History Special Needs Essay

The history of education for children with special educational needs in Ireland has been one of neglect and exclusion. However the past three decades have seen a shift in attitude and policy. A shift which, Professor Desmond Swan has described as a progression in three phases: the era of neglect and denial; the era of the special school; and the era of integration or inclusion . The right to education is recognised in Ireland under Article 42 of the Constitution. However, in 1993 The Special Education Review Committee (SERC) reported: â€Å"Ireland has a conspicuous lack of legislation governing much of education but particularly covering educational provision for students with special needs † During the 1990’s litigation in the sphere of education emerged as an important agent for change in special education. Since the landmark O’Donoghue judgement of1993, parents have sought the protection of the courts to give practical effect to a constitutional right to an education for their children with special educational needs and forced Government to give legislative effect to this right. Over the past ten years there have been a number of key legislative developments in education for people with special educational needs. A stated objective of the 1998 Education Act is â€Å"to give practical effect to the constitutional rights of children, including children who have a disability†. The Equal Status Act 2000 refers to education in relation to the policies of establishment regarding admissions, access to courses, access to any facility or benefit provided or any other condition of participation in the establishment. In suspected cases of discrimination recourse can be sought through the Office of Equality Investigations. The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 is to ensure school attendance. It provided for the establishment of a National Education Welfare Board. The objective of the Board is to ensure that all children attend a recognised school or otherwise receive a certain minimum education. It is Government policy to encourage the integration of pupils with disabilities into the mainstream education system. In a speech in the Dà ¡il in October 2003, Noel Dempsey, Minister for Education and Science signalled that the â€Å"education of children with special educational needs alongside those who do not have such needs has long been Government policy† . The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 refers to inclusion rather than integration, and notes that â€Å"A child with special educational needs shall be educated in an inclusive environment with children who do not have such needs†¦ † The Act is specifically concerned with children who have special educational needs. It aims to enhance the rights of children with disabilities to avail of, and benefit from, an appropriate education. The Act sets up the National Council for Special Education and outlines the responsibilities of Special Education Needs Organisers. The Act also provides for a range of services which must be provided within a certain timeframe and in constant consultation with the parents / guardians of the student, including assessments, individual education plans and support services as well as providing for a process of mediation and appeals where needs are not met. Such developments might seem to suggest that the concept of inclusion has become embedded in legislation and in Irish Schools but there is still considerable confusion as to what constitutes government policy in relation to children with special needs. Education continues to be provided on a continuum that ranges from separate special schools for children with severe, moderate or mild intellectual disability to special classes within mainstream schools to inclusion within mainstream classes with appropriate support. The National Council for Special Education itself is charged with ensuring that â€Å"a continuum of special education provision is available as required in relation to each type of disability† Section 20(g)5. The debate on inclusion for children with disability has just begun in this country and there is still a very long way to go. The rapid pace of development and change in special education has been problematic. Students with special educational needs may not necessarily have their needs met by appropriately qualified staff. Resource teaching time may not be sufficient, new curricula need to be developed and the physical environment of the school may present a barrier to access.

Complete Course Material Essay

MGT 426 Complete Course Material MGT 426 Week 1 DQ 1 Why is change necessary? What about change is disruptive? How can meeting the challenge of change become organizational opportunities? MGT 426 Week 1 DQ 2 Change: what is in it for me? What is the cycle of change? What are some examples of continuous change? What are some examples of discontinuous change? What are some differences between continuous and discontinuous change? MGT 426 Week 1 Individual Assignment Article Review MGT 426 Week 2 DQ 1 What is organizational culture? What is the relationship between shared vision and organizational culture? How does organizational culture affect an organization’s ability to cope with change? MGT 426 Week 2 DQ 2 How does modeling a change process facilitate change? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the three change models? What are some applications of the three change models? MGT 426 Week 2 Individual Assignment Roles of Managers and Individuals Paper MGT 426 Week 2 Learning Team Assignment Managing Change Paper Part I MGT 426 Week 3 DQ 1 Why is it important to do a gap analysis? How do you apply gap analysis to the change models? Give an example of when you may use a gap analysis. MGT 426 Week 3 DQ 2 What are the steps in implementing change? What should you consider when selecting a change implementation model? Explain. MGT 426 Week 3 Individual Assignment Resistance to Change Paper MGT 426 Week 3 Learning Team Assignment Managing Change Paper and Presentation Part II MGT 426 Week 4 DQ 1 How do you measure the progress of change? How do you know change has been institutionalized? How do you determine what changes have occurred? MGT 426 Week 4 DQ 2 What organizational systems are impacted by the cycle of change? Explain. What systems are not as easily impacted by change? Why or why not? MGT 426 Week 4 Individual Assignment Ethics During Change paper MGT 426 Week 4 Learning Team Assignment Managing Change Paper Part III MGT 426 Week 5 DQ 1 What characteristics of a learning organization do you see in your organization? What can your organization do to transform into a learning organization? MGT 426 Week 5 DQ 2 How closely does your organization follow Senge’s five disciplines? Is this useful? Why or why not? MGT 426 Week 5 Individual Assignment Learning Organization Paper MGT 426 Week 5 Learning Team Assignment Managing Change Paper and Presentation Part IV

Dutch Disease

(1. What is meant by the term? ) Introduction Over 50 years ago on 1960, when a sprawl bed of liquid gas was discovered in North Sea, Netherland overjoyed exploiting the natural resource and became a net exporter of gas. The demand for Dutch guilder in order to purchasing gas, rose and made it extremely strong. It left a lot of currency to a level the manufacturing export was no longer competitive. Later on 1970, when oil price soured by 4 times; UK was tempted to invest in North Sea oil industry in Scotland.Soon after exporting the oil, UK encountered with a serious recession following labor strike. Firm workers demanded for higher wage because their disposal income has decreased which stemmed from the fall in expensive commodity demand. UK has become a net export of oil and Pound got appreciated. The rest of the industry left the market and firms started cutting their cost of human resources. Since then the term of â€Å"Dutch Disease† assign to those with heavy reliance on their supply of natural resources that downturn the non-resource aspect of economy.The Export–oriented manufacturing system is divided to two parts; More competitive sector-normally energy sector- grow faster and further while the less competitive step back and the related employment fall substantially and in more serious crisis concludes to deindustrialization. Both mentioned event are correlated with exchange rate development. The term of â€Å"Dutch disease† for the first time came in an article in The Economist -1977 that described the case as a natural resource curse.The name of Dutch Disease generally associated with a natural resource discovery, but it can be seen in any trade or investment activity that results in a large inflow of foreign currency, including a rise in natural resource prices, foreign aid, and foreign direct investment. The inflow of American treasures into Spain in 16th and gold discoveries in Australia in the 1850s are other two example of Du tch Disease diagnosis. By 1978, this story repeated in Iran. The oil price jumped and other local roduct like hand crafts, carpets, agricultural product, minerals, precious stones, Zofran, Pistachio became expensive and was not affordable for the neighbors and other importers to import. Such small industries never sustained in the market and some of them wiped out. Iran became the importer of rice, wheat, carpets. That took many jobs and money out of economy. Russia is likely to be another victim of this disease. Nearly 40% of GDP, 60% of export revenue and 60% of government revenue depends on oil and gas production. General perception of Russian economics, like other resource-rich countries, expects the symptom of disease.Russia as one of the main oil producer can easily impact on oil price by reducing or increasing the amount of production. In both situations, their intake of money from oil exportation is huge. It strengthens the Ruble and impact the export revenue as a whole. Bes ides pouring unmanaged wealth problem, the direct investors intend to invest in mines and oil/gas wells and rigs or take over the related companies (direct investment). Moreover the related industry attracts the indirect investors to stock market to buy their shares.These all concludes to CAD appreciation which is not what a commercial sector of an economy try to reach at. Since we are on another side of history, revolution against energy consumption and climate change got more serious, the countries that are too dependent on natural resource are being questioned more than before. Except for short-run effect of asymmetric growth on resource allocation and income distribution, we are better to think about long-run issue of not renewable resource depletion rate and future plan for rich-resource countries. 2. Detail and outline the channels that could cause such an effect) Dutch Disease Mechanism The underlying mechanism of the Dutch disease is that the real exchange rate of the resour ce- rich economy tends to appreciate strongly with the rise of the export revenues from the resource sector. In turn, the appreciation harms the economy’s exports from the manufacturing sector leading, over time, to de-industrialization . Regarding the pattern of history, the resource-rich countries manifest a short term prosper while others fallen behind due to: . Natural Resource discovery and exploitation 2. Increase in foreign currency 3. Foreign direct investment 4. Foreign aid 5. Natural resource price growth While at the mid-term they would experience: 1. Resource price artificially inflate the currency 2. Run up in commodity price 3. Losing price competition in market 4. Become weak in manufacturing sector 5. Become a net import of manufactured goods 6. Losing export power in goods other than natural resources 7. Leading to uneven economyThis is the mechanism in which non-resource industries get hurt by resource industry which proudly increases the wealth and spread t he benefit unevenly across the country that accounts for hidden economy turmoil, which make manufacturing jobs, move to lower cost countries. Canada and Oil Sand Fever (3. Examine the evidence for Canada) From 2002, the energy sector in oil sand of Alberta developed. The total rise of world oil price covered all extra cost of oil sand refinery process and made it profitable to that level which triggered exploration, expansion, extraction and export of oil.Obviously the nominal GDP per capita jumped and the Canadian exchange rate appreciated and the manufacturing sector has contracted. While the rise of the energy and commodity prices brings obvious benefits for Canada as a whole, it has raised also a lot of concerns of policy makers and economists. Tom Mulcair, the NDP leader, who is being accused of dividing the country against each other, named the oil sand of Canada the dirty oil. He said that the booming of oil industry in Saskatchewan province would hollow out other provincesâ €™ economy.He believes the oil exportation drive up the value of dollar and hurt manufacturing sector. The studies show that the appreciation of Canadian dollars relative to USD is driven by three factors. One of them is the strength of the CAD due to export oil, secondly the weakness of the USD, increase the appreciation of CAD, and the last factor is the booming of world energy price. Between 2002 to mid-2008 the price of oil and the other commodities got back to very low levels, however the manufacturing sector remained at the same weak status.The Dutch phenomenon becomes a disease if the manufacturing sector does not come back when the resource boom is over. (4. Arguments for and against the preposition) Investigating the proposition that the country has experienced a period of Dutch disease, two conditions may need to be fulfilled. First, see if currency appreciation has driven up by the export oriented commodity prices. Second, see to what extend unemployment has been affe cted in the manufacturing sector. According to Krugman (1987), it becomes a disease when the manufacturing sector does not come back after the resource boom.There are some contra verse arguments which claim that natural resource industries create jobs. Strong currency brings significant growth. While the food and energy security is so important in today’s world, there is no reason to blame these sectors for bad economy. Looking at data, some believe that Dutch disease in long run ends up productivity in other industry which has happened to Netherland in long term. (5. Government role to reduce the incident or mitigate the effect- foreign exchange intervention) â€Å"The gratification of wealth is not found in mere possession or in lavish expenditure, but in its wise application. – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Under transparently and wisely management, if government can diversify the manufacturing and export sectors to reduce dependency on the booming sector and make t hem less vulnerable to external shocks, such as a sudden drop in commodity prices and at the same time avoid dumping all export revenue in the economy and devote fund of energy revenue to enforce other part of the industry through privatization and restructuring, the economy would be more resilience and integrated.In countries with temporary resource discovery, policymakers may want to protect the non-trade sectors through foreign exchange intervention that is, building up foreign exchange reserve through the sale of domestic currency to keep the foreign exchange value of the domestic currency lower to insulate the economy in condition the extra wealth spend wisely and to lead to inflation.Nobody expect government to call for a slowing down of resource development, but it is expected that policymakers help to boost the innovation, investment in human resource and spend more on research and development which leads to higher productivity of skilled worker via retraining which should b enefit the vulnerable sector. Developing the new energy infrastructural -pipe and rigs- intelligently and sustainably help peaking natural gas prices not being blamed for driving up inflation and driving down exports of manufacturing goods. In Russian, a few think that the national population must meets the domestic supply.They claim that they are not that much depends on export revenue. Moreover they firmly believe that their non-oil industry is not that much big to get hurt from global competition and they would continue to develop the oil sector which is more competitive and they are good at. In Chad, after oil discovery on 2004, the Chadian government invested the income on developing crop production and feeding poor people at the same time. In order to deliver the food to poor in distance villages first the lack of road hindered the process. So the next object was to improve transportation infrastructural.That was the example of successful policies for avoiding Dutch disease. U sing the country’s huge income of oil and gas for public and rural household welfare and investing particularly in, for example, development of road and irrigation infrastructure and improving water access would adverse the affection of Dutch disease. â€Å"If revenue can create a serious opportunity for development and poverty reduction, it certainly is a good opportunity for corruption as well, feeding political claims and increasing the risk of conflict† (page 47) Exchange rate and Spending effect (6. ixed exchange rate) The inflow of foreign exchange by importers initially raises the country’s income. There are two policies how to spend the money. If the foreign currency is traded with foreign commodity and spend on import, the domestically product goods are remained unharmed. But suppose it is converted to local currency, this time the local productions get affected. If the central bank decided for a fixed nominal exchange rate, after conversion the currenc y, the money supply increases, the local demand increase and local production price rise which leads to higher real exchange rate.If the exchange rate is flexible, the value of the domestic currency increases due to the increased supply of foreign currency, which again leads to higher real exchange rate, in this case through a rise in the nominal exchange rate rather than in domestic prices. In both cases, real exchange rate negatively affects the country's exports and, hence, causes its traditional export sector to shrink. This entire process is called the â€Å"spending effect. † †¢Corden, W. M. and J. P. Neary. 1982. Booming Sector and De-Industrialisation in a Small Open Economy.The Economic Journal, 92 (368) pp. 825-848. †¢Coulombe, S. , R. Lamy and S. Rogers (2007). Adjustment in High Trade Exposed Manufacturing Employement in Canada, Industry Canada, Mimeo. †¢http://www. imf. org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2003/03/ebra. htm †¢Ebrahim-zadeh, Christine (M arch 2003, Volume 40, Number 1). â€Å"Back to Basics – Dutch Disease: Too much wealth managed unwisely†. Finance and Development, A quarterly magazine of the IMF. IMF. †¢Corden and Neary . 1982. and Corden . 1984. †¢Stephanie Levy. 2001. â€Å"PUBLIC INVESTMENT TO REVERSE DUTCH DISEASE: THE CASE OF CHAD† †¢

HR Strategies for Hotel Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HR Strategies for Hotel Management - Essay Example The most significant feature in the management of this chain of hotels is the availability of well trained, efficient and motivated work force. The company understands the necessity of the keeping the spirits of its employees high to realize its business dreams in the most acceptable manner. The hospitality industry and more specifically hotel industry is one of the most dynamic and sensitive business sector which performs very high during the favourable business environment while experiences a very sharp fall during the periods of recession or economic slow down. Thus being one of the leading hotel chain in China, Metropark hotels company need to create a unique style of management leadership that could set benchmarks in the hospitality business segment (Grand Metro Park Hotel, n d). The major domains the HR practices need to be reinforced is in the domain of delegation of work. The concept of right work to right people needs to be promoted well. As the hotels have different target clients based on the brands attached to it, the employees capabilities expected shall also differ from one type to the other. The Grand metro park hotels has most of its visitors from US and European Union, mostly the business executives who have their business operation expanding in China. Thus the capability of all the staff who are placed to handle different tasks must be highly capable to ensure not only to deliver their responsibilities well but also to ensure the retention during their future visits. The customer relation team shall also work in tandem with them to ensure the future business too. In addition to their skills to use English, language, the linguistic abilities of the front office staff shall include their abilities to handle other foreign languages like Spanish, French, Russian, Italian and also Arabic. Further, the

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 24

Marketing - Essay Example Carpenter (2004) highlights the definition of marketing given by American Marketing Association in his article. Marketing is defined as "an organizational function and set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders" (Carpenter, 2004). Carpenter means that marketing deals with customer relationships and the process involves creation of products, their communication and then their delivery to the customers. Donald (2004) defines marketing as not an advertising campaign but some function that deal with consumer touch points, brand values and attributes that are communicated. Therefore, for Donald, marketing is not just advertising but a whole procedure that involves the consumers, the product and its features. Marketing covers all the point mentioned by Donald. Marketing is done about products for consumers so that the products can be availed by consumers because of the attributes and brand values of the products. Marketing is an important function of an organization or business setup and this factor cannot be negated that the businesses operating all around the globe are able to reach to the general public by means of their marketing functionalities. Marketing is an activity that enables all the businesses to make the people know what is in their hands for the people and how can it fulfill the needs of people. Planning is also very crucial for the success of a marketing campaign. Through marketing plans, the organizations are able to attain information about their competitors, strengths and weaknesses of their products and much more (Pophal, 2000). Every day we see unlimited advertisements in the newspapers, on the internet, on television, in the form of banners and by many other means in which, we notice that the products or services that are monitored are

UC application, personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UC application, - Personal Statement Example I believe in a friendly environment and on factors that would ensure my success. The morals that guide a given institution are similar to those taught by a given society. My family teachings and system code of ethics are what guides my decision-making processes My endurance may be traced to my earlier lives where my family encouragement to pursue my career based on personal interest rather than peer influence. The competitive nature of the modern world requires an individual to choose his or her path wisely. The nature in which an individual chooses his educational path will depend on what society has to offer in terms of employment opportunities. Passion drives this choice and my choice was based on the available opportunities and supportive environments created by my family and friends. The level of expectation from this environment drives my success goals. An individual arranges his priorities based on the environment and my aim is to ensure a successful process that would ensure an increase in levels of competitiveness in this complex world. The world becomes complicated when, and individual fails to achieve certain goals. My aim is to remain relevant to my environment and achieve my goals based on their priorities. Moral of an individual is determined by the nature of his or her upbringing. My family background molded me to become a responsible person, who appreciates the surroundings and respects varied opinions. This characteristic has enabled my stay at the school. I believe in a culture as a tool that would enable interactions between people and cultures. Diversity creates a wider opportunity to explore the differences associated with world and immediate society. I utilize diversity as a means of study and as a way of learning the world in a different dimension. This dimension enables my exploration of new opportunities with the goal of creating counter actions plan to overcome challenges that are associated with diversity. My

The property and financial difficulties of a divorced couple Case Study

The property and financial difficulties of a divorced couple - Case Study Example Divorce has always been a complex and controversial subject for couples. For the most part, the issues concerning property, pension or children complicate relationships and adversely impinge on families including the children. The case of Jenny and Ted is not different compared to others who had to deal with the issue of property during or after the divorce is filed. However, if amicable settlement is not reached by the couple, the laws in the United Kingdom with regards family, divorce and property are very clear on this issue.First the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 sets out the foundation for divorce and is also the major law England and Wales which stipulates the creation of ancillary relief -the financial payment to a marriage party after a couple files for a divorce, nullity of marriage or separation. The claimant of the ancillary relief should present her claim (in this case, Jenny) to a court in England or Wales in order for the court to resolve pecuniary issues which arise from the divorce. 1This is specified in Section 23 & 24 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 which states that the court is empowered to create financial and property provision orders when a couple is granted a divorce. This provision indicates that a party to a marriage shall pay, in forms of securities, bonds or share, or in unsecured lump sums, the other party. Section 24 of the aforementioned act likewise gives the courts in England and Wales the power to order the sale of property which is intended for ancillary relief. The courts in England and Wales have been given this authority since 1970's which bestow them the powers to transfer ownership of property and order a party to make payments to the other party. This authority requires that the courts must assess whether the pecuniary relationship between the couple must be ordered immediately ceased or terminated. 2Payment to the other party in a marriage is ordered by the court in a form of maintenance or in a form of a clean break order which bars the litigant from making further claims in a form of ancillary relief. This payment is also referred to as maintenance orders which can be given to the other party on 'nominal basis' or specific terms. However, the court can review this order any time so as to match the ongoing adjustments in financial ability of the parties who filed for a divorce. The terms and particular dates and arrangements for maintenance orders are usually specified by the courts (Kempton & Theobold 2001). Other various orders which the court can create on their discretion and ones which are contextually related to the family law include Property Adjustment Order in which the courts are given a wide discretion on how the property will be divided and in what shares. The court also has the power to order the auction of the matrimonial home of the couple. Furthermore, a variety of options are open to the courts of England and Wales in order to settle dispute on property. These factors are listed on Section 25 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 so that the courts may serve well and judiciously the interest of both parties in a marriage or serve the best interest of the children. The possible orders that courts can make are in fact limitless and they are created in specific circumstances (Kempton & Theobold 2001). The idea of fair and equal distribution of property has its precedence on the landmark cases decided by courts of England and Wales or the House of Lords. One such case is the famous White v White 2001 in which the House of Lords ordered a controversial redistribution of the couple's finances and property after the divorce. Lord Nicholls, a member of the House has set precedence in his speech which would later on specify the acts with regards division of assets. Nicholls stated in his speech that in all cases, judges must practice judiciousness and ensure their provisional judgment (on assets distribution) regarding the "yardstick of equality of division". This does not mean

Past, Present, and Future Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Past, Present, and Future Paper - Essay Example It was a confusing situation at times. I knew that education and learning was important, but at the same time I really didn’t see how it related to real life. When I enrolled at the University of Phoenix, I felt that I had good basic communication skills. I was able to read and write well. I could comprehend complex texts and I could convey information that I learned clearly to others. I did know that I writing I struggled with spelling and grammar. This problem has plagued me for my whole life. In some ways I have always felt as though it wasn’t a big deal. I could always figure something out if I really needed to. I also felt that I was dependable and could work well with people on a team. In a way, I guess I entered the program feeling as though I had some weaknesses academically, but that they could be overcome. I was able to function fully in my job in the Human Resources department and felt competent in my professional life. Entering the program, my career goals w ere to obtain a more senior position within my current employment. I wanted to work my way up and be a specialist within the Human Resources department. I realized that I needed a proper degree to do this. I also began to watch how the senior members of my department communicated and worked with one another. I realized that there were some skills that I was lacking in addition to a degree. I could see that when I compared my current ability to communicate to their ability to communicate, I was found lacking. I resolved that I would gain the skills necessary to feel comfortable and confident when working with these senior members of the Human Resources department. I felt that if I could feel comfortable working with them, then I would be in a position to one-day hold a senior position as a Human Resources Specialist myself. When I began working on the Bachelors of Science in Management (BSM) degree at the University of Phoenix, it became clear that I was not nearly as prepared taking these classes as I thought. I discovered that my spelling and grammar that I knew was a weakness turned out to be much weaker than I thought. I found that just muddling through was not good enough any more so I grew determined to really improve my weaknesses so they could actually become strengths. I found the high level of expectations that was set for clear writing and concise communication to be challenging but helpful in my goal to improve. The feedback I received from professors and other students was very helpful. Collaborating with other students was a part of the course study that I really enjoyed and was actually where I learned the most about writing. I have always enjoyed working in a team atmosphere and felt that I could do it well. What I found at the University of Phoenix was that I actually got better at using collaboration as a tool for learning. I began to see how I could use the feedback from my peers to really improve a paper or to develop a new perspective on a problem that needed to be solved. Through this collaborative process, I feel that my abilities in information retrieval, communication, writing and oral communication skills have greatly improved. I feel that there are three specific classes that really helped me to improve in these areas. The first of these classes was my Skills For Professional Development class. I call this my wake-up call class, because it was in this class that I

'I am not a philosopher, I am an artist' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

'I am not a philosopher, I am an artist' - Essay Example The intention of making artwork for the purpose of creating art instead of making a statement that is based on philosophical agreements allows one to understand how art can be created only for the purpose of expression and for representing a different form of art. To become an artist that only works with art for form and aesthetics, is the need to first define what art is. This allows one to move outside of the philosophy of art for the sake of interpreting different beliefs and ideals. When looking at art for the sake of creation, one finds that this is based on the expression of aesthetics. Art becomes one that is defined by a natural expression that is formed from art. One of the theories that relates to this is the aesthetic theory. This states that art is defined by the properties of beauty as well as art forms that oppose beauty and aesthetics. The concept that this displays with art is one that moves beyond the complexities of defining art and instead states that art is only for or against the aesthetics that are displayed in different forms and in the techniques that are used. The concept of the aesthetic of arts is one that questions the true nature of what it means to be an artist, not for a purpose or for a philosophy, but instead for the creation of aesthetics and expression1. Once one moves beyond the basic definition of art, then philosophies will often be added into the expression, such as formalism, emotionalism and other theories. This leads to other definitions that are based on philosophies, as opposed to the ideal of working with art for the sake of aesthetics and production of creativity. This has led other artists into a definition of art that takes out the extra philosophies, definitions and intent behind the work. This leads into a de-definition of art, which is created only for art sake. The mediums that are produced and the expressions

The Album Close to You by the Carpenters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Album Close to You by the Carpenters - Essay Example This album landed them on their way to fame and success. Though not appreciated by critics, the album has made it to the top 200, which emphasizes the fact that they did have talent. Rolling Stone, describing Karen, comments that â€Å"Hers is a voice of fascinating contrasts, combining youth with wisdom; chilling perfection with much warmth† (Changi Airport – â€Å"Enjoy the Elegance). Jon Landau, says that Karen has "all the qualities of a good pop singer," phrasing with "subtlety and ease." On the other hand, some critics think that her voice has not got any depth and is just sort of simple. Other critics believe that Karen does not have much stage presence when she play the drums and sing along, it is not elegant enough. However, Richard’s work is well appreciated for his rhythmic tunes and, yet again, critics did not enjoy his lead in some songs. The band, consisting of this duo, is however, soaring high after the release of the title song ‘Close To Y ou,’ which rank #1 on Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on top for four weeks. In my opinion, they landed a spot in the Rolling Stone list because the album had become a hit even though the political situations were not favorable during the time. The popular demand continued to grow on wild and loud rock, whereas they featured soft and melodious music. The album showcased Karen’s wide ranged voice and also original compositions of Richard, namely, Mr. Guder, Maybe Its You and Crescent Noon. It is difficult to say that the album was a success only due to one of them. Rather, it was a joint effort and has received attention throughout the world. Though they have mixed reviews, the album has won the hearts of a lot of people. I really enjoyed the album and I am thankful for having been given this assignment as it has given me the opportunity to explore into details the depths of songs that I did not even know existed. I find all the songs very good and my personal favorite is â€Å"Maybe Its You†. The song just spoke to me, I was instantly amazed. The piano brings out all the delicacy of the song. Though the lyrics might not be much, but still â€Å"couldn’t we stay and watch the splashing rocks we throw?† (Maybe It’s You Lyrics: The Carpenters) expresses inner most feelings and emotions that are delicately touching. The first stanza itself paints a lovely picture of a couple walking down the beach. The soft music reflects the calm waves lapping up the shore. There is a really soothing feel to that song which instantly makes one feel good. Well at least to me it does. The songs range from soft to deep to haunting and lingering types. This is what makes the album so special. Its diversity has the ability to draw the audience to it and make them stay with it for long. The music world has a lot to offer, and it is a blessing to us that music from those times has been recorded. If man had not found a way to capture music, then so much would have gone to waste. Though people are not immortal, their works are. They continue to exist through the wonderful contributions they have made to this world. Saying this, I do believe that Karen remains in a lot of people’s hearts. Not to mention her partner throughout this wonderful journey, her brother Richard, whose musical arrangements and tune compilations have brought the songs to life. I really appreciate their hard work and though they did get thrown into the world of overnight fame after the release of the song ‘

Fpi Assignment Essay Example for Free

Fpi Assignment Essay Summary The report is regarding to the knowledge of analyzing the accounting data of a listed company, using the various accounting information that provided to identify and examine the competitiveness and efficiency of the listed company. Besides, in order to examine the reliability of the data provided, analysis of the balance sheet and income statement is required. The financial information can be obtained from the annual reports of Harbour-Link Group Berhad. In addition, the report is required to include the top-down approach which consists of Economic analysis, Industry analysis and Fundamental analysis to analyze the listed company in the point of view for investors. Table of Content 1. Introduction 1. Objectives 2. Analysis of the statement of financial position, the statement of financial performance and cash flow statement. 1. Financial Analysis ratio: Asset efficiency ratio Capital Structure ratio Liquidity Ratio Profitability Ratio Share Price 3. Economic Analysis 4. Industry Analysis . Conclusion 6. Findings 7. References Introduction In this report, Harbour-Link Group Berhad is chosen among the listed companies. Harbour-Link Group Berhad is an investment holding company which provides shipping, forwarding and transportation, plant and machinery hiring, and engineering contract services primarily in Malaysia and Singapore. Harbour-Link Group Berhad was founded in the year of 1975 and it is based in Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia. It was officially listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad in the year of 2004. Today, Harbour-Link Group’s success lies in its strong foundation of expertise in the industry and its ability to established the company as a reputable brand-name within the shipping, sea freight forwarding and transportation industries. Objectives 1. To identify the sources of funds, Balance Sheet and profit or loss of the Harbour-Link Group Berhad. 2. To analyze accounting data of Harbour-Link Group Berhad to examine its financial performance using Financial Performance Indicators (ratio analysis) 3. To analyze the economy status, competitors within the same industries and evaluate the operating efficiencies of the listed company. 4. To examine the competitiveness and efficiency of the listed company by using the various accounting information provided. Financial Analysis Financial analysis ratios are used to examine the financial performance of a company in which it will be reflected in the ratios calculated. (Giles et al, 1994, p. 371) Asset efficiency Ratios Asset turnover ratio From the data calculated, the asset turnover ratio for the financial year of 2008, 2009 and 2010 are 109. 9%, 92. 12% and 79. 65%. This indicates that the Harbour-Link Group Berhad is not doing well in the sales of the products or services because the asset turnover ratio is decreasing from year to year. Debtor turnover (in days) Debtor turnover is the debtor collection period of a company. Harbour-Link Group Berhad had a debtor turnover of 73 days in the year of 2008. In the year of 2009, the debtor t urnover is 77 days. However, its debtor turnover is decreased to 71 days. This reflects that the possibility of default risk for the debtors is decreasing. In fact, this is a good thing in a company. Inventory Turnover Inventory turnover measures how many times the company can sell through its inventory for each year. In the year of 2008, Harbour-Link Group has an inventory turnover of 163 times. The turnover increased to 212 times in the financial year of 2009 but the inventory turnover decreased to 127 times in the year of 2010. This reflects that the company can sell better in the year of 2009 but it dropped tremendously in the year of 2010. Capital structure Ratio Debt to equity ratio The debt to equity ratio of Harbour-link Group Berhad is decreasing from the year of 2008 to 2010 by 2%. This is caused by the reducing of total liabilities and the increasing of the total equity. Time interest earned The times-interest-earned ratio allows a lender to evaluate the company’s ability to meet its debt obligation. It is a ratio of the earning before interest and tax over the interest expenses. The time interest earned has a slightly increased from the year of 2008 to year 2009 but it has a greater decrease in ratio amount from the year of 2009 to year 2010. This means that in the year of 2010, Harbour-Link Group Berhad have lesser earnings are available to meet the interest payments and this makes the company to be more vulnerable to the increases in the interest rates. Liquidity Ratios Liquidity ratio is the ratio that is used to examine the liquidity of a company. It includes: Current Ratio Current ratio is the ratio of current assets to current liabilities. Harbour-link Group Berhad has it current ratio decreasing from the year of 2008 to 2010. Its current ratios are 1. 90, 1. 76 and 1. 57 respectively. The ratio is decreased by 14% and 19%. The data is calculated as shown in the findings. Liquid Ratio Liquid ratio is the ratio of (current assets-inventory) to (current liabilities-bank overdraft). Harbour-Link Group Berhad has borrowings so there is bank overdraft existed and that’s why it is classifies as a debt financing organization. The company has a higher liquid ratio of 2. 34 in the year of 2010 compared to the year of 2008 and 2009 which is 1. 88 and 1. 75 respectively. The liquid ratio of the 3 financial years exceeded 1 and this indicates that the current assets are greater than the current liabilities. Higher liquid ratio reflects better performance of the company. Net working Capital Net working capital is the difference between current assets and the current liabilities. In the three financial years, Harbour-Link Group Berhad has the highest net working capital of RM 51. 4 million in the year of 2008. The figure of net working capital for Harbour-link Group Berhad decreased in the year of 2009 and 2010 by 0. 43% and 12. 32% respectively. This shows that there is a drastic drop in the net working capital of year 2010. Profitability Ratios EBIT to total funds ratio EBIT to total funds ratio of Harbour-Link Group Berhad is decreasing in the range of 22% from the financial year of 2008 to 2009 and 21. 4% from the financial year of 2009 to 2010. The total funds consist of shareholders’ funds and borrowings. According to the annual report, Harbour-Link Group Berhad is practicing debt-financing to raise funds because there is borrowing existed. Return on Equity (ROE) Harbour-link Group shows a decrease in net income from year 2008 to 2010. This situation leads to the decrease in the return on equity (ROE) of 5%. In the financial year of 2010, it has the ROE of 0. 08 which indicates that for every RM1 of the capital that the shareholder invested into, they will get 8% of return. Return on Assets The return on assets measures the productivity of assets in terms of the level of profits each dollar of assets generates. (Karen D. H, 2004, p. 131) The return on assets of the Harbour-Link Group Berhad is decreasing from the financial year of 2008 to 2010. It decreased from 8% of year 2008 to 7% in the year of 2009 and then 5% in the year of 2010. This implies that the productivity of the company’s assets is not doing well in terms of profits that the assets generated. Net Profit Margin The net profit margin is the ratio of net profit after tax to the total revenues. In the financial year of 2008 and 2009, Harbour-Link Group Berhad has the net profit margin figure of 8%. It indicates that the company has a net income of RM0. 08 for each RM1 of sales. However, the net profit margin for the year of 2010 decreased by 2% which is only 6% in the financial year. This shows that for every RM1 of sales made by the company in year 2010, the net income is only RM0. 6 which is RM0. 02 lower than the previous year. Share Price Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E) Price to Earning ratio is calculated by using the share price of the year 2010 over the earnings per share. The market price of Harbour-Link Group Berhad was amounted to RM 0. 72 in the year of 2010. From the annual report of the financial year of 2010, the earning per share is R M 0. 11. By using the formulae, the price to earning per share of 2010 is calculated as shown in the table with a figure of RM 6. 825. Current Economic Analysis Roots of Global financial crisis Global financial crisis are usually caused by bad regulation of the banking sectors, failure of fiscal and monetary policy implemented and so forth. In the year of 2008, Financial crisis began with the declared of bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. which is the fourth largest investment bank in United States. It was a severe ongoing world financial problem that began in U. S in the year of 2008. This recession has entirely hitting on the fragile global economy with the tremendous devastation in countries all around the world. The U. S government was trying to point the finger of the financial crisis to the rating agencies, who knew about the great risk that was coming but kept giving high reliability ratings to companies that did not deserve them and thus investors invested in the wrong companies. The cause of the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc was the accumulation of debt and the increasing of loan defaults. Why it evolved into a world crisis The news on bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Company led to the drastic fall in the share price all over the world. The company had billions of dollars losses incurred in the mortgage market of United States. (BBC NEWS, 16th Sept 2008) In Lehman Brothers’ case and the other investment banks, the problem was provoked by 2 major factors which are the very high level of leverage ratio and the dependence on short-term debt financing. Commercial banks cannot leverage their equity more than 15 to 1 as they are regulated but for Lehman Brothers Company, it had a leverage ratio of more than 30 to 1. According to the table 1, Lehman Brothers had only $3. 30 of equity for every $100 of loans. With this ratio, it makes the company to be insolvent. Conversely, the instability arose from the leverage problem was aggravated by the strong reliance on the short term debt. Based on table 1(Lehman Brothers Liabilities and shareholder’s equity), at the beginning of the crisis, the company financed greater than 50% of the assets. Reliance on short term debt financing is profitable indeed when it comes to a low interest rate market environment. However, when the company faced rumors of the insolvency problem, the short term lenders will start to have doubt on the company’s performance and therefore, they will start to withdraw their funds from the company for self interest protection. This scenario will lead to a shortage of liquidity for the borrower and thus the company tends to default. After the crisis began, Lehman Brothers did try to decrease its leverage and reduce its dependence on the short term borrowing but it was too late for them to amend the situation and therefore, bankruptcy occurred. The bankruptcy of Lehman’s brother forced the reassessment of risk in the market by looking at the price of the credit default trades. Impact on Malaysia and world economies The crisis started in the year of 2008 had a great hit on Malaysia and world economies. It causes the gas price had a drastic drop, decreasing of the value of real estates, the increasing of unemployment rate, Federal debt crisis and inflation. There is a global explosion in commodities price. The price of crude oil was remaining at high levels for few years till the end of 2008, the crude oil price dropped from the peak in July 2008 of US$145 to US$30. 28 per barrel in December 2008. (Forbes, 2008) According to the findings in table 2, the unemployment rate of Malaysia increased by 3. 13% from the year of 2008 to 2009 and 12. 12% from the year of 2009 to 2010. Malaysian future economic At first, Malaysia was aiming to have 9% of average annual Growth Domestic Product (GDP) until 2020. Suddenly, according to the Economic Planning Unit, the government noted that the number is absurd then they changed and told that Malaysia was capable to achieve 5. 4% of Growth Domestic Product (GDP) annually over the next 10 years to achieve the objective of becoming a high income economy by 2020, which is the vision 2020 (East Asia Forum, 2009). These seem that Malaysia’s economic future is uncertainty. It keeps changing. Besides, Malaysia’s government has a close relationship with its private businesses. Because of the relationship with some business groups have ostensibly led to the emergence of political cronies with unlimited access to public resources. Not only the relationship that mention above but also the experience of neighbouring Indonesia shows that it is a dangerous trend that could negatively affect economic development in the future. In this matter, changes in political leadership led to unstable political environment. Although it does not directly effect on Malaysia, it threatens he influx of refugees caused damage regional stability and social stability. Malaysias maritime economy can be defined as the production and manner of use of the range of goods and services that are linked to the maritime sector (Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, 1997). It covers the activities that are resource based, including fisheries, oil and gas, marine biotechnology and those that are service based such a s shipping ports, shipbuilding and repair and the myriad range of ancillary maritime services (Maritime Institute of Malaysia,2005). Malaysias main concern is the future of marine economy of the future of Malaysian trade, because the countrys foreign and domestic trade, or even almost totally dependent on sea transport facilities. From this we can know that it will have a very bright prospect in maritime economy. If Malaysia is to achieve the goals of industrialization, productivity-driven growth and enhancing competitiveness will depend on how the maritime sector is managed. The maritime sector has a main role to play in enhancing productivity-driven growth. An important element that will affect efforts to sustain international competitiveness is productivity. But, for longer term, Malaysia will need to maintain its international competitiveness, since there is rising competition from other emerging markets for Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and for the transfer of modern technologies. Environmental issues are also important for Malaysia in the longer term as deforestation and global climate change may destabilize the countrys agriculture, which still plays an important role in the national economy. What is the most important is the political will effect a change to system-centred thinking in planning the future of the economy. So, a stable political environment is very important to Malaysia. If the political environment of Malaysia is good, it will have a bright future of economy. Solutions to the Global Financial Crisis or crises in general. Banks and financial institutions can cause a downswing of an economy because of their ignorance of the business cycle. Besides, bankers are greedy with the fat bonuses that they will gain if they get the highest market shares results. When the economy is doing well, they expect that there will be no recession problem is going to occur and therefore they will give loans to their customers without considering their customers’ affordability to repay the loans. Once their customers cannot afford to repay the loans, recession will occurs. To overcome these crisis problems, several steps can be used. Government and bankers often intervene to smooth the peaks and valleys of the economic cycle. There are two objectives that the government and bankers can do to prevent serious downswing of an economy. 1) Speedy intervention to prevent a self-perpetuating downward spiral, which means protecting depositors at minimal long term cost to the taxpayer. For example, the Federal reserve may restrict the money supply in good times to slow the expansion phase of the economic cycle, or deficit spend and cut interest rates to ease the recessionary phase of an economic cycle. 2) Ensure so far as possible that future booms are less exaggerated. This has implications for the form of any rescue package, and for the system of financial oversight that is put in place. The growth of consumer credits will increase the consumption of the consumer. The increase in the consumption will increase the aggregate demand of the country whereby AD equals to C + I + G + (X-M). Mc Taggart et al, 2007 p. 766). When the AD is increasing, it means that GDP is also increasing. This shows that the consumer credits provided will also be increased and therefore people will keep on borrowing money from the banks for consumption. This situation actually can amplify the business cycle and extend the upswing of the economy. Industry analysis The domestic and the world economy were in a downturn in the year of 2009. All the industry was affected and they are making an effort to maintain their previous performance and growth momentum. In the year of 2009, Harbour-Link Group Berhad suffered revenue declined by 5. 9% to RM 327. 6 million. The revenue decreased again by 5. 76% to RM 308. 7 million compare to the previous year due to lower selling prices and softer consumer demand. One of the Company competitors, Swee Joo Berhad was also suffered by achieved a turnover of RM 346. 7 million which is 9. 9% lower than the previous financial period. The lower turnover was also impacted by the recovery state for the economy. Swee Joo Berhad has a reduce in current ratio from 0. 648 to 0. 278 which seems to be lower than that of the Harbour-Link Group Berhad and therefore Harbour-link seems to have a better current ratio. Swee Joo Berhad has a negative figure for its Earnings before interest and tax of -11. 32 million and -176. 82 million in the year of 2009 and 2010. This is a huge loss for the company. It shows that Harbour-Link has a better performance than its major competitor, Swee Joo Berhad. Although the economy showed signs of recovery, but most of the economists hold that the sustained global recovery is still vague. This situation greatly influenced the consumers spending behavior. According to the Edge, Harbour-Link Unit obtained the secured contracts of RM75. 2 to supply gantry cranes for the Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd. The contracts were expected to be done in the year of 2012 and it’s also expected to escalate the future revenue and earnings positively for Harbour-Link Group Berhad. (The Edge, 11 April 2011) There are several ways for the companies to perform better during this hard period. However, the suppliers are also important causes which will affect the company performance. Although Harbour-Link Group Berhad suffered lower revenue during the year, however, it obtained quite a number of big projects with a favorable amount of contracts worth which is believed to boost the revenues for the future of the company itself. This scenario will assist Harbour-Link Group Berhad to create a stronger visibility and allow it to be well positioned for the economic recovery. Findings [pic] Table 1 shows Lehman Brothers Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity Source: Lehman Annual Reports |Year |Unemployment Rate |Percentage Change | |2006 |3. 60 | | |2007 |3. 50 |-2. 78% | |2008 |3. 20 |-8. 7% | |2009 |3. 30 |3. 13% | |2010 |3. 50 |12. 12% | Table 2 shows the unemployment rate in Malaysia Source: CIA World Factbook Conclusion In conclusion, although the Harbour-Link Group Berhad has a downturn in its overall performances in the financial year of 2009 and 2010 as the results shown in the findings, but it has a better performance than its main competitor, Swee Joo Berhad in the shipping industries. The Harbour-Link Group Berhad is overall well organized in its financial statements as shown in the annual reports and it can be categorized as a profitable and successful listed company in Malaysia. On the perspective of investors, Harbour-link is counted as a good investment company and therefore investors are advised to consider Harbour-link Group Berhad as one of their investment company because the company has a good expectation to have a huge increase in its future economic benefits. The future economy of Malaysia is expected to have a good return and therefore this ensure that Harbour-Link Group Berhad is a wise investment for the future benefits. References Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, 1997, The Maritime Economy of Malaysia, Pelanduk Publication BBC News, 16 September 2008, http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/business/7615931. stm Bursa Malaysia 2010- Equities, Bursa Malaysia Berhad, viewed on 26 April 2011 http://www. bursamalaysia. com/website/bm/market_information/prices/ East Asia Forum, Malaysia’s Economic Future, view on 1 May 2011, http://www. eastasiaforum. org/2009/11/24/malaysias-economic-future/ Encyclopedia of the Nations, Malaysia- Future Trends, viewed on 2 May 2011, http://www. nationsencyclopedia. com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Malaysia-FUTURE-TRENDS. html Forbes 2008- Crude Oil Prices 1861 – 2009, Forbes. com 2010, viewed on28 April 2011, http://www. forbes. com/2008/05/13/oil-prices-1861-today-real-vs-nominal_flash2. html Giles, R Capel, J 1994, Finance and accounting, 3rd Edition, MacMillan, London Harbour-Link Group Berhad 2011, harbour. com. my; Total Logistics EPCC Provider N. V 20092010, Harbour-Link Group Berhad, viewed on 22 April 2011, http://www. harbour. om. my/ Karen D. Halpern, 2004, Understanding Finance: Money, Capital and investments, Pearson, New Jersey. Maritime Institute of Malaysia, Malaysia and Port Competitiveness, 2005 Mc Taggart et al, 2007, Macroeconomics, 5th Edition, Pearson, Australia The Edge Financial Daily, 11 April 2011 viewed on 24 April 2011. http://www. theedgemalaysia. com/ The Star Online 2011- Market watch, Star Publica tions (M) Berhad, viewed on 24 April 2011, http://biz. thestar. com. my/marketwatch/charts/l. asp? code=2062~HARBOURp1=0. 99p2=0. 985p3=0. 99p4=0. 985p5=0. 99p6=0p7=0. 00p8=915p9=0. 532

Contemporary Globalization Essay Example for Free

Contemporary Globalization Essay Are you a forerunner of the so called Contemporary Globalization or in your view point do you adhere to Global Diversity? This short paper is to review globalization developments and their impacts or consequences whether is it a threat to human dignity in terms of providing a safer work place and leisure to man and will it promotes democracy and justice for all (Johnston, Mont 2000)? Globalization began in the 70’s and reaches all the corners of the world through the creation of IMF, the World Bank and, WTO. Globalization was also brought about by the advance communication technology and collapse of communism (Johnston, Mont 2000). According to the Canadian Union Council (CUC), â€Å"globalization does not account of the right of conscience, and democracy is only hearsay. Trade fundamentalist works with corporate lawyers to develop trade rules which expressly exclude consideration of the environment and human rights in favor of return on investments, consideration on the rights of others are only taken into consideration only in extraordinary circumstances†. For this reason, the Council created seven principles of the UUs covenants to counter act or to balance the wave of globalization which is detrimental to the Unitarian way of thinking in which it firmly believes that uniqueness of every person must be reverently acknowledge preserving his culture. It is in diversity that a genuine human society is born. Globalization spread the culture of homogenous market and consumerism; it limits human choices because human values are dictated by market values. Manfred Steger further stated globalism in his book A New Market Ideology as â€Å"globalony†. Consequences or impacts of Globalization: Neoliberals or the globalist supported their claims on the following ideology: Globalization is market integration, inevitable and irreversible, none is in-charge and it would benefit everyone, and will further spread democracy. These are strategies in order to promote private interests of dominant few to be supported by the general public. These claims were carefully examined by Steger as he insisted that we need to critically understand what are globalism, ideology, and globalization which are a process of globalism. He also pointed out that it is not only enough to examine its economic outcome but its ideas and values (Walker 2003). It is a hard truth to accept that the human will are dictated by market trends which mean that human values are being replaced by market value or the limiting of our choices which is contrary to the free act of man. Corporations have extended on a global scale, 51 among top companies are run by the wealthiest 100 multinationals (Carmichael 2002). Steger asserted that it is undemocratic because the influence of the supranational bodies will decrease the ability of national governments to regulate multinational corporations. Wiwa in his audience with law students declare that The governance are no longer for the benefit of the citizens, as it should be, but for corporate profit. Decisions reflect only what corporations want (Carmichael 2002)†. Anything that gets in their way must be removed at all costs, no wonder there could be a time that man will be replaced by robots. For man to survive, diversity is needed but regimes like the WTO has modeled globalization which resulted into a homogenous culture of consumerism. It sees that diversity is an impediment to the free trade. One example is the over-produced food that flooded the developing countries; it forces small farmers to abandon their farms to work for Nike and other corporations. Mexican farmer’s earnings have declined by 40%. Poverty radically increases while the stocks of multinationals increases. Ken Wiwa a physician and an author of the book â€Å"Dance the guns to Silenceâ€Å"was hanged in November 1995 for his crusade against globalization and today it is his brother Owen who continues by addressing a political science class at the University of Toronto about the consequence of globalization saying You have that paradox whereby an increase in transnational corporations in the south will increase the poverty and conflict and wars in that country and Ten years from now you may be working in these corporations and governments so it is up to you to make an influence â€Å"(Carmichael 2002). Shell Corporation and the Ogoni people faced the dilemma between the clearing of its oil spills and the MOSOP Movement of the Ogoni People for Survival in the 1990s. Oil extraction in their country is to the detriment of its inhabitants. Sickness related to air and water pollution like asthma and other diseases outnumbered the hospital built in 1993. Though the company has left the premises they have not really removed their pipelines nor cleaned up and paid compensation to their workers. The company remained quiet and the military was no longer engaged but arrest started Wiwa stated (Carmichael 2002). Based on the above consequences, Steger’s touches the tenets of his argument that it is the human will and choices that must create market models and not the goods or the reverse wherein market limits suppressed human choices. His argument was based on the historical facts that man lords over the earth and that no society have emerged without knowing how to take care of its own. Society degrades or falls when only a privileged few are protected, when dominance is instilled prejudices and other sisters of greed appears. The value of human work diminishes and man begins to serve only his appetite and whims. Indeed, we must account for the gifts we received such as the talents endowed to us. There is a need of strengthening our world communities to use collective power to develop alternatives to Globalization and Corporate Rule. We must examine and challenge ourselves what is behind each ideology and must patronize products and services that are truly for the benefit of mankind. We must put our best efforts that wealth is distributed equitably and for the common good. We must learn to scrutinize the use of worldly goods and sharpen our values to preserve the world and the future of the next generation. References Mel Johnston, Alastair Mont, Philip Symons Calgary, Alberta 2000, the CUC Policy on Globalization, [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 01 February 2008 from, http://www. cuc. ca/social_responsibility/globalization. htm Teresa Walker 2003, Globalism: The New Market Ideology by Manfred Steger, [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 01 February 2008 from, http://www. logosjournal. com/walker. htm Stefanie Carmichael (2002). Owens Wiwa tackles consequences of globalization [Electronic Version]. The Manitoban. Retrieved 02, February 2008 from, http://www. themanitoban. com/2001-2002/0403/news_8. shtml

Green Building Certification in Malaysia

Green Building Certification in Malaysia ABSTRACT Green Building is very famous in advanced country like USA, Australia, Europe, Japan and Korea. These countries started to develop green building ratings since 20 years ago. However, Malaysia had recently launched of Green Building Index (GBI) but it is still early stage. This introduction signifies a new benchmark for Malaysia building and industry. This research purpose is to find out the implementation green building certification in Malaysia. Three main research objectives are addressed: i) the benefits of green building in Malaysia. ii) the barriers of implementation of green building in Malaysia, and iii) the potential of green building development in Malaysia. Questionnaire has been distributed to the different developer firm to get respondents answer. Throughout the surveys, the view of advantages of green building has been identified. Besides that, the barriers and solutions of implementing green building in Malaysia also have been identified. CHAPTER 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Title A study on Green Building Certification in Malaysia 1.2 Problem Statement Green Building is very famous in advanced country like USA, Australia, Europe, Japan and Korea. These countries started to develop green building since 20 years ago. However, the recent launch of the Green Building Index (GBI) in Malaysia, it is still in the early stage. Due to the reason that green building is a new concept in Malaysia, therefore, a research was conducted in order to study on green building certification in Malaysia. 1.3 Aim and Objectives 1.3.1 Aim To study the implementation of Green Building Certification in Malaysia 1.3.2 Objectives The objective is to: To determine the benefits of green building in Malaysia To determine the barriers of implementation of green building in Malaysia To identify the potential of green building development in Malaysia 1.4 Background Environmental activists have called us to go green for years. The typhoon that recently hit the Philippines and a series of earthquakes that rocked Indonesia are also clear indications that we need to put much more effort into going green to ensure Earths sustainability. Malaysia has recently introduced Green Building Index; it is the first certification tool. The green rating system is to give opportunity for the developers to design and construct green, sustainable building that can provide energy savings, water savings, a healthier indoor environment, better connectivity to public transport and the adoption of recycling and greenery for their projects. 1.5 Scope of Study The research study will be focus on the implementation of green building certification in Malaysia. Aware benefits of green building, the barriers and how to make it successful and potential of green development in our country. The designed questionnaires will be sent to the company in Malaysia. 1.6 Research Methodology In order to achieve the objectives, primary and secondary source like relevant books, journal, articles, conference paper and newspaper are important for information collection. All these information can be sourced from TARC library and internet website. Next, the questionnaires will be sending by postal mail, by hand or email to relevant companies in Malaysia. Figure 1 refers the flow chart methodology for the research. CHAPTER 2 2.0 Green Building Certification in Malaysia 2.1 Introduction This chapter discusses on the definition of green building and follow by the benefits of construct green building. Then, the following will discuss about what the green building certification is and what the assessment rating systems in some developed countries are. After that, this chapter also will briefly introduce the Malaysia Green Building Index (GBI) and also examples of success green building in Malaysia. Besides that, the barriers of implementation green building in Malaysia will be discussed in this chapter. 2.2 Definition of green building There are few definitions for green building. The United State Green Building Council (2009) had defined green building is a high performing home thats energy and water efficient, has good indoor air quality, uses environmentally sustainable materials and also uses the building lot or site in a sustainable manner. Besides, according to Thomas (2008) green building refers as a building that provides the specified building performance requirements while minimizing disturbance to and improving the functioning of local, regional and global ecosystems both during and after its construction and specified service life. According to Stacey (2008), in her article she defines green building is a home-building concept that uses design, construction and maintenance to create more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. By referring to The Star Newspaper (7 September 2008) defines green building are designed to save energy and resources, recycle materials and minimize the emission of toxic substances throughout its life cycle, harmonies with the local climate, traditions, culture and the surrounding environment, able to sustain and improve the quality of human life whilst maintaining the capacity of the ecosystem at local and global levels, buildings make efficient use of resources and have significant operational savings and increases workplace productivity. So, green building can be summarize as also refers to sustainable or high-performance building, means having a significantly reduced impact on the Earths resources compared to conventional building. It is also means creating building that is healthier and more comfortable for its occupants, consequently enhancing productivity. 2.3 Benefits of Green Building Green is an opportunity to use natural resources efficiently while creating healthier building that improve human, build a better environment and provide cost saving. A green building are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health, improving employee productivity, using energy, water and resources more efficiently and reducing the overall impact to the environment (Aysin, 2000). By referring to Freed (2008), green building offer to help protect the planets natural resources. A green building has the potential to provide a healthier and more comfortable environment, improve long-term economic performance, incorporate energy and water efficient technologies, reduce construction and demolition waste, bring higher resale value and building valuations, use renewable energy to lower the cost of electricity and improve indoor air quality and occupant satisfaction. Besides that, all these benefits can save long term cost. Some potential benefits of green building can include environmental benefits, economic benefits and social benefits. These benefits summarized as below: Environmental benefits: Enhance and protecting ecosystems and biodiversity Improve air and water quality Reduce solid waste Preserve natural resource Economic benefits: Reduce operating costs Enhance asset value and profits Improve employee productivity and satisfaction Optimize life-cycle economic performance Social benefits: Enhance occupant comfort and health Improve air, thermal, and acoustic environments Minimize strain on local infrastructure Contribute overall quality of life 2.4 Green Building Certification 2.4.1 What is Green Building Certification? Green building certifications were conceived to assist Architect, Engineer, Designers, Builder, Developer and users make to understand the choice that can be make the design of the building and to reduce the negative impacts of environment. 2.4.2 What are those available? As Ting (2009) notes in his articles, there are more than 100 types of environmental rating tool available globally. Green building is very famous in developed country such as United Kingdom, United State, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan. These countries started to develop green building since 20 years ago. Ding (2007) named a number of assessment rating systems in some developed countries. The below discuss the existing well-known rating system. United Kingdom: Building Research Establishment Assessments Method (BREEAM) This Building Research Establishment (BRE) Program was created over a decade ago in United Kingdom to assess the environmental performance of both new and existing buildings. BREEAM assesses performance of buildings in the areas of management, energy use, health and comfort, pollution, transport, land use, ecology, materials, and water. Credits are awarded in each area based on upon performance. Buildings are rated Pass, Good, Very Good, and Excellent. BREEAM can apply to offices, homes, industrial units, and school. United States: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) LEED is developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED rating system are available or under development for new commercial construction and major renovations (NC), existing building operations (EB), commercial interiors (CI), core and shell projects (CS), homes (H), and neighborhood development (ND). LEED provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. Based on well-founded scientific standards, LEED emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. United State: Energy Star The Energy Star program is a voluntary government and industry partnership that seeks to make it easy for businesses and consumers to save money and protect the environment. This program for Buildings awards a plaque to buildings that achieve a rating of 75 or higher and have been professionally verified to meet current indoor environmental standards. By using the programs benchmarking tool, a buildings performance on a scale of 1 to 100 relative to similar buildings nationwide is obtained. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method (HK-BEAM) HK-BEAM is a voluntary system to measure, improve, and label the environmental performance of the buildings. The system has been used on 100 buildings to date. The system applies to both new and existing buildings. In the category of materials topics such as: the efficient use of materials (building reuse), selection of materials (renewable and recycled), and waste management (demolition and construction waste). Japan: Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency (CASBEE) The system is a cooperative development of academic, industrial, and government agencies. The systems assessment tools include a pre-design assessment tool, a design for environmental tool, an eco-labeling tool, and a sustainable operation and renovation tool. Netherlands: Eco-Quantum The Eco-Quantum is the only method that explicitly and comprehensive based on life-cycle assessment. Asses the environmental burden of a complete building on the basis of LCA. It also compares the environmental performance of various measures concerning energy-saving installations, water-saving techniques, material choice, design and location. The Eco-Quantum is only applicable to single residential buildings. Australia: Green Star The Green Star Environmental Rating System for Buildings was created to set a standard of measurement for green buildings in Australia. The rating system is a voluntary national program that evaluates the environmental performance of buildings. Green Star Rating Systems have been developed for commercial buildings only. Each of the rating systems includes the following categories: management, indoor environmental quality, energy, transport, water, materials, land use, site selection and ecology, and emission. Each category contains credits awarded based on achieving the required level in the building. Credits in the materials category are awarded for providing storage for recycling waste, reuse of facade, reuse of structure, shell, and core, recycled content of concrete, recycled content of steel, PVC minimization, and use of sustainable timber. 2.5 Malaysia Green Building Index (GBI) After some studies in different green building rating schemes around the globe, Malaysia set up a rating scheme to suit the local market; it is called Green Building Index (GBI). Malaysian GBI is an environmental rating system for buildings developed by Green Building Index Sdn Bhd under the supervision of the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) and Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (ACEM).The Malaysia GBI was first introduced in January this year and launched in May 2009. This introduction signifies a new benchmark for the Malaysia building and industry. 2.5.1 What is GBI? According to Chin (2009), the GBI is Malaysias industry recognized green rating tool for building and it is intended to promote sustainability in the built environment and raise awareness among Developers, Architect, Engineers, Planners, Designers, Contractors and Public about the environmental issues and our responsibility to the future generations. GBI rating tool gives an opportunity for developers to design and construct green building that would provide energy savings, water savings, a healthier indoor environment, better connectivity to public transport and adoption of recycling and greenery for the projects and reduce impact of environment. GBI will be the only rating tool for the tropical zones other than Singapore Governments GREENMARK. Besides that, GBI is expected to be applied to new buildings in Malaysia. 2.5.2 GBI Rating System Referring to Chen (2009), the projects or building would be assessed and rated based on six keys criteria. These criteria will be discussed as follow:- Energy Efficiency Indoor Environmental Quality Sustainable Site Planning Management Material and Resources Water Efficiency Innovation 2.5.2.1 Energy Efficiency Use of renewable energy, lighting zoning and low energy consumption 2.5.2.2 Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Mould and air pollutants prevention, thermal comfort, natural lighting. These will involve the use of low volatile organic compounds-free paints and formaldehyde-free composite wood, particle boards and plywood. 2.5.2.3 Sustainable Site and Management site selection with planned access to public transport, community services, open spaces and landscaping, redevelopment of existing sites and Brown fields (abandoned land or former industrial sites), avoidance of environmentally sensitive sites, construction management (proper earthworks and pollution control) and storm water management 2.5.2.4 Materials and Resources Use of environment-friendly, recycled materials and sustainable timber; storage and collection of recyclables; construction waste management; and reuse of construction formwork 2.5.2.5 Water Efficiency Rainwater harvesting, water recycling and water-saving fittings 2.5.2.6 Innovation Innovative design and initiatives 2.5.3 GBI Rating Tools The rating system is comprised of two separate tools, namely the GBI Residential and Non-Residential respectively. 2.5.3.1 GBI Residential The GBI Residential Rating tool evaluates the sustainable aspects of residential buildings. This includes linked houses, apartments, condominiums, townhouses, semi-detached and bungalows. This tool places more emphasis on sustainable site planning management, followed by energy efficiency. This serves to encourage developers and home owners to consider the environmental quality of homes and their inhabitants through better site selection, provisions of public transport access, increased community services and connectivity, as well as improved infrastructure. Such achievement will help reduce the negative impact to the environment and create a better and safer place for residents and the community as a whole. (Chen, 2009) 2.5.3.2 GBI Non-Residential The GBI Non-Residential Rating tool evaluates the sustainable aspects of buildings that are commercial, institutional and industrial in nature. This includes factories, offices, hospitals, universities, colleges, hotels and shopping complexes. Of the six criteria that make up the GBI rating, emphasis is placed on energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality as these have the greatest impact in the areas of energy use and well-being of the occupants and users of the building. By improving on the efficiency of active (mechanical and electrical) systems as well as incorporating good passive designs together with proper sustainable maintenance regimes, significant reductions in consumed energy can be realised. This can lead to a reduced carbon footprint and also offers long-term savings for the building owners. (Chen, 2009) 2.6 Green Building in Malaysia There are some success low energy buildings achieved by Malaysia government. They are LEO (Low Energy Office) building and ZEO (Zero Energy Office). 2.6.1 LEO Building The LEO (Low Energy Office) Building located in Putrajaya, which houses the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communication (MEWC). The LEO building demonstrates a complete integration of the best energy efficiency measures, optimised towards achieving the overall best cost or effective solution, with a targeted energy consumption of 135 W/m2/year. (Lim, 2007) Danish Agency for Development Assistance (DANIDA) and local experts had in cooperation with Malaysia architects and engineers optimised the overall design of the building and its energy systems for minimum energy consumption since 2001. (UNDP, 2006) Characteristic of LEO building discusses as below:- Most of the LEO building glazing windows installed facing north and south to minimize heat gain from the sun radiation before entering the building interior. This means that it can reduce cooling load. The roof has been insulated with 100mm of polystyrene foam and the installation of a second roof provides shade to the building. 2.6.2 ZEO Building The ZEO (Zero Energy Office) Building is an administration-cum-research office for Pusat Tenaga Malaysia (Malaysia Energy Centre), following the success of LEO building which hosted the MEWC in Putrajaya while the ZEO building was located in Bandar Baru, Selangor. By referring to PV database (2006), the ZEO building is a demonstrator building which marked another milestone towards greater promotion and adoption of sustainable building concept in the Malaysia building sector. ZEO is the only such building in Malaysia that integrates the energy efficiency and renewable energy in one working demonstrator building. The ZEO building was designed to be very energy efficient, thus consuming very little fossil fuels with energy index of 65 kWh/m2/year. It was built on a concept which focused on the green technology innovation to minimize energy demand load, efficient use of fossil fuel via taking into account the environmental concern, the usage of renewable energy but without compromising user comfort and safety. Some of the amount of energy used by the building is counter balanced by the amount of energy generated by its own renewable energy power generation system. According to Roxul Asia Sdn Bhd (2009), the super low energy characteristic is achieved by using passive and active energy efficient elements and renewable energy elements as follows:- The design of the ZEO building only allows double glazing windows installed on faà §ade facing north and south. The windows are consists of two pane glass which functioned to filter heat from the sun radiation before entering the building interior. This means that only cold daylight entered and giving free lighting to the buildings. Besides that, it also means that artificial electric light can be turned off during the day hence reducing the energy load of the building. Almost 100% lighting requirements are from this free source. The buildings cooling system is unique because it is a combination of radiant cooling and air convection system. The radiant cooling and ice storage was charge at night and stored at the floor slabs and ice storage tank respectively. The entire building was controlled with a Building Energy Management System where all buildings system operation is controlled automatically. The system also functions to monitor all energy consumption activities and energy generation in ensuring the building operates efficiently. 2.7 Barriers to green building implementation in Malaysia The following points contributed to the lack of implementation of green building in Malaysia. Lack of knowledge regarding green building Green is still a relatively new concept for the construction industry in developing countries of South-East Asia like Malaysia. Hence the greatest barriers are the lack of understanding of the need for green design. Many Fewer developers undertake green building projects Many developers are not aware of the concept of green building and so are naturally fewer developers undertake the green building projects. Besides that, to build green building takes too much time to learn and design. Expensive Client or developer unwilling to spend money because the initial cost is high although has proved that green building can save long term cost. The green building has its price the costs of green building are expensive as compare to normal building. 2.8 Conclusion To provide sustainable, green, or low energy developments is an important way forward for Malaysia. Although Malaysia has adopted some of these aforementioned measures but most are still at voluntary stage and needs further enforcements. All fractions of society from politicians, authorities, professionals, NGOs, educators, contractors, developers and the public at large must take concerted and swift actions to share the responsibilities to sustain our limited resources for future generations. CHAPTER 3 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction This chapter explains about the method that have been use to carry out this research, in order to achieve the objective of the research. Instead of achieving information through primary and secondary source like textbook, journal, conference papers, report and questionnaires will be carried out. Then the data need to be analyzed and presented in a form of table, pie chart and graph, so it is easy to understand and readable. 3.2 Research Methodology The research will go through several phases:- Identify the objectives Literature Review Data Collection Method of Analysis Example of calculation Conclusion 3.2.1 Identify the objective and mission of the research GBI is a rating tool to promote environment-friendly buildings for the future of Malaysia. Therefore, it is important to identify the important of green building, the difficulties and solutions of implementation green building and also the potential in the development in green building. 3.2.2 Literature Review Literature review also known as secondary data. Secondary data is a data that we get before a research has been carried out. It is important to help us for better understand about the research. The information for the literature review can be achieve through primary and secondary source like textbook, journal, conferences papers, report and questionnaires will be carried out. Based on the literature review, we can prepare for the questionnaire in order to collect the primary data. 3.2.3 Data Collection Process of collection primary data is one of the important phase in achieve the objectives of the research. The first step is to get response from the construction firm such as developer. This method is more practical, easy and the ideas from the respondent can be easily identified. 3.2.3.1 Questionnaire Data collection process started with the preparation of questionnaire form. It is important to get the response from the respondent. The questionnaire had been sending by post or by hand or email to the respondent. The questionnaire consists of 5 questions which are related to the objectives. The rationales for each question will be discussed as follows: Question 1: Did your company involve in any project which is classified as Green Building? Rationale: The purpose of asking this question is to determine that whether the respondents company had involving in the green building construction project. Besides, this question also can know whether in future our country will have another green building or not. Question 2: In your opinion, what is the best to address the important of green building? Rationale: This is rated question, is set in likert scales, which respondents need to answer the question whether is strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree. This question is intent to know what are the criteria is the best to address the important of green building in Malaysia. Question 3: What are the difficulties of implementation green building in Malaysia? Rationale: The rationale of asking this question is to find out what are the barriers of implementation green building in Malaysia. Question 4: What are the ways to speed up implementation of green building in Malaysia? Rationale: The purpose of asking this question is to find out the solutions of implementing the concept of green building in Malaysia. Question 5: In your opinion, do you think Malaysia has high potential in the development of green building? Rationale: The purpose of asking this question is to find out the future green building development in Malaysia whether is positive or negative. 3.2.4 Method of Analysis After findings have been obtained from the questionnaire surveys, an appropriate analysis and presentation of the survey results will be done in Chapter 4. Basically, two main types of analysis method are used. They are: 3.2.4.1 Descriptive statistics method Descriptive statistics are used to explore the data collected and to summarize and describe the data. They provide simple summaries about the sample and the measures. The results will later analyze and presented in a form of table, pie chart and graph to analyze the response in percentage and this is the simplest method of and it is easy to understand and readable. This type of analysis is used to analyze closed-ended and ranking questions. (Naoum, 1997, p103) Question other than Question 2 will be analyzed using this method. 3.2.4.2 Using Formula The average index is calculated based on the 5-Likert Scale Formula as follows. (Tam et. al., 2001) 5-Likert Scale Formula (5N5 + 4N4 + 3N3 + 2N2 + N1 ) Important Index = 5(N5 + N4 + N3 + N2 + N1 ) Where, N1 = Total respondents choosing strongly disagree N2 = Total respondents choosing disagree N3 = Total respondents choosing neutral N4 = Total respondents choosing agree N5 = Total respondents choosing strongly agree This method is particularly useful to analyse the ranking or rating data which is normally uses integers in ascending or descending order. The results will tabulated into table form stated the ranking possesses by each option for the question. In the questionnaire conducted, Question 2 will be analysing using the said method. 3.2.5 Conclusion Put simply, the process of research methodology utilized can be simplified as shown in the figure below:- CHAPTER 4 4.0 DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Introduction The study focuses on the construction firm in Malaysia. A set of questionnaires were prepared for the respondents. The respondents were developers. The questionnaires are sent either by postal mail, email or by hand to the respondents. The questionnaire survey takes months for distributing and collecting back from respondents. Unfortunately, most of the construction firms concerned do not show their co-operation in answering the questions surveyed, since there are only 20 copies out of 50 copies (30 by email, 3 by hand , and 17 by postal mail) collected back. Therefore, it equals to only 40% of the respondents replied to the said survey. For instances, majority of the top management in the company does not have time (either busy or other personal reasons) to take part in the survey and normally will command their staff to take over in answering the survey questionnaires. Besides, industry fatigue and unconcern is so obvious in the sense that they do not pay attention to academic surv ey conducted by student even though they have been approached to the doorstep or postal mail attached with return stamped envelope. Chart 1 below shows the feedback from the respondents. 4.2 Result and Analyse Question 1: Did your company involve in any project which is classified as Green Building? All of the respondents have answer that they are not involving in any project which is classified as green building. This answer clearly to tell us that there are no green building been construct in Malaysia. Question 2 In your opinion, what is the best to address the important of green building in Malaysia? As shown in Chart 3, 60% of the respondents agreed that the difficulties of implementing the green building in Malaysia are lack of knowledge regarding green building. 30% of the respondents have the view that the cost of green building is expensive and 10% of them think that there are fewer developers undertake green building projects. 60% of respondents think that lack of knowledge regarding green building is the barriers of implementation green building. Green building is very famous in other country but not in Malaysia. There is only few green building in Malaysia thus there were less people know about the importance of constructing green building. 30% of the respondents in the opinion that the difficulty of implementing green building in Malaysia is there is 10% of the respondents in the opinion that the difficulty of implementing green building in Malaysia is there were fewer developers undertake green building. Question 4 What are the ways to speed up implementation of green building in Malaysia?

Building Cyborgs in He She and It Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Mo

Building Cyborgs in He She and It Wouldn't you love to create your perfect man or woman? How about if they were a machine built only for you? The idea of artificial intelligence and cyborgs (human-like machines which can think) is not as far away as we might think. In the novel, He She and It, Marge Piercy brings this interesting aspect of future technology to the forefront. The hero of this exciting novel is a cyborg named Yod. He was built with the hope of protecting a small independent Jewish town from being destroyed by the surrounding large corporation cities. He was built by a man but programmed by a woman. This dynamic is shown even in the title, He She and It. Yod is built biologically like a man, programmed by a woman, and not actually human. Although Yod was programmed for protection, he was also given the ability to learn, think, and feel. Because of these abilities he thought like a human would. He had human-like qualities and emotions but none of the rights that go along with being human. Because Yod was built for protection this is the only job he was expected to do. No one thought about him falling in love, wanting to be a husband and a father, and wanting a life for himself; "I had only been fully engaged or bored. I had been puzzled. I had been frightened. I had been angry. But I had never been happy until we came back here with Ari and you told him I was his stepfather."(pg 364) Yod said this to his lover in a passionate moment in the novel. Does this sound like a being that thinks and feels? It sure does. So the real question that this novel brings up is now that artificial intelligence is on its way, how far should we go with it and if we do create a sentient being what rights does it have. Piercy sho... ... personal cyborg, I think I would program it to be compassionate and with a thorough knowledge of message. This way I could come home at the end of a long day and tell it all of my worries while having the stress massaged out. (I hope my husband doesn’t get jealous!) Ah, the simple dreams of a middle class American. Again, however, the issue becomes if they are more then robots programmed to do our bidding and they have human-like qualities, then they deserve more then a slave’s life. If we create a being able to make choices it is then unfair to place them in a position of servitude. Until we are able to truly say that any being with a conscious deserves rights and are willing to give them those rights, we need to stick to our computers and robots. Artificial intelligence is more then creating a technology, it is creating a being and that is an awesome thought.