Consult the facilitator regarding the assignment of one of the Eastern Essay

Consult the facilitator regarding the assignment of one of the Eastern religious traditions studied in the course - Essay Example He wished to eradicate ignorance in society and bring about enlightenment, in order to relieve oneself from distress and escape what Buddha called the cycle of suffering and rebirth. The concept of rebirth in Buddhism states that a being, after death, is reborn into the world in another form as a creature superior or inferior to the one in the previous life, depending on how ignorant or enlightened one has been in one’s lifetime. For example, an ignorant human being is likely to be reborn as an animal in the next life, whereas a human being, who has tried to be righteous and upright in the ways prescribed by the religion, can be reborn as a spirit or an angel. Buddhism is, in a way, in addition to being a religion, a philosophy explaining the nature of life and existence. It talks about suffering, which is an inevitable part of life for all human beings - whether among the affluent in society, or one of the deprived – and further goes on to explain that there is not onl y a cause for that suffering, but also an end of the suffering and a method to end the suffering. These are the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism. The method to the cessation of suffering is the Noble Eight Fold Path, which states that making use of â€Å"right perception, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration† (Calyaneratne, 2011), in that order, leads to the attainment of the state of final liberation called Nirvana (Calyaneratne, 2011). This state is, according to Buddhism, the ultimate purpose of a person’s life. Successfully reaching this stage of liberation requires a human being to forgo all worldly things and desires, as Buddhism declares all worldly objects as temporary. The idea is that these objects hinder a human being from complete liberation of the soul and from reaching the superior state or Nirvana; hence, Buddhism condemns the yearning for such objects. Furthermore, since there is no concept of worldly happiness in Bu ddhism and the only path that deserves focus is the Noble Eight Fold Path (Calyaneratne, 2004). The word ‘religion’ brings to one’s mind a guide defining for its followers a code of conduct, a way of life. All religions, no matter how distinct and unmatched they are in their backgrounds, their beliefs about life and their practices, the fundamental values taught by each religion can, certainly, be penned down as quite similar; the dissimilarity lies in the way those values are taught. At the end of the day, all religions, using the similar means of prescribing various ethics, are working towards the ‘good life’, in the interest of an individual and for the improvement of society. Even though this is a very overarching, umbrella perception on religions around the world and religions are gravely different from each other on many grounds, one can draw links between Buddhism and the various other Eastern religious traditions, which consist of â€Å"Hind uism, Confucianism, Jainism, Taoism, and Shinto† (Calyaneratne, 2011). Hinduism and Buddhism origins belong to the same subcontinent – Indian – and the two faiths are known to share a long and interesting relationship (Religion Facts, 2011). While some even consider Hinduism to have been an offshoot of Buddhism, it is widely acknowledged, despite the fundamental differences, that both religions have influenced each other in some way or the other. Confucianism, prevalent in China, values ethics that complement various other

Zappos Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Zappos - Term Paper Example During the period of past 9 years, the brand has greatly evolved to new heights. The objective of the company is essentially to provide the customers’ with best services online not only shoes as the product but also in other categories. The vision of the company reflects that out of total sales, 30 percent of retails trade will be made through online. Furthermore, the company’s vision also replicates that best services will be offered to the end customers’. The company deals in the sales of clothing and shoes through online. Its primary revenue is gained from the sales of shoes that contribute around 80 percent of the entire business. On analyzing the company background, it can be observed that Zappos is sells around 50,000 varieties of shoes within the market. The company believes in the ‘loyalty business model’ along with ‘relationship marketing’. The vital reason behind the acceleration of the company’s growth can be considered as its repeat customers. Moreover, the company has not invested much in the advertising aspect; in-fact the word-of mouth has ensured extensive growth and development. It is also famous for its reputation pertaining to customer service. For example, every new employee being hired within the corporate office requires a vigorous training of weeks on customer loyalty. This training is the initial phase and compulsory for all the employees before they enter into the actual workplace (Zappos, 2013). Four Problems Being Faced By Zappos Every organization in the present business environment faces an assortment of challenges. It has been recognized that an organization trading through online website faces certain viable challenges as compared to traditional ‘Brick-and-Mortar’ organizations. The persistent risk of online organization is hacking of the information. Zappos being an online company also faced the problem of hacking. It has been ascertained from a news report that t he hackers got hold of around 24 million of customers’ personal information. This has created an immense problem for the company. In relation to hacking, the customers’ of the company have filed a suit against it. The management of Zappos wanted the matter to get into settlement pertaining to the terms of service. However, the court overruled the petition and the company was asked to present in the court for trial session (Thomas, 2012). Another major problem faced by the company that it needs to overcome is recognized to be the traditional one way thinking. According to the company CEO Tony Hsieh, the organizational culture tops the priority list than customer service. For any organization to sustain, both the aforementioned requirements are necessary. Only focusing on effective organizational culture without rendering proper customer service might lead to adverse intricacies. Organizational culture and customer satisfaction facilitate to establish a concurrent relati onship (Edwards, 2012). In keeping with Zappos, another problem relates with ordering shipment. It has been recognized that the intense security check of Zappos also creates numerous problems for the customers pertaining to shipment. Problem pertaining to the order shipment has significantly affected the customer base of the company. The hurdle in the continuous and steady flow of cash within the company is another problem that has taken place within the problems’ purview. Technologies being applied within the company are not that effective in tracking the customers’ security alert and receive instant cash against the services being paid (Hsieh, 2010). Action Plan for Zappos In order to mitigate the problems being faced by the comp

The need of IFRS and the Problem of adopting it for UK Small and Dissertation

The need of IFRS and the Problem of adopting it for UK Small and Medium Enterprises - Dissertation Example It is tough to bring such a radical change in operational as well as financial aspects for these SME. These radical changes are not without their associated dangers and risks. This research paper tries to elucidate the benefits and the problems of adopting IFRS for SME and provides suggestion of adopting a middle path between benefit and associated risk. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION 6 1.1 Background 6 1.2 Research Objective 7 1.3 Research Problem 7 1.5 Research Questions 8 CHAPTER II – LITERATURE REVIEW 9 2.1 Introduction 9 2.2 Theoretical Framework 9 2.2.1 Brief overview of the GAAP for SME 10 2.2.2 Brief overview of IFRS for SME 13 2.2.3 A brief overview of the differences between IFRS and UK GAAP 16 2.2.4 A brief overview of the small and medium scale enterprises in UK 19 CHAPTER III – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 24 3.1 Sources of Data 24 3.2 Research Design 24 3.3. Construct Validity 25 3.4 Internal Validity 25 3.5 External Validity 25 3.6 Reliability 26 3.7 Administration of Procedure 26 3.8 Research Ethics 26 CHAPTER IV –FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS 27 4.1 The need to change to IFRS from erstwhile accounting standards for UK SMES 27 4.1.1 Reduced cost 27 4.1.2 Less complexity 28 4.1.3 Greater transparency achieved through IFRS 29 4.1.4 Increase in the cross border trading 30 4.1.5 Increased cross border mergers and acquisitions 31 4.1.6 Easier access to capital 32 4.2 The problems associated with adoption of IFRS for UK SME 33 4.2.1 Recording same transacations in different formats 34 4.2.2 Global acconting system and IFRS does not rhyme 35 CHAPTER V – CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 35 5.1 Conclusion 35 5.2 Recommendations 36 5.3 Limitations of the Study 36 CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background In the past few decades both developed and developing countries witnessed an exponential rise in the number of small and medium scale industries. The rise of SMEs is buoyed by the support provided by the entrepreneurs and the banks as well as the financial institutions of these counties. The rise in the number of SME is 5% for all the countries. The small and medium scale enterprises contribute 14% to the GDP in countries like Oman (Arundel and Geuna, 2004). Developed countries and under-developed countries have the power to generate even more contribution of the SMEs towards the country GDP. In the wake of the financial crisis that gripped the whole of Europe starting from Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain and Switzerland, a huge chunk of the SME in these countries got wiped out. These small and medium scale enterprises operated independently and there are few governing bodies to monitor the activities of the SMEs (Bates, 2004). The government spent a huge chunk of the sovereign money in constructing the framework to support the activities of the SMEs. On the other hand, the government did very little to install any regulatory framework to keep an eye on the financial as well a s operational activities of these enterprises. Although most of the enterprises follow the GAAP principles and procedures but it is felt that current procedures and principle are falling short to contain the incidents of â€Å"window dressing† of the accounting statements. 1.2 Research Objective The research objectives are set to guide the research aims for the research

Critical Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Critical Book Review - Essay Example CIDA has recently discarded its main advantages, such as gender equality, health issues, importance of development aid etc. Though one can argue that every organization is connected with its self-interest, we can surely claim that further discussion is related to the international aid policies, political and economic contexts. The first chapter "Canada among Donors: How Does Canadian aid Compare?" by Hunter McGill deals with relations of Canada in terms of international society on the matters of help, undertakings and goals. There are two different international processes, which are used for evaluation of international relations in Canada with respect to international policies, non-aid policies and programs. Unfortunately, Canadian government is not interested in foreign help and support and shows underperformance at the international level. This claim is produced by the author of the chapter, but it is interesting for the readers to find out whether it is true or not. On the basis of two basic criteria, such as the Peer Review process of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Assistance Committee (OECD/DAC) and the Commitment to Development Index annual rankings of the Center for Global Development (CGD) evaluation of international aid in the development of Canada is discussed further on in this chapter. Other donor states evaluate national situation in Canada and in accordance with their data they donate help (McGill). The CGDs Commitment to Development Index was established as part of an effort to rate how the public policies of twenty-two nations, all currently members of the DAC, affect the prospects and progress of developing countries. Basing on these two basic indices, it is possible to evaluate a certain degree of international aid donated to Canada. At the same time, Canada plays a role of an important international donor and it is possible to measure international help donated by the country. Canada has been

Discrimination and Racism against foreign immigrant people in United Essay

Discrimination and Racism against foreign immigrant people in United States - Essay Example These data were collected from 2508 randomly selected adolescent immigrant children between 12 to 18 years age. The study could not find statistically significant relationship either between citizenship and discrimination, or between knowledge of English and discrimination, nor could it find any statistically significant relationship between discrimination and education expectation of respondents when controlling for age. In the US, as the administration struggles to contain racial discrimination, cross-border terrorism had added new dimension to it. Many miles may have been covered from that ugly day, when the U.S. Supreme Court in 1896 in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, held that â€Å"racially segregated railway cars were both constitutional and reasonable did not violate the rights of Blacks. The majority opinion of the court stated, Laws permitting, and even requiring, their separation in places where they are liable to be brought into contact do not necessarily imply the inferiority of either race to the other, and have been generally, if not universally, recognized as within the competency of the state legislatures in the exercise of their police power. The most common instance of this is connected with the establishment of separate schools for white and colored children, which has been held to be a valid exercise of the legislative power. Legislation is powerless to eradicate racial instincts or to abolish distinctions based upon physical differences, and the attempt to do so can only result in accentuating the difficulties of the present situation. If the civil and political rights of both races be equal, one cannot be inferior to the other civilly or politically. If one race be inferior to the other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put them upon the same plane. (Birnbaum and Taylor, 2000, p.166-67; cited by Boston & Nair-Reichert, 2004, p.113). This infamous verdict caused much racial disenfranchisement, which

SDLC methodology for designing a system Essay Example for Free

SDLC methodology for designing a system Essay The primary objective is to evaluate the SDLC methodology for designing a system. Prior to building a system, a set of methodology is essential in keeping the process kicking in right force so that it adheres to entire coverage and successful completion of tasks. It demands professional approach in planning, building and operating a system. SDLC methodology which encompasses several techniques in making the system travel smooth, processing the various steps required in putting together a system successfully. The spiral model which is a flavor of SDLC techniques corresponds in designing a system where business requirements are volatile in nature and communication with external entities is a priority. The spiral model would take into account all the primary steps in building a deliverable every time it completes a circle. Once it is finished with the planning and analysis phase the risk analysis task is taken in the picture. It is followed by engineering, construction and release, customer evaluation and finally customer communication. Once a cycle is covered, it results in a deliverable which is further processed upon customer communication and feedback. The SWOT analysis of the spiral model would contemplate the coverage of whether it can be taken up as a viable option in designing a system. The following is the analysis: Â · Strengths: The business environments are seldom volatile in nature where the requirements are ever changing and are adding every moment to expand their scope and stay competitive in the market. The spiral model would make sure that the proposed system is prone to changes. It provides enough mechanism to take into account the changes in the customers’ environment and act accordingly. Unlike other SDLC methods where the business requirements are completely taken as standstill when taking into account the building of the system. Unlike the waterfall model where the design stages are non-reversible in nature, once the stage is surpassed it cannot be revisited again. Â · Weaknesses: The weaknesses of the spiral model are that it is quite expensive in nature as every deployment is revisited with the spiral cycle once it receives a customer communication and feedback. It demands quite risk assessment expertise. The time taken to build the complete system is considerable high as for every new requirement is cycled all through from planning to implementation. The consumption of resources is substantially large as all the developmental stages are followed for creating a version of the system in every cycle. Â · Opportunities: The opportunities of using the spiral model are relatively high in comparison to the other models in use. The business external environment is fast changing to the requirements and enveloping newer challenges to analyze their market and take risks to prosper. In this situation having a flexible system development strategy would make it easy to design and build a system susceptible to frequent changes with changing business requirements. Taking into account the other methods available in the market, the spiral model would stand out in the crowd. Â · Threats: The other prototyping methods like RAD and Incremental methods of SDLC pose a threat to spiral method. The incremental approach is quite complex in operation but its flexibility is quite high in solving discrepancies. The RAD methodology is quite popular in SDLC but is not prone to taking the frequent changes into consideration which is a drawback.

Impact of Demographics on Population Health

Impact of Demographics on Population Health Santos, Juan Nicholas V. 12000773 The demographics of a population have significant impacts on health planning, implementation, and evaluation of health interventions. One of the relevant factors that affect the following is age. 20% of New Zealanders are aged 0-14 and 25.7% are 55 years old and above. These age groups are the age groups that are more in need of healthcare and they comprise 45.7% of the New Zealand population. This means that the healthcare planning of New Zealand likely revolves around these age groups without overlooking the needs of the other age groups as well. The political climate in New Zealand is relatively stable compared to the Philippines. The New Zealand population see their government as a body that is protecting them and their interests. The New Zealand government protects the population by providing free healthcare for residents and citizens. They also give benefits and housing to residents who are unemployed, and this also affects the health of the population. The healthcare facilities in New Zealand are accessible to every member of the population and they do a very good job in taking care of the population especially people who belong to the workforce through the ACC. New Zealand is very tolerant towards the religious beliefs of the population. This affects the health planning, implementing, and evaluation because most religions have some sort of restriction on their followers. For example, some religions do not allow blood transfusions and this directly affects the health of the individual especially in a life threatening situation. The tolerance of New Zealand to different beliefs has a positive impact on health because you will feel accepted within the society. This leads to a positive outlook and will lead to improved self-esteem, which will then lead to increased productivity at work or in school. This affects the health planning of New Zealand because of religious restrictions. Since New Zealand is very tolerant and respectful of the religions of the population, they formulate a plan around these restrictions in order for the intervention to be available to all. Human Values that are being applied in New Zealand affect the overall health of the population. Honesty, equality, and fairness are enduring values in New Zealand. This affects the implementation of health interventions because nobody is trying to get a leg up on other people. New Zealanders believe in equal opportunity for the population and this is also related to health because there is an equal opportunity for access to healthcare. This affects the implementation because it makes the implementation phase easier for the healthcare professionals in making sure that everybody who needs healthcare is addressed. In comparison to the Philippines, when there are 100 blister packs of medicine for 100 people, more often than not there will be a shortage towards the end of the line because people who get theirs first tend to get more than what they are supposed to get. Ethnicity plays a major role in health because there are diseases that are more prevalent among specific ethnic groups. For example, sickle cell disease is more prevalent among Africans than any other ethnicity. This affects the health planning because even though they are a minority in New Zealand, we still have to give consideration to their being at risk to specific diseases. For the Maori people, they give importance to their language and land and they believe that the land and their language protect them from illness. This may affect the health planning and implementation because we have to adapt our interventions to the Maori way in order to be respectful of their culture. It will be easier for us to simply adapt our interventions to their culture rather than adapt their culture to our interventions. Traditions are very important especially with regard to health intervention evaluation. This is because traditional beliefs related to health are often contradictory to western medicine. Muslims, for example, refuse to take their medications from 6am to 6pm during the Ramadan. This hinders our ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the medicine because the timing of the intake of medications is very crucial in determining the effectiveness. They also traditionally believe that they should not disclose their medical history because they may have a less chance at marriage. This hinders our ability to properly assess and identify genetic predisposition to illnesses. A B The public concept of health and illness is shaped by proper health education. The public generally views health as just a state of physical well-being rather than a holistic view on health. Because of this, people tend to disregard symptoms of mental distress or social exclusion without realizing that these also contribute immensely to their health. This also affects the way the public views an illness. The public will view illness as just a state of physical sickness or disease. These misconceptions affect our planned health interventions because what we may view as important to their health, they may not place any importance on. For some people, as long as their bodies can function, they are healthy without taking into consideration the health of their mind or their inclusion within a community. CD The importance that the public puts into health is vital in getting our interventions across to the population because even if we put all our effort, if the population is not interested in what we are doing, our planned interventions will fail. Here in New Zealand, the Maori population places an importance on health. However, according to the ministry of health, 23% of Maori adults fail to see a physician due to the cost. It is somewhat contradicting because 41% of Maori adults are smokers in spite of the fact that 23% of them cannot go to a physician when they need to. Their attitude to healthcare professionals is also a factor on their health because when they have a good doctor-patient or nurse-patient relationships, it encourages them to come back again for a follow-up and enables them to trust their healthcare providers with confidential information that may have an effect on their health. Though New Zealand is a developed country with one of lowest rates of corruption in the world, inequalities still exist especially when it comes to health. There are still people and ethnic groups here in New Zealand that does not have proper access to healthcare. I think culture has the biggest impact on the planning and implementation of health interventions in New Zealand. The Pakeha, Asians, Maoris, Pacific Islanders, and other ethnicities all live in New Zealand as one thriving population. But of all these, the Maori and Pacific Islanders have the highest prevalence of smoking adults, and the lowest life expectancy among all the ethnic groups present in New Zealand. According to the National Health Committee, 39% of all Maori students leave school without earning their qualifications. This is an alarming figure because this only happens to 14% of students from all of the other ethnic groups combined and we all know that if the population has a proper education, this will lead to better socioeconomic status which will then play a major role in determining an individual’s health status. â€Å"References Goodyear, M. (2008) The Significance of Demographic Changes for the Health of the Population and its Need for Health and Related Services. Retrieved from http://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/health-information/3a-populations/demographic-changes CIA World Fact Book. (2014) Age Structure. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2010.html The National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability. (June, 1998). The Social, Cultural, and Economic Determinants of Health in New Zealand: Action to Improve Health.