Disaster Management in Pakistan

On 26th October this year, thirty six trapped Chilean mine workers were rescued by drilling a deep hole into the mine. A month later, twenty nine mine workers in Newzeland died after remaining trapped for days in a mine. Poor disaster management cost precious lives. In Pakistan, too, Disaster management is not up to the mark. Be it the devastating earthquake, the catastrophic floods, the outbreak of fires or the aftermath of bomb blasts, the management was very poor.Certain measures like National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), and Rescue 1122 were taken but none has borne fruit yet. Lack of funds, scarcity of men and machinery, lack of awareness and preparedness of general public, hard demography, negative role of media, and delocalization of disaster management centers has added to the calamity of disasters. A realistic approach, proper training to workers and public, localization of disaster management centers, public awarenes s programs and positive role of media must be ensured for the proper disaster management in Pakistan.Until now almost every disaster has hit Pakistan but the required response is given to none. The October, 2008 earthquake in Northern areas of Pakistan is a grim reminder of the scale of disaster. Almost eighty thousand people died and many towns devastated. Though, no single government with limited resources can cope with such a calamity, yet our government’s response was much late in the hard hit areas. Timely and efficient response could have saved many lives.The recent floods of July-August have also seen the demonstration of poor disaster management in our country. Though, no country is prepared for such devastating floods, our government’s response could be much better. Instead of helping the people in the affected areas, our government set all their attention in appealing for aids to other countries and arranging conferences for the donor countries. The fire mana gement is also much poor. Few months ago when fire broke out in a female hostel in Rawalpindi, the management did not have the ecessary tools to bring the situation under control. Moreover, the aftermath of bomb blasts also shows that our country is not prepared to cope with the disaster-like situation. One of the main cause of this pathetic situation of our disaster management is that the workers are not properly trained to cope with any disasters. In other countries, proper training is provided to the workers in one field to cope with that particular disaster. Unfortunately in Pakistan, the same workers are hired for every disaster to cope with.Most of our disaster management organizations are not provided with sufficient staff and machinery. The workers are much less as compared to the scale of the disaster. Also, the workers do not have all the necessary equipments to deal a disaster. Moreover, the facilities like fast transport to the disaster point are also lacking. Our uneven demography also plays a big hurdle in efficient disaster management. Sometimes, the areas hit by a disaster are out of reach, thus, badly affecting the rescue activities. Hard demography also adds to the scale of a disaster.Even a minor disaster results into a bigger loss of life and property because of the demography of our country. This was observed in the recent floods whose originating point was the northern areas and brought devastations in other parts of the country. Delocalization of disaster management units is another cause of poor disaster management in Pakistan. All the units are controlled from the federal or provincial capitals which may become a hurdle in dealing with a disaster in time. Unawareness and unpreparedness of the general public is also one of the reason for poor disaster management.Our people do not know how to deal with a disaster when they are caught with. People, sometimes, use methods which may increase the scale of a disaster instead of controlling it . Also, most of the people are unprepared to deal with a sudden disaster which results into many losses. Lack of funds with the disaster management units is also a case of poor dealing with a disaster. The disaster management organizations do not have sufficient funds to buy the machinery necessary to deal with a disaster.In order to deal effectively with any disaster in Pakistan, the government must provide proper training to workers. This is how they can deal with a disaster professionally. Moreover, the government should confer proper funds to disaster management units. All the disaster management units must be delocalized. Disaster management unit in Chitral must not be monitored from Islamabad or Peshawar. A local management body can effectively deal with a local disaster. Public training programs must be initiated so that the general public is aware how to deal with a disaster.The youths must be trained in particular areas of disasters, like fire, flood, so that that can be ca lled whenever such disaster emerges. Moreover, special television programs should be aired to aware the people how to deal with a disaster effectively. Disaster management plays a big role in a country like Pakistan where disasters are most frequent. Though, in the past much attention was not given to disaster management in the country, the government must implement the above mentioned suggestions in latter and spirit to cope well with any disaster in future.

Friedreich’s Ataxia

Friedreich's ataxia Friedreich's ataxia is an inherited disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system resulting in things like gait disturbance, speech problems, heart disease and diabetes. Friedreich's ataxia is caused by a defect in a gene called Frataxin, which is located on chromosome 9. The changes in this gene cause the body to produce too much trinucleotide repeat (GAA).This mutation causes gene silencing through induction of a heterochromatin structure in a manner similar to position-effect variegation. Normally, the body contains about 8 to 30 copies of GAA, however the people with Friedreich's ataxia may have as many as 1,000 copies. The more copies of GAA a person has, the earlier the disease will start and the faster it will get worse. Symptoms typically begin sometime between the ages of 5 to 15, but in rare cases, Friedreich’s ataxia may occur around the ages of 20 to 30.Some of the symptoms are; abnormal speech, changes in vision (particularly col or vision), decrease in ability to feel vibrations in lower limbs, foot problems, hearing loss, jerky eye movements, loss of coordination and balance, frequent falls, muscle weakness, no reflexes in the legs, and uncoordinated movements. Friedreich's ataxia is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder. This means you must get a copy of the defective gene from both your mother and father. About 1 in every 22,000-29,000 people develop this disease but family history of the condition raises your chances of getting it.On average, after 10-15 years with the disease patients are usually wheelchair bound and require assistance with all activities. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for Friedreich's ataxia. There are, however, medicines, therapy treatments and surgeries available to those who are affected but it will not rid them of the disease. Titanium screws and rods are often inserted in the spine to help prevent or slow the progression of this disease. The goal of surgery is to keep t he patient alive as long as possible. As the ataxia progresses, things such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair are required for mobility.

A Beach

Wisps of warm tropical air brushed gently against my face as the soft white sand caressed my feet. A warm sheet of humidity enveloped me as my eyes gazed along the long beach that reminded me of a long carpet. Occasional tourists dotted the tranquil beach enjoying the magical sunset while sipping a tropical cocktail. A low rumble followed by a sharp crackle was heard as a Jet Ski raced along the pellucid water like a shark chasing its prey. Smoke trailed from its outboard motor as it continued its rapid advancement along the beach towards the Jetty that stuck out of he shore.I slowly turned back up the road and nonchalantly headed towards the teeming town. Nestled in a quiet street near the heart of the town I decided to try a small cafe that had misty white walls and affable staff. Slowly the day was breaking too close as the sun began to retreat behind the clouds far off in the distance where the sparkling ocean met an empty white abyss. The hustle and bustle of night activity beca me evident as dusk set. Vendors pushed their rattling trolleys along the long walkways that were cramped with tourists setting if on their dally stroll exploring the large network of alleyways. Enjoyed the intricate architecture that so delicately defined the rich culture. The architects here do not design buildings; they merely interpret the traditional rules. As I wandered the town my eyes were drawn to the baroque detail that was infused into the traditional buildings that dotted the streets. I noticed the countless statues of gods that lined the streets, I wondered why this was unheard of from where I came from. The people here played out their peaceful lives, innocent of the litany of excess and lenience that plagued the world around It.However, I was soon to find out that this wasn't going to last for long. Slamming on my hotel room door woke me up hastily the next morning. I peered out of the small hole and was alarmed to see a petrified looking hotel staff. Immediately, I op ened my door and that was when he spilled the dreadful news to me. A tsunami was In bound and was estimated to hit the imperiled coast in less than an hour. A sense of panic inhibited me as I turned around and threw my bag on the bed and began to shove all my clothes In It.For the first time, I was fearful as I knew that the calm waves had stirred from its deep sleep and was coming to shatter the peace and halcyon that seemed to be intertwined into this serene island. Without further distractions I managed to turn on the television and flicked to the first news channel there was. I stared at the screen silently as my body was consumed in shock. The tsunami was going to hit the shore at 300 kilometers an hour in 5 minutes. I fought the panic that had engulfed me and picked up my day pack with all my essentials before running towards the hotel exit.A lonely tear trickled down my red cheeks as I continued running out onto a crowded street. Consternation had seized the whole population as people hastened towards the mall road that led out of town. 1 OFF the top floors and praying for the best. As I looked at my watch I realized that it had been 5 minutes already. A wicked trepidation had paralyses me as I began to picture myself dying. I heard a low rumble similar to that of a Jet ski. However, this was a rumble that brought fear into the eyes of the brave and made the whole island fall silent.I peered out to sea as I dad my way back to the hotel. I stopped walking. My body was glued to the floor. It was an overflowing perpetual of water. A monster. The waves came crashing on to the shore about a mile from where I stood. By the time it had struck I was safely on the sixth floor and was watching its dark blue opaque claws tear up everything in its path. It annihilated the low lying buildings that have stood majestically for years. I was enveloped in a dark blanket that dampened my sense and left me in a bubble.I heard screams for help as the waves surged through th e island demolishing everything like a bulldozer. It was an army that could not be defeated powered by the temperamental mother nature. Silence fell as the waves retreated back to the shore. It dragged with it the roofs of the ancient pagodas and the tangled metal frames of motor vehicles. I stared solemnly as I saw the occasional body floating; lifeless. Cessation hung in the air. This beautiful island had met its watery grave. There were no screams. There was no time. The nebulous ocean had spoken. There was an overhanging silence. A lapse in time.

Business of weightloss Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business of weightloss - Assignment Example There are certain principles that anchor the success of South Beach Diet as outlined in the sections below. The principle used is based on Glycaemic Index where carbohydrates are broken down into sugar after consumption and absorbed to the bloodstream resulting in high blood sugar causing the release of insulin to reduce it (Agatston, 18). In the first, phase South Beach Diet proposes a carbohydrate free diet that results in energy for the body and fat storage. Owing to the lack of carbohydrates, the body will retrieve stored fats and burn them to produce energy to ensure energy balance in the body is maintained leading to about 3.5 to 5.5 kg loss of weight. To ensure energy balance is maintained in the body, gradual introduction of low glycemic foods and high fiber carbohydrates are reintroduced in the diet in phase two raising insulin levels at a slower rate than starchy carbohydrates. These food aids in supplementing the required energy for the body despite being on a weight loss program. After achieving the desired weight through phases 1 and 2 of the South Beach Diet, maintain the lifestyle principles of phase 1 and 2 is recommended however all the foods are eaten in moderation to avoid intake of more calories than is needed in the body. The diet encourages intake of fruits and vegetables as well as fiber and whole grains to ensure healthy diet and maintenance of weight. At this stage, the diet recommends 3 servings o starch, 3 pieces o fruit, and at most 2 tablespoons of good fat to ensure that the weight remains at the desired level. Healthy living is the other aim of South Beach Diet and this is achieved through drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, supplementing the body with minerals and vitamins with a recommendation of 500 mg of calcium for anyone below 50 years, and 1000 mg for women aged above 50 years. Avoiding caffeinated drinks and alcohol is the other measure of maintaining a healthy body as

Response writing to a chart Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response writing to a chart - Assignment Example chart, it is evident that female students have a negative attitude towards subjects that have been retrospectively male dominated; these are mathematics and sciences. Nonetheless, from the figure one can understand why Canada was declared the first country to have  a majority of women in the work force (Women economics, n.d). This is clearly because of the higher enrolment figures for women in schools resulting in their increased viability, in the skilled labor market. Despite the fact that, in Canada, the number of female students enrolled in universities is higher than that of male ones, the number of males taking sciences and Mathematics is greater (Parsons and McMullen, 2009). As such, women should be encouraged to take up sciences and Mathematics since they have already proven they can win in the battle for numbers, and the idea of men being better in Mathematics is just a stereotype. The same case should apply in sciences female students need to be made aware of the fact that there are no â€Å"masculine† subjects, and they can tackle physics just as well as men if they put their minds to the task. Women economics. Canada: Officially the First Country with Majority Female Workforce. Retrieved from

Sustainable tourism and educating the tourist Essay

Sustainable tourism and educating the tourist - Essay Example With such high and definitely increasing demand, protection of culture and environment has become imperative. "Sustainable tourism in its purest sense is an industry which attempts to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local ecosystems. It is responsible tourism which is both ecologically and culturally sensitive" http://www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/eco-tour.html ST makes maximum use of environmental resources without disturbing natural heritage and biodiversity, respecting socio-cultural authenticity of the region, and ensuring long term economic wellbeing of the stakeholders. In relation to mass tourism, sustainable tourism is a specialised branch. Mass tourism is economically beneficial, easy to market, but is rather harsh on attractions. It no doubt cares for environment and cultural attractions; but not enough. It does not involve local communities as stakeholders and there is hardly any dialogue between communities, tourists and tour operators. It is a positive force for poor countries, which can, if allowed to go unbridled, also can harm local culture and environment. Pope John Paul II thought mass tourism was another way of exploiting local communities, even though mass tourism is vital for many countries. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/1468503.stm). Responsible tourism like ST minimises the damage that could be caused by mass tourism to environment and culture. MEDITERRANEAN Spain and Mediterranean coastlines offered mature mass tourism for decades now. Mass tourism has created complex issues like demands and pressures and new policies and planning techniques. It has also created the necessity of sustainable tourism application in this area. Uncontrolled tourism almost ruined the freshwater basin here. Italy and Greece too were adversely affected by mass tourism. "The mass model of sun and beach tourism which is characteristic of the Mediterranean coastline has caused both the spectacular urban, demographic and economic growth of small coastal towns once inhabited by farming and fishing families who eventually came to make their living from tourism, and the increasing degradation of their natural setting" http://geographyfieldwork.com/TourismMatureDestinations.htm This statement is true as the involved countries have only recently woken up into the enormity of the problems that tourism has created. Mediterranean holidays deal with all major holiday brands and depend on seasonality. But in recent years, it had been seen as a single major threat to the pristine coastline and equally destructive to valuable wetlands even though tourism is the most important vehicle of growth. STAKEHOLDER Under these circumstances, Sustainable tourism that involves the local community in safeguarding and protecting the cultural and environmental assets of the region comes into picture and gives new hope. ST believes in the economic benefit of the region because tourism is connected with productivity, mobility, communication facilities and broadened horizons. "Obviously, these factors are interrelated, but a greater weight probably should be assigned to productivity than to the others," Smith (1989, p.41). Without further opportunity of productivity, it is difficult to

Iraq invasion 2003 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Iraq invasion 2003 - Essay Example American invasion of Iraq has been assessed and reassessed by intellectuals both inside and outside America. Though different people put forward different factors as the reasons behind the invasion, all agree on the fact that America failed to achieve any of its objectives in Iraq. Also, it becomes evident from the circumstances that America was in the dire need of strengthening its geopolitical dominance in the Middle East, and considering the situation of the time, Iraq was the most vulnerable victim. There were three main factors which can prove that the American invasion of Iraq was inevitability. They are the US global grand strategy, the US strategic position in the Middle East, and the ruling coalition in the Bush administration. The motivating factors – the war was inevitable In order to understand the American desire to use coercion as a weapon to ensure American dominance in the world, one has to read The Project for a New American Century. The Project’s State ment of Principles declares that America has a pivotal role in maintaining peace and security in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Also, it is pointed out that it is important to act before crises emerge, and to face threats before they grow stronger (New American Century, 2000: 4-5). Very similar are the claims in the 2002 National Security Strategy which clearly state that threats to the US would be met using both traditional containment and preventive wars (The White House, 2002: 15). One has to remember the fact that the US global hegemony was, to a great extent, dependent on its protectorate over the oil reserves in the Middle East. Ironically, the biggest threat to American domination also came from the same place; and the best example is the 9/11 attack. Thus, it was clear that America had to reshape the Middle East. In fact, American hegemony over the Middle East oil was getting questioned. In the opinion of Hinnebusch (2007: 213), US and other capitalist countries would im minently face an oil shock as the oil producing Middle Eastern nations were gaining more and more power. First of all, despite the American efforts to impose sanctions on Iraq and Iran, they managed to survive as such sanctions only benefited other nations. To illustrate, Iraq started selling oil concessions to nations like Russia, China and France. Similarly, according to Cramer and Thrall (n.d.: 18), the whole Western Europe wanted to get oil from Iran instead of isolating it; and when America tried to keep its companies away from the so called nations, its rivals were benefiting from the sanctions. Traditionally, Saudi Arabia was playing an important role in providing US with oil help. It moderated oil prices for America throughout the years. However, America was fully concerned about its high degree of dependence on Saudi Arabia for oil needs. Also, the recent years witnessed a decline in the oil pumping capacity of Saudi Arabia making it unable to moderate oil prices anymore (C ommittee on Foreign Affairs House of Representatives 2007: 8). Evidently, al Qaeda and other terrorists were highly dissatisfied with use of American forces to protect Saudi Arabia, and was a motivating factor for Bin Laden to turn against America. As Reno (2012: para. 12-13) points out, it was revealed that Saudi citizens were involved in the 9/11 attack and funding; and this was sufficient for the Zionist lobby in the Bush administration to create an anti-Saudi public opinion in America. Murphy (2011: para. 12) states that, at the same time, Saudi Arabia started looking for alternatives as it felt abandoned by the US. Soon, it reconciled with Iran and Iraq. Thus, as America was losing one swing producer, it wanted to find another one; and Iraq became the primary target (ibid). First of all, it meant that America would again get access to privileged oil, at the same time ensuring its hegemony over its economic rivals like Europe, Asia and the emerging global rival China. Thus, Iraq became a one word solution. The matter can be seen in the military

Accounting article, read and answer the questions Article

Accounting , read and answer the questions - Article Example While these conflicts of interest are very real, they note that we often dismiss them as unimportant, or having no effect. This is because we believe that these professions and professionals adhere to a strong system of ethical standards. But, according to the authors, such conflict of interest situations do have a very marked effect. Thus they suggest a theory of â€Å"moral seduction† which allows most professionals to accept conflict of interest as inevitable and harmless. In addition, they cite Kunda (1990) and argue that people are naturally self-serving. Furthermore, auditors work within a framework of incentive and accountability – the authors cite Bazerman, Morgan & Lowenstein, 1997 – and hence are just as susceptible to subjectivity and bias as any other professionals. 3. The argument of the writers convincingly states that both on an in individual, psychological, and cognitive level, and on a broader social, and political level, conflicts of interest have come to be taken very lightly. Therefore, even if someone wants to bring about reform, and stop dishonest, biased practice within the auditing industry, he/she would face many difficulties. Changing mindsets about conflict of interest within society generally would be required, not just change among auditors. 4. The authors refer to Moore & Lowenstein (2004) to suggest that corporate ethics changed from what is morally right to what is technically legal. Restated, they claim that a set of values-based beliefs – about honest reporting, accountability, and accuracy – were replaced by a less morally- based approach. Auditors were able to justify any inaccuracy, or even misrepresentation of financial information, by finding legal loopholes. So, where the necessity existed for misreporting, auditors would find a way to justify that misrepresentation in the law, an external system, rather

The American Congress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The American Congress - Essay Example This research paper aims to show the possible improvements within the public policy making process of the legislation under the condition when the federal legislative terms of the members of the Congress are limited. This study will first narrate a short background of the American Congress. It will discuss the specifications of the offices held by the members of the Congress – both the House of Representatives and the Senate. It will then discuss the positive and negative effects when the office terms of the members of the Congress are shortened. The American Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate The legislative branch of the American Federal government consists of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The legislation’s primary task is to create Congressional bills that are subject to executive review and Congressional votes – those of which pass as state laws afterwards. The legislature also has the power to approve executive de cisions through two-thirds vote of the chamber. Petitions for impeachment are deliberated by the House of Representatives which are then elevated for trials in the Senate. ... The Senate comprises of 100 members - two senators from each state, regardless of population (â€Å"Art & History†). The members of the House of Representatives are elected to serve for two years while the members of the Senate are elected to serve for six years (Smith, Roberts and Vander Wielen 87-121). The American Congress Under a Limited Federal Legislative Term Under the circumstance where the federal legislative terms of the members of the Congress are put to a limit, there are several positive and negative effects to the policy making process of the legislative branch as a whole. The positive aspect about limiting the terms of service of the members of the Congress is the sense of inevitable competitiveness of each of the newly elected individuals into office. The shorter the term of service of the politicians, the more determined they become to out-wit the previous legislative set. Indeed, a sense of competition is naturally established amongst every new set of congres smen/congresswomen. In light with this mentality, it can be assumed that the members of the Congress could produce better policies – policies that would garner the most satisfaction from their constituents and would put the public interest in the forefront. Efficiency in public service is also another positive effect under the condition of limited federal legislative term. Due to the influence of competitiveness, the newly elected sets of congressmen/congresswomen would be forced to produce a more efficient quality of service because they would want their short time in office to be remembered by their constituents. In this case, the American Congress would obviously become more aggressive in terms of

Site Contamination - Derby Pride Park Research Paper

Site Contamination - Derby Pride Park - Research Paper Example The paper tells that soil pollution is a very critical health related issue. Both soil pollution and groundwater pollution adversely affect the health of humans, plants, and marine life. â€Å"Soil contamination can also affect those who touch it†. If we talk about groundwater pollution, we can say that it is even more dangerous because it directly affects human as well as marine life. Discharged water contains such substances, which are very harmful for the health of human beings. Before going to propose a site decontamination plan for the Derby Pride Park, let us get a brief overview of sources of contamination and some methods to decontaminate the polluted sites. There are various sources of contamination production. These sources include food, dietary supplements which are very rare, drugs, industrial discharge from chemical industries, pesticides that come from farming areas, and various detergents and fertilizers. â€Å"The potable water becomes wastewater after it gets contaminated with natural or synthetic microbiological compounds†. Groundwater from the neighboring fields is also a source of contamination. â€Å"Groundwater moves slowly and continuously through the open spaces in soil and rock†. Another major source of contamination is those chemical processes, which are used to take out the required minerals from rocks because raw material containing the minerals is often stored in impure and contaminated surfaces, which results in contamination of minerals. So it is strictly advised to keep the surfaces clean on which the raw material is to be placed. Remediation Remediation means decontamination of the polluted sites. The process of

Philosophical Paper on an essay about abortion

Philosophical Paper on an about abortion - Essay Example And being genetically human, a fetus has as much a right to life as a baby or an adult. Once conception is over, a woman does not have the right to eliminate the embryo, even if it is completely in her power, and its existence conditional on hers. Warren distinguishes between the moral and genetic states of being human, by stating five attributes of moral human existence. Using the above criteria, Warren comes to the conclusion that being human is not the preserve of homo-sapiens alone. It is quite possible that some other form of life could exist which has all the above characteristics without being a genetic human being. She gives the example of aliens from another planet, and also talks about highly developed robots/ humanoids of the future who could qualify as persons without being genetically human. On the other hand, a fetus, although genetically human, has no self-awareness or consciousness. A fetus is the extension of the body of its host (mother). Therefore, a fetus may be denied the right to life, and aborted. (Warren, 1996) By an extension of the same prem... She gives the example of aliens from another planet, and also talks about highly developed robots/ humanoids of the future who could qualify as persons without being genetically human. On the other hand, a fetus, although genetically human, has no self-awareness or consciousness. A fetus is the extension of the body of its host (mother). Therefore, a fetus may be denied the right to life, and aborted. (Warren, 1996) By an extension of the same premise, it could be argued that new born infants not being persons-not possessing the ability to reason or a self-concept-can be killed. This line of logical reasoning is dangerous as it gives the power of life and death over an infant to his/her mother/father/any other person with partially or fully developed ability to think, reason and emote. The danger arises from the fact that not all persons are altruistic or moral, and some may be ready to sacrifice the life of an infant for the sake of personal benefit. ("Why should I look after a baby, when it is so inconvenient It binds me down. I can't afford it.") There is also post-partum depression-a medical/emotional condition experienced by many new mothers-which makes it difficult for her to care for a child. It is to avoid the dangers of blurring the line between eliminating a fetus and eliminating a child that most pro-abortionists state that while it is okay to kill a fetus, it is definitely not okay to kill a child, even if the child is born monstrously malformed or grossly non-human-like. They would insist that all possible measures should be taken to keep such a baby alive. McKinley seeks to clear this impasse faced by pro-abortionists by differentiating between physical and social dependence. A fetus is completely physically dependant, sharing the very space occupied

One Is One and All Alone Essay Example for Free

One Is One and All Alone Essay â€Å"One is One and All Alone† by Nicholas Fisk is a science fiction story, set in 2045. The main character is Trish, an 11-year old girl who is the only child on a spaceship to Trion. Her father is the Executive Officer of the spaceship and her mother is in Trion helping to set up a space station. She will only meet her mother in mid January 2047. After three months, she feels lonely and bored as she does not have any real friends to talk to except her private, multi-functional diary: the Voice Printer (VP). VP is an intelligent computer which keeps Trish entertained with its ability to perform many functions. Through her dialogue sessions with VP, Trish learns about clones and the cloning process. The idea of cloning fascinates Trish and she soon decides to create a clone to keep her company in the spaceship Bio lab without her father’s knowledge. She names her new identical twin â€Å"Clo† and initially it becomes her perfect friend and companion. They have fun playing and sharing their time together. However, certain mannerism of Clo begins to irritate Trish as the clone behaves and thinks like her. Soon they start to argue and disagree with each other over trivial matters. The last straw happens one night when Clo starts referring to Trish’s mum as her mum and this upsets Trish as she feels her privacy is being invaded. The next day, Trish opens up her diary and confides in VP that she does not like to be â€Å"swamped, invaded and taken over.† At that instant, she decides to dispose off Clo forever through the â€Å"DISPOSAL† hatch near her cabin. The story ends with a twist when it is Trish who is disposed by Clo. Clo then assumes Trish’s identity and Trish’s dad is not aware of the change at all. Clo then enjoys being â€Å"one is one and all alone† and her new lease of life as Trish in the spaceship.

Changes During the Ageing Process

Changes During the Ageing Process Physiological and sociological ageing is an unpreventable process to which, each individual goes through. Although each ageing process varies greatly from each individual to another it tends to speed up as we age. â€Å"Ageing can be defined as increasing the number and proportion of elderly in society† (Calasanti Kathleen, 2006) We age from the moment we are born, however the changes that occurs during ageing results from losses that is gradual overtime. It is said that loses can often start from young adulthood (mid 20’s-30’s) because our bodies being able to adjust and maintain health in most individuals, it is said the loss in not shown until later on in life. â€Å"We lose 1% of organ functionality per year from the age of 30 years old† (Martin GM, 2007) â€Å"the majority of these changes are not seen until after age 70† (Critchley, 1931, 1934) The considerable difference in the rate of ageing and organ efficiency lies within the presence of disease and/or the ability of the body to adapt to external stress. The three main models of changes that we need to focus on during our ageing process are; physical, psychological and social. At any given time, one can be effected or all of them together which can impact on a person’s quality of life. As we’re all unique in our own right, each person’s ageing process can be different ageing cycle. â€Å"The pensioner population is expected to rise despite the increase in the women’s state pension age to 65 between 2010 and 2020 and the increase for both men and women from 65 to 68 between 2024 and 2046.† (Parliament, 2010) According to the NHS, individuals are living longer than ever before and our society is expanding. With the NHS explaining that â€Å"with the fastest rise in the ‘oldest old’, means that the overall number of people in our society withhealth or care needs has risen. In turn, this has altered the very nature of our health and care services, with older people now the biggest users† As we get older, it is common for some memory loss such as forgetting names or appointments, this is normal due to â€Å"memory being affected by age, stress, tiredness, or certain illnesses and medications† (NHS, 2014) Typically common illnesses and diseases occurs (however not exclusive to elderly individuals) is Dementia, Cancer and also Arthritis. Dementia is a progressive disease. Affecting all parts of the brain such as the frontal lobe, occipital lobes, temporal lobe, and parietal lobe. â€Å"Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities. This includes problems with: memory loss, thinking speed, mental agility, language, understanding, judgement† (NHS, 2014) According to the Alzheimer’s Society there are â€Å"around 800,000 people in the UK with dementia. Current statistics show that one in three people over 65 will develop dementia, and two thirds of people with dementia are women†. Research undertaken by Alzheimer’s Society has shown that young people also develop dementia and it is not exclusive to elderly people. According to Cancer Research, 2013 â€Å"Cancer is a disease caused by normal cells changing so that they grow in an uncontrolled way. The uncontrolled growth causes a lump called a tumour to form†. Age Concern UK, conducted a study in the years between 2009-2011 and found that the most top 5 cancer diagnosed for men aged 75 and over is prostate, lung, bowel, bladder and stomach cancer. Their research also found that the top 5 commonly cancer being diagnosed for women over 75 and over; breast, bowel, lung, pancreas and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer. Also shown during this research was that â€Å"36% of all cancers are diagnosed in the elderly† (UK, 2009-2011) Arthritis is not exclusive to elderly people and it is a myth to say that â€Å"only elderly people have arthritis† it also affects younger individuals also. â€Å"Arthritis is a common condition that causes pain and inflammation within a joint. In the UK, around 10 million people have arthritis. Two of the most commonare osteoarthritisand rheumatoid arthritis.† (NHS, 2012) According to Arthritis Research UK, 2013: â€Å"Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis statistic shows that 8.5 million people are affected by Osteoarthritis.† â€Å"In people affected by osteoarthritis, the cartilage (connective tissue) between their bones gradually wastes away, leading to painful rubbing of bone on bone in the joints. The most frequently affected joints are in the hands, spine, knees and hips. Osteoarthritis often develops in people who are over 50 years of age. However, it can develop at any age as a result of an injury or another joint-related condition† (NHS, 2012) â€Å"The psychological aspect of ageing is a phase of personal integrity with despair† (Erik Erikson, 1950) during the final stages of the cycle of life; the individual is often seeking a sense of integrity and trying to avoid a sense of despair. Elder age often becomes a time of reflecting back on their life which allows a return of events during their own personal lifetime. â€Å"To the extent we have succeeded in effectively solving the problems that had arisen at every stage of life, we have developed a sense of completion and fullness that is to say, the feeling of full life† (Gullette, 2004). Societies views on ageing has been deemed as somewhat negative, it has been argued that the older population can be wrongly so, be a drain on society. Due to advantages in modern medicine and technology it has been clearly proven that there is a better quality of life for older people. The government has also contributed in helping improve quality of life to over 65’s by providing; state pension, free TV licence, free bus pass, winter fuel allowance, help with care nursing fee’s* (if individual doesn’t have any form of assets such as property*) and legislations in place for best interests of individuals and pushing them to remain independent where possible by staying in their own home rather than carting off elderly people into nursing homes or care homes once they reach retirement age. Elderly individuals do also contribute back to society such as volunteering, childcare for grandchildren and also, most continue to work and pay their taxes after the â€Å"state pension age† of 61 and 68 years old. Ageing is different from one individual to another because all human beings are unique in their own right, it’s hard to pinpoint how the ageing process affects each individual physical, intellectual abilities and psychological quality of life however, individuals needs change as they age and in order to meet a standard of quality of life their needs should be simultaneously met where possible. During life, we all often begin to experiences many types of losses this can include loss of many things such as material things; health, jobs, homes. Death of relatives, friends and pets. At times, this can come all at once or spaced out nevertheless; losing an object or an individual close to you can be overwhelming sadness period in anyone’s life which can result in problems physically and mentally such as depression. Dr Elisabeth Kà ¼bler-Ross’s pioneering research on grief and grieving has made a significant indent on the bereavement and support care of those individuals that are grieving. In fact such an idea or understanding of grief was a rare and novel idea before Dr Elisabeth Kà ¼bler-Ross 1969 research which inaugurated her â€Å"five stages of grief† which is detailed as; first stage, shock and denial and sometimes overwhelming, the second stage is anger. Dr Kà ¼bler-Ross explains that the realisation of reality emerges after the initial shock. The feelings of anger may be directed at the loved one whom passed over or people around the person who is grieving. Following from that the third stage of grief is said to be bargaining, the person who is grieving can be thinking the classic â€Å"should of, could of, would of† †¦ I wish I would have done this, I wish I would have done that. I wish I would have told them this, seen them more before passing etc. forth s tage of the process is said to be depression, a mixture feelings of sadness and mourning and the final stage of the process is acceptance; this phase is a mixture of accepting what has happened, knowing that you cannot change the past. Allowing themselves to continue living after a loved one has passed without feeling guilty about â€Å"moving on†. Although the five stages of grief model was initially developed to help health care professionals around the world understand the grief of their patients and their relatives who are on the verge of passing over, it has now been comprehensively adopted by individuals around the world not just medical professions but individuals who are facing to be in a situation of their loved ones passing over. The stages are arguably an experience during which, the sorrowful process of the experience of grief are somewhat, easier to understand the grieving process. The idea also provided an in-depth understanding of grief and for helping others cope through personal trauma of grief. Going through grief is understandably, one of the hardest things an individual can ever go through, but realising that they don’t have to do it all by their selves can help â€Å"ease† the pain from grieving. These days there is lot of support groups available for people who are grieving. The support groups can benefit others by sharing their loss and pain by openly talking about their circumstances and feelings is an active step for them to work through their pain and come to term with that has happened to them. Another positive is that by sharing the loss and pain with others going through the same thing, eventually the individuals find themselves giving compassion and reaching out to help others within the support group with the hope they will survive through the terrible personal trauma of grief. Although many theories has been developed regarding the ageing process, the theory of disengagement has generated the most interest to this day (Cumming Henry, 1961) according to their theory; â€Å"as people age, they tend to withdraw from society, and this can be mutual, with society†. Cumming Henry had argued â€Å"this was a consequence of people learning within their limitations with age and making way for new generations of people the fill their roles†. However, it is said that the disengagement theory is controversial, and many individuals do not agree with it. One negativity of disengagement is the low self-esteem that can occur of disengaging. This could have a knock on effect of simply â€Å"not engaging† with others if they believe they are not â€Å"worth it†. â€Å"This qualitative change will accompany the quantitative reduction in social interaction taking place between the elderly and society† (Masoro, 2006). Within diverse societies, it is argued that the disengagement theory is a negative one. When the disengagement theory was created by Cumming Henry, the tradition within society back then was allowing older people to live at home with their families rather than using any form of nursing and residential care. The activity theory was originally developed by Robert J. Havighurst in 1961; originally the activity theory was conceived as a response to then, the recently published disengagement theory of ageing. As mentioned above, the disengagement model suggested that it is natural for elderly to disengage completely from society when they realise that they are close to their death. According to activity theorists, as people interact with their environment and each other, they achieve a series of outcomes. As individuals engage within activities, it gives them something to focus on and keeps themselves as well as their brains active which can minimise depression and feelings of being unwanted. The activity theory has been to understand the emotional changes within ageing adults. Research has found that elderly individuals that has remained in employment, or being able to peruse hobbies or day centres etc. can actually improve a quality of life as it keeps themselves busy and actively engaging with others can improve their self-esteem dramatically. As we’re all unique in our own right, it’s hard to define ageing process for every single human being. But on average, whilst most over 60’s might still be in employment, having independence and remaining in their own home and others might be unable to mobilize and lost their independence and residing in a care home. Following from research of this essay, as long as all elder individuals needs and preferences are met, their quality of life is at a high standard and appropriate help and support is available then processing through the later adult ageing process will be significantly easier for the individual going through the ageing process and dealing with complications that can occur such as higher risk of developing illnesses that can occur as we age.

Gender Analysis of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein

Gender Analysis of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Gender identity entraps and limits us. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelleys, Frankenstein, or, The modern Prometheus. Shelleys Frankenstein a mix of the gothic and romanticism genre presents gender-related entrapments of the era, from the socially excepted at the time and additionally the representation of the inflexible society in which criticised choice relating to gender and social status. Although the role of the female characters maintains a constant, in the role of nurturer and a place of ensuring care for the patriarchal husband and children. Shelley does not provide a strong female protagonist in Frankenstein the reference made to the women in this novel presents an insight to Frankenstein himself as an obsessive man with a masculinity which differs to the other male characters. Vlasopolos, suggests Men in Frankenstein need less rescuing from obscurity; but they too are scrutinised according to class standards of deportment, attitudes towards money, and language before they are accepted as companions of aristocrats. (Vlasopolos:127). In this essay, Frankensteins rejection of masculinity, his struggle with social demands and his creature as an extension of his manhood will be explored. The reader is introduced to Frankensteins childhood and family structure. He is a talented man who departs for further education soon after the death of his mother, from scarlet fever which she contracted from Frankensteins arranged betrothed, Elizabeth. Frankensteins mother described as much younger than his father and adored by Frankenstein. The reader is witness to the mothers last moments. This moment is reiterated later in the novel concerning Elizabeth herself. As Frankensteins creature is complete, in fear filled dreams of Elizabeth, she died in his arms and resumed the form of his mother, the first love, before waking to the creature, which is desiring the attention of his creator. The reader, witnessing the dream finds confirmation of Frankensteins Oedipus complex. Again, Elizabeths death on the wedding night at the hands of the monster, Frankenstein himself finds comfort in holding the lifeless body of his bride. Veeder goes as far to suggest that Although Frankensteins desire to become Fitz-victor is achieved partially by giving birth to himself as a monster, he remains a son so long as he: has a father. Alphonse must die.'(Veeder:380) By the removal of the father, Frankenstein could, therefore, become the role of father, through self-creation by, the underlying desire of creator and father as achievable. The role of the monster, therefore, becomes an extension of the creator to achieve his desire. The ugliness of the creation and the fear from the creator may represent all that Frankenstein was hiding from himself. As both the creator and the created had a desire to belong as they are; not by a role which society had thrust upon them. The monster appeared for the most part when the creator was in distress suggesting that; Frankenstein himself is the monster. As the creation desired belonging, love and to be accepted not as the monster at a physical level replaced by the rage to which drove the monster to eliminate the relatives of his creator, in the hope that the bond between the creator and the created would blossom as there would be no other. Firstly the death of William the youngest brother, the love of the father. The death at the hands of the monster is the first step to destroying Alphonse. Justines death may represent the lack of choices the monster denied the love of a woman and Victor unable to choose the life companion. The death of Justine, the rage of the monster realisation of not belonging and Victors self-internal guilt for her death extends the grief of William. Followed by the death of Clerval, Frankensteins closest friend, a magnanimous person who gives generously of himself to others, (Badalamenti:430) described as the perfect male form of beauty. The obsession of Frankenstein and the monster of the beautiful made Clerval a target due to the ideal of masculinity both the creator and the created both desired. Clervals death represents the loss of the super-ego and self-consciousness within Frankenstein. Elizabeths death on the wedding night. The monster wanted to have his creator to himself and removed El izabeth as Frankenstein did to the monster after requesting he make a companion, but also making Frankensteins dream a reality. The ultimate death is the one of Alphonse the hierarchical superior, the grief of loss onto the family brought death to this figure. The loss of which Frankenstein knows the actions of his monster resulted in the passing of the father became the turning point in the plot. Instead of a bedridden madness which plagued Frankenstein at times of distress, he becomes the father he desired. To hunt down his creation and destroy the part of himself now all that enforced the male role had no influence. To which Frankenstein before his death finds a companion in Walton who sees him as he wishes to be viewed, consequently the monster himself resides to death as his desire to bond with his creator was denied. Resulting in the passing of the creator and the created, without achieving the social acceptance they desired. Shelley offers a journey of Frankensteins social expectations and avoidance to become the masculine norm of his class. Frankenstein feared the expected role which waited for him. Hence, the history and family structure are essential to understanding Frankenstein. The monster eliminates the woes of Frankensteins life; therefore the creature could represent an extension of self, an unconscious primitive nature expressing unrestricted impulsiveness. Waltons letter to his sister of Frankensteins warnings; Shelley suggests sex and class norms associated with gender should be followed to prosper in life. Frankensteins documented words; Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow. (Shelley:43) Hence, Frankenstein concludes his self-made ambiguity against his expected gender role, became the destroyer of all that he thought he did not desire but ultimately required for survival. Bibliography: Badalamenti, Anthony F. Why Did Mary Shelley Write Frankenstein? Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 45, no. 3, (2006) 419-439. Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein, or, The modern Prometheus. Camberwell, Vic: Penguin, 2006. Print. [Originally published London: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor Jones, c1818.] Veeder, William. The Negative Oedipus: Father, Frankenstein, and the Shelleys. 12, no. 2, (1986) 365-90. Vlasopolos, Anca. Frankensteins Hidden Skeleton: The Psycho-Politics of Oppression (Le Squelette Cachà © De Frankenstein: La Psycho-politique De Poppression). Science Fiction Studies 10, no. 2. Web. 1983 Additional References: Bissonette, Melissa Bloom. Teaching the Monster: Critical Thinking. College Literature, vol. 37, no. 3, The John Hopkins University Press (2010) 106-120. London, Bette. Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, and the Spectacle of Masculinity. PMLA, vol. 108, no.2, Modern Language Association (1993) 253-267

Tiresias, Oedipus, and Self Essay -- Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Tiresias, Oedipus Rex, and Self  Ã‚   The play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, tells a horrendous tale about one man's quest for the truth. In the play, King Oedipus was burdened with the task of finding his predecessor's murderer so that order may be restored to his kingdom. While his conscious mind was seeking the murderer, his unconscious mind was retarding his progress in order to conceal the truth. Tiresias, prophesies the truth to Oedipus, but Oedipus's unconscious mind would not hear it. Thus, when the awful truth is finally revealed, Oedipus is overwhelmed by it. This causes the physical and emotional wounds that would last him a lifetime. A supplementary piece of literature, Tiresias by Tennyson, was written to complement this play. In Tennyson's poem, he told about a man who was touched by the Gods, when he reached the point of enlightenment in his life; this man is Tiresias. Through the study of Tennyson's Tiresias, one can better understand the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus the character and one's self. In Tiresias, the narrator speaks about his desire to be like his friend Fitz. The perception of Fitz given by Tennyson is that he was a very spiritual man touched by the Gods. Tennyson's first attempt to be like Fitz was to become a vegetarian: And once for ten long weeks I tried Your table of Pythagoras, And seem'd at first "a thing enskied," As Shakespeare has it, airy-light To float above the ways of men, Then fell from that half-spiritual height Chill'd, till I tasted flesh again One night when the earth was winter-black, And all the heavens flash'd in frost; And on me, half-asleep, came back That wholesome heat the blood had lost, And set me climbing icy capes . . . (Tennyson, 14-... ...ind's frailty consider his last day; and let none presume on his good fortune until he find life, at his death, a memory without pain." (Sophocles, 757) This imagery of peace and serenity causes one to strive for such enlightenment. After an extensive examination of both works, one's understanding of Oedipus Rex the play, Oedipus the character, and one's self is heightened. One can better understand how Tiresias, Oedipus, and one's self are bound to the ways of the flesh. One also understands that in order to break free from the ways of man, one must reach enlightenment which is done when one is touched by the Gods.    Works Cited Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." Elements of Literature. Ed. Robert Scholes, Nancy R. Comley, Carl H. Klaus, and David Staines. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1990. 714-757. Tennyson. "Tiresias." ENGOA1 Handout.      

Summary of Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx Essay -- Karl Marx Communi

Summary of Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx Introduction Karl Marx was born in 1818 into a middle-class, German family. During his studies, Marx was heavily influenced by the philosophy of Hegel. He joined a group called the â€Å"Young Hegelians.† The group, though â€Å"inspired by Hegel, [was] determined to champion the more radical aspects of the old master's system.†[i] Though he was a strong scholar, he got into trouble because of his radical political views.[ii] In 1847, together with fellow German, Freidrich Engels, Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto. The Central Authority of the Communist League approved The Communist Manifesto January of 1848, and the document began printing the next month.[iii] The manifesto was â€Å"inspired by the emergence of the modern working class, [he] developed a wholly new socialist outlook based upon the principle of socialism from below.†[iv] In Marx’s version of socialism, there were two central themes, one of which was that the working class had to libe rate themselves from their oppressors, and the other involved the working people overthrowing their current government to create a new, democratic society for themselves.[v] Summary of Section 1 Marx begins by showing that throughout all of history humans have divided themselves into certain ranks or classes. For example, in the Middle Ages social divisions were â€Å"feudal lords, vassals, guild-masters, journeymen, apprentices, [and] serfs.†[vi] As long as social stratification has existed, one group or groups have been the oppressor while another group or groups have been the oppressed. The fight that exists between the oppressed and the oppressor is destine to end reconstruction of society triggered by revoluti... ...o of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.. New York: Russell and Russell, 1963. [vii] Marx [viii] Marx [ix] Marx [x] Marx [xi] Marx [xii] Marx [xiii] Marx [xiv] Marx [xv] Marx [xvi] Marx [xvii] Marx [xviii] Marx [xix] Marx [xx] Marx [xxi] Marx [xxii] Marx [xxiii] Marx [xxiv] Marx [xxv] Marx [xxvi] Brians, Paul. Study Guide for The Communist Manifesto. 15 March 2002 . LINKS TO: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/manifesto.html Study Guide for The Communist Manifesto. http://marxist.org http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/marx.html http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/marx.htm http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/marx.htm http://www.classicnote.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/communist/ http://homepages.udayton.edu/~santamar

How Important Was Martin Luther King Compared to Malcolm X

During the 1920’s/1930’s, black Americans faced a huge amount of discrimination from the whites and found if very difficult to achieve civil rights. They were at one stage deprived of the right to vote, not being entitled to the same things as whites, and not going to the same schools as whites. In order for blacks to achieve civil rights they needed someone to follow, they needed a leader. Many black leaders did emerge for the fight of civil rights. Two of the most powerful influential leaders of the twentieth century were Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. These two leaders had different methods and strategies, and very different views towards white people, but fought for the same thing. Martin Luther King was a pacifist, as he strongly disagreed in the use of any violence. This is made clear in source four, which is an example of what King achieved, in a peaceful protest. This source is from the civil rights movement, and it is about the incident of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was travelling on a local bus when a white woman asked her to give up her seat, and she refused, this is because she was ‘tired of giving in’ to racism. She was then arrested later that day. Martin Luther King then decided to lead a boycott of buses, which is when King first step into leading a civil rights movement, raising his profile as a leader, and his importance into the civil rights movement. Malcolm X believed in violence, and criticized King’s beliefs and methods. This is because he felt that King wasn’t doing enough for the black community, and that violence would make it happen faster. In source 14, Malcolm X gives his opinions on violence and non violence, ‘You haven’t got a revelation that doesn’t involve bloodshed. And you’re afraid to bleed. I said, you’re afraid to bleed. ’ It could be argued that Malcolm feels that most black people are cowardly and are failing to stand up for themselves. He also believes that violence solves things, which means he wants the blacks to intensify their actions. This is when Malcolm first became a symbol to black people, and became important in the civil rights movement; because he struck a chord among many young who felt they were being treated unjustly by the whites. Martin Luther King used peaceful protests and methods to publicise his views. An example of the peaceful protest was in Washington in March, 1963, when he delivered his ‘I have a dream’ speech which is shown in source 5. This emphasised his importance to the civil rights movement, as it is a well known speech which is still revered today, which emphasises Kings importance to the civil rights movement. A reason for it being well knows is because it was televised, and was broadcast to the whole of America, which means a lot more people heard it as it was more publicised. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character. ’ This tells us that King was really pushing equality into the minds of white families. It could be argued that the whites in America were not ready for this huge change in their society, and it questioned the white people of America’s readiness to accept change. Malcolm X used very different methods to King, and often criticized the way he did things. Malcolm believed that they wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything without the use of violence, this is shown in source 13 when Malcolm says, ‘I am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to the American black man’s problems. If we must use violence to get the black man his human rights in this country, then I am all for violence. ’ This indicates that Malcolm X’s method included violence, but this is only because he felt he needed to use it to gain his own human rights, which blacks were lacking terribly. It could be argued that white people were scared of black people to an extent, as Malcolm X’s followers would use violence towards them. Again, this illustrates him importance in the civil rights movement. Good examples of some of Martin Luther King’s successes is the previously discussed, ‘Montgomery Bus Boycott’ and the ‘I have a dream speech’. Another source that also gives evidence of his importance and success is source 11. This source is a graph on black Americans being registered to vote from the 1940’s – 1970’s. It is a line graph, with a positive correlation, with King’s actions, showing his success in the south. This tells us that King was making a huge impact on society, prolonging his importance. The civil rights act took place between 1964-1968, and was supported by the president at the time, Lyndon Johnson. This is shown in source 15 where it says, â€Å"All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, service facilities and privileges, advantages, and accommodations†¦without discrimination or segregation no the ground or face, colour, religion, or national origin† This indicates that the civil rights act was improving the lives of black people, regardless of how people judged them. This is a huge importance as Martin Luther King made a huge impact on the Civil Rights Movement. An example of Malcolm X’s successes would be him giving a voice to the ghettos in the in New York City. This is shown in source 16, ‘a high percentage of New York City’s black people responded to what I said, including a great many who would not publicly say so. ’ This shows us that while King was in the south, Malcolm X was in the north, giving his own views, and people were listening to him, and doing what he told them to – whether they admitted it or not. There is more evidence of this is the same source where Malcolm says, ‘‘time and time again when I spoke in street rallies, I would draw ten and twelve times as many people as most other so-called ‘negro leaders’’ This suggests that although other negro leaders were giving their views, the people didn’t respect theirs as much as Malcolm’s. It could be argued that because of Malcolm’s past, (including his home being burnt down, armed robbery charges, and a 6 ? year prison sentence), he had more experiences, and therefore more empathy than the other leaders with the dissatisfied youth of New York. This meant that the young black generation made more of a connection with Malcolm than the others, which means he was becoming more important. An example of Martin Luther King’s failures would be ‘The Freedom Ride’ in Birmingham, Alabama, 1963. The freedom ride was a failure, because of the use of violence which occurred. The plan of the freedom ride was just to ride, and cause a commotion for the population of Birmingham. However, in source 8, it shows a picture of fire hoses being used against protesters on the street. The water pressure was so powerful that it could knock bricks out of walls. This was the white power structures reaction to the freedom ride, demonstrating where the power lay. This source indicates the amount of violence that was used during this ‘peaceful’ protest, thus making it one of King’s failures. Therefore it’s important because although he had his failures he still had a large group of followers that stood by him, and kept the fight for equal rights alive. Malcolm X was considered irresponsible and negative. He criticized Martin Luther King’s methods, and he never established any organizations or events himself. This is evident as there are no sources given to support this, and there is no evidence of this in our research. It could be argued that he didn’t have any ideas of his own, and that he just followed other people’s ideas, such as: Marcus Garvey. It is suggested that Malcolm got his ideas from Marcus Garvey as Malcolm’s father was involved in his organization ‘The Universal Negro Improvement Association’ which means Malcolm was brought up in that environment from a young age. This not only means that Malcolm was inspired by Garvey, but could be argued that he spoke to young people about his ideas, but claiming them to be his own. It could be argued that this is one of his failures as he wasn’t thinking from his own perspective, but using other peoples. Martin Luther King had different ways of leading his supporters, in comparison to Malcolm X. As discussed before, King used peaceful protests and methods. It could be argued that this is how King got his followers, and why people thought King was the best civil rights leader to follow at the time. King was a leader of the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) which was a civil rights organization against racial segregation. King was known as ‘the voice’ of the organization. The SCLC wanted ‘absolute and immediate freedom and equality†¦ right here in this land today’ which is why they organized so many different events (e. g. Montgomery bus boycott, ect. ) It could be argued that King had such a large group of followers, because he was a member of this group, and it is what got him known. This played an important part in King’s life, as not only did his leadership inspire people, but his leadership gave results. Malcolm X was a very different leader to Martin Luther King. This is because he believed in violence, and using force towards people. Malcolm was ‘suspicious’ of whites, and was willing to use ‘any means necessary’ to achieve quality. Malcolm usually gave speeches to ‘the ghettos’ of New York, which is where a lot of young black men and woman lived. Malcolm’s views soon spread and this is when a political party called ‘The black panthers’ was formed. The black panthers were feared by civilians. This is made clear in source 18 where it says, ‘This black panther is a vicious animal as you know†¦ it can destroy everything that’s before him. This indicated that the black panthers are a strong group, that aren’t to be messed with. The black panthers used weapons, and there were around 2000 members, this could be argued that the black panthers were some sort of ‘small army’ that intimidated many people. They promoted black people as being stronger and be tter that white people, and that ‘any this is necessary’ in order to become superior. Evidently, this is a very different viewpoint compared to Martin Luther Kings, which questioned his motives, and if he was doing enough. This is very important as the black panthers were created due to Malcolm X and his fight for ‘Black Power’. However, the ‘Black Panthers’ made Malcolm X look like an extremist, which is important as it could be argued Malcolm lost followers from this. In conclusion, I feel that Martin Luther King is more important that Malcolm X, to an extent. I feel King has made more progress that Malcolm X; this is because I feel he had more impact on the civil rights movement. Although Malcolm spoke for the youths living on the streets of New York, King broadcast his message throughout America as it was televised. King was also involved in peaceful protests and organizations which generated all over the south of America, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott or The Washington March. However, I feel that Malcolm X didn’t get the chance to prove himself to be a big part of the Civil rights movement, this is because he spent a lot of time criticizing King’s methods, and his way of doing things, instead of combining their methods together, which would be argued would have had more of an impact of the Civil Rights Movement earlier. Malcolm then travelled around the world to learn about other black cultures. When he came back he had a different perspective on King’s views and opinions, but shortly after his return he was assassinated by members of the Black Muslim movement. This deprived Malcolm and Martin combining their ideas together and becoming a stronger union.

Air Asia vs. Qantas Essay

1. Overview 1.1 Qantas-Main business and strategies The main business of Qantas airways limited is the transportation of passengers. Their core strategy of Qantas is profitably grows and the longer-term strategy of Qantas is to reorganize its business structure in order to eliminate mounting losses. The strategy that implement by company is to reduce the capital intensity of the business by forging partnerships with carriers in certain sectors that are uneconomical. (Qantas, 2012) Such as cooperate with British Airways. Qantas use two complementary airline brands; these two brands are used to touch different customers. Two brands operating together has occupied 65% market share in Australia, (Qantas, 2012) because, two brands provide flexibility in varying market conditions. Qantas, (2011 pp. 4) On the other hand, these two brands practice some sub-strategies to support its main strategy. These appropriate sub-strategies are the key success for point that lead to Qantas continually expansion in the world. | Qantas| Jetstar| Sub-Strategy| * Premium full service * Maximized profitability| * Cost leadership * Low fare airline| Operational improvement| * Enhanced customer service focus| * Expand locally and into international leisure markets | In statistics of 2012, Qantas has full-employees for 33,584. Flights over 550 airports and passengers carried are 44,456,000, which increase the 5.06% base on the year 2011. (Qantas, 2012) 1.2 Air Asia-Main business and strategies Air Asia is the largest low-cost flyer carrier in the world. It is establishing with the dream of making flying possible for everyone. On the other hand, it is not only focusing on the cost factor, but also safety first. The Air Asia has operated around 11 years, but it’s still keep high grow rate. The Air Asia is the regional carrier with the largest destination network, highest flight frequencies and high aircraft utilization.( Air Asia, 2012) Air Asia was named the 2012 World’s Best Low Cost Airline in the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax for three consecutive years. There are some actions that support its main strategy in order to make it success. Such as the lost cost model is based on: (Hill, C. W. 1988). * Single passenger class * Flying to cheaper, less congested secondary airports * A single type of airplane in order to reducing training and servicing cost * Point to point flights with no transfers In statistics, Air Asia has full –employees for 4346. Passengers carried are around 22,474,620 in 2012, which increase more than 10% base on the year 2011. Services network over 216 routes covering destinations in and around world. The below picture has shown that air Asia are trying to get more market share in the southwest of Asia, there are more than 143 routes in southwest of Asia out of 216. This is the developing direction of the Air Asia in recent years. (Air Asia, 2012) 2. Industry analysis 2.1 Overview Goble airlines markets & PESTLE mode analysis The Lift side is show that, the air travel remains a growth market. This forecast mentions that air traffic will double in the next 15 years, which means, the external environment still keep optimistic. Both of Qantas and Air Asia have same opportunity. (Airbus, 2012) The PESTLE model lists the factors or driver for growth, external environment can be reasonably expected as optimistic. but this chart showed that real GDP 2011-2031 by region, the economic growth is a key driver for air traffic growth, increasing urbanization will also drive economic growth and the propensity to fly. (Airbus, 2012) PESTLE model PESTLE model| Political * Stable political environment * Deregulation| Economic * Global financial crisis * Rising currency * Rising fuel cost| Social * Changing consumer demographics * Increasing travel lifestyle * Changing consumer preferences| Technology * Internet * Surface transport investments * Efficient aircrafts| Legal * Legislation compliance requirements * Allegations of misleading advertising| Environmental * Greenhouse and carbon emissions * Tourism saturation * Shortage of infrastructure capacity| 2.2 Overview Australia airline markets Qantas is the biggest airline operator in Australia, which represent as 75.6% for domestic market, but Qantas still has some competitors in Australia, such as Virgin blue (14.4%), Skywest (1.3%), Tiger (1.0%) and others (6.3%). We should understand it operate environment before we going to depth analysis, because the every company is restricted by external environment. PESTLE model clearly show Qantas operating external environment According to this chart, we can conclude that the overall environment is good and stable, but overall industry still facing some problem, the biggest issues has shown at lift picture, which is purchases, purchases of fuel. (Australia government 2013) 2.3 Qantas SWOT analysis Strength: 1. As one of the biggest Airline in the world, QAN has large quantity of flight customers and business relationships. Large scale could bring more benefits. 2. Qantas operates in a sea of business activities in different sectors. But all of them the support activities of the aviation industry, such as catering, engineering and baggage handling. Thus operation contributes to helping control supplier and aircraft maintenance costs. 3. Qantas Airways, Canada airlines, United Kingdom airline, United States airlines and Cathay Pacific founded a management company called One world Alliance. This centrally is to help each other in non-core business activities, such as marketing and online ticketing, in purpose of reducing costs and thereby cutting ticket prices. Members of the Union may also transfer passengers for connecting flights. 4. As monopolizing in Australian Market, Qantas has a home advantage. Thus its subsidies could provide better resources for its business. Weakness: Without the authorization of the trade union officials, workers in Qantas took an action called Wild Cat Strikes. Qantas was damaged by that action in delaying flights, exploring its issues between employees and the company. Besides, QAN Company is too concentrated on Australia side. Opportunities: As publishing of Open sky police, such as Pricing determined by market forces, Fair and equal opportunity to complete, Cooperative marketing arrangements, QAN could be beneficial from international aviation liberalization and downsizing in government intervention. In addition, more international destinations especially in Asia are developing. Due to Australia Market is less tapped so far, QAN could get a better chance to gain a major market shares than other airline companies. Moreover, QAN found a new opportunity of new market and created Jetstar witch is a low budget airline to attract potential large quantities of customers. Threat: With the result of merging between n United Airlines and Continental, Qantas is under threat because United Airlines- Continental is planning to penetrate into Australian market. One of Qantas most important international routine, between Australia and USA, will be affected. Unfortunately, large fluctuation in oil prices, together with global financial crisis, big airline companies was affected seriously due to rising operation and labor costs. Increasing Australia Airline market completion also will be a threat for QAN developing. 2.4 Overview Southwest of Asia markets The main competitors of Air Asia are Thai airways, Nok air, One Two GO Airline, and Singapore airlines, among of them SIG is the main competitor with Air Aira, in order to compete with Air Asia, SIG introduced 2 budget airlines; Valu Air and Tiger Airways, both of them are practice as the low-cost position. AIRASIA SWOT Analysis: Strength: AIRASIA has a well-known name and it is famous for its low cost operation. in accordance with the 2011-2012 year financial report, the company’s non-fuel costs fell 3%, suggesting that companies continue to implement cost control; in 2011-2012, the company plans to non-fuel unit costs to fall by 5%. While ancillary revenue rose 23%, which helps companies to achieve annual revenue growth targets Moreover, it has the first-mover advantage of first low cost airline company in Asia. After that, AirAisa has strong promotional strategies for general promotion and media advertising. In addition, they companying with other service providers, such as hotel) and credit cards create a unique image among customers. Because of its punctual performance, AirAsia was offered honor of five-star service and flashes. AIRASIA has developed a well-established distribution channel in its products and services. Moreover, it is always using single type of airplane, thus minimizing maintenance fees. Weaknesses Due to the report, Aircraft leasing costs increased by 8% since the number of aircraft increased by 8 per cent while leasing costs and depreciation of the dollar, allowing the company to save rental costs. Airport and operating costs increased by 12%, reached 444.34 million dollars. Other expenses have increased by 14%. As the economic condition recovery, how to control the rising costs becomes o one of the most serious challenges faced by AIRASIA. Because of the lower cost, AIRASIA has limited service resources. Thus also is related to being lack of ability of handling irregular situation. Government interference regulates airports. In addition, AIRASIA receives a lot of complaints from customers such flight delays and not able to change flight. When competition is getting intense, good customer service and management is especially important. Opportunity With having first-move advantages, AIRASIA could be more possible to survive and win under the big intense environment such as rising oil price and government regulation. There is another opportunity for AIRASIA is cooperating with other low cost airlines such as Jetstar. The significant action could help tap into their strength and resources. Besides, larger population of customers is willing to choose cheaper flight. Threat In nowadays, lots of low cost airline companies are appeared such as Jetstar, Virgin, and Southwest. These companies improve that AIRASIA’s low cost strategy could not be a strong competitive advantage in the industry. It could be copied easily. Many kinds of expenses such as security fees and landing fees are out of control. Moreover, unstable economic conditions in the world have impacted on airline industry. Thus treat is same with questions facing by Qantas. 3. Accounting policies analysis 3.1 Basis of preparation of the financial statements The accounting policies are the procedures that used by a company to prepare its financial statements. Qantas’ reports basically are prepared in accordance with AASBs, but also following the IFRS (Qantas, 2012 pp.78). Air Asia prepared their reports following the MASBs and also in conformity with IFRS. IFRS is the general guide for these two companies when they prepared their report. It means not only significantly enhance comparability of financial reporting between these two companies, but also decrease our uncertainty, increase the reliability and accurately of analysis. (Burgstahler, D. C., Hail, L., & Leuz, C. 2006) These two companies are running same business industry and prepare report in accordance with IFRS, so there are some accounting policies are similar, the following lists show the similarities of accounting policies practiced as these two companies 3.2 Similarities of accounting policies (Qantas, 2012 pp.80, Air Asia, 2012 pp.73) * Reports on the basis of historical costs except in accordance with relevant accounting policies where assets and liabilities are stated at their fair values * Main revenue recognition-The value of seats sold for which services have not been rendered is included in current liabilities as sales in advance * Other revenue-such as fuel surcharge, insurance surcharge, administrative fees, excess baggage and baggage handling fees, are recognized upon the completion of services rendered. * Residual value-the changing estimates are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances * PPE-Depreciation is used the straight-line method * Inventory-The values of inventories are reported as weight average cost. * Repair and maintenance expenditure, repair treat as cost, deduct in the same period. Maintenance, if it changes in the using life of equipment, it will be treat as capitalization. Even these policies are similar, but they still have some flexibility, such as the report can be influenced by changing accounting estimates. The following table has been showed that there are totally different use for life and residual values between these two companies’ assets. These two factors are depended on the judgment and estimate of management. Matsumoto, D. A. (2002) mentions that management’s estimates and judgments involved in the accounting policies which have significant potential impact on their financial statements, because these matters are really uncertainty. Finally, this uncertainty will reflect on the ROA, ROE, even if these two ratios increase or decrease, it does not necessarily because of changing in the company’s profitability. (Lev, B., Li, S., & Sougiannis, T. 2010). | Qantas| As Asia| | Use for life(Years)| Residual values| Use for life (Years)| Residual values| Buildings| 10-40| 0%| 28.75-50| 0%| Passenger aircraft and engines| 2.5-20| Up limited 10%| 7-25| Adjusting according to a prospective basis (note1)| Air spare parts| 15-20| Up limited 20%| 10| Adjusting according to a prospective basis (note1)| Note1ï ¼Å¡Estimates and judgments are continually evaluated by the Directors and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. (Air Asia, 2012 pp. 77) 3.3 Main different accounting policies 3.3.1 Receivable Qantas and Air Asia receivables contain of trade debtors, other debtors and loans owing from related parties. Normally, the net receivable is recognized as its original amount less a provision for uncollectible debts. Qantas make an estimate for doubtful debts when collection of the full amount is no longer probable. The estimation of provision of doubtful debt relative to receivable is regularly reviewed. Bad debts are written off as incurred (Qantas, 2012 pp.101). As result, it is a risky way for the company not to assign provision of bad debts according to the percentage of credit sales. In Air Asia, they assign provision of bad debts according to the percentage of credit sale, (Air Asia, 2012 pp. 98) company will operate more stable, less risk then Qantas, but allowance will decrease its operating asset, reflect on the ATO, as result influence ROE. (Davidson & Thompson 1962) 3.3.2 Discount Rate Discount rate is the interest rate that used in discounted cash flow analysis to determine the present value of future cash flows. (Qantas, 2012 pp.101) Changing discount rate will influence the company’s pension plan. Normally, pension is company’s liability; it is measured by three factors, PBO, ABO and VBO. Either PBO, ABO, should be discounted before reported. Due to particular category of pension plan, company just reports the different between the pension benefits and pension obligation on the financial report, if the benefits are greater than obligations it will be reported on the assets side, on the opposite, it will be reported on the liabilities side. (Wiener 1995) So the effect will directly reflect on its ROA and ROE. Discount rate of Qantas is based on the risk-free rate for the ten-year Australian Government Bonds adjusted for a risk premium that represented as 10.5% percent per annum (Qantas, 2012 pp.103). Air Asia use weight average effective interest ra te that represent as 10% per annum. The changes in discount rates of Qantas in 2011 to 2012 that lead to decrease in the Workers ’ Compensation provision of $15 million and an increase in the long service leave provision of $45 million. The net effect of these changes was a $30 million increase in provisions as at 30 June 2012. (Qantas, 2012 pp.103) as results, the changing of provision will reflect on the ROE of Qantas, because provision is comprised of liability. Finally, the ratio analysis will lack of comparability. 4. Ratio analysis: 4.1 Return on equity analysis: The ROE changing line of Qantas Airline limited (QAN) has a sharp fluctuation during year 2009, which has reached the top point of almost 60%. Then ROE index declined until 16.89% after the top and maintained about the level figure of 20% from year 2010. Compared with QAN, Aireys Berhad (AIRASIA) has a relative complicated ROE line. AIRASIA started from -50% from end of year 2008, afterwards got to the first top of 35.37% in 2010. After that the concave curve reached the bottom of 14.28%, and was back to the top at point of 37.39%. As personal opinion, AIRASIA has a brighter future than QAN on ROE side due to its growing trend ROE ratio from year 2011 though it had a negative number from the beginning point. In addition, with the research of 5 year average ROE rate, the total airline industry index is 26.9%, which is higher than QAN and lower than AIRAISA (StockCentral, 2013). AIRAISA is doing a better job in using investors’ money and attracting more investing capital. 4.2 Leverage affect From above two graphs, different index reflect different relationships. On QAN side, ROE rates changing are mainly due to changing in return of asset rate. It is indicating that QAN achieved a better effect of asset utilization by increasing revenue and saving asset funds to raise ROE ratio up. Different with QAN, AIRAISA’s ROE rate is primarily rely on financial leverage, which is equal to net financial liabilities / equity. Overwhelming other related facts, higher financial leverage rates mean stronger power of using liabilities to create profit. From this aspect, it is not hard to disclose different profit channels between two companies. 4.3 Borrowing cost driversï ¼Å¡ Downsizing of borrowing cost rate gives opportunities to raise ROE ratio. In QAN, from year 2011 the borrowing rates have been continuously declining which gave contributions to profit gaining. From AIRASIA side, borrowing cost rate kept on level of 3%-4% in recent two years, which may weaken ROE performance competing with QAN. 4.4 Operating profit drivers Return on asset ratio, which could be divided in asset turnover and profit margin directly, affects the performance of ROE. Compared with two companies, ATO ratio gave more impacts on ROA in past five years in QAN. Relatively much higher ATO ratio of QAN reflects that business higher speed of asset utilization from input to output for the period, better enterprise’s assets management quality and efficiency. Downsizing in ATO rate will directly influence ROA rate, obviously between year 2008 and 2009. In AIRASIA side, ROA ratio variation mainly affect by PM ration. On whole, PM ratio curve indicates increasing trend in the 5-year period, though a slight drop in year 2011. Higher PM ratio compared with QAN could give evidences that AIRASIA has better ability to recover kinds of expenditures and cost of goods sold, benefiting from the low cost strategy. Low costs give contributions to gaining higher ROA ratio of AIRASIA than QAN in recent year. 4.5 Cost structure These two graphs are drawn on the base of revenue as 100%. According to two graphics, we can easily see that After deduct COGS, Air Asia reported Gross profit around 50% over 5 years, but Qantas just has less than 20% for Gross profit, Air Asia practices cost-lead ship strategy, so COGS and its selling & administration expense is significantly lower than Qantas. So the Air Asia control its COGS are better than Qantas. But however, the selling & administration expense of Qantas (around 11% of 100% revenue) less then Air Asia (around 26% of 100% revenue), which mean Qantas, is good at management. Thus trend indicates that low-costs of airline industry would be bafflement for increasing profit. Compared with two companies’ gross profit and gross margin ratio curve, Qantas has been suffered drop trend in five-year gross profit due to its downsizing revenue and high cost of goods sold. AIRASIA has optimistic trends both in gross profit and gross margin. The company was engaged in e xpanding sales and revenue, improving cost management level and seeking appreciate company strategy at the same time. Higher gross profit and gross margin indicate company could have higher possibilities to gain profit. 4.6 Average industry analysis The first graph shows the ROE of Air Asia in the Malaysia airline industry, after 2009, the ROE of Air Asia is significantly higher than average. The second procure compare the Qantas with Australia airline industry, if we calculate the average ROE of Qantas, the result is a little bit lower than average. The last graph we put two-airline companies in the Asia- pacific region, the graph has shown that Qantas’ operating is lower than the average, after 2009, Air Asia is keeping upward. 5. Conclusion After our analysis, due to applying different policies and strategies, two airline companies did different performance in gaining profits. we think that even though Air Asia just set up around 11years, and its size of the company is quite less than Qantas. But they have been adapted to the turbulent global environment. Its strategy has fitted with external environment, the advantage of small company is easy to change its management control system to response with the turbulent environment and better to keep consistent with its strategy. Finally, the whole company will be easier to achieve the goal. As result, AIRASIA seems to be better in raise ROE ratios, benefiting from its increasing sales and costs controlling. So we can concluded that AIRASIA’s performance is better than Qantas. Reference: Qantas, (2012) â€Å"Qantas Annual Report 2012† Qantas Airways Limited Qantas, (2011) â€Å"Qantas Group presentation December 2011† Qantas Group www.qantas.com. Air Asia, (2012) â€Å"Air Asia Annual Report 2012† Air Asia Airways Limited www.airaisa.com Airbus, (2012) â€Å"Navigating the future† Global Market Forecast 2012-2031 www.airbus.com â€Å"Domestic airline activity, Department of Infrastructure and Transport†, Australia government, update 19 August, 2013 www.bitre.gov.au Qantas Customers 2012, by Segment 2012, Statistic, viewed 8 May 2012, Qantas’ Situation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 2011, The Age, viewed 8 May 2013, Stockcentral (2013), industry averages. Available from: http://www.stockcentral.com/?utm_source=iclubindustryaverages&utm_mdium=link [Accessed: August 17, 2013]. Burgstahler, D. C., Hail, L., & Leuz, C. (2006). The importance of reporting incentives: earnings management in European private and public firms. The accounting review, 81(5), 983-1016. Lev, B., Li, S., & Sougiannis, T. (2010). The usefulness of accounting estimates for predicting cash flows and earnings. Review of Accounting Studies, 15(4), 779-807. Kotlikoff, L. J., & Wise, D. A. (1989). Employee retirement and a firm’s pension plan. Hill, C. W. (1988). Differentiation versus low cost or differentiation and low cost: a contingency framework. Academy of Management Review, 13(3), 401-412. Matsumoto, D. A. (2002). Management’s incentives to avoid negative earnings surprises. The Accounting Review, 77(3), 483-514. Cyert, R. M., Davidson, H. J., & Thompson, G. L. (1962). Estimation of the allowance for doubtful accounts by Markov chains. Management Science, 8(3), 287-303. Scott, T. W. (1994). Incentives and disincentives for financial disclosure: Voluntary disclosure of defined benefit pension plan information by Canadian firms. Accounting Review, 26-43. Wiener, H. J.(1995), †Pension Plan Strategy† A Comprehensive Guide to Retirement Planning for physicians and Other Professionals 7(2), 101-212. Appendix Air Asia ANALYSIS| 　| 　| 　| 　| 　| 　| REFORMULATED BALANCE SHEET| | 12/31/2012 USD| 12/31/2011 USD| 12/31/2010 USD| 12/31/2009 USD| 12/31/2008 USD| Operating Assets| | | | | | | Net Receivables| | 315,898,627| 176,713,880| 158,421,275| 170,371,203| 262,514,740| Total Inventories| | 7,758,339| 6,223,975| 5,692,557| 6,093,458| 5,978,035| Prepaid Expenses| | 240,199,477| 149,035,647| 105,739,906| 73,305,199| 32,597,110| Other Current Assets| | 0| 198,398,423| 174,299,659| 180,913,551| 212,788,150| Net Property, Plant & Equip.| | 3,200,140,615| 2,744,062,776| 3,021,904,005| 2,319,564,252| 1,905,866,763| Other Assets| | 863,519,621| 282,959,621| 106,643,425| 141,351,051| 40,122,254| | | 4,627,516,678| 3,557,394,322| 3,572,700,827| 2,891,598,715| 2,459,867,052| Operating Liabilities| | | | | | | Accounts Payable| | 21,299,542| 25,636,593| 17,245,987| 26,411,507| 31,597,399| Accrued Payroll| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| Income Taxes Payable| | 1,674,951| 0| 529,269| 2,869,159| 0| Dividends Payable| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| Other Current Liabilities| | 606,007,521| 479,045,110| 400,453,705| 312,255,549| 322,342,775| Provisions for Risks & Charges| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| Deferred Income| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| Deferred Taxes| | -118,180,510| -162,807,571| -233,260,905| -219,414,136| -247,430,347| Other Liabilities| | 166,843,689| 154,044,479| 146,867,196| 0| 0| | | 677,645,193| 495,918,612| 331,835,252| 122,122,079| 106,509,827| Net Operating Assets| | 3,949,871,485| 3,061,475,710| 3,240,865,575| 2,769,476,636| 2,353,357,225| | | | | | | | Financial Assets| | | | | | | Cash & Short Term Inv.| | 730,127,861| 666,457,098| 487,957,516| 217,964,953| 44,439,884| | | 730,127,861| 666,457,098| 487,957,516| 217,964,953| 44,439,884| Financial Liabilities| | | | | | | Short Term Debt and Current LTD| | 368,264,879| 187,454,574| 179,660,126| 157,788,551| 157,243,353| Long Term Debt| | 2,381,682,472| 2,267,166,877| 2,368,374,899| 2,064,168,224| 1,776,526,012| | | 2,749,947,351| 2,454,621,451| 2,548,035,025| 2,221,956,776| 1,933,769,364| Net Financial Liabilities (Assets)| | 2,019,819,490| 1,788,164,353| 2,060,077,509| 2,003,991,822| 1,889,329,480| Shareholders’ Equity| | 1,930,051,995| 1,273,311,356| 1,180,788,066| 765,484,813| 464,027,746| check| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| REFORMULATED INCOME STATEMENT| | | | | | | Sales| | 1,617,426,750| 1,418,025,552| 1,280,394,033| 914,982,769| 761,470,520| Total Costs| | 864,089,928| 1,074,545,110| 934,371,331| 648,407,418| 932,758,092| Earnings before Interest and Taxation (EBIT)| 753,336,821| 343,480,442| 346,022,701| 266,575,350| -171,287,572| Tax| | 56,556,246| 69,934,700| 12,143,668| 33,884,638| -107,697,977| Income after Taxation| | 696,780,576| 273,545,741| 333,879,034| 232,690,713| -63,589,595| Net Interest| | 97,912,688| 98,364,669| -10,343,765| 84,832,360| 79,925,723| Net Income (before Pref Dividends & Minority Interests)| 598,867,888| 175,181,073| 344,222,799| 147,858,353| -143,515,318| TAX-SHIELD| | | | | | | Effective Tax Rate| | 7.5%| 20.4%| 3.5%| 12.7%| 62.9%| Net Interest| | 97,912,688| 98,364,669| -10,343,765| 84,832,360| 79,925,723| Tax Shield| | 7,350,728| 20,027,643| -363,014| 10,783,119| 50,253,725| TAX-ADJUSTED OPERATING INCOME| | | | | | | Operating Income (with tax shield)| | 689,429,848| 253,518,098| 334,242,048| 221,907,593| -113,843,321| Net Financing Costs| | 90,561,960| 78,337,026| -9,980,751| 74,049,241| 29,671,997| Net Income| | 598,867,888| 175,181,073| 344,222,799| 147,858,353| -143,515,318| AVERAGED BALANCE SHEEETS| | | | | | | Operating Assets| OA| 4,092,455,500| 3,565,047,574| 3,232,149,771| 2,675,732,883| 1,298,921,526| Operating Liabilities| OL| 586,781,902| 413,876,932| 226,978,666| 114,315,953| 65,446,413| Net Operating Assets| NOA| 3,505,673,597| 3,151,170,642| 3,005,171,105| 2,561,416,930| 1,233,475,113| Financial Assets| FA| 698,292,480| 577,207,307| 352,961,235| 131,202,419| 26,432,942| Financial Liabilities| FL| 2,602,284,401| 2,501,328,238| 2,384,995,900| 2,077,863,070| 991,642,182| Net Financial Liabilities (Assets)| NFL(NFA)| 1,903,991,922| 1,924,120,931| 2,032,034,666| 1,946,660,651| 965,209,240| Shareholders’ Equity| SE| 1,601,681,676| 1,227,049,711| 973,136,439| 614,756,279| 268,265,873| check| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| Sales| SA| 1,617,426,750| 1,418,025,552| 1,280,394,033| 914,982,769| 761,470,520| Operating Income (with tax shield)| OI| 689,429,848| 253,518,098| 334,242,048| 221,907,593| -113,843,321| Net Financing Costs| NFC| 90,561,960| 78,337,026| -9,980,751| 74,049,241| 29,671,997| Net Income| NI| 598,867,888| 175,181,073| 344,222,799| 147,858,353| -143,515,318| ROE DECOMPOSITION| | | | | | BASIC ANALYSIS| | | | | | | ATO (sales / net operating assets)| | 0.46| 0.45| 0.43| 0.36| 0.62| PM (operating income / sales)| | 42.63%| 17.88%| 26.10%| 24.25%| -14.95%| ROA (operating income / net operating assets)| 19.67%| 8.05%| 11.12%| 8.66%| -9.23%| check| | 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| CLEV (net operating assets / equity)| | 2.19| 2.57| 3.09| 4.17| 4.60| ILEV (operating income / net income)| | 1.15| 1.45| 0.97| 1.50| 0.79| ROE ( net income / equity)| | 37.39%| 14.28%| 35.37%| 24.05%| -53.50%| check| | 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| SPREAD ANALYSIS| | | | | | | ROA| | 19.67%| 8.05%| 11.12%| 8.66%| -9.23%| Borrowing Rate (net financing costs / net financial liabilities)| 4.76%| 4.07%| -0.49%| 3.80%| 3.07%| Spread (ROA – financing costs)| | 14.91%| 3.97%| 11.61%| 4.86%| -12.30%| FLEV (net financial liabilities / equity)| | 1.19| 1.57| 2.09| 3.17| 3.60| Leveraged Spread| | 17.72%| 6.23%| 24.25%| 15.39%| -44.27%| ROE| | 37.39%| 14.28%| 35.37%| 24.05%| -53.50%| check| | 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| Qantas ANALYSIS| 　| 　| 　| 　| 　| 　| REFORMULATED BALANCE SHEET| | 06/30/2012 NZD preliminary| 06/30/2011 NZD| 06/30/2010 NZD restated| 06/30/2009 NZD| 06/30/2008 NZD| Operating Assets| | | | | | | Net Receivables| | 1,138,830,550| 1,099,506,200| 918,979,200| 914,755,950| 955,587,900| Total Inventories| | 385,418,800| 398,263,200| 269,443,350| 269,443,350| 202,112,500| Prepaid Expenses| | 410,020,000| 434,663,600| 326,034,900| 326,034,900| 0| Other Current Assets| | 89,179,350| 23,553,200| 86,154,300| 90,377,550| 287,808,200| Net Property, Plant & Equip.| | 14,493,181,950| 14,615,831,200| 10,571,639,400| 10,571,639,400| 9,826,709,750| Other Assets| | 1,618,553,950| 1,675,489,000| 1,319,343,300| 1,319,343,300| 1,558,691,600| | | 18,135,184,600| 18,247,306,400| 13,491,594,450| 13,491,594,450| 12,830,909,950| Operating Liabilities| | | | | | | Accounts Payable| | 661,157,250| 639,148,200| 506,790,000| 506,790,000| 482,644,650| Accrued Payroll| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 337,932,100| Income Taxes Payable| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| Dividends Payable| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 4,042,250| Other Current Liabilities| | 5,488,117,700| 5,418,306,600| 4,232,541,150| 4,241,832,300| 4,111,776,700| Provisions for Risks & Charges| | 755,461,850| 692,678,200| 473,004,000| 473,004,000| 430,903,850| Deferred Income| | 1,164,456,800| 1,189,436,600| 901,241,550| 914,755,950| 1,024,306,150| Deferred Taxes| | 660,132,200| 821,150,200| 603,924,750| 603,924,750| 490,729,150| Other Liabilities| | 229,611,200| 527,805,800| 195,114,150| 195,114,150| 216,664,600| | | 8,958,937,000| 9,288,525,600| 6,912,615,600| 6,935,421,150| 7,098,999,450| Net Operating Assets| | 9,176,247,600| 8,958,780,800| 6,578,978,850| 6,556,173,300| 5,731,910,500| | | | | | | | Financial Assets| | | | | | | Cash & Short Term Inv.| | 3,573,324,300| 4,083,268,400| 3,325,387,050| 3,325,387,050| 3,377,704,100| | | 3,573,324,300| 4,083,268,400| 3,325,387,050| 3,325,387,050| 3,377,704,100| Financial Liabilities| | | | | | | Short Term Debt and Current LTD| | 1,147,030,950| 617,736,200| 532,129,500| 522,838,350| 491,537,600| Long Term Debt| | 5,566,021,500| 5,839,052,400| 4,320,384,750| 4,306,870,350| 3,957,362,750| | | 6,713,052,450| 6,456,788,600| 4,852,514,250| 4,829,708,700| 4,448,900,350| Net Financial Liabilities (Assets)| | 3,139,728,150| 2,373,520,200| 1,527,127,200| 1,504,321,650| 1,071,196,250| Shareholders’ Equity| | 6,036,519,450| 6,585,260,600| 5,051,851,650| 5,051,851,650| 4,660,714,250| check| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| REFORMULATED INCOME STATEMENT| | | | | | | Sales| | 16,117,886,200| 15,945,516,400| 11,632,519,800| 11,632,519,800| 11,764,564,400| Total Costs| | 16,221,416,250| 15,412,357,600| 11,379,969,450| 11,379,969,450| 11,506,668,850| Earnings before Interest and Taxation (EBIT)| -103,530,050| 533,158,800| 252,550,350| 252,550,350| 257,895,550| Tax| | -107,630,250| 79,224,400| 52,368,300| 52,368,300| 46,890,100| Income after Taxation| | 4,100,200| 453,934,400| 200,182,050| 200,182,050| 211,005,450| Net Interest| | 254,212,400| 187,355,000| 102,202,650| 102,202,650| 111,566,100| Net Income (before Pref Dividends & Minority Interests)| -250,112,200| 266,579,400| 97,979,400| 97,979,400| 99,439,350| TAX-SHIELD| | | | | | | Effective Tax Rate| | 104.0%| 14.9%| 20.7%| 20.7%| 18.2%| Net Interest| | 254,212,400| 187,355,000| 102,202,650| 102,202,650| 111,566,100| Tax Shield| | 264,280,218| 27,839,900| 21,192,523| 21,192,523| 20,284,745| TAX-ADJUSTED OPERATING INCOME| | | | | | | Operating Income (with tax shield)| | -260,180,018| 426,094,500| 178,989,527| 178,989,527| 190,720,705| Net Financing Costs| | -10,067,818| 159,515,100| 81,010,127| 81,010,127| 91,281,355| Net Income| | -250,112,200| 266,579,400| 97,979,400| 97,979,400| 99,439,350| AVERAGED BALANCE SHEEETS| | | | | | | Operating Assets| OA| 18,191,245,500| 15,869,450,425| 13,491,594,450| 13,161,252,200| 6,415,454,975| Operating Liabilities| OL| 9,123,731,300| 8,100,570,600| 6,924,018,375| 7,017,210,300| 3,549,499,725| Net Operating Assets| NOA| 9,067,514,200| 7,768,879,825| 6,567,576,075| 6,144,041,900| 2,865,955,250| Financial Assets| FA| 3,828,296,350| 3,704,327,725| 3,325,387,050| 3,351,545,575| 1,688,852,050| Financial Liabilities| FL| 6,584,920,525| 5,654,651,425| 4,841,111,475| 4,639,304,525| 2,224,450,175| Net Financial Liabilities (Assets)| NFL(NFA)| 2,756,624,175| 1,950,323,700| 1,515,724,425| 1,287,758,950| 535,598,125| Shareholders’ Equity| SE| 6,310,890,025| 5,818,556,125| 5,051,851,650| 4,856,282,950| 2,330,357,125| check| | 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| Sales| SA| 16,117,886,200| 15,945,516,400| 11,632,519,800| 11,632,519,800| 11,764,564,400| Operating Income (with tax shield)| OI| -260,180,018| 426,094,500| 178,989,527| 178,989,527| 190,720,705| Net Financing Costs| NFC| -10,067,818| 159,515,100| 81,010,127| 81,010,127| 91,281,355| Net Income| NI| -250,112,200| 266,579,400| 97,979,400| 97,979,400| 99,439,350| ROE DECOMPOSITION| | | | | | BASIC ANALYSIS| | | | | | | ATO (sales / net operating assets)| | 1.78| 2.05| 1.77| 1.89| 4.10| PM (operating income / sales)| | -1.61%| 2.67%| 1.54%| 1.54%| 1.62%| ROA (operating income / net operating assets)| -2.87%| 5.48%| 2.73%| 2.91%| 6.65%| check| | 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| CLEV (net operating assets / equity)| | 1.44| 1.34| 1.30| 1.27| 1.23| ILEV (operating income / net income)| | 1.04| 1.60| 1.83| 1.83| 1.92| ROE ( net income / equity)| | -3.96%| 4.58%| 1.94%| 2.02%| 4.27%| check| | 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| SPREAD ANALYSIS| | | | | | | ROA| | -2.87%| 5.48%| 2.73%| 2.91%| 6.65%| Borrowing Rate (net financing costs / net financial liabilities)| -0.37%| 8.18%| 5.34%| 6.29%| 17.04%| Spread (ROA – financing costs)| | -2.50%| -2.69%| -2.62%| -3.38%| -10.39%| FLEV (net financial liabilities / equity)| | 0.44| 0.34| 0.30| 0.27| 0.23| Leveraged Spread| | -1.09%| -0.90%| -0.79%| -0.90%| -2.39%| ROE| | -3.96%| 4.58%| 1.94%| 2.02%| 4.27%| check| | 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| 0.00| Company | Return On Equity Per Share[Y2008]| Return On Equity Per Share[Y2009]| Return On Equity Per Share[Y2010]| Return On Equity Per Share[Y2011]| Return On Equity Per Share[Y2012]| 1| 　| 　| 　| 　| 　| 2| -27.03| 25.33| 33.93| 14.46| 36.86| 3| 6.1| 20.38| 10.32| -18.51| -27.24| | 　| 　| 　| -16.22| 6.01| Malaysia industry average| -10.47%| 22.86%| 22.13%| -6.76%| 4.81%| | | | | | | 1| 17.02| 2| 1.89| 4.09| -4.07| 2| 22.45| 19.73| 18.2| 11.46| 15.25| 3| 11.61| -21.09| 2.26| -7.32| 2.36| Austrilia industry average| 17.03%| 0.21%| 7.45%| 2.74%| 4.51%| | | | | | | | 　| 　| 　| 　| 　| | Return On Equity Per Share[Y2008]| Return On Equity Per Share[Y2009]| Return On Equity Per Share[Y2010]| Return On Equity Per Share[Y2011]| Return On Equity Per Share[Y2012]| 1| -37.81| 22.91| 39.91| 17.15| 10.29| 2| 14.73| 1.33| 5.13| 5.29| 4.46| 3| -27.03| 25.33| 33.93| 14.46| 36.86| 4| 15.02| -1.08| -13.73| 4.69| 5.27| 5| -19.27| 11.89| 29.11| 9.99| 1.62| 6| -76.38| 57.88| 57.42| 19.5| 17.28| 7| -70.4| -11.18| 23.64| -4.06| 0.1| 8| -51.42| 4.23| 34.87| 17.31| 8.15| 9| -27.96| -10.48| 33.11| 0.5| 1.31| 10| 19.69| 39.08| 9.61| 13.94| 10.66| 11| -20.6| 5.01| 30.35| 19.6| 10.79| 12| -20.47| -30.29| -21.4| -5.16| -14.43| 13| -26.05| -3.37| 14.11| -9.31| 9.83| 14| 6.1| 20.38| 10.32| -110.51| -27.24| 15| -0.11| -13.94| 9.05| 85.17| -13.52| 16| 17.02| 2| 1.89| 4.09| -4.07| 17| 22.45| 19.73| 18.2| 11.46| 15.25| 17| 16.21| 43.36| 56.31| 44.68| 25.97| 18| 13.1| 7.31| 1.58| 7.88| 2.48| 19| -37.71| 14.89| 24.31| -14.64| 9.45| 20| -14.02| 0.34| 17.5| 10.69| 1.37| 21| 11.61| -21.09| 2.26| -7.32| 2.36| Asia & Pacific Region industry average| -13.33%| 8.37%| 18.98%| 6.15%| 5.19%|