Ford Pinto Case Essays

Ford Pinto Case Essays Ford Pinto Case Paper Ford Pinto Case Paper Varian Patella Philosophy 131 Michael F. Martin 03/08/2010 The Ford Pinto Case and Utilitarianism In this essay, I will talk about the ford Pinto case, and how the information was withheld from public in order to save company from huge losses and at the same time keep companys reputation Intact. I dont think the decision of the ford company to with hold the information about the safety-issue of the car for which they were already aware of; was the right thing to do. I agree. As a utilitarian the only thing In my mind should be to evaluate the issue solely by utility in providing happiness, neural welfare or pleasure as summed among all sentient beings. The basic ethical principle of this theory is of consequences, weighing them up to determine how every person involved in any event, issue, proposal, project and so forth, would be affected. The aim in doing so would be to decide on a morally right action, one that would result In the greatest overall positive consequences for everyone So every aspect must be examined to evaluate potential good and bad outcomes; If the goods outweigh the beads, then morally, the action can be deemed right. If there are more ad consequences predicted, then the opposite applies. A utilitarian should evaluate the situation based on long term as well as short term consequences. : Although the ford management knew the design flaws; still the design was approved which shows that they ignored the greatest overall utility benefit. The management had Just aimed to design a car which could be sold at competitive prices by keeping lowest costs regardless of the safety of the passengers. If the case is evaluated on the basis of long term consequences, the information about the issue regarding the safety was owning to come out sooner or later. That is directly going to affect companys reputation throughout the world as a car manufacturer. I believe that even for designing an economic car the safety standards should be carefully considered. Ford should design the car with complete accident-proof feature regardless of dollar spent on It. It Is ethically wrong that the company looks its benefits first and designs such a car and places value on life. It is the corporate social responsibility of the company to see the interest of the consumers first and then look for its own benefits. In addition, at the end the loss was incurred by the company by having to recall the defective cars. Therefore, social responsibility is also important for the long term survival of the company. The cost/benefit analysis In the ford pinto case puts value on the human life. Is that even possible? On what basis should the value of the person be counted? These was certainly a wrong assumptions made during the analysis. Human lives are invaluable because there is no limit to the capabilities and the potential abilities of a human being. In addition to that, the emotional losses to he family of the injured had to be accounted for as well. It also didnt include loss of earnings due to the injury to the family members. The act utilitarian approach requires that we determine what will maximize good consequences. The good consequences In our case would not only De a canapà ©s car out also a sates car. People would rather pay few dollars more if it is going to increase safety. The managers at Ford did not think that making safer cars would have resulted in more good consequences than making cheaper car. This shows that production of Ford Pinto car was unethical as any utilitarian would agree. Hence, the creation of the Pinto did not fit the ethical requirements of utilitarianism due to the fact that the overall costs in terms of long-term payouts and the negative reputation that the Pinto attached to the Ford brand name. Argument: In a situation such as this, one had to make a decision. Cost/benefit analysis seemed to be the most effective way to evaluate the case. The process was followed and although it is morally not the right thing to do, it had to be done for the benefits of the majority at a cost of minority. Defense: I think everyone has the right to say when it comes to safety of their own self. What wrong has minority done so that they have to face the consequences of others action? They certainly dont deserve it and majority doesnt have any right to make decision on others. As a solution in this case, right thing would have been to reveal the concerns regarding the car safety to the public and let them decide if they want to take any chances with safety issues. That is for the cars not already sold. The cars that were already sold, company could have recalled all the cars. Yes, it would have cost the company a lot but over a longer period of time the same case could turn into an advantage for them. As the people will start to believe that ford motor companys aim is to provide the best possible car and they wont at any cost compromise on that. The memo case will instill faith in public that company is ready to lose millions of dollars to provide a good secure vehicle which they can drive without having to worry about the safety. That in turn will blossom their business and that would over weigh the loss that they made during the memo case quite easily.

Spitting Image

Spitting Image Spitting Image Spitting Image By Maeve Maddox ELVIS’ SECRET SON FOUND: Handsome 32-year-old is the spitting image of The King Thats to say, the young man looks exactly like Elvis. The underlying image is that of a man spitting out a child in his own likeness, rather like Cadmus sowing the dragons teeth from which sprang full-grown men. NOTE: Some fastidious folk etymologists have tried to elevate the expression from the realm of expectoration by suggesting that spit and image derives from the phrase spirit and image. Not likely. The Online Etymology Dictionary gives 1602 as a date for spit used with the meaning the very likeness. The Phrase Finder cites this 1689 reference from George Farquhars play Love and a Bottle: Poor child! hes as like his own dadda as if he were spit out of his mouth. The expression has appeared in various forms: the spit A daughter,..the very spit of the old captain. (1825) the spit and fetch He would be the very spit and fetch of Queen Cleopatra. (1859) the spit an image Shes like the poor lady thats dead and gone, the spit an image she is. (1895) the dead spit Ill chance you having another ring..the dead spit of mine. (1901) the spitten image He looked the spitten picture of my ould father. (1887) the spittin image Hes jes like his pa, ï ¿ ¼the very spittin image of him! (1901) the spitting image In another twenty years..she would be her mothers spitting image. (1929) the spit-image My husband saw a man that was the spit-image of King no further away than Jackson. (1949) The OED gives an example of Westmoreland dialect in which splittin image is used instead of spittin image. A possible explanation is given by D. Hartley in Made in England (1939): Evenness and symmetry are got by pairing the two split halves of the same tree, or branch. (Hence the country saying: hes the ‘splitting image’ï ¿ ¼an exact likeness.) Spitting image is definitely the winning version. Most modern speakers would hear splitting image as a malapropism. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouWhat is Dative Case?How to Write a Proposal

Internal Controls Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Internal Controls - Assignment Example The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was passed generally for the purpose of restoring investor trust and confidence. The demand of the government, investors and the American public sought a standard and guarantee on the accuracy of financial reports. So, Section 404 of the mentioned law was strictly devoted in requiring management to assess and report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting or ICFR. Bergen (2005) reported that â€Å"the concerns through making executive more responsible for company accounting statements, redefining the relationships between corporations and their auditors, and restructuring the internal audit systems of public corporations.† Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has also been experiencing issues regarding its implementation. The legislation of the law â€Å"has been subject to furious debate amongst corporations, auditors, regulators and others.† The internal control policy has cause extremely high costs especia lly for smaller companies and early results left the benefits unclear. A number of academic and professional researches have grown to support the lack of transparency in accounting and corporate governance is growing larger. The researches show the significant cost attached to the internal controls. One â€Å"concludes that corporations with Internal Control Deficiencies (ICDs) as defined by section 404 – companies which are naturally more susceptible to accounting irregularities – pay the price through higher cost of capital and lower stock price returns.† Ockree and Martin (2009) investigated on the internal and external impacts of the financial reporting requirements in internal control. Stock price was one of the external reactions their study had put focused on. In their study, stock prices were tracked for the three years following the announcement. They compared the data to a broader market measure of comparable companies. The results were surprising thou gh a bit expected; the average return for the study group during that period was only 1.68%, while the broader market had a 17.28% return. There was a higher rick in that period of relative growth. Ockree and Martin also studied the insiders who traded stock during 2007 to be able to measure the risk in that particular sector. Two years after the announcement, it was found that there were three times inside buyers than seller compared to the broader market. Further, the size of the insider’s sales was over eight times larger compared to the buys. With the effect of internal controls to the company’s stock price, we can say internal controls do have inherent limitations and the risk can’t easily be foreseen or eliminated. On the other hand, there is a risk of weakening internal controls if we modify the existing system. Internal controls can result to various limitations to the organization functionality and economy. Its limits can affect the effectiveness of int ernal controls and may result to system omission human factors, resource constraints, or lack of system flexibility. For example, internal control processes in an organization may not reflect changed operating conditions, specific agency activities or potential new risks. It can cause collusion of staff members to be able to achieve their own personal gains. And in

Needs for a Domestic Vacuum Cleaner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Needs for a Domestic Vacuum Cleaner - Essay Example The Dyson DC08T is a hypoallergenic cylinder vacuum cleaner, and comes with a "lose no suction power" claims from the manufacturer. It Employs a Bagless Dust Collector, and is free-standing. In appearance, it’s cute, compact and small. The bright colorful exteriors are attractive, and the cleaner has easily maneuverable buttons. The hose pipe can be wrapped around the cleaner and hence facilitates easy storage. With a maximum volume of the dust collector of 2 Litres, it is capable of working for an extended period of time without the need to clean and restart. The cleaner however is not capable of working on a remote control mode, and also does not have the capacity to multi-function. It comes with a Telescopic wand and a turbo head for deep cleaning or using on pet hair. Before proceeding to report the actual exercise, it is appropriate to elaborate upon the layout of the cleaning area. The cleaning will be undertaken in my two-bedrooms, that have hard floors and furniture like, bed, dresser and an armchair. It will also include the living room, that too has hard floor, a Belgium carpet, and an assortment of rugs. The furniture in this room includes a fabric-furnished sofa set, a glass-topped center table, two wooden side tables, and an array of artifacts that include small sized statutes, terracotta vases, and several other similar displays. The hall houses dining table and chairs, and a couple of lounge chairs.

Consider the theme in Of mice and men Essay Example for Free

Consider the theme in Of mice and men Essay * The book Of Mice and Men was set in the time of the great depression of the 1930s in California in a place called Soledad. Men travelled around looking for any work they could find, they had to leave families and homes just to make money. Even firms and companies went bankrupt, these were depressing and desperate times, no hope and no future. * During this period of time there was a depression in America. Unemployment was high, so men moved from ranch to ranch looking for work, never staying in one place long enough to firm any real relationships, so this was a very lonely existence. * John Steinbecks inspiration from came from him at an earlier age working as a migrant farm worker and so he understood completely about the conditions and life around him so he could really create an atmospheric story. * It is based on two men, George and Lennie, who travelled from ranch to ranch. George is a small and fairly intelligent man while Lennie is a large man of very little intelligence. They had travelled together for a long time. * In my opinion, the most obvious point made throughout the book about the world of migrant workers is that it is lonely. George tells that guys like usare the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They dont belong no place. This is also shown when Slim comments that he hardly never seen two guys travel together Most migrant workers travel on their own and this is why George and Lennie face some fairly intrusive questions from their new boss when they first arrive at the ranch. This boss even finds it so unusual that he asks George, referring to Lennie, what stake you got in this guy?. He also again refers to this being unusual by saying I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. * They are many characters in the novel that are also lonely and this is due to sexism, ageism, but mainly racism. One perfect example is CrooksCrooks, the black stable buck is forever being picked on by the other men at the ranch, mostly because of his colour. In the time in which the book was set, black people in America were thought of as lower than white people. At the ranch, Crooks cannot live in the bunk house with all the other men, but he has to sleep in the harness room, at the back of the barn. Crooks is given no privacy, and gets quite cross because he is not allowed to enter the bunk-house but the other men can just walk into his room. In the book he says to Lennie, Youve no right to come into my room, nobody got any right in here but me. * Another reason is because of your age. Candy is lonely because he is old, and is different from the other hands. His only comfort is his old dog, which keeps him company and reminds him of days when he was young and whole.He has no relatives, and once his dog is killed is totally alone. He eagerly clutches at the idea of buying a farm with George and Lennie, but of course this all comes to nothing.Candys disappointment is expressed in the bitter words he utters to the body of Curleys wife, whom he blames for spoiling his dream. Paragraph 1 * George is a kind man. He travels with Lennie and helps him to survive although Lennie is more of a burden than a help, and creates many problems for him. He is also friendly, and almost immediately makes friends with Candy, Carlson, Slim, and the other ranch hands.He has matured a lot since the incident he relates to Slim where he made Lennie jump into a river just for fun. He realises that Lennie depends on him, and needs him to survive.George often insults Lennie and gives him hell, but he doesnt really mean it. Although he often talks about how well off he could be without Lennie he secretly doesnt want Lennie to leave, and when Lennie offers to do so in the first chapter, George virtually pleads with him to stay, Ive got you an youve got me. This is because George also depends on Lennie to a certain extent for his unconditional friendship. George is intelligent, as Slim points out in chapter three, but also modest in denying being smart. He expresses his desire to be different from other ranch hands who merely work for a month and then spend all of their money, but also realistically realises that his dream of owning a house with Lennie (or anyone else) is unlikely to ever come true. Overall, George is an intelligent and kind character. He is thoughtful enough to realise that the best thing for Lennie is to shoot him, for the alternatives are even worse, and compassionate enough to kill Lennie himself. * Lennie is a massive, extremely strong man, who has no living relatives. He travels about the country searching for work with his companion, George. Lennies Aunt Clara had asked George to take care of Lennie if she ever died. The most obvious feature of Lennies character is that he seems retarded. He is a man who has the mind of a child. Slim is one of the first characters to notice this, remarking that Lennie is Jes like a kid and Curleys wife also comments on how he is Jus like a big baby. Lennie doesnt know his own strength, and this is one of the things which lead to his eventual downfall. He realises that he is, strong as a bull, but he cant judge how much force to use for certain actions. That is why he kills his pets, when he only intends to pet them and play with them. It is this inability to judge his strength, combined with his desire to pet things and Curleys wifes desire to be petted and admired which leads to Lennies inevitable death. The ability to judge ones own strength is one of the first signs of maturity, and it is important that Lennie doesnt have this ability. Despite the major flaws in his character he is amiable and friendly , and doesnt do any of the bad things he does on purpose.He has a poor memory, and has to repeat things to himself many times to remember them. Even then, he still forgets them. He has a blind faith in George, trusting in him to protect and look after his welfare. For example, remember the incident George describes to Slim when he told Lennie to jump in the river and Lennie obeyed, without a thought to his own well being. This illustrates Lennies trust in George, and also his immaturity.However, it must be noted that Lennie can still be quite crafty, as when he cunningly persuades George to tell him the story about the rabbits by threatening to leave him. Paragraph 2 * Because of Lennies handicap George has established a personality around his companion to make it easier to live around him. George has found a way of coping with Lennie which is to shout at him. God a mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. He supports him in the way he needs although when he is angry he does criticize him As dum as a horse. * George thinks of Lennie as a companion as he doesnt have any family. On the other hand he finds him as a pain. Lennie feel the same way to a certain extent but also fears George as he is in control and orders and protects Lennie. They travel together searching for work on ranches and so never settle, and so dont establish true friendships with others, but since they have each other they seem secure, but Lennie gets into a lot of trouble and so needs George so really George doesnt have time for himself, which is why they do almost everything together. * Others see this relationship as different:- Slim comments Aint many guys travel around toghther.Maybe everbody in the whole damn world is scared of each other. George and Lennie are different as Lennie says I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you * Dreams are significant when considering how these men as one of the ways in which the characters combat the loneliness and hopelessness of their existence. For example the dream farm, a dream shared at first only by George and Lennie, later spreads to include Candy and Crooks, as they are all desperate to escape their lonely lives Crooks reveals that it is the favourite dream of the itinerant ranch hands: Seems like ever guy got land in his head. It is a powerful dream, however, and even Crooks falls for this, for a short time.To Lennie, the dream is a cure for disappointment and loneliness, and he often asks George to recite the description of the farm to him. Paragraph 4 * Crooks is an even lonelier character than Candy, because not only is he old and a cripple, like Candy, but he is also black. Most of the men have a lot of prejudice against Crooks, referring to him with derogatory terms such as nigger. (Prejudice around slavery wasnt rare) * He lives in the shed at the other end of the ranch, isolated from the rest of the workers there. * Crooks is a victim. We are told by Candy that the Boss takes his anger out on Crooks, though Crooks does nothing wrong. * Crooks spends his time alone reading and is a fairly knowledgeable person, as he owns a copy of the California civil code for 1905 He also plays horseshoes until dark. This shows us that Crooks is interested in reading as is most likely one of the smartest of the crowd. This also suggests that he has found reading as an escape route from the terrible world around him. * Crooks reveals that it is the favourite dream of the itinerant ranch hands: * As a result of the discrimination against him, Crooks has become bitter and cynical. This is why when Lennie and Candy tell him about their plan to buy a house he reacts with scorn and disbelief. Seems like ever guy got land in his head. It is a powerful dream, however, and even the cynical Crooks falls under its spell for a short time. Paragraph 5 * Curleys wife is described as having full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails painted and her hair hung in little rolled clusters. * Most of the ranch hands except for Slim brand Curleys wife as tart. In fact, she is portrayed as such whenever she appears, obviously playing up to and teasing the men. We can definitely say that she is lonely. John Steinbeck illustrates how lonely Curleys wife is when she says I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely She says so several times, and that is to be expected since she is stuck on a ranch with men who dislike her and rarely talk to her, as they fear getting into any sort of trouble with her husband Curley, stay away from her. However, she attempts to overcome her loneliness in the wrong way. George immediately realises that she means trouble when she first turns up in the bunkhouse, and it is hardly surprising that her actions lead her new husband to be fiercely jealous. She is so cruel because of her unhappiness, her isolation and the failure of her dreams. She dreamt of being in the movies or even in a show. She is disappointed and marries Curley to spite her mother only to find out he aint a nice fella. She wishes she could have made something of her life. She walks around the ranch, dressed inappropriately and seductively. and she has only been married a couple of weeks. She admits to Lennie that she doesnt like her husband and regrets marrying him. She seems to be of limited intelligence, as this shows her how desperate she is to escape. It is partly her desire to be petted and admired which leads her to allow Lennie to stroke her hair, which in turn leads to her death at Lennies hands. She is only ever known as Curleys wife which indicates that the author viewed her as a possession of Curleys rather than a human being. I pity her as she made a mistake into leading herself into these problems with Curley and this is making her bored ill. Paragraph 6 * The next afternoon, Lennie is in the barn. All of the other men are outside playing a game of horseshoes, and Lennies only company is his dead puppy. Lennie had accidentally killed it. He fears that George will not let him tend and feed the rabbits if George knows that he killed the puppy. While Lennie wonders what to do, Curleys wife appears. She tries to get Lennie to talk to her, but Lennie is reluctant, since George had threatened to forbid him from tending his rabbits if Lennie ever did so. When she directs Lennies attention to his puppy, though, Lennie forgets about not talking to her. He explains everything to her. Curleys wife listens sympathetically, and she tells Lennie about her aspirations of being an actress, and how she believes her mother deliberately thwarted her plans. She becomes angered by Lennies continual references to rabbits, and asks him what his attraction to them is. Lennie explains that he likes to touch and pet soft things, like rabbit fur. * Curleys wife allows Lennie to stroke her hair, but panics when he wont let go. She begins to struggle and scream, and Lennie, also in a state of panic, shakes her to make her stop saying, I dont want you to yell. You gonna get me in trouble jus like George says you will, and he covered her rouged lipped mouth with his large palms. She continued to scream and struggle and now the fully nervous Lennie shouted angrily at her, Dont you go yellin , and shook her; and her body flopped like a fish he shakes her so violently that her neck broke and she died instantly. Lennie knows that he has done another bad thing and remembers that George told him to go and hide in the brush down by the river, so he quickly runs there. Sometime later, Candy enters the barn and discovers the body of Curleys wife. He runs and fetches George. George realises what has happened, and says that he has to tell the others. Candy protests, rightly pointing out that Curley would deliver no mercy to anyone who had killed his wife. Candy is in favour of letting Lennie escape. He asks George if it is still possible to buy the house, but his dreams are shattered when George says it isnt. When George tells the labourers the news, they all go into a frenzy, and seem affected by blood lust. Curley is furious and vows to kill Lennie. Carlson rushes off to get his gun, and even Whit wants to join in the hunt. Carlson reports that his gun has been stolen, and everyone thinks that Lennie is responsible. George begs Curley to have mercy on his companion, but Curley says he cant because Lennie has a gun. All of the men run off except for Candy, who lies down in despair. * The relationship between George, Lennie and Candy was now destroyed. * This relates to the theme of dreams as they couldnt get their own place and so their dream had crumbled as well. Paragraph 7 * Loneliness affects many of the characters, and Steinbeck seems to show that it is a natural and inevitable result of the kind of life they are forced to lead. The itinerant workers are caught in a trap of loneliness they never stay in one place long enough to form permanent relationships. Even if such relationships existed, they would probably be destroyed by the demands of the itinerant life. Candy is lonely because he is old, and is different from the other hands. His only comfort is his old dog, which keeps him company and reminds him of days when he was young and whole. He has no relatives, and once his dog is killed is totally alone. He eagerly clutches at the idea of buying a farm with George and Lennie, but of course this all comes to nothing. Candys disappointment is expressed in the bitter words he utters to the body of Curleys wife, whom he blames for spoiling his dream. George is also caught in the trap of loneliness. Just as Candy has his dog for company, George has Lennie (who is often described in animal-like terms). Continuing the parallel, George too is left completely alone when Lennie is killed. The dream farm is his idea, and he says Wed belong there no more runnin around the country. Another lonely character is Curleys wife. Newly married and in a strange place, she is forbidden by Curley to talk to anyone but him. To counter this, she constantly approaches the ranch hands on the excuse of looking for Curley. The only result is that the men regard her as a slut, and Curley becomes even more intensely jealous. Finally, her loneliness leads to her death as she makes the serious error of trying to overcome it by playing the tease with Lennie. Curley himself is lonely. His new wife hates him as do all the ranch hands who despise him for his cowardice. He has married in an attempt to overcome his loneliness, but has blindly chosen a wife totally inappropriate for the kind of life he leads. His feelings are all channelled into aggressive behaviour which further isolates his wife and leads to the incident with Lennie where his hand is crushed. Crooks is another who is isolated because he is different. He copes with it by keeping a distance between himself and the other hands. When he does allow himself to be drawn into the dream of working on George and Lennies dream farm, he is immediately shut out by Georges anger. * The conclusion, in my opinion is that people are brought together though loneliness and separated as they grow hostile (Crooks). It is like an endless game which has to be played by someone before someone gets eager and makes it worse by instigating. This is fatewhat will happen will happen. Just like a game .. someone always wins..and someone always loses..!

Waiting for a Title :: Essays Papers

Waiting for a Title Who is Nabokov, What is Humbert? Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of, or at least that's what they are supposed to be made of. After reading Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, written almost a half a century ago, one must wonder what he was thinking as he penned the book. Nabokov tells us in his essay, "On a Book Entitled Lolita," that his sole purpose in writing such a controversial novel, had "no purpose other than to get rid of that book"(Brink 311). Nabokov's not-so-clear explanation leads many minds to wonder about the "true meaning" of Lolita. One of the most often asked questions, is, of course, Nabokov's personal sexual preference: was he a pedophile? It seems unimaginable that a person could write the tale of such an incredible obsession and that, that obsession could be pure fiction: "The patterns of Lolita have psychological as well as aesthetic significance, and Humbert's language is more than a virtuoso display of effects: it is a strong but delicate instrument that registers the slightest, as well as the wildest, occillations of Humbert's distressed mind and heart"(Pifer 110). One example of Humbert's obsession with Lolita can be found on page 65 in The Annotated Lolita: I knew I had fallen in love with Lolita forever; but I also knew she would not be forever Lolita. She would be thirteen on January 1. In two years or so she would cease being a nymphet and would turn into a "young girl," and then into a "college girl"--that horror of horrors. The word "forever" referred only to my own passion, to the eternal Lolita as reflected in my blood. The Lolita whose iliac crests had not yet flared, the Lolita that today I could touch and smell and hear and see, the Lolita of strident voice and the rich brown hair--of the bangs and the swirls at the sides and the curls at the back, and the sticky hot neck, and the vulgar vocabulary--"revolting," "super," "luscious," "goon," "drip"--that Lolita, my Lolita, poor Catullus would lo se forever. So how could I afford not to see her for two months of summer insomnias? Two whole months out of the two years of her remaining nymphage." For any reader, among the main issues of Lolita are representations of incest, child-molestation, obsession, and pedophilia. This essay will examine relevant details in Nabokov's biography and attempt to discover the connection between Humbert Humbert and Nabokov. Waiting for a Title :: Essays Papers Waiting for a Title Who is Nabokov, What is Humbert? Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of, or at least that's what they are supposed to be made of. After reading Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, written almost a half a century ago, one must wonder what he was thinking as he penned the book. Nabokov tells us in his essay, "On a Book Entitled Lolita," that his sole purpose in writing such a controversial novel, had "no purpose other than to get rid of that book"(Brink 311). Nabokov's not-so-clear explanation leads many minds to wonder about the "true meaning" of Lolita. One of the most often asked questions, is, of course, Nabokov's personal sexual preference: was he a pedophile? It seems unimaginable that a person could write the tale of such an incredible obsession and that, that obsession could be pure fiction: "The patterns of Lolita have psychological as well as aesthetic significance, and Humbert's language is more than a virtuoso display of effects: it is a strong but delicate instrument that registers the slightest, as well as the wildest, occillations of Humbert's distressed mind and heart"(Pifer 110). One example of Humbert's obsession with Lolita can be found on page 65 in The Annotated Lolita: I knew I had fallen in love with Lolita forever; but I also knew she would not be forever Lolita. She would be thirteen on January 1. In two years or so she would cease being a nymphet and would turn into a "young girl," and then into a "college girl"--that horror of horrors. The word "forever" referred only to my own passion, to the eternal Lolita as reflected in my blood. The Lolita whose iliac crests had not yet flared, the Lolita that today I could touch and smell and hear and see, the Lolita of strident voice and the rich brown hair--of the bangs and the swirls at the sides and the curls at the back, and the sticky hot neck, and the vulgar vocabulary--"revolting," "super," "luscious," "goon," "drip"--that Lolita, my Lolita, poor Catullus would lo se forever. So how could I afford not to see her for two months of summer insomnias? Two whole months out of the two years of her remaining nymphage." For any reader, among the main issues of Lolita are representations of incest, child-molestation, obsession, and pedophilia. This essay will examine relevant details in Nabokov's biography and attempt to discover the connection between Humbert Humbert and Nabokov.

Jones Blair Case Analysis Essay

Decide where and how to deploy corporate marketing efforts among the various architectural painting coatings markets serviced by the company in the southwestern United States. Situation Assessment The US paint industry is a very mature market. The case goes as far to say that paint is can now be considered a commodity. There are 3 main sectors of the paint industry with 2, Architectural coatings and OEM coatings, holding more then 3 quarters of the market and Special purpose paints at 22% Being a mature industry they are not expecting any growth in sales figures except for the growth to stay inline with inflation. It would be useful to know where the 3 segments are at now in 2012 after the financial crisis hit and use for paint materials must have declined when housing construction (architectural) car manufacturing (OEM) and state budgets (special purpose coatings) saw a large decline. Also with customers wanting a thicker coating with less paint at a cheaper cost and strict EPA guidelines; balancing R&D cost and maintaining a strong contribution margin is becoming increasingly difficult. Jones Blair is particularly concerned with how to grow their market share in the Architectural Paint coatings segment. This is the largest of the 3 segments at 43% of the market with minimal expected future growth. The success of this industry is tied to the housing market as most of the materials sold in this segment are used in relation with construction and residential and commercial property remodeling. It would be useful to know much of a hit this segment took with the recent housing crisis. For a while there was no new lending or construction so this segment must have been hit hard. Now that the economy is starting to grow again and people/business are starting to take on improvement projects and buy new properties It would be interested to see what kind of growth is expected over the next few years and if it is considered to be sustainable growth. The competition in the Architectural Coatings market follows the industry standard as being a mature market and there is minimal organic growth within companies. Since R&D costs are high and market segments are well developed most growth is seen with the acquisitions of competitors. The number of paint companies has almost been cut in half since the 1980’s as companies continue to merge together. The paint itself is sold with a 50/50 mix between consumer store fronts and specialty yards. I have a feeling this may also be changing as stores like The Home Depot and Lowe’s cater to the do it yourself market along with contractors. Mom and Pop hardware stores, and Paint Brand (I. E. Sherman Williams) store fronts are starting to diminish. The direct to consumer sales are taking place in super centers like Wal-Mart, Sears and Lowe’s, while contract and industrial sales are primarily seen in specialty stores and Lumber yards. The case says the sales are split between private brands and specialty stores, but I have a feeling as these â€Å"Super Stores† become more prevalent and more people looking to the internet to learn how to do the jobs themselves that sales would shift towards these larger stores. A trending report over the past 10 years with the sales dollars in Architectural paint sales I think would help show this shift. I think it would also be beneficial to see just how many people are painting their homes. It say roughly the average painter will spend $86 on paint and sundries, but I wonder just how many homes are taking on improvement projects. Jones Blair is primarily based in the in the South West Market primarily around the Dallas Fort Worth Area. With growing competition it’s harder to standout in the DFW area as brands battle with in Super Stores due to the number of stores merging or going out of business. The competition is cutting their prices to gain market share making sure you are in as many stores as possible has become a key factor to success. Full product penetration in all areas of the market will be key to ensure strong sales figures and growth. The distribution of sales in this area are relatively split between mass merchandisers and the specialty stores. I think a population analysis of the area would be beneficial to see what areas have a growing population as this would have focus sales efforts for not only contractors developing land but also DIYers who are moving out of the metropolitan area. Over all the sales are relatively split relatively even between the DFW metropolitan areas and the surrounding counties.

Manchester Products Essay

Manchester Home expanded household furniture division by adding market leader PLFD – Addition of 990 million in PLFD revenues – Addition of established sales force, talented design teams – PLFD’s Signature Style line very popular with consumers †¢ Ability to combine PL design skills with MH engineering and manufacturing – Manufacturing expertise and ergonomic designs †¢ Concerns – How to tie-in PL’s bold designs with MH’s conservative style – Customer confusion over new brand name 5C’S OF THE ACQUISITION Company †¢ Companies’ strengths and weaknesses complement each other 5C’S OF THE ACQUISITION Customers †¢ Target consumers ages 34-55; Income over $50K – MH consumers are categorized as conservative elegance – PLFD consumers are more fashion-conscious, trend setters – Will need a way to reach both customer segments †¢ Results from target consumer surveys – Low brand loyalty – 60% would change brands – High information search – Style, design, quality, comfort most important qualities – all covered by MH/PL – PL has high brand awareness, almost double that of MH, will help to co-brand them to raise awareness for MH 5C’S OF THE ACQUISITION Collaborators †¢ Manchester already has network of office distribution channels, now they gain access to household distribution channels through Paul Logan. – PL sales force has strong ties to leading distributions channels – PL strength in upscale furniture stores, specialty stores, department stores †¢ Strong relationship with buyers – Concern over brand going away, necessary to create a smooth brand transition so consumers make the switch †¢ Push strategies important to build strong relationships with distribution network – 90% of PL shipments include Purchase Allowances 5C’S OF THE ACQUISITION Competitors †¢ Paul Logan was market leader †¢ Household Furniture Industry $36.64 billion in 2004; positive % growth projections A mature industry Large number of corporate consolidations Low-cost imports from Asia/Mexico moving into higher price levels Domestic companies ready to attack the vulnerability of the new brand and position †¢ We need strong advertising and marketing mix †¢ Many competitors have company owned stores – Crucial to leverage our distribution channels to gain market access 5C’S OF THE ACQUISITION Context †¢ Office furniture sales growth tied to employment growth and new business formation. – Burst of dot.com bubble and recession have decreased demand for office furniture †¢ Rise in ‘teleworking’ could increase demand for home office †¢ Demand for home furniture is tied to new home construction and home sales. †¢ Innovative and stylish products to bolster demand MOVING FORWARD ANALYSIS OF FUTURE BRANDING: OPTIONS †¢ Drop the Paul Logan name right away – Losing their current brand awareness – Need to educate customers – Strong distribution channel relationships could be damaged †¢ Keep using the Paul Logan name for the entire allotted three years – Ad agency advises against this option, as they don’t want to allocate advertising dollars to a brand with a three year shelf life †¢ Transition mid-point – Leverage the Paul Logan name to build strong brand awareness for Manchester – Continue to use the PL name in subtext for 1.5 yrs.; conduct consumer research to reevaluate after this time. – Business recommendation to convert the name 100% to Manchester Home after 1.5 yrs. ANALYSIS OF FUTURE BRANDING: OPTIONS †¢ Brand name transition: – First 6 months: Manchester Home: The New Home for Paul Logan Furniture – Following year: Manchester Home: The Home for Paul Logan Furniture – After 1.5 yrs.: Conduct consumer research to reevaluate transition †¢ Business recommendation is to drop the Paul Logan name †¢ Want to ensure the Manchester Home brand has achieved a sufficient awareness before removing PL OUR FUTURE ADVERTISING STRATEGIES †¢ Strong campaign is critical to the success of the new brand name – $184 million allotted for 2005 – Includes national and cooperative advertising for both PLFD and MH products †¢ Push vs. Pull – MH to allocate more $ towards Push advertising – Heavy Push & Pull the first 1.5 yrs. – Marketing & Communications mix to form long-term company image †¢ Promotional Programs – Purchase allowances – Recommend amending the planned 2005 marketing expenditures to allow for purchase allowances. †¢ Currently based on % of sales – Due to brand transition, allocate a fixed amount to advertising to ensure the levels do not drop RECOMMENDATIONS †¢ Continue to use the Paul Logan name to leverage brand awareness and channel partnerships †¢ Focus strongly on both Push and Pull strategies the first 1.5 yrs. to communicate the acquisition – Amend proposed 2005 advertising plan to incorporate more Push strategies, specifically Purchase Allowances that contributed to the success of the PL distribution network †¢ After 1.5 yrs., the business goal is to transition brand officially to Manchester Home QUESTIONS?

How to Calculate the 7 Cost Measures

How to Calculate the 7 Cost Measures There are many definitions relating to cost, including the following seven terms: Marginal costTotal costFixed costTotal variable costAverage total costAverage fixed costAverage variable cost The data you need  to  compute these seven figures  probably will come in one of three forms: A table that provides data on total cost and quantity producedA linear equation relating total cost (TC) and quantity produced (Q)A nonlinear equation relating total cost (TC) and quantity produced (Q) Following are definitions of the terms and explanations of how the three situations should be dealt with. Defining Terms of Cost Marginal cost  is the cost a company incurs when producing one more good. Suppose its producing two goods, and company officials would like to know how much costs would increase if production was increased to three goods. The difference is the marginal cost of going from two to three. It can be calculated thus: Marginal Cost (from 2 to 3) Total Cost of Producing 3 – Total Cost of Producing 2 For example, if it costs $600 to produce three goods and $390 to produce two goods, the difference is 210, so thats the marginal cost. Total cost  is simply all the costs incurred in producing a certain number of goods. Fixed costs  are the costs that are independent of the number of goods produced, or  the costs incurred when no goods are produced. Total variable cost is the opposite of fixed costs. These are the costs that change when more is produced. For instance, the total variable cost of producing four units is calculated thus: Total Variable Cost of Producing 4 units Total Cost of Producing 4 Units – Total Cost of Producing 0 units In this case, let’s say it costs $840 to produce four units and $130 to produce none. Total variable costs when four units are produced  is $710 since 840-130710.   Average total cost  is the total  cost over the number of units produced. So if the company produces five units, the formula is: Average Total Cost of Producing 5 units Total Cost of Producing 5 units / Number of Units If the total cost of producing five units is $1200, average total cost is $1200/5 $240. Average fixed cost  is fixed costs over the number of units produced, given by the formula: Average Fixed Cost Total Fixed Costs / Number of Units The formula for average variable costs is: Average Variable Cost Total Variable Costs / Number of Units Table of Given Data Sometimes a table or chart will give you the marginal cost, and youll need to figure the total cost. You can figure the total cost of producing two goods by using the equation: Total Cost of Producing 2 Total Cost of Producing 1 Marginal Cost (1 to 2) A chart will typically provide information regarding the cost of producing one good, the marginal cost  ,and fixed costs. Lets say the cost of producing one good is $250, and the marginal cost of producing another good is $140. The total cost would be $250 $140 $390. So the total cost of producing two goods is $390. Linear Equations Lets say you want to calculate marginal cost, total cost, fixed cost, total variable cost, average total cost, average fixed cost, and  average variable cost  when given a linear equation regarding total cost and quantity. Linear equations are equations without logarithms. As an example, let’s use the equation TC 50 6Q. That means the total cost goes up by 6 whenever an additional good is added, as shown by the coefficient in front of the Q. This means there is a constant marginal cost of $6 per unit produced. Total cost is represented by TC. Thus, if we want to calculate the total cost for a specific quantity, all we need to do is substitute the quantity for Q. So the total cost of producing 10 units is 50 6 X 10 110. Remember that fixed cost is the cost we incur when no units are produced. So to find the fixed cost, substitute in Q 0 to the equation. The result is 50 6 X 0 50. So our fixed cost is $50. Recall that total variable costs are the non-fixed costs incurred when Q units are produced. So total variable costs can be calculated with the equation: Total Variable Costs Total Costs – Fixed Costs Total cost is 50 6Q and, as just explained, fixed cost is $50 in this example. Therefore, total variable cost is (50 6Q) – 50, or 6Q. Now we can calculate total variable cost at a given point by substituting for Q. To find the average total cost (AC), you need to average total costs over the number of units produced. Take the total cost formula of TC 50 6Q and divide the right side to get average total costs. This looks like AC (50 6Q)/Q 50/Q 6. To get average total cost at a specific point, substitute for the Q. For example, average total cost of producing 5 units is 50/5 6 10 6 16. Similarly, divide fixed costs by the number of units produced to find average fixed costs. Since our fixed costs are 50, our average fixed costs are 50/Q. To calculate average variable costs, divide variable costs by Q. Since variable costs are 6Q, average variable costs are 6. Notice that average variable cost does not depend on quantity produced and is the same as marginal cost. This is one of the special features of the linear model, but it wont hold with a nonlinear formulation. Nonlinear Equations Nonlinear total cost equations are total cost equations that tend to be more complicated than the linear case, particularly in the case of marginal cost where calculus is used in the analysis. For this exercise, let’s consider the following two equations: TC 34Q3  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24Q 9TC Q log(Q2) The most accurate way of calculating the marginal cost is with calculus. Marginal cost is essentially the rate of change of total cost, so it is the first derivative of total cost. So using the  two given equations for total cost, take the first derivate of total cost to find the expressions for marginal cost: TC 34Q3  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24Q 9TC’ MC 102Q2  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24TC Q log(Q2)TC’ MC 1 1/(Q2) So when total cost is 34Q3  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24Q 9, marginal cost is 102Q2  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24, and when total cost is Q log(Q2), marginal cost is 1 1/(Q2). To find the marginal cost for a given quantity, just substitute the value for Q into each expression. For total cost, the formulas are given. Fixed cost is found when Q 0. When total costs are 34Q3  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24Q 9, fixed costs are 34 X 0 – 24 X 0 9 9. This is the same answer you get if you eliminate all the Q terms, but this will not always be the case. When total costs are Q log(Q2), fixed costs are 0 log(0 2) log(2) 0.30. So although all the terms in our equation have a Q in them, our fixed cost is 0.30, not 0. Remember that total variable cost  is found by: Total Variable Cost Total Cost – Fixed Cost Using the first equation, total costs are 34Q3  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24Q 9 and fixed cost  is 9, so total variable costs are 34Q3  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24Q. Using the second total cost equation, total costs are Q log(Q2) and fixed cost is log(2), so total variable costs are Q log(Q2) – 2. To get the average total cost, take the total cost equations and divide them by Q. So for the first equation with a total cost of 34Q3  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24Q 9, the average total cost is 34Q2  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24 (9/Q). When total costs are Q log(Q2), average total costs are 1 log(Q2)/Q. Similarly, divide fixed costs by the number of units produced to get average fixed costs. So when fixed costs are 9, average fixed costs are 9/Q. And when fixed costs are log(2), average fixed costs are log(2)/9. To calculate average variable costs, divide variable costs by Q. In the first given equation, total variable cost is 34Q3  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24Q, so average variable cost is 34Q2  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 24. In the second equation, total variable cost is Q log(Q2) – 2, so average variable cost is 1 log(Q2)/Q – 2/Q.

How Income Taxes Affect Economic Growth

How Income Taxes Affect Economic Growth One of the most commonly discussed issues in economics is how tax rates relate to economic growth. Advocates of tax cuts claim that a reduction in the tax rate will lead to increased economic growth and prosperity. Others claim that if we reduce taxes, almost all of the benefits will go to the rich, as those are the ones who pay the most taxes. What does economic theory suggest about the relationship between economic growth and taxation? Income Taxes and Extreme Cases In studying economic policies, it is always useful to study extreme cases. Extreme cases are situations such as What if we had a 100% income tax rate?, or What if we raised the minimum wage to $50.00 an hour?. While wholly unrealistic, they do give very stark examples of what direction key economic variables will move when we change a government policy. First, suppose that we lived in a society without taxation. Well worry about how the government finances its programs later on, but for now, well assume that they have enough money to finance all the programs we have today. If there are no taxes, then the government does not earn any income from taxation and citizens do not spend any time worrying about how to evade taxes. If someone has a wage of $10.00 an hour, then they get to keep that $10.00. If such a society were possible, we can see that people would be quite productive as any income they earn, they keep. Now consider the opposing case. Taxes are now set to be 100% of income. Any cent you earn goes to the government. It may seem that the government would earn a lot of money this way, but thats not likely to happen. If you dont get to keep anything out of what you earn, why would you go to work? Most people would rather spend their time doing something they enjoy. Simply, put, you wouldnt spend any time working for a company if you didnt get anything out of it. Society as a whole wouldnt be very productive if everybody spent a large portion of their time trying to evade taxes. The government would earn very little income from taxation, as very few people would go to work if they did not earn an income from it. While these are extreme cases, they do illustrate the effect of taxes and they are useful guides of what happens at other tax rates. A 99% tax rate is awfully like a 100% tax rate, and if you ignore collection costs, having a 2% tax rate is not much different from having no taxes at all. Go back to the person earning $10.00 an hour. Do you think hell spend more time at work or less if his take-home pay is $8.00 rather than $2.00? Its a pretty safe bet that at $2.00 hes going to spend less time at work and much more time trying to earn a living away from the prying eyes of the government. Taxes and Other Ways of Financing Government In the case where the government can finance spending outside of taxation, we see the following: Productivity declines as the tax rate increases, as people choose to work less. The higher the tax rate, the more time people spend evading taxes and the less time they spend on the more productive activity. So the lower the tax rate, the higher the value of all the goods and services produced.Government tax revenue does not necessarily increase as the tax rate increases. The government will earn more tax income at 1% rate than at 0%, but they will not earn more at 100% than they will at 10%, due to the disincentives high tax rates cause. Thus there is a peak tax rate where government revenue is highest. The relationship between income tax rates and government revenue can be graphed on something called a Laffer Curve. Of course, government programs are not self-financing. Well examine the effect of government spending in the next section. Even an ardent supporter of unrestricted capitalism realizes that there are necessary functions for the government to perform.  The Capitalism Site  lists three necessary things a government must provide: An Army: To protect against foreign invaders.A Police Force: To protect against domestic criminals.A Court System: To settle honest disputes that arise, and to punish criminals according to objectively predefined laws. Government Spending and the Economy Without the last two functions of government, it is easy to see that there would be little economic activity. Without a police force, it would be difficult to protect anything that youve earned. If people could just come by and take anything you owned, wed see three things happen: People would spend a lot more time trying to steal what they need and a lot less time trying to produce what they need, as stealing something is often easier than producing it yourself. This leads to a reduction in economic growth.People who have produced valuable goods would spend more time and money trying to protect what theyve earned. This is not a productive activity; society would be much better off if citizens would spend more time producing  productive goods.There would likely be a lot more murders, so the society would lose a lot of productive people prematurely. This cost and the costs people incur in trying to prevent their own murder greatly diminish economic activity. A police force which protects the basic human rights of citizens is absolutely necessary to ensure economic growth. A court system also promotes economic growth. A large portion of economic activity depends on the use of contracts. When you start a new job, normally you have a contract specifying what your rights and responsibilities are and how much you will be compensated for your labor. If theres no way to enforce a contract like that, then there is no way to ensure that you will end up getting compensated for your labor. Without that guarantee, many would decide it is not worth the risk to work for someone else. Most contracts involve an element of do X now, and get paid Y later or get paid Y now, do X later. If these contracts are not enforceable, the party who is obligated to do something in the future might decide then that he doesnt feel like it. Since both parties know this, they would decide not to enter into such an agreement and the economy as a whole would suffer. Having a working court system, military, and police force provides a large economic benefit to a society. However it is expensive for a government to provide such services, so theyll have to collect money from the citizens of the country to finance such programs. The financing for those systems comes through taxation. So we see that a society with some taxation that provides these services will have a much higher level of economic growth than a society with no taxation but no police force or the court system. So an increase in taxes  can  lead to larger economic growth if it is used to pay for one of these services. I use the term  can  because it is not necessarily the case that expanding the police force or hiring more judges will lead to greater economic activity. An area which already has many police officers and little crime will gain almost no benefit from hiring another officer. Society would be better off not hiring her and instead of lowering taxes. If your armed for ces are already large enough to deter any potential invaders, then any additional military spending drags down economic growth. Spending money on these three areas is  not necessarily  productive, but having at least a minimal amount of all three will lead to an economy with higher economic growth than none at all. In most Western democracies the majority of government spending goes towards social programs. While there are literally thousands of government-funded social programs the two largest are generally health care and education. These two do not fall into the category of infrastructure. While it is true that schools and hospitals must be built, it is possible for the private sector to profitably do so. Schools and healthcare facilities have been built by non-government groups all over the world, even in countries that already have extensive government programs in this area. Since it is possible to cheaply collect funds from those who use the facility and to ensure those who do use the facilities cannot easily evade paying for those services, these do not fall into the category of infrastructure. Can these programs still provide a net economic benefit? Being in good health will improve your productivity. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce, so spending on health care is a boon to the economy. However, there is no reason the private sector cannot adequately provide health care or why people will not invest in their own health. Its tough to earn an income when youre too sick to go to work, so individuals will be willing to pay for health insurance that will help them get better if they are ill. Since people would be willing to buy health coverage and the private sector can provide it, there is no market failure here. To purchase such health insurance you must be able to afford it. We could get into a situation where society would be better off if the poor got proper medical treatment, but they do not because they cannot afford it. Then there would be a benefit to giving  health care  coverage to the poor. But we can get the same benefit by simply giving the poor cash and letting them spend it on whatever they want, including health care. However, it could be that people, even when they have enough money, will buy an inadequate amount of health care. Many conservatives argue that this is the basis of many social programs; government officials do not believe that citizens buy enough of the right things, so government programs are necessary to ensure people get what they need but wont buy.   The same situation occurs with educational expenditures. People with more education tend to be on average more productive than people with less education. Society is better off by having a highly educated population. Since people with higher productivity tend to get paid more, if parents care about the future welfare of their children, they will have an incentive to seek an education for their children. There are no technical reasons why private sector companies cannot provide educational services, so those who can afford it will get an adequate amount of education. As before, there will be low-income families who cannot afford a proper education although they (and society as a whole) are better off by having well-educated children. It would seem that having programs which focus their energies on poorer families will have a greater economic benefit than those which are universal in nature. There seems to be a benefit to the economy (and society) by providing an education to a family with limited opportunities. There is little point in providing an education or health insurance to a wealthy family, as they will likely buy as much as they need. On the whole, if you believe that those who can afford it will buy an efficient amount of health care and education,  social programs  tend to be a deterrent to economic growth. Programs which focus on agents who are unable to afford these items have a greater benefit to the economy than those that are universal in nature. We saw in the previous section that higher taxes can lead to higher economic growth  if  those taxes are efficiently spent on three areas which protect the rights of citizens. A military and a police force ensure that people do not have to spend a great deal of time and money on personal security, allowing them to engage in more productive activities. A court system allows individuals and organizations to enter into contracts with one another which create opportunities for growth through collaboration motivated by rational  self-interest. Roads and Highways Cannot  Be Paid by Individuals There are other government programs, which bring a net benefit to the economy when fully paid for by taxes. There are certain goods that society finds desirable but individuals or corporations cannot supply. Consider the problem of roads and highways. Having an extensive system of roads on which people and goods can freely travel greatly adds to the prosperity of a nation. If a private citizen wanted to build a road for profit, they would run into two major difficulties: The cost of collection.  If the road was a useful one, people would gladly pay for its benefits. In order to collect fees for the use of the road, a toll would have to be set up at every exit and entry to the road; many  interstate highways  work this way. However, for most local roads the amount of money obtained through these tolls would be dwarfed by the extreme costs of setting up these tolls. Because of the collection problem, a lot of useful infrastructures would not be built, although there is a net benefit to its existence.Monitoring who uses the road.  Suppose you were able to set up a system of tolls at all the entrances and exits. It may still be possible for people to enter or leave the road at points other than the official exit and entrance. If people can evade paying the toll, they will. Governments provide a solution to this problem by constructing the roads and recouping the expenses through taxes such as the income tax and the gasoline tax. Other pieces of infrastructure such as the sewage and water system work on the same principle. The idea of government activity in these areas is not new; it goes at least as far back as  Adam Smith. In his 1776 masterpiece,  The Wealth of Nations  Smith wrote: The third and last duty of the sovereign or commonwealth is that of erecting and maintaining those public institutions and those public works, which, though they may be in the highest degree advantageous to a great society, are, however, of such a nature that the profit could never repay the expense to any individual or small number of individuals, and which it, therefore, cannot be expected that any individual or small number of individuals should erect or maintain. Higher taxes which lead to improvements in infrastructure  can  lead to higher economic growth. Once again, it depends on the usefulness of the infrastructure being created. A six-lane highway between two small towns in upstate New York is not likely to be worth the tax dollars spent on it. An improvement to the safety of the water supply in an impoverished area might be worth its weight in gold if it leads to reduced illness and suffering for the users of the system. Higher Taxes Are Used to Finance Social Programs A tax cut does not necessarily help or hurt an economy. You  must  consider what the revenue from those taxes is being spent on before you can determine the effect the cut will have on the economy. From this discussion, though, we see the following general trends: Cutting taxes and wasteful spending will help an economy because of the disincentive effect caused by taxation. Cutting taxes and useful programs may or may not benefit the economy.A certain amount of government spending is required in the military, the police, and the court system. A country which does not spend an adequate amount of money in these areas will have a depressed economy. Too much spending in these areas is wasteful.A country also needs infrastructure  to have a high level of economic activity. Much of this infrastructure cannot be adequately provided by the private sector, so governments must spend money in this area to ensure economic growth. However, too much spending or spending on the wrong infrastructure can be wasteful and slow  economic growth.If people are naturally inclined to spend their own money on education and healthcare, then taxation used for social programs is likely to  slow economic growth. Social spending which targets low-income families is m uch better for the economy than universal programs. If people are not inclined to spend towards their own education and healthcare, then there can be a benefit to supplying these goods, as society as a whole benefit from a healthy and educated workforce. The government ending all social programs is not a solution to these issues. There can be many benefits to these programs which are not measured in economic growth. A slowdown in economic growth is likely to occur as these programs are expanded, however, so that should always be kept in mind. If the program has enough other benefits, society as a whole may wish to have lower economic growth in return for more social programs. Source:   The Capitalism Site - FAQ - Government

Final Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Final Reflection Paper - Essay Example These tools and methods when effectively and correctly applied, the goal is achieved and this can be obtained by also working with an expert researcher in the field. I have discovered through this study that the central theme in every research is in discovering the problem. This is the first approach in any research that calls for concise analysis of the problem described in a clear and precise term that is easy to understand (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013).Once this is done, the researcher can view literature that is related with the subject of study thoroughly and efficiently in order to gather enough information that would lead in the planning of research design. The research process, therefore, takes a course in which a researcher communicates his thoughts, objectives, plans, and methods in a manner that others can read (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013). Through this approach, it is imperative that any research collect adequate information and examine them keenly with a motive of constructing a rich and meaningful picture of a situation. In conclusion, the essence of research is not in merely collecting information but in arriving at a solution to the problem. Having garnered this wealth of information, it is easier for me to correctly undertake a research and achieve

Geologic Time (Billions of Years vs. Thousands of Years) Research Paper

Geologic Time (Billions of Years vs. Thousands of Years) - Research Paper Example If the evolution of the old-Earth theory is traced, it can be seen that â€Å"one of the earliest refutations of the Christian tradition of a very young earth through reasoning based on observation and scientific theory was by Benoit de Maillet, French diplomat, savant, and amateur naturalist† (Darlymple, 1994, p.25). It was in the â€Å"middle of the seventeenth century† that two opposing theories on the age of Earth began to become distinct- one based on Biblical calculations and the other founded on physical and chemical processes (Jackson, 2006, p.32). The latter evolved to become the scientific theory of the age of Earth and proclaimed that Earth is billions of years old. The modern age has accepted this view as the authentic one and the educational system that we have worldwide endorses it. Yet, the young-Earth theorists also hold sway among a considerable section of the world population. Old-Earth View The old-Earth view is based on the big bang concept (Morris, 2007, p.34). The big bang theory says that â€Å"the universe began some 10 to 20 billion years ago with a big bang† (Morris, 2007, p.34). ... As time passed, the gravitational force of larger chucks of material attracted the smaller chunks and formed the galaxies and solar systems we see today (â€Å"How Do Scientists Measure earth Age?†, n.d.). According to this theory, the solar system was formed from this big bang and its after explosions, around five billion years ago (Morris, 2007, p.34). Life on earth is supposed to have been born out of chemical reactions â€Å"about three to four billion years ago† and man is thought to have evolved â€Å"around one to three million years ago† (Morris, 2007, p.34). Extensive scientific methods have been developed ever since science started its quest to assess the age of Earth. There are methods like K-Ar method, Rb-Sr method, isotopic studies, fossil studies, and so on (Darlymple, 1994, p.184). Based on the results of the studies carried out using these assessment methods, certain rocks in the Yilgarn block of Western Australia have been found to have an age of 4.0 Ga (Darlymple, 1994, p.189). This substantiates the old-Earth theory. Science has used four different methods to substantiate that Earth is billions of years old (â€Å"How Do Scientists Measure earth Age?†, n.d.). These methods are used either singularly or in combinations (â€Å"How Do Scientists Measure earth Age?†, n.d.). These are radiological measurement, stratigraphic superposition and the fossil record method (â€Å"How Do Scientists Measure earth Age?†, n.d.). The radiation measurement method dates rocks based on the radioactive disintegration of the radio isotopes present in them (â€Å"How Do Scientists Measure earth Age?†, n.d.). Using this method, the charcoal collected from bed of ash near Crater lake, Oregon, was found to 6,640 years old