thomas paine :: essays research papers

Thomas Paine was more than just a writer. He did many things in his life. He wrote pamphlets and books like the Common Sense, or African Slavery on America. He is still recognized for his writings today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737 in Thetford, England. He was the son of a farmer and corsetmaker. He went to a local school until the age of thirteen. We was forced to leave school so he could help his father at work. He went through many jobs, and felt unhappy at everyone he tried.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He went to sea at the age of nineteen. He traveled from place to place meeting many different people. He got married, but unfortunately she died a year later in 1760. He remarried in 1771. But again he was separated from her three years later. His appointment as excise collector in 1762 was lost in 1765 because of an improper entry report. ( Encyclopedia of World Biography, 66)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paine moved to America because of a London meeting with Benjamin Franklin. He got a job writing for a magazine called the Pennsylvania Magazine, and eventually became the editor. He wrote the Common Sense in 1776, about independence. It was a instantaneous success. It was even translated into German and printed in England, Scotland, Holland, and France. It sold 120,000 in just three months, and over six million today. It was said to get the people ready for the Declaration of Independence soon after.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the remainder of the Revolution he was with Washington’s soldiers. He wrote The Crisis which appeared between December 1776 and April 1783. Again he was Paine was know for his phrasemaking. In his later papers Paine attacked Tories, profiteers, inflationists, and counterfeiters. (Encyclopedia of World Biography, 66) On April 19, 1783, he concluded his Crisis series on a note of expectations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He lived quietly after the Revolution. He worked on several inventions, like a pierless iron bridge to cross the Schuylkill River. He wrote the Age of Reason, in 1794, which was a direct attack on the irrationality of religion and a defense of deism. Despite Paine’s belief in the Creator, it was suppressed in England.

Cognitive Dissonance Essay

Solving a cognitive dissonance is a good way to look at all your cards on the table, so to speak. The definition of cognitive dissonance is â€Å"A feeling of discomfort caused by a discrepancy between an attitude and a behavior or between two attitudes.† (S.Carpenter, K. Huffman 2010). This is means that cognitive dissonance is a problem that involves how you feel and what you are doing to cause the problem. For an example: a man has stolen a car. He feels upset that he has stolen the car but he is in desperate need of money. The man’s attitude is that stealing is wrong and his behavior is that he has stolen a car. To solve this cognitive dissonance, the man will have to either change his attitude (change his belief that stealing is wrong) or his behavior (Give back the car and never steal again). To solve cognitive dissonance you will have to, like I put it, put your cards on the table and resolve your problem(s). Like the stealing man I referenced, he noticed his problem was either his attitude for the whole thing or his behavior. To avoid cognitive dissonance, you can completely ignore the problem. Someone can be a doctor that chain smokes even though they have warned their patients of the dangers of smoking and completely ignore the attitude (guilt for being a hypocrite and endangering their own lives) and the behavior (smoking) and be a smoker without thinking anything wrong or good about it. One example of cognitive dissonance that happened to me is the first and only time I cheated on a test back in high school. I needed to pass an exam because I was out sick for a month and my grade was low. A student was selling the test answers for five dollars and I bought one. When I took the test, I was felt guilty for cheating. My attitude was that cheating was wrong yet my behavior was that I was cheating on my test. I choose to fix my attitude on the grounds of that I REALLY needed to pass the test with flying colors and I felt that studying wasn’t going to cut it. It turns out that the test answers were from the wrong test and everyone who bought the answers, like me, failed. Luckily the teacher hated the turn out so much that she allowed everyone to retake it. I got a 95% on my own. I never cheated again.

Family Curfews: Can Not Keep Teens Out of Trouble

Looking for freedom is human nature. Everyone wants to have his or her own space and time to manage. When you were a teenager, you sought for independence and tried to decide by yourself, but when you become a parent, can you still remember to let your children be free and have faith in them? Most parents will forget the feeling they experienced when they were teenagers and forgot to make the things right when they become moms or dads. They set a lot of rules at home for their kids and sometimes even strict family curfews. But do they work? Can they really keep teens out of trouble, or do they make it worse? Parents like to give curfews for their children like â€Å"you have to get home at XX time† and â€Å"you can not go anywhere without my permission,† etc. If they are grounded, they may resist it and get into trouble sometimes. In Irvine's (2009) article, she cites Sanchez's words that giving family curfews is like â€Å"putting a Band-Aid on the problem† (para. 25). You can not solve the problem your children have or prevent the trouble that may happen to them by setting curfews because curfews may cause computer game and pornography addictions, and family conflicts which is not good for building up the teens personality or keeping them healthy. Family curfews may lead to computer game addictions. If parents give their children curfews that they have to stay at home since a certain time, and because parents respect their privacy, teens may shut themselves in their rooms and do something that parents do not expect. In addition, teens all have their own computers nowadays, so it's easy for them to have computer game addictions. They will play online computer games just because they can not go out and play, and they do not have other things to do at home. That is a kind of trouble that could be brought on by curfews, and a lot of parents barely notice that their kids are having some serious problems. Computer game addiction is a terrible behavior because it is something unreal. Teens who like to play those games are always easy to be attracted by the fantasy world that built up in those games and they are more likely to ignore their studies, family and friends. Sometimes because they don't have a sense of achievement in their real life, they will lose themselves in the fictitious world where they can get a illusory sense of accomplishment. It's dangerous for teens to escape to the online world to compensate their frustration in reality and behave violently to which they learn from violent video games, and curfews give some teens excuses for staying at home and doing these â€Å"geek† things. There was a news report from Nan Fang Daily, and Li (2003) said that a 15 year-old boy, whose parents gave him a curfew, was led to a serious addiction of computer games. When the parents finally found out, they tried many ways to solve this problem, but the boy was so into it and could not help playing PC games. Eventually he ran away from home and never went back because he could not endure the double pressure from computer game addiction and from parents. That's clearly shows that curfews can not keep teens out of trouble, they can even bring them some severe problem, and computer game addiction is one of them. Just like computer game addiction, pornography addiction can be another bad behavior caused by family curfews. When teens are forced by parents to stay at home, they will find an outlet to vent their discontent, and they may indulge in pornography on the internet. Nowadays, it's easy for people to bump into some pornographic web sites unintentionally when they surf on the internet. Since teenagers are people that are always curious about everything, especially sex, it's more possible for them to take a look when they encounter those sites. Moreover, there are so many pornographic web sites on the internet, and people can easily open them, watch them, or even download them. For teens, these kinds of websites provide the exact knowledge that they yearn for. According to Family Safe Media (2001), the 12 to 17 year-old group is the main viewer who search porn online. So when they are ordered to be at home and are â€Å"working† with their computers, they may look at those sites and then are addicted to them. It's easy for them to want to experience the sensation of sex because their hormones rise which makes them be impulsive and passionate for sex, and it's possible for them to learn something wrong. There was a real story Mueller (2005) told about some 10 year-old boys who were from Christian families in which the parents were very strict and made a lot of rules. They were found having oral sex with one of their male classmates, which really shocked the parents. They learned to do it because one of them found a porn site on the internet and were quickly addicted to it. Then he searched for some more extreme sites and told his friends to watch and try to do what they saw on the show. This gives us an idea that if teens are restrained too much at home and spend a lot of time with themselves which is like giving them curfews, they may have computer addiction in pornography which is possible to put themselves in grave danger. Family curfews, moreover, can result in family conflicts. As we all know, teenagers easily become angry, insecure, confused, sensitive and impulsive. They tend to be more independent and have intense needs to be accepted by others. If there are strict parents in the families who give their children curfews all the time, their children will not listen but fight against them like Marmer said in Irvine's (2009) article, â€Å"If you keep telling kids ‘no' all the time and don't give them a ‘yes' part, they're going to rebel† (para. 8). There are a lot of families in which parents set many rules for the children that cause family conflicts. Teenagers who are experiencing adolescence possibly will have the reverse psychology towards parents. When parents gives curfews, some teens may argue for their rights of being independent and make deals with their parents in which case their reaction can be accepted, but others may challenge the parental authority. They probably become resentful and aggressive which may lead to quarreling or fighting with their parents, and they will be hostile and frustrated that could bring about cold war with their parents and result in running away from home or even committing suicide and some crimes eventually. Furthermore, because some teens are required to stay at home, they can not keep in touch with their friends or team members. They may become introverted, isolated, and negative when they interact with people, and they may become less active in both sports and social activities, which may have bad influences on their physical and psychological health. According to Fox News (2009), a 11 year-old New Mexico boy murdered his father with his father's rifle because his father was always very strict to him by giving severe curfews and sometimes punishments. That made the boy be angry and aggressive, feel depressed and neglected and want to rebel all the time which result in this astonishing consequence. This shows that curfews can cause family conflicts or even juvenile crimes by affecting teens' behavior and twisting teens' personality which will bring serious family or social issues. To conclude, we should not enforce family curfews on teens because they can not keep teens out of trouble, and they may bring more troubles instead. First, they may cause computer game addiction. If you keep your children at home, and then mind your own business and leave them with their computers in their rooms, they may become quickly addicted to computer ames rather than have social activities because they are stuck at home. Computer game addiction which can be caused by curfews is harmful for teens' growth. Second, family curfews can also lead to pornography addiction. When teens are forced to stay at home with their computer as company for them, they may easily indulge in pornography on the internet and this kind of curiosity may bring some dangerous problem which has a bad influence on the teens ' physical and psychological health. In addition, family curfews can result in serious family conflicts because teens are more likely to rebel when the parents set a lot of strict rules or prevent them from their friends. This may lead to severe conflicts between teens and parents that can result in terrible personal and social issues such as suicide and violent crime. Setting family curfews is not the best way to prevent teens from having trouble. What we need to do is communicate more with them and give wise advice in the appropriate moment like Berger said in Springen's (2010) article, â€Å"The teenager should have his own good sense to guide him when it is time to come home† (para. 11). Reference Family Safe Media. (2011). How to fight pornography. Retrieved (12/05/11) from http://familysafemedia. com/fight_the_porn_addiction. html Fox News. (2009, November 03). New Mexico boy charged with murder in father's death. Retrieved (12/05/11) from http://www. foxnews. com/story/0,2933,571527,00. html? test=latestnews Irvine, M. 2009, February 11). America's curfew debate. Retrieved (12/05/11) from http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2004/02/03/national/main597788. shtml Li, S. (2003, September 05). Computer game addiction: Who is responsible?. Retrieved (12/05/11) from http://gd. nfdaily. cn/content/2003-09/05/content_1520700. htm Mueller, W. (2005). Teens and pornography:always bad, getting worse. Retrieved (12/05/11) from h ttp://www. cpyu. org/Page. aspx? id=163417 Springen, K. (2010, September 17). Curfews: Yes or no?. Retrieved (12/05/11) from http://family. lifegoesstrong. com/curfews-yes-or-no

Analysis of Divisional Performance of Asian Paints Ltd

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY ASSIGNMENT ON ADVANCED COST ACCOUNTING ANALYSIS OF DIVISIONAL PERFORMANCE OF ASIAN PAINTS LTD SUBMITTED TO: -SUBMITTED BY: – DR. G. SHANMUGHASUNDARAM A. PURUSHOTHAMAN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR M. COM (BUSINESS FINANCE) DEPT. OF COMMERCE 2nd YEAR PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY REG. NUMBER: 11351059 INTRODUCTION DIVISIONAL PERFOMANCE OF COST CENTRE AND PROFIT CENTRE A profit centre is a unit of a company that generates revenue in excess of its expenses. The main aim of profit centre is to earn profit.The performance of profit centre is evaluated in terms of whether the centre has been achieved its budgeted profit A  cost centre  is a business unit that is only responsible for the  costs  that it incurs. The manager of a cost centre is not responsible for  revenue  generation or asset usage. The performance of a cost centre is usually evaluated through the comparison of  budgeted  to actual costs. The costs incu rred by a cost centre may be aggregated into a  cost pool  and allocated to other business units. Investment centre is responsible for both profit and investment.The investment centre manager has control over revenue, expenses and the amount invested in the current assets. The following are the techniques used to measure the divisional performance of cost centre and profit centre * Variance analysis * Profit * Return on investment * Market share COST PER UNIT: Cost refers to the total cost incurred for the production. So cost per unit refers to the cost incurred for producing 1 unit. Normally we used the below formula to calculate the cost per unit Cost/unit = total cost / No. of unit produced COST PER UNIT year| Production| Total expenses| COST PER UNIT| 008| 40946. 7| 559586| 0. 073173203| 2009| 50418. 7| 602922| 0. 083623918| 2010| 57937. 2| 732142| 0. 079133829| 2011| 72582. 9| 849056| 0. 085486587| Interpretation: The above table and chart shows the cost per unit of Asian p aints India ltd. They incurred highest cost per unit in the year 2011. This may because increasing the cost of raw material or other charges etc. It is better to have lower cost per unit because when cost per unit increases the total cost will increase. That in turn reduces the profitability of a firm. In the 2008 the firms have lower cost per unit of production compared to other years.So may be this year the profit is increased. The cost per unit is higher in the years 2011 and 2009. COST VARIANCE Cost variance (CV) is the amount of money that was actually spent on a project or a part of a project compared to the amount of work that was actually accomplished. Cost variance = Budgeted cost of work performed – The actual cost of work performed. YEAR| TOTAL COST| STANDARD| COST VARIANCE | DECISION| 2008| 40946. 7| 61276. 54| -20329. 84| A| 2009| 50418. 7| 61276. 54| -10857. 84| A| 2010| 57937. 2| 61276. 54| -3339. 34| A| 2011| 72582. 9| 61276. 54| 11306. 6| F| 2012| 84,497. 20| 61276. 54| 23220. 66| F| Interpretation: Here from 2008 to 2010 there is a favorable situation because in these years actual cost is less than standard cost. In 2011 and 2012 actual cost exceeds standard cost. That may be because of increase in the cost/unit in these years. SALES VARIANCE Sales variance is the difference between actual sales and budget sales. It is used to measure the performance of a sales function, and/or analyze business results to better understand market conditions. Sales variance = Actual sales – standard sales Segment 1= PaintYEAR| SALE| STANDARD| SALES VARIANCE| DECISION| 2008| 39062. 2| 51731. 3| -12669. 1| A| 2009| 48641. 9| 51731. 3| -3089. 4| A| 2010| 56135| 51731. 3| 4403. 7| F| 2011| 63086. 1| 51731. 3| 11354. 8| F| Segment 2= Others YEAR| SALE| STANDARD| SALES VARIANCE| DECISION| 2008| 1731. 7| 1717. 375| 14. 325| F| 2009| 1634. 5| 1717. 375| -82. 875| A| 2010| 1774| 1717. 375| 56. 625| A| 2011| 1729. 3| 1717. 375| 11. 925| A| TOTAL SALES VARI ANCE YEAR| TOTAL SALES| STANDARD| COST VARIANCE | DECISION| 2008| 40,946. 70| 62,655. 72| -21,709. 02| A| 2009| 50,418. 70| 62655. 72| -12,237. 02| A| 2010| 57,937. 0| 62655. 72| -4,718. 52| A| 2011| 72,582. 90| 62655. 72| 9,927. 18| F| 2012| 91,393. 10| 62655. 72| 28,737. 38| F| INTERPRETATION Sales variance is higher in the year 2012 which means that company sold more than standard sales in the year 2012. And the 2011 also have the favorable value but it is lower than 2012. From 2008 to 2010 company cannot sold more than standard sales. That is an unfavorable situation for the company. MARKET SHARE The percentage of an industry or market's total sales that is earned by a particular company over a specified time period is known as market share.Market share is calculated by taking the company's sales over the period and dividing it by the total sales of the industry over the same period. This metric is used to give a general idea of the size of a company to its market and its compet itors. Market share Year| Total sales| Industrial sales| Market share | 2008| 40,946. 70| 348047| 11. 76| 2009| 50,418. 70| 393266| 12. 82| 2010| 57,937. 20| 260717| 22. 22| 2011| 72,582. 90| 834703| 8. 70| 2012| 91,393. 10| 868,234. 00| 10. 53| Interpretation: Company has highest market share in the year 2010. It is decreased in the subsequent years may be because of increased price of the products.WORKING CAPITAL TURN OVER RATIO A measurement comparing the depletion of working capital  to the generation of sales over a given period called as working capital turn over ration. This  provides some useful information  as to how effectively a company is using  its working capital to generate sales. WORKING CAPITAL TURN OVER RATIO YEAR| TOTAL SALES| CURRENT ASSETS| CURRENT LIABILITIES| WC| WCTOR| 2008| 40,946. 70| 8,686. 30| 8018. 6| 667. 70| 61. 32| 2009| 50,418. 70| 10,403. 70| 7811. 4| 2,592. 30| 19. 45| 2010| 57,937. 20| 11,981. 00| 10588. 7| 1,392. 30| 41. 61| 2011| 72,582. 90| 15,475. 70| 11952. | 3,522. 90| 20. 60| 2012| 91,393. 10| 19,927. 70| 16008. 9| 3,918. 80| 23. 32| Interpretation: Here working capital ratio is higher in the year 2008. This means that company may have adequate working capital for their operation in 2008. Working capital to ratio is very lower in the subsequent years (i. e. 2009 to 2012), it shows that company is struggled with inadequacy of working capital in that years. INVENTORY TURN OVER RATIO Inventory Turnover Ratio is one of the efficiency ratios and measures the number of times, on average, the inventory is sold and replaced during the fiscal year.Inventory Turnover Ratio formula is: year| Total sales| opening stock| closing stock| Avg stock| ITOR| 2008| 40,946. 70| 40,946. 70 | 42,954. 70 | 41,950. 70 | 97. 61| 2009| 50,418. 70| 50,418. 70 | 52,427. 70 | 51,423. 20 | 98. 05| 2010| 57,937. 20| 57,937. 20 | 59,947. 20 | 58,942. 20 | 98. 29| 2011| 72,582. 90| 72,582. 90 | 74,593. 90 | 73,588. 40 | 98. 63| INTERPRETATIONA low inventory turnover ratio is a signal of inefficiency, since inventory usually has a rate of return of zero. It also implies either poor sales or excess inventory. A low turnover rate can indicate poor liquidity, possible overstocking, and obsolescence, but it may also reflect a planned inventory buildup in the case of material shortages or in anticipation of rapidly rising prices. In our case the 2008 has the lower turnover rate. A high inventory turnover ratio implies either strong sales or ineffective buying (the company buys too often in small quantities, therefore the buying price is higher).A high inventory turnover ratio can indicate better liquidity, but it can also indicate a shortage or inadequate inventory levels, which may lead to a loss in business. Here the years from 2009 to 2011 there is constant turnover rate. RETURN ON INVESTMENT A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an  investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different inves tments. The objective of every firm is to earn a satisfactory return on capital invested. This is the measure of success i. e. it shows the overall profitability of the firm. ROI = PAT/ cap. Employed YEAR| PBIT| CAPILAT EMPLOYED| ROI| 2008| 5925. | 9,285. 00| 63. 81583199| 2009| 6075. 9| 10,944. 70| 55. 51454128| 2010| 10526. 9| 15,572. 20| 67. 60059593| 2011| 11636. 7| 19,753. 20| 58. 91045501| 2012| 14,086. 30| 24,877. 80| 56. 62196818| INTERPRETATION The above table and chart implies us, The ROI is higher in the year 2008. The Company gets 63. 82% as return on investment. This may because; in this year company sold more than the standard sales. So return on investment is increased. Company received lowest ROI in the year 2009 CONCLUSION: The Asian paints ltd is having an indifferent performance levels, they have both positive and negative performance indicators.The sales variance is for the last two years is favorable for the company, and also all other indicators such as cost va riance favorable for the firm. Another thing is that market share of the company shows a decreasing trend due to decrease in sales. The inventory and working capital of the company is also not good. So it is important for the company to focus on to improve sales volume with higher turnover, better maintenance of working capital. And to try to get more return on investment by adopt necessary measure and techniques.

Songs of andrew lloyd webber Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Songs of andrew lloyd webber - Essay Example 2. Musicals are quite diverse thematically but all of them tell a story. No matter who are the main characters of these stories, they are about human relationships. Such themes as love, friendship, beauty, care or hatred often appear in his musicals. Even if to take Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, and Evita to compare, each of these musicals tells a story about human relationships and such themes are very engaging for spectators who find it easier to understand why their favorite character do what they do. 3. Originally, musicals are expected to be perceived as a whole, but they become so popular that people enjoy the songs apart from their original context. Songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber function successfully outside the shows; if one tries to find 10 essential pieces by Andrew Webber most of them will be taken out of different musicals. It happens because most people do not want to understand the lyrics; they simply enjoy the melody and want to listen. 4. The Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber as staged at the Ellen Eccles theater is a critical piece to discuss because it compiles the most successful hits by Webber in one show. At the same time, it ruins the full story of each hit and it might ruin the charm and the atmosphere of musical experience. People love songs from musicals by Webber so much that almost all of them who can sing believe that they must record at least of of their favorites and upload it on YouTube. However, one needs to remember that video does not render the same amount of emotions and energy compared to live performances. 5. My favorite song by Andrew Lloyd Webber is Phantom of the Opera. I love this song because I grew up with it. It has been popular since I remember myself and I could not resist its strong melody and emotional passages. This is a good example of how one man can change the world by doing good.

A French Joint Venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

A French Joint Venture - Essay Example well, French construction materials company restructured the loss-making state-owned Huaibei Mining Company (HMC) by entering into the joint venture in 1994 and turned the company as profit making company in 1999 by implementing various structural reforms in labor, production, technology, and marketing.(Goodall 103). Entering into joint venture will help to acquire innovative know-how and skills. When China opened its market in 1978, it has become most attractive land for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the whole globe. It is to be observed that three-fourths of FDI attracted by China took the shape of Joint ventures (JV’s). JV offers distinct advantages like reduction in costs. A foreign JV partner may offer capital by way of cash, technology, machinery, know-how whereas the Chinese partner may offer factory land, building, skilled workers, and machinery. Collaborating a joint venture with the state-owned enterprises (SOE’s) in China frequently has raised issues for foreign companies as SOE’s are the distinct form of business entity with a diverse cultural setting. There is less freedom for foreign investors in JV’s as foreign partners have to operate in co-operation with the local SOE’s. By opening the doors for foreign investors, China is transforming to market economy from the centrally planned economy or government controlled economy. Earlier in the joint venture, the HMC Management had failed to keep its promise of granting financial rewards for good performance by employees. As the result, employees lost their faith in the management. HMC HR function was found to be disassociated from business goals and acted only as policemen or administrative function. (Goodall 105). As such, in JV, Lafarge encountered higher extent of complexity due to socio-economic, cultural, political and institutional divergence involved.

Management 100 assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management 100 assessment - Essay Example To expedite training, several professional chefs and executive leadership will perform a series of training programs to familiarise the staff with Italian cooking procedures, ingredients lists and how to conform to Volare administrative guidelines. This report highlights the current political, legal, socio-cultural and technological environments in India as part of the business’ comprehensive SWOT analysis to determine whether India is actually a viable business opportunity. The report aims to identify the current business environment in India as well as offer recommendations as to how to proceed in this potential business expansion. India is a developing democracy led by the United Progressive Alliance, a regime in control by electoral process (accessdemocracy.org, 2007). This emerging democracy is similar to that of Australia in which the people are given significant freedoms and are not ruled by a governmental authority which demands subservience. Because there is no research evidence which suggests that there are on-going feuds between parties attempting to gain control over the country, Volare Restaurant will experience no business interruption due to violence or other negative consequences as a result of aggression. The government appears to be relatively stable overall. A great deal of India’s current economic success comes from foreign direct investment, suggesting a country which has very liberal policies regarding the expansion of foreign businesses into the country. India is a booming economy which has many sectors that are funded directly by different venture capitalists (Rangaswami, 2008), with no research evidence suggesting that government entities attempt to regulate the flow of international business into India. The lack of governmental regulation regarding new, international businesses represents a