the sake of distinguishing between resignation and faith. Abraham is seen to have been tasked to murder Isaac merely due to he had been told by God to abide by as well as he was so much aware that God was right always. Kierkegaard however argues that Abraham never acted basing on the fact that God should be obeyed always but rather basing on the fact that God has no capacity to to what is ethically wrong. Abraham for very much aware that it was ethically wrong when he kills Isaac, but he knew God would spare his son because he had faith. Abraham made a decision of doing something that was wrong ethically due to he had faith in good will of God that was righteously right. Kierkegaard argues that the tension that exists be tween religion and ethics results to anxiety of Abraham (Kierkegaard et al, 1983). According to Kierkegaard the story of Abraham retellings, it is seen to demonstrate the significance of â€Å"teleological suspension of the ethical.† Teleological implies â€Å"in relation to the end.†For instance, if someone is hungry and later decides to have some food to get satisfied, then this implies that the person made a decision that is teleological: The action was to eat in order to attain the end of not being hungry. Abraham undertakes a teleological ethical suspension the time he makes a decision of killing Isaac. Abraham is so much aware that it is unethical killing Isaac. Abraham however makes a decision of suspending the ethical, in simpler terms, putting the concerns related to ethical on the back burner due to the faith he has in the end righteousness (or telos) that will be brought

Surrogate Mothers and Human Enhancement Dilemmas Assignment - 1

Surrogate Mothers and Human Enhancement Dilemmas - Assignment Example   Moreover, the mother becomes alienated from her labor as well as the child thus violating the mother’s right to consideration. Through the concept of alienation, Anderson (1990) further indicates that commercial surrogacy reduces pregnancy to a form of drudgery performed for money motives, which is against the societal norms. What’s more, Anderson (1990) responds to the objection that the women sign a contract and agreed to be surrogate mothers by articulating that the contract does not guarantee the surrogate mother peace of mind as it merely treats moral transformation as any other economic exchange. Disparagingly, the surrogate agency strives to strike the best deal while leaving the surrogate mother in a position that she can hardly protect and/or serve her interests. Moreover, the woman might have signed the contract out of desperation and vulnerability, a factor which exposes her to exploitation by surrogate agency hence mothers should be allowed to decide what to do with the pregnancy, and surrogate contracts should not be enforceable (Anderson, 1990). Biotechnology is often used in enhancing human nature. However, the entire concept is often contentious with proponents and critics articulating various reasons for and against the use of biotechnology in enhancing the nature of human beings. Buchanan (2009) responds to the objection of using biotechnology to enhance the nature of human beings by accentuating that people possess some characteristics that are not always ideal whereas Parens (2005) provides a context-specific of female Viagra to indicate why biotechnological enhancements are not always viable. Human beings, from a philosophical standpoint, consist of dispositions that shape their behaviors.  

Air Pollution in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Air Pollution in the USA - Essay Example Air pollution is a very important topic for discussion and research since air itself is required for every creature and living thing on the surface of the planet. Not only on land but also in water since air pollution has an effect on the level of contaminants in the sea as well. Undoubtedly, air pollution levels have been rising in the recent past and the overall blame for that is given to human activity and the industrial and commercial ventures of civilization as a whole. While the effects of air pollution on the environment are often disastrous and not easily reversible, the central issue with air pollution concerns itself more with the quality of life on the planet. Since human beings are the predominant creators of air pollution and they are also the life form which objects violently to air pollution, the solution for the problem also has to come from them. There are several ways and means which are currently being utilized to prevent air pollution from becoming a mammoth problem and some of those are discussed in this paper. Method The research for this paper was conducted in the library and various electronic and manual sources were utilized to locate the information which is connected with air pollution, its effect on the environment and the means by which it can be prevented. After a quick reading of collected materials, five sources were selected for detailed examination with which the ideas and constructs presented in the paper were eventually formed. The results from the research clearly show that the largest and most significant causes of air pollution are the industrial and commercial activities of humans.

World religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

World religion - Essay Example This yoga holds very importance in both the religions. Tantrism is associated with the religious scriptures known as the Goddess Shakti. She is the sacred feminine in Hindu religion, whom people worship. Hindu considers it as anit-vedic in character. In Hinduism traditionally it contains four parts; Metaphysical knowledge of religion known as Jnana, meditative practices knows as yoga, ritual practices and religious and ethical practices of conduct named as Charya. Today in Hinduism this yoga traditionally exists in Saurya, Shiva, Shakta, Ganapatya and Vaishnava. Tantrism came into being in Buddhism around the 3rd century till 12th .In Buddhism, Tantric is also known as Vajrayana. It is different in Buddhism because of its rituals. Rather than the meditation their goal is to achieve the Godhead, with Upaya/skills.Vajrayanais difficult and complicated than the Hinduism because of its rules and complications in language, to read.It is performed in Buddhism for the followers to experienc e the true Buddha nature, before they tend to achieve the enlightenment(Dolls of India - The Role of Tantra in Hinduism and Buddhism) In the psychological study of religion, considering postmodernity, Erickson has given very much importance to the religion in every stage of life. He has done the biographies on Gandhi and Martin Luther, which have proved his thoughts in the matter of religion. Erick stated that for human personality development, religion plays an important role because it is only primary way where virtues are promoted with each stage of life, on the basis of culture. Erick’s theory couldn’t attain much benefit from systematic empirical study but it left the influential effect on the human minds(Schachter). Whereas considering the postmodernity Jones states that today the world is moving within the new sets of modernity. The thoughts of people are changing as a strong reflection of modern themes, specially the youth ministry. Jones says that youth ministry should

GCSE Girl Anachronism Essay Example for Free

GCSE Girl Anachronism Essay In this essay I will be comparing my Girl Anachronism play with my year 9 dialogue Dealers Choice. I will be comparing the deference between the character I was, the style of the play, the mood, the place and whether it is Stanislavski or Brecht. Brecht belied in breaking the fourth wall and trying to make the play as unrealistic as possible by using flash backs, monologues, freeze frames, placards ect. But on the other hand Stanislavski belied in making the play as realistic as possible by having every thing in chronological order and making it as naturalistic as possible making the actors think like their character would. The play Girl Anachronism was developed to the stimulus of the song girl anachronism by the Dresden Dolls. It has a very angry and upset mood throughout, it is in the style of a melodrama and it is like a Brecht play because it breaks the fourth wall, using monologues and flash backs which are theatrical devices used in Verfemdungseffect to remind the audience that it is not real. In the play we used a variety of music to show the emotions of each scene for example at the beginning of our play we played the stimulus of the play, and before our flash back we played past music to show that we had gone back in time. In this play I have adopted the main role where I am crazy teenager that has just been released from a mental institute and have just gone back to my 3 bedroom house with my family which all hate me, and I am also suicidal. All I want is to be left alone and not too be told what to do. My Year 9 play Dealers Choice was a scripted piece about two friends who work in a restaurant and meet once a week for an all-night poker game. Its mood is very happy and funny. It corresponds with Stanislavskis ideas about keeping it as real as possible, building up the fourth wall, and having every thing in chronological order. When we preformed this play we used no music no flash backs and no monologues. The style was a friendly comedy. In this play I was one of the main characters, I was a mid thirtys waiter working in a restaurant I have worked there for years with my mate Sweeny, Sweeny and I and a few other gather once a week to play poker in the restaurant. The play is set in a London restaurant in the kitchen area. These plays are totally different one is a Brecht like play the other is a Stanislavski. One is unrealistic the other is realistic. They are both very good but I like Girl Anachronism better, because it was more interesting to act and I had more freedom, and I liked improvising.

Blood Brothers Essay Example for Free

Blood Brothers Essay Hoe does Russell create a sense of tension and conflict for the audience between Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone in the play Blood Brothers ? Willy Russell creates a sense of tension and conflict between the two main female characters in the play which are Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons. Russell uses many different techniques to do this. Willy Russell creates a sense of tension and conflict for Mrs Johnstone immediately because she is a mother with a lot of children, no husband, very little money and she is pregnant. This creates a sense of tension and conflict because she is a single mother that has to take care of her children with very little money and she is in debt which she cant pay off: Next week, next week. Next week never arrives around here, Id be a rich man if next week ever came this was said by the milkman. This explains that she owes money to people and she cant pay them off, she keeps coming up with excuses. Mrs Johnstone gets a lot of tension and conflict in her life which affects her children: mam, how come Im on free dinners? All the other kids laugh at me. This quote explains that because Mrs Johnstone is quite poor her children have to have free dinners and her children dont like that. Mrs Johnstone has conflict and tension because she cant feed her children properly: ey mother Im starving an theres nothing in. There never bloody well is. This explains that Mr Johnstone can not get much food to feed her children because she has not got much money because she is the only person providing money in the family and she got quite a big family too. Willy Russell creates more conflict and tension in the play for Mrs Johnstone because she has already got so many problems and she cant feed her children properly, then she hears that she is having twins, that creates tension and conflict immediately for her : with one more baby we could have managed but not with two. The welfare have already been on me they say incapable of controllin the kids I already got. They say I should put some of them in care, but I wont, I love the bones of every one of them, but like they say in welfare kids cant live on love alone. This proves that Mrs Johnstone loves her children very much and she is threatened by welfare and she could not manage with one more mouth to feed let alone two, so that creates tension and conflict immediately in Mrs Johnstones life. Mrs Johnstone got so many childrens because her husband was a womaniser. Willy Russell creates a sense of tension for Mrs Lyons because she is the complete opposite of Mrs Johnstone, she is a lone woman with no children although she has got money and a husband. Mrs Lyons has a big house to her self in which she passes time alone while her husband is always away for several months on business. This creates a sense of tension and conflict for Mrs Lyons because she bought a big house for her future children which she doesnt have: actually Mrs Johnstone we bought such a large house for the- for the children. We thought children would came along. This quote proves that Mrs Lyons wants a child it is the emptiness she feels in her life. Mrs Lyons always dreamed about having a child of her own: each day I look out from this window, I see him with his friends, I hear him call, I rush down but as I fold my arms around him, hes gone. Was he ever there at all? Willy Russell creates more tension and conflict in the play when Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone get together. Mrs Lyons creates a sense of tension and conflict for Mrs Johnstone immediately when she hears Mrs Johnstone is having twins. She asks Mrs Johnstone to give her one of the twins, she forces and sorts of persuades her by using excuses like already youre being threatened by the welfare people. Mrs Johnstone With two more children how can you possibly avoid some of them being put into care? At least if the child is with me youd be able to see him every day as you come to work; Because of her excuses, Mrs Johnstone gives one of the twins away when they are born. Mrs Lyons creates more tension and conflict for Mrs Johnstone when she informs Mrs Johnstone that she has to leave her employment and she says she cant see her baby any more and she uses superstition They They say that if either twin learns that he once was a pair, they shall both immediately die. They shall be raised apart and never told what was once the truth. When Mrs Johnstone hears that she gets scared and that creates tension and conflict in Mrs Johnstones life. Mrs Johnstone creates a sense of tension and conflict for Mrs Lyons also because when the two brothers starts to grow up, they start becoming friends and then they become blood brothers, this creates tension and conflict for Mrs Lyons because she is trying to stop them finding out that they are real brothers and that Mrs Johnstone is the birth mother. Mrs Lyons son starts to get in trouble staying with Mickey who is Mrs Johnstones son Mrs Johnstone creates more tension and conflict for Mrs Lyons when Mrs Lyons moves houses and goes away from Mrs Johnstone willing not to see them again, but Mrs Johnstone moves houses as well after some time then they find out that theyre in the some place living near to each other again and both of the brothers are growing up together. Finally to end this essay I think Willy Russell used both tension and conflict . He did this by making Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons like real life characters. Some of the problems they go through are similar to what people in real life would go through.

Benefits of Oral Presentations

Benefits of Oral Presentations Mention two different situations (imaginary) when oral presentations are more effective than written, reasoning why presentations. Explain the various principles for successful business presentations orally. Two situations where oral communication is better than written communication: The first is when a seller is trying to sell products to a potential customer. Here, direct selling is. Direct selling is the marketing and selling products directly to consumers away from a fixed retail place, going home, staying places. Modern direct selling includes sales made through the party plan, one-on-one demonstrations and other forms of personal touch as well. An exact definition would be: The direct personal presentation, demonstration and sale of services merchandises and consumers, usually in their homes or their jobs. Why oral communication is preferred instead of written communication here? Consumers and sellers take advantage of oral communication when it comes to selling because of the convenience and service it provides, including Personal demonstration. Explanation of products. Home delivery. Generous guarantees satisfaction. Clarification of doubts/remedies on the product in the minds of customers. Possible Persuasion. Negotiation can. Second meeting is where you have to make a point to everyone present at the meeting, and take their views on the subject. Oral communication occurs in meetings where participants share their ideas. Organizers of the meeting clearly define their effective goal, as if the purpose of the meeting is to make a decision, brainstorm ideas, approve a plan to provide a change or get a status report. At the beginning of the meeting organizer uses oral indicating priorities of the meeting communication, expected results and the time allotted to discuss each topic. Requesting additional input from participants, he/she ensures the meeting remains relevant to everyone. The organizer of the meeting also ensures that each participant gets a chance to speak without monopolizing the agenda. Different principles to ensure the success of oral business presentations Do not design a static model; instead of designing a static. Plan the design of your presentation to be vibrant and alive as you interact w ith your audienceDynamic means strength, living movement. Complete or static means defined Do not plan what you will say to your last word, and to present what has already been said in the study. Ensure that your plan is clear and simple. Make sure your main ideas are clear in concept and formulation. Writing the basic idea of your tax statement and division for the listener make a difference in the way you write. What you write may look good on paper. But read the statements aloud and check. †¢ How they ring you? †¢ Are they readily understandable? †¢ Is there a rhythm and symmetry in the text? †¢ Would it create doubts in the mind of the receiver or not? correct weightage. Written notes can be deceiving when you write a word or two to indicate a long illustration, argument, or application. The amount of weight you give to An Individual section will depend on the time you spend with her. Be sure to focus your design time, careful planning, while remaining flexible. Emphasize main ideas of repetition and placement. Remember that the public might say a statement is a main idea, by the way you say or present. They cannot see bold or underlined characters in what you say. Put your tax division noticeable positions: first and last in a section. Everything you say first and the last is always remembered. As you repeat your division statements in the same terms, the listener will understand its meaning. Also, make it your habit to announce and number them, using your keywords. Use phrased transitions carefully as you move into your presentation.. If you start with a usual analogy, make argument clear regarding your idea presented. This will provide a smooth tr ansition in your next section. Shot of the transition from need section, then the introduction text. Use connecting sentences and let the transitional sentence, with the keyword public in steer your the partitions. Wrap each section or division said, with a restatement of the previous agenda and introduction of Next Idea. Plan a combination of inductive and deductive movement significantly. Remember that the inductive thought begins with specifics. Lead the by talking presentation of something that is already acquainted to the public; that is parallel to your subject and gets their notice. From here you will be able to move to the main idea of the presentation. The movement should be structured General Specific To. Use deductive movement when you give the statementand detachment and move to essentials. Use language that is best suited to the ear, not the eye.. Choose phrases that can be easily understood indelivering. You only get one of say something chance to. Even if you repeat the main ideas, keep them simple and straightforward. Avoid terminology that is beyond comprehension. Do public not to assume that people know what you are talking about historical references. Explain. Do not use technical theological terms without or before defining them. Use peoples talk, but no grammar or pronunciation Make your introductory sections are carefully planned.. Introduction is as important as what you do to communicate effectively. There are five purposes for the establishment To capture the awarenessof the listener; To initiate interest about you; To commence your subject; To establishthe text; and in order to make the body an effortless transition your presentation. Each of these objectives calls for a well thought out plan. The introduction is very important because it is the beginning. If you do not have to get a good start with genuine communication touch, you can never achieve it. Ensure your concluding/closing section is carefully planned.. What we call the general conclusion is as important as the intro. Conclusion steps include visualization and action. This is the section where you return to your basic idea. For the visualization step, use illustrations and applications to paint a picture of the BASIC idea in the minds of listeners. Step Action provides the specific changes that are needed to implement the basic idea. This step tips into a time of reflection, or invites the listener to reply to the message/presentation. presentation design bearing in mind, from the viewpoint of public. Trying to get beyond the narrow focus on your hardware and how to organize it must be one of your important basis when designing your presentation. Think about your audience audience. Bear in mind what the matter already knows, how are acquainted they terminology, how their views match yours, and how they are committed to the existing attitudes and beliefs. The best communicators are those who recognize their listeners and message regulate their order to reach them where they are. Who will be there? How do they think? What do they include? What do they need to KNOW? If you do not communicate your equipment effectively, it is of no value to your listener. Understand your nervousness. 3 out of 4 say they feel nervous about public speaking. Its like getting up for a sports competition: you want to do well you have prepared and you are ready to go! Your performance is important, but it is not the main thing. The main thing is to share your message ideas, feelings and information. Its learn together. No one expects perfection. If you mess something, fix and continue. Your audience is your partner: they want to learn from you; they want you to succeed. Some nervousness is a good thing. Increased activation can enhance your presentation, improve alertness and animation, and strengthen public engagement. Use relaxation techniques if you think youre too wound. Before your presentation, sit quietly, focus on letting up the tension in your body, breathe deeply from the abdomen (a count of 4, hold for 4, for a number of 4). Do this for several cycles with n ormal breaths you do not have hyperventilation. Smile. It is a mood elevator. clear pronunciation. So that significant oral messages of receivers, the words must be clearly and correctly pronounced. It should not be a lack of clarity or communication will be a source of confusion. Brevity. Oral communication is that the message should be brief. If the sender has taken a long time to talk, his message may not attract the attention of the receiver. logical sequence. The ideas should be organized sequentially to make the communication message and attractive. Unorganized ideas do not provide clear direction, while logical sequence of ideas gives a clear meaning. courteous. Courtesy costs nothing but can save a lot. Thus, a speaker must be courteous, while addressing the audience. It helps to create a good impression in the minds of listeners for the speaker. Avoid emotions. The President must control his emotions to make effective oral communication. Too much emotion will be the speaker away from the main subject. Control Gesticulation. President repeatedly, consciously or unconsciously, gesticulating to express ideas or thoughts. It is a habit and should be avoided. Otherwise, the application of this habit can cause disinterest of the public. In addition, objective information, the ability of the listener, interesting language, and the correct flow must also be considered the principles of oral communication.

Free Macbeth Essays: The Inner-Macbeth :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

The Inner-Macbeth Assumptions are made throughout our lives, just as the nobles suspect Macbeth of murder. Macbeth has given them a reasonable amount of examples to justify their predictions of his bloody doings, yet his inner monologue is available only to the reader. Such thoughts of his guilt and remorse are expressed through his discussions with Lady Macbeth, his unconscious reactions to Banquo’s ghost and the "tomorrow and tomorrow" speech. Scotland makes accusations through Banquo’s soliloquy and the nobles speaking of Macbeth in act five proving their beliefs of murder. The entire country believes he is covered in blood yet the reader is the only one who understands his reactions towards the deeds he has committed. Like a child, Macbeth attempts to run away from his problems, yet he has no where to go. "I am afraid to think what I have done", reveals his inability to think over scenarios before he commits them. He now realizes what he has done is against his own morals, knee deep in guilt, and attempts to figure out his problems with his wife. Macbeth ‘s conscious screams through, "Ere we will eat our meal I fear and sleep in the affliction of these terrible dreams that shake us nightly", for the reality of the crime has come into realization and the only one Macbeth can confide in is Lady Macbeth. At this point in the book, no guilt is felt on behalf of Lady Macbeth leaving Macbeth resembling a boy crying for help when no one is listening. Through Macbeth’s attempt to make sense of what has happened during the "tomorrow and tomorrow" speech, he states, "Life’s but a waking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more". He claims we will all, at some point in our lives, end up having to finish our play, though when that happens it makes no difference, for our lives ‘signify nothing.’ By claiming life is insignificant, Macbeth makes excuses for the murders he has committed, yet deep down inside this is simply a cover-up for the guilt boiling inside. Assumptions, made by Macbeth, about the meaning of life proves Macbeth is really to soothe his own remorse by summarizing life through the eyes of a murderer. Such a soliloquy has Scotland looking down upon him, for he seems relentless and bloody.

Babe Ruth :: essays research papers

Career Highlights Began his career as a left-handed pitcher with the Boston Red Sox in 1914, compiling a 78-40 record Converted to a hitter in 1919 because of his great hitting ability During the 1919 season, he set a new home run record (29) and led the league in runs, RBI's, and slugging percentage. That winter Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees He led the league in home runs in 8 of the next 10 years He bested his own home run record by hitting 60 in 1927. Quote about The Babe "... I've seen them; kids, men, women, worshippers all, hoping to get his name on a torn, dirty piece of paper, or hoping for a grunt of recognition when they said, 'Hi-ya, Babe.' He never let them down; not once. He was the greatest crowd pleaser of them all." - Waite Hoyt, teammate of Babe Ruth Career Totals During his illustrious career he: Played a total of 20 seasons. Led the league in home run 12 times, in runs 8 times, in RBI's 6 times, and in slugging 13 times. Ended with a lifetime batting average of .342 Is the all-time leader in home run percentages (1/8.5 AB), walks (2056), and slugging (.690). Is 2nd all-time in home runs (714), runs, and RBIs Quote from The Babe "The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." - Babe Ruth Did You Know? Babe Ruth is credited with the invention of the modern baseball bat. He was the first player to order a bat with a knob on the end of the handle. Louisville Slugger produced the bat which he hit 29 home runs in 1919. Babe Ruth was one of only two people (Reggie Jackson being the other) to ever hit three home runs in a World Series game and is the only one to do it twice (1926& 1928). Babe Ruth and Ralph Kiner ranked first and second respectively as the outfielders with the highest average home runs per at-bat. Babe Ruth led the American League in home runs 12 times. Babe Ruth holds the record for the longest complete game victory in World Series history. In 1916, as a member of the Boston Red Sox, Ruth went 14 innings to defeat the New York Giants 2-1.

Graduation Speech: Christ is Still the Only Way :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

For the last 18 years or so, we have been influenced and directed by parents, teachers, and other authority figures. We have been told when to get up, when to work, when to play, when to eat, sleep, come home, go out, etc., etc., etc. Now we are moving on. As we do, let me remind you of two principles we have been taught, the principle of freedom and the principle of success. As adults, a whole new world of personal freedom awaits us. Freedom is a wonderful gift. It is similar to a coin with two sides. Those of us with a driver's license understand these two concepts every time we get into a car. In your car, where you go, how fast you go, and what route you will take are all up to you. You are free to make those choices. However, this freedom also means that you must be responsible. Why does the law require that we have insurance? Because the moment you take control of the vehicle, you become accountable for every one of your actions until your vehicle reaches its destination. You have the freedom to go as fast as you want, but the law will discipline you if you go too fast. You have freedom to take any road you want, but not every road will take you to your desired destination. Life is very much like driving. You are free to choose any one of the many options before you both now and in the future, but not every option will take you where God would want you to go. Proverbs 16:9: The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. You can choose to live in the so-called "fast lane" without any sense of responsibility, but are you ready to pay the price? Proverbs 14:12: There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. In order to remain truly free you must learn to balance personal choices with biblical responsibility. Live your life to the fullest, mindful that we will all someday give an account to God for our actions. As you enjoy this tremendous gift called freedom, stay accountable to God because that's the only way to maximize your potential for success. This brings me to my second point. Most people don't really understand success, at least not as the Bible defines it.

Lego Analysis Essay

Large losses in Vinalines, Vinashin, EVN, Vietnam Cement Corporation VICEM, Song Da Corporation, TKV †¦ somehow make it easier for the Vietnamese economy sinking into stagnation condition than ever before. Global economic slowdown led to foreign investment flows into Vietnam show signs of decline. Attract foreign investment from the beginning of 2012 to 04/20/2012 only 68. 5% compared to the same period last year, which is down 0. 3% compared to the same period last year. Trinh Thanh Hoan, Director of Insurance Management and Supervision Department of Finance, commented that: the financial crisis affecting the insurance industry in Vietnam, but not heavy. Vietnam’s insurance industry is one of the few lucky industries has overcome the crisis. Revenue growth rate of the insurance industry first 6 months of 2012 has reached a relative situation, though not as high as in 2011. Original insurance exploitation activities increased by 11% compared to the same period in 2011, of which 13. 5% non-life sector, life insurance increased by 8. %. In this context, the Prudential – with revenue of VND 2,182 billion, accounting for 39. 69% of the market array of life insurance market in Vietnam is facing great opportunities to promote their competitiveness The study of the financial situation in 2011 by Prudential in conjunction with specifying the challenges they are facing in 2012 through which creating a premise to promote the Vietnamese insurance m arket in general and the Prudential Vietnam in particular to develop at a stable and healthy way is the reason why this topic was chosen. Title: â€Å"How was the financial situation of Prudential Vietnam in 2011, its problems in 2011 and its challenges in 2012† Object of this project is to study the financial situation in 2011 of Prudential Viet Nam in which the writer focused on the analysis of sales along with the challenges that they are facing in 2012, which is the main factor determining the competitive position of the company The range of research topics: In term of spatial: The insurance company in Vietnam, especially Prudential In term of time: Empirical research in the period 2011-2012 Research objectives of the project are presented in three main aspects, namely: Develop practical scientific arguments about the challenges that Prudential are facing in 2012 as an important strategy in business development issues of Prudential Analysis of the financial situation of Prudential Vietnam in the 12-month period of 2011 The layout of the contents of the subject consists of three parts: Chapter 1: Historical development and organizational structure of Prudential Vietnam. Chapter 2: How Prudential Vietnam did their business in 2011. Chapter 3: Financial Situation of Prudential Vietnam in 2011 compared to 2010, its problems in 2011 and its challenges in 2012. In term of finishing this project, because of limitation in knowledge about finance and insurance field and the lack of information that we can find both on The Internet and directly from Prudential Vietnam, our report may be confined. We would like to show our gratitude to Dr. Gitte Top, who has specially enthusiasm in guiding our group during the process of doing and finalizing this project. We wish you be always happy in your life. METHODOLOGY A. The method used in general is the research â€Å"onion† * Definition : In order to answer how a research should be answered a clear methodology was sought which is referred as â€Å"research onion†. It presents a clear framework for the most suitable methods and strategies to address a research. It promotes the knowledge to answer a research question. After deciding a suitable philosophy other elements are selected from the layers which assist in answering a research. Each element in a different layer is discussed below in order to get an idea why elements were selected while conducting a research * The purpose of research onion The classification of research purpose most often used in the research method literature is threefold one of exploratory, descriptive and explanatory. However, in the same way as our research question can be both descriptive and explanatory, so our project may have more than one price. Indeed, as Robson (2002) point out: â€Å"The purpose of your enquiry may change over time† I. The research paradigms The first layer of the onion is research paradigms. It gives an idea that how we think about the research. Several views about research process dominate the literature, which include positivism, realism, interpretivism and others as well. The knowledge is always judged in different ways and these are different ways you can judge the knowledge. We chose realism because it is a mixture of both the philosophies positivism and interpretivism as it allows us to study for the social issues trying to understand the impact of wider social forces. Moreover, we would take advantage of the accuracy in evaluation of the figures provided in the financial report of Prudential in 2011 to see correctly its problems and challenges. These reasons are why the realism is selected II. The research approaches The second layer of research ‘onion’ refers to research approach. There are two approaches involved: 1. Deductive approach Deductive approach works from more general to specific. This is informally called as top-down approach. A deductive approach is consistent with developing a theory and testing it through research. Arguments based on laws, rules and accepted principles are generally used for Deductive Reasoning. 2. Inductive approach Inductive reasoning works the other way like deductive moving from specific to general to broader generalization and theories. And informally it is referred as bottom op approach. And its conclusion is likely based on premises and usually involves a degree of uncertainty. Because of the limitation about the information we can look up, we chose the deductive approach in order to have a clear orientation to carry out the project. B. The project I. Object of this project: To analyze financial situation of Prudential corporation in 2011, then reveal factors affecting the company included the cost and national economy situation and as well as the difficulties which corporation face in the this year II. The range of project * In term of space : Insurance market in Viet Nam and especially Prudential * In term of time: Practical research in the 12-month period of 2011 about the main activities of the Prudential corporation; challenges of Prudential in 2012 III. The research objective Offer the student the opportunity to train the skills falling into the categories of writing a report – to learn the logic and practice of investigating/analyzing actual problems, equivalent to current challenges in modern financial companies – and to being introduced to formulating a research question. IV. The research methodology To estimate specifically and exactly how was financial situation of Prudential Vietnam in 2010 our group thinks it is suitable to use dialectical materialist methodology (human relations results), along with the clever combination of theories in economics and management, based on the analysis of reliable material which our group collected, in which we focuses on information on the homepage of Prudential Vietnam. C. The structure of assignment The layout of the contents of the subject consists of five parts 1. The introductory part 2. Methodology 3. The main part a. Chapter 1: Historical Development and Organizational Structure of Prudential Vietnam b. Chapter 2: How Prudential Vietnam did their business in 2011 c. Chapter 3: Financial Situation of Prudential Vietnam in 2011, its problems in 2011 and challenges in 2012 4. Conclusion 5. Appendix CHAPTER 1: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUTURE OF PRUDENTIAL VIETNAM PART 1: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT Established in London 1848, Prudential is one of the world’s leading retail financial services groups providing life insurance, financial services and asset management products and it has been writing life insurance in the United Kingdom for 163 years. In 1995, Prudential arrived in Vietnam ;amp; established the Prudential Representative Office in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Later on, in 1997, it established a 2nd Representative office in Ho Chi Minh City After 11 years , in 2006 , it was awarded the â€Å"No. 1 brand in Insurance – Finance – Banking Industryâ€Å". Up to now, it has keep dominating the market share in insurance market. PART 2: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Board of Directors Mr. Alexander John Hambly Chairman (Non-Executive Director) Mr. Hambly is the Regional Head of Private Equity of Eastspring Investments (Singapore) Limited (formerly known as Prudential Asset Management (Singapore) Limited) joined Prudential in 2003 and was Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Eastspring Investments Fund Management Limited Liability Company (formerly known as Prudential Vietnam Fund Management Private Limited Company) from January 2006 to September 2007. Alex was also the Chief Executive Officer for Prudential Property Investment Management (Singapore) Pte. Ltd from September 2007 to February 2010 and the Chief Executive Officer of PPEM Pte. Ltd. from March 2009 to October 2010. He has more than 20 years’ direct investment experience gained in both Asia and other major markets. Prior to joining Prudential, he worked for four years for Actis (formerly known as CDC Capital Partners) based in Singapore, four years with HSBC Private Equity based in India, and seven years with Barclays Bank plc based in London, India and Singapore, the last three years of which he was on secondment to a private equity fund (Baronsmead plc) in the United Kingdom. He holds a BA in Modern History from Durham University in the UK. Mr. Hambly is also a member of the VII Audit and Remuneration Committees. He has not been a director of any other listed company in the last three years. Mr. Henry (Van Hung) Lam Managing Director (Chief Executive Officer) Mr. Lam, a resident of Vietnam, was born in Vietnam and came to Australia in 1977 and studied electrical engineering. He resides in Vietnam and is responsible for the group’s operations in Vietnam. He was awarded the â€Å"Red Star† at the end of 2000, the first overseas Vietnamese to receive this, for his contribution to the economy of Vietnam and in 2010 he was awarded the â€Å"Second Class Labour Medal†. He has not been a director of any other listed company in the last three years. Mr. Lam is a director and shareholder of Corbyns International Limited, the Company’s ultimate holding company. Mr. Alan Alexander Young Managing Director (Chief Operating Officer) Mr. Young commenced his business career in the financial sector and was employed for several years in banking and finance. For the past twenty years, he has gained wide experience in the administration of public companies, particularly in the resource sector. Mr. Young is a Board member of all the operating subsidiaries in Vietnam. He was a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Managers, Secretaries and Administrators and past President of the Western Australia-Vietnam Business Council Inc. He has not been a director of any other listed company in the last three years. Mr. Roger (Sing-Leong) Kwok Independent Non-Executive Director Mr. Roger Kwok is the Managing Director of Arcadia Group in Perth which specialises in designing, developing and managing retirement resorts and premium properties. For the last twenty years, Mr. Kwok has managed a number of Australian businesses in the automotive and healthcare sectors. He is a past president of The Western Australian Chinese Chamber of Commerce and brings significant experience in business relations in international markets, particularly China, which sources raw materials to VII’s rolling mills. Mr. Kwok is the Chairman of the VII Audit and Remuneration Committees. He has not been a director of any other listed company in the last three years. Mr. Andrew David Walker  (appointed 3 January 2012) Independent Non-Executive Director Mr. Walker has graduate and postgraduate qualifications in Medicine and Medical Science from Newcastle University and is a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons. He also has a MBA from The University of Melbourne. Before starting his business career, Andrew was as officer in the Australian Army and a Platoon Commander in Australia’s elite parachute regiment. Mr. Walker has a wide range of Board experiences, both Public and Private companies. He was the Past-Chairman of the Melbourne Chapter of the Young Presidents Organisation. He was named the 2006 Ernst & Young’s National â€Å"Entrepreneur of the Year† (Service Category). In the past three years,  Mr. Walker is the Executive Chairman of Vallenar Iron Company and Founder-Chairman of Aspen Medical Pty Ltd. Mr. Walker is a member of the VII Audit and Remuneration Committees. CHAPTER 2: HOW PRUDENTIAL VIETNAM DID THEIR BUSINESS IN 2011 PART 1: HOW DID PRUDENTIAL GET PROFIT? The renovation and modernization of the country and international economic integration requires every industry, every business have to try harder, continuing deeply comprehensive reform in all its activities. With the function of mobilizing small amount of money from countless individuals to create a central insurance fund to invest in various sectors of the economy, insurance companies, particularly life insurance Prudential company has become an institution, a key professional investors on the capital market of many countries. And if the world over a long period, the investment activities of the non-life insurance companies are considered a complementary activities in order to increase profits in addition to profit from insurance operations, since the type of life insurance on the market, investors have become a very important activity, can’t be separated and have to say it determines the survival of life insurance companies. To be more specific, the writer will present the way Prudential get profits. Firstly, by buying insurance contracts, Prudential’s employees try to persuade other people to buy their insurance policies. They will get amount of money when the contracts accomplish and unless the buyer have some problems with their body or life, the company will use the money to invest some particular activities to make more profits. Secondly, they generate profit by mortgage. Lending is an important role for life-insurance company. With the nature as an investment tool, Prudential company must also be subject to some limitations when it carry out loan such as restrictions on the maximum amount allowed for limited borrowing and lending of money. Currently the mortgage loans of life insurance companies primarily secured by real estate . Most of loans under life-insurance company tend to increase quickly. This is also the form of attracting more customers to the insurance company. In Vietnam today lending policy is very popular and used by insurance companies as a form of competition. The next one is that Prudential company invested in securities. This is the investment tool which is used by almost life-insurance company most widely, hence the profits from investment securities giving the insurance company is very huge. Moreover, investing in securities has a high liquidity because insurance companies can quickly sell the securities to the market if demand for payment is necessary. Stocks and bond are two kinds of securities which most life insurance companies prefer to invest. In a word, investing in securities has higher margins than other forms of investment. Life-insurance companies tend to invest large value on that list. Associating with the development of securities market in recent years, the investment of life insurance companies in this market is considerably increased. Currently Most of life-insurance companies move to invest in securities and loans which have guaranteed level less but have a higher expected rate of return. Next, Investing in real estate is important element without mention on the way to generate profit . The investment in real estate plays an essential role because it maintains the stability of the value of investing in real estate which is less affected by inflation. However, investing in real estate has high market risk and low liquidity. Therefore the real estate business of life-insurance Prudential is suffered from certain limitations. In addition to these forms of investment, life insurance companies also invest in other forms of joint ventures, deposits at credit institutions, pledge and mortgage. With life insurance company investment which is usually long term should be greater long-term portfolio than that of non-life insurance companies . In previous time, loans secured by the mortgage is the primary form of investment life insurance companies. These investments often bring a higher rate of return than investments in government bonds, although liquidity is not high. Those are the fourth best ways of Prudential company to gain profit. However, it does not mean that they are the only measures. To generate profit, Prudential also take part in forms of organization and operation of investment. And Prudential with a large scale of enterprise and the nature of insurance can invest in this activity with two forms: The first one is establishing investment company belonging to Prudential company. The establishment of an independent investment organization in the form of the investment company or investment fund owned by the insurance company all the shares or hold the shares in the form of applied fairly common in the insurance company in the world. This pattern is consistent with the large-scale insurance companies and developing companies, it helps insurance Prudential company concentrate on its resources to improve the quality and efficiency of investment activities. These funds may only focus on a geographical area or specific industry groups or a wide range of activities and general investment fields. In recent years insurance companies have large-scale switch to set up the fund to focus its resources and improve the quality and efficiency of investment activities. The next one, Prudential buy shares in the non-dominant of other investment company. PART 2: PRUDENTIAL MARKET SHARE AND THEIR COMPETITORS Market share * 2011 situation 2011 was a challenging year for the global economy and Vietnam was not an exception. The slow growth in the US and EU region also softened Vietnam’s export demand. Moreover, the tightening policy by the SBV to tackle inflation lowered domestic industrial activities. For the full year of 2011, GDP growth was 5. 9% compared to 6. 8% in 2010. This is the second lowest year of GDP growth in the last decade, only higher than 2009 the year after the global financial crisis started. According to the annual report 2011, the revenue of Prudential Vietnam account for nearly 39% of the total revenue of the life insurance market, reduced 1% compared to 2010. However, Prudential Vietnam has reached new business premium of VND615 billion ($30 million), up 21. 2% year-on-year. The total premium income increased to VND2. 8 trillion ($137 million), up 12. % year-on-year. With the market share of 38%, the company reaffirmed its No. 1 position in Vietnam’s life insurance market. In additional, Prudential Vietnam has won the  Golden Dragon Award 2011  with the title â€Å"Best Financial Service† for all three business units in Vietnam: Prudential Vietnam Assurance, Eastspring Investments and Prudential Finance. This is the 10th consecutive time th at Prudential has won the Golden Dragon Award. * Prediction in 2012 2012 outlook is expected to improve due to consistent government policy, the more stable VND and improvement in the balance of payment. We become increasingly optimistic about Vietnam outlook in 2012 due to the consistency of SBV in implementing monetary policy, the more stable VND, and the improvement in the balance of payment. However, in the short term, lower GDP growth is expected in trade off for long term macro stability. During this period, the equity market might remain volatile and highly reactive to releasing news. We think that selective investment in sectors with stable consumption demand (i. e. non-cyclical consumer goods) or have a strong financial capacity will bring benefits for investors. In the long run, we increasingly become optimistic about the equity market as the VN Index valuation is currently at one of its lowest levels historically and compared to other markets in the region. Competitor In Vietnam, the insurance sector is regulated by the Insurance Supervisory Division within the Ministry of Finance. The insurance trade association is the Association of Vietnamese Insurers (AVI). The main life insurance companies are: Bao Viet (also a non-life insurance company); Prudential; Manulife; AIA; Dai-ichi Life; ACE Life; and Prevoir. Key non-life insurance companies include: Bao Viet (also a life insurance company); Bao Minh; Petrovietnam Insurance Company (PVIC); PJICO; PTI; Cong ty BH lienhiep; Bao Long; Vien Dong; and VIA. In the first quarter of 2012, the total sales of life insurance in the market are 3522 billion, up 8. 1% compared to the same period last year. The companies have large market shares of Prudential Vietnam, with 1,308 billion, accounting for 37. 14% market share, Bao Viet is 942 billion VND, accounting for 26. 73%, Manulife is 440 billion, accounting for 12. 5% . Leader in sales of new premium remains the Prudential Vietnam with 239 billion, followed by Bao Viet Life 226 billion and Manulife is 131 billion VND. The strongest opponents of the current Prudential Vietnam Bao Viet Life, with a market share of new operators are close to Prudential. Futhermore, Manulife, although total sales revenue and new operators have a big gap with the Prudential, but development strategy, with a solid foundation and changes quite flexible according to the market trend of this company many companies in the same industry appreciated. AIA is also one of considerable competitors with daring and efficient strategies which may have a spectacular breakthrough in the market share in a few years. Meanwhile, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam after a period of impressive growth, there seems to be a lull down and has not had any extensive development. In the recent economic condition, the issue is not about the number of new contracts or pushing the revenue growth. The vital tatic is maintaining the signed contracts. It dues to the fact that the level of contracts termination in Vietnamese market has always been a â€Å"nightmare† for life insurance ompanies, this ratio is always around 10 – 15% for every years, the rate cancelling contracts in the early years are often higher. Therefore, the development of effective strategies many insurance companies selected for this difficult period. Although the cancelling contracts are high, Datas from the Vietnam Insurance Association showed that the three months of this year, the number of contracts restoration of 27,797 contracts, an increase of 35% over the same period last year. The companies have the contract high recovery rate is Prudential, Bao Viet and Dai-ichi Life Vietnam. Thus, under the current intensive competition, whether Prudential can retain their leader position of the life insurance market or not, it’s still a question. CHAPTER 3: FINANCIAL SITUATION OF PRUDENTIAL VIETNAM IN 2011 COMPARED TO 2010, ITS PROBLEMS IN 2011 AND CHALLENGES IN 2012 PART 1: FINANCIAL SITUATION IN 2011 COMPARED TO 2011 AND ITS PROBLEMS IN 2011 Business activities results Unit: Million VND Content| 2010| 2011| I. Revenue| 7,601,313| 8,871,160| 1. Revenue from insurance activities| 5,365,668| 5,992,532| 2. Revenue for financial activities| 2. 235. 645| 2,871,628| II. Costs| 6,263,946| 7,878,625| 1. Insurance activities and sales cost| 5,298,593| 6,335,556| 2. Financial activities costs| 379,520| 819,496| 3. Manager costs and other costs| 585,833| 723,573| III. Profit without taxes| 1,337,367| 992,535| IV. Taxes| 329,815| 240,839| V. Net Profit| 1,007,552| 751,996| The table shows how Prudential did their business in 2011. According to the table, in 2011, Prudential’s revenue showed an upward trend in both insurance and financial fields. Specifically, its revenue increased by 626,864 million VND and 635983 million VND respectively. However, costs for business activities involved insurance, financial activities, management cost and other cost also grew in this 12-month period as a figure of 1,614,679 million VND. As a result, net profit was decline by a significant number, 255,556 million VND for particular, despite of reduction in taxes. In conclusion, this insurance and finance company still got profit in the previous year, however it was less than it had been in 2010. Important financial ratios: Content| 2010| 2011| I. Asset Structure| 1. Fixed Asset / Total Asset| 0. 3%| 0. 4%| 2. Moveable Asset / Total Asset| 28. 7%| 31. 4%| II. Capital Structure| 1. Debt / Debt and Equity| 87%| 88%| 2. Equity / Total Capital| 13%| 12%| III. Payment Capability| 1. Money and money equivalents and short-term investment / Short-term debt ( times )| 3. 77| 3. 58| 2. Total Asset / Total Debt ( times )| 1. 15| 1. 13| IV. Profit ratios| 1. Profit without taxes / Total Asset| 5%| 3%| 2. Net profit / Gross Revenue| 13%| 8%| 3. Net profit / Net Revenue| 20%| 12%| 4. Net profit / Equity| 30%| 22%| The table illustrated some relevant financial ratios included asset structure, capital structure, payment capability and profit ratios. In general, these numbers provide a negative business image of Prudential in 2011 compared to they did in 2010. For example, their payment capability was limited and profit ratios also reduced to. The figures were 0. 19 time deduction in money and money equivalents and short-term investment / short-term debt and 8% decline in net profit / net revenue. Clearly, business activities of Prudential in was not effective compared to 2010 and this fact was because of several reasons and also led to several issues of Prudential in 2011. Factors had devastating impacts on insurance market in general and Prudential for particular included The 2008 Financial Crisis, inflation rates, the increase of gold price and Resolution of the government Firstly, the 2008 Financial Crisis has been proving that it has global affects and there are no countries being exception. In 2008, White House admitted the conclusion of The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) which is â€Å"The United States has been being in recession since December of 2007† and tried to accelerate the economic recovery process by improve finance, credit and real estate market. According to official figures, GDP of the biggest economy in the world decreased by 0. 2% in the fourth quarter of 2007 but increased by 0. 8% in the first quarter of 2008 and 2. 8% in the following 4 months. Subsequently, it declined again in the third quarter of 2008 by 0. 5%. However NBER informed that recognizing the recession was not just based on GDP but on other economy factors such. For example, employment market and capital slowed down and showed a downward trend in a 12-month period. After that, this disease started spreading all over the over and several countries and regions were victims. Fifteen European Union countries were the first, then Russia, Japan, China, Singapore †¦ Later on, in 2009, Vietnam became a victims of the crisis, which brought the economy down without recovery up to now and every single industry was effected involved insurance field. As a consequence, business activities of Prudential fell down year after year. Secondly, the inflation rates of 18. 13% was rather high than ideal number and it also means that Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 18. 13% higher than the previous year, furthermore, some essential products increased by 50% or even 100%. Hence, it had impact on social quality and decreased the amount of saving money of residents, limited to capability of participating in insurance activities or maintaining the life insurance contract due to people who have low average income, and increased the compensation costs of non-life insurance. Therefore, the growth of about 10000 billion VND costs of insurance activities and sale costs of Prudential was an obvious consequence. Thirdly, the 24. 6% rise of gold prices also created psychological allocation of the insurers. The stock market and real estate was bleak which reduced investment opportunities and profitability of the insurance business and even generated difficulties for making provision for diminution in value of investment in a relatively large number. And finally, in 2011 The Resolution of the Government about the credit crunch, tightening expenditure and government investment has decreased demand for property insurance, construction and installation of new assets purchased. To conclude, because of several reasons involved The 2008 Financial Crisis, inflation rates, the increase of gold price and Resolution of the government led to a bleak business image of Prudential in 2011 compared to 2010. However, they did a great job in the insurance industry in this year and the evidences proved this is Prudential was the market leader of this field with insurance revenue increased by 12% with the biggest market share and being the number one company in this major. PART 2: CHALLENGES OF PRUDENTIAL VIETNAM IN 2012 Problems of Prudential in 2011 mostly referred to the costs of business activities and the degradation of the economy. However, in 2012, its main mission is to fix these problems and to take advantage of new opportunities in the market to improve its business. In 2012, the inherent difficulties in 2011 still continue, the risk of high inflation, the government undertook to restructure the economy, in which the focus of restructuring banking, securities and insurance will affect the insurance market. Property insurance market is predicted slowing down because of tightening credit, expenditure management and government investment spending forced the non-life insurance companies have turned to market development, non-property insurance products. Moreover, many businesses have to limit their production or stop working because of difficulties in accessing to bank credit which led to an increase in the number of unemployed workers and reducing income. Hence, these determinants generated bad effects on the demand of life insurance. Furthermore, the stock market and real estate do not have any signals of recovery which makes insurance companies being more cautious with investment in this area. And last but not least, The Finance Ministry urged the insurance businesses to thrift, cut costs by 5% – 10%, rearrange insurance companies, restructure the insurance market, improve the business insurance effectiveness, risk management, customer care and upgrade competitive capacity. Although 2012 is expected to continue to be a difficult year for the life insurance industry, based on the difficulties of the Vietnamese economy in general, but there are also positive signs bringing new development in insurance market and providing new opportunities for the life insurance industry, especially Prudential: * The impact of a imited credit growth in the banking system is a positive factor to promote extensive cooperation between the banking system and insurance, also a positive signal for the strong improvement of banking and insurance products * The cost of an employer to purchase insurance for employees is calculated on pre-tax costs will set the stage for the life insurance prod ucts take a forward step to businesses. Limitations of the health insurance system with lower benefits will be an opportunity to stimulate the development of life insurance products which have many benefits about high quality health care and health insurance product lines with high value. To sum up, taking good reactions to overcome these difficulties and take advantage of the opportunities above, Prudential will conduct a successful business in 2012. APPENDIX http://www. vii. net. au/Company/BoardofDirectors. spx http://www. investor. prudential. com/phoenix. zhtml? ID=1099317&c=129695&highlight=&p=irol-newsArticle http://thuvienluanvan. com http://timluanvan. com http://www. prudential. com. vn/ Principles of microeconomics (2003 ) – Mankiw Principles of microeconomics 2ed (2001) –Mankiw Economics book 7th John Sloman – Alison Wride GROUP MEMBERS Nguyen Hoang Tuan Anh Le Xuan Chanh Duong Le Hoang Gia Nguyen Kim Khanh Vo Thanh Tung Nguyen Minh Hai

Definition of family Essay

The definition of a family according to the U. S. Census Bureau is that a family consists of a householder and any other person living in the same household. However, the people living in the family should be related to the householder either by birth, marriage, or by adoption. The people in a family who are related to the householder are termed as his family members. However, in some houses there might also be people living in a family who might be unrelated to the householder, therefore they are not to be included in the householder’s family while the census is being carried out and thus, the number of family households is equal to the number of families, but the family households may include more members than do families. Therefore, the crux of this would be that all the households do not contain families as they might be unrelated as well. Functions of a family Basically the two functions of a family are: †¢ Economic functions †¢ Political functions Other than these two major categories, a family has a number of functions after doing which a family can be really termed as a family in a true sense and these are mentioned below. One of the most important functions is reproduction of babies and once a child is born, it is the duty of the householder to look after the children, take care of them, monitor that day to day activities, supervise them on certain things, interact with them and provide them with all the necessities and love it would require to make them good grown ups. As it is not just necessary to give birth to the baby, however they should also be taken care of so that they survive to become adult members of the society. Two persons basically tie the knot of marriage in order to legitimize their sexual relationship and this ensures the offspring is healthy. The household head is supposed to provide economics support to the family as well as to fulfill the love, emotional, security needs of the family. In the end, I would also add that the family is looked upon in the society with respect and they have a certain position in the society than those individuals just living together without marriage. (Schwartz & Scott, 2007). As mentioned above, a family consists of the household member who is basically responsible for his family members. However, to define my family I would say that my family does not fulfill the definition of the family mentioned above. This is because the fathers are usually the ones who are said to be the household heads and they are responsible of taking care of the family members. I am only the child in my family and my parents were divorced when I was four years old. I am living with my Mom right now and the rest of my family is living in China. Most of the family functions that I mentioned above are not actually applicable to my family. This is because my parents had an unhappy marriage and this thing gave me a lot of bad experiences. The first function of the family is to ensure that the baby grows as an adult of a society. In my case, however I did become an adult but it was just my mother who took care of me and looked after all my needs. A father is always necessary to make a family more strong as the responsibilities of a father are different than ones of a mother but in my case, my mother was my mother as well as my father. She was the one who was responsible for each and every activity of mine. It is believed that a family is economically supported mostly by the fathers, however as my mother had a divorce with my father, she was the one who had to support my needs all by herself. And I think that my family did not manage things well. The divorce of my parents at the time when I was just four was a shock for me as for a family to survive well; both the mother as well as the father has to be there so that they might fulfill their own set of responsibilities and ensure that the family is living happily. However, this was not the case for my family as the divorce between my parents made things worse for me. Although my mother did all she could do for me but still the presence of the father is essential for a family to prosper well. Thus, according to me, my family did not address the functions of a family well as it was an unhappy and irresponsible family. The fundamental purpose of each family is to fulfill the requirements and the functions of a family. It is vital for each family to fulfill their responsibilities as this not just affects the family alone but the society and the environment as well and it also affects the people around you. No one likes to be friends with the families who are not well settled in a way that the parents might have conflicts amongst each other or they might not want to live with each other and this would create lots of problems for their children. Therefore, for a country to prosper well it is essential that the families living there are happy and contended. The functions of the family highlight the responsibilities the household head has with reference to their family. Therefore, its informative nature helps to think about families in terms of the functions it fulfills. Reference Schwartz, M. A. & Scott, B. M. (2007). Marriages and families: Diversity and change. 5th Edn. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.