Abolition Movement Essay

Nineteenth century America bore a perplexing set of movements. Most of which aimed largely to reform American society. At this era, America is redefining her identity. Such was a significant time for reformation movement to peak. The Temperance Movement, religious â€Å"Second Great Awakening† and Women’s Rights Movement are along some of the major efforts attempted to improve the nation and its people. Most important of all, the Abolition Movement, which the very foundation of freedom in America was redefined. The American abolition movement emerged in the early 1830’s as the by-product of â€Å"Second Great Awakening.†[1] Revivalistic tenets led the abolitionist to view slavery as a product of personal sin. They demand emancipation as the price of repentance.[2] This religious revival resulted to thousands of conversions to evangelical religions.[3] Slavery was one of the issues in America which most people sought to end. As early as 1688, the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, took a public stand against slavery.[4] Even though most quakers own slaves when they first came to America. William Buriling, Ralph Sandiford, Benhamin Lay, John Woolman and Anthony Benezet were among the society’s members who largely determined their policy. These people were the salient figures who primarily opposed slavery within the society. By late 1700s and 1800s, the Society of Friends declared their protest against slavery. Quakers opposed it on religious grounds. Others contended that slave owners violated the very principles that the Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence had established in 1776. Many religious figures had largely contributed to America’s history of slavery. One was Lyman Beecher, one of the country’s prominent nineteenth- century clergymen and a revivalist of Second Great Awakening.[5] Students of the school where Beecher became pastor, debated the issue on slavery and preferred to adopt abolitionism, which the board of the school opposed. In protest many students including Theodore Weld left the school.[6] Religion had intruded on slavery issues even during the establishment of Quakers. It is often said that this group have influence beyond their numbers. Through their social class and background, Quakers have shared an important role in forming America’s history as well as the society. In 1833, the American Anti-Slavery Society was established by William Lloyd Garisson[7] with fellow abolitionists Arthur Tappan, Lewis Tappan, and Theodore Dwight Weld. It attracted a crowd with lecturing agents, petition drives and a wide variety of printed materials, condemning slavery on moral grounds. The organization sent lecturers about the brutality of slavery across the North, including Ohio. Unfortunately, abolitionists’ appeal of emancipation were rejected by higher institutions as well as individual slave-owners. Some important figures in the emancipation in America were blacks, themselves. Most prominent black during the period started their journey from the oppression of slavery of the Southern states toward more desirable freedom enjoyed at Northern states. In this freedom, they did not grow complacent while their people and family still suffer from inflictions of the institution of slavery. The most famous of this divine ordeal was that of Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman[8] was a slave from Maryland. She suffered all her life from seizures, headaches and hypersomia having had knocked in the head with a heavy iron weight by a slave owner. In 1894 she escaped to Philadelphia where she met with William Still, the Philadelphia stationmaster on the underground railroad. Still, along with the Philadelphia Anti-slavery Society, enlightened Tubman of the workings of the underground railway. Eventually, she became a conductor for the underground railway. Dubbed as the â€Å"Moses of her people†, she helped provide safety and salvation to an approximately 300 slaves. She worked various jobs in order to finance her actives as a conductor. During the Civil War, she served as a soldier, spy and a nurse for the Union. Another women of considerable existence was Soujorner Truth. Truth had been born a slave from Ulster County, New York at a time wherein the state still permits slaves. The anti-slavery law of 1827 freed her from bondage. Her freedom prompt her to be an active abolitionist and a woman’s rights advocate. Truth became one of the most famous orator of her day. Her passion came from her desire to abolish slavery and help her fellow black. Her speeches against the evils of slavery â€Å"shamed many people who were apathetic and passive†. She also fights for women suffrage. Her speech, â€Å"Ain’t I, a Woman?†[9] was her legacy. The speech were made at 1851 Convention on Woman’s Rights after a clergyman remark women as â€Å"too weak and helpless†. Another individual of which probably had the greatest impact for the cause, was Frederick Douglass. Douglass was probably the most important black figure in the abolition of slavery. His accomplishment had impact America on a political scale. His reputation was in an international level. Douglass was born a slave in Maryland. He escaped from bondage and went to New Bedford with the help of a black navy named Ruggles. Although blacks are free in the city of New Bedford, it isn’t a paradise. Douglas observed the discrimination throughout the city.   He subscribed to an abolitionist paper the Liberator by William Lloyd Garrison. Through the Liberator, Douglass were introduced to abolitionist movements. Garrison eventually became his personal hero.   Later he became a member of American Anti-Slavery Society. On August of 1841, an abolitionist meeting took place at New Bedford. Garrison saw Douglass, and he eventually recognized the potential. Douglass became an agent for Garrison. He became a traveling lecturer â€Å"touring the Northern states to talk about his life and sell subscriptions to the Liberator†. The young Douglass â€Å"told stories of brutal beatings of slave owners to women, children and the elderly†. He told the story on how he broke the slave breaker Edward Covey[10]. He scorned clergyman â€Å"who warned slaves that they would be offending God if they disobeyed their masters†. He speaks of evil of masters breeding their female slaves. He grew in skill within his trade that people began doubting his credibility. â€Å"How can such a slave have such a commanding master of words?† they told themselves. This provoked Douglass into revealing his true identity through the disclosure of personal details. He published an autobiography entitled â€Å"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave† against the protest of his mentor Garisson and some co-abolitionists. The theme of the narrative is about moral force. â€Å"It is a story of triumph and dignity, courage and self-reliance over the evils of brutal, degrading slave system†. The narrative connotes the existing corruption in the human spirit that â€Å"robs both the master and slave of their freedom†. The book became popular in the North as well as in Europe. However, the Federal Law on fugitive slave threatened his freedom. The Law gave Thomas Auld the right to seize his property. The threat prompted his tour in London where he was later joined by Garisson and other abolitionist. August of 1846 at World Temperance Convention in London, Douglass attacked the American Temperance Movement. He felt that temperance activist were hostile to free blacks. Emancipation in Britain is still fresh among its people. In that regard Douglass felt little racial prejudice among the British. He carved connection among British and Europeans who were compassionate for the cause.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The tour â€Å"aroused goodwill for the abolitionist cause in the British Isle†. The success in Britain had propelled his reputation to an international level. Douglass established friends and supporters in Britain. In fact, it was his British friends who paid[11] the price of Douglass’ freedom in America. With his renewed freedom he went to Rochester, New York to settle. The town had reputation of being pro-abolition. The women were also active in fighting for their rights. In here, he established a new anti-slavery publication, named North Star, which was not supported by Garisson. With the North Star he no longer have to cling with white abolitionist group of   Garisson. The widening connection of Douglass open his mind to the political aspects of his cause. He began to question the Garissonian views. For Garisson, â€Å"abolishing slavery through violence is wrong†. Garisson believed he could convince the slave owners into giving up their slaves thus setting them free. A white militant named John Brown[12] helped convince Douglass that â€Å"pacifist means could not by themselves bring an end to slavery.† Douglass believed that the North would never abolish slavery if it could cause the break up of the Union and collapse of the Constitution. â€Å" He therefore decided that slavery would have to be ended through political reforms†. Tension began to rise when Douglass urged North Star reader to be politically active and be involved. The change in principle created factions within the abolitionist circle. He, however, did not allow such disputes to affect what he aspired to do. Douglass became one of the most prominent and respected black of his time. His actions and success boosted the confidence of the black abolitionist. He tried to establish a black vocational school. Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped to raise the fund. Furthermore, his Rochester home became the most important station on the underground railroad. He became the superintendent of the entire system in his area. The information regarding the evils of slavery are readily available due to hard work and perseverance of Frederick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison[13]. However, the popularity of these informations are confined within the anti-slavery circle. In line with this, a fictional novel of abolitionist nature was published entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The author was Harriet Beecher Stowe, an alleged daughter of Lyman Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin had been published by weekly installment in the National Era from summer of 1851 to spring of 1852. Nevertheless, its popularity was still within the abolitionist circle. Its popularity gained when the novel was published in full in 1852. Uncle Tom’s Cabin became the best selling fiction of its time. It is considered by many, as one of the most influential American works of fiction ever published. The fiction had made an impact on America’s inner inquiry and realization of identity and of morality.[14] The success of the novel were founded on Stowe’s humanization of the slaves. The fiction places the reader in frontal view of the barbarity and â€Å"inhuman disintegration of families† which existed in the slavery system. Mothers were portrayed in their most desolate state when their masters sell their babies to a slave trader. The fiction appeal to the Christian soul as Stowe embodied Christ to Uncle Tom which is a black dutiful, loyal and a forgiving slave. The works of fiction â€Å"arouse the antislavery sentiment in the North and provoke angry rebuttals in the South†. Oppositions of views paved the way to devisions. Slavery was no longer a problem of the south and it concerns the whole nation as a whole. The culmination of all these events leads to a bloody battle between the Union and the Confederate slave states. The Union was fighting for a unified nation. The Confederates, on the other hand, wants to separate from the Union in order to secure their rights to own slaves. This disparity brought America to Civil War from 1861 to 1865. It was this reason why Abraham has been quoted saying to Stowe â€Å"So this is the little lady who started this war.† The status of the South as an agricultural states contributed much to their dependencies on slaves. Slaves were utilized for their manual work on the fields and plantations. In contrast, the North are already being industrialized. Their production was dependent on factories and machineries. It was the bloodiest battle that took place in American soil. The Confederate eventually succumb to the much equip forces of the Union. It was very devastating era that Americans have gone through in order to bring about change which redefined freedom in their constitution. Emancipation of all slaves was decreed to slaves states after the Civil War The abolitionists had their victory through information dissemination. Victory was achieved through rallying speeches that awakened compassion and goodwill of humanity. The rallying cries of the oppressed accused passivity a crime. They have pressured those who claimed to be free to guard and fight for freedom. On the night of the proclamation, Douglass was quoted as saying â€Å"We were waiting and listening as for a bolt from the sky†¦we were watching†¦by the dim light of the stars for the dawn of a new day†¦we were longing for the answer to the agonizing prayers of centuries.†[15] WORKS CITED Scott, Donald. â€Å" Evangelicalism, Revivalism and the Second Great Awakening.† TeacherServe from the National Humanities Center. October 2000. Queens College. 18 April 2009. McKivigan, John. â€Å"A Brief History of the American Abolitionist Movement.† American Abolitionism. n.d. Indianapolis. 18 April 2009. â€Å"The Second Great Awakening and the Age of Reform.† Teach US History. 19 April 2009. http://www.religioustolerance.org/quaker1.htm â€Å"William L. Garrison.† Ohio History Central. 1 July 2005. A product of the Ohio Historical Society. 18 April 2009 Robinson, B.A. â€Å"Religious Society of Friends (Quakers): Quaker History†. Religious Tolerance. 7 February 2006. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 19 April 2009. Woodson, C.G. â€Å"Anthony Benezet.† Classics on American Slavery. 25 March 2003. Dinsmore Documentation. 19 April 2009. â€Å"Abolitionist.† Ohio History Central. 1 July 2005. A product of the Ohio Historical Society. 19 April 2009 Sassi, Jonathan. â€Å"Great Questions of National Morality.† Common Place. 9. 1. ( October 2008): 19 pars. 19 April 2009. â€Å"Lyman Beecher.† Ohio History Central. 1 July 2005. A product of the Ohio Historical Society. 19 April 2009 â€Å"Theodore Dwight Weld (1803-1895).† Forever Free.The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. 19 April 2009. â€Å"The Effect of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.† 123HelpMe.com. 18 Apr 2009 Thomas, Sandra. â€Å"Frederick Douglass:Abolitionist/Editor† 19 April 2009. â€Å"The Life of Harriet Tubman.† New York History Net. 20 February 2008. 19 April 2009 .

2008 Presidential Campaigns and the Internet Essay

In fairly recent times the Internet has gained vast importance for the dissemination of information to the public.   The numbers of users on the Internet have grown exponentially throughout the years.   Presidential candidates have always recognized this fact and have procured websites to establish their viewpoints and positions on issues as well as ask for donations.   An evaluation of the John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama website will demonstrate how the candidates react to their beliefs in how the public consumes information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   John McCain’s website is the first to be investigated.   His website is mainly around to cater to his core voters of the Republican Party, but no doubt he is also attempting to appeal to all American citizens.   The first thing a person will notice from McCain’s website is that once you initially travel to his webpage it will first go to an introduction page asking viewers to join his email group as well as a button to donate money to his campaign.   The website does not start out with positions on issues or contain endorsements etc.   It appears McCain’s ultimate goal at the start is to solicit money to further his campaign.   This introduction page shows an image of John McCain in black and white with a black background, and does not contain any images or colors of the United States. (http://www.johnmccain.com/landing/?sid=gorganic) This aspect of the website is peculiar because it introduces a solicitation right from the start.   It could make some readers of the site not want to endorse McCain, especially readers that have ventured to his site in order to learn more about his positions.   At the bottom of the donation page there is a small link that asks whether or not the reader wants to go to the actual John McCain website.   Once a reader of the site clicks on this link then the real presidential website begins to form.   McCain’s main site has three items of note.   First, there is a video link that summarizes McCain’s torture and imprisonment in a POW camp, and the video is called â€Å"Courageous Service.† (http://www.johnmccain.com/)   Three other links to the website are on this part of the page called â€Å"About John McCain,† â€Å"Why John McCain,† and â€Å"On the Issues.† (http://www.johnmccain.com/) These sections are a good addition to the website because it allows an investigation into the person, why he should be president, and his stand on the issues.   The reader does not have to search through the site to find a particular campaign issue or information about McCain.   It is all separated and easy to identify.   A section of rotating pictures is on this portion of the site as well that gives insight into campaign activities.   An important aspect of the website is that McCain included a petition for the housing crisis. The petition is little more than a show of support for McCain in dealing with the housing crisis instead of what a reader would think as a real petition to enact some type of legislation. (http://www.johnmccain.com/involving/petition.aspx?guid=cf43f8ff-0854-4735-8346-9e4d07582474)   McCain’s presidential campaign website shows his trials and tribulations as well as his strong points throughout.   It establishes what many would see as a strong man that sticks by his beliefs on issues and does not waiver in the face of dissension.   Altogether the website effectively establishes what McCain undoubtedly attempted to present to the public.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hillary Clinton’s website is similar to McCain’s in that it initially starts off with a donation page that appears to be separate from her main page. (https://contribute.hillaryclinton.com/donate-b.html?sc=a724)   However, Clinton’s donation page is different from McCain’s because it plays a video of her support and numerous members of a crowd cheering her name.   Unlike McCain, Clinton’s donation page and the rest of her main site is not dark, but is a light shade of blue. (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/splash/)   Once a reader clicks to her main site, they are met with another page that is asking the person to join her campaign as a member.   This appears to be the entire composition of her website, which is a little disappointing.   A prospective voter cannot visit her site and learn about her message or positions on issues. A viewer may overlook yet another link that will send the reader to the main site. (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/splash/)   On the main site it seems as though Clinton is concerned about winning the Texas delegation. (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/?splash=1) A logo pleads with the reader to help her win the state.   A spotlight section on the main site lists events such as winning a chance to meet Clinton and Elton John, veterans’ affairs, and an opinion from Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin.   A little section titled â€Å"The Hillary I know† will show some of her positions on issues, but the logo for the link is very small and is not a major part of the page.   This is in stark contrast to the organized sections of the McCain site.   Clinton’s site is more appealing to the eye, but it lacks the substance that McCain’s website contains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Barack Obama’s presidential website has the same introduction page as the other two, but this time Obama speaks directly to the visitor instead of showing some campaign activities.   In order to navigate Obama’s site, a user is required to register, however a reader can circumvent the registration process by merely typing in his main site and then visiting the sections on issues, learning about the candidate, etc. (http://my.barackobama.com/page/user/login?successurl=L3BhZ2UvZGFzaGJvYXJkL3ByaXZhdGU) This is a horrible concept for a website because it immediately will turn visitors away by making them think they need to register in order to learn more about the candidate.   Obama’s website is also in a light shade of blue similar to Clinton’s and offers many instances for a visitor to view videos and photos like the other campaign sites.   However, it appears that Obama’s website has the least amount of information available to a prospective voter, and thus is probably the worst website out of the three discussed. References Clinton, Hillary. (2008). HillaryClinton.com – Welcome. Retrieved March 25, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   HillaryClinton.com Website: http://www.hillaryclinton.com McCain, John. (2008). John McCain 2008 – John McCain for President. Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   March 25, 2008, from JohnMcCain.com Website: http://www.johnmccain.com Obama, Barack. (2008). Barack Obama : : Change we can believe in. Retrieved March   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   25, 2008, from BarackObama.com Website: http://www.barackobama.com

A Look At Johannes Itten English Literature Essay

A Look At Johannes Itten English Literature Essay The Bauhaus art connoisseur that I chose as a subject to study is Johannes Itten. He was a visionary color and art theorist who developed color wheel and stars which are widely studied by art students. He also delved into spiritual and psychological aspect of color. I feel deeply connected to his work as the first step towards understanding art is to understand color. I feel Johannes Itten’s simplistic approach towards embracing color and portraying his sensitivity in his artwork is quite palpable and that is the reason I feel the need to learn more about his artwork and color theories. Where are they located? When were they born? What was the world like when they were working? Johannes Itten was born on 11th Nov, 1888 in SÃ ¼dern-Lindern, Switzerland in a school teacher’s family. After realizing his passion for Arts he moved to Vienna for art studies in 1916 and then moved to Weimar in 1919 to teach in the Bauhaus. It was a competitive world when Johannes Itten lived . Europe was war trodden and people laid more emphasis on wages and savings then cultivating artistic aptitude. Although Johannes Itten somehow escaped the horrors of war, most of the artist, painters, architect during that period had to forcibly enrol in the war. In the art world people were sceptic of new ideas and that was one of the main reasons of his expulsion from the Bauhaus. Art and craft was thriving in that period and graphic designing grew bold with experiments in typography, calligraphy and photography etc which led to a sudden interest in graphic designing. Did they go to school? Where? What did they study? Since Johannes Itten was a teacher’s son he trained as a primary school teacher to pursue a career in the field. Itten however realized that teaching primary school was not his thing and that he has predilection for color and arts. Under parental pressure he decided to take Diploma in mathematics and science to teach at a secondary school, but not before taki ng a semester at Geneva Ecole des Beaux – Arts in Genf. It was after studying there that he realized his inclination towards arts. He then studied under Adolf HÃ ¶lzel in Stuttgart. After finishing his studies he moved to Vienna in 1916 where he met Walter Gropius in 1919 (founder of the Bauhaus) who extended him the invitation to lecture at the Bauhaus in Weimar. In 1926, however, after falling out with Gropius Walter, Johannes Itten established an art school in Berlin to train architects, artists, painters and photographers. From 1932 to 1938 Itten taught at the Krefeld School of Textile Design, where he edified industrial designers. He became the director of the Museum and Institute of Arts and Crafts in Zurich before retiring in 1955. Having being fully dedicated to the teaching institutes Itten never found much time to devote to his own creations until 1955, after retirement however he became more prolific then before. He died in Zurich in 1967. Can you define the desig ner’s philosophy in his/her work (i.e. did they follow or create a certain movement?) What type of work did they do?

Impact of the European Union on France Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Impact of the European Union on France - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that  the European Union (EU) is a political and economic federation comprising 27 member countries, and all of them design same policies for different areas. In 1993 the EU was formed with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, but later there was a great contribution from multiple European organizations, which led to the development of European Union. This represents an effort to bring forth unity in Europe encompassing various attempts of establishing unity through armed forces. France was one of the member nations involved in European Union. There were several criteria associated with joining the Union which were evaluated by the European Council country-wise.  This paper outlines that the major benefit of EU was that it focused on a stable democracy where one nation would not be unduly harmed by other nations. One European currency and economic integration proved to be primary goals of European Union. The research question for this particular study is – â€Å"what is the impact of Euro and EU on France in economical, social, political and cultural context.† This study will help to evaluate the positive and negative impacts created on France by European Union.  In the economic context the impact of EU and Euro on France would be analysed on the basis of GDP components, productivity, public finances, external trade and labour market. EU possessed GDP of 11,600 billion Euros and a total population of 500 million in 2006.

RUSSIAS'S GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS Term Paper

RUSSIAS'S GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS - Term Paper Example ts to demonstrate how political corruption impacts the judiciary and individual human rights in a transitioning state by drawing on the details of the Yukos company trials. Gorbachev’s new Russian economy gave way to several conglomerates known as the Financial-Industrial Groups (FIGs).4 The FIGs were engaged in the privatizing the Soviet Union’s economy.5 The Menatep Group, founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky was one of these business conglomerates.6 By the middle of the 1990s the Russian government made a decision to divest itself of its holdings in Yukos, an oil production company.7 Menatep obtained government approval for the purchase of Yukos and together with a number of commercial banks, individuals and companies placed a bid for 78 percent of Yokus’ shares.8 As a result of these efforts, Group Menatep which was controlled by Khodorkovsky was able to acquire Yukos for a sum equivalent to US$300M.9 By 1997, Menatep owned approximately 85 percent of Yukos’ share holdings.10 By the year 2001, Yukos had earned its place among the echelons of Russian oil industries as a giant, and was similarly recognized globally as a one of the world’s top private oil companies.11 With Mikhail Khodorkovsky at the helm, Yukos established a reputation for best global practices which included elements of transparency, efficiency, performance, valuable shareholdings and sound corporate governance.12 Political changes were taking place that would ultimately have a role to play in the Yukos trials that followed. When Vladamir Putin took office as Russia’s president successor to Boris Yeltsin, the colour of government-commercial relations would shift somewhat. Those changes would be reflected in Putin’s desire to restore the state’s power, despite his public manifestations of support for democratic evolution.13 Ultimately, Putin was predisposed to the adaptation of twin policies, the revival of the Russian economy and the strengthening of state power.14

American Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Government - Essay Example An objective that was clearly lived up to as far as the cultural will of the people is concerned; in the way America has more races of people that reside in the country than any other nation in the world. It is through the constitution that every culture and religion on earth has found a place in America and then had the ability to flourish; with individuals from various backgrounds and religions and cultures finding a place for themselves in the American way of life and hence the formulation of an American identity. Today however we look at the numerous ways in which the American Government falls short as far as reflecting the will of the American people globally and socially is concerned. If we look closely in the past decade there has been wide spread public cynicism as far as established political institutions and the government is concerned. With the most frequently occurring theme in the American political system being pointed out by critics being the obvious dismay of the Amer ican citizen as far as the government’s inability to perform is concerned. ... One might wonder what causes all this discontent as far as the social needs of the people are concerned. A key push that has driven the public to formulate the negative opinion as far as their effectiveness to represent the people is concerned is that of the new health care bill which excludes certain state members from paying the same taxes as the other states. If equality is a social obligation which the government stands to promote the health care bill clearly does not authenticate that line of thought (Mcdonald, 1999). Unemployment, according to the Fortune is right now the No.1 issue in America, with the unavailability of jobs being a key concern along with employer’s inability to find workers they want. Even then the government fails to address this issue when presenting their jobs agenda to the nation. This was seen as a key missing element in the American Jobs Act. A shocking perspective of this situation roots from three key reasons due to which the Defense Department has found about 75% of American citizens between the ages of 17 and 24 who are not qualified even to serve in armed forces being; inadequate education, criminality and physical unfitness. Three shocking aspects that further signify the failure of the American government to come up with effective education reforms, social controls and providing adequate health facilities. A society in which the basic needs of each individual are not lived up to leads to social deterioration and unrest of the community as a whole. The Pentagon highlights the fact that there are 26 million young adults who are incompetent, unhealthy and undereducated individuals to be able to live up to professional and technologically advanced requirements (Colvin, 2011). How then can the government live up to its ‘We

Nonconsequensialists and Consequensialists Essay

Nonconsequensialists and Consequensialists - Essay Example As in consequentialism, a consequentialist may argue that lying is wrong, and the reason he or she will gave is that it generates negative consequences or the results. But a consequentialist might allow this in some foreseeable consequences, and where lie is good enough, so people can lie in those situations. On the other hand a deontologist may argue that lying is always wrong, no matter what good it can bring to the liar. They will never allow this in any situation or the circumstances. G. E. M Anscombe, in 1958, came up with the term consequentilism first time in her essay "Modern Moral Philosophy". In her essay, she expressed what she thought as the major error of some moral theories, for example by Mill and Sidgwick. 1 The term, consequentilism became popular further and many authors used it in their writings. The ethical theories are sorted into two groups, one theory is regarding the wrong and right actions, and this is called consequentialist theory. The other theory is non-consequentialist theory; utilitarianism is an example of consequentialist theory. And that judgment in consequentiatlist theory is done by the rightness ad wrongness of any action and also the results of those acts. ... On the other hand, the non-consequentialist theory in ethics concludes the right or wrong acts not on the base of consequences but on their properties and attributes. Libertarians support this theory and believe that people should be free to do whatever they want to. If someone's action is hurting or harming other people than it does not mean that people should stop doing things on their own will. They should do what ever they want to but they should respect the privacy and freedom of others too, but should not hold back their actions only because of people. The major difference between consequentialist and non-consequentialist is the judgment of action and in consequentialist theory; the final conclusion is based upon the consequences and results whereas in non-consequentialists theory, it checks the nature of the action. What happens normally is that non-consequentialists limit the scope and range of facts, which should be reviewed to perform the right action. Non-consequentialists try to ignore the consequences, which is not actually possible and can create a lot of problems in future. So the non-consequentialist theory limits the range of considerations that could be used in determining the rightness and wrongness of any action. Though it is proved psychologically that the acts by people are limited because of many constraints, for example, time limit, finite processing capacities etc. So non-consequentialist ethics is suitable for the decision procedures, where the empirical restrictions are rationality talked about. Many philosophers agreed that non-consequentialist theory can be successful only after the proper judgment of

The economics of Exhaustible Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The economics of Exhaustible Resources - Essay Example This essay discusses that without a doubt, economists’ description of exhaustible resources is based on the prediction of production and price trajectories and the likelihood of resources exhaustion. This is because; exhaustible resources have limited life span considering the optimal exploitation of resources at the both individual and industrial level. As a result, focus on Harold Hotelling explanation on maintenance of exhaustible resources is based on the importance of sustainability of a production–consumption system as a way of controlling extinction of exhaustible natural resource without getting comparative advantage from it as compared to its future demand. More significantly, it is imperative for exploitation of non-renewable resource to be undertaken for the benefit of the people and a country’s economy considering the level of extinction and financial value derived. Considerably, it is essential to make decisions considering the economic models that f ocus on sustainable economic growth taking into account resource constraints. As a result, it is decisive to evaluate on whether or not it is viable to carry out exploration on the extent in which resource constraints can be overcome by substitution and technological change. Nonetheless, the influence of the extinction of natural non-renewable resources is focused on the current initial stock of the resource considering the amount of the resource to be extracted within different periods with the main aim being on the maximization of profits. (Hotelling 139). However, it is difficult for a country to avoid exploiting its exhaustible resources especially when there is a high demand for the commodity. More so, it is essential to consider that non-renewable resources provide a comparative advantage because countries could be the sole producers of valuable non-renewable resources. As a result, such country’s take advantage of their monopolistic position in the resource market, as it lacks competition in the production of the exhaustible resources thus, positioning itself strategically in the world market (Martinet 17). In addition, a country makes a decision on price that the exhaustible resource would be sold as it gains competitive advantage, when negotiating for the prices being the sole producers of such extinct natural resources like oil. Thus, the duty of a government is to create ways in which the non-renewable resources can be sold in the world market resulting in a country getting a chance to exploit the non-renewable resources it has by using the best-suited strategies of price maximization. Although, exhaustible resources bring international trading to a country it also creates issues in terms of international development in the world. More so, exhaustible resources are predicted by production and price trajectories thus it becomes difficult for countries to make viable decisions considering the fact that the resources become scarce leading to inc rease in prices of non-renewable resources. However, such decisions of taking advantage of the prevailing high prices does not take into consideration the international development issues including effects resulting from the extinction of most of the natural resources that are in the risk of extinction because they are non-renewable (Solow & Wan 360). More significantly, the dominance in the monopolistic market of different natural resources have seen organizations that are establish by countries join to create a common stand in the provision of higher prices of the exhaustible resource they produce. For example, oil producing and exporting countries (OPEC) that deals with the oil

Racism Still Exists in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Racism Still Exists in America - Essay Example Facts about racism would be well understood among the Americans if it would be considered for what it really is; an institutional ideology, according to CNN which reported that â€Å"racism is like a virus that has mutated into a new form that we don’t recognize†. There is more to racism than personal hatred. It refers to the belief that a group of people, identified by unique biological make up are superior to other groups with different biological make up. The President of Catholic Charities USA, Synder further indicates that racism refers to â€Å"unearned advantage, conferred dominance, and invisible privilege enjoyed by white Americans, to the detriment, burden, and disadvantage of people of color† (8). The superior group would thus be allowed to rule economically and socially over the groups considered to be weaker. The situation has been made worse in America due to the many action plans that have been started in the recent past to fight racism in the country. Since the times of Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 to the 1965 Selma March led by Martin Luther King, the relations were assumed to be headed towards improvement. With every move forward, the country appeared to be moving backwards in achieving genuine racial reconciliation. In the 20th Century, racism was mainly between the Blacks and the Whites. However, with the immigration of people from different parts of the world into the country, racism now includes hostility among people from different cultures.... Effects of racism Synder (11) acknowledges that the privileged status of being white did not just happen accidentally. This had been constructed through time, through social policies, procedures and institutions which deliberately developed a system that promoted the white Americans’ welfare while greatly hindering opportunities for people of color. Racism has caused people from other cultures in America to despise their own cultures in favor of Americanism. Alvarez (37) describes her personal experience in America, having emigrated from Dominican Republic where beauty was synonymous with all women. In America, however, beauty was reserved for American girls only. Women from other races would not enjoy what Synders (5) describes as white privileges but would always be socially discriminated due to their different biological traits. This was well demonstrated with the airing of Miss America beauty pageant where Julia Alvarez and her sisters were portrayed to admire being Americ an girls to be considered beautiful. The beauty pageant show presented Americanism as desirable and made people from other races appreciate the American blue eyes and blonde hair while despising their biological traits. Such discrimination in beauty contests enhanced racism in the American society. Among the major indications of racism, or otherwise white privilege include economic advantage which has been reserved for the white Americans through public policy and also through political power over years. Racism results into economic burden and disadvantages people of color. Take for instance the institution of slavery. Slavery was just a means to exploit labor where African slaves would be used to create

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 3

Operations Management - Essay Example For Nestle S.A, a Swiss multinational nutritional and health-related goods provider and the largest food company in the world, it is essential to realize the importance of operations management, of its strategies and directions. Proper operations management will allow the company to satisfy the requirements of its customers, develop intrinsic capabilities for the long-term success, understand where it should locate its resources and expand them accordingly, develop relationships with other organizations and invest the proper type of technology in the development of its business operations. Founded more that hundred years ago, today Nestle attracts customers all around the world with the variety of such products as baby food, bottled water, breakfast and cereals, coffee products, confectionery and dairy products, snacks and pet food. Being the largest food company across the globe, Nestle finds it more important to be the world’s leading food company. However, constant changes in the global market require the company to achieve efficiency in its products and service operations in order to stay commercially viable. The following paper will critically assess the operational methods and strategies adopted by Nestle; it will identify what the operations objectives are and then suggest the sort of process that should be operating. For the purpose of proposing the improvement for the operations of the company, certain recommendations will be gives as well. There is no organization that can plan its future actions with every detail it expects. However, what all business need is the strategic direction to what it will move forward. Whether the operations function is realized by the company, it needs to form a set of business principle and rules that will be guided by the decision making process. The most important feature of the operations of a particular company is the aligning of its activities with the overall strategy of the organization

Actus Reus Notes Essay Example for Free

Actus Reus Notes Essay Provides a link between the initial act of the D and the prohibited consequence that has occurred. It forms part of the AR: It is not enough that the prohibited consequences has occurred, it must be caused by the D. * Established by a two-stage test: 1. Factual causation: Only basis, establish a prelimartary connection between act and consequences D’s act must be a sine qua non of the prohibited consequence(consequences would not have occurred without the D’s action) ’But for’ the D’s action, the consequences would not have occurred Case: White : D wanted to kill her mother with a poison drink but the mother die before the poison drink took effect. LP: The D’s mother would have died anyway but for D’s action, thus he is not the factual cause of death, but he is charged with attempted murder. 2. Legal causation: Chooses the blameworthy a. Case: Pagett To avoid arrest, D used his girlfriend as a shield and firmed at armed police. The police fired back and killed the girl. LP: D’s act need not to be the sole cause of death provided it is a cause that has ‘contributed significantly to the result’ as he sets in motion the chain of events that led to death and it was foreseeable that the police would fire back. D is the most blameworthy Intervening Act: Something that occurs after the D’s act that breaks the chain of causation and relieves the D’s responsibility for the prohibited consequences. Circumstances will only break the chain of causation if they are: a) An overwhelming cause of death b) An unforeseeable occurrence Case that BREAK the chain: Jordan: D stabbed the victim and his wound was healed by the time V arrived to the hospital but he died following an allergic reaction to the drugs given by the hospital. LP: D not liable as the original wound was healed and the treatment was ‘PALPABLY WRONG’ (Obvious) to break the chain of causation. Case that DOESN’T BREAK the chain: Cheshire: D shot the victim in the leg and stomach, where when in hospital V suffered from respiratory complications and die after an operation that the hospital performed a poor standard of care and failed to recognise his wounds. LP: The need for operation flowed from the D’s original act thus he remained liable, the treatment has to be ‘PALPABLY WRONG’ (obvious) to break the chain of causation. Intervening Act falls into 3 categories: 1. Acts of the Victim 2. Acts of Third Parties 3. Naturally Occurring events 1. Acts of the Victim Roberts: D interfered the V’s clothing in the car, causing the V to jump from the moving vehicle and resulted in serious injuries from the fall. LP: It was foreseeable that the victim would have attempted to escape and could be injured in doing so. Chain of causation will only be broken if the V’s action is extreme and unforeseeable. *Only EXTREME ACTS would break it? Consider Thin-Skull rule: *Thin-Skull Rule: EXCEPTION to the rule that D is only liable to the foreseeable consequences of his actions D is liable for the full extent of V’s injuries even if, due to some pre-exisitng condition, the V suffers greater harm as a result of the D’s action than the ‘ordinary’ V would suffer. Cases: Blaue D stabbed the V and punctured her lung, but V refused a blood transfusion as it was contrary to her religion, resulting in death. LP: D convicted of manslaughter as it was held that the rule was not limited to physical conditions but included an individual’s psychological make-up and beliefs. 2. Act of Third Parties Consider: 1. Significance of their contribution 2. Action is foreseeable? 3. Naturally-occurring events * Omissions: Liability only necessary if there is no culpable positive act. Statute: A duty of act only imposed by statute in a narrow range Contract: Case: Pittwood D contracted to monitor the crossing gates so no one is harmed by the train. He failed to close the gates and V was killed by the train. LP: A person under contract will be liable for the harmful consequences of his failure to perform his contractual obligation. This duty extends to those reasonably affected by omission, not just the other party to the contract. Special relationship Case: Gibbins and Procotor First D(Father) failed to provide food to his child who was starved to death. His liability was based upon his omission to fulfil the duty established by the special relationship of father/child. (The case continued:) Voluntary assumption of care Second D(Partner of the father): liable not based on the nature of relationship but because she had previously fed the child but had ceased to do so. * A Person cannot cast off duty to act that the voluntary assumption of care imposes. Dangerous situation Case: Miller D fell asleep while smoking a cigarette. It triggers the mat on fire, but when the D woke up he did nothing to save the fire but move to another spot to sleep. The House was damaged as a result. D argued that his mens rea was not developed at the time the actua reas of the event, dropping the cigarette, occurred. LP: D has created a dangerous situation which he then has the duty to save the fire. * MR arises and coincides with continuing AR. He was liable.

How to read newspaper Essay Example for Free

How to read newspaper Essay Divide it into three main portions MCQs National Issues International Issues MCQS This portion will be reserved for sifting material for MCQs of current affairs paper. Following are key areas for MCQs Names of Presidents , Prime Ministers and other heads of states of key countries Capital cities of the important countries of the world Heads of international organizations such as World Bank , IMF , ADB etc News agencies Currencies Major international events Major international sports events etc Make sub sections of various national issues confronting Pakistan that are likely to be asked in the forthcoming CSS examination. For Example Balochistan issue Water crisis Energy crisis Sustainability of economy Terrorism NFC award etc Make sub sections of various international issues confronting the world that are likely to be asked in the forthcoming CSS examination. For Example Iraq Iran Atgnanistan Palestine China supremacy Rise of Russia etc For reading purpose we can divide newspaper (here from newspaper we will assume DAWN) in four sections I-Main page 2-Editorial page 3-World in focus 4-0ther special editions Main Page Keeping in view above sections, have a look at the main page and read those pieces f news which are related to the above issues only. If there is any major or important development in those issues than note down in the relevant section only the development not the whole story. If there is no news related to any of the above issue than those who have recently started reading newspaper should read at least one piece of news from main page. Editorial Page Having cursory look at other pages, move on to the editorial page. Editorials are a MUST DAILY read. Read main article for two months continuously if you are a fresh reader, than you may skip if you feel like it being the repetition. Similarly, note down the important facts of the issues in their respective sections. World in Focus In this section the writers are mostly foreigners. Their style of writing and the way of looking at various issues is worth noting. Study at least one. Note down the way they take up and analyze the issue. Other special editions Do read following One article from Business Review on every Monday One article from Encounter on every Saturday. From Science dot com, any thing related to EDS directly. Sunday magazine any thing useful for any subject of CSS Friday feature is a MUST read on every Friday.

Avivas Services Marketing Mix Marketing Essay

Avivas Services Marketing Mix Marketing Essay This report will be looking at the services which Aviva provides and how the services the business offer differ from a typical manufacturing firm. Looking at the theoretical issues of intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability and perishability which affect the various elements of the services marketing mix of Avivas products provided to their customers. Company Introduction Aviva is the sixth-largest insurance group in the world. It has a turnover of over  £47.1 billion. Aviva provides more than 44.5 million customers with insurance, savings and investment products. They are one of Europes leading providers of Car insurance, Motor insurance, Life insurance, Home insurance, Health insurance, Travel insurance, Personal accident insurance, Pet insurance and Business insurance. Avivas main activities are the provision of general and life insurance, long-term savings products and fund management services. The group has around 36,600 employees,  £379 billion of assets under management and 43 million customers. Avivas Principal subsidiaries are: Aviva Life Pensions, investments, Life Insurance and long term savings (formerly Norwich Union) Aviva Insurance General Insurance Aviva Investors Fund Management (formerly Morley Fund Management) Aviva is ranked as one of the UKs top 10 most valuable brands in 2012 and has been voted the UKs top life, general and health insurer by insurance intermediaries. Aviva aims for superior long-term investment performance and it is UKs one of the most financially strong investment company. Aviva provides an extensive range of value-for-money, good quality products investments, retirement, protection and healthcare designed and changing to meet your needs, both now and in the future. Aviva was created by a merger of two British insurance firms, Norwich Union and CGU plc. In October 2009 the company decided to focus on its commercial insurance sector and demonstrate its commitment to brokers by launching their find a broker facility, using the British Insurance Brokers Association search engine. To help them with this endeavour, Paul Whitehouse was recruited to play the part of a successful hairdresser running three salons. The message of the campaign focused on business insurance through insurance brokers. The closing line of the campaign was Were in business to keep you in business. The Marketing Mix Marketing is the ability of an organisation to provide the right product, at the right price, via the right outlets and presented in the correct way . In addition to product, price, place and promotion, services marketing calls for three additional Ps people, processes and physical evidence. The idea of classification affecting the marketing mix often expands our understanding of the marketing mix itself. For example excluding product classifications such as tangibility, reputation, heterogeneity, inseparability, perish-ability and ownership which are associated with service, we can look at the marketing mix as simply four Ps: The product, the price, the place, and the promotion. This initial idea of a marketing mix originated in the 1960s when developed by Neil Borden in his book: The Concept of the Marketing Mix (Borden, 1965) In this article Borden lists various elements of the marketing mix for manufacturers, twelve in total, stating the list can be long or short depending on how far one wishes to go in his classification and sub-classification of the marketing procedures. From this list has derived the four Ps of the marketing mix we know today. These four Ps make up the raw product without any service factor, the actual product, where it is sold, the promotion to the target consumer and the selling price. There is arguably no evidence to show any kind of customer service in the four Ps marketing mix, can be thought of as distinctly producer-orientated. (Kotler, Armstrong, Harker, Brennan, 2009) Product Distinctions Theoretical issues of Intangibility, Heterogeneity, Inseparability and Perishability are as follows Intangibility is a unique characteristic of service which cannot be seen physically, felt, tasted or touched as physical goods are. For example when we watch a movie in the theatre, we are entertained by watching it. Entertainment is the output of the service that is delivered. Issues caused by intangibility are Lack of service inventories: Services cannot be stored as the physical goods are. Lack of patent protection: As services are intangible, they cannot be patent protected as the physical goods are. Service offered by one firm can be also offered by other company in different way. Difficulty in communicating services: Goods can be physically displayed, but whereas services are not physically shown to customers. Its hard for the companies to convince the customer to buy make the products that are offered as services. E.g. Insurance Difficulty in pricing services: Services offered by companies differ and no two services can be same as customers needs are different. Services are customised and hence tend to have fixed pricing. Heterogeneity is a unique characteristic of service that reflects the difference in the service that is provided from one customer to other customer. For example when a customer goes to a restaurant and ordered food would be different kind from the other customer and no customers experience is the same. Similarly no ones custom made jewellery looks alike as its unique to the customers requirements. Issues caused by heterogeneity Service standardization and quality control are difficult to achieve Services provided by different providers within the same location tend to be same. Mood and skills of a single provider differ from day-to-day Inseparability is a unique characteristic of service which displays the association between the people or company which provides service and the person who is engaged in receiving the service and also other customers who are indirectly or directly getting the knowledge. For example when a customer wants to take an internet connection, the sales team of the internet company need not interact face to face with the customer to give the information about the product. But whereas in a production process like Saloon, the customer has to be physically present to get his hair cut. Issues caused by inseparability Physical connection of the service provider to the service: In order to provide the service to the customer, the service provider has to be physically present and Face-to-face interaction with customers makes employees satisfaction critical when they are not able to provide proper guidance to customers. Involvement of the customer in the production processes: Customers involvement may vary according to the requirement that the customer be physically present to receive the service, i.e. for a dental service, customer has to be physically present in order to solve his or her problem related to teeth. Involvement of other customers in the production process: Customers presence is required in some service and some customers often share a common service experience and that shared experience can be negative or positive depending upon the experience the customer gets out of the service he has received. Perishability is a unique characteristic of service in which the service cannot be saved. Unused services cannot be reserved or neither can be inventoried. For example seats in a theatre can be inventoried for a period of time before the purchase of the ticket and cannot be inventoried after the show is finished. Another example of perishability is fresh meat, it can be stored for certain time period but once it sold it is completely perished. Issues caused by Perishability Matching supply and demand is a major challenge for the service provider, if there is a higher demand of service, than service providers tend to make the supply of the service maximum. When there is a higher demand, than the service provider gives optimal supply level. Avivas services marketing mix Product There is no point in developing a product or service that no one wants to buy. Companies try to find out what the customers need and then develop the right product that attracts customers. A produce is we produce. If we produce goods it means tangible product and when we produce or generate services, it means intangible service product. A product is what a seller sells and what buyer buys. Thus, Aviva provides insurance services and therefore insurance services are their products. Aviva is the leading company offering insurance services to the users. Apart from offering life insurance policies, they also offer underwriting and consulting services. When a person or an organisation buys an Insurance policy from Aviva, he buys a policy along with it the assistance and the prestige of the insurance company and the facilities of claims and compensation. It is natural that the customers expect a reasonable return for their investment and Aviva as insurance company wants to maximize their profitability. Aviva would have intangibility issue as the company can introduce new insurance scheme which would give the customer the advantage of having to take single insurance policy for the whole family. The company can protect the product brand but it cannot restrict other insurance companies to come up with similar scheme with a different name, hence there is lack of patent protection. The company provides different schemes according to the customers needs and the pricing of the insurance is not the same for every customer. Pricing A product is only worth what customers are prepared to pay for it and the price needs to be competitive. In insurance business the pricing decisions are concerned with the premium charged against the policies that a customer would take and also interest is charged for defaulting the payment of premium. The factors that Aviva uses for determining the premium rates under a life insurance plan are mortality, expense and interest. The premium rates are revised if there are any significant changes like Mortality: When deciding upon the pricing strategy the average rate of mortality is one of the main considerations that it takes in to care. Expenses: The cost of processing, commission to agents, reinsurance companies as well as registration are all incorporated into the cost of instalments, premium sum and forms the integral part of the pricing strategy. Interest: Rate of interest is one of the major factors which determine if the customers willingness to invest in insurance. Customers will not be willing to put their funds to invest in insurance if the interest rates provided by financial institutions are much greater than the perceived returns from the insurance premiums. Aviva would have intangibility issue in pricing, Aviva provides different kinds of insurances. Customers tend to choose which product they would want to opt and as insurance is not same for all the customers the price varies depending on the premium and the term that a customer is will to go for. Hence pricing the service plays a major role in Aviva. Place The place where customers buy a product must be appropriate and convenient for the customer and the product must be available in the right place at the right time. Place plays an important role at Aviva. It has branches all over the UK and also has insurance agents in order to offer the services. This helps the company to process the services to the end-user so that the gap between services that are promised and services that are offered is bridged over. Aviva also offers customers to apply for policies online. This helps the customers to get their insurance without going to the branch or to contact agent and saves customers time. Aviva would have inseparability issues, if a customer wants to take insurance he has to get in touch with the staff and get the information needed to choose the right kind of product he wants. Aviva should have more dedicated advisers to educate the customers for taking insurance and explaining the benefits of having insurance from their company . Promotion Promotion is the way a company communicates what it does and what it offers to the customers. Good promotion is necessary for a company to have better income and it also shows what advantages the customers get when they choose their services. Aviva promotes its services by advertising in television ads, radio and billboards. This helps Aviva to boost its sales. It also provides loyalty discounts to existing customers which helps the company to attract new customers by word of mouth. The company also uses direct mail and online campaigns to target new customers. Aviva also offers special promotional deals which help the company to get new customers who wish to switch from an existing insurance company. When it comes to promotion, Aviva would have heterogeneity and intangibility issues as no customer would have the same kind of policy. Insurance policy depends on various factors like age , health etc. so the company has to customise the policy according to the customer needs so that they could attract more customers. The company gives promotional offers to customers which are intangibility in nature and this makes it hard for the company to actually convince the customer to take their service as they are not physical products which a customer can feel. People Anyone who comes in contact with customers will make an impression and it might have positive or negative. It is out most important for a company to ensure that all employees who have contact with customers are properly trained and also should have right kind of people for the job. Understanding the customer better allows designing appropriate products. Aviva being a service industry and involves a high level of people interaction, Aviva makes sure that all its staff is given regular training so that they can maintain strong relationships with the customers. They have 24 hour helpline with multi-lingual staff to answer customer queries regarding them policies or any other service related issues. When it comes to people, Aviva would have perishability issue. If a customer is not happy with the service that the company is providing then he tend to look for better services that other company offers. Employees should make sure that they understand what the customer issues are and try to help them out so that they dont loose the customer. Process The process of giving a service to a customer is crucial in terms of customer satisfaction such as waiting times, the information given to customers and the way the staff helps the customers are important for a company to keep the customers happy. Customers are not interested in the detail of how the business runs. Avivas process is customer friendly. They advise customers about the products that they offer and tell the customers which product is best suited. Aviva has the reputation of speed and accuracy of payment. Their processing method is easy and convenient to the customers. The instalment schemes they provide cater to the ever growing demands of the customers. They provide different schemes to cater the demand of customers who wish to go for the service. The IT Data Warehousing system of Aviva helps the company to have a unified way to provide service large no. of customers efficiently and maintain their overheads. This helps to improve customer service levels. When it comes to process, Aviva could have issues related to inseparability, intangibility and perishability because they have to have advertise regularly about their products that they offer, new schemes that the company is giving to its existing customers as well as new customers. Service and quality control could also have adverse effect on the sales of their products. If they dont offer customers the help that they need on time, customers might feel unhappy about the service that they get which leads to switchover to a different company. Physical evidence Service cannot be experienced before it is delivered. Physical evidence given by an organisation must confirm the assumptions of the customer. As the customer cannot experience the service before buying it, but they can talk about the service with other people about the experience they have got by choosing their product. Distribution is a key determinant of success for all insurance companies. Today, the insurers have a large reach and presence throughout UK. Building a distribution network is very expensive and time consuming. Aviva provides all the information on their website so that customers can have all the information about the products and the services the company provides. Aviva has also been using remote distribution channels such as telephone and email in order to reach more customers so that they can avoid intermediaries, bring down overheads and increase profitability. Aviva offers an entire range of products including motor, home and life insurance and pensions. Conclusion The seven ps of Marketing Mix The marketing mix is the combination of marketing activities that an organisation engages in so as to best meet the needs of its targeted market. Taking product classification in to account when dealing with marketing of services, it expands the understanding of the original 4ps. The Insurance business deals in selling services and therefore due weightage in the formation of marketing mix for the Insurance business is needed. The marketing mix includes sub-mixes of the 7 Ps of marketing i.e. the product, its price, place, promotion, people, process physical attraction. The above mentioned 7 Ps can be used for marketing of Insurance products. The services that Aviva offers as mentioned above is affected by issues of classification of being Intangibility, Heterogeneity, Inseparability and Perishability which based on the researched information is performed well by the business. Aviva offers services which are competitive with other insurance companies on price and service support which has helped the company to be ranked as one of the UKs top 10 most valuable brands in 2012 and sixth-largest insurance group in the world. It has become one global brand with 43 million customers and has over 300 years of heritage.

A classic example of socialism is John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath

A classic example of socialism is John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath The idea of socialism has transcended down in history; from the proletariat fighting for rights in France to Marxist revolutions and Leninists in Russia. Socialism is the helping of the laboring class; more so it is the uprising and asserting of power of the laboring class. A classic example of socialism is John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath". Many people thought this book was an attack on America, due to it's social views. "Grapes of Wrath" was not a book of attack or slander on America, rather it was more of an awakening or cry for change. Steinbeck seems to be the voice of the masses. Steinbeck wants to suggest, through character, settings and idea filled chapters, how socialist reforms would bring upon a dignified lifestyle for the disadvantages people from the mid-west. He calls for change and hopes for enlightenment through his novel, not to cast aspersions or criticize. During the 1930's, the era of Depression in America, many people were afraid of communist ideas that were present overseas. Many people felt that Steinbeck was supporting these ideas. If someone was a questioner, a thinker, or someone who went against the mold, like Steinbeck, they were called a "red". In other words, that person was considered a communist. Steinbeck, through his novel, brought the worst stories of America and showed them to the world. He did this in hope of spreading the idea of socialism. Steinbeck shows the spread of socialism through two main characters: Jim Casy and Tom Joad. He displays them as wanting, wanting a better life, wanting something more spiritually, wanting something more for "their folks". The only thing that seems to ... ...ds. Al gets to be a teenager, not a responsible driver. He can now look for girls and etc. But when the family leaves the camp, due to no work, the family falls apart. The normality. The socialism at the camp is what made most of them happy and kept them together. But Ma Joad knew better. She shows that socialism has to be widespread, it can't just be in one spot. It has to take over everything and be thought by everyone. When the normality ends, the requirement of socialism in society becomes important again. Through out the novel, Steinbeck tries to give us a clear picture of what is needed to stop all the suffering that was going on in our nation. Tom Joad, Jim Casy, the camp and a couple chapters teach the future readers that we can make a difference in people's lives. We have made a difference. Today socialism is alive and working well for America.

Low Jobs :: essays research papers fc

LOST REWARD IF FOUND Higher Paying Jobs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are too many low paying jobs here in San Antonio. If this continues we will see San Antonio's economy decline and this city will become nothing but a low income tourism town. The military presence at one time gave San Antonio its backbone to fall back to. With the closing of Kelly Air Force base that backbone is now diminishing. Many skilled labor workers, some who worked at the base for many years were forced to go back into a workforce, which did not pay as much as they were used to making at the base. Unfortunately, being a tourism town also brings with it the low service/low paying jobs and we are dependent on outside money to stimulate the local economy. You always hear about new jobs coming to San Antonio, but the majority of them are companies looking for low skilled workers. What is the Economic development foundation doing to attract big business here? What are our leaders thinking when they say they are promoting San Antonio and pushing for more jo bs? Is this what they deliver, more hotels and restaurants so we can continue to serve the rich? We must focus on luring new big businesses with higher skilled/high wage jobs. We must also educate our workforce to be able to compete for those positions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The primary fix to this problem is to bring high-income jobs to San Antonio. We need more jobs such as those in technology, industry, finance and healthcare. Cities like Dallas, Austin and Houston have been successful in attracting large corporations in bringing high-income jobs into their cities. We must be as creative if not more when convincing companies to move here. If we can offer hotels tax abatements to lure them into building here, why cant we do the same for high skilled worker type companies that want to make San Antonio a home. Cities such as Dallas and Houston suffer from things like high cost of living, crime, pollution and bad traffic. These items should be carrots for us when companies are looking for a place to move into. Consider the following average annual salaries in San Antonio during 1998, a housekeeping supervisor earns around $17,600, a waitress about $12,550,an electronic engineer $57,290, financial managers $56,610, and medical scientist s around $70,060. Looking at the previous salaries it is safe to say the here in San Antonio there is a wide disparity of salaries.

Recycling: Very Important for the Earth Essay -- Recycling, 2015

â€Å"I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?† --Robert Redford, Yosemite National Park dedication, 1985 Recycling has been around for a very long time; thousands of years to be exact. Some recycling methods then were recycling animal skins and scrap metal. Animal skins were re-used by the Indians for clothes, shoes and shelter and metal was melted down to make swords and other weapons. However, now, century’s later metal is still melted down to make things such as airplanes, cars, appliances, war weapons and much, much, more. And animal skin is still used today, to make shoes, boots and certain clothing items; such leather coats. Recycling became noticed as a trend by the public in the 1970’s. The industries have known about recycling for years. The public grabbed the concept that turning old items into new ones was just as much their duty as well as industries when the environment began to go unhealthy and when recycling centers opened. Now, curbside recycling programs and recycling centers are common. In 2009, approximately 9,000 curbside recycling programs and 3, 000 composting communities existed in the United States (EPA 2010). You can now recycle at home and in airports, schools, and the workplace. What is recycling? , What does waste consist of? , and what are the benefits of recycling? Recycling basics and steps What is recycling? Recycling can be defined as making a new product from used materials or â€Å"to adapt to a new use† and â€Å"to make ready for reuse† seem to fit best (Merriam-Webster, 2011). Don’t confused reusing with recycling. Reusing is far different from recyc... ... incineration and landfills, prevents pollution caused by the manufacturing of products from virgin materials; saves energy; decreases emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change; conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals; and helps sustain the environment for future generations (EPA 2011a and Palliser 2011). In conclusion revisiting recycling has been a great experience. Recycling is very important for the earth and clean air. We need to continue to do our part in protect the environment and making sure that landfills decrease instead of increasing and that are properly maintained. Recycling is very important for earth. Many companies are on broad with recycling doing their part to help decrease waste. Works Cited Palliser, Janna. (2011). Revisiting recycling. Science Scope. November 2011, pp. 14-17.

Fiscal Federalism in India Essay

India is the largest democracy with federal form of government. The fiscal arrangements in India have evolved in a quasi-federal system to meet the requirements of centralized planning in a mixed economy structure and their sources of revenue for both Centre and State were clearly demarcated with regard to the financial relationship and the responsibilities between them. Our constitution provides residual powers to the Centre and makes clear division of fiscal powers between the Centre and the State Governments. Through various source of revenue to government, the Constitution of India provides for the establishment of a Finance Commission for the purpose of allocation of certain resources of revenue between the Union and the State Governments. The Finance Commission is established under Article 280 of the Constitution of India by the President. The Article 264 and 293 explain the financial relations between the Union and the State Government. Although the states have been assigned certain taxes which are levied and collected by them, they also share in the revenue of certain union taxes and there are certain other taxes which are levied and collected by the Central Government but whole proceeds are transferred to the states. In India, the Centre-State financial relationship relates to the distribution of power in resource mobilization between the Centre and States as also the sharing of expenditure responsibilities. During the last decade the disparities widened among the States which became economically and politically important. This situation resulted due to globalization and privatization by which certain States enjoy great advantages over the other. The most important and buoyant revenue sources are assigned to the Union Government, while major expenditure responsibilities rest with the State government, which take care of the social and economic sectors. Hence, in the federal structure, there is the possibility of conflicts in sharing the revenue and expenditure of both the governments. While the State governments in India collects about one-third of the total tax revenue accruing to the government sector, their expenditure obligations are disproportionately high, accounting for three fourths of the aggregate social expenditure and more than one-half of the aggregate expenditure on economic services. To enable the States to carry out their expenditure respective responsibilities, the Finance Commission is assigned with the task of recommending the transfer of resources from the  Centre to the States. Fiscal imbalance Viz., vertical or horizontal fiscal imbalance appears very often in the countries with decentralized fiscal systems. Removal of these fiscal imbalances of the States by optimizing social welfare of the economy is to remove the fiscal balance in the inter-government transfers from the Centre by finance commission entrusted in equalization of transfers of funds according to the economic requirement irrespective of the political parties ruling. The real challenge of any federation is to eliminate intra-regional vertical and horizontal fiscal inequalities. This paper analyzes these aspects of vertical and horizontal fiscal imbalance in federal India and the way out to the problem to development path. 1. FISCAL FEDERALISM: As a subfield of public economics, fiscal federalism is concerned with â€Å"understanding which functions and instruments are best centralized and which is best placed in the sphere of decentralized levels of government† (Oates, 1999). In other words, it is the study of how competencies (expenditure side) and fiscal instruments (revenue side) are allocated across different (vertical) layers of the administration. An important part of its subject matter is the system of transfer payments or grants by which a central government shares its revenues with lower levels of government. As originally defined by Musgrave (1959) and Oats (l972), â€Å"fiscal federalism† concerns the division of public sector functions and finances among different tiers of government. 1.2 INTRODUCTION TO FISCAL FEDERALISM IN INDIA: India has a federal form of government, and hence a federal finance system. The essence of federal form of government is that the Centre and the State Governments should be independent of each provided with sources of raising adequate revenues to discharge the functions entrusted to it. For the successful operation of the federal form of government financial independence and adequacy form the backbone. India possesses a federal structure with a clear distinction between the Centre and the State’s functions. India is the largest democracy with federal form of government. The fiscal arrangements in India have evolved in a quasi-federal system to  meet the requirements of centralized planning in a mixed economy framework. The founding fathers of our Indian Constitution were deeply concerned about ensuring the unity and integrity of the country. They were aware of the forces of disruption and disunity working within the country. The dangers at the time of independence were handl ed by a strong government at the Centre. 1.3 HISTORY OF FISCAL FEDERALISM Indian federal system is about sixty years old, compared to more than two centuries of the United States or Switzerland or Canada. The federal character of public finance in India has its origin as far as the seventies of the last century. Although at that time the country had a unitary form of government, some division of functions and financial powers between the Center and the state was found administratively desirable. Ever since then the arrangements have been revised and improved from time to time. Fiscal federalism entails the division of responsibilities in respect of taxation and public expenditure among the different layers of the government, namely the Center, the states and the local bodies. 1.4 OBJECTIVE OF FISCAL FEDERALISM Fiscal federalism helps governmental organization to realize cost efficiency by economies of scale in providing public services, which corresponds most closely to the preference of the people. From the point of view of economy, it creates a unified common market, which promotes greater economic activity. The federal system has served extremely well for India to promote their democracy, to strengthen the national unity and to achieve economic progress to the nation completely. 1.5 REASON OF FISCAL FEDERALISM IN INDIA: Fiscal structure provides balanced sources of revenue and expenditure .Fiscal challenges of vertical and horizontal imbalances play an important role to balance the fiscal condition between the steels. To overcome the fiscal redressed our Constitution has created an institution called the Finance Commission, which is an independent Constitutional body, appointed after every five years. 2 LEGISLATIVE LIST The Seventh Schedule (Article 246) delineates ‘the subject matter of laws made by the Parliament and by the Legislatures of the states’ and indicates the * Union List (List I) * states List (List II) * Concurrent List (List III). 2.1 UNION LIST: List I invests the union with all functions of national importance such as defense, external affairs, communications, constitution, organization of the Supreme Court and the high courts, elections etc. 2.2 STATES LIST: List II invests the states with a number of important functions touching on the life and welfare of the people such as public order, police, local government, public health, agriculture, land etc. 2.3 CONCURRENT LIST: List III is a concurrent List, which includes administration of justice, economic and social planning, trade and commerce, etc. 2.4 IMPORTANCE OF LEGISLATIVE LISTS: According to Article 246, Seventh Schedule, Parliament has exclusive powers to make laws regarding matters enumerated in List I, notwithstanding the provisions of the other clauses of this Article. On the other hand, the Legislature of any state has exclusive power to make laws for the state regarding any of the matters enumerated in List II, subject to other clauses. With regard to List III, both the Parliament and a State Legislature can make laws but the law listed in I or III, vests with the Union. Thus, the Union has supremacy over a wide range of the legislative field. These lists include the powers of taxation also. The union List includes among others, taxes on income other than agricultural income, excise duties, customs and corporation tax. The State list includes land revenue, excise on Alcoholic liquors, tax on agricultural incomes, estate duty, taxes on sale or purchase of goods, taxes on vehicles, on professions, on luxuries, on entertainment, on stamp duties, etc. the concurrent list does not include any important taxes. 3 FINANCE COMMISSION OF INDIA: The Finance Commission of India came into existence in 1951. It was established under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution by the President of  India. It was formed to define the financial relations between the centre and the state. The Finance Commission Act of 1951 states the terms of qualification, appointment and disqualification, the term, eligibility and powers of the Finance Commission. As per the Constitution, the commission is appointed every five years and consists of a chairman and four other members. Since the institution of the first finance commission, stark changes have occurred in the Indian economy causing changes in the macroeconomic scenario. This has led to major changes in the Finance Commission’s recommendations over the years. Till date, Thirteen Finance Commissions have submitted their reports. 3.1 FUNCTIONS OF FINANCE COMMISSION: Functions of the Finance Commission can be explicitly stated as: * Distribution of net proceeds of taxes between Centre and the States, to be divided as per their respective contributions to the taxes. * Determine factors governing Grants-in Aid to the states and the magnitude of the same. * Work with the State Finance Commissions and suggest measures to augment the Consolidated Fund of the States so as to provide additional resources to Panchayats and Municipalities in the state. 3.2 Procedures and Powers of the Commission The Commission has the power determine their own procedure and: * Have all powers of the civil court as per the Court of Civil Procedure, 1908. * Can summon and enforce the attendance of any witness or ask any person to deliver information or produce a document, which it deems relevant. * Can ask for the production of any public record or document from any court or office. * Shall be deemed to be a civil court for purposes of Sections 480 and 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898. 3.3 CONSTITUITIONAL POSITION OF FINANCE COMMISSION: According to the article 280 of the constitution finance commission is established to distribute the revenues between the states and center and among the states. Article 280 finance commission: 1. The president shall within two years from the commencement of this constitution and thereafter at the expiration of every fifth year or at such  earlier time as the president considers necessary, by order constitute a finance commission which shall consist of a chairman and four other members to be appointed by the president. 2. Parliament may b law determine the qualification which shall be requisite for appointment as members of the commission and the manner in which they shall be selected. 3. It shall be the duty of the commission to make recommendations to the president as to a. The distribution between the union and the states of the net proceeds of taxes which are to be, or may be, divided between them under this chapter and the allocation between the states of the respective shares of such proceeds†¦. 3.4 THERTEEN FINANCE COMMISSIONS OF INDIA: 3.4.1 First Finance Commission: The First Finance Commission was appointed by the President on November 20, 1951, which was chaired by Mr. K.C. Neogy. Other members of the commission included Mr. V.P. Menon, Mr. R. Kaushalendra Rao, Dr. BK Madan and Mr. M.U. Rangachari. After Mr. V.P. Menon’s resignation on February 18, 1952, Mr. V.L. Mehta was appointed as a member. The commission was asked to make recommendations regarding: Recommendations * Allocations of income tax and Union Excise Duties and tax sharing. * Amounts payable as Grants- in-Aid to the States in need of Assistance under the ‘substantive portion of Clause 1 of Article275’. * Grants-in-Aid to certain States in lieu of their share of export duty on jute and jute products according to Article 273 # Continuation or adjustment of the terms of agreement with Part B States under Article 278 (1) or under Article 306. Vertical distribution: * The share of States in the proceeds of income tax was to be 55 per cent. * The share of centre was 45%. * The First Commission recommended that shares of States in the Union excise duties be 40 per cent of the proceeds of the tax on three commodities, 25 per cent of the proceeds of the tax on eight commodities and 20 per cent of the proceeds of the tax on 35 commodities, respectively. Horizontal distribution: As far as Horizontal Distribution is concerned, following formula was followed for revenue distribution among the states: Distribution formula: * Population 80%. * Residual weight age of 20% given to contribution. No recommendations regarding grants for meeting capital requirements of the state were made by the commission. The Commission provided Grants in- Aid (under Article 273) to only four states, namely, Assam Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. However, Grants were provided to many states under Substantive Portion of Article 275 (1) and under the head of Primary education grants. 3.4.2 Second Finance Commission: The Second Finance Commission was constituted by President Rajendra Prasad, on June 1, 1956. The Commission was chaired by Shri K. Santhanam and consisted of Shri Ujjal Singh, Shri L.S. Misra (Retired Chief Justice, Hyderabad), Shri M.V. Rangachari and Dr. B.N. Ganguli, as its other members.The Commission was asked to make the following recommendations: RECOMMENDATIONS * Grants-in-Aid to certain States, in need of assistance under Article 275, having regard to the requirements of Second Five Year Plan and the efforts made by those states to raise additional revenue. * Allocation of Estate Duty and Tax on Railway Passenger Fares proposed to be levied by the Railway Passenger Fares Bill, 1957, introduced in the Lok Sabha on 15 May 1957. * Grants-in-Aid to the States of Assam, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal, to compensate for their share of the export duty on jute and jute products as per Article 273. * The principles which should govern the distribution under article 269 of the net proceeds of estate duty in respect of property other than agricultural land, levied by the Government of India in the States within which such duty is leviable. * Revisions, if any, of the rates of interest on loans made by the Centre to the States between August 15, 1947 to March 31, 1956 and their terms of repayment. The phenomenal growth of the Union loans to the States justified such adjustments. * Apportionments of the net proceeds of the additional Excise Duties proposed to be levied in view of States’ Sales Taxes on the mill made textiles, sugar and tobacco, and the amounts which should be assured to the States as the income now derived by them from the levy on these commodities and the States Sales Tax (which is to be replaced by the additional duty of excise). vertical distribution: Despite the receding contribution by the Income Tax to the devolution of revenue to the States, the Commission recommended an increase in the per cent of the net proceeds to the States from 55 to 60, and the share of the Union Territories should be 1 per cent. Share of centre was 40% to 45%. Horizontal distribution: It was recommended that the distribution of the share of Income tax among the States should be 10 per cent on the basis of collection and 90 per cent of the basis of population, thereby giving greater importance to population than it was earlier. As far as the allocation to the States from the Union duties of excise on matches, tobacco, vegetable products, tea, coffee, sugar, paper and vegetable non-essential oils was concerned, the Commission considered that it should be 25 per cent. 3.4.3 The Third Finance Commission: The Third Finance Commission was appointed in the year 1960, for the period 1960-64, by the President and was chaired by Shri A.K. Chanda and the its members were :- Shri Govinda Menon, Shri Dwijendra Nath Roy, Prof. M.V. Mathur, Shri G.R. Kamat, Member Secretary. The Commission was asked to make recommendations to the President with regard to the following:- * On account of Tax sharing between the Centre and the State and allocation of Income Tax and Central Excise Duties. * Under Article 275, Grants-in-Aid to States in need of assistance, other than the sums specified in the provisos to Clause of article 275 a) With regard to the requirements of third five-year plan b) Secondly, with regard to the efforts to be made by those states to raise additional revenue amount . * Allocation of duties, namely, additional excise duty and estate duty. * The manner of distribution of adhoc Grants in-lieu of tax on Railway Passenger Fares With regard to the TOR the following were the recommendations made by the FC:- The Finance Commission recommended the formulation of an independent commission to assess the tax potential of each state. horizontal distribution: Income Tax With regard to the divisible pool of income tax among the states the FC adopted the criterion of the first FC that 80% be distributed on the basis of population and 20% on the basis of collection. The recommended percentage share of the states in divisible pool of the Income Tax: Maharashtra – 13.41, Bihar – 9.33, Punjab – 4.49, Uttar Pradesh – 14.12, Kerala – 3.55 Union Excise Duty With regard to the distribution of the proceeds of UED the FC decided to cover all commodities on the existing list. It recommended that 20% of the net proceeds of UED on all commodities on which such duties were collected and the yield of which exceeded Rs. 50 lakhs in1960-61 should be allocated to the state. Vertical distribution: Commission recommended an increase in the per cent of the net proceeds to the States from 60% top 75%.share of centre was reduced to 35% to 40%. revenue distribution formula: The share of each state in the distribution of UED was determined by the Commission on the basis of population and it rejected consumption as the basis of distribution due to two major reasons; A. Reliable data on consumption wasn’t available. B. As it would have given advantage to the more urbanized and financially stronger states. Percentage share of the 20% of proceeds of the UED for certain major states were:- Maharashtra – 5.73, Bihar – 11.56, Punjab – 6.71, Uttar Pradesh – 10.68, Kerala – 5.46 Additional Duties of Excise The GOI in consultation with the state governments, decided that an AED be levied on mill-made textiles, sugar, tobacco, rayon among others and the net proceeds of which should be distributed among them subject to then income derived by each state being assured to it. The Commission rejected this contention as the rates of sales taxes had been revised by them since then. The commission distributed the guaranteed amount of Rs. 32.54 crores among the States and the remaining amount was distributed, first, on the basis of the percentage increase in the collection of sales tax in each state since 1957- 58 when AED were imposed and then on the basis of the population. The Act imposing a tax on the railway passenger fares was repealed after the Third Finance Commission had been constituted. Hence, the commission was asked to make recommendations on the principle on which the ad hoc grant should be distributed among the states. The commission adopted the principle of compensation based on which the grants should be distributed. 3.4.4 The Fourth Finance Commission of India: The Fourth Finance Commission was constituted on May 18, 1964, under the chairmanship of Dr. P.V. Rajamannar. Other members of the Commission included Shri Mohan Lal Gautam Shri D.G. Karve Prof. Bhabatosh Datta Shri P.C. Mathew, Member Secretary. The Commission suggested in its report that there should be greater co-ordination between the Centre and the States in common financial interests for which it recommended the establishment of a permanent organization in the Ministry of Finance. Recommendations Horizontal and vertical distributions were similar to the third finance commission. The changes to be made in the principles governing the  distribution of the net proceeds in any financial year of the additional excise duties levied on commodities, namely, cotton fabrics, silk fabrics, woolen fabrics, sugar and tobacco- in replacement in the States’ tax formerly levied by the state governments. 3.4.5 The Fifth Finance Commission of India: The Fifth Finance Commission was constituted by the President of India on March 15, 1968. The Terms of Reference of the Fifth Finance Commission were wider than those of the earlier ones. Apart from the matters referred to in the earlier Commissions, this Commission was required to: * Examine the desirability or otherwise of maintaining the existing arrangements in regard to additional excise duties levied in lieu of Sales Tax and the scope for extension of such arrangements to other items. * To inquire into the unauthorized overdrafts of the States and recommend the procedure for avoiding such overdrafts. * Examine the scope for raising revenue from taxes and duties mentioned in Article 269, the scope for States in raising additional revenue from their sources as well their scope for better fiscal management and economy in expenditure, and make a comprehensive study of the States’ expenditure on various subjects. * Grants-in-aid recommended under Article 275 (1) are to be for purposes ‘other than the requirements of the Five Year Plan’, and while making its recommendations, the Commission was called upon to have regard to â€Å"the resources of the Central Government and the demands thereon† on account of expenditure on civil administration, defense, debt servicing, etc. * The Commission was asked for the first time to indicate the basis of its findings and make available relevant information. Since then these were made clear in the Terms of Reference of every successive Finance Commission. 3.4.6 The Sixth Finance Commission of India: The Sixth Finance Commission was incorporated in the year 1973 consisting of Shri K. Brahmananda Reddi as the chairman and the following four other Members, namely:-Shri Justice Syed Sadat Abal Masud, Dr. B.S. Minhas, dr. I.S. Gulati, Shri G. Ramachandran, Member Secretary. Recommendations The States demanded the inclusion of corporation tax into the divisible  income tax and 1005 allocation of the net proceeds to them. The commission expressed that such inclusion was constitutionally forbidden but it can be reviewed by National Development Council. vertical distribution: States share was increase from 75% to 80% due to the decrease in the divisible pool as the arrears of the advance tax collection had been cleared. Share of centre was reduced to 25% to 30%. 3.4.7 The Seventh Finance Commission of India: Introduction The Seventh Finance Commission was incorporated in the year 1978 consisting of Shri J.M. Shelat as the chairman and the following four other Members, namely:-Dr. Raj Krishna Dr. C.H. Hanumantha Rao Shri H.N. Ray Shri V.B. Eswaran, Member Secretary. Vertical distribution: The share of the states in the net proceeds should be raised to 85% excepting the share of the Union Territories which would be 2.19% of net proceeds. Share of centre was reduced to 15%. Horizontal distribution: The inter distribution between the states should include 10% contribution factor and rest 90% would be on basis of population. 3.4.8 Eighth Finance Commission of India: The Eighth Finance Commission was constituted by the President of India, on April 28, 1984 under the chairmanship of Shri Y.B. Chavan. The commission also consisted of the following members Shri Justice Sabya Sachi Mukherjee Dr. C.H. Hanumantha Rao Shri G.C. Baveja Shri A.R. Shirali Shri Justice T.P.S. Chawla Shri N.V. Krishnan, Secretary. It was asked to make recommendations on: * The distribution of net proceeds of taxes between the union and the states which are to be or may be divided between them under chapter 1 of Part XII of the constitution and allocation between the states of the respective shares of the same The principles which govern the grants in aid of the revenues of the states out of the Consolidated Fund of India and the amount to be paid to the needy States which seeks assistance by way of grants in aid of their revenues under Article 275 of the constitution for purposes other than those specified in the provisions to  clause (i) of that article. * The commission is to examine the possibility for increasing revenue from the taxes and duties mentioned in article 269 of the constitution but which are not levied at present. It will probe into the scope for enhancing revenue from the duties mentioned in the article 268. Making an assessment of the non plan capital gap of the states on a uniform and comparable basis for the 5 years ending with 1988-89 also comes under its agenda. It will review the policy and arrangement in regards to the financing of relief expenditure by the States affected by natural calamities and make appropriate suggestions. The commission shall make its report by October 31, 1986 on each of the matters aforesaid. The major objective of the Eighth Finance Commission was to reduce interstate disparities through their scheme of devolution. 3.4.9 The Ninth Finance Commission of India: The Ninth Finance Commission was set up in June 1987 under the chairmanship of Mr. N.K.P Salve along with the following members Shri Justice Abdus Sattar Qureshi Dr. Raja J. Chelliah Shri Lal Thanhawla Shri Mahesh Prasad Shri S. Venkitaramanan Shri Venkitaramanan Shri R. Keishing Shri K.V.R. Nair. The commission has been asked to adopt a normative approach in assessing the receipts and the expenditures on the revenue account not only of the states but also of the centre with due regard to the special problems of each state and the special requirement of the centre. Generating surpluses on revenue account of both the states and centre for capital investment should also be considered. Changes in the principles that govern the distribution between the union and the states and also the states inter se of the net proceeds of central taxes are to be made. The commission will also make recommendations regarding the principles which should govern the grants in aid of the revenue of the state out of the Consolidated Fund of India. It is to assess the debt position of the states as on March 31, 1989 and suggest corrective measures. In regard to the financing of the relief expenditure by the states affected by natural calamities the commission is to examine the feasibility of establishing a National Insurance Fund to which the state governments may contribute a percentage of their revenue receipts. The government’s decision to accept all the major recommendations of this commission which would bring substantial benefits to the state  during the eighth five-year plan period (especially in relation to debt relief) shows the upper hand enjoyed by this body. 3.4.10 The Tenth Finance Commission of India: The Tenth Finance Commission was incorporated in the year 1995 consisting of Shri Krishna Chandra Pant as the Chairman and the following four other Members, namely Dr. Debi Prosad Pal, Member of Parliament, Member Shri B.P.R. Vithal, Member Dr. C. Rangarajan, Member Shri M.C. Gupta, Member Secretary. Recommendations The share of the Union Territories would not be determined on the grounds used for state share but it would be decided on the basis of population solely. The percentage would be 0.927% for the years 1995-2000. The proceeds from the ‘penalties’ and ‘interest recovered’ under the miscellaneous receipts should be included in to the divisible income tax pool as recommended by Ninth commission with effect from 1 April 1995. Vertical distribution: The share of the net proceeds would be 77.5% for five years was given to states and 23.5% share was given to centre. HORIZONTAL DISTRIBUITION: Distribution of the net proceeds among states would be as follows:- * 20% on the basis of population of 1971 * 60% on basis of distance of per capita income * 5% on basis of area adjusted * 5% on basis of infrastructure index * 10% on basis of tax effort 3.4.11 The Eleventh Finance Commission of India: The Eleventh Finance Commission was appointed by the President on July 3, 1998 for the period 2000-05.It was chaired by : Prof. A.M. Khusro and its members were Shri N.C Jain, Shri J.C Jetly, Dr. Amaresh Bagchi, Shri T.N. Srivastava The Commission was asked to make recommendations to the President with regard to the following:- * With regard to Chapter I of Part XII of the Constitution, the distribution between the Centre and the States of the net proceeds of taxes and the allocation between the States of the shares of  these proceeds. * The principles governing the grants-in-aid of the revenues of the States out of the Consolidated Fund of India and with regard to article 275- the sums to be paid to the States which are in need of assistance by way of grants-in-aid of their revenues for purposes other than those specified in the provisos to clause (1) of that article. * With regard to the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State; the measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats and Municipalities in the State. * Suggestions for a restructuring of the public finances so as to restore budgetary balance and maintain macro-economic stability. Vertical distribution: The total share of the States in the net proceeds of central taxes and duties would be 29.5 per cent for the next five years. Share of the centre was 71.5%. 3.4.12 The Twelfth Finance Commission of India The Twelfth Finance Commission was appointed on 1 November 2002 to make recommendations on the distribution of net proceeds of sharable taxes between union and states. The commission was headed by veteran economist of India, C. Rangarajan. The commission submitted its report on 30 November 2004 and covered the period from 2005 to 2010. Major Recommendations of 12th Finance Commission * Macro-economic stability The total Fiscal Deficit for Centre & states to be reduced to 3% of GDP. The total tax-GDP ratio of both centre& states to be increased to 17.6% of GDP in 2009-10. The revenue deficit for the centre& states combined to be reduced to 0% by 2008. * Distribution of Union Tax The total share of states in the total sharable central taxes to be fixed at 30.5% and the share of states will come down to 29.5% if the states levy sales tax on sugar, textiles & tobacco. * Grants to local bodies The total grant that will have to given to the states for panchayati raj institutions and local urban bodies for the period of 2005-09 will be Rs  20000 crores& Rs 5000 crores respectively. * Calamity Relief Fund The calamity relief fund scheme will continue as it was in the previous plans with central & states contributing in the ratio of 75: 25. The size of fund will be Rs 21333 crore for the period of 2005-10.. 3.4.13 thirteenth Finance Commission: 1. The share of states in the net proceeds of the shareable Central taxes should be 32%.This is 1.5% higher than the recommendation of 12th Finance Commission. 2. Revenue deficit to be progressively reduced and eliminated, followed by revenue surplus by 2013-14. 3. Fiscal deficit to be reduced to 3% of the GDP by 2014-15. 4. A target of 68% of GDP for the combined debt of centre and states. 5. The Medium Term Fiscal Plan(MTFP)should be reformed and made the statement of commitment rather than a statement of intent. 6. FRBM Act need to be amended to mention the nature of shocks which shall require targets relaxation. 7. Both centre and states should conclude ‘Grand Bargain’ to implement the model Goods and Services Act(GST).To incentivise the states, the commission recommended a sanction of the grant of Rs 50000 crore. 8. Initiatives to reduce the number of Central Sponsored Schemes(CSS)and to restore the predominance of formula based plan grants. 9. States need to address the problem of losses in the power sector in time bound manner. 3.5 CURRENT REVENUE SHAIRING FORMULA: The scope of the FCs broadened over time as they were assigned several other issues on government finances, particularly those relating to augmentation of State Consolidation Funds to supplementing the resources of local bodies and debt-related issues. The approach of successive FCs varied as they addressed concerns raised by States from time to time regarding the composition of the divisible pool of central taxes and inter se distribution criteria. Recent constitutional changes have simplified the sharing arrangement of the divisible pool of Central taxes by clubbing all shareable Central taxes and excise duties. While determining the formula for horizontal distribution of inter se shares of States, various FCs attempted to correct the differentials in revenue capacity and cost disability factors  inherent in the economies of States, while trying to foster fiscal efficiency at the State level. However, differences have been noticed in selection, definition and weight of variables that have been used by FCs to prescribe the devolution formula for Central taxes. More recently, the Thirteenth FC has placed greater emphasis on fiscal capacity distance and fiscal discipline, which is expected to facilitate greater convergence among the States. The pattern of transfers through the FC channel shows that the share in Central taxes has persistently been the predominant component of revenue sharing since the First FC. As far as the extent of equalization is concerned, an analysis of transfers as recommended by four successive FCs (from the Tenth to the Thirteenth) shows that it was the highest in the case of the Eleventh FC as the gap between recommended and benchmark transfers was minimum. Fiscal distance index is aimed at equalizing amongst the states the resource envelope for supplies of public services, while the fiscal efforts index is to minimize the â€Å"moral hazard† in such equalization payouts by incentivizing the tax efforts of the states. Area and population are indicative of the fiscal needs of the states. Such an institutional arrangement has served the country well. The reports of all past twelve Finance Commissions were unanimously accepted by the Parliament and the country The horizontal distribution is considered with certain basic formula, where the formula is based on objective and transparent parameters. The preferred parameters are: * area * population * fiscal efforts index * Fiscal distance index