Requests strategies encountered by Iraqi students in Australian Dissertation

Requests strategies encountered by Iraqi students in Australian Universities - Dissertation Example Request strategies basically helps the students to clear their idea and concept regarding any reading they are doing of the text and then ask questions to the instructors in order to understand the key concepts of it and to clear all the queries. Sometimes requesters may hesitate to make any requests because it creates nuisance for the requester and for the recipient to answer it. Iraqi culture which is suppose to be the most influential culture in terms of protecting their values, beliefs and cultural positions follow their own language in order to communicate. Language is the first medium to communicate with the intercultural and the cross cultural variations and it is seems to be the barrier if the proper communication is not performed. For Iraqi’s, English is suppose to be the second language because they give priority to their own language first, whereas pragmatic competence is the ability beyond the understanding of the grammar and to understand the clear levels of any l anguage. This short research thesis basically discusses few issues and tribulations that are faced in the studies of pragmatic in order to create the idea of clear understanding of the communication and the politeness factor into it (Cook, & Liddicoat, 2002, Introduction, Para. 1). It also discuses the inter language issues that are faced by all of those for whom English is not their first language and due to this they do face threatening acts and unable to use appropriate strategies and politeness into their speech (Chen, 2006, Brown and Levinson’s Concept of Face and Politeness Theory, Para. 3). As for Iraqi students, English is the second language and for them it creates difficulty in communicating and following requests strategies with the teachers and the instructors there in Australia. The use of pragmatic inter language is used for all those who want to learn and to use L2 pragmatic knowledge (Kasper, 1996, Introduction, p. 147). The speaker should create the politenes s factor in order to build strong perception of the listener for understanding the context. To overcome various gaps between the communication and general pragmatics knowledge in order to understand English as second language the process of acculturation facilitates because bilingualism always helps students to understand the environment and helps in learning when such students like Iraqi’s go to some other place to acquire education. Now the pragmatic competence and knowledge of the learner is obligatory then the grammatical competence of any student. Pragmatics involve all the important factors including the style, conversational structure and various aspects that helps in building communication effectively (Quraishi, 1994, Personal Experience with L2 Politeness, p. 1). The importance of using and learning request strategies is that it helps the bilingual and monolingual learners to bring politeness into inter cultural communications so that it gets easier for others to fee l comfortable while dealing with them (Quraishi, 1994, The importance of Politeness Strategies in Effective Communication, p. 2). For those who are monolinguals it gets difficult for them to communicate if they are not polite or rude, therefore there are certain techniques and strategies that are important for them to learn which includes the politeness and request strategies and the certain pragmatics also help them in understanding the intercultural communication(Chen, 2006, Sociolinguistic Competence & Transfer, Para. 1). Rationale of the study The purpose of the study is to identify two things: How Iraqi learners of English realize their request strategies in relation to the social dimensions of power (P) and distance (D)?   How Australian native speakers and Vietnamese learners of Engli

Police, Civil Liability and the Law Essay Example for Free

Police, Civil Liability and the Law Essay At the onset of the 20th century, police work can best be described as very authoritative and policemen or law enforcers were themselves considered the law. Criminality was low principally because of the relatively stable economy and the population density in cities and urban centers were a hundred time, or even more, than today. As symbol of authority, the police was then looked up to by the citizenry with great respect and even with admiration. Through the years, the public image of the policeman is suspect. In truth city police departments today already employ spokesmen or public relations officers to ensure the respectability of the service is protected and preserved. The changes in the concept of police work tremendously changed over the last century, or to be more specific the 25 years. The situation was brought about by the growing public conscious on human rights which is guaranteed no less by the United Nations. While before police training was focused on proper handling of firearms and marksmanships, traffic rules and regulations, todays police officer should be conscious of every persons human rights. Otherwise he or she may end up in court being sued for civil liability or damages. Changing Concept on the Police Over the years the police service has underwent some sort of an evolution. From a strong image of authority, the police has to some extent been compelled to accept the fact that their functions or source of power emanates from the taxpayers who wanted them to be their protectors instead of oppressors. The situation is quite complex. While they have the mandate to enforce or implement the laws, the police are being restricted by a string of guidelines better known in their lingo as the rules of engagement. They have to comply with the rules in the performance of their duties because failure to do so could mean suspension or worse dismissal from the service. Unlike before when for instance, a traffic police officer can simply issue a citation ticket to a motorist who violated a traffic law todays system places the supposed violator on a position of strength. He or she can write on the citation ticket the words under protest to signify the intention to question the actuation of the traffic officer for flagging him or her for a supposed violation. The situation for policemen whose duties are to run after criminal elements or members of the underworld is even more difficult. Unlike before when they would simply pick up a suspected person and have him or her placed under interrogation or tactical questioning, todays detective or police intelligence officer need to first gather substantial proofs or incontrovertible eyewitness accounts in order to be able to apply for a warrant of arrest from the court. Down for a supposed violation Because of the complex nature in today’s justice system, police work now requires them to be conscious of the civil or human rights of every citizen. Additionally, they also need to be more aware of the rules of court or run the risk of being rebuffed or they cases they brought up for prosecution or litigation may end up dismissed for either insufficiency of evidence or non-compliance to the rules in effecting or carrying out arrests and raids. The preponderance of diligence in the performances of police duties and responsibilities in the enforcement of the laws is so emphasized that police officers are restricted from conducting investigations or questioning without the presence of the suspects preferred or lawyer of his or her choice. Civil Liability of Abusive Members of the Police Department Todays police officers are made by law liable for their actuations as a result of an alarming pattern of abuse they commit in the process of dispensing their duties. Perhaps because of media attention or coverage on police work, abuses have eventually been documented or difficult to deny as far as the police officer is concern. Every now and then, the public would see on television brutal police handling of suspected offenders. The abuses have become so frequent that the time has now come where victims of police abuse have to get back at them by suing for civil liability or damages. Perhaps, as society experiences new trends in law enforcement more laws to ensure that the power or authority vested in police officers are only used for the public good and not make the police as a threat to society itself. By making them civilly liable for high handedness in the performance of the laws, police officers will be kept on their toes. Guide to Civil Liability In view of the above positions, it is notable to discuss a book manual for police officers’ to consider in the performances of their duties and in relation to their civil liability and the law. In a book entitled â€Å"The Police Officer’s Guide to Civil Liability,† Franklin (1993) emphasized the need for law enforcers, police officers in particular, to adhere to a standard guide to enable them to abide by their principles and at the same time uphold the concept of civil liability. Franklin noted that due to the increased number of court cases hurled against police officers, there is also a mounting need to teach these law enforcers on the dynamics of civil law. This is because such training or learning should be innate among police officers and within their profession and in order for them to survive the field (Franklin, 1993). While the required knowledge on civil liability totally varies from their abilities and expertise which are essential to be alive in a fatal shooting incident, having proficiency about civil law may avert a devastating possibility or outcome which will ultimate affect the career of the police officer and which is definitely dreadful as any form of shoot-out or gun battle. Additionally, the monetary and emotional implications of a civil case are often than not surpass the physical suffering which is likened to a gun shot wound (Franklin, 1993). The book noted that as professionals, police officers are, in one way or the other, are engaged in a civil case. Franklin noted the stress it had inflicted on law enforcers and their respective police departments in general. However, police officers are still limited with civil law or civil liability trainings which may assist them in their court battles. It is unfortunate to note that a large amount of money which will be used in the court proceedings as well as many lives of police officers could be saved if only there is a provision of civil liability education or training. This is because such kind of knowledge created a better and well-prepared police officer who can react to any kind of police situation or effectively carry out his duties to people and the society. Through this training, there will also be a reduction in the possibilities of a defeat in the civil case, and most importantly, this is the fundamental determining factor for the efficiency and value of police officer and his civil liability training (Franklin, 1993). Conclusion An increased awareness on the need for police officers to learn and adhere to civil liability in reference to specific laws of the country is a positive effort to undertake. This is because such consciousness will allow police officers to carry out their obligations, in a legal or appropriate manner, without the hindrance of possible civil lawsuit. While there are members of the police force who are undeniably amiss in their profession, it is worthy to consider that this is not the general view of the police department. Additionally, any misconception about the police profession may be corrected in such a way that the police officers are portrayed as important members of the society who are bound to protect people, property and the society as a whole. Hence, it is just but fair to provide police officers trainings and related means which will enable them to appropriately respond to the security or safety requirements of the people. Ultimately, the concept and the need to uphold civil liability will serve as a reminder for police officers that their authority entails responsibility.

Just Do It For Me: The Roles and Responsibilities of A Teacher Essay

As new teachers leave the world of the University for the world of teaching, they often do not fully understand what is expected of them. The roles and responsibilities of a teacher can be vague and hard to understand when a new teacher is unwilling to ask questions of a mentor teacher, or the mentor teacher is unwilling to aid the new student. As Cathrine Le Maistre states in her paper, titled â€Å"Mentoring Neophyte Teachers: Lessons Learned from Experience† there is a much higher level of attrition after the first year of teaching than in any other year (2000). She believes that new teachers should be taught how to use their own minds, and not simply be given â€Å"manila folder of notes† (La Maistre, 2000. p. 84) and be expected to follow them. At first she believes that experienced teachers are unwilling to help a new teacher, but later discovers that there is â€Å"lot of sympathy for a newcomer needing help† (La Maistre, 2000.p.85). La Maistre portrays b eginning teachers as overly confident in their own teaching abilities when they first leave their Bachelor or Education program. However the realize later that they are not yet ready, and still have a lot of learning to do before they become an experienced teacher. While Le Maistre was on her co-operative teaching program, her mentor teacher had handed her notes that he had used to teach Chemistry for a long time. Le Maistre believes that this does not help her learn to be an independent thinker, or to learn to plan lessons on her own. I believe that her mentor teacher should have made a bigger effort to teach her to be more self-reliant, instead of the large envelope of notes; he could have explained to her the process of making her own notes and given her his notes as an example, ra... ...eachers. If teachers are not responsible for their actions and the way they teach their students, then nobody will be responsible for the fate of the child. Bacon’s writing suggests that he believes that certain roles in the child’s life, are the responsibility of the parent, and other members of the community; without these values, which include personality development and a sense of right and wrong, children would not be fully developed as people, and would have a harder time serving a higher purpose in society (2005) I agree with Bacon in that Alberta’s teaching system is more of a business plan, as it is even entitled â€Å"Three-Year Business Plan† (Bacon, 1995. P. 89) and seems to centre around the idea that children are mass produced objects that teachers are simply supposed to produce for the world, as if a school is little more than a factory for children.

Jean-Paul Sartre Essay

Existentialism is a philosophy about life that says being is more important than the indispensable everyday occurrences. It acknowledges an individuals freedom to choose and says with this knowing there comes an immense sense of responsibility. Despair, hopelessness and anxiety are characteristic of a person struggling with existential thoughts. Nihilism sums up this condition by stating that all values are baseless, nothing is foreseeable and that life itself is meaningless. The characters in A Clean Well Lighted Place and A Day’s Wait show signs of being both aware and unaware of these elements of existentialism. In the first story, A Clean Well Lighted Place, the old drunk man represents someone who realizes he has no actual plan or fate. His despair is over the realization that theoretically the afterlife does not exist. The drunken man and older waiter share this despair not only because they both realize a man’s need for a clean, well-lighted place but also because they both struggle to fill a void. The older waiter’s acknowledgement of nothingness in life is evident when he recites the prayer but fills in the perceived nouns God and heaven with nada or nothing. He feels a void with this realization that keeps him awake at night. His assumption that others share his insomnia is somewhat correct but what they, the drunken man and the waiter, actually share is a void. The young waiter has a wife to go home to and a bed, the old drunken man has a bed to go to and a niece that looks after him. However, the young waiter has a connection with his wife, a perceived similar view of life while the old drunk bares his anxious perception of the world alone because he is well aware that no one can share his world with him. His peculiarity reinforces his aloneness because the more he tries to understand himself and his own choices the farther out of reach he is from another person. The old drunken man serves as a catalyst for the older waiter, who himself is also alone in his thoughts. The young waiter cannot understand why the old man feels despair if he has wealth. He is not aware of the statement that existence precedes essence. To him having money and all the other propaganda of a well-lived life are what is important not mere existence itself. The two older characters seem aware of this notion, yet they seem to struggle because they are uneasy with the void felt after having life’s propaganda and no meaning. The young waiter’s daily disturbances block him from reaching this realization because he does not have the secured survival that would leave him to question existence. People who have their food, shelter and clothing taken care of like say the elite are able to delve into more thought concerning the afterlife and life’s meaning. Edna, our character in The Awakening, never worked nor worried about survival and so faced existential anxiety. Children, usually the more sensitive and observant types, may find the time amidst their carefree playing to wonder why they are here and what may come afterwards. The boy, in A Day’s Wait, becomes ill and he takes the illness as a threat to his immortality. He seems upset yet oddly mature about this perceived fate. His mature handle on the possibility that he might die is, in my opinion, a sign that he has thought about the afterlife. His maturity is obvious when he tells his father he does not mind if he leaves the room and when he would not allow anyone to come near him for fear that the illness will spread. The boy has little fight in him and he seems aware that dying is out of his control. His morbid attitude affects his father who shares his son’s anguish over the acknowledgement that afterwards there is nothingness. The father laughs at his son’s misconception about the temperature but in his walk, I sense he knows what his son is dealing with. When he is pleased to find the covey near the house after killing two birds, I think Hemmingway is hinting towards the father’s sensitive mood. The boy may not exactly coin his thoughts as â€Å"existential†, though he more or less may have an instinctual knowing of the meaninglessness in existential thought.

The Advantages of My Apartment

A new family moving into the Vista community would have a plethora of housing options. There are just so many flashy ads and advertisements around. It can make finding a place to call home a true chore. But as many families have already found out, there are many reasons as to why the apartments in my neighborhood are some of the most sought after in Vista, CA. Especially in comparison to my previous residences such as Marine Corps barracks, my current apartment has many advantages that would make it a wonderful place any family would be proud to call home. First of all, for its size, the apartment is very affordable. During my 3 months of apartment shopping, I could not find a more sizeable apartment for the price I pay. It is only twelve-hundred dollars per month for two bedrooms and two bathrooms when some other properties charged nearly that price for a studio or single bedroom unit. Also, the rooms in the apartment are very large. We have a large master bedroom, and the guest bedroom is big enough for my wife and I to store all of our extra belongings as well as a twin bed and a computer workstation. In addition to those, my apartment also has an immense amount of storage space. There are walk-in closets in both bedrooms, extra storage outdoors, and there is even a walk-in pantry in the kitchen. Although, as much of a selling point the size and price were, if not for the great location, we still may have kept searching. Secondly, the apartment is in a great location. For one, it is very close to the business district. We are within a few miles of many grocery stores, shopping centers, movie theatres, and many other attractions. Also, it is within walking distance of several public transportation hubs. The buses and trains at these places travel all over, to San Diego and Los Angeles and everywhere in between. Another example of the apartments’ great location is that we are close to our friends. We live only minutes away from many of our friends. Furthermore, since we only have 1 vehicle, my wife can always simply call a friend if she needs to run errands or shop, due to the fact that we live so close together, so as not to cause a hassle. Another huge advantage of my apartment is the level of tranquility it retains. A third advantage my apartment has is how tranquil it is. One reason these apartments are so peaceful is the fact that there are no pets. Since pets are not allowed, the apartments are always almost eerily quiet. This is great because on could sleep however long they want to without being rudely awoken. Also, we do not have to worry about barking or other animal sounds interruption my television watching, music listening or whatever else I may be doing. Another reason for the tranquility of the apartment is due to the face that there are very few young children. This is nice because my wife and I have no children with the other young couples around us. Moreover, we do not have to worry about the cries of little children disturbing us during whatever we may be doing at the time. Going hand in hand with the tranquility of the apartment though, is how helpful and courteous our neighbors are. A fourth reason my apartment is advantageous is that my neighbors are very courteous and friendly. One example of this is how our neighbors always have helped us when we were in a bind. On one occasion, the battery in my car suddenly died and one of my neighbors unselfishly dropped everything he was doing and drove his car to mine to give my battery a jump start, enabling me to go to the store to buy a new battery. Also, on many occasions, our neighbors have taken our wet clothes from the community washers and changed them over to the dryers, alleviating us of having to do the task ourselves. In addition to how helpful our neighbors are, they are also quite courteous. As far as the adults around us, while they do listen to music and other things like most, they do not listen to it at absurdly loud levels so as to disturb the people around them. Furthermore, the few children that live around us are obedient and do not cause excessive noise when they play. But at any rate, even with all these upsides, I would have never chose my current apartment if not for how good and kind the management is. Lastly, an advantage our apartment has is how kind and efficient the management of our apartment is. First off, our management is very kind. They know the tenants by name . Even from the day we first picked up our house keys from the office, the people inside welcomed us by name, which was very reassuring to us. Also, whenever we pass by one of the managers, they always greet us. Though, most importantly to me, the management always address our complaints expediently. For example, when my wife and I first visited our apartment before we moved in, we had to complete a pre-occupancy checklist. While there were not many discrepancies, the few that we did note were fixed before we even started moving into our new home. Even since then, all of the problems that have arisen in our apartment such as; burnt-out light bulbs, faulty appliances, broken hot water heaters, and so on; were addressed immediately. Finally, at our apartment complex, every tenant has assigned parking spots only for our vehicles. On multiple occasions, I would find other peoples’ cars parked in my spot. All I needed to do was inform the management of someone in my spot, and the problem was taken care of right away. As you can see, my apartment has a lot going for it. All these reasons like; a good location, the level of tranquility, its’ roominess, the friendliness of the neighbors, and the quality of the management, make for a wonderful neighborhood, and a great place to bring your family home. Now, having been educated, the choice of where to call home should be quite simple. I gladly made mine, and have not regretted it for an instance

What It Is The Best Way To Do Marketing Solo

What It Is The Best Way To Do Marketing Solo If team blogging advice is confusing you as a solo blogger, stop. is a powerful blogging tool with definite team-tendencies, and we often blog with an eye toward teams of content marketers. But that may actually be unhelpful for a solo blogger. Though we write with an eye towards solo bloggers once in a while, too often we focus on the power of teams and create complex workflows and percentage-based approaches that can make even the best solo blogger’s eyes glaze over in despair. What Is The Best Way To Do Marketing Solo When You Cant Find Time? via @JulieNeidlingerWhat Troubles The Solo Blogger? Here are the characteristics of a solo blogger, from my own experience and from what we’ve heard from readers: Busy Busy Busy I emailed one of those busy solo bloggers recently. I asked her what she thought the biggest challenges were for her, and the frustrations she felt when reading advice that seemed geared for a team. She had some great (and blunt) points: No team to bounce ideas off No team to draft a long list of headlines to "test" for the best one No team to "review" the articles prior to publishing No "editor" No "graphics" person No team to handle social media, either in the posting (I use Buffer Co-Schedule, of course), or in responding No team to do extensive research, either for "hot, trending" topics or background research The solo blogger pointed out that she wasn’t just responsible for everything related to content marketing, but also all aspects of running a business, too, including client work, billing, etc. The advice she was getting was impossible, and the advice to â€Å"hire it out† wasn’t particularly helpful. That would put a dent in the budget and add yet another level of management to siphon attention away from her business. Marketing is just one thing on your to-do list. Here's how to do it well as a solo artist.After reading her list, I decided to approach the answer by rebooting the idea of what successful content marketing might look like, and how it isn’t defined in just one way (a definition, I might add, that too often fits teams best). Reduce Content Marketing To Its Bare Bones In the great swell of content marketing, with all of the graphics, stats, charts, tools, and theories, one thing has probably been lost: At its bare bones, content marketing is simply about writing stuff people want to read. At its bare bones, #contentmarketing is simply about writing stuff people want to read.1. The first word of content marketing is â€Å"content.† Be content with content. Yes, there is social media. Yes, there are email lists. Yes, there are analytics and A/B testing and landing pages and all kinds of other things under the sun that promise and deliver great returns. But, at its base, it is simply about writing something good. If you were to do that, search engines will find you. People will find you. It might be at a much slower rate, but they will. There is this huge fear- likely based on the heavy importance of big numbers as proof of successful content marketing- of how to exist when no one is reading your blog. This is horribly stifling when you’re getting started and trying to build good habits. Learn to write content well, quickly, and as second nature. 2. Just talk to people. All kinds. Here’s a shocker: I get lots of tweets and retweets and shares and followers on Twitter for the things I write, but the most viable return I receive is when I go to a blog and just leave a useful comment or establish a person-to-person communication with someone else online. And no, these are not always content marketing blogs. They are cartooning blogs, art blogs, fountain pen blogs, philosophy blogs- interesting people, great conversation, and I’ve made business connections and networks through this. These are the true word-of-mouth social shares and links that translate into dedicated readers and customers. Talking to people, especially those outside your niche, can inspire a lot of creative marketing.3. Build connections laterally. Content marketers sometimes get so wrapped up in content marketing and all of its peripherals that the engagement I get from them are questions on how they can do it better or almost mechanized retweets because they are trying to meet a curation quota. There is a strong focus that to get traction you must latch onto the influencers, the big or established names, but the response there is often an echo chamber. Find some other â€Å"little fish† and get real responses and build connections laterally instead of always looking vertically. Go where everyone else isn’t. You would be better off remembering to simply write great content and find interesting people and strike up long-term conversations on their blogs or social media accounts. The returns aren’t as sexy at first, but this approach helps you build the habit and get in practice. And, surprisingly, you make some worthwhile connections that can ultimately help your business in the long run. Building Good, Small Habits First The real question behind all the questions is probably this one: how do you get things done when you are busy and there is no one else to help? The answer is not surprising: We can get more done when we do one thing at a time and are operating mostly out of habit (good ones). And you can’t form the big habit until you form the small one. So let’s break it down into levels, with each level looking to form the habits you need in place before the next one. You might be at the beginning, or you might be further along. The key is that you can’t leave a level until all of the habits in the level are firmly in place. Solo Blogging Level 1: Just get started. Set up your blog and learn basics of maintaining and running it. Blog weekly. Share each blog post when you publish it. Learn to fine tune your words and write without lots of errors. Solo Blogging Level 2: Develop a system so the blank page has no power. Blog two times a week. Every post must have a graphic. Share each post when you publish it. Figure out how you blog, and systemize it. Solo Blogging Level 3: There is no such thing as a comfort zone. Plan your content on an editorial calendar. Blog two times a week Share at least once on social media. Be able to write a blog post on any topic, even if you have no prior understanding or idea of how to approach it. Solo Blogging Level 4: Writing is second nature. Your focus is promotion. Blog three times a week. Set up your social promotion plan. Delve into your analytics and learn to understand and use them. These levels are really the basics, but they should help you build good habits that can build more good habits. Using A Triage Mentality With a content marketing team, you can take in all of the great advice out there and implement it by delegating it out. From graphics to constant engagement and response on Twitter, it’s all doable. If you’re solo, you probably can’t. Remember, most solo bloggers are doing more than just content marketing. They are running other aspects of their business. My advice is to approach all of the helpful tips with a triage mentality, learning to pick what is the most important for what it is you want to accomplish, and leave the others alone. When you see a post about the â€Å"15 Most Important Things You Must Do For Your Content Marketing†, read it and decide which one or two you can actually do well and that will fit your ultimate goal. To do #contentmarketing solo, pick only the  few things that you want to accomplish.The ability to do this starts with understanding what you want your content marketing to achieve. You might want: More traffic More readers More social media fans High social media shares Establish a reputation as an expert You might want all of them, but you should pick one or two to start with. If you can do the â€Å"elevator speech† of what you want to achieve and sum it up in one sentence, you’ll be able to do triage on the deluge of advice coming your way and know which advice helps or gets in the way of your goal. Good advice that doesn’t apply to your goal is bad advice. Good advice that doesn’t apply to your goal is bad advice. #contentmarketingFor example, my goal is to improve my writing and create great content. While I would love more social fans and traffic, I am unable to handle johnny-on-the-spot responses to every interaction I receive on Google+ or Twitter. As a solo blogger, I could spend my time constantly monitoring my social feeds and having conversations, or I could blog and expose myself to experiences and reading that begets more blog posts. Perhaps you think you’re better at multitasking than I, but I don’t believe you. Multitasking is a big lie and that it puts a serious dent in productivity. So instead of divvying up my day to accommodate writing and social interaction, I look at it as a weekly thing. Once a week, I’ll hope into social media and respond. It’s low on my triage list. If you’re running a business and need to respond to customers sooner than once a week, I’d encourage you to at least set aside a chunk of time once a day to do it instead of hopping back and forth between social media conversation and content creation because I can guarantee you that that’s what’s creating a level of frustration and low productivity in you. A triage mentality tells you to compartmentalize, do only the important things according to what is important to you, and tells you to do them one at a time. No multitasking nonsense. Real Life Example: What I Do As both a solo blogger and a busy freelance blogger, my approach is one of limited resources and time. 1. Prepare for the upcoming week. On Sunday night, I sit down with my weekly planner and review and schedule the upcoming week’s work. All of the writing, blogging, etc. is planned out. lets you do this as well; I’m just a pen-and-paper fanatic. To make this work, you must be a realist. I know two long blog posts a day (or about 4,000 words total) is about all I can handle, so I certainly don’t set myself up for failure and schedule more than that. Set up a schedule you can handle. 2. Triage upcoming tasks. Using a highlighter, I decide which of these tasks for the coming week are absolute musts, and which are less important. I use color to make it easier to see. The low-hanging fruit, if not completed, gets moved to the next week or dropped altogether. If there are tasks continually not getting done after several weeks, it’s a sign I can’t handle it, the habit isn’t there, or it isn’t important. I have to rethink why I put them there, why I think I need to do them, or why I don’t seem motivated to complete them. 3. Do the work. There is a lot of fretting and productivity porn on the Internet where people are all trying to find the magic system for getting work done and being more productive. The truth is that such a solution doesn’t exist and fussing to find the perfect answer just keeps you from getting things done. No system is better than another, and they all hinge on one thing: you doing the work. If you’re struggling to write a blog post at your desk, write someplace else. Once a week I write at a coffee shop just to change things up a bit. If you’re struggling to write a blog post because you don’t want to, rethink why you are doing content marketing, or develop a kick-in-the-pants system that helps you get past this form of writer’s block. What tasks are you not getting done? Figure out why and work on finding a way to change that. You have to find the solution; I can’t tell you what to do. 4. Periodically review what you’re doing. Every month, I like to review: My weekly planner and see what tasks I consistently didn’t finish. Traffic and stats for my blog and social media. How many words I write every week. The habits I’ve fallen into (both good and bad). If I’m practicing the habit of brainstorming and idea generation. How many books/magazines/newspapers I’m reading for non-online source material. During this time, I try to figure out what it all means. Why didn’t I finish something? What do my analytics tell me? Am I able to be more productive (as far as word count is concerned) or have I hit a wall? Have I let my reading slip and reduced possible idea sources? Am I giving myself enough time to be creative and enough time to run my business? No, I don’t do this every week. I can’t handle that. But I can handle it every month. You can only do what you can do even if others tell you that’s not good enough. What Is The Answer? Let’s take a look at that original list from our over-worked solo blogger, and see what concrete solutions might be. 1. No team to bounce ideas off. Trust your gut, read your analytics. Your analytics and social proof will tell you what idea they liked. Take the leap and write it and find out. 2. No team to draft a list of headlines to test for the best one. Dive in, write headlines, try again, and learn from both what gets shared the most as well as what you start to learn from all the practice. If you want more assurance than that, get a plugin like KingSumo Headlines that helps you pick the best headline automatically. Use our Headline Analyzer. I don’t bounce headline ideas off of a team for my own blogging. I don’t write 25 headlines (though I usually write more than one). Some headlines are better than others. I move on. 3. No team to review articles prior to publishing. Practice writing and publishing, spell check, and reading a finished post out loud will help you write a good post. Believe me, if you have a typo or something amiss, online people will let you know. You will get better the more you do it. Don’t let a fear of no one there to reassure you the post is OK keep you from writing. 4. No editor, or graphic designer. Having an editor isn’t always the answer. Sometimes they over-edit. But if you’re concerned about the quality of your writing, there are options and apps to help you proofread. The blunt truth is, if you aren’t a good writer and you can’t afford to hire a writer, then content marketing is just going to be tough. Most people, though, can write to improve. It takes practice, and practice is the act of actually doing it. I don’t have an editor for my own blog. When I read my old blog posts I shudder. They got better the more I did it. No one is great right out of the gate. As far as graphics are concerned, Canva is a godsend. Social graphics, blog graphics, infographics- it does it all for free or low cost. Stock images are possible, but they can ding your budget. If you’re not a designer and want to avoid copyright issues, use Canva. 5. No social media team for posting or responding. Using and tools like Buffer make posting, re-posting, and curating very simple as long as you set aside the time and develop the habit. As far as responding, consider what I said about triage. Set aside time to respond, too, based on how important engagement is for your goal. 6. No team to do research for topics or background. There are all kinds of ways to get ideas for your blog. Hardcore research and diligent attention to trends is just one approach. As to writing your posts, not all of the blog post types are research intensive. If you can’t do research, focus on content types that don’t require it. While blog posts with headlines using the phrases â€Å"backed by science† or â€Å"backed by research† are very popular, you don’t have to write them. What are you good at? What can you write? Write what you can, not what everyone else is writing. You have stories to tell from client experiences. You have life experiences to share. You get ideas from books and articles you’ve read. You have reactions and comments on other blog posts. You have other things you can write without delving into scientific journals to find brain scans that prove the color blue is better for blogs than yellow. Write in the way that fits your content creator type and your time, not in accordance with what every other content marketer is telling you to write. And don’t worry about trending topics. Those kinds of blog posts aren’t going to be evergreen, anyway. Don’t Drown In Advice The nature of content marketing is that there is lots of content, and even though so much of it is helpful, if you are drowning in good advice, you are still drowning. Solo bloggers, especially, must learn to pick and choose according to a simple goal, learning to build both habits and the foundation for the next goal. They have to write how and with what they have at hand. It’s very much a creative process, finding ideas to write about with the tools and time available. A team can handle a multi-pronged attack. But if there is only one of you, you are really only capable of a single-pronged attack.

Which Extracurricular Activities Should You Consider in College

Which Extracurricular Activities Should You Consider in College SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you a college student or starting college soon and wondering which extracurricular activities you should be involved in?Extracurriculars are an important part of college, and they are a great way to meet new people and try new activities. Read this guide to learn how to choose the best extracurricular activities to help you meet new people, learn about future careers, and explore new interests in college. What Are Extracurricular Activities? How Can You Find Your School's? An extracurricular activity is any activity not included in the normal curriculum of a school.Extracurricular activities can vary from official school sports teams to chapters of national organizations, to independent clubs.They cover a wide range of topics and interests, from politics to rock climbing to helping out the homeless and more. My own alma mater, Michigan State University, hasmore than 700 student organizations, and when I was a student, I found participating in them to be a great way to make new friends and spend more time participating in activities I enjoyed and cared about. Many colleges have a list of all the school’s clubs and organizations on their school website.Look atthe Student Resources page, search â€Å"clubs† â€Å"organizations† or â€Å"extracurriculars† on the school’s site, or do a simple Google search, for example, "UCLA clubs". Also, in the beginning of the year, many schoolsoffer a fair or open house when clubs and organizations set up booths for interested students to learn more about each extracurricular, sign up to receive more information on ones they are interested in, and ask current club members questions.These are a great way to learn about different extracurricular activities, and they are often a lot of fun to attend, with many groups offering free games and food. Which Extracurricular Activities Should You Consider? Most colleges offer a large number of extracurriculars, so the easiest way to start thinking about which ones to join is to separate them into categories.Below are four categories that cover almost all extracurriculars. Read through each category, and if somethingsounds interesting to you, see if your school offers some of those types of extracurriculars. Extracurriculars That Relate to Your Future Career It’s not just your classes that will help prepare you for your future career; there are many extracurriculars in college that give you job experience and help you make connections in your field.These extracurriculars are sometimes referred to as academic and pre-professional clubs.Some examples of professional organizations include the Academy of Law and Criminal Justice, Future Pharmacists Club, Nursing Students Association, Society of Women Engineers, and the Entrepreneurship Club. This category also includesextracurriculars that aren’t professional organizations but can help you develop skills needed for your future career. For example, if you want to be a journalist, you may consider joining the school newspaper, if you want a career in the medical field you could volunteer at a hospital, or if you want to improve your language skills you might join your school's French Club. Some of theseextracurriculars offer hands-on activities for specific career fields that you can include on your resume, and they can also offer field trips and job shadows for you to see what a typical day in the life is for certain jobs.Being involved in one of these extracurriculars can involve attending networking events, visiting potential places of employment, engaging in hands-on activities related to the career field, meeting socially with other members, andmore. How to Choose One of These Extracurriculars: First, think about what you plan to major in and what type of career you’d like to have, and see if your school has any extracurriculars that relate to it. These can be professional organizations or just clubs that let you do hands-on work in your field. Then, thinkabout skills you’d like to gain to increase your employability. This can include computer skills, knowing a second language, improving public speaking, or another skill, then look to see what extracurriculars would help you get those skills. Benefits of These Extracurriculars: Help you gain more professional experience. Provide a way to make connections in your field. Offer a way to test the water and see if you actually enjoy your envisioned career. Can include membership in a well-known professional organization that you can put on your resume. They can make you more employable by showing that you: Have interests and passions Are social and can interact well with others Are good at balancing your time and managing different priorities Have a strong work ethic Professional organizations offer a great way to network and meet other students interested in the same career field Extracurriculars That Introduce You to New Interests and People College is one of the absolute best times in your life to meet new people, and extracurriculars can expose you all sorts of other students. Collegeis also a great time for activism, and there are manyextracurriculars devoted to improving all kinds of issues in the world. Some examples of this includeclubs that promote recycling, reducing poverty, improving education or providing better medical care. Extracurriculars are a great, low-risk way to get involved in new activities or support new causes.Many colleges offer at least a few very unique clubs that let members try something they probably would never have come across before. A few examples of some of the unique extracurriculars that colleges offer are ablacksmith club, stargazing club, and beekeeping club. Some of my own college classmates joined the esteemed MSU Squirrel Watching Club. How to Choose One of These Extracurriculars: This can be as simple as reading through a list of your school’s extracurriculars and seeing which ones jump out at you.Choose your favorites among these and attend a meeting to see if you are still interested.Also, think about what skills you’d like to acquire or what movements you’d like to be a part of, and see if any extracurriculars match those interests. You should also consider trying out a club or activity you may not feel you'd enjoy right away, as a way to push your boundaries. Who knows, you may end up with a new interest! Benefits of These Extracurriculars: Meeting new people gives you the chance to start new friendships, and having a large group of acquaintances can also help you in the future when you’re looking for jobs. Joining clubs that expose you to different types of people can help improve your ability to consider different opinions and see things from a new perspective. Sometimes participating in an extracurricular is all it takes to develop a new passion. When I was in college, I joined the Outdoors Club on a whim, and even years after graduating I still regularly camp and kayak, using the skills I learned in that club. Extracurriculars That Allow You to Continue Current Hobbies and Interests You will probably come to college with some hobbies and interests already in place, and college is a great way to continue with them.You may also already belong to certain groups or communities, such as a religious group or cultural group, and wish to continue being a part of them. How to Choose One of These Extracurriculars: Think about your current activities and interests. These can be activities you were a part of in school, such as a sport or band, or they can be something you took part in outside of school or own your own.If there are any you'd like to continue with, check and see if your school offers any related clubs or groups. Benefits of These Extracurriculars: Give you a way to meet similar minded people who share your interests. Allow you to be part of a community you feel comfortable in. Give you the opportunity to continue to develop current skills and interests. Extracurriculars That Keep You Active In addition to helping you avoid the Freshman 15, joining a sports-related extracurricular can provide a way for you to meet new people, gain or improve athletic skills, and may even involve some travel if your team goes to conferences.These extracurriculars can be part of an official school team, such as hockey or basketball, or they can be a club sport, like ultimate frisbee. If you participated in sports in high school, this is a great way to stay active, but even if you don’t have any experience in the sport you want to join, many clubs are happy to take beginners.These extracurriculars range from traditional school sports like soccer and football, to less common ones like rugby and skiing.Some of the sports teams you school offers may even be very unusual: my college had both a Quidditch team and an underwater hockey team. You don’t always have to join a team either. There are lots of extracurriculars that keep you active in others ways as well, such as hiking or rock climbing clubs.These extracurriculars are often offered at a variety of competitiveness and skill levels, so you can choose a team or club based how experienced you are and how much free time you have. How to Choose One of These Extracurriculars: If you participated in sports in high school, consider whether you’d like to continue playing them in college. You should alsolook through your school’s extracurricular list and see if there are any new sports you’d like to try. Next, decide how much time you are willing and able to devote to your extracurriculars; many school teams, even some club and intramural sports, require a significant time commitment.If you are unable to devote a lot of time to a sport, consider less competitive extracurriculars. Remember to payattention to sign-up deadlines and try out dates because these often occur early in the school year. Benefits of These Extracurriculars: They give you a way to stay active. Being active increases endorphins which make you happier, and being active also helps take your mind off school which can help keep you from feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Being part of a team is a great way to foster friendships. They offer a way for you to improve or acquire new athletic skills. Final Thoughts If you signed up for an extracurricular but no longer enjoy it and don’t feel like it’s helping you, don’t feel the need to stick with it. It will just make you unhappy and likely won’t do much for you career-wise or social-wise if you hate it. You don’t need to join extracurriculars in every one of these groups. Choose a few based on your interests and time, and see how well you are able to manage them. You can always join or drop extracurriculars. If a club or organization sounds interesting, but you’re not sure if you want to join it, just drop by a meeting. You’ll get a taste ofwhat it’s like, without needing to commit immediately. Try to join an extracurricular you wouldn’t normally participate in, even if you only attend one meeting. College is maybe the best time in your life to try new things, and you could end up with new skills, a new passion, and new friends! What's Next? Do you want to see more examples of extracurriculars activities? You're in luck because we have a complete list of extracurriculars, with hundreds of examples! For a complete overview of the college search process, read our comprehensive guide on how to choose a college. Worried about paying for college? Read our step-by-step guide to getting a student loan. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

A Basic Guide to the NCAA for Your Children

A Basic Guide to the NCAA for Your Children If youre the parent of a student-athlete, youve probably heard the term NCAA. The NCAA, or National Collegiate Athletic Association, is the governing body that oversees 23 different sports and athletic championships at 1,200 colleges and universities in the United States. It stresses a well-rounded student, who excels at sports, as well as academics and campus life. Recruitment for the NCAA The point at which parents and the NCAA usually intersect is during college recruitment. High school athletes who want to play college ball (or track, swimming, etc.) at Division I, II or III school must register with the NCAA through its online eligibility center. If your child is interested in playing sports at the college level, his counselor and coach can help him navigate that path.   Divisions I, II, and III Schools that are part of the NCAA are divided into Division I, II and III schools. Each of these divisions reflects the relative priority of sports and academics. Division, I schools generally have the largest student bodies, as well as the largest budgets and scholarships for sports. 350 schools are classified as Division I and 6,000 teams belong to those schools. Division II schools strive to provide student-athletes with a high level of athletic competition, while also maintaining high grades and a well-rounded campus experience. Division III schools also provide opportunities for student-athletes to compete and participate athletically, but the primary focus is on academic achievement. This is the largest division in both total participants and number of schools. NCAA Sports By Season Fall Sports The NCAA offers six different sports for the fall season. Arguably, the most popular overall collegiate sport is  football, which takes place during the fall season. Overall, though, the fall season offers the least amount of sports out of the three seasons, as more sports take place during both the winter and spring seasons. The six sports offered by the National College Athletic Association for the fall season are: Mens and womens cross-countryField hockeyFootballMens and womens soccer teamsWomens volleyballMens water polo Winter Sports Winter is the busiest season in college sports. The NCAA offers ten different sports during the winter season: Mens and womens basketball teamsBowlingFencingMens and womens gymnasticsMens and womens ice hockeyMens, womens and mixed rifleMens, womens and mixed skiingMens and womens swimming and divingMens and womens indoor track and fieldWrestling Spring Sports Eight separate sports are offered during the spring season. Out of those eight sports, seven of them are available to both men and women. The spring season offers baseball for men, as well as softball for women. The eight sports offered by the National College Athletic Association for the spring season are: Baseball and softballMens and womens golfMens and womens lacrosseRowingMens and womens tennisMens and womens outdoor track and fieldMens volleyball Womens water polo

Hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hotel - Essay Example Providing ample security for the visiting guests is yet another operational challenge facing the start of new Boutique hotels. This is because; the hotels target middle to high class incomes individuals, who are also the target of criminals. Collaborative customization is what we can learn from mass customization of tangible goods, which allows the service provider to discuss with the customers regarding their preferences, and thus articulate their services to match the preferences. Option and choices are yet the other aspects learnt which can be applied to mass customization of services. This will entail availing a range of services to customers, so they can choose on what fits them best. Boutique hotels can maintain standard level of service without compromising their customization mission, through training their staff to offer services differently to their customers, based on customer preferences. This way, they can differentiate service offering strategies, even though the services offered are

Career Goals and Future Aspirations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Career Goals and Future Aspirations - Essay Example Econometrics and time series modules, Advanced Financial Models and Financial Reporting, Derivatives, Economic Foundations and Management Practice, among others. These course modules would assist in achieving one’s aims through the honing of skills in financial concepts, cognitive and analytical skills in evaluation of financial statements, developing in-depth understanding of trading, specifically buying and selling shares, bonds and assets for different investors, and in harnessing management skills including applications of planning, organizing, directing and controlling functions. Finally, I have plans to take examinations of the Charted Financial Analyst where Judge Business School’s curriculum has been acknowledged to incorporate a large part of CFA Level 1 curriculum that would be instrumental in progressing in my career path. Besides the expertise in the finance area, Judge Business School would appropriately provide an unparalleled platform to network with the right connections in the financial field, which would widen my professional experience and eventually accord a competitive advantage to practice my craft as an excellent financial trader on a global sphere.

Programs for Nurturing Creativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Programs for Nurturing Creativity - Essay Example Odyssey of the mind is one of the programs that have been extensively employed in nurturing creativity among the kids. The program has an international orientation that enhances educational programs in terms of establishing solutions that exhibit creativity in problem-solving. Ideally, the program is meant for kindergarten kids and is extended through to the college. Group members are put in different groups, and each try to employ creativity in solving certain problems ranging from analysis of literary classics to the development of mechanical devices (Creative Competitions, 2015). The creative solutions can be subjected to competition at the local, state or international level. The program is widely used in the US, and individuals from diverse backgrounds and grades participate in the program. The other program that has fundamental importance is the Future Problem-Solving Program that is employed in various educational facilities. The program is established as a measure of engaging kids in creative problem-solving ventures. Ideally, the program is aimed at stimulating thinking and effectively enhancing creative thinking among learners (FPSPI, 2015). The program has a number of programs that aid in developing activities that can bring about solutions to particular issues of critical importance. The program brings together number of students from the US, Europe and some of the Asian countries. Talent Unlimited is another program that is used in nurturing creativity in students. Students in particular learning environments are given an opportunity to engage in high-level thinking activities that enhance their skills. Essentially, the main focus is enhancing the ability of the students to thinking (Talents Unlimited, 1995). Students exposed to the program have the capability of developing thinking abilities that can aid them in solving certain problems. The program helps the

Discsussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discsussion Board - Essay Example This is what this literature plans to discuss and will show using factual research and reports from the White House's National Strategies on drug trafficking. Drug Trafficking depicts the illegal activities of drugs being distributed through out the world. It is a criminal occurrence and has created wide spread alarm in many parts of other countries but particularly in the United States. In the 1960's the main area of concern was in the trafficking of heroin and its subsequent abuse. Also at this time there were other illegal drug activities gong on, specifically with drugs that were considered to be recreational and psychoanalytical but which posed just as serious a problem as the harder drugs such as heroine, and cocaine. The milder drugs like marijuana were also rampant and being elicited and distributed by many drug dealers and those smuggling it over the border. Because of past concerns and the current problems in law enforcements attempts to curtail the illegal distribution of these heavier drugs, there have been several policies established and strategies developed in order to gain a tighter reign on criminal drug cases involving the trafficking of them. The Bush Administration has set aside funding for cracking down on drug abuse and the trafficking associated with it. ... There have been other government agencies that have received funding as well but the ones listed are the most proficient on controlling illegal drug use. The 2003 national Drug strategy campaign has been one of the largest iniatives by the government to dissuade the youth from becoming associative with drug trafficking and drug usage. It is believed that by educating the youth about the consequences of drugs, they will be deterred from it and drug sellers and traffickers will be less able to sell to the youth and therefore their capabilities to distribute illegal drugs will be minimized in this category (National Drug Control Strategy 2003). Drug prevention programs seem to be very effective in bringing knowledge to the youth on what thy can expect if they fall into the trap of drugs and the selling of them. These programs make it clear that the misinformation that has been handed to the youth by drug sellers indicating that it is a simply teenage fad and it is ok to experiment with drugs during the teenage years, have been substantially dispelled so that young people have a clearer interpretation of what is truth and what is a lie concerning drugs. This has been very effective in decreasing the amount of drug trafficking around the youth population although there still exists a number of concerns. What has come into existence in the educational system now is a program that legally can test teenagers who are suspected of having a drug problem. The main goal in this program is not to punish the youth who are found to be associated with a form of drug use but rather to get them into proper treatment facilities where they can be rehabilitated and properly counseled as to the outcome they

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Assignment

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Reporting Standards Have Impacted Significantly on the Reporting - Assignment Example This paper focuses on the requirements of U.K. companies for representing financial statement while maintaining some accounting standards and company laws as well as the comparison of financial reporting standards of U.K with that of USA. The current requirements for the reporting of the financial performance of companies in the U.K. In June 2002 the European Union adopted the International Accounting Standards (IAS). For this reason the listed companies in European Union (EU) security market including banks and insurance companies have to prepare their financial statements in accordance with International Financing Reporting Standards. United Kingdom is one the members of EU. For that the U.K. companies have been following the rules and regulation of IFRS since 2005 (Delloitte, 2012). Under the U.K. Companies Act 2006, the directors of the company have to prepare financial statement according to the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS). Under this company law the direct ors have to approve their financial statement by considering that, the statements give the exact and original value (Harthorn & King, 2011, p.70). Director’s report should include the analysis using the key performance indicators and these things indicate the information’s of environmental and employee matters (Elwin & Hirst, 2006, p. 2). There are various operating and regulatory bodies like Financial Reporting Council, Accounting Standard Board, Auditing Practice Board, Accounting and Actuarial Discipline Board. These are involved in setting up the requirements for financial reporting of a company. Financial reporting exposure draft (a document released by Financial Accounting Standard Board) indicates the presentation of information about the company’s financial performance in both the primary statement and supporting notes. It was a proposal, issued in the year of 1992. When the new proposal implemented, it has changed some existing requirements of financial reporting for the companies of U.K. The proposal was made for the advancement of financial reporting standards in some below mentioned field (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 3-7). 1. The profit and loss account and the total gain & loss statement are combined to form a single financial indicator. 2. The above mentioned statement will indicate all the gains and losses during the time period in which the statement was made. 3. The company should divide the statement in to three parts a. Operating b. financing and treasury c. Other gains and losses 4. While preparing the performance statement for a particular period the amount of dividend paid to the share holders does not get included in that. (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 11-12) 5. Balance sheets, income statements, retain earning statements and cash flow statements are the four types of primary statement. Primary statement should consider the ownership interest (Primary Financial Statement). Financial Reporting Exposur e Draft (FRED) proposes that Earning Per Share (EPS), dividends for a particular period should be mentioned as a memorandum items. These items are shown in the balance sheet but these things are not added in the final total. A letter note including reserves note and note of gains and losses in past days are made optional for the companies

Analyzing Fed Policymaking 1996-1998 Term Paper

Analyzing Fed Policymaking 1996-1998 - Term Paper Example With upward rising of the aggregate, there are favorable conditions to drive economic growth such as high job creation, high production, and business expansion. The Federal Reserve policies between 1996 and 1998 were aimed at stimulating growth in ensuring increased productivity, which resulted in increased employment and reduced inflationary rates through control of interest rates. A report by Federal Reserve Board (1999) showed that, economic growth between 1996 and 1998 was remarkable and stronger than many had expected. The economy growth was more than 3.5% in 1997 and between 2.5 and 3.0 % in 1998. By 1998 the real GDP growth was at 3.5%, and was expected to rise further in the following years (Lewis, 1998). According to Lewis, at the start of October 1998, the S& P was abnormally high having risen from about 1000 in earlier years to about 1400 by July 1999. The Fed had to impose a 40% increase in the S &P by hiking interest rates from 4.75 to about 6.5 in the following years. T his rise resulted from an â€Å"irrational exuberance’ where too much money was being injected into the booming internet and technology industries (Lewis, 1998). Figure 1 portrays the general trend of interest rates during this period, Figure 2 portrays the relations between money supply and price levels between 1950 and 2008, while figure 3 shows the dollar performance compared to German’s in 1998. The major driver of the U.S economy that resulted in a high economic growth between 1996 and 1998 was capital spending. Many organizations continued to invest heavily in information technology and modernizing communication equipment to improve their productivity (Lewis, 1998). The market interest rates affect borrowing and lending policies, which affect the production and consumption of goods, products and services. The Federal Reserve Board (1999) explains that, these factors largely influence employment and job creation; high interest rates will discourage investors henc e low job creation opportunities. For example, during this period, Fed decided not to hike the interest rates to control the exponential market growth in preventing the economy from tending to inflation. This is observed in graph 1. In the year 1996, it was expected that inflation and interest rates would be on the rise towards the end of that year, but it turned otherwise (Federal Reserve Board, 1999). As Mishkin (115) explains, the demand for money and interest rates are inversely related using the opportunity cost aspect. This is the expected return sacrificed by an investor by not holding the alternative asset, which refers to a bond in this case. Moreover, demand for money is determined by the wealth or income and the price levels in the market (Mishkin, 116). The federal authority polices during this period were aimed at robust growth in employment, recovery and strengthening of the dollar, and regulated interest rates, which increased wealth and lowered the interest rates mak ing the demand of money to increase. There was a general fall of the domestic interest rates and national debts over this period (Mishkin, 11). In the third quarter of 1998, uproar in financial market globally resulted in a sharp drop in value of the dollar, having dropped from DM 1.7993 to DM 1.6718, which could have shifted the economic growth as well as interest rate policies towards encouraging more borrowing. Low interest rates contributed

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Assignment

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Reporting Standards Have Impacted Significantly on the Reporting - Assignment Example This paper focuses on the requirements of U.K. companies for representing financial statement while maintaining some accounting standards and company laws as well as the comparison of financial reporting standards of U.K with that of USA. The current requirements for the reporting of the financial performance of companies in the U.K. In June 2002 the European Union adopted the International Accounting Standards (IAS). For this reason the listed companies in European Union (EU) security market including banks and insurance companies have to prepare their financial statements in accordance with International Financing Reporting Standards. United Kingdom is one the members of EU. For that the U.K. companies have been following the rules and regulation of IFRS since 2005 (Delloitte, 2012). Under the U.K. Companies Act 2006, the directors of the company have to prepare financial statement according to the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS). Under this company law the direct ors have to approve their financial statement by considering that, the statements give the exact and original value (Harthorn & King, 2011, p.70). Director’s report should include the analysis using the key performance indicators and these things indicate the information’s of environmental and employee matters (Elwin & Hirst, 2006, p. 2). There are various operating and regulatory bodies like Financial Reporting Council, Accounting Standard Board, Auditing Practice Board, Accounting and Actuarial Discipline Board. These are involved in setting up the requirements for financial reporting of a company. Financial reporting exposure draft (a document released by Financial Accounting Standard Board) indicates the presentation of information about the company’s financial performance in both the primary statement and supporting notes. It was a proposal, issued in the year of 1992. When the new proposal implemented, it has changed some existing requirements of financial reporting for the companies of U.K. The proposal was made for the advancement of financial reporting standards in some below mentioned field (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 3-7). 1. The profit and loss account and the total gain & loss statement are combined to form a single financial indicator. 2. The above mentioned statement will indicate all the gains and losses during the time period in which the statement was made. 3. The company should divide the statement in to three parts a. Operating b. financing and treasury c. Other gains and losses 4. While preparing the performance statement for a particular period the amount of dividend paid to the share holders does not get included in that. (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 11-12) 5. Balance sheets, income statements, retain earning statements and cash flow statements are the four types of primary statement. Primary statement should consider the ownership interest (Primary Financial Statement). Financial Reporting Exposur e Draft (FRED) proposes that Earning Per Share (EPS), dividends for a particular period should be mentioned as a memorandum items. These items are shown in the balance sheet but these things are not added in the final total. A letter note including reserves note and note of gains and losses in past days are made optional for the companies

Close Reading or Literary Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Close Reading or Literary Analysis - Essay Example As an apostrophe, Donne is addressing an anthropomorphized Death and informs the character that it is not as powerful as some people make it out to be. The poem â€Å"demonstrates the impotence and the self-destructiveness of the antagonist† (Tromly 391). Donne begins the poem by directly addressing death, â€Å"Death be not proud,† and then admitting that some people might hold death in a revered place: â€Å"though some have called thee/ Mighty and dreadful† (1-2). Obviously, it is rather banal to have to point out the fact that the single event that all people that are alive cannot deter is that they will all die. There are no exceptions to this, and this is one of the few truisms that goes without anybody being able to form an argument against it. Considering this, the position that death is a powerful figure that is deserving of fear and respect seems like a difficult position to try to argue against. Of course, this would not have been a memorable or interesting poem if it had merely stated this obvious fact. The paradox that Donne creates is what makes this poem so well known. After informing death that it had nothing to be proud of, Donne then informs the character why this is the case: â€Å"For those, whom thou thinks’t, thou dost overthrow,/ Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me† (3-4). As Donne states, the people that death thinks it has killed were not actually killed by death. Beyond this, death also does not have the ability to kill the poet as well. Considering that the poet has been dead for centuries, Donne is obviously going to have to thoroughly explain why exactly this is true. Donne then begins to explain his reasons. First he states that death is not much difference in appearance from taking a nap: â€Å"From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,/ Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow† (5-6). Following the reasoning that resting or sleeping reinvigorates people and make them more able to enjoy

Normative ethics Essay Example for Free

Normative ethics Essay Metaethics talks about the nature of ethics and moral reasoning. Discussions about whether ethics is relative and whether we always act from self-interest are examples of meta-ethical discussions. In fact, drawing the conceptual distinction between Metaethics, Normative Ethics, and Applied Ethics is itself a metaethical analysis. Normative ethics is interested in determining the content of our moral behavior. Normative ethical theories seek to provide action-guides; procedures for answering the Practical Question (What ought I to do? ). The moral theories of Kant and Bentham are examples of normative theories that seek to provide guidelines for determining a specific course of moral action. Think of the Categorical Imperative in the case of the former and the Principle of Utility in the case of the latter. Applied Ethics attempts to deal with specific realms of human action and to craft criteria for discussing issues that might arise within those realms. The contemporary field of Applied Ethics arouse in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today, it is a thriving part of the field of ethics. Numerous books and web-sites are devoted to topics such as Business Ethics, Computer Ethics, and Engineering Ethics. Ethical Relativism Distinctions within Relativism There is a distinction between morals and mores. The latter can be defined as harmless customs (e. g. , tea at 4); the former as treatment of others (e. g. , the practice of Apartheid). In discussing Relativism, we are concerned only with moral practices. The Problem of Relativism: What one society considers Right, another Society considers Wrong. Therefore, RIGHT AND WRONG are RELATIVE to a PARTICULAR SOCIETY. Here we need to be aware of two things: (1) Confusing harmless conventions (The British drive on the left side of the road) with harmful practices (Clitorectomy is customary among the Somali). (2) Even if moralities may differ from society to society, it need not follow that Morality Itself is relative for there is a further distinction between CULTURAL (descriptive) RELATIVISM and NORMATIVE (Ethical) RELATIVISM. Cultural (descriptive) Relativism: The descriptive relativist simply notes certain sociological FACTS: (a) Factual Claims: x is considered right in Society y at time t and x is considered wrong in Society z at time t. (b) Empirical Conclusion: Moralities are relative [Note that the claims of Cultural Relativism are either true or false. ] Normative (ethical) Relativism The normative relativist goes BEYOND any sociological facts. (a) Normative Claim: What is considered right in Society x at time t IS right for that Society. (b) Theoretical (metaethical) Claim: Morality Itself is Relative. Note that ethical relativism does not logically follow from any truths uncovered by descriptive relativism. Note also that the ethical relativist has a hard time explaining how radical moral change can occur within a certain society (as with slavery or womens suffrage in the United States). Ethical Egoism Psychological and Ethical Egoism. As a metaethical theory of motivation, psychological egoism asserts the descriptive claim that all of our actions can be reduced to self-interest: Whenever people do something, it is only because they think something desirable for themselves will result from it. The claim is descriptive and thus open to counterexamples, and it is broad, stating a reductionistic thesis regarding all of our actions. (Contrast psychological egoism with the psychological state of sympathy, where the weal and woe of the other becomes the motive for our action.) Ethical egoism is a normative theory that states that our actions ought to be done from the perspective of self-interest. One of the problems with this position is that it might not be in ones self-interest to have eveyone act from the perspective of self-interest. This state of nature would not be desirable (in Hobbes terms, life would be beastly, brutal, and short) and so it might ultimately be in ones self-interest to enter into a contract with others that would place restraints upon self-interested actions. Utilitarian Theories Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that places the locus of right and wrong solely on the outcomes (consequences) of choosing one action/policy over other actions/policies. As such, it moves beyond the scope of ones own interests and takes into account the interests of others. Bentham’s Utility Principle: (1) Recognizes the fundamental role of pain and pleasure in human life, (2) approves or disapproves of an action on the basis of the amount of pain or pleasure brought about i.e, consequences, (3) equates good with pleasure and evil with pain, and (4) asserts that pleasure and pain are capable of quantification (and hence measure). In measuring pleasure and pain, Bentham introduces the following criteria: INTENSITY, DURATION, CERTAINTY (or UNCERTAINTY), and its NEARNESS (or FARNESS). He also includes its fecundity (will more of the same follow? ) and its purity (its pleasure wont be followed by pain vice versa). In considering actions that affect numbers of people, we must also account for its EXTENT. John Stuart Mill adjusted the more hedonistic tendencies in Benthams philosophy by emphasizing (1) It is not the quantity of pleasure, but the quality of happiness that is central to utilitarianism, (2) the calculus is unreasonable qualities cannot be quantified (there is a distinction between higher and lower pleasures), and (3) utilitarianism refers to the Greatest Happiness Principle it seeks to promote the capability of achieving happiness (higher pleasures) for the most amount of people (this is its extent). Act and Rule Utilitarianism. We can apply the principle of utility to either PARTICULAR ACTIONS or GENERAL RULES. The former is called act-utilitarianism and the latter is called rule-utilitarianism. Act-utilitarianism The principle of utility is applied directly to each alternative act in a situation of choice. The right act is then defined as the one which brings about the best results (or the least amount of bad results). * Criticisms of this view point to the difficulty of attaining a full knowledge and certainly of the consequences of our actions. * It is possible to justify immoral acts using AU: Suppose you could end a regional war by torturing children whose fathers are enemy soliders, thus revealing the hide outs of the fathers. Rule-utilitarianism The principle of utility is used to determine the validity of rules of conduct (moral principles). A rule like promise-keeping is established by looking at the consequences of a world in which people broke promises at will and a world in which promises were binding. Right and wrong are then defined as following or breaking those rules. * Some criticisms of this position point out that if the Rules take into account more and more exceptions, RU collapses into AU. * More genearl criticisms of this view argue that it is possible to generate unjust rules according to the principle of utility. For example, slavery in Greece might be right if it led to an overall achievement of cultivated happiness at the expense of some mistreated individuals. Deontological Theories Acting from Duty Deontological normative ethical theories place the locus of right and wrong in autonomous adherence to moral laws or duties. Monistic deontology Kants Categorical Imperative (Act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will that it should become a universal law) provides the source of right action. Its first formulation states Act as if the maxim of your action were to secure through your will a universal law of nature; its second formulation states Always act so as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or that of another, as an end in itself, never as a means only. Actions that conform to these imperatives (i. e., right actions) and are, furthermore, done from a sense of duty, are the epitome of morally praiseworthy actions. Critics of Kants approach claim that his Categorical Imperative does not contain within it a way to resolve conflicts of duties. Lying is wrong can be interpreted as Never lie and thus Universal Principles can harden into Absolute Principles. Pluralistic deontology For the 20th Century philosopher W. D. Ross, there are a number of duties that reflection reveals and these form a group of prima facie obligations. The phrase prima facie (all things being equal) refers to the fact that these duties do not bind us absolutely, but rather that they generally hold absent any further considerations. Two key duties are nonmaleficence (dont harm others) and beneficence (help others). Other prima facie duties include dont lie, dont kill, keep promises, etc. When conflicts occur between duties, our actual duty becomes that which intuitive judgment discerns as the right thing to do (e. g. , lying to save the life of an innocent person). Critics are cautious about referring to intuition as the criterion for determining our actual course of action. Stephen Toulmin suggested that we weigh up, as well as we can, the risks involved in ignoring either, and choose the lesser of two evils. Thus, while the principles may be deontic in nature, a resolution of conflicts of principles could appeal to probable consequences. Virtue Ethics Historical Perspective There is a long tradition in ethics that places great importance on the kind of person one is. We not only want those around us to tell the truth (for example, according to the Categorical Imperative), but also to be honest. Both Aristotle (arete) and Aquinas (virtu) emphasized this aspect of ethics by highlighting the role of what we would today call character in their discussions of ethics (and the classic virtues of courage, justice, and moderation). David Hume also gave virtue and personal merit a key role in his ethical theory. The recent revival of interest in virtue ethics can be traced back to Philippa Foot. She writes that a person’s virtue may be judged by his innermost desires as well as by his intentions; and this fits with our idea that a virtue such as generosity lies as much in someone’s attitudes as in his actions . The Moral Concept of Virtue We should distinguish the virtues found in a particular society or culture (e. g. , chastity) from those virtues that can be supported by moral reasoning (e. g. , honesty). A virtue is a trait of character that is socially valued, and a moral virtue is a trait that is morally valued†¦Moral reasons must support a claim†¦of moral virtue . By emphasizing the priority of character in discussions of ethics, virtue theorists can say: †¦rather than using rules and government regulations to protect subjects in research, some claim that the most reliable protection is the presence of an ‘informed, conscientious, compassionate, responsible researcher’. The underlying view here is that character is more important than conformity to rules and that virtues should be inculcated and cultivated over time through educational interactions, role models, etc. A practical consequence of this view is that the education of, for example medical doctors, should include the cultivation of virtues such as compassion, discernment, trustworthiness, integrity, conscientiousness as well as benevolence (desire to help) and nonmalevolence (desire to avoid harm). Critical Evaluation of Virtue Ethics Often times we encounter morality between strangers (as when one enters an Emergency Room after a car accident). At these times, it’s not the person’s character, but his/her need to follow rules and procedures that seem to come to the forefront (Virtue is not enough). Furthermore, persons of ‘good character’ can certainly formulate ‘bad policy’ or make a ‘poor choice’ and we need to evaluate those policies and choices according to moral principles. Constructive Evaluation of Virtue Ethics Yet †¦ethical theory is more complete if the virtues are included†¦motives deserve to be at center stage in a way that some leading traditional theories have inadequately appreciated †¦ To look at acts without also looking at the moral appropriateness and desirability of feelings, attitudes, forms of sympathy, and the like is to miss a large area of the moral picture (BC, 4th Ed., 69) Liberal Rights and Communitarian Theories Today we often find moral problems framed by perspectives derived from political philosophy. Issues like euthanasia, stem cell research and abortion as well as distributive justice concerns such as social security and medicare, are likely to be seen along the liberal/conservative divide. Traditional moral theories need to take these frameworks into consideration. Will Kymlicka’s Introduction to Political Philosophy provides analyses of the philosophical ideas behind the â€Å"ideological debates† that now envelop many topics in moral philosophy. Of particular value is his discussion of liberal equality, libertarianism, and communitarianism. Liberal equality is often associated with the work on John Rawls in his Theory of Justice. It argues that we should rationally affirm two fundamental principles of justice designed to protect our political liberties and social opportunities. It can be directly contrasted with the libertarian ideas found in Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia. Nozick challenges Rawls’s approach to social inequalities and argues for a minimalist state. But both authors (and their followers) conceive of individuals as ‘Socratic’ in nature, capable of reasoning about their life plan and questioning, in principle, the world around them. In this sense, they are both ‘liberals’ in the tradition of John Stuart Mill’s essay, â€Å"On Liberty. † â€Å"For liberals, the question about the good life requires us to make a judgment about what sort of a person we wish to be†. Thus liberals will emphasize the role of choice and freedom from government interference in private matters. For communitarians, on the other hand, individuals are not atomistic, ‘unencumbered selves’ individuals are situated within a community, embedded in the received wisdom of our human culture. Communal values are ‘authoritative horizons’ wherein we take our orientation toward life . The self is not prior to, but rather constituted by, its ends we cannot distinguish ‘me’ from ‘my ends’ [and] our selves are at least partly constituted by ends that we do not choose, but rather discover by virtue of our being embedded in some shared social context . Since self-determination does not occur in a vacuum, the government needs to support a social environment that is conducive to the development of what is best in all of us. For those communitarians who are social conservatives, this will often take the form of a promotion family values that can, for example, discourage changes in the institution of marriage. Broadly speaking, these two positions account for the divide between ‘liberals’ and ‘social conservatives’ in dealing with matters such as abortion and euthanasia. In these situations, liberals tend to become pro-choice and social conservatives tend to become pro-life. ***** As is to be expected in a modern, pluralistic democracy, many of these issues are addressed in the political realm and through the political process (including the courts). But the kinds of cases that arise within these areas should also be addressed within the framework of applied ethics as a way to get clearer about the nature of the problem and its potential for resolution. Indeed, we often see analyses found in applied ethics, such as the concept of a person in the morally significant sense or the distinction between killing and allowing to die, embedded in the political debate itself. Ethics of Care In the 1970s and 80s feminist writers began to question the assumptions behind many of the traditional ethical theories. Carol Gilligan’s work in moral psychology challenged justice-based approaches to moral discussion: men tend to embrace an ethic of rights using quasi-legal terminology and impartial principles †¦ women tend to affirm an ethic of care that centers on responsiveness in an interconnected network of needs, care, and prevention of harm. Taking care of others is the core notion. Annette Baier’s philosophical account of an ethics of care does not recommend that we discard categories of obligation, but that we make room for an ethic of love and trust, including an account of human bonding and friendship. In both of these accounts, there is a specific criticism of Traditional Liberal Theory and its emphasis on impartiality and universality: The impartiality and the ‘standpoint of detached fairness’ advocated by liberal theories of justice, overlook, for example, the moral role of attachment to those close to us. Speaking from the perspective of medical ethics, The care perspective is especially meaningful for roles such as parent, friend, physician, and nurse, in which contextual response, attentiveness to subtle clues, and the deepening of special relationships are likely to be more momentous morally than impartial treatment In articulating the challenge to universal principles, Beauchamp and Childress write: We can produce rough generalizations about how caring physicians and nurses respond to patients, for example, but these generalizations will not be subtle enough to give helpful guidance for the next patient. Each situation calls for a set of responses outside any generalization†¦. Proponents of an Ethics of Care emphasize the roles of Mutual Interdependence and Emotional Response that play an important part in our moral lives: †¦many human relationships involve persons who are vulnerable, dependent, ill, and frail †¦ [and] the desirable moral response is attached attentiveness to needs, not detached respect for rights (BC, 373) and The person who acts from rule-governed obligations without appropriately aligned feelings such as worry when a friend suffers seems to have a moral deficiency. In addition†¦insight into the needs of others and considerate alertness to their circumstances often come from the emotions more than reason. Thus the emotions seem to have a ‘cognitive role,’ allowing us to grasp a situation that may not be immediately available to one arguing solely from a ‘justice perspective. ’ Critical Evaluation of the Care Ethic The example of a nurse who personally wants to help a patient die, but who will not do so as it violates professional duty, shows that †¦the ethics of care must confront situations in which bona fide requirements of impartiality conflict with acting partially from care. Some feminists actually interpret the ‘care ethic’ as culturally determined by the male hierarchy. For example, a terminally ill grand mother may request to be allowed to die because she doesn’t want to be ‘a bother’ to her family. Here someone like Susan Sherwin sees a need to examine the social context of care as well as to establish limits to the ethics of care. Both enterprises would involve appeals to justice†¦ Constructive Evaluation of the Care Ethic Sensitivity and emotional response to particular situations (like family discussions with physicians) provide important guides to morally acceptable actions. A care ethic also seems to favor adopting procedures from Conflict Resolution and Dispute Mediation as alternative ways to approach an apparent ethical conflict. Hedonism The term â€Å"hedonism,† from the Greek word (hedone) for pleasure, refers to several related theories about what is good for us, how we should behave, and what motivates us to behave in the way that we do. All hedonistic theories identify pleasure and pain as the only important elements of whatever phenomena they are designed to describe. If hedonistic theories identified pleasure and pain as merely two important elements, instead of the only important elements of what they are describing, then they would call it Hedonism uld not be nearly as unpopular as they all are. However, the claim that pleasure and pain are the only things of ultimate importance is what makes hedonism distinctive and philosophically interesting. Philosophical hedonists tend to focus on hedonistic theories of value, and especially of well-being (the good life for the one living it). As a theory of value, hedonism states that all and only pleasure is intrinsically valuable and all and only pain is intrinsically not valuable. Hedonists usually define pleasure and pain broadly, such that both physical and mental phenomena are included. Thus, a gentle massage and recalling a fond memory are both considered to cause pleasure and stubbing a toe and hearing about the death of a loved one are both considered to cause pain. With pleasure and pain so defined, hedonism as a theory about what is valuable for us is intuitively appealing. Indeed, its appeal is evidenced by the fact that nearly all historical and contemporary treatments of well-being allocate at least some space for discussion of hedonism. Unfortunately for hedonism, the discussions rarely endorse it and some even deplore its focus on pleasure. This article begins by clarifying the different types of hedonistic theories and the labels they are often given. Then, hedonism’s ancient origins and its subsequent development are reviewed. The majority of this article is concerned with describing the important theoretical divisions within Prudential Hedonism and discussing the major criticisms of these approaches. The Origins of Hedonism . a. Aristippus and the Cyrenaics The Cyrenaics, founded by Artistippus were also sceptics and Hedonistic Egoists. Although the paucity of original texts makes it difficult to confidently state all of the justifications for the Cyrenaics’ positions, their overall stance is clear enough. The Cyrenaics believed pleasure was the ultimate good and everyone should pursue all immediate pleasures for themselves. They considered bodily pleasures better than mental pleasures, presumably because they were more vivid or trustworthy. The Cyrenaics also recommended pursuing immediate pleasures and avoiding immediate pains with scant or no regard for future consequences. Their reasoning for this is even less clear, but is most plausibly linked to their sceptical views – perhaps that what we can be most sure of in this uncertain existence is our current bodily pleasures. b. Epicurus Epicurus founder of Epicureanism, developed a Normative Hedonism in stark contrast to that of Aristippus. The Epicureanism of Epicurus is also quite the opposite to the common usage of Epicureanism; while we might like to go on a luxurious â€Å"Epicurean† holiday packed with fine dining and moderately excessive wining, Epicurus would warn us that we are only setting ourselves up for future pain. For Epicurus, happiness was the complete absence of bodily and especially mental pains, including fear of the Gods and desires for anything other than the bare necessities of life. Even with only the limited excesses of ancient Greece on offer, Epicurus advised his followers to avoid towns, and especially marketplaces, in order to limit the resulting desires for unnecessary things. Once we experience unnecessary pleasures, such as those from sex and rich food, we will then suffer from painful and hard to satisfy desires for more and better of the same. No matter how wealthy we might be, Epicurus would argue, our desires will eventually outstrip our means and interfere with our ability to live tranquil, happy lives. Epicureanism is generally egoistic, in that it encourages everyone to pursue happiness for themselves. However, Epicureans would be unlikely to commit any of the selfish acts we might expect from other egoists because Epicureans train themselves to desire only the very basics, which gives them very little reason to do anything to interfere with the affairs of others. c. The Oyster Example With the exception of a brief period discussed below, Hedonism has been generally unpopular ever since its ancient beginnings. Although criticisms of the ancient forms of hedonism were many and varied, one in particular was heavily cited. In Philebus, Plato’s Socrates and one of his many foils, Protarchus in this instance, are discussing the role of pleasure in the good life. Socrates asks Protarchus to imagine a life without much pleasure but full of the higher cognitive processes, such as knowledge, forethought and consciousness and to compare it with a life that is the opposite. Socrates describes this opposite life as having perfect pleasure but the mental life of an oyster, pointing out that the subject of such a life would not be able to appreciate any of the pleasure within it. The harrowing thought of living the pleasurable but unthinking life of an oyster causes Protarchus to abandon his hedonistic argument. The oyster example is now easily avoided by clarifying that pleasure is best understood as being a conscious experience, so any sensation that we are not consciously aware of cannot be pleasure.