Contribution and Marginal Costing Essay

This is an important business concept and must never be confused with profit. The contribution of a product refers to how much it contributes to the fixed costs and profit of the business once variable costs have been covered. It can be calculated either per unit of output or in terms of total contribution of all units produced. Contribution ignores fixed costs and only considers any surplus left once variable costs have been subtracted from revenue. Hence, contribution is what a product contributes towards the fixed costs of the business and, once these are paid, the profits of the business. Managers need to know, as accurately as possible, the cost of each product or service produced by the firm. One reason for this is the need to make a pricing decision. In fact, buyers of many products will want an estimated price or a quotation before they agree to purchase. Managers may also need to decide whether production should be stopped, stepped up or switched to new methods or new materials. Managers also need to compare actual product costs with original budgets and to compare the current period with past time periods. In calculating the cost of a product, both direct labor and direct materials are often easy to identify and allocate to each product. For instance, the materials used in making product X are allocated directly to the cost of that product. These are not the only costs involved. Overheads, or indirect costs, cannot be allocated directly to each product but must be ‘shared’ between all of the items produced by a business. There is more than one costing method that can be used to apportion these costs and, therefore, there may be more than one answer to the question: ‘How much does a product cost to produce?’ contribution costing method that only allocates direct costs to cost/profit centers not overhead costs. This approach to costing solves the problem of how to apportion or divide overhead costs between products – it does not apportion them at all. Instead, the method concentrates on two very important accounting concepts: †¢Marginal cost is the cost of producing an extra unit. This extra cost will clearly be a variable direct cost. For example, if the total cost of producing 100 units is $400 000 and the total cost of producing 101 units is $400 050, the marginal cost is $50. †¢The contribution to fixed costs and profit. This is the revenue gained from selling a product less its variable direct costs. This is not the same as profit, which can only be calculated after overheads have also been deducted. For example, if that 101st unit with a variable (marginal) cost of $50 is sold for $70, it has made a contribution towards fixed costs of $20. The unit contribution is found as the difference between the sale price ($70) and the extra variable cost ($50), that is $20.

Area 51 Abstract

Area 51 is a very mysterious and unknown area that no one knows about. People talk about UFO, aliens, future war machines and other mystical things lurking around in area 51. My fascination with mystical creatures and flying objects really sparks my curiosity about this area resulting in me researching about area 51. Growing up all you here about area 51 is that it’s very secretive to the point the government blocks all the entrances to the area and no photos could be taken neither around it nor above it from the sky. Even our own military jets could not fly over area 51. In my research, I will be trying to understand why the government had denied its existence till the 1950’s. What really goes on in area 51? Are there really different life forms inside this area? How do one work at area 51 and how would there life change if they did. I would one day like to work for the government and work for area 51 if possible A lot of my research is done on the Internet. Area51zone. com was a website I used. The road to area 51 (http://www. latimes. com/entertainment/la-mag-april052009-backstory,0,5104077. story) was an article I read to. http://www. fas. org/irp/overhead/groom. htm also showed an image of area 51 and details. I went to the Orange County Public Library across the street from Garden Grove high school and checked out a book called Top Secret Tourism by Harry Helms.

Management Information Systems Case Study

1) Problems with upgrades from Quick books to new accounting software package? How could they have avoided? These problems could have been avoided if when they made the initial decision for replacement of QuickBooks, they should have advised with a finance person before the change and or never made the change in the first place. Quick books was user friendly for the staff, and the newly implemented accounting system was more sophisticated and complicated accounting system than what everyone was used to. Nobody knew how to extract financial or operational data to make critical business decisions. Problems developing reusable reports were also a problem, this became too time consuming. 2) Why did SAP’s Business One prove to be a better choice for Wolf Peak than the new accounting software? Give Examples. SAP was designed specifically for Wolf Peak’s Business, and offered affordable promises and provided rapid return on investments, provided accurate up to the minute view of the business. SAP was a simple environment therefore the employees learned SAP Business One quickly and used it effectively. SAP’s Journey team came to the business to implement and demonstrate how the system worked. The benefits far outweighed the initial costs of original accounting software that was purchased after QuickBooks. XL Reporter is a program that comes with SAP Business One that lets the company builds custom reports that proved extremely helpful. Wolf Peak is now expanding SAP into the warehouse for inventory and management as well as CRM Customer Relationship Management. Overall SAP Business One is fulfilling and assisting all aspects of Wolf Peak’s bus iness. 3) Should most SME’s use an integrated business software suite like Sap Business One instead of specialized accounting and other business software packages? Why or Why not? Reports that used to take months to create can now be created quickly by Business One. Business one creates an environment where the decision makers can get the information they want on a timely basis in a format they understand and can actually use. This program delivers useful information to make good solid business decisions for success. I believe that no individual brand or software is the superior. It is obvious that SAP Business One was a perfect match for Wolf Peak, but in the end, whatever works and proves success for the company’s employees and bottom line is the exact software match for the company. Overall it seems that an easy learning curve and information extraction is best for businesses. Management Information Systems Case Study 1) Problems with upgrades from Quick books to new accounting software package? How could they have avoided? These problems could have been avoided if when they made the initial decision for replacement of QuickBooks, they should have advised with a finance person before the change and or never made the change in the first place. Quick books was user friendly for the staff, and the newly implemented accounting system was more sophisticated and complicated accounting system than what everyone was used to. Nobody knew how to extract financial or operational data to make critical business decisions. Problems developing reusable reports were also a problem, this became too time consuming. 2) Why did SAP’s Business One prove to be a better choice for Wolf Peak than the new accounting software? Give Examples. SAP was designed specifically for Wolf Peak’s Business, and offered affordable promises and provided rapid return on investments, provided accurate up to the minute view of the business. SAP was a simple environment therefore the employees learned SAP Business One quickly and used it effectively. SAP’s Journey team came to the business to implement and demonstrate how the system worked. The benefits far outweighed the initial costs of original accounting software that was purchased after QuickBooks. XL Reporter is a program that comes with SAP Business One that lets the company builds custom reports that proved extremely helpful. Wolf Peak is now expanding SAP into the warehouse for inventory and management as well as CRM Customer Relationship Management. Overall SAP Business One is fulfilling and assisting all aspects of Wolf Peak’s bus iness. 3) Should most SME’s use an integrated business software suite like Sap Business One instead of specialized accounting and other business software packages? Why or Why not? Reports that used to take months to create can now be created quickly by Business One. Business one creates an environment where the decision makers can get the information they want on a timely basis in a format they understand and can actually use. This program delivers useful information to make good solid business decisions for success. I believe that no individual brand or software is the superior. It is obvious that SAP Business One was a perfect match for Wolf Peak, but in the end, whatever works and proves success for the company’s employees and bottom line is the exact software match for the company. Overall it seems that an easy learning curve and information extraction is best for businesses.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 89

Summary - Essay Example The author argues that in order to improve communication relationships with people in a particular organization, it is vital to combine critical inquiry, dialogue, and discussion, which in turn will provide a clear insight of the information being disseminated (Senge 13-15). In this book, the author centers his discussion on the significance of â€Å"system† thoughts, which he perceives as indispensable for required qualities that strengthen long-term institutional change. For instance, he views an organization as systematically grounded partly in a holographic truth where each one represents the image of the organization as a whole. A system view permits a reader to look beyond the surface of events to the fundamental structures of attitudes and behavior in order to obtain an advantage for constructive change that was not accessible via a concentration on specific occasions. The author calls for the application of system maps or diagrams that depict the core aspects of systems and how they fuse or connect (Senge 41). Basing on the organizational theory, an organization or institution has the ability to understand and gain insight from experiences by observation, analysis, experimentation, and the willingness to examine failures and success. In this concept, an organization or institution learn through individuals who act as mediators for them. In addition, individuals also learn from organizations or are controlled by the organization’s learning system. The author clearly illustrates this notion by labeling organizations with the best opportunities to succeed. The author argues that organizations that regularly communicate, generate, and control their intellectual assets as organizations, allow people to frequently expand their capacity to initiate the results they really desire. Moreover, such organizations nurture expansive and new thinking patterns, where collective aspiration is

Temporary workers motivation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Temporary workers motivation - Assignment Example Thus, their prime motivation is economics, to have a means of income to pay the bills and not so much of doing a good job. This will result in lower productivity and cases of inefficiency because employees are not that interested with the job except for the pay. This explains why most worker treat temporary jobs as fleeting jobs, one they should take advantage of while it is around. One of the best ways to motivate them is to follow Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs states that employees are motivated by degrees of needs all of which must be satisfied for an employee to have a higher productivity. To do this, management must offer employees more than a pay check to pay their bills. At present, employees only stay with the job because of the pay and nothing more. As a result, their productivity is not that high. Also, they tend to leave once there is a better paying job only to leave it again when a better paying job comes along without any significant improvement in productivity. To start with, employers must satisfy the physiological needs of their employees through a competitive pay. This will address the basic needs of its employees. Second, employers must also address the security or safety need of its employees. In the modern sense, security means not only free from physical harm or threat but to feel secure from the uncertainties of life. These uncertainties can be accident or sickness. If employers can offer health insurance to their employees, they will feel more secure to work in the company. Employers must also treat their employees well and promote camaraderie among its employees. The purpose of which is to address the social needs of its employees. Once they are attached to their fellow employees and company, they will tend to work better than not caring at all. Finally, the management must also address the esteem needs of its employees so that they will find meaning with their jobs. Addressing

Creating a dream job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Creating a dream job - Essay Example As the owner manager, I have the following Job description. Meeting the guests’ needs and ensuring their meals are served on time. Responding to inquiries and solving problems relating to guests’ stay in Ngalla's bed and breakfast. Responsible for supervising administrative tasks with respect to the bed and breakfast’s operations. Responsible for the management of staff and ensuring they maintain policies that guide the operation of the private home. In charge of recruitment of staff, discipline and performance management. Directing marketing activities of the business by implementing effective marketing strategies. Supervision of management tasks relating to the operation of the business. Custodian of the bed and breakfast’s facilities, by ensuring that facilities are well maintained. Overseeing the availability of equipments and supplies throughout the day and night. Preparing budgets and setting targets for employees. Ensuring current good practices are sustained. Overseeing the implementation of the best practices to achieve guest satisfaction. Compensation and benefits package Ngalla's bed and breakfast compensation packages are based on experience and qualifications. The compensation is competitive in the market. The compensation program is based on employees working a minimum of 29 hours per week and a maximum of 40 hours per week. The compensation package includes the following perks. ... Delightful benefit which is a cash reward for delighting guests. Employees great rate which is a preferred rate per night at any of the hotels Ngalla's bed and breakfast owns. These rates include immediate family and are reduced for the extended family. Holiday club which is a voluntary program that employees can participate in deducting a certain amount from the paycheck. Make the grade benefit. A reward program that pays any of the employee’s dependants who scores straight A’s in the school’s report card. Rationale for the compensation package. The above compensation package is fit for Ngalla's bed and breakfast employees because the employees have achieved significant objectives in the past year. A firm’s employees are supposed to be provided with attractive packages as a strategy to retain the best performing employees (Tropman, 2002). Ngalla's bed and breakfast’s employees are warranted to have attractive compensation packages if they meet the bed and break fast’s objectives in terms of saving costs or adding to the company’s profits. The other area that warrants for the compensation package are efforts employees have put in place to increase turnover, efficiency, saving time and cost reduction measures. For the past one year, Ngalla's bed and breakfast managers have worked hard to ensure that employees are trained. In addition employees efforts have saved time and costs. Employees have done this to increase the bed and breakfast’s margins to cater for the remuneration. The compensation package is justified by the additional duties that employees have embraced to ensure to improve the bed and breakfast’ profits.

Health care system Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health care system - Research Paper Example A simple majority vote allows the bill to move to senate, and the same procedure is repeated. A simple majority vote is sufficient to pass the bill through this stage. The final stage includes an assessment of the bill by the conference committee that compares resultant bill versions from the two stages. Finally, the bill returns to the senate and the House for approval. After the approval the bill is printed and delivered to the president to veto or sign it in to law (United States House of Representatives, 2012). The passage of bills into laws does not however, only include the political class. In addition to the politicians, other special groups such as consumer groups, lobbyists and other stakeholders often take part indirectly in the legislative process. These groups often take part by engaging in advocacy processes. This involves stating and identifying issues, gathering information, mobilizing people, seeking resources, creating alliances, networking, seeking media support, co ntacting the government and coercing legislators to support the bills. In a nut shell, such teams work to ensure that the bill is passed into law (Michael, 2012). The passage of the Affordable Care Act is a good example of legislations that received considerable support from consumer groups, lobbyists and other stakeholders. ... On the other hand, republicans, insurance companies and conservatives were opposed to the bill. Notably, various advocacy groups engaged in pushing legislators to pass the bill. In addition, they engaged in various activities within the advocacy framework such as sensitizing the public and gathering research information on the effects of the bill. The supportive advocacy groups included the â€Å"American Association of Retired Persons† (AARP), â€Å"National Association for the Advancement of Colored People† (NAACP), â€Å"American Medical Association† (AMA), and the â€Å"American Osteopathic Association† (AOA) among many others (Roy, 2012; SurgiStrategies, 2012: Hughes, 2010). 2. Discuss the expanding role of public health services in today's environment in terms of wellness, prevention, and bioterrorism Primary Healthcare (PHC) denotes professional healthcare delivered by practice nurses and general practitioners. PHC covers a wide range of preventive and health services, including screening, disease prevention, counseling and education. It also concerns issues of health access enhancement, environment and lifestyle changes. Primary healthcare is important in defining the quality of life and health of a population because it intervenes in the health sustenance process earlier before the development of diseases or conditions that favor diseases (Academy Health, 2009). PHC plays a significant role in educating the public on how to develop better health within communities by educating them on environmental issues and preventive matters. The fact that PHC intervenes before the occurrence of diseases makes it important in the healthcare

Internal Recruitment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internal Recruitment - Case Study Example The purpose of the paper is to generate an in-depth understanding about the aspects of recruitment. The paper will describe the recruitment process and identify the similarities and dissimilarities between the works of two authors i.e. Bach’s book â€Å"Managing Human Resources† and Torrington, Hall and Taylor’s book â€Å"Human Resource Management† regarding the internal recruitment. Literature Review According to Bach (2005), recruitment and selection is the procedure of selecting the appropriate employees from the pool of inappropriate employees who can effectively fit in the organisational culture and job responsibilities. Bach had mentioned the recruitment model as ‘psychometric’ or traditional method to employment because traditional method of recruitment focused on job and followed a coherent structure of actions. This method is mainly used in service organisations which require high degree of job fit. Bach focuses on finding suitable s election methods which are capable of forecasting appropriate employees from inappropriate employees, i.e. methods which have thorough psychometric components of rationality and consistency (Bach, 2005). According to Torrington et. al. (2008), organisations require finding and getting employees who are required by organisation for success. These employees can be part-time, permanent, or irregular, and the employment relationship with them is the agreement which sums up the aspects of that association so that both parties know their position. According to the authors, the entire employee resourcing procedure is represented by the joint assessment that occurs in selection meeting, in order to identify that if certain candidates are appropriate for the organisation or not. Selection meeting not only assists the organisation to get proper employee, but also helps the applicant for getting his/her desired job (Torrington et. al., 2008). Recruitment Process Both authors have certain simil ar and a few dissimilar opinions regarding recruitment. According to Bach (2005), recruitment often takes place when a present employee leaves the organisation or when organisations need to fill any vacant job position. The organisational reaction is to replace the old employee with substitute employee so that the absence does not hamper the business operations. Torrington et. al., (2008), described that apart from using recruitment, organisations have several other ways to fill the vacancies. For instance, organisations can reform the tasks by allocating or shifting the time as well as reorganise the work procedures to fill the gap of performance caused by departure of certain employees. However, there are certain situations where recruitment becomes essential even if employees do not leave an organisation, for instance, if organisations enlarge the business or create new divisions in the market. According to Bach’s (2005) point of view, recruitment process includes a method ical appraisal of the necessities of an organisation and detailed examination of job requisite in terms of job analysis. It is essential for an organisation as even when an employee is substituted, there can still be variations in job necessities. Torrington & et. al., (2008), had also suggested that job descriptions are crucial for evaluating the job necessities and for preparing the employers for recruiting.

Democratic Deficit in Canada Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Democratic Deficit in Canada - Term Paper Example What and how a country faces democratic deficit is all dependent on the perception of its people towards the government policies, this thinking alone could be as a result of higher expectations of the people from its government or it could very well be because of their objectives. The subjective thinking of the people or the objective thinking is what categorizes a country to be labeled as suffering from democratic deficit or not suffering from Democratic deficit. A system usually falls under the category of Democratic Deficit because as society grows and becomes more complex the needs change and become of different priorities which need to be met by the elected representatives. Failing of which the people see it as not working as a democratic system and hence term the system Democratic Deficit. In a similar manner the democratic institutions have to be in accordance to the changing needs like for example an institution that worked for a few hundred people would not prove successful with the figures of hundreds changing to millions. Hence the Democratic Deficit sets where the government fails to keep up with the growing demand of technology and economic environment. Even the media plays a very important role to the problem of democratic deficit by publicizing one view to the extreme. ... e of the media to project the situation in a manner without thinking up tactics of promoting its own cause only then would the people be able to grasp the deficiencies if any in the government or even the good beneficial effects that the system is affording. The knowledge gain factor is directly associated with the media in the current times and one must ensure that the media plays its vital role fully and duly. What the term democratic deficit implies is that it is the differences of the different people's opinions in the sizing up of their government. We could also put it in this way that basically the people feel that they are being neglected and their needs are not addressed. By Canadian standards the democratic deficit stems from the fact that when a definite gap is seen in the involvement, trust and decision making of its people. The main characterizing point of the system to be in democratic deficit is when there is a low voter turnout; people do not take an active interest in politics and a failure of trust in the democratic institutions. Canada has shown a gradual decline of the voter turnout. This started from the Second World War and was especially marked in the years 1953, 1974 and 1980. If the recent elections were to be accounted for then one would note how the eligible voter's number was by far greater than the number who did vote and the party one. Canada has seen less interest in the Canadian politics and leadership since 1960's. Today Canada suffers from democratic deficit as the people of Canada do not have high opinions about their politicians and they simply don't trust them. They are of the opinion that those who stand to be elected are misfit and will not keep their word and are more after the money than they have any care about the people or

Causes and Effects of Workplace Romances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Causes and Effects of Workplace Romances - Essay Example However, office romances have scores of negative implications at the workplace. First, office romances lead to sexual harassment and discrimination. At times, the employers discriminate other employees, who have a negative perception about office romances. Secondly, romances at the office may lead to favoritism. This is where the employers and managers favor the partners in romantic relationships while neglecting other employees. In many instances, the demands of some people are prioritized, rather than prioritizing demands of all the employees. Thirdly, romances at the office lead to distraction. The workers involved in a romantic relationship at the office have minute focus and concentration on their job. Apparently, they concentrate on propagating their romantic relations, rather than facing the ostensible task. This may lead to dismal performance, as the job is not a priority in such places. Fourthly, romances at the workplace may have an effect on the morale of other workers. Fo r example, envy from other employees may affect the working relations at the workplace. In conclusion, romances at the office are prevalent. Many people are involved due to various causative factors. Family life, environment, and personal interests initiate romances at the office. However, a number of effects can be cited. This includes unprofessional conduct, lowered productivity due to distraction and envy among workers. Although romances at the office can enhance working relations between two people, the negative effects are dire.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 67

Assignment - Essay Example It has a clear unity of purpose and each of the members values these objectives. There is collective participation of the group members in the group discussions. There is also freedom of expression of the varied opinions of the members, and they are considered in the decision-making process. The members also value the differences between themselves, and they are managed effectively (Woodcock and Dave 14). An ineffective team presents with the absence of trust between the members that is presented by the perception of vulnerability of some members. There are also conflicts that arise due to the inability to engage all the aspects of a passionate discussion. There is also a lack of commitment towards the achievement of the goals and the objectives of the group. There is also a need of accountability of the parties towards the achievement of the goals. The members are inattentive to the results, by placing their individual considerations above the objectives. Before the teams come together, the goals of the members must be clearly defined by the allocating personnel. The group will have to meet and familiarize with themselves, and choose a leader for the group. The members should then be open to the suggestion of each of the members in order to accommodate all the opinions (Woodcock and Dave 14). The leader is central in enforcing these considerations, because they unite all the members. The team leader provides the guide to the members about the need to achieve the goals of the group. They should motivate the team members, and make them understand the essence of the team. In case of conflicts, the leader requires to counsel the members, and reinforce unity. Any miscommunications should be addressed by the leaders, and apologies made where necessary (Woodcock and Dave 14). The members should also be able to listen and understand the greater dimension of their objectives. They should enhance emotional compatibility, in order to

Emotion language term paper Essay Example for Free

Emotion language term paper Essay The differences between happiness, joy and gladness1.IntroductionThe concept of happiness can be characterized by three separate prototypes, which all refer to happiness but each approaches the concept of happiness from a slightly different meaning. The differences reveal mainly in the intensity of the emotion. Therefore it is very interesting how these differences appear in the English language. It is important to see these differences because our society is based on happiness and to reach the main goal of ones life it is good to understand the differences in the conceptualizations of happiness. 2.The three prototypesThe source domain of the three prototypes are taken from the class notes of Emotion Language, from the study of Zoltà ¡n Kà ¶vecses: Emotion concepts: from happiness to guiltA cognitive semantic perspective and definitions form answers.com. The first prototype is called joy which according to answers.com is an intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness and the expression or manifestation of such feeling. In other words, joy covers an immediate response of happiness. This means that this word is used to represent a sudden feeling that is self-enabling and comes from within . The next type is called the existential happiness which is a major value in life that people want to reach. This is a general feeling about being happy, therefore it is expressed by the word happiness. In Answers.com this word is described as an agreeable feeling or condition of the soul arising from good fortune or propitious happening of any kind; the possession of those circumstances or that state of being which is attended with enjoyment; the state of being happy; contentment; joyful satisfaction; felicity; blessedness. The last type of happiness is gladness, which is the less intense out of the three types. According to answers.com the word glad is experiencing or exhibiting joy and pleasure. This feeling can be explained in other words like gratifying, pleasurable, very willing, bright and cheerful. 3.The major differences in meaningAccording to the Internet joy and happiness are more commonly occur in the same context than joy and glad or happiness and glad so there are a number of studies and articles about happiness versus joy. The reason for this on the one part is that they have a close relation in meaning so it is not as univocal therefore many people does not recognize the differences or has improper thoughts about it. On the other part glad seems to be clearly terminated in meaning in the usage of the English language. Accordingly, there are many conceptualizations about the differences between joy and happiness on the Internet. On the one hand, in a forum about happiness, the opinion of a person named Suviko was: joy is something you feel shortly, temporary moment, a passing good feeling. Happiness is having that for longer period of time and it is more general, not as much targeted feeling . This explanation perfectly reflects the differences between joy and the existential happiness according to the study of Kà ¶vecses. But as it appears in some articles on the internet, this is not the only realization that is considered as the concept of happiness and joy. On the other hand, there is an essay about happiness versus joy which claims that happiness is fleeting and it comes from the fulfillment of ones desires, therefore happiness is dependent upon something while joy can be continuous and it comes from within . The main difference between the two conceptualization is the quantity of the feeling. In the first statement the duration of the feeling of joy takes less time than happiness while in the second statement joy lasts for longer. This proves that there are some differences in the conceptualization of the first two prototypes of happiness. Besides the differences the main idea about the intensity of the two prototypes reflects everywhere that happiness is more intense. In his study Vic Lebouthillier writes that happiness comes from circumstances like buying a new car or passing an exam while joy is rather appears as inner thankfulness for the constants of life such as nature, freedom, relationships with people, or through having faith in something larger than ourselves . It is also mentioned that happiness is an automatic reaction of people for the happenings of the outside world. In contrast, joy does not  come automatically, it is a learned reaction that people have to practice to live a complete emotional life. This points to the fact that the main point in most of the articles on the internet is based on this idea: It is important to understand that joy is an emotion that arises from within us and is not affected by the things that happen to us. Instead of looking for external things to provide happiness in our lives, we must strive to find the joy within. We must educate ourselves about joy and work to enhance it in our lives.Gladness is the less intense emotional feeling from the three prototypes of happiness. In The Free Dictionary webpage it is pointed out that Glad often refers to the feeling that results from the gratification of a wish or from satisfaction with immediate circumstances: Some folks rail against other folks, because other folks have what some folks would be glad of Henry Fielding . In another conceptualization gladness is rarely or never equivalent to mirth, merriment, gayety, and triumph, and it usually expresses less than delight . According to these statements, it can be asserted that gladness is not only the less intense but it also lasts for the less period of time. Another proof for this can be found in an essay of Margaret Paul where she discusses the differences between happiness and pleasure, and where pleasure is a synonym for gladness. She points out that pleasurable experiences can give us momentary feelings of happiness, but this happiness does not last long because it is dependent upon external events and experiences . 4.Differences in language usageThe English language is rich in the metaphors and metonymies about the three prototypes of happiness. The source domain of this section is from Zoltan Kà ¶vecses: Emotion concepts: from happiness to guilt A cognitive semantic perspective. Happiness (existential happiness)Most of the happiness metaphors found on the internet come from quotations, poems and a lower percent can be found in non literary texts. Using the mappings of Kà ¶vecses I listed some of the metaphors that I found with the help of Google:1. Happiness is a fluid in a  container: Happiness is a positive cash flow. Fred Adler2. Happiness is warm: Happiness is a warm gun The Beatles3. Happiness is insanity: Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination. Mark Twain4. Happiness is light: Happiness is a Swedish sunset it is there for all, but most of us look the other way and lose it. Mark Twain5. Happiness is up: trying to bump up our happiness Steven Winn6. Happiness is an animal: Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you Nathanial Hawthorne7. Happiness is a rapture: We pretended we could get drunk on root beer, and sometimes on those July nights, I think we were. Drunk with happiness. Lisa LibowitzJoyInterestingly I could find a larger number of metaphors or metonymies on the internet than about joy in non literary articles rater than literary texts. Therefore, in contrast to happiness, it was harder to find metaphors that could belong to the list of Zoltà ¡n Kà ¶vecses. 1.Joy is fluid in a container: then you will look and be radiant,your heart will throb and swell with joy The Holly Bible (Isaiah 60:5-11)a place of joy and peace so full that you need nothing else2.Joy is being off the ground: Now I know when your house gets destroyed you wont be jumping for joy.3.Joy is warm: A blush of joy mantled on Lizzies face, and her heart swelled with happiness John Quine (The Captain of the Parish)4.Joy is vitality: As I watch my grandmother tickle and play with the kids, I see her eyes light up with joy. Jennifer Mallett5.Joy is opponent in a struggle: When her sick friend saw her, she was overcome with joy.6. Joy is a natural force: Ill flood your soul with the joy of cleanliness and the joy of discipline, which will redound to your good forever.7.Joy is a rapture: Inner success: Freedom from the identification with the mind and movement towards the ecstasy of the Truth . This will lead us towards our inner joy8.Joy is up: He who kisses the joy as it flies. Lives in Eternitys sunrise. William BlakeOne of the greatest joys known to man is to take a flight into ignorance in search of knowledge Robert Lynd9.Joy is light: The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide worlds joy. Henry Ward BeecherGladnessIt was the hardest to find metaphors or metonymies on gladness. I found that the word glad is often used in religious terms on the internet but these were not expressed by metaphors or  metonymies rather it refers to the loving of God and it follows that it is expressed on a very simple way. 1.Gladness is light: Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks. Samuel JohnsonLight up your face with gladness Judy Garland2.Gladness is fluid in a container: A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles. Washington IrvingMay God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. Irish Blessing3.Gladness is being in haven: Nations and men are only the best when they are the gladdest, and deserve heaven when they enjoy it. Jean Paul Friedrich Richter5.ConclusionSumming up the above, there are differences between the three conceptualizations of happiness in meaning and it also turned out that people are interested in these questions because it is important to understand these to live a happy life. We also saw that the linguistic usage of happiness and joy are very similar to each other they still have that slight difference in meaning. From this point of view gladness metaphors were less frequent and were not as similar to the other two. BIBLIOGRAPHY Zoltà ¡n Kà ¶vecses: Emotion concepts: from happiness to guilt A cognitive semantic perspectivewww.answers.comhttp://www.kjmaclean.com/HappinessvsJoy.htmlhttp://www.tfproject.org/tfp/archive/index.php/t-7099.htmlhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/03/07/DDGLBOFSL11.DTLhttp://thinkexist.com/quotation/happiness_is_a_butterfly-which_when_pursued-is/169068.htmlhttp://www.tiny-lights.com/flash.html?id=20http://www.calvin.edu/admin/chapel/worship/chapel/Isaiah60/wealth.htmhttp://www.light-up-your-life.com/http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/cp1897/chap104.htmhttp://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?gladnesshttp://www.entplaza.com/cgi-bin/create/quotes.pl?cat=Happinesshttp://www.entplaza.com/cgi-bin/create/quotes.pl?cat=Happinesshttp://www.thefreedictionary.com/gladnesshttp://www.caringtoday.com/node/296http://www.4to40.com/story/index.asp?id=480#tophttp://www.timesandseasons.org/index.php?p=2582http://www.meditationerfan.com/Happiness_vs.htmlhttp://www.dai lycelebrations.com/joy.htmhttp://www.dailycelebrations.com/joy.htmhttp://www.dailycelebrations.com/jo

Toyota: SWOT Analysis, BCG Matrix and Porters Five

Toyota: SWOT Analysis, BCG Matrix and Porters Five Toyota is a Japan based company which was established in 1937 by Sakichi Toyoda and is the world biggest automobile manufacturers, Toyota has achieved a record sale of 9 million cars in five continents. Toyota is also ranked in the top ten 500 ² companies. Toyota is one the worlds most renowned auto manufacturers and they are proud of this accomplishment and they believe it is only because that their customers are satisfied by them. http://www.toyota.com.cy/experience/the_company/index.aspx Strategy of Toyota Different strategies of Toyota are explained as under Growth Strategy In order to achieve an outstanding growth strategy, company must find, evaluate and select a strategy to enter and to capture a market. Toyota entered in American market in 1967 along with a range of cars and after that Toyota launched other brands such as lexus and scion. Toyota became a successful car manufacturer company mainly because of an effective and diverse marketing process which has enabled them to attract customers and enlarge its product range to other market segments. One of the other main reason why Toyota managed to do very well in America is because of 1973 oil crisis. When Toyota entered in American market it was not considered a threat because everyone use to say that Toyota cars do not appeal American people. But due to the oil crisis people realized that Toyota cars are highly fuel efficient and much more reliable. Marketing Strategy of Toyota Toyota is a global brand and the economic crisis which started in 2009 has hit Toyota. Therefore, Toyota is now marketing and making fuel efficient cars such as the new Auris hybrid and others. On top of that Toyota is very heavily marketing there 1 litre cars such as Toyota iq and aygo and this happened due to the the economic crunch that now people dont have much spending power. http://ayushveda.com/blogs/business/toyotas-marketing-strategy/ Environmental strategy In modern era, all the developed and under developed countries are more concern with the environment and are trying their best to promote cars which are more environment friendly and throw less co2 emission out. As a global car manufacturer Toyota is playing its role in minimising the co2 effect on the environment of the world. This is the reason Toyota has launched hybrid cars, the ultimate eco car, electric vehicles, plug in hybrid, fuel cell vehicle cars which consume less fuel and also discharge less co2 emission. So basically, Toyota is making cars which are user friendly and also environment friendly.www.toyota.com To critically evaluate the strategy of Toyota, some analysis of internal and external analysis required to be done and they are explained as under. SWOT analysis This analysis is a great tool for doing an audit of an organisation and its environment. It is the first step for marketers to take to focus on key issues. Swot stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and weaknesses examine the internal factors of a company whereas the opportunities and threats are the analysis of external factors. SWOT analysis of Toyota Strengths of Toyota Toyota is global organisation, which enjoys great repute among its customers and possesses a very strong international position in 170 countries. Financial side of this company is extremely strong in 1997 company managed a sales turnover of  £131,511 million and growth of the company was 29.3%. Due to its high quality, an environment friendly product Toyota has a very strong brand recognition. Toyota has managed successfully penetrate into the main markets of the world which includes USA, China and Middle east countries. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_swot_analysis_of_Toyota Weakness of Toyota The production plants of Toyota are located in US and Japan due to which they are not in a very favourable position to take advantage from global efficiency gains. The company has suffered a lot of criticism due to the re-call made in 2005 and 2010. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_swot_analysis_of_Toyota Opportunities for Toyota Toyota was the first company to develop a hybrid car (hybrid- vehicle runs on gas and electric) which was the Prius model. At that time oil prices were at their extreme so at that time Toyota has given something to the market. Toyota is looking forward to expand belligerently into new segments of existing markets for example by the launch of Toyota Aygo the company is targeting the youth of the world. Another opportunity for Toyota is to produce small city cars which will be more fuel efficient and also easy to drive plus will produce less c02 emission because now a day governments of all under developed and developed countries are showing great concern about the environment. Toyota enjoys good market share in Europe, UK and America the company should target developing countries such as Pakistan, India and Srilanka where demand is very high for great fuel efficient cars. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_swot_analysis_of_Toyota Threats to Toyota Toyota faces very high competition by Honda and by other German car manufacturers. Especially in todays global market the trend of intense marketing campaign is increasing which will simply increase pressure on Toyota. The position of US dollar is very consistent so the exchange rates are playing a major role in the profit and loss of the company. The recession that has hit the world almost a couple of years ago have caused major issues for Toyota because car sales have declined rapidly ever since the recession started. Market trend is changing for example the trend of large families coming to an end and with it the need of large cars. Consistent increase in fuel prices has also bought a significant decline the car sales of Toyota Company. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_swot_analysis_of_Toyota BCG Matrix The Boston consultancy group matrix is a chat which was created by Peter Henderson in 1970. The purpose of this design is to help companies with the manufacturing units and product lines. The base of this tool in the product life cycle theory and it helps companies to decide on which areas they should prioritize. BCG Matrix for Toyota Prius This tool can also be used to analyze the launch of a product in the market. In this matrix two factors determine the success of a product. Market share and market growth are explained individually in the diagram. With the help of this tool an outstanding marketing strategy can easily be determined. Market Growth of Prius The Toyota prius was launched in Japan in 1997 and it was made available to the world in 2001. By the end of 2003, a new model of the car was launched and due to its modern hybrid technology it was sold 160,000 times throughout the world. It was mainly because at that time the prius was the only hybrid car and Toyota made maximum profit out of that. Up till now Toyota has managed to sell around 1 million hybrid cars and most of them are prius. To analyze the market growth of this product, given below is the monthly sales figure of U.S from 2000 to 2007. From the table above, we can clearly see that prius sales have increased dramatically over thye years. In 2000 number of cars sold was just 5,562 whereas the cars sold in 2007 excluding the month of December were 167,010 which is almost 30 times more the number of cars sold in 2000. The table given above, we can clearly view that Toyota prius was the best selling car in US with a great margin. Toyota has just 5.3% more sales than September 2007 but it has overall 50.7% more sales then the last year October. We can also see an outstanding growth in the market of hybrid cars which is almost 30% which means that it is a very fast growing market. Market Share of Toyota Prius If we look at the market share of Prius, it comes on top of the hybrid car market share. The prius has a massive 53.7% market share and this is because Toyota has sold three times more cars than the runner up. This is the reason why prius was the market leader in 2007. The prius has sold approximately 190,000 cars which comes up to a market share of 57% and this is a clear proof that prius is a market leader even on yearly basis. Conclusion After this detailed bcg analysis it is concluded that prius is a star product. It has a booming market share in the high demand market of hybrid cars. All this makes prius a star product and a product which has a lot of potential in the future years. In the BCG matrix chart the prius have its position in the top left because it has an outstanding market share in a dynamic and fast growing market. Therefore, prius is a star product. This information can be used by Toyota to set up a plan for business and thus the investment the company make in the product can also turn into a cash cow. Porters five forces analysis This is the most successful tool in analyzing the strategy of an industry. According to wiki this is a framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development developed by Michael E Porter of Harvard business school in 1979.it uses concepts developing industrial organisations economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. http://www.themarketers.in/?p=446 Porters five forces analysis includes critical analysis of five aspects which are as follows Threat of new entrants. Bargaining power of customers/ buyers. Threat of substitute products. Bargaining power of suppliers. The amount of rivalry between competitors. Five forces analysis on Toyota Detailed analysis of porters five forces. Threat of new entrants In auto industry all the big companies face threat of new entrants who enter into market to take their place. Toyota also faces same problems and the recent launch of TATA nano is a big threat for Toyota and for other auto companies. Because TATA nano is the cheapest car in the world which will definitely dominate in the under developed countries of the world and also TATA nanao and Peugeot has worked together to make that car so Toyota needs to come up with a strategy which will help them target the medium to lower medium class of the world. (Jhonson,s scholes and wittington.2008) Bargaining power of customers Bargaining power of customers vary from place to place. In European countries customers have outstanding bargaining power which is mainly due to the competition and because of their purchasing power. On the other hand in countries like Pakistan people dont have much choice and manufacturers charge reasonably high prices. (Jhonson,s scholes and wittington.2008) Threat of Substitute product In developed countries such as America or other European countries this threat is high for Toyota because there are a lot of other car manufacturers in these countries who sell their products with different deals such as now a day Citroen is selling most of their cars with 0 deposit and on no interest basis for up to three years which is a big threat for Toyota in UK. Because due to the economic crisis the world is facing people are more interested in saving money. (Jhonson,s scholes and wittington.2008) Bargaining power of suppliers Because Toyota is a strong brand therefore, this threat is comparatively low to them in comparison with other manufacturers because brand confirms suppliers a higher value to their product. (Jhonson,s scholes and wittington.2008) Rivalry among competitors This element also varies for area to area. As mentioned earlier in European countries there are a lot of manufacturers available so the rivalry among competitors is very high. For example in Pakistan Toyota has one main rival which is Honda but in UK Toyota has Honda, Peugeot, Nissan, ford, rover and also other companies which makes rivalry extremely intense. (Jhonson,s scholes and wittington.2008) Problems with Toyota Even though Toyota is one of the best car manufacturer company in the world but they have faced many problems over the years in different parts of the world. Some of them are related with products and some are even with the brand itself. A few of these problems are summarised in detail Toyota brand problem Toyota is a major brand and its sub-brands are Lexus and Scion but Toyota sells and manufacture most of its cars under the name of Toyota which is not a very healthy marketing strategy. For example, the problem Audi had in 1990 with its 5000 range (problem was acceleration which resulted in fatal acceleration accidents) which resulted a significant decline not just in the sale figure of Audi 5000 but due to that problem sales figure of Audi 4000 and Quattro were also declined to a great extent just because these too vehicles were manufactured by the same company. Despite of all the promotional and marketing activities held by Audi in between 1990-2000 the company has still not fully recovered and has not find its proper place in the market. Unfortunately, Toyota has not learned anything from this mistake and they keep on launching all cars under the same brand without paying much attention to sub-brands. Due to the recent problem of rapid acceleration in Toyota cars customers are beginning to show less interest in the brand and now it is believed that nest decade will be very tough for Toyota. So, Toyota really needs to promote its sub brands and to pump marketing investments in them. Toyotas Brand Problems Begin At Its Core Brake problems in Toyota Prius In 2010, braking problems were reported with Toyota prius in America by manay customers, four of them were involved in crash. The problem was that customers were finding it difficult to brake on un even surface. Which resulted in major accidents and as a result Toyota had to do a major recall in America which resulted in a significant decline in sale and due to which Toyota has launched its market share throughout the world. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8497471.stm Rapid acceleration problem of Toyota Toyota had to do a major recall in 2004 which was basically companies biggest in which company had to recall 3.8 million vehicles. In the beginning Toyota said that the problem is with the floor matt but after few crashes the company actually decided to go for the recall decision. http://www.leftlanenews.com/a-closer-look-at-toyotas-sudden-acceleration-problem.html Acceleration stuck In the last decade Toyota has given us quality products such as Camry, corolla and Tercel. But then in 2010 a problem came in Toyota a vehicle which was reported as the acceleration gets stuck which is causing difficulty in stopping the vehicle and could result in major accidents. As a result, Toyota has not just recall the selected models on a national model but also stopped production for these vehicles. This decision of Toyota is really admired by Dr. Edward Deming who is called the undisputed father of quality management and he said that quality is better than quantity and by doing a recall national level Toyota has proved that they care about their customers and are willing to give them something extra. Some say that this incident will hurt Toyota and result in a decline of sales Toyota over the years but some say that this will benefit Toyota in coming years because once the problem is rectified than people will be more eager in buying Toyota vehicles especially over American c ars because they know that they will be getting quality. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2656835/toyota_is_facing_a_major_problem.html?cat=27 Recommendations By looking at the problems Toyota had over the years it is concluded that Toyota should take its business more seriously as they are the market leaders. The company should properly test every product several times before launching it in the market. Invest in sub brands Toyota should now invest heavily in its sub brands. This will bring stability in the sales of Toyota as if anything goes wrong with Toyota car customers will not stop buying the sub brands products and this will result in keeping the market share stable. Make hybrid technology cheaper Toyota is investing in hybrid vehicles which cause less co2 emission and also environment friendly but these vehicles are extremely expensive and not in the range of majority of people. The future main threat for auto mobile manufacturer is TATA nano which is the worlds cheapest car so if Toyota does not want to lose its market share than Toyota really needs to look ahead and come up with something which is a lot better than quality than TATA nano and the best way to beat nano is to come up with cheap and small hybrid car. Identify market trends and target markets The market trend is changing very quickly, now people dont travel in groups everyone prefer to keep their own cars so Toyota needs to make more small cars. At the moment there are just three small cars from Toyota which are Toyota aygo, iq and yaris which is a pretty small number from the worlds biggest auto manufacturer. On top of that these cars are not fun to drive they dont offer good road grip and comfort and on top of that they are pretty expensive. So, if Toyota wants to do well in future they really need to re think their strategy and they should make hybrid cars much cheaper and make small cars more reliable and fun to drive. Toyota is very well located it has plants in Japan, Europe and America so they can manage to produce cheap quality cars. From Japan, they can target asian countries which include Pakistan, India and Sri lanka because these countries are showing rapid growth and people has high purchasing power. From European production plant, Toyota can target European countries which are a very big market and Toyota enjoys great market share in these countries. American production plant can be used to target America and Canada and other small countries in that region. In this way Toyota can easily produce cheap quality cars and supply them to these countries as they are very well located.

The Application Of Theory To Practice Social Work Essay

The Application Of Theory To Practice Social Work Essay INTRODUCTION A community Development project should be able to demonstrate the public health practice in entirety, apply the public health theories and put into practice the community development principles. One of the principles is being able to address the priority need of the community with their full participation thereby empowering them and most importantly working within the social model of health. The social model of health is a theoretical frame work which considers the health of individuals and the community as a result of complex and interacting social, economic, environmental and personal factors. (Ottewill and wall, 2003). This framework operates on the belief that improved health and wellbeing is achieved by focusing on the social and environmental determinants of health in tandem with biological and medical factors. The social model of health says that 50% of our health is determined by wider determinants such as Housing, Income and educational level which affects not only the individuals but the community as a whole (CDHN, 2009), therefore a community development approach to health attempts to work upstream, concentrating on the root cause of ill health such as poverty and educational disadvantage. Kelleher and Marshall (2002) suggested that working within the social model of health permits individuals and communities to construct their own definition of health and therefore identify important factors that influence health depending on the specific context. The conception of a community is based on the thought that how people behave and their wellbeing is influenced by their interaction with others (SCCD, 2001). An evidence based definition of a community is a group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives and engage in joint action in geographical setting or location. This definition therefore qualifies the Muslim women in Glasgow North as a community. This reflective essay aims to give an explanation and in depth analysis of a non governmental Scottish charity project run by Muslim women for Muslim women in Glasgow, with a view of identifying good practice, relevance to public health practice development and the application of the theory to practice. The subject of the community placement will be referred to as the resource center through out this essay in order to protect the real names and identities of the center and its staff. The resource center handles social matters like racial harassment, bereavement, divorce cases, access to education, forced marriages, immigration matters, mental health issues, relationship matters, housing issues and domestic Violence. For the purpose of this essay I would be focusing on Domestic Violence. This write-up will go a long way to explain and critically analyse the extent to which the protection, provision and prevention of domestic violence against women project identifies with public health practice. A brief review of the literature of domestic abuse will be discussed thereafter. I will afterwards analyse the project while discussing issues like health need assessment, health inequality, partnership planning , monitoring and evaluation as good public health practices identified in the project. I intend to finally discuss the reflection and relevance of the study while making the necessary recommendations. Domestic Violence and Public Health Domestic violence could be defined as any incident of threatening behavior, violence, or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial, and emotional) between adults who are or have been in intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. Gender-based violence includes a host of harmful behaviours that are directed at women and girls because of their sex, including wife abuse, sexual assault, and dowry-related murder, and marital rape, selective malnourishment of female children, forced prostitution, female genital mutilation and sexual abuse of female children. Vulnerable persons or a child in the environment where they are witnessing domestic abuse are also inclusive. (Scottish Executive central research unit, 2000) The British Medical Association (2006) explained in its publication that a child who has witnessed domestic abuse has an increased risk of experiencing mental health problems in adult live. Domestic Violence is associated with Health Inequality in the society especially towards the women and children. It constitutes the male abuse of power which occurs in all social groups not caused by stress, alcohol, unemployment, mental illness or by the women (Scottish Executive central research unit, 2000) Domestic Violence is a major public health issue affecting all age, socio- economic group and all sectors of life.. it is currently being recognized by the government not just as a criminal issue but also as a public health matter(Government proposal on domestic violence, 2003).Domestic Abuse is a housing issue, human right issue, child protection issue, mental health issue and all these according to the social model of health are determinants of health. A Recent report by the triennial maternal mortality (CEMACH, 2004) showed that domestic abuse is a risk factor for maternal death and for the year 2000- 2002 eleven new mothers were murdered within six weeks of giving birth by their partners. It also increases the chances of pregnant women drinking, smoking which then affects the life of the unborn child thereby increasing the infants mortality rate. The high prevalence of Domestic Violence impacts economically on the society. Support systems are overstretched; there is increased cost of providing medical care for about 100,000 women seeking medical help due to domestic abuse. A lot of women are homeless with about 7000 women and children looking for safety shelter everyday (Seymour, 2001) Violence against women has recently been recognized by the United Nations as a fundamental abuse of womens human rights. The sensitivities and stigma associated with domestic abuse, the conceptualization of it primarily as a judicial and legal issue, and the lack of data on the dimension of the abuse have hampered understanding and the development of appropriate intervention (Lori et al, 1994) Incidence and prevalence of domestic Abuse Domestic violence accounts for between 16% and one quarter of all recorded violent crime. (Home Office,2004; Dodd et al., 2004; BCS, 1998; Dobash and Dobash, 1980). According to Stanko, (2000) an incident is reported to the police every minute. Women are much more likely than men to be the victim of multiple incidents of abuse, and of sexual violence. 45% women and 26% men had experienced at least one incident of inter-personal violence in their lifetimes(Walby and Allen, 2004), however when there were more than 4 incidents (i.e. ongoing domestic or sexual abuse) 89% of victims were women. In 2004 according to Walby and Allen(2004) there are 13 million separate incidents of physical violence or threats of violence against women from partners or former partners making an average of 2 women a week killed by a male partner or former partner and this constitutes around one-third of all female homicide victims. (Department of Health,2005.) The British Crime Survey conducted in 2000 found that women are most likely to be sexually attacked by men who are known to them. 45% of rapes reported to the survey were perpetrated by current partners. (Home Office Research Study 237, 2002). One Scottish survey found that a majority of men who said that they were victims of domestic violence, were also perpetrators of violence (13 of 22), and on being re-interviewed, a further 13 later said they had actually never experienced any form of domestic abuse. (Scottish Executive Central Research Unit, 2002). On the international level consistent findings has been recorded. An analysis of 10 separate domestic violence prevalence studies by the Council of Europe showed that 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes, and between 6-10% of women Suffer domestic violence in a given year. (Council of Europe, 2002).Another study done by the World Health Organisation, domestic violence was found to be widespread in all 10 countries studied, though there was considerable variation between countries, and between cities and rural areas. (Garcia-Moreno, C., et al., 2005) .Krug et al (2002) found that internationally 40% -70% of female murder victim were killed by their partner and about 4% 8% of men. Domestic violence is internationally acknowledged to be one of the major health Inequalities affecting women particularly, and forms a significant obstacle to their receiving effective health care. (World Health Organisation,1997; United Nations, 1993). Different form of abuse is been experienced by women with partner abuse (non-sexual) being the most commonly experienced type of intimate violence among both men and women. 28% of women and 17% of men reported having experienced such abuse. (Coleman et al. 2007) stalking is also was com monly experienced with 9% of women and 7% of men reported having Experienced it in the last year with obscene or threatening phone calls being the common forms. (Coleman et al 2007). Nearly half of women (48%) who had experienced intimate partner violence since the age of 16 had experienced more than one type of intimate violence. Men were less likely to have experienced multiple forms of intimate violence (33%). (Coleman et al. 2007) Serious sexual assault was most likely to be committed by someone known to the victim (89% of female and 83% of male victims). Just over half (54%) of female victims reported that a partner or ex-partner had been the offender. (Coleman et al. 2007). Women also suffer from non sexual family abuse (coleman at al.2007) Domestic violence has huge impact both physically ,psychologically, and health wise on both the women and their children A study of 200 womens experiences of domestic violence commissioned by Womens Aid, found that 60% of the women had left because they feared that they or their children would be killed by the perpetrator.(Humphreys Thiara, 2002). In the same study, 76% of separated women suffered post-separation violence, and more than half of those with post-separation child contact arrangements with an abusive ex-partner continued to have serious, ongoing problems with this contact (Humphreys and Thiara, 2002).There are a greater risk of homicide by these women at the point of separation or after leaving a violent partner. (Lees, 2000).A study showed that 42% of all female homicide victims, compared with 4% of male homicide victims, were killed by current or former partners in England and Wales in the year 2000/01. This equates to 102 women, an average of 2 women each week (Home Office, 2001). Domestic violence was found to be the single most quoted reason for becoming homeless(Cramer and Carter 2002) . Violence against women has serious consequences for their physical and mental health, and women who have experienced abuse from her partner may suffer from chronic health problems of various kinds. (Stark and Flitcraft, 1996; Williamson, 2000; British Medical Association, 1998; Crispand Stanko, 2001) Abused women are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, psychosomatic systems, eating problems and sexual dysfunction. Violence may also affect their reproductive health. (WHO,2000). 70% of incidents of domestic violence result in injury, (compared with 50% of incidents of acquaintance violence, 48% of stranger violence and 29% of mugging.) (Dodd et al., 2004) 75% of cases of domestic violence result in physical injury or mental health consequences to women. (Home Office, 2001) The cost of treating physical health of victims of domestic violence, (including hospital, GP, ambulance, prescriptions) is  £1,220,247,000, i.e. 3% of total NHS budget. (Walby, 2004) The cost of treati ng mental disorder due to domestic violence is  £176,000,000. (Walby,2004). Between 50% and 60% of women mental health service users have experienced domestic violence, and up to 20% will be experiencing current abuse. (Department of Health , 2003). Domestic violence has been identified as a prime cause of miscarriage or still-birth (Mezey, 1997), and of maternal deaths during childbirth (Lewis and Drife, 2001, 2005).Children are also hugely affected by domestic violence. At least 750,000 children a year witness domestic violence. (Department of Health, 2002). And Children who live with domestic violence are at increased risk of behavioural problems and emotional trauma, and mental health difficulties in adult life. ( Kolbo, et al., 1996; Morley and Mullender, 1994; Hester et al.,2000) Nearly three quarters of children on the at risk register live in households where domestic violence occurs and 52% of child protection cases involving domestic violence. (Department of Health , 200 2; Farmer and Owen, 1995). COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT/SUSTAINABILITY Community development means a community involvement that helps people to help themselves by encouraging them to be involved in collective activities to ultimately solve a mutual problem and aim towards achieving common goal (Gilchrist, 2007). Barr and Hashagen (2000) described community development as a agenda that comprise of processes like empowerment, learning, democracy and outcomes, backed up by good funding, staff, information, proper evaluation and dissemination. Some of the key Qualities of a good community development project as suggested by the Scottish Government (SE, 2004) are, community involvement, community learning and development; the use of knowledge, skills, strengthening and improving communities, people led development and the role of the individual partner in decision making. Improving public services and providing assess to main stream services for both the high and low socio economic class is also very important (SE, 2004). The resource center follows a commun ity development approach having the muslim women as the target community and their projects of have the above defined roles as they are all community led projects which eventually empowers the people of the community. it is service user positive and involves full participation from people of the community. they center has drop in sessions for clients during week days ,free access to computers and a resource library containing an expanding range of books, leaflets, magazines, on different topics especially on Islamic topics particularly Focused towards women. Information on services and resources in Glasgow and rest of Scotland is also available in the library. They center is managed by both staff and volunteers who give high quality service to the community and in return receive training, work experience, make New friends and often increase their confidence , skills and knowledge. The sustainability plan for mwrc appeared to rely on the sponsorship of the partner organizations for both the training and running of the organization. Gray, (2007) suggested that the potential to contribute to sustainability is by direct action and by setting good examples of practice especially in the area of accountability. The Resource center being totally a voluntary organization, receives funding from the council, Voluntary action fund, Scottish community foundation , Gannochy trust, Culture and sport Glasgow, and womens Fund for Scotland for sustainability. This sustainability arrangement is not strong as it relies on uncertain financial targets and a limited timeframe to achieve those (Gray, 2007) and could lead to the abrupt termination of projects once the funding is no more. HEALTH NEED ASSESSMENT Health need assessment offers a good take off point for a community development project in order to have targeted projects which are very beneficial to the people of the community and it also helps in preventing health inequality (Arblaster et al 1996). Billings (2002) described health need assessment as identification of factors that must be addressed in order to improve the health of the population and as suggested by Twinn et al(1990) involves the collection data to identify health need of the community and its analysis to prioritise strategies in health improvement. They Local population could be involved to discern for themselves what they consider their priority needs (Billing 2002). They involvement of the local community is commonly employed in community development projects to ensure that priority projects are carried out and also to tackle health inequality. Bidmead and Cowley(2005) also highlighted the importance of client/professional partnership towards promoting a fruitful health need assessment. In practice the theory of health need assessment was applied in the resource center which started its journey in 1997 and opened its doors to the public in April 2002. It is a Scottish charity run by women with the purpose of breaking down barriers and enabling Muslim women to participate in all aspect of society without having to compromise their belief and values. Following the health need assessment which was done through the involvement of the Muslim community, the vital needs and concern identified are Lack of knowledge of help available leading to poor take up of mainstream services by Muslim women in need, Lack of confidence that they mainstream services will be able to understand the issues affecting them and institutional discrimination preventing uptake of services, Increase in Islamophobia and fear of discrimination and harassment leading to decreasing interaction with mainstream society at all levels and most importantly Family and marriage problems. In order to address these concerns, they operate at three different levels,Working with policy makers and mainstream provider to overcome the barriers to civic participation and access to services; undertaking development work to build the confidence of Muslim women, address their issues and promote social cohesion and providing a range of direct helping services to women in a way that meets their specific needs .As highlighted by Bidmead and Cowley(2005) the services of trained volunteers were employed to further enhance the client/professional relationship thereby promoting better assessment. PARTNERSHIP Partnership is a very important concept in community development and public health as a whole as it underpins both public health policy and practice. It is an essential tool being employed to tackle the social model of health. it encourages community involvement and individual roles and helps to co-coordinate the group activity in order to avoid overlap (Warren et al 1974). El Ansari et al(2001) saw partnership as an official relationships among people who usually have same purposive goal while Hudson and Hardy(2001) identified that partnership may not only be official as it also occurs between professionals and non professionals existing either horizontally or vertically between levels(Powel and Exworthy 2002). Bidmead and Cowley(2005a) defined partnership as A Respectful ,negotiated way of working together that enables choices; participation, and equity within an honest, trusting relationship that is based in empathy, support and reciprocity. Though argued by Challis at el(1988) that partnership is word difficult to give helpful meaning in practice ,partnership could be seen as an effective relationship between clients and practitioner geared towards achieving an aim through collaboration and active involvement(Warren et al 1974). Partnership is currently been acknowledged in both government policy and practice(Scottish Executive1998;secretary of state for northern Ireland 1998;secretary of state wales 1998) as there is a limit to what an agency working alone on its own can achieve(Huxham and Macdonald 1999). Major advance in health involves improvement in all aspect of living both socially and economically(Mckeown,1976) and this is only achievable through collaborative efforts of individual, community, organizations and Government (WHO 1991). Barnes and Sullivan also argues that partnership is a major tool in tackling health inequality as it enables government resources to be appropriately and evenly distributed to both the the rich and the ethnic minority to improve health services. Davis and Fallowfield (1991) suggested that partnership improves professional contentment and reduces stress though for effectiveness aimed goals should be made clear and professional skill and knowledge upheld despite complimentary expertise of the community(Bidmead and Cowley 2005a) . Partnership though very beneficial is not without some pitfalls some of which are issues with co-ordination, joining up goals and policy, accountability and participation (Sullivan and skelcher 2002) .Douglas, (2009) feels that partnership working can leave participants confused and unclear about their role once there is lack of clear leadership, guidance and support..He also stated that infrastructure built around some individual in partnership goes down once the individuals are no more. The risks and negative aspect of partnership working include partnership overload and partnership fatigue, the potential for overdoing it; hence there should be a limit to the number that constitutes a workable partnership (Bamford et al, 2003).Baginsky (2007) feels that most partnerships lack clarity and consistency in use of eligible criteria and there is need for clarity of roles and assigning of responsibilities. Inter-organizational partnerships is been seen as the key to better partnerships(Hudson and Hardy 2002). Despite these pitfalls, development of partnership approaches is encouraged by policy makers and the Government in community development projects In Practice, there are evidences of application of theory of partnership for example in order to further achieve its aim, MWRC is actively involved in partnerships and Advisory groups to enable community cohesion, and overcome stereotypes and misunderstanding between communities. They partner with both the community, local agencies, the government and international bodies to encourage community participation and ensure that more need based projects are carried out. They issue brought up by Hudson and Hardy (2002) is also being applied by the resource center as they are involved in inter-organizational partnership. As stated by Huxham and Macdonald(1999) a lot of achievement was made by the resource center through their partnership with the Government and some local agencies. Self employment opportunity workshop was organized in partnership with and delivered by Business Gateway Glasgow aimed at sensitizing the women on the need to be self-employed to enable them to be financially dep endent. Money Advice workshops organized in partnership with Glasgow city Councils financial inclusion team provided information about financial issues with the aim of empowering women to allow them to deal with financial issues and difficulties. The participants found the workshop very informative and educating. Support was provided for the singe mothers through the Single mothers workshop organised in partnership with REED with the aim of encouraging single mothers into the work force. They Muslim and ethnic minority women were through the Steps to excellence for personal success a programme built around the core concept of the pacific institute affirmed of the right of all individuals to achieve their God given potentials and empower people through education and training to allow them to recognize their ability to choose growth ,personal freedom, and personal excellence. The effectiveness of partnership involvement and individual roles(warren at el 1974) were very evident in the practice of the resource center. Having discussed the theories of Community development projects, health need assessment and partnership with their application in practice, I would then discuss Health inequality, Monitoring and Evaluation. HEALTH INEQUALITY Health inequality has been a universal problem though Darey Smith et al (2001a) described it as inequality in health experienced by black and minority ethnic groups. Health inequality has long been associated with ethnicity and socio -economic statue(Acheson 1998:11). . The international community emphasizes the importance of tackling inequalities as a matter of urgency (WHO, 2005) Baggort(2000) described health inequality as the inequity or the inequality that are seen as being unfair. Health inequality is a major issue for public health practitioner working at the community level and efforts are made to indentify what can be done at the local level. Arblaster et al(1996) and Gillies (1998a,b) commented on the effectiveness of inter-sectorial partnership as a way of tackling health inequality. public health practitioners can facilitate partnership with relevant agencies for specific health need of the people as well as advocate for those needs (Roberts 2000).Lobbying of policy makers at all levels to influence health policies has also been seen as way of tacking health inequalities (muir Gray 2001) and the use of media has been found very effective(Chapman 2001).Advocacy and Lobbying is one of the tools employed in the resource center for example through Advocacy the provides a voice for Muslim women that contribute to the government consultations, policy, and Strategy in adult learning issues. The advocacy programmes include professional advocacy, face to face with the service user and ongoing advocacy in family issues. Also through representations in the learning link Scotland policy and Executive committee, awareness is being drawn to the needs and issues affecting Muslim women access to learning and education Roberts(2000) stated that involvement of the people of the community to identify their health need and taking action towards solution through development of healthy living projects help to tackle inequality as well as make people of the lower socio economic status and minority group have access to the health care. Patterson and Judge(2002) also suggested that referral systems in health care and home visiting are also very effective ways of reducing health inequality. In Practice, there are evidence of the huge effort made to prevent health inequality and increase the accessibility to health care by the ethnic minority especially the muslim women. Information, Advice-Free, confidential faith and culturally non judgmental information and advice on Domestic Abuse and family issues is provided primarily through drop in sessions and also by appointment. Service users initially receive assessment and help on their first visit and as encouraged by Patterson and Judge (2002) referrals are ma de with their agreement for other services in the main stream or elsewhere. The service is provided in the service user preferred language as most of the staff and volunteers are bilingual and interpreters are also available. The social model of health considers how wider determinants than the presence or absence of disease have an impact on peoples health (Dahlgren Whitehead, 1991, CDHN, 2005, Graham, 2007) hence the provision of other services to help increase the quality of life of the women. Such services are Counseling provided by trained volunteer counselors and counseling approach is used with the service users to enable them make informed decision and choices. For many women this helps them to talk through personal issues while also receiving practical help, and for majority of the clients the find this approach very appropriate. Formal counseling using person centered approach is also provided where necessary, Provision of Helpline and Help mail service to offer information, advice and a listening ear in a faith and culturally sensitive way. The Helpline operators speak English and also have available interpreters and they use various mediums to reach out to the most vulnerable and isolated Musl im women in Scotland to ensure equality in distribution of health care. They helpline staff continue to strive to work in partnership with both mainstream and private sector organization to ensure that the Muslim women are able to engage and voice out their needs in the society. They Help mail is a dedicated confidential email address available for women who would prefer the mail .its receives over 200 mails and its increasing becoming popular with agencies seeking advice and information on issues concerning Muslim women. And the Provision of friends and support to isolated, lonely and abused Muslim women who lack confidence to do things alone. A huge effort is being made to ensure that health inequality is prevented. MONITORING AND EVALUATION The input in the PPP Project, the process, impact and outcome of the programmes of they project is monitored and evaluated most especially through the response of the people regarding all the activities, workshops and seminars. Monitoring and Evaluation was a continuous process relying heavily on feedback from questionnaires. The MWRC used these questionnaires to form a framework for monitoring and evaluation. This method of evaluation is qualitative and when compared to the LEAP (Learning, Evaluation and Planning, 2008) model led by need, focused on outcomes, participation, partnership building and knowledge enhancing, it has some similarities though does not follow it completely. This form of evaluation also help to carefully monitor the projects progress while focusing on the relation between inputs, outputs and process (Hashagen and Susan,2007). This method of evaluation also enables the identification of additional outcomes as LEAP is a framework that is designed to enable posit ive planned change to be made to the needs that have been identified. It is outcome focused because the primary purpose of community lead development is to make a real, and measurable difference to the quality of personal and community lives. In practice, planning for change in response to the identified need was done and an outcome focused evaluation carried out to assess the success of the action plan. A focus on outcomes is essentially a focus on results. As Stated by the Scottish Government (2010) for the purposes of reliable evaluation, the connection between the need identified, the action taken and the outcome achieved should always be clear. Project report is also written and sent to the funders, and policy makers to show which aims and objectives that are achieved and the extent to which the achieved objectives lead to the desired outcome..A financial report is also written at the end of every year and sent to funders to show accountability and how cost effective the programmes were. Using the LEAP model of evaluation, indicators are used to measure whether outcomes were achieved and evidence collected as the project goes along and in comparison the MWRC evaluation ultimately followed similar guidelines . Also in comparison with the LEAP model Health risk assessment was done prior to the onset of the project to identify potential risks and hazards. Some of the disadvantages of this method of evaluation is in the area of cost effectiveness which only incorporates QALYs as the health related outcome measure (Powell, 2007) and this as suggested by Powell(2007) could affect the sustainability of the project. With this method of evaluation the outcomes measured are individualistic and could be influenced by bias and memory and the individuals cannot show the impact of the project on the community especially in a short timescale(Hashagen and Paxton,2007) They major limitations or challenges encountered in the project are; lack of Funding or funding ending and leading to end of a project, having to deal with immigration issues of most of the clients, languages barrier , and training of all the staff and volunteer but despite these challenges ,achievements were made over t

Free Essays - Jefferson’s Character in A Lesson Before Dying :: Lesson Before Dying Essays

Jefferson’s Character A Lesson Before Dying takes place in a small Louisiana Cajun community in the late 1940’s. In the novel, Jefferson, a young black man, is an unwitting party to a liquor store shoot out in which three men are killed; being the only survivor, he is convicted of a murder and sentenced to death. Jefferson’s personality and physical appearance in the novel provides not only a relationship to the courtroom and his cell, but also connected to the geographical setting of the book.   In the initial setting of the novel, Jefferson sits in a courtroom located in rural Louisiana, which is filled with anger , tension, isolation, and quietness from the people in the room. This setting of the book supports Jefferson’s personality in chapter 9 when Jefferson’s character is introduced. Jefferson’s cell could be considered the second setting or Jefferson’s setting in the book. Jefferson’s relationship to the courtroom (initial setting) supports Jefferson’s personality in the prison. He is isolated just like in the courtroom. â€Å" There was an empty cell between Jefferson and the rest of the prisoners† (Gaines 71). Jefferson’s cell was not only isolated like a courtroom in rural Louisiana, but quiet. â€Å"Jefferson’s been quiet . . . He didn’t answer† (71). Due to Jefferson’s isolation and quietness, he has built anger inside. An anger which had been building up since the courtroom conviction. â€Å"Nothing don’t matter,†he said, looking up at the ceiling.† (73) The first setting of the novel is similar to Jefferson’s cell setting. The three settings: the courtroom , location of the town, and prison all have similarities to Jefferson’s character traits. Theme: Jefferson’s character represents race the best. The opportunity for equal representation for the African Americans in the book is shown through Jefferson. There is a constant comparison and view of blacks vs. whites in the novel. â€Å" To show too much intelligence would have been an insult to them.† (47) The respect of race varied in the book, but at the end Jefferson’s character prevailed. The author summons the reader to confront the entire bitter history of black people in the South and America as a whole. The theme of race ties into the novel when the characters begin to declare the value of their lives in a time and place in which those lives seemingly count for nothing. Jefferson’s relationship to the theme in the novel only occurs

The Club :: essays research papers

In The Club, friendship and loyalty are forgotten. The characters in this play sneak around behind each other’s backs, trying to achieve one thing; they are trying to hold onto their position. They want to replace some members of the Club so that they can start a new and better club, without the interference of â€Å"busy-body’s†. Although Laurie shows loyalty to his team, and Ted shows loyalty to the club, Jock and Gerry are continually stabbing Laurie and Ted in the back. Gerry, the career administrator, seems to be on everybody’s side but he is actually the one who makes the bullets for all the other bunnies to fire. Ted, the Club president, means well but can’t help sticking his nose into other people’s business. Geoff is the new recruit and could not care less about the game of football. Laurie is the coach of the team and as they are not doing the best, he finds out that at the end of the play that he is going to be sacked. Danny is the captain and long-time club champion of the team. He too is about to get the axe after years of charitable service. And then there is Jock, who is an interfering ex-president. He is also the holder of the Club’s longest player record.  â€Å"Ted’s going to have to resign soon. He’s got himself into real trouble. I can guarantee that he won’t be around in a month or two.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  [Page 17]  â€Å"We’re not going to renew Laurie’s contract at the end of the year.†  â€Å"We’re going to try and not renew his contract at the end of the year.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  [Page 18] The above quotes show Gerry Cooper, the clever manipulator that he is, in action. First, Gerry talks to Laurie and tells him that Ted will have to resign soon. Laurie is unaware of the fact as to why he will have to resign but he knows that Ted is about to go bankrupt. Gerry leaves Laurie, leaving him thinking that he is safe and that Ted will go. The second quote shows Ted and Gerry talking. Ted tells Gerry that he does not want Laurie’s contract renewed at the end of the year. Gerry agrees with Ted by saying that he will try not to renew it, only after he told Laurie that Ted was going to have to resign. By now, Gerry has convinced Laurie that Ted will be quitting the club.

Explore how Jane Austen presents the themes of love and marriage in volume 1 of Pride and Prejudice Essay

â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.† The novel begins with a satirical quote, representing many people’s opinions on love and marriage at the time of writing. To many, marriage was a way of bettering themselves socially and economically, but seldom for happiness and love. Throughout the novel there are numerous and frequent references to this way of thinking, and Austen makes characters who think of love and marriage in this way appear ridiculous. One character made to look absurd is Mrs. Bennet. Most find her intolerable, and even her own daughters and husband are embarrassed by her regularly. In chapter one she says, â€Å"A single man of large fortune†¦ What a fine thing for our girls!† Nothing of Mr. Bingley’s character is mentioned, but the fact that he is wealthy seems reason enough for Mrs. Bennet to approve of him. As will be future explored, Mrs. Bennet is derided throughout the novel, clearly showing that Austen herself does not approve of her way of thinking, as it is centred around the material rather than being centred around love or moral reasons. Despite being under constant pressure from her mother, due to the details of the entailment on the Bennets’ estate, Jane Bennet desires to marry for love, and eventually does so. The ever-important matter of money, however, does lie at the back of her mind. In chapter four, Elizabeth says, â€Å"†¦I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person†. This suggests that Jane has courted men before, but they have either been lacking in character or in money, so she has not pursued their affections. In chapter four following the first ball a conversation between Jane and Elizabeth Bennet takes place. Rather than mentioning Bingley’s fortune, Jane states that she admirers him due to his being â€Å"sensible, good humoured, lively† and states that she has never seen such â€Å"happy manners†. Throughout the book Jane is described positively, which influences the reader to think highly of her and views on marrying for love as just. Elizabeth, too, is presented as sensible and likeable. Though she mentions that the moment she fell in love with Mr. Darcy was after â€Å"first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley†, she also mentions that she fell in love with him gradually, ensuring that his wealth was not the only factor taken in to account as she accepted his second proposal of marriage. Her primary interest seems to be in marrying for love, as she turned down a proposal from Mr. Collins which would have ensured her money, a home and a good reputation. With all of this taken into account, Eliza refuses due to Mr. Collins’ personality and the fact that she does not love him. In chapter nineteen Mr. Collins – another ridiculed character – makes his first proposal to Elizabeth. He makes it clear that he only makes the proposal due to Catherine DeBurgh’s advice. He also thinks it may benefit his happiness, though mentions nothing of hers. Much of the proposal is an insult to Miss Bennet as he retells Lady Catherine’s exact words (â€Å"let her be an active, useful person, not brought up too high†). Mr. Collins obviously does not love Elizabeth, nor is he pretending so. He seems to think that, due to the fact that he has good connections, Elizabeth would jump at the chance of marrying him. She refuses politely, yet Mr. Collins cannot see why she would refuse his offer. He is a prime example of someone who doesn’t think love is a necessity for a successful marriage. He sees his proposal as an honourable gesture; as a way to compensate the Bennet family for the fact that he shall inherit the house upon Mr. Bennetâ€⠄¢s death, but somewhat selfishly to better his own status and comfort. Soon after this, as Mr. Collins retreats with a slightly bruised ego, we learn that Miss Charlotte Lucas, a close friend of the Bennets, has accepted another proposal from Collins, presumably one of the same type. After Elizabeth confronts her on the news of their engagement Charlotte justifies her thoughts with the following: â€Å"I am not romantic†¦ I ask only a comfortable home†¦ connections, and situation in life, I am convinced my chance of happiness with him is fair, as most people can boast on entering the marriage state†. This, as well as her earlier comment relating to Jane â€Å"fixing† Mr. Bingley (almost as though discussing an animal, or assuming Bingley is ‘broken’ due to his being unmarried). Perhaps Charlotte only seeks the above, or perhaps she is worried about what her peers would say about her being unmarried at such an age. In this period in time, women were talked about if unmarried in their late twenties. Someone with an opposite view to Charlotte is Caroline Bingley. Where the Bennet sisters and Charlotte Lucas aim to marry high and ensure their financial security, Caroline seems to scorn them for wishing to do so. She disapproves of Jane and her brother’s relationship, which can be gathered from her trying to keep the fact that Jane was in London at the same time as her brother a secret. She seems convinced that her friends marrying anyone of a lower ‘rank’ would be shameful, and that anyone wishing to marry her brother of Mr. Darcy must be after their money. While chasing the hope of gaining a desirable social status and money, Caroline Bingley may well forget about love and, even if it ever came along, may well suppress it in hopes of something ‘better’. The issue of indipendence may also be one that Miss Bingley considers. She lives with her brother and has to ‘up and leave’ when he does so. The security and indipendence a marriage would bring is surely something she would have looked forward to. Her friend, Mr. Darcy, is well aware of women’s attitudes at the time. He even goes as far as to warn his best friend against Jane Bennet, as he fears that she doesn’t love Bingley as is only showing an interest in him for his wealth. This cynical attitude may have grown due to his pride and perhaps the effect of spending too much time with Charles Bingley’s sisters. This seems evermore the case when listening to the piano at Netherfield; he thinks to himself that it may become dangerous to pay too much attention to Lizzy. He makes it clear that he regards her of a lower class in his refused proposal (â€Å"He spoke well, but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed†¦ His sense of her inferiority – of its being a degradation – of the family obstacles.†) and is obviously concerned about other people’s opinions. Despite the fact that the story ends happily and both Elizabeth and Jane marry for love, the underlying theme of the novel is, predictably, pride and prejudice. Lydia, though eager to marry Wickham for love, runs the risk of being ostracised due to her living with him outside of wedlock. This, in turn, would ruin the reputation of her sisters. Despite being in love, would Darcy and Bingley want to get married to the siblings of a disgraced woman? If Darcy had not have been able to persuade Wickham to marry Lydia, would he in turn have abandoned Elizabeth? Though Austen strongly hints that she approves of marrying for love rather than money (through satirising some characters and not others), it is clear that reputation and etiquette were still as important, if not more important than love in one’s marriage.