Normative Economics

Republican and democratic candidates in the upcoming elections have tabled proposals on how to reform healthcare in the country. They all agree on need for reforms but differ on the proposed action. The debate has been sparked by reports indicating that many Americans are uninsured. According to U.S census bureau, 47 million Americans were uninsured in 2006 up from 44.8 million in 2005. An increase of 22 million or 15.8%.The proportion of the insured by government schemes also went down from 27.3% to 27.0% in that year (www.census.gov 2007).   A report by families USA puts the figures much higher. It indicates that 89.6 million Americans below 65 years of age were uninsured at time in the last two years. (www.familiesusa.org) These figures show that there really is a health insurance crisis in the country. This is by far biggest subject of the health reform debate in the country.Republicans propose that the government provide incentives for the poor to get private life insurance. T hey oppose government playing on active role in provision of insurance cover. The Democrats on their part advocate for a universal health care plan. Their proposals require that everybody must get covered.Thesis Democrats have a better health reform agenda than the Republicans. The Democrats proposal to make health care affordable and accessible to all Americans is better than the republican proposal, which offer, subsidizes low-income families.  Proponent’s Position.Democrats propose that to reform the health sector the government must come in to promote accessibility by all Americans through universal coverage. (www.democrats.org, 2007)Opponent’s PositionRepublicans emphasize on reforms in healthcare based on free market principles they would offer incentives to the people to taking private life insurance policies. (www.gop.com, 2007)Proponent’s PositionDemocrats have come up with a plan that ensures that everybody is covered and paying a premium that is wit hin their means. They support a universal health care plan. The health plan targets the uninsured and those not satisfied with their current insurance. Senator Hillary’s American Health Choices Plan requires that the government and big employees make contribution to the employee’s health plan. Small businesses on their part will be let off. They wont contribute but will in fact receive tax credits so that they are able to cover their employees.Under the AHCP, insurance and drug companies will use be highly regulated. Insurance companies will not deny anybody cover due to a pre-existing condition for they foresee somebody falling sick. The drug manufacturers will be pushed to lower the cost of medication. She identifies the greed of these two industries as a major limiting factor to affordable health care for all.In the AHCP, individuals must get insured. It is called ‘choices’ plan as it allows one to choose whether to retain current cover or get into the one provided by government. Individuals will pay a premium that is within their means. To keep the premiums low, they will be capped to correspond to individual’s income. This way nobody will be required to pay more than they can afford. The plan also avails tax credit to working families. That way, they are able to access quality insurance cover. The plan also aims at expanding Medicaid and children’s health insurance program to reach more people.John Edwards, another Democratic candidate unveiled almost similar plan to that of Senator Clinton. It also agitates for universal coverage with employers to government making contribution. The plan is also mandatory for all Americans. (johnedwards.com, 2007). To fund these grand plans, the candidates have indicated that they will rescind tax breaks and subsidies to insurance providers. Senator Clinton also requires that large employers make contribution towards their employee’s health cover. Her plan also emphasizes o n cost cutting through increased efficiency and use of preventive medicationStrengths of The Democrats’ Proposal.The proposed universal health care plans ensures that everybody affords insurance cover Senator Clinton’s AHCP ensures that every body is covered and paying an affordable premium. It makes it mandatory for all people to get health insurance coverage but allows them the choice of their policy. This way it does not force one in to buying insurance cover they are not comfortable with.The proposed plan also ensures that nobody is denied insurance coverage. Insurance providers are obliged to provide cover for all without discrimination on the grounds of a pre-existing condition or in anticipation of illness. This brings in a big number of people who were shunned by insurance companies due to condition such as schizophrenia and HIV/ AIDS. (www.democrats.org, 2007)The plan does not require small businesses to contribute to the universal health care plan rather it g rants them tax credits. This way the employees of these small businesses stay afloat. This will be incentive for small businesses to expand.The AHCP also emphasizes on cost cutting in health care. It champions preventive measures that are cheaper than curative medication. It also champions greater efficiency and modernization in health care delivery that would bring down costsWeaknessesThe universal health plan requires huge funding and this may result to higher taxes for the American public. Senator Clinton puts the cost of her plan at $110 billion while John Edward put his at $120 billion. The figure is tentative and might go higher than that. The planned source may also not deliver as much funds as projected senator Clintons plan to generate savings by boosting efficiency may also not generate enough funds. This would leave only the options of a tax rise as John Edwards concedes. (www.ontheissue.org) Higher taxes will burden the public further and will not be welcome.Government i nvolvement will cause inefficiencies in service delivery. Government involvement will only lead to a huge bureaucracy with a lot of red tape. This might aggravate the crisis. Without a profit motive, he plan might offer sluggish and poor quality servicesOpponents’ positionRepublican candidates propose that the government subsidize low-income families to help them access health care rather than providing a universal plan as a way to enhance accessibility. The Republican are opposed to government involvement in provision of health insurance. (www.gop.com, 2007)Rudy Giuliani, a Republican candidate in his plan offers tax deductions of $15,000 to families and $7500 for individuals. These deductions will enable families to access health care. He also proposes to give families and individuals vouchers to buy policies. He would encourage individuals buy covers of their choice as a way to make savings. Individuals would have to pay for minor check-ups as they would to their cars. He also stressed the need for people to take care of their health and not leave it to the government. (Elliott, Philip, 2007)Mitt Romney is agitating for individuals to purchase private insurance. He stresses that government interference will worsen the situation. He proposed tax breaks but not universal coverage plan. That would push up taxes. (www.ontheissues.org, 2007)The Republican propose that health insurance should be left to individual’s choices rather than employer and government schemes. They offer what they call an American solution to the problem. They stand for free market principles and are opposed to socialist tendencies in health care. They do not require that everybody must have health insurance cover. They justify try to create an incentive for individuals to join.Strengths of The Republicans proposals The Republican proposals ensure that the freedom of choice of consumers is safeguarded. Since they know their health better, individuals will decide on which pol icy in the market suits them best.Health saving plans as proposed by republicans will encourage individuals to save for future health expenses. This will promote more health lifestyle among the people. The insured gain more control over the financing of their health care.Tax deductions and vouchers would enable a big number of people to access quality health care. Neither would they disrupt health care delivery the way universal plan would. These fiscal measures are actually being implemented and would not be experimental.The republican proposals are business friendly in that they do not require large employers to make huge contributions to their employee’s health coversThey also come up with a health care service that is free of long bureaucratic procedures. Different insurance providers will compete to provide the most efficient and customer friendly covers. (www.joinrudy2008.com)WeaknessesThe republicans fail to address the issue rising medical costs and rising insurance p remiums. They give the insurance companies a free hand that results in only higher policies.The subsidies offered may not be adequate to male health insurance cover affordable to all people. This will lead to part of the population remaining uncovered.Most of the proposals made are similar to those implemented under the Bush administration. They are not offering any new solutions to the persisting problems of skyrocketing premiums and medical costs. They emphasize on free market principles that have put the countries in its current predicament.  The republican proposals do not tackle the issue of discrimination by the insurance industry insurance providers are not obligated to cover people with pre-existing conditions. Vouchers will not be of any use to such people as they will not get covers anywayConclusionThe democrats’ health agenda is definitely better than the republican agenda on health. It talks the failures of the healthcare system in place today. The democrats hav e tabled plans on how to make health care more affordable and accessible that are more convincing. They require that every body be covered while leaving rooms for choice on the policy. Their plan covers everybody and also ensures that the premiums are affordable.The net wise in taxes will not be huge as the cost of not implementing the plan. When sick people cannot pay for their health cover the community will have to bear the burden.Universal coverage has been implemented in other advanced countries and would also improve health care in the US.References:Highlights, 2007. Health insurance coverage: 2006. Retrieved on 04/10/07A Healthcare That Works for Everybody, 2007. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://www.democrats.org/a/national/affordable_health_care/Making Healthcare Affordable to all Americans, 2007. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://www.gop.com/Issues/HealthCare/American Health Choices Plan, 2007. Hillary for president. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://www.hillaryclinton.com/fe ature/healthcareplan/summary.aspxHealthcare, 2007. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://johnedwards.com/issues/health-care/Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s health plan, 2007. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://www.joinrudy2008.com/commitment.php?num=7Mitt Romney on Healthcare, 2007. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Mitt_Romney_Health_Care.htmElliott, Philip, 2007. Giuliani: Dems Want Nanny Government. Retrieved on 04/10/07 from  Ã‚   http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070730/D8QN4AHO0.html Normative Economics Republican and democratic candidates in the upcoming elections have tabled proposals on how to reform healthcare in the country. They all agree on need for reforms but differ on the proposed action. The debate has been sparked by reports indicating that many Americans are uninsured. According to U.S census bureau, 47 million Americans were uninsured in 2006 up from 44.8 million in 2005. An increase of 22 million or 15.8%. The proportion of the insured by government schemes also went down from 27.3% to 27.0% in that year (www.census.gov 2007).   A report by families USA puts the figures much higher. It indicates that 89.6 million Americans below 65 years of age were uninsured at time in the last two years. (www.familiesusa.org) These figures show that there really is a health insurance crisis in the country. This is by far biggest subject of the health reform debate in the country.Republicans propose that the government provide incentives for the poor to get private life insurance. They oppose government playing on active role in provision of insurance cover. The Democrats on their part advocate for a universal health care plan. Their proposals require that everybody must get covered.ThesisDemocrats have a better health reform agenda than the Republicans. The Democrats proposal to make health care affordable and accessible to all Americans is better than the republican proposal, which offer, subsidizes low-income families.Proponent’s Position.Democrats propose that to reform the health sector the government must come in to promote accessibility by all Americans through universal coverage. (www.democrats.org, 2007)Opponent’s PositionRepublicans emphasize on reforms in healthcare based on free market principles they would offer incentives to the people to taking private life insurance policies. (www.gop.com, 2007)Proponent’s PositionDemocrats have come up with a plan that ensures that everybody is covered and paying a premium that is within their means. They support a universal health care plan. The health plan targets the uninsured and those not satisfied with their current insurance. Senator Hillary’s American Health Choices Plan requires that the government and big employees make contribution to the employee’s health plan. Small businesses on their part will be let off. They wont contribute but will in fact receive tax credits so that they are able to cover their employees.Under the AHCP, insurance and drug companies will use be highly regulated. Insurance companies will not deny anybody cover due to a pre-existing condition for they foresee somebody falling sick. The drug manufacturers will be pushed to lower the cost of medication. She identifies the greed of these two industries as a major limiting factor to affordable health care for all.  In the AHCP, individuals must get insured. It is called ‘choices’ plan as it allows one to choose whether to retain current cover or get into the one provided by government. Individuals will pay a premium that is within their means. To keep the premiums low, they will be capped to correspond to individual’s income. This way nobody will be required to pay more than they can afford. The plan also avails tax credit to working families. That way, they are able to access quality insurance cover. The plan also aims at expanding Medicaid and children’s health insurance program to reach more people.John Edwards, another Democratic candidate unveiled almost similar plan to that of Senator Clinton. It also agitates for universal coverage with employers to government making contribution. The plan is also mandatory for all Americans. (johnedwards.com, 2007). To fund these grand plans, the candidates have indicated that they will rescind tax breaks and subsidies to insurance providers. Senator Clinton also requires that large employers make contribution towards their employee’s health cover. Her plan also emphasizes o n cost cutting through increased efficiency and use of preventive medicationStrengths of The Democrats’ Proposal.The proposed universal health care plans ensures that everybody affords insurance cover Senator Clinton’s AHCP ensures that every body is covered and paying an affordable premium. It makes it mandatory for all people to get health insurance coverage but allows them the choice of their policy. This way it does not force one in to buying insurance cover they are not comfortable with.The proposed plan also ensures that nobody is denied insurance coverage. Insurance providers are obliged to provide cover for all without discrimination on the grounds of a pre-existing condition or in anticipation of illness. This brings in a big number of people who were shunned by insurance companies due to condition such as schizophrenia and HIV/ AIDS. (www.democrats.org, 2007)The plan does not require small businesses to contribute to the universal health care plan rather it g rants them tax credits. This way the employees of these small businesses stay afloat. This will be incentive for small businesses to expand.The AHCP also emphasizes on cost cutting in health care. It champions preventive measures that are cheaper than curative medication. It also champions greater efficiency and modernization in health care delivery that would bring down costsWeaknessesThe universal health plan requires huge funding and this may result to higher taxes for the American public. Senator Clinton puts the cost of her plan at $110 billion while John Edward put his at $120 billion. The figure is tentative and might go higher than that. The planned source may also not deliver as much funds as projected senator Clintons plan to generate savings by boosting efficiency may also not generate enough funds. This would leave only the options of a tax rise as John Edwards concedes. (www.ontheissue.org) Higher taxes will burden the public further and will not be welcome.Government i nvolvement will cause inefficiencies in service delivery. Government involvement will only lead to a huge bureaucracy with a lot of red tape. This might aggravate the crisis. Without a profit motive, he plan might offer sluggish and poor quality servicesOpponents’ positionRepublican candidates propose that the government subsidize low-income families to help them access health care rather than providing a universal plan as a way to enhance accessibility. The Republican are opposed to government involvement in provision of health insurance. (www.gop.com, 2007)Rudy Giuliani, a Republican candidate in his plan offers tax deductions of $15,000 to families and $7500 for individuals. These deductions will enable families to access health care. He also proposes to give families and individuals vouchers to buy policies. He would encourage individuals buy covers of their choice as a way to make savings. Individuals would have to pay for minor check-ups as they would to their cars. He also stressed the need for people to take care of their health and not leave it to the government. (Elliott, Philip, 2007)Mitt Romney is agitating for individuals to purchase private insurance. He stresses that government interference will worsen the situation. He proposed tax breaks but not universal coverage plan. That would push up taxes. (www.ontheissues.org, 2007)The Republican propose that health insurance should be left to individual’s choices rather than employer and government schemes. They offer what they call an American solution to the problem. They stand for free market principles and are opposed to socialist tendencies in health care. They do not require that everybody must have health insurance cover. They justify try to create an incentive for individuals to join.Strengths of The Republicans proposalsThe Republican proposals ensure that the freedom of choice of consumers is safeguarded. Since they know their health better, individuals will decide on which poli cy in the market suits them best.Health saving plans as proposed by republicans will encourage individuals to save for future health expenses. This will promote more health lifestyle among the people. The insured gain more control over the financing of their health care.Tax deductions and vouchers would enable a big number of people to access quality health care. Neither would they disrupt health care delivery the way universal plan would. These fiscal measures are actually being implemented and would not be experimental.The republican proposals are business friendly in that they do not require large employers to make huge contributions to their employee’s health coversThey also come up with a health care service that is free of long bureaucratic procedures. Different insurance providers will compete to provide the most efficient and customer friendly covers. (www.joinrudy2008.com)WeaknessesThe republicans fail to address the issue rising medical costs and rising insurance pr emiums. They give the insurance companies a free hand that results in only higher policies.The subsidies offered may not be adequate to male health insurance cover affordable to all people. This will lead to part of the population remaining uncovered.Most of the proposals made are similar to those implemented under the Bush administration. They are not offering any new solutions to the persisting problems of skyrocketing premiums and medical costs. They emphasize on free market principles that have put the countries in its current predicament.The republican proposals do not tackle the issue of discrimination by the insurance industry insurance providers are not obligated to cover people with pre-existing conditions. Vouchers will not be of any use to such people as they will not get covers anywayConclusionThe democrats’ health agenda is definitely better than the republican agenda on health. It talks the failures of the healthcare system in place today. The democrats have tab led plans on how to make health care more affordable and accessible that are more convincing. They require that every body be covered while leaving rooms for choice on the policy. Their plan covers everybody and also ensures that the premiums are affordable.The net wise in taxes will not be huge as the cost of not implementing the plan. When sick people cannot pay for their health cover the community will have to bear the burden.Universal coverage has been implemented in other advanced countries and would also improve health care in the US.References:Highlights, 2007. Health insurance coverage: 2006. Retrieved on 04/10/07 from   http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/hlthin06/hlth06asc.htmlA Healthcare That Works for Everybody, 2007. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://www.democrats.org/a/national/affordable_health_care/Making Healthcare Affordable to all Americans, 2007. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://www.gop.com/Issues/HealthCare/American Health Choices Plan, 2007. Hillary for pr esident. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/summary.aspxHealthcare, 2007. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://johnedwards.com/issues/health-care/Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s health plan, 2007. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://www.joinrudy2008.com/commitment.php?num=7Mitt Romney on Healthcare, 2007. Retrieved on 04/10/07 fromhttp://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Mitt_Romney_Health_Care.htmElliott, Philip, 2007. Giuliani: Dems Want Nanny Government. Retrieved on 04/10/07 from  Ã‚   http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070730/D8QN4AHO0.html

Y is history important

History is important to us because it is the heritage that shaped the world we live in today. What we do today will be part of history in the future. It Is mainly important because it helps us to understand the world, and how It became what we see today. It can help us to solve problems that we face today by seeing the solutions that were tried In the past. We must learn from mistakes that were made before us, so that we do not repeat them. So that you can help to avoid petting Its mistakes.History Is Important as It covers a huge spectrum of human satellites Including arts- literature, architecture, politics, painting and many others. We have to consider our past to build our future because we learn from our past mistakes. We learn to Improve by learning from past mistakes-Through history we learn about our culture,traditional and moral values. It's Important to learn about out country's history because history always repeats Itself. So, when history does repeat Itself, we have a be tter understanding on how to resolve it. For example, we can get ideas on how to help our economy by looking back at the Great Depression. Also, so to learn how superior your country is over other countries and races of people prompting extermination. It's important to learn about out country's history because history always repeats itself. Also, when history does repeat itself, we have a people prompting extermination.

Analyzing Film Adaptations From Literature English Literature Essay

Analyzing Film Adaptations From Literature English Literature Essay To this date, the employment of adaptation theories to novels has yet to reach its true potentials’. Although The Harry Potter novel series are popularly known around the globe and has attained the world’s best seller status, sadly, there are not many critical studies relating to its adaptations. Most critics examine and evaluate each adaptation rigorously conforming to the principle of how faithful the adaptation remains to the text. This gives emphasis to the fundamental approach, fidelity. Hypothetically, a critic may naturally compare an adapted film to his or her own interpretation rather than to its source. In such a case, the critic’s view often contradicts with other critics, especially with a novel as complicated as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. In other words, each reader tends naturally to â€Å"adapt† a book that he or she reads and then think of the novel in a certain way. â€Å"The novel tells the tale of a young wizardâ €  or, â€Å"The novel focuses on the wizardry society in a magical world† or a synthesis of any number of views. Each view, each reading or each adaptation-is unique and remarkable, and none of these perceptions can be considered right or wrong. These perceptions are similar to the ideas presented in a renowned film adaptation article entitled â€Å"The Resistance to Theory†, written by concept theorist Paul De Man. The idea presented by de Man concentrates on the bond between a text and its meaning, ultimately ascertaining that it is unfeasible to attain a definitive meaning for whichever text. De Man stresses that As we can see, adaptation is as old as the film itself and shows no indication of weakening. Greg Jenkins, one of the authors of Kubrick and the Art of Adaptation: Three Novels, Three Films, considers adaptation â€Å"as a presence that is woven into the very fabric of film culture† (Jenkins 8). Even though, Jenkins’s statement is in accor dance with the theory of adaptation but a definite theory does not exist. Scholars and critics constantly excogitate on adaptation, yet they don’t seem to reach a definite conclusion on what constitutes an adaptation to be a success or a failure. â€Å"[Adaptation] represents such a dark and enigmatic thread that it has elicited disparate and sometimes diametric opinions. Even among those who champion faithful adaptations, there is no clear formula concerning how generally to implement the procedure, or afterwards how to evaluate the procedure’s success or failure† (Jenkins 8). The predicament of adaptation depends on many external sources. Plagued by indefiniteness and uncertainties the field of adaptation constantly struggles to address questions such as what is an Author? Who is the author of this work? What is a Text? Which text should be given importance: the novel or the film? Should an adapted film be indebted to its source, if this is true then how is th is possible? Should a film remain faithful to its source? Is an adapted film merely a version of the source text or can it be perceived as an autonomous work of art? Over the years, these and many others questions have endlessly tormented the processes involved in the study adaptation.

Discuss the argument and evidence for the view that the roles of women Essay

Discuss the argument and evidence for the view that the roles of women and men in the family have changed significantly over the past 50 years - Essay Example Women have travelled a long way in the past 50 years as compared to their male counterparts and embark changes in the lifestyles. In the present era, women are getting married later and giving birth later in life; they make up 50 percent of the work force and also have immensely shifted the roles in families. This move of women is in the direction of equality. Besides performing the role as a good worker in the job which was initially the men’s territory, women do perform multiple roles at the family front like maintaining quality of marital relationships, looking after the household activities (Bernades, 1997). The division of domestic labour has also witnessed changes in the patterns of time spent by men and women (Cheal, 2002). In support of this, there had been a reduction in gender inequality in the performance of some of the normatively feminine-associated tasks, a larger proportional increase in the time contributed to domestic work tasks by men from lower socio-economic strata, to a position of near equality with men from higher socio-economic positions, and a substantial increase in more `egalitarian couples (Chafe, 1991). Womens lives today are spectacularly unlike from those of their mothers and grandmothers. Women are developing an independent thinking and this is displayed in the nature of their choices that eventually prepares them for longer lives, significant labor force contribution with matrimony and children moreover, they know that they are contributing to their own economic well-being, by gaining more education, and proving themselves in well-paying employment (Chafe,1991). On the same memorandum, mens roles have also changed in the past 50 years. Men have more responsibilities in the home and in caring for the children - and the majority of men now level having free time with family this has become

Judicial precedent in english legal system (U.K) Essay

Judicial precedent in english legal system (U.K) - Essay Example Criminal justice systems in any country are meant to set forth a set of rules needed to enforce law and order. These systems give operating guidelines to the enforcers of the judiciary system of an open and democratic society, and can include minimum and maximum limitations for the sentencing of criminals. Now what is the doctrine of precedent in relation to laws It is important to understand that apart from the laws set forth to control the normal behaviour of people and to restrict the criminal activities and negative tendency of individuals in a society, certain other rulings are kept in effect. These are a set of guidelines which are not meant to ensure the rational development of the law. Rather they are meant to control the judges in terms of their honesty and rationality in making practical and professional decisions in the process of implementing the law. All judges are also human beings. Negativity exists in all human beings, and becoming a judge in no way ensures that the negative element of the person has been eliminated. We have heard of so many incidents where judges have taken bribes and given decision in favor of the bribing party, be that the prosecuting side or the defendant side.

Food Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Food Security - Essay Example Global warming has worked to exacerbate tensions rising over food insecurity concerns. The influence of climate on food supplies is so phenomenal that both entities are popularized as being inextricably linked to each other. Food shortage is the reason why people in many parts of the world are driven toward the practice of committing suicide. This is because hunger is a great punishment and many people are bound to suffer from this punishment at hands of heaven-kissing food rates. People from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds suffer the most from this shortage of food supplies and resulting high food rates. The suicide rate is also particularly common among such groups. As food prices spiral out of control and agricultural practices get the worst of climate change, the world is advised to prepare for an upcoming dearth of many basic food products. What is so different now from the past is that masses of people have moved from calm rural areas to chaotic urban areas in respo nse to industrialization and these areas suffer from a climatic risk that is more deadly and influential. It is the result of such mass migration of as many as 650 million people to arid or semi-arid areas that problems like the flood, droughts, and skyrocketing food prices affect them the most. This small statistic helps to gain an insight into the awry situation of the food problem in present contemporary times.  Human numbers increasing at an unprecedented rate also serve to exacerbate food insecurity issues.  

Knife crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Knife crime - Essay Example 4. Introduction to the Research Topic (300 words) Knife carrying In this section you should provide some background to the research topic and describe why you consider your research to be important. Knife carrying among American youth is a cause of concern for educators and civic administrators alike. Knife carrying, along with other weapons such as guns, are significant contributors to youth crime in the country. Recent episodes of youth crime and violence in our schools have prompted many school administrators and psychologists to seek explanations for violence committed by students. Even extensive research projects have been undertaken toward identifying risk factors and behaviors associated with knife-carrying by youth. As of now, the relationship between violent acts and knife-carrying is firmly established. Indeed, â€Å"carrying  a weapon has been associated with physical violence), and in and of itself is a high-risk behavior that concerns stakeholders who are trying to ke ep schools safe.† (Malecki & Demaray, 2003, p.172) Moreover, exposure to knife-crime and gun violence profoundly affects the psychology of victims, even if it affects them only indirectly. For example, exposure to violence can desensitize young people to the use of violence as a means to conflict resolution. In the social sphere, carrying knifes and witnessing/participating in crimes can limit an individual’s ability to develop meaningful interpersonal relationships. There is also the danger of physical harm. Equally important is the fact that children who are exposed to violent crimes do poorly in school and hold little hope for a productive and fulfilling future for themselves. Further, such people can instigate the cycle of exposure to violence all over again when it comes to their own children. Hence, the subject of knife-carrying is of great sensitivity and relevance to politicians, parents and educators. Upon its successful resolution lie the prospects for a harmo nious society. (Garbarino, et.al, 2002, p.73) The purpose of this research exercise is to learn more about the issue by studying published literature as well as gathering information through direct research. Upon analyzing the information assembled thus, constructive suggestions can be given to Metropolitan Police Departments, to the youth and to the advertisers, so that our society functions in a more peaceful manner. Special attention is also given to claims of 1.self-defense as the primary motivation behind knife-carrying, 2. the usefulness of stop-n-search operations and 3. the effectiveness of advertisements in curbing this behavior. There is a substantial body of scholarly literature published on the issue of weapon-carrying, although studies focusing exclusively on knife-carrying are few in number. This makes a case for this research project, which is intended to fill that void. 5. Literature Review (800 words) In this section you should discuss what academic research and deb ates have gone on in this area and what conclusions and comments were made by those. Please in this section reference everything and from literature review, (date. Page, year) 1. Find literature review on knife carrying why do youth carry weapon? 2. Find literature review on stop and search 3. Find literature review on advertisement regarding knife carrying At last reference everything you have done research and reference in Harvard Surveying broader literature on the subject, we understand that adolescents in the United States are carrying

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Case study - Essay Example and Hasan, H., n.d.) At the outset, the environment although polite and formal, breeds division between management and employees. This is shown by the set up of physical structures, by not inviting employees to participate in management’s plan, with a notion that there is nothing more to learn from them. Result of this environment showed that while it was a good design of operational efficiency and control, there was no flexibility that resulted in loss of motivation and trust that led to unsatisfied performance in the long run. Because there is no chance of communication, even the best intentions could be clouded with suspicions as in what happened to John who failed to see the good intention of training and further development. If the democratic leadership is adopted, as initiated by new manager, there is a fair chance that employees will be more motivated in the work performance, John will not quit as things are communicated well, and system will lead to a collegial system whose basis is teamwork. Sundarasadula, D. and Hasan, H., Closed system and organizational theories, Chapter  11.  A unified open systems model for explaining organisational change Retrieved 15 2010 from http://epress.anu.edu.au/info_systems/mobile_devices/ch11s02.html This case describes a situation of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Interestingly, it is related to career opportunities, work life policies and job characteristics as could be seen with the problem of Suzanne Chalmers. Money, benefits and stress on the job are out of the question since these are not the reasons for her resignation. But why would she quit, along with other IT professionals who quit to later joining start-up software firms that give lesser benefits? In my analysis, management failed to see that job satisfactions among professionals has something to do with †upward mobility† as they are seeking for higher status and

How were British overseas trade,slavery,war and taxation linked during Essay

How were British overseas trade,slavery,war and taxation linked during the eighteenth century - Essay Example The availability of revenue allowed for Britain to maintain naval dockyards and barracks, pay wages, and supply food and munitions, through Effective action by armies and fleets.2 The interconnectedness of overseas trade, slavery, war, and taxation shall be addressed by this paper. It is important to note however, that British colonialism had an influential role in the linkage among the four factors. Alongside a renewed pressure with the unprecedented demands of war with revolutionary and Napoleonic France between 1793 and 1815 was the fiscal-military state of the eighteenth-century Britain, in which taxation reached 20 percent of the national income of England.3 Taxes were normally between 8 and 10 percent throughout the 18th century. Along with the growing influence of Britain was a desire to protect strategic goods, encourage colonial trade or preserve domestic employment from foreign competition, which became issues of national, security and imperial preference. It was likewise important for Britain to establish its political life and to provide links between civil society and the state, which became the subject of the complex process of brokerage with trade interests.4 However, success in Britain’s point of view did not only mean the availability of and increased flow of revenue, but warfare as well, whereby large amounts were spent in a short period of time which fa r exceeded income. It may be inferred that Britain’s goal to pursue warfare specifically with its long-term rival France and the corresponding pursuit to sustain taxation were towards the attainment of a more heightened objective, which was colonialism.5 Such trail towards colonialism is seen in Britain’s concentration on taxing policies witnessed in the fiscal system becoming more dependent on excise duties, with tariffs and stamp of wealth declining an importance.6 Land tax was considered the most important direct tax in this period, which was

Contrast of the Two Articles Essay Example for Free

Contrast of the Two Articles Essay When comparing the two articles, more comparison was on the view point of social responsibility but the contrast of the two articles focuses more on aspect of business ethics. Drucker spends far more time finding out the meaning of business ethics, and as stated earlier he breaks it down into more of different types of samples and other meanings than just the overall view of business ethics. Again, Freidman’s view was more on social responsibility being the term that faces and encourages business ethics, but what I found interesting was a little excerpt from George, (1999) in his titled book â€Å"Business Ethics,† here George is explaining the issues that approach business ethics, and even though this quote was used earlier in the writing, he states â€Å"some point out that self-interest would still require a business to obey the law and adhere to basic moral rules, because the consequences of failing to do so could be very costly in fines, loss of licensure, or company reputation. The noted economist Milton Freidman was a leading proponent of this view (George, 1999). â€Å" If this is the case, then it is noted that Freidman was a view point on that ethical decisions are made on the basis of consequences and not just on their social responsibility to their company and their actions. Now one could argue in depth that it is ones social responsibility to adhere to basic moral rules and the consequences that follow. But the contrast is that while Drucker believes that business ethics comes from one’s social responsibility to himself and his kingdom, Casuistry, â€Å"Business ethics undoubtedly is a close parallel to casuistry. Its basic thesis that ethics for the ruler, and especially for the business executive, has to express â€Å"social responsibility† is exactly the starting point of the Casuist. But if â€Å"business ethics† is casuistry, then it will not last long-and long before it dies, it will have become a tool of the business executive to justify what for other people would be unethical behavior, rather than a tool to restrain the business executive and to impose tight ethical limits on business (Drucker, 1970). † Conclusion So what does this all mean? My view on the contrast is that one is using the philosophy that business ethics is based on decisions and behavior from Drucker’s standpoint, to the contrast that, business ethics is based on consequences of certain business situations. Business ethics is broader in its term and uses more than just right and wrong in business aspects. There are far more things that cause business ethics to be a stable-ford in the business world. One’s behavior and responsiveness to situations is a main component to business ethics but that can’t be the determining factor when trying to pursue the actual meaning and how it affects a business. And even when social responsibility is a main component to business ethics and is quite equal on some aspects of the term, there will always be the argument that if it leans towards someone’s responsibility, is the decisions that are being made ethical, and if so is it more towards the person’s responsibility to society or to one’s business? References 1. Carroll, A. B. , Buchholtz, Ann K. (2006) Business society: Ethics and stakeholder management Mason, Ohio: South-Western ISBN: 0324225814 2. George, Richard T. de (1999). Business Ethics. Prentice Hall Publishing, ISBN: 01307977723 3. Drucker, P. (1970) What Is Business Ethics New York, N. Y. New York Times Magazine pp. 32-33, 122-124, 126

Enterprise Resource planning system

Enterprise Resource planning system In the business world organization, business software plays a very important role to support the business and its activities to increase the productivity and efficiency of the business. Although business software give benefits but it also brings major implication for a company when the firm decide to implement different type of business software. This paper will discuss the role and purpose of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and Accounting Information System (AIS). Moreover the paper will discuss the benefits and drawbacks for companies of implementing ERP system. Specifically the paper will discuss how AIS system maybe be affected by implementation of a full ERP system and the identification of major implication for AIS system. Role and Purpose of Enterprise Resource planning system Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) is specifically designed for distributors, retailers and professional services firms according for their needs. The company named SAP Aktiengesellschaft is currently a world market and technology leader in providing ERP systems (Benjamin B. Bae, Paul Ashcroft, 2004). ERP system implemented to provide more accurate information and safe time, reduce asset costs and financial cycles, increase customer satisfaction, and globally integrate information across the enterprise supply chain. ERP system use relational database technology to integrate various units of an organizations information system which integrated all business process and sub-processes linked and unified into a single system. It has been designed to focus on four main areas in a company that is financial, human resources, marketing and supply chain management. ERP system is essential to the needed by all organizations and can use in any kind of organization, irrespective of the business objectives, size, and area of operations. Using this system not only economizes but it also improves the efficiency of the average existing work process. Without ERP system on modern day, firms cant run competitively between organizations because leak of proper drafted and formulated which ERP system can provide it. The main reason for this is because it can be configured to accommodate a large variety of different work processes and this lead it became popular not only in large corporations but midsized companies also frequently used it because it provides a seamless integration of their business. During the 1990s, Global 2000 companies spent billions of dollars on ERP systems (Dan Everett, 2003). The attractive of ERP systems seem likely to be the promise of centrally coordinating and controlling many aspect of corporate planning. As such, ERP systems can be seen to represent a far reaching technological promise and even the ultimate manifestation. Benefits and Drawbacks for Implementing ERP System The benefits for implementing ERP system is it helps organization to reduce costs and cycle time, increase the productivity and quality and improve the customer service by automating basic and repetitive operations. ERP systems automatically estimate the demand for a product, order the raw materials, provide production schedules, track down the entire inventory, allocate costs, and keep historical customer. The ERP systems repeat all the operation and keep the information so that the organization can analysts the impact of changes in product mix and volumes in order to maximize corporate profit margins. Besides that, ERP systems also provide informational benefits to management. ERP system helps an organization to achieve better resource management for example in workforce management improved the manpower allocation, in inventory management improved inventory turn and stock allocation, in production management optimized supply chain and production schedules. It also improved decision making by increase the market responsiveness, has a better profit and also controls the cost and also flexible the customer services, increase the service adjustment and response customer demand. Integrated information systems bring a new opportunity to directly support a tight link with customers (Vitale, 1986; Malone and Yates, 1987; Clemons and McFarlan, 1986). ERP systems provide E-business by using the web integration capability it helps get closer to customers. It provides benefit to business to business (B2B) interactive customer service, for example through customer directs feedback it can improved product design, and most importantly provide real time and reliable data enquiries. In addition with the integrated and standard application architecture in ERP system it provide infrastructure support business flexibility for future changes by response to internal and external changes and provide range of options in react, reduced IT costs and increased capability for quick and economic implementation of new applications (Shari Shang and Peter B. Seddon, 2000). The drawback for implementing ERP system is the cost of installing is expensive. The cost of installing an ERP system can cost up to US$100 million. In1999, most organizations spent between US$90-180 billion on ERP system (Shari Shang Peter B. Seddon, 2000). The ERP system be installed by ERP consulting organization and the fees to modify the system is also expensive with average at about US$150-$225 per hour (Benjamin B. Bae, Paul Ashcroft, 2004). Besides that, installing an ERP systems take a longer period. ERP system is a complicated system and it often takes 12-18 months to be installed and operating (Benjamin B. Bae, Paul Ashcroft, 2004). It take longer period is because a detailed study must be made and reviewed before installing ERP system to match the business requirement. Any mistake in planning of ERP systems will affect the entire performance system. The implementation of the ERP systems will hurting the companys process, break customer relations and will required a longer time from achieving its long-term financial goals (Dr. Yan Wang, 2005). In addition, implementation ERP system required a new procedures to manage the system, train employee the procedures of system, and managerial and technical support and this cause many companies found the change takeover to ERP systems a slow and painful process. Role and Purpose of Accounting Information System (AIS) Accounting Information System (AIS) play as a backbone in accounting transaction processing system. It combine the accounting format, implementation, and monitoring of information systems. It uses the modern information technology resources with the traditional accounting methods to provide financial information to organizations. AIS analyze and record all the business transactions to prepare financial statements and provide accounting data to manage the organization. Constantinos J. Stefanou state that, AIS is a process of collecting and recording the data and information based on the events that have an economic effect upon organizations and keep the maintenance, processing and communication of information to stakeholders. All the information will be use for decision making purpose and evaluate the financial position of the organization. Andreas I. Nicolaou, 2000 claim that a critical research issue in the fields of accounting and management decision-making concerns the fit of the AIS with the organizational requirements for information communication and control. This means that AIS is a computer-based system which process all the financial information and supports the decision tasks in the context of coordination and control of organizational activities. Besides that, Ed ODonnell, Julie Smith David, 2000 state that AIS provide input for decision making. AIS summarized the important business events for example production, purchasing and selling activities for internal decision making. AIS make business accounting activities easier, quicker, and more accurate. It safe accountant time and avoid mistake since the system is analyzed accounting records and prepare financial statements. Since AIS gather all accounting and transaction information by electronically and automatically so it avoids data entry and computing errors. The Major Implication for AISs of the Implementation of a Full ERP System Basically, a successful implementation of ERP system will increases competitiveness by increase the quality and customer satisfaction, speed up the processes, and reduce all the lead times. There is few reason AIS system may be affected by the implementation of a full ERP system. Steve G. Sutton 2006 claim that ERP system change the financial accounting environment significantly as the processes used to record, assimilate and distribute such information all radically change. ERP system can be traced back all the transaction recording process for example it will captures the data when a cashier scanning a bar code or warehouse worker at a receiving dock and automatically update the processes in the AIS records. Besides that, ERP system also supports two major processes in AIS that is order-to-cash and purchase-to-pay. In order-to-cash process, the ERP system can analyze to determine the goods being requested by customers. At this process, ERP system links together customer, inventory, purchasing, and vendor data to determine whether the customer is in good standing and likely to pay the bill. After that, ERP system schedules the order for delivery, if the goods are not available within the organization, a purchase order is sent to a vendor. ERP system will ensure that the invoice contains correct quantities, prices, terms, and addresses and then it will record cash receipts and updating cash and accounts receivable amounts in the general. For the purchase-to-pay process, ERP system will automatically generate the purchase requisition on the basis of data and reviews purchases requests to determine that organization is authorized and within budget. ERP system will assists the buyer in identifying sources of supply for the requested item, analyzing vendor quotations, and selecting vendors by comparing vendor prices, terms and past performance. ERP system will automatically links purchasing order, receipt and vendor invoice and record in accounts payable in the general ledger. Further, ERP systems also improved decision-making process and used financial ratio analysis. It act as facilitators of business processes and also support management decision-making. It has enabled to use financial ratio analysis and production of budgets which also including cash budgets, absorption costing and profitability analysis per customer. In addition ERP systems have introduced sophisticated accounting techniques in their accounting processes which is activity based costing (ABC) and target costing. It also lesser extent involves time reductions for accounts closure and preparation of financial statements. The last reason through the implementation of a full ERP system is it not just a business process of electronic procedures but it is also with the scientific management idea. This system can always thinking of integrating the organization internal control throughout the entire business cycle, through a set of pre-designed and improved cover the plans, prices, supply, production, sales, and inventory management and automatically update. In summary, the ERP systems appear to have fulfilled its purpose as demonstrated in the changes in the accounting practices brought in. Overall, the benefits achieved by ERP systems strongly influence accounting information and practices and also organizational planning at a strategic level. Booth et al. (2000) states that ERP users perceptions of the quality of accounting IS in financial and management accounting as adequate in terms of reporting and decision support and good in terms of transaction reporting. Therefore, results between the two systems are comparable, indicating that there are still benefits accrued for ERP adopters. Stefanou (2002) also reports that the integration of accounting applications, information exchange and reporting capabilities as notable advantages and strengths of ERP systems. Conclusion In conclusion,

New York New Music Ensemble :: essays research papers

The New York New Music Ensemble began with a bang, literally. This ensemble has been around for twenty-three years and it is considered to be â€Å"the raising standard† in contemporary chamber music. On Thursday afternoon, I saw the ensemble perform three pieces: Trio, Nutturno, and Marxville Songbook. These three possess very similar tone color and composition. The ensemble’s first piece, Trio, was composed by Donald Martino. This musician pursued his interest in music at a very young age. By age fifteen, he did not only know how to play various instruments, but he also started composing. Martino excelled as a member of American Academy of Arts and Letters and was rewarded scholarships. In 1974, Martino’s classic sextet, Notturno, won him the Pulitzer Prize in music. In Notturno there are three large parts, which could be described as movements that maintain the music’s continuity. Within these three movements, there are nineteen smaller parts. The first and last movements have nine parts that make up the contrasting sounds in the music. The final movement concentrates more on the pitch transformation. Structurally, this format would be a recapitulation, but the use of pitch transforms it into something new. To emphasize the pitch fluctuation, three different kinds of flutes were played. Because of the pitch variation in this piece, there were many melodies to follow. In a way, the music sounded like sound effects to a horror flick. For example, the tone color of the piece would be nice and calm then all of a sudden the percussion would contribute a crashing sound and disturb the quiet. Towards the end of the piece, the musicians tapped their instruments to add to the eerie atmosphere. In comparison to Notturno, Martino’s Trio (the first piece played) still produced the same psychotic and dramatic sound. This instrumental consisted of small packets of sound played softly then fiercely. The ensemble began the piece slowly and worked its way to climactic units of music throughout the set. The violin’s sound danced along the piano’s ground. The piano set the rhythm, while the clarinet and violin built on top of it. This piece was a good example of non-imitative polyphony because the clarinet and violin were playing melodies of their own. To complete the piece, the clarinet trailed off leaving the audience uneasy. The second piece the ensemble performed was the Marxville Songbook, which was composed by Jeffrey Stadelman.

The Artificial Family :: essays research papers

"The Artificial Love" In Anne Tyler’s "The Artificial Family," the personality and character of three individuals are revealed: Toby, Mary and Samantha. The story has no real resolution and seems to end where it began. The characters learn and unlearn by the time the story is complete. There is no long introduction or development of the characters; the characters develop throughout the short story. Tyler uses immediate dialogue making the story even more intriguing for the reader as well as writing simply; this style is ironic due to the intensity of the plot. The author makes it seem like a simple story about two individuals who rush into a relationship only to have it fall apart. However, the plot is much more intense than this. There are two main themes of "The Artificial Family," love and communication. The conflict is between Toby and his wife Mary. Toby learns to love but does not ever learn how to communicate this love in a positive way with his wife. Another title that would work for this story would be "The Artificial Love." The second theme is the importance of positive communication. Mary never communicated her seriousness about her feelings between Toby and Samantha. She shared there was a problem but chose not to deal with that problem. She left Toby without even discussing their problems with him. Toby never seemed to initiate any interest in his wife’s needs. He never asked her why she felt as she did. He just said he did not see a problem. The story begins with Mary's first words to Toby in their introduction to each other; "Did you know I have a daughter?" (400) This sets the focus of both of the characters into place. The daughter, Samantha, seems to be the neutral character in the story who not only ties the two main characters together but is used to separate them as well. Toby is presented as a young college student who is in graduate school on scholarships. He is studying science and seems easy going. He is simple but not a flat character. He starts out not knowing love and ends the story knowing broken love. He learns what it means to love but has not learned what it means to be a husband. In the relationship, he was more of a friend to the two rather than a dad and husband. I do not think he ever saw fault but rather felt pity that she left him.

Symbols and Symbolism in Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn – Symbolism of The River Rivers flow freely, and smoothly, and people usually go to the river to escape from society and civilization. They feel free with the nature surrounding them, which allows them to rest, and relax in peace. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Twain uses symbolic importance of the Mississippi River. Throughout the story, the Mississippi River plays an important symbolic figure, and significance to the story's plot. For Huck and Jim, the river is a place for freedom and adventure. Mark Twain uses the Mississippi River to symbolize freedom, adventure, and comfort. For Jim he has nothing else to lose. He runs away from Widow Douglas's house because he finds out that she is going to sell him off to a plantation in the South. ."..I hear ole missus tell de widder she gwyne to sell me down to Orleans..." If Jim was sold to Orleans, he would be farther away from the free states, and it would be harder for him to get back with his family. Therefore, Jim escapes to the Mississippi River. He is a runaway slave and there is a $300 reward out for him. His goal is to reach Cairo, and Huck is going to help him get there. "Dah's Cairo!."..When he got enough he would buy his wife, which was owned on a farm close to where Miss Watson lived; and then they would both work to buy the two children..." For Jim, the river represents freedom and poverty. Huck agrees to help Jim by following along on his journey to Cairo. Jim depends on the Mississippi River and believes it will lead him to his finding of his family. Thus, the Mississippi River symbolizes freedom. Huck follows along with Jim down the Mississippi for an adventure. "I reckoned I would slip over the river and find out what was going on...couldn't I put on some of them old things and dress up like a girl?" Huck and Jim has been on the river for couple of days and Huck wants to know what's going around town. He dresses up like a girl and goes to a house near the Illinois shore, but the woman in the house suspects him to be a boy and he gets caught.

Analysis of Sonnet 116 N

Analysis of sonnet 116 by william shakespeare and sonnet 29 bu edna st vincent millay Let me not to the marriage of true mindsLet me not declare any reasons why two Admit impediments. Love is not loveTrue-minded people should not be married. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds,Which changes when it finds a change in circumstances, Or bends with the remover to remove:Or bends from its firm stand even when a lover is unfaithful: O no! it is an ever-fixed markOh no! it is a lighthouseThat looks on tempests and is never shaken;That sees storms but it never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark,Love is the guiding north star to every lost ship, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Whose value cannot be calculated, although its altitude can be measured. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeksLove is not at the mercy of Time, though physical beauty Within his bending sickle's compass come:Comes within the compass of his sickle. Love al ters not with his brief hours and weeks,Love does not alter with hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom.But, rather, it endures until the last day of life. If this be error and upon me proved,If I am proved wrong about these thoughts on love I never writ, nor no man ever loved. Then I recant all that I have written, and no man has ever [truly] loved. Sonnet 116 is about love in its most ideal form. It is praising the glories of lovers who have come to each other freely, and enter into a relationship based on trust and understanding. The first four lines reveal the poet's pleasure in love that is constant and strong, and will not â€Å"alter when it alteration finds. The following lines proclaim that true love is indeed an â€Å"ever-fix'd mark† which will survive any crisis. In lines 7-8, the poet claims that we may be able to measure love to some degree, but this does not mean we fully understand it. Love's actual worth cannot be known – it remain s a mystery. The remaining lines of the third quatrain (9-12), reaffirm the perfect nature of love that is unshakeable throughout time and remains so â€Å"ev'n to the edge of doom†, or death. In â€Å"Pity Me Not,† Millay uses the cyclical forces of nature as a metaphor for her version of the cycle of love, a version that concludes a an’s love for a woman always ends. Her comparison, however, becomes paradoxical as she moves from the rational mind to the emotional heart. The first stanza begins immediately with her rational comparisons of nature to love. In the first two lines she looks at the sunset and one is reminded of the warmth love brings to life. A warmth that naturally fades as love dies. Next, she moves to beauty and the aging process. Unfortunately as women get older, American society often considers their beauty lost just as flowers wither as winter approaches. Millay seems to assume that men cannot love if the woman has no beauty left. The waning o f the moon† can easily refer to the loss of romance and passion, since moonlight is often considered a sensuous setting. Finally, â€Å"the ebbing of the tide† washes away any remnants of the romance. Passion’s tide will only go lower and lower from this point. Millay finishes the octave directly tying love to nature. Up to this point, love has not been explicitly addressed. Finally, she gets to the thrust of the poem, â€Å"Nor that a man’s desire is hushed so soon, and you no longer look on love with me. † It is clear in this octave that Millay looks at the passing of love, the end of men’s desire, as a natural part of life.She seems resigned to it. She accepts it and declares, â€Å"Pity me not† the loss of these precious things, for there is nothing else which could happen. With the tone of the octave, she clearly does not sound so much as a â€Å"tormented lover† as she does someone who has become completely jaded to love a ltogether. The torment is long finished. As is common in many sonnets, the sestet introduces a new tone, a new twist to the narrative. In line 9, she tells us directly that she indeed has gone through these stages of love enough to become resigned to the inevitable: â€Å"This love I have known always: love is no more. It is with line 10 that the tone of the poem twists to something totally conflicting with the octave. Lines 10-12 all compare the ending of love to natural events that are clearly not cyclical or expected at all. Passages such as â€Å"the wide blossom which the wind assails† or â€Å"the great tide that treads the shifting shore strewing fresh wreckage gathered in the gales† reveal that she is not at all calm over the ending of love. The imagery throughout this section is violent.It is as if she is the wide blossom assailed; that the shifting shore is her foundation, her emotions being eroded; that the wind is now no longer a natural, common wind but a gale! Probably the most effective word that demonstrates these bad feelings is â€Å"wreckage. † The term is the only man-made noun in the entire poem, a term that is not natural at all. The vision of boats being mangled and ripped in a storm quickly comes to mind. She clearly seems to see herself as the â€Å"fresh wreckage† in the midst of a grand emotional storm. A question now arises in the reader’s mind at the conclusion of line 12.If the ending of love is rational and expected, why have this outburst of torture and torment? The couplet holds the answer. As typical in so many sonnets, the couplet ends with a surprise and a tying together of all the elements of the poem above it. In the octave Millay asks her readers not to pity her the ending of love, as it is simply a natural occurrence in her spoiled view. In the couplet she gets to the point of her real pain. â€Å"Pity me that the heart is slow to learn what the swift mind beholds at every turn. † Now she is clearly asking for sympathy. She knows that love will end.She watches it happen time and time again around her, but she laments that she still feels pain in her heart. She feels she is smarter than that but still she succumbs to her emotions. Pity her her broken heart. Period. Thus, the octave is a representation of her mind, her rationalizing assumption that relationships cannot naturally work. The sestet’s quatrain represents the pain, the emotional violence that still emerges despite all of her rationalizations. That revelation is the paradox. The ending of love is not cyclically expected as is the sunset or the waning of the moon — at least not in her heart where it matters the most. Pity Me Not† was written in 1923, a period characterized by poets consistently examining their psyches. Edna St. Vincent Millay continued this study of her â€Å"worthlessness† throughout most of this time. Before 1923, she indeed lived through an amount of p ain and sadness. That year, however, was not a time to be glum or depressed, for 1923 was clearly one of the most joyous, important years in her life. It was the year she married a rather wealthy man, finally finding love while freeing herself from financial responsibilities, allowing her to devote all of her time to her art.It was the year she first became published in Europe, to a resounding success. It was also the year she won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry–only the second of its kind awarded (Atkins 93-147). No, 1923 was known as an exceptionally happy time for Millay, in her career and in romantic pursuits. Thus, the final paradox to be found in â€Å"Pity Me Not† is that she could, and did, find the love she thought she’d never find. The marraige lasted, disproving her theory that relationships naturally die.

Accounting Research Paper

Accounting Research Paper Dr. Pepper Snapple Group vs. The Coca Cola Company Amanda Herring Tarleton State University Declaration Statement I hereby certify that this paper constitutes my own product, that where the language of others is set forth, quotation marks so indicate, and that appropriate credit is given where I have used the language, ideas, expressions or writings of others. Amanda Herring ID #000078948Zip Code 76707 Table of Contents Title Page1 Declaration Statement2 Table of Contents3Abstract4 Purpose & Objective5 Introduction6 Statement of Problem7 Financial Analysis8 SWOT Analysis13 Decision16 Implementation & Monitoring17 Conclusion18 Bibliography19 Appendix21 Abstract This paper will discuss the financial differences between the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and the Coca Cola Company, two drink manufacturing companies. It will take into account all of the financial information for 2010 and 2011 for each company, as well as current trends found for both of the companies.F inancial statements for both companies will be included, as well as analysis of both companies’ financial situations. A decision will be made at the end to determine which company is best suited to add to an investment portfolio and an explanation will be given as to why this company has been chosen. Purpose & Objective Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and The Coca Cola Company were chosen because of their sizes and product lines are relatively similar. They are both drink manufacturers with a wide array of different drink products under their label.It is hoped that with this research, one of these companies has a better market position than the other so that it can be recommended to the reader as an addition to their investment portfolio. Introduction The world is currently in a crisis like no other when it comes to the state of the global economy, as is the United States economy. There is always a need to analyze the current situation of companies so that investors and company exec utives know what is going on with the financials and what type of leverage the company currently has, as well as what type of leverage they will have in the future.There is also always a need to compare one’s company to that of similar companies who are competitors in the industry. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and The Coca Cola Company, both drink manufacturing companies, so that a decision can be made about which one to invest in. â€Å"The Coca Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups† (Wikipedia. org) and was â€Å"founded and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia† (Cooper, Ford, & Stephens, 2007). In 1886, pharmacist John Pemberton created the soft drink Coca-Cola by combining soda water, lime, cinnamon, coca leaves, and Brazilian shrub weeds. The drink was originally sold in Atlanta in Jacobà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Pharmacy for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink† (Cooper, Ford, & Stephens, 2007). â€Å"Today Coca-Cola’s reach spreads far beyond Georgia and even the United States; the company has become one of the world’s most recognizable corporations† and â€Å"the Coca-Cola brand is one of the five most recognized symbols† while the company â€Å"has early 400 brands in over 200 countries† (Cooper, Ford, & Stephens, 2007). The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) is â€Å"an American soft drink company, based in Plano, Texas† that was â€Å"spun off from Britain’s Cadbury Schweppes† who â€Å"in 2006 and 2007†¦purchased the Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group† (Wikipedia. org). They are â€Å"the leading producer of flavored beverages in North America and the Caribbean† with their success being â€Å"fueled by more than 50 brands that are synonymous with refreshment, fun and flavor† having â€Å"6 of the top 10 non-cola soft drinks, and 11 of 14 leading brands are No. in their flavor categories† (investor. drpeppersnapple. com). Along with their â€Å"flagship Dr Pepper and Snapple brands†, their â€Å"portfolio includes Sunkist soda, 7Up, A&W, Canada Dry, Crush, Mott’s, Squirt, Hawaiian Punch, Penafiel, Clamato, Schweppes, Rose’s and Mr & Mrs T mixers† (investor. drpeppersnapple. com). Problem Statement The problem is deciding which of the two companies to invest money in their stock. With so many different stocks to choose from, there is a need to get the most out of investments these days.In order to come up with this decision, research is pertinent. Extensive research must be done by looking at both companies’ financial information in the form of statement analysis, ratio analysis, financial leverage, and comparative analysis, along with a SWOT analysis of both companies and comparing their strategies. The problem is havi ng two very similar companies to choose from, and deciding which is going to be worth investing in the short and long term. Financial AnalysisCommon Size Income Statements & Horizontal and Vertical Analysis Table [ 1 ]: Coca Cola Company Income Statement Analysis (dollars in millions except for per share data) Year Ended Dec 31,| 2011| Vertical Analysis| 2010| VerticalAnalysis| 2009| % Change 11/10| % Change 10/09| Net Operating Revenues| $46,542| 100%| $35,119| 100%| $30,990| 33| 13| Cost of goods sold| 18,216| 39. 1| 12,693| 36. 1| 11,088| 44| 14| Gross Profit| 28,326| 60. 9| 22,426| 63. 9| 19,902| 26| 13| Gross Profit Margin| 60. 9%| | 63. 9%| | 64. 2%| | |Selling, general and administrative expenses| 17,440| 37. 5| 13,158| 37. 5| 11,358| 33| 16| Other operating charges| 732| 1. 6| 819| 2. 3| 313| | | Operating Income| 10,154| 21. 8| 8,449| 24. 1| 8,231| 20| 3| Operating Margin| 21. 8%| | 24. 1%| | 26. 6%| | | Interest Income| 483| 1| 317| 0. 9| 249| 52| 27| Interest Expense| 417 | 0. 9| 733| 2. 1| 355| (43)| 106| Equity income (loss) – net| 690| 1. 5| 1,025| 2. 9| 781| (33)| 31| Other income (loss) – net| 529| 1. 1| 5,185| 14. 8| 40| | | Income Before Income Taxes| 11,439| 24. | 14,243| 40. 6| 8,946| (20)| 59| Income taxes| 2,805| 6| 2,384| 6. 8| 2,040| 18| 17| Effective tax rate| 24. 5%| | 16. 7%| | 22. 8%| | | Consolidated Net Income| 8,634| 18. 6| 11,859| 33. 8| 6,906| (27)| 72| Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest| 62| 0. 01| 50| . 001| 82| 24| (39)| Net Income Attributable to shareowners| 8,572| 18. 4| 11,809| 33. 6| | (27)| 73| Net Income per share| | | | | | | | Basic net income per share| $3. 75| | $5. 12| | | (27)| 74| Diluted net income per share| $3. 69| | $5. 6| | | (27)| 73| Retrieved from The Coca Cola Company’s 2010 and 2011 10k Reports The Coca Cola Company has seen an increase in revenues since 2009, though they seem to have higher prices when it comes to selling, administrative, and general expenses during the 2011 accounting period. This seems to be the trend throughout the world, though, as the economic situation has become sour again and prices seem to be rising on all products and services. The cost of goods sold is also higher in the year that has the highest revenues, though this can be attributed to the economic situation once again.The problem with the cost of goods, selling, administrative, and general expenses being so high is that net income has turned out lower, for the 2011 year thus causing the per share income to be significantly lower than that of 2010. Table [ 2 ]: Dr Pepper Snapple Group Income Statement Analysis (dollars in millions except for per share data) Year Ended Dec 31,| 2011| VerticalAnalysis| 2010| VerticalAnalysis| 2009| % Change 11/10| % Change 10/09| Net Sales| $5,903| 100%| $5,636| 100%| $5,531| 5%| 2%| Cost of goods sold| 2,485| 42. 1| 2,243| 39. 8| 2,234| 10| 0. 5| Gross Profit| 3,418| 57. 9| 3,393| 60. | 3,297| 1%| 3| Gross Profit Margin| 57 . 9%| | 60. 2%| | | | | Selling, general and administrative expenses| 2,257| 38. 3| 2,233| 39. 6| 2,135| 1. 1| 4. 4| Depreciation and amortization| 126| 2. 1| 127| 2. 3| 117| (0. 1)| 8| Other operating charges| 11| 0. 2| 8| 0. 1| (40)| 27| 84| Operating Income| 1,024| 17. 3| 1,025| 18. 2| 1,085| (0. 1)| (6)| Operating Margin| 17. 3%| | 18. 2%| | | | | Interest Expense| 114| 1. 9| 128| 2. 3| 243| (12)| (89)| Interest Income| (3)| (0. 1)| (3)| (0. 1)| (4)| | | Loss on early extinguishment of debt| -| -| 100| 1. 8| -| | | Other income (loss) – net| (12)| (0. )| (21)| (. 04)| (22)| | | Income Before Income Taxes & Equity| 925| 15. 7| 821| 14. 6| 868| 13| (5)| Income taxes| 320| 5. 5| 294| 5. 3| 315| 8| (7)| Income before Equity| 605| 10. 2| 527| 9. 4| 553| 13| (5)| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries| 1| -| 1| -| 2| | | Net Income| 606| 10. 3| 528| 9. 4| 555| 13| (5)| Net Income per share| | | | | | | | Basic net income per share| 2. 77| | 2. 19| | 2. 18| 26| (. 01) | Diluted net income per share| 2. 74| | 2. 17| | 2. 17| 26| (. 01)| Retrieved from Dr Pepper Snapple Group 2010 and 2011 10k ReportsThe Dr Pepper Snapple Group definitely sees a significantly lower revenue standard than The Coca Cola Company, which can be seen as a bad thing because it means their market share isn’t near what Coca Cola Company’s market share is. Even though these companies are in the same industry, it seems that Dr Pepper Snapple Group just isn’t being able to keep up with the larger company that the Coca Cola Company is. Yes, Dr Pepper Snapple Group is also seeing the same added expenses in the cost of goods sold, selling, administrative, and general expenses, but nearly at the percentage rate that he Coca Cola Company is. This means that their net income and their per share net income has grown considerably from 2010 to 2011, but remained around the same the year before that. Comprehensive Financial Ratio Analysis Valuation Ratios| DPS| KO| I ndustry| Earnings per share| 2. 79| 3. 78| | P/E Ratio| 16. 37| 21. 17| 20. 9| P/E High| NA| NA| 2. 6| P/E Low| NA| NA| 0. 8| Price to Book| 4. 27| 5. 72| 5. 51| Price to Sales| 1. 63| 3. 87| 2. 93| Price to Cash Flow| 11. 3| 16. 8| 15. 4| Market Cap| 9. 60B| 180. 10B| | Dividends| 1. 21| 1. 88| |Dividend Yield| 2. 98| 2. 55| | Financial Ratios| | | | Current Ratio| 0. 92| 1. 05| 1. 2| Quick Ratio| 0. 7| 1| 0. 8| Leverage Ratio| 3. 9| 2. 6| 2. 9| Book Value per share| 10. 9| 14. 34| 13. 53| | 24. 3| 17. 08| | Total debt to asset| 29. 17| 35. 72| | Lt debt to equity| 99. 69| 43. 17| | Total debt to equity| 119. 66| 90. 31| 108| Operating Metrics| | | | Return on avg assets| 6. 67| 11. 29| 8. 9| Return on avg equity| 25. 67| 27. 37| 25. 74| Return on investment| 8. 13| 15. 77| 13. 7| Margins| | | | Net profit margin| 10. 25| 18. 55| 14. 16|Gross margin| 57. 9| 60. 86| 55. 48| EBITD margin| 20. 85| 27. 06| | Operating margin| 17. 35| 23. 06| | Retrieved from www. google. com/finance & www. investing. money. msn. com The Coca Cola Company has a higher return on investment percentage than Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which means that Coca Cola Company is generating more wealth out of the investments they are making. Both companies’ revenues are growing, though it seems that Coca Cola Company is again winning out in the growth category because they are growing at a larger percentage.Within the past two years Coca Cola Company’s revenue growth has been 13% and then 33%, which seems to mean that even through economically tough times, Coca Cola Company is still able to see larger revenue than the year before. The Coca Cola Company is trading at approximately four times their price/earnings ratio, which shows that it is a strong company which shareholders expect the price to go up. Although Dr Pepper Snapple Group is trading for around three times their price/earnings ratio, shareholders also agree that they have a strong company.If you look at all of the anal ysis ratios, The Coca Cola Company is outperforming the industry in a number of different ratios. These include, but not limited to, the average return on equity, average return on assets, book value per share, the quick ratio, the leverage ratio, net profit margin, and gross margin, just to name a few. It seems that because of this, barring something unforeseen, The Coca Cola Company will remain the leader in their industry, and a good solid investment for any investor. If you are just looking at these ratios, The Coca Cola Company would definitely be the investment choice you would want to go with.However, there are other factors to be considered still. The Coca Cola Company 5 year Stock Valuation Chart Retrieved from www. thecoca-colcompany. com Dr Pepper Snapple Group 5 year Stock Valuation Chart Retrieved from www. nasdaq. com In analyzing the two stock charts above, both are showing results for the past five years, it seems that the trends in both stocks are about the same. Th ere is a drop in October of 2009, which was the financial crisis that made all stocks drop, though both have bounced back up. Dr Pepper Snapple Group has seen an extremely higher stock price since before the crisis, though it s still not valued at what The Coca Cola Company’s stock price is valued. The Coca Cola Company’s stocks have bounced back up, as previously stated, though not at the expansive amount Dr Pepper Snapple Group has since the devastating financial crisis. The Coca Cola Company is valued more than the Dr Pepper Snapple Group because â€Å"although we think there may be a better time to dabble in the firm's shares based on our DCF process, the firm's stock has outperformed the market benchmark during the past quarter, indicating increased investor interest in the company† (Why Coca-Cola is worth, 2012).However, there is some estimation that â€Å"if recent commodity price trends hold over the next quarter, Dr. Pepper Snapple (ticker: DPS) should demonstrate significant earnings leverage in 2013 – well in excess of current Wall Street estimates† (Gerberi, Herzog, & Metrano, 2012). SWOT Analysis Strengths â€Å"Coca-Cola’s key strategy is its excellence in emerging markets. It has secured strong anchorage in emerging markets and in the event that the American market plummets, it will have a good fallback position† (Bazil, 2012).This is a great thing, along with the fact that they are a global company. This gives them a position to be at the forefront of the beverage industry and allows them to see better revenues than others in the beverage industry. Dr Pepper Snapple Group, on the other hand, has a strength in the fact that they have seen a smaller increase in the cost of goods sold and other expenses than The Coca Cola Company. This is a strength because it means that the company has been able to control costs, yet they still have the same quality of beverages they always have. WeaknessesDr Peppe r Snapple Group has continued to be an American-centric beverage company and could use a more global outlook to add to profits and up their stock performance. This is a weakness because The Coca Cola Company is already out in the global market and has become the face of the beverage industry from the United States. They are well known, and if Dr Pepper Snapple Group can’t keep up with this, they will never be able to achieve the same financial situation that The Coca Cola Company has. The Coca Cola Company has seen a weakness in the fact that they haven’t been able to control costs throughout the economic down recently.They are seeing more revenues, but revenues are not all that matter in the business world. The Coca Cola Company should try to maintain a lower cost structure so that they have a better advantage, and a larger net income. Opportunities Dr Pepper Snapple Group has a huge opportunity to go global with their beverages. They are currently thinking relatively small in the grand scheme of things and could use a global perspective to raise revenues and become a more comparative competitor to The Coca Cola Company. The Coca Cola Company has the opportunity to try to control costs.They need to be able to do this so they can see a larger net income and save money during these economically hard times. Companies that are not able to control costs will eventually not be able to make it in the business world because they will be paying prices that they sales cannot keep up with. Threats The Coca Cola Company has a big threat that could potentially affect them in the long run. If more of their competitors enter the global market, they could see huge competition in this market than ever before.They are the main beverage company that has a large global presence, but other beverage companies will be looking, if they already aren’t, into getting into the global market so that they compete with The Coca Cola Company revenue wise, and see the sa me larger revenue that global companies start see when they branch out to different areas of the world. Dr Pepper Snapple Group could see a threat of all others within the beverage industry catching on to their cost controlling methods. These methods would help other companies be able to compete better because they will be saving money and hopefully seeing higher revenues as well.This cost controlling, though now a competitive advantage, could very well become an industry norm in the future. Decision I feel that both companies should be invested in. There seems to be a relatively good stock market valuation for The Coca Cola Company and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, as well as good return on investment percentages relative to the beverage industry average. I think that half should be invested in The Coca Cola Company because it has a global presence and sees higher revenue and has a larger stock valuation, as well as a larger per share net income because of the larger revenues than that of Dr Pepper Snapple Group.I also think that the other half should be invested in Dr Pepper Snapple Group. I feel that this manufacturer only has greater heights to attain, seeing as they have yet to have a huge global presence since they are centered on their United States market. I feel that investing in their stock now, before they truly go global (which will happen because every company should start thinking on a global scale), would be the best case scenario because once they do start making a larger revenue due to global sales, they will probably see a higher return on investment, as well as a higher stock valuation.Implementation & Monitoring To implement this, you should contact your financial advisor. Your financial advisor will able to help you further assess the situation which I have laid out in this report. They will also be able to connect you with a stock broker, if you already do not have one. The stock broker will then help you invest your money in the way I have ex plained above. Then it would be advisable, in order to monitor your investment, that you also use your financial advisor who can better monitor the progress of your stock investment.If this is too expensive, then you could monitor the stock yourself through websites such as www. investing. money. msn. com, www. google. com/finance, or www. finance. yahoo. com. These, plus many more websites, are very helpful in monitoring your investment in the stock market. It is up to you whether you want to monitor it every day, once a week, twice a week, or once a month. Whichever you choose, make sure that you keep up with it and don’t fret when stock prices take a slight drop. Pulling money out too early, or when the stock is currently falling is never a good plan. ConclusionsWith this paper, I have learned that, contrary to my belief, The Coca Cola Company are not comparative in size when it comes to revenue, or even the amount of different beverages they sell. They both, though, have comparative ratio analysis. They both are around the industry average, sometimes one is a little above and the other is a little below and vice versa, but for the most part they are relatively close to the industry average. It seems that Dr Pepper Snapple Group has been able to control costs a little more effectively than The Coca Cola Company, but The Coca Cola Company has seen better revenues than the Dr Pepper Snapple Group.Both of these companies are on upwards trends in the stock market, even though they are not comparable by price. There is definitely a need to invest in both of these companies because each has their unique competitive advantage. The Coca Cola Company’s competitive advantage is the fact that they are the leaders in the global beverage market, while Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s competitive advantage is that is able to control costs more efficiently. They each have a large product line and could both benefit from learning from the other in different a spects of the business.Bibliography Bazil, M. (2012). Coca-Cola’s secret weapon. Retrieved from http://www. gurufocus. com/news/183815/cocacolas-secret-weapon. Coca Cola Company Form 10k, 2010. (2011). Retrieved from www. sec. gov. Coca Cola Company Form 10k, 2011. (2012). Retrieved from www. sec. gov. Cooper, L. , Ford, W. , & Stephens, W. (2007). Coca-Cola case study: An ethics incident. The Archive of Marketing Education. Retrieved from www. marketingpower. com. Dr Pepper Snapple Group. (n. d. ). Retrieved from www. wikipedia. org.Dr Pepper Snapple Group Form 10k, 2010. (2011). Retrieved from www. sec. gov. Dr Pepper Snapple Group Form 10k, 2011. (2012). Retrieved from www. sec. gov. Gerberi, J. , Herzog, B. , & Metrano, B. (2012). Beating the global heat with Dr. Pepper Snapple. Retrieved from http://online. barrons. com/article/SB50001424053111903857104577462982562697696. html Graph Data. (2012). Retrieved from www. google. com/finance. Graph Data. (2012). Retrieved from www. investing. money. msn. com. Graph Data. (2012). Retrieved from www. hecoca-colacompany. com. Graph Data. (2012). Retrieved from www. nasdaq. com. Graph Data. (2012). Retrieved from www. yahoo. com. Investors. (n. d. ). Retrieved from www. investor. drpeppersnapple. com. The Coca Cola Company. (n. d. ). Retrieved from www. wikipedia. org. Why Coca-Cola is worth $70 per share. (2012). Retrieved from http://seekingalpha. com/article/755581-why-coca-cola-is-worth-70-per-share? source=marketwatch Appendix A – Accounting Research Paper Supporting Files PDF Files Word/Rich Text Files

Metabolism and Word Niacin

When you hear the word Niacin, what does it mean to you? What about Vitamin B3? You may have seen them on the back of cereal boxes, energy drinks or even in your daily multivitamin. Well they are in fact one in the same. However vitamin B3 comes in two different forms, nicotinic acid or Niacin and nicotinamide, while nicotinamide is a vitamin it does not have the same practical uses as Niacin. ,,,, Today I am going to tell you a little about the history, biological uses, sources and the consequences of an overdose or deficiency in Niacin. As a Biology major I think it is vital to stress the importance of getting the suggested daily dose of Niacin. But first let’s discuss the history of Niacin. ,,,,, According to vitamin-basics. com, the structure of Niacin was first described by the Austrian chemist, Hugo Weidel in 1873 at the Vienna University of Technology, while studying the reaction of nicotine with nitric acid. Although the product of this reaction, Niacin, was already known Weidel was the first to person to isolate large enough quantities to determine the properties of the material. ,,,, In 1937 a Norwegian emigrant living in Wisconsin by the name of Conrad Elvehjem, extracted and identified a molecule found in the liver as a new vitamin now called niacin. He referred to this vitamin as the â€Å"pellagra-preventing factor†. His isolation of this vitamin directly lead to the cure of pellagra, a disease I will discuss a little later. Now because of nicotinic acid’s new found importance it was though appropriate to come up with a new name. ,,,,, The name, as shown here, comes from combining specific letters in nicotinic acid and vitamin.Muscular System: Muscle Metabolism Now that we've covered some history, I'd like to take a look at some of the uses of Niacin. ,,,,, Niacin along with other B vitamins help our bodies metabolize fats and protein, as well as maintain healthy skin, eyes, hair and liver. They also help the nervous system function properly. ,,,,, Niacin is the precursor to NAD+/NADH and NADP+/NADPH which are essential electron carriers involved in several metabolic pathways including glycolysis and the Citric acid cycle. ,,,,, As you may remember from your high school biology courses, glycolysis, the citric acid cycle and the electron transport chain are responsible for creating ATP which is our body’s main energy source. Niacin also plays an important role in DNA repair as well as steroidal hormone production from the adrenal glands. ,,,,,, As a prescription, Niacin is prescribed in quantities ranging from 500mg to 5000mg. Niacin is most commonly used to treat high cholesterol and it does so by lowering your LDL or â€Å"bad† cholesterol and increasing your HDL or â€Å"good† cholesterol. Because Niacin reduces your LDL and increases your HDL it also helps prevent atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries when coupled with other medication. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Niacin is also being tested for the possible treatment and/or prevention of diabetes types one and two as well as for osteoarthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. High doses of Niacin can have its drawbacks so it is crucial to speak to your doctor if at all interested in exploring these avenues of treatment. Now that we have an idea as to what Niacin can do, you may be asking: what are some common sources of Niacin? ,,,,, Well, Niacin can be found in a wide variety of foods including: liver, chicken, fish, milk, eggs, nuts, whole grain products and mushrooms among others. But food is not the only source of Niacin. ,,,,, Many multivitamins have Niacin including centrum, which contains 100 percent of the suggest daily value or 20mg. ,,,,, But, probably the most common source of Niacin amongst today’s youth is energy drinks, including red bull and 5 hour energy. In fact 5 hour energy has between 30 to 40mg of Niacin, which is way more than the average person requires. ,,,,, The suggest daily value of Niacin as per the united states department of agriculture is as follows: children 6 to 8 mg per day, for adult males 16mg per day, adult females 14 mg per day, pregnant women 18 mg per day and breastfeeding women 17 mg per day. Now that we know how much Niacin we should be getting daily, let’s look at what happens when we get too much or not enough. ,,,,,, Niacin flush is a distinct redness of the skin caused by the overconsumption of Niacin. This skin flush is often accompanied by itching, dry skin and skin rashes including eczema. Niacin flush typically lasts 15 to 30 minutes as Niacin is water soluble and is thus easily removed from the body through urine. However, not everyone who overdoes on Niacin will experience these symptoms at all. Niacin flush can be minimized or avoided completely by taking 300mg of aspirin, approximately one tablet, half an hour before taking Niacin, taking one tablet of ibuprofen per day or by taking the Niacin with a meal. ,,,,,, On the other hand a chronic lack of Niacin can result in Pellagra. The most common reasons for this Niacin deficiency are dietary or the result of another disorder, such as Hartnup’s disease which is a hereditary disease that affects the intestines and kidneys, making it difficult for the body to break down and absorb tryptophan, the amino acid required for Niacin synthesis. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid meaning it must be ingested; it cannot be produced within the body. Pellagra is a disease that was first described in Spain in 1937. Characteristically the victims of Pellagra suffer from what is known as â€Å"the four Ds† which are: diarrhea, dermatitis or skin lesions, dementia and death. As previously mentioned the isolation of nicotinic acid in 1937 lead to the eradication of Pellagra in the following years in the form of oral niacin supplements. There are still some future applications of Niacin in the medical field that have not been fully explored. In the past several minutes you have listened to me talk about the history, some sources of Niacin, how we as people use Niacin on a daily bases as well as the consequences of a Niacin overdose or deficiency. I really hope you learned something new from all of this and maybe the next time you see your doctor you can discuss how Niacin can best help you.