East Germany from 1980 until the end Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

East Germany from 1980 until the end - Essay Example The policies made to overcome structural problems led to the collapse of the economy. The policies aimed at centralizing the economy did not have a positive impact. This made the problems harder to solve, making it necessary for West Germany to bail out the economy. Market orientation problems were solved but the original structural problems were not. This has made it difficult for East Germany to match output levels in West Germany. The stagnation in East Germany began when the monetary union overvalued the East German mark, leading to the decrease of the price of capital stock and the increase in labor cost per unit. Competition also faced a serious downfall. Funds that were given to alleviate private households and to heighten the investment sector were channeled to many other sectors, hence economic expansion became difficult. The public was given ill advice on areas of investment, and, therefore, production levels were reduced. Unemployment increased, leading to high public budg ets. The Federal Government spent on arrears to unify finance, thus increasing inflation tendencies. The Bundesbank tried to reduce inflation by raising interest rates. There was a negative impact on international competition, which slowed down the process of adaptation. Transparency in the East German was lost due to linguistic deceit (Markovits 189). Regulations that were set to cover up legal realities by the use of words became a recognized practice. East Germany has not yet found a solution to the problems brought by the communist system. Many people who lived around the Berlin area were affected by the division of the economy. Most of them worked in the West but resided in the East. Social control became low among these people, leading to the increase in the nonstandard behaviors. Antisocial behaviors caused violence even on football grounds (Dennis and LaPorte 137). Mortality rates were increasing at a steady pace, leading to an increase in life expectancy (Kronenberg 14). In the past, many people died in road accidents due to the social changes. Restrictions concerning personal freedoms were made to solve the problem. Local regulations were the basis of the foundation of civil legislation. The regulations in the set code books only applied to the region which did not have local regulations. East Germany also had policies that tried to break the link between marriage and childbirth. Single mothers were paid when they were on a one year leave, but this only applied to the first child. The leave scheme only applied to the single mothers. There was a rise in nonmarital births, because the policy encouraged many to push their marriage programs forward. Many women opted to bear their first children out of wedlock to enjoy the leave scheme. It was in 1986 that the scheme also applied to mothers who bore their first children after marriage. In the Eastern region, rates of nonmarital fertility were higher than in the Western region (Knapp, Madden, and Fowler-Ke rry 210). The average age of women by the time they gave birth was lower in East Germany. The region did not have strict restrictions concerning marriage. Regulations that were made were inspired by the needs of children. A man who made a woman pregnant had the responsibility of giving the woman compensation and taking care the child. The constitution of the region also stated that it was not wrong to be born by a nonmarried couple. The Church in Europe tried to inform

Sexism is alive and well in the English language Essay

Sexism is alive and well in the English language - Essay Example Sexist language can be deliberate, concealed or controlled. The deliberate use of obvious and overtly derogatory sexist terminology is generally considered discriminatory and is patently unfair treatment of women as compared to men. The intention of concealed sexism is also deliberate and discriminatory but the delivery is of a covert nature. Controlled sexism is subtle and more usually not intended to be disparaging or harmful. This type of sexist language is integrated into society’s everyday speech, is considered to be normal and is not recognized by most people as the unfair or unequal treatment of women it is. â€Å"Subtle sexism is particularly interesting from both theoretical and practical perspectives because it may be quite prevalent, and may have an insidious impact on its victims†. Sexism as it exists in language is a controlled manner of speaking that perpetuates gender stereotypes and reinforces status disparities between men and women. Those less sensitiv e to sexism as a whole tend not to define the demeaning terms they use as sexist language. These people are of the opinion that sexist language does not exist or are either consciously or subconsciously trying to safeguard traditional patriarchal social hierarchies. Those persons more receptive to sexism and the harm it causes do attempt to adjust their speech patterns so as not to offend. People may use sexist language simply because the use is habitual and they find it hard to alter terms or phrases used most or all of their lives.

Pepsico Case Study Essay Example for Free

Pepsico Case Study Essay 1. I felt that Nooyi’s Letter to Shareholders was fairly effective. She starts by mentioning that â€Å"the greatest challenge in business today is to renew a successful company through positioning for long-term growth and profitability but also performing in the current marketplace.† Her opening statement accurately reflects her emphasis in the letter. She goes on to make several statements that are important for investors to hear about making investments for future growth. She highlights Pepsi’s ongoing global growth initiatives (innovating globally by delighting locally) and also discusses Pepsi’s healthier offerings, both of which I feel are appealing concepts for shareholders in today’s market. She also makes some important statements about ongoing efficiency and leveraging the brand. Her letter does a good job of answering potential questions that the stockholders may have on thePepsico Case Study current status of the company as well as future plans. While her focuses are effective, I felt that some additional detail about growth within their â€Å"healthy† segment could’ve helped her argument as well as continued discussion on Pepsi’s ethics. Overall, her letter is a great pitch for prospective investors domestically and abroad. 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis seemed to paint a more pessimistic view of the future of PepsiCo than Nooyi’s letter. They bring up several factors in order to prepare shareholders for potentially rough times. Part of these factors includes mention of a California proposition, which would force warning labels on unhealthy food. Potential layoffs and a possible knock to Pepsi’s credit rating are also discussed. Furthermore, management recognizes that they are operating in a highly competitive market. Some of Pepsi’s core, high margin products are losing market share to Coke products. Ongoing success is dependent on effective promotion and marketing and Coke has been a leader in this area. Pepsi management recognizes the need to innovate to remain competitive and proper positioning is key. It could prove to be an issue if they don’t properly anticipate shifts in demand. There are also concerns about potential climate changes, and other regulat ory measures. These things could severely impact production and demand for certain segments of Pepsi’s products. 3. 4. Market to Book Ratio compares the market value of the firm’s investments to their cost. Current Ratio is current assets divided by current liabilities and gives a measure of short-term liquidity. Debt to Equity Ratio is a measure of a company’s financial leverage calculated by dividing its total liabilities by stockholders equity. Total Asset Turnover is sales divided by total assets and assists with an understanding of dollars generated relative to dollars in assets. Times Interest Earned Ratio measures how well a company has its interest obligations covered and is calculated by dividing EBIT by Interest. Profit Margin is calculated by dividing net income by sales. ROA is a measure of profit per dollar of assets and ROE is a measure of how stockholders fared during the year. Finally, EPS gives us market price per share of stock by dividing net income by shares outstanding. 5. Over the past three years, revenues and expenses have increased. Net profits have also increased. Debt to Equity has increased over the last few years. Profit margins have decreased and focus has shifted to less profitable products. ROA has been decreasing as well. Daily sales in inventory are decreasing. Intangible assets, including goodwill, have greatly increased. Also, Return on Capital Investment has decreased. 7.Operating Activities: 1) Other net decreased by $688. 2) Accounts Receivable is increasing. Financing Activities: 1) Acquisition of non-controlling interests 2) Cash Dividends 3) Repurchase of dividends 4) Long term debt is down from 2010-2011. Investing Activities: 1)Acqusition of WBD 2) Change in Gross Fixed Assets (decreasing debt in 2011) 8.In her Letter to Shareholders, Chairman Nooyi made a good case for increasing shareholder value in the short and long runs. She’ll need to encourage management to continue to innovate and achieve high sales in the current market while at the same time focusing on future investment and continued global expansion and presence. Transparency with investors is important for building trust and confidence. Marketing and promotion will be another key element to PepsiCo’s continued growth among the high level of competition already existing in their many segments. Reduction of accounts receivable can lead to better bottom line results, efficiency, and reduction of long-term debt through the repayment of principle. PepsiCo should also continue to expand its â€Å"healthy† product line such as sports drinks, whole grain healthy snacks, etc. to take advantage of market trends.

The human brain

The human brain Today it is common to compare the human brain to a computer, and a human mind to a program running on a computer. Once seen as just a poetic metaphor, this viewpoint is now supported by most philosophers of human consciousness and most researchers in Machine Intelligence. If we take this view literally, then as we can ask how many gigabytes of RAM a PC has we should be able to ask how many gigabytes of memory the human brain has. Machine intelligence researchers have used a digital computer as a model of the human mind in two ways. Most obviously, the computer has been used as a tool, on which simulations of thinking-as-programs are developed and tested. Less obvious, but of great significance, is the use of the computer as a conceptual model of the human mind. This essay traces the sources of this machine-modeled conception of cognition in a great variety of social institutions and everyday experiences, treating them as cultural models which have contributed to the naturalness of the mind-as-machine paradigm for many people, the roots of these models antedate the actual and cognitive landscape of modernity. The essay concludes with a consideration of some of the cognitive consequences of this extension of machine logic into modern life, and proposes an important distinction between information processing models of thought and meaning-making in how human cognition is conceptualized. (Tugui 2006) Kn?wledge i? defined by the ?xf?rd Engli?h Di?ti?n?ry (i) ex?erti?e, ?nd ?kill? quired by ? ?ern thr?ugh ex?erien?e ?r eduti?n; the the?retil ?r ?rtil under?t?nding ?f ? ?ubje?t, (ii) wh?t i? kn?wn in ? rti?ul?r field ?r in t?t?l; ft? ?nd inf?rm?ti?n ?r (iii) ?w?rene ?r f?mili?rity g?ined by ex?erien?e ?f ? ft ?r ?itu?ti?n. Philosophical debates in general start with Platos formulation of knowledge as justified true belief. There is however no sigle agreed definition of knowledge presently, nor any prospect of one, and there remain numerous competing theories. Knowlegde asquisition involves complex cognite processes: perception, learning, communication, association and reasoning. The term knowledge is also used to mean the confident understanding of a subject with the ability to use it for a specific purpose if appropriate. (Bergeron, 20008) Belief is the psycological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true. Epistimology is the phisolophical study of knowledge and belief. The primary problem in epistimology is to understandexactly what is needed in order for us to have knowledge. In a notion derived from Platos dialogue Theaetetus, philosophy has traditionally defined knowledge as justified true belief. The relationship between belief and knowledge is that a belief is knowledge if the belief is true and if the believer has a justification (reasonable and nessesary evidence/guidance) for believing it is true. A false belief is not considered to be knowledge, even if it is sincere. A sincere believer in the flat earch theory does not know that the Earth is flat. Similarly, a truth that nobody belives is not knowledge, because in order to be knowledge, there must be some person who knows it. Basic psychology and related disciplives have traditionally treated belief as if it were the simplest form of mental representation and therefore one of the building blocks of concious thought. Philosophers have tended to be more abstract in their analysis and much of the work examining the viability of the belief concept stems from philosophical analysis. (Denning Metcalfe 2007) The concept of belief presumes a subject (the believer) and an object of belief (the proposition). So, like other propositional attitudes, belief implies the existence of mental states and intentionality, both of which are hotly debated topics in the philosophy of mind whose foundations and relation to brain states are still controversial. Beliefs are sometimes divided into core beliefs (those which you may be actively thinking about) and dispositional belifs (those which you may ascribe to but have never previously thought about). For example, if asked Do you believe tigers wear pink pijamas? a person might answer that they do not, despite the fact they may never have thought about this situation before. That a belief is a mental state has been seen, by some, as contentious. While some philosophesrs have argued that beliefs are represented in the mind as sentence-like sonstructs others have gone as far as arguing that there is no consistent or coherent mental representation that underlies our common use of the belief concept and that it is therefore obsolete and should be rejected This has important implications for understanding the neurophyshology and neuroscience of belief. If the concept of belief is incoherent or ultimately indefensible then any attempt to find the underlying neural processes which support it will fail. If the concept of belief does turn out to be useful, the this goal should (in princible) be achievable. Philosopher Lynne Rudder Baker has outlined four main contempory approaches to belief in her controversial book Saving Belief Our common-sense understanding of belief is correct Sometimes called the mental sentence theory, in this conseption, beliefs exist as coherent entities and the way we talk about them in everyday life is a valid basis for scientific endeavour. Jerry Fodor is one of the principal defenders of this point of view. Our common-sense understanding of belief may not be correct, but it is close enough to make some useful predictions This view argues that we will eventually reject the idea of belief as we use it now, but that there may be a correlation between what we take to be belief when someone says I believe that snow is white and however a future theory of psycology will explain this behaviour. Most notably philosopher Stephen Stich has argued for this particular understanding of belief. Our common-sense understanding of belief in entirely wrong and will be completely superseded by a radically different theory which will have no use for the concept of belief as we know it Known as eliminativism, this view, (most notably proposed by Paul and Patricia Churchland), argues that the concept of belief is like obsolete theories of times past such as the four humours theory about medicine, or the phlogiston theory of combustion. In these cases science hasnt provided us with a more detailed account of these theories, but completely rejected them as valid scientific concepts to be replaced by entirely different accounts. The churchlands argue that our common-sence concept of brain is similar, in that as we discover more about neuroscience and the brain, the inevitable conclusion will be to reject the belief hypothesis in its entirety. Our common-sense understanding of belief is entirely wrong, however treating people, animals and even computers as if they had beliefs, is often a succesful srtategy The major proponents of this view, Daniel Dennett and Lynne Rudder Baker, are both eliminativists in that they believe that beliefs are not a scientifically valid concept, but they dont go as far as rejecting the concept of belief as predictive device. Dennett gives the example of playing a computer at chess. While a few people would agree that the computer help beliefs, treating the computer as if it did (e.g. that the computer believes that taken the oppositions queen will give it a considerable advantage) is likely to be a succesful and predictive strategy. In this understanding of belief, named by Dennett the intentional stance belief based explanations of mind and behaviour are at a different level of explanation and are not reducible to those based on fundamental neuroscience although both may be explanatory at t heir own level. (Mesarovic Pestel 2008) Reality Vs Model of Reality Reality, in everyday usage, means the state of things as they actually exist. In one sense it is what is real; in its widest sense the term reality includes everything that is, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible. Reality in this sense includes being and sometimes is considered to include nothingness, where existence is often restricted to being (compare with nature). A common colloquial usage would have reality mean perceptions, belief and attitudes toward reality, as in My reality is not your reality.

The Health Benefits of Vegetarianism Essay -- Health Nutrition Diet Ex

The Health Benefits of Vegetarianism Maintaining a well-balanced vegetarian diet is healthy and can be beneficial by reducing the risk of health diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Vegetarians are individuals who choose to abstain from eating foods derived from animals, such as meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. This type of a diet is practiced for a variety of reasons, whether out of respect for animals and the environment, for the potentially healthier lifestyle, or simply out of distaste for or allergy to meat products. Practicing vegetarianism is no more difficult or complicated than following a regular meat-inclusive diet; eating a variety of soy, nut, or wheat based products can substitute for certain meat dishes and dairy products and provide the needed nutrients that those normally provides. Vegetarianism is a healthy choice; following a meat-restricting diet can lower cholesterol and fat intake, thus reducing the chances of developing heart diseases and obesity. Despite several misconceptions that claim vegetarianism is unbalanced and thus unhealthy, a vegetarian diet can still meet daily calorie and other nutrient requirements without including meat and dairy products. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, to maintain a healthy lifestyle a person should consume a balanced amount of fruits & vegetables, grains, meat, dairy products, and fats in accordance with the "Food Pyramid." The human body requires a minimum amount of various vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in order to perform properly and carry out bodily functions. Though removing beef, pork, poultry, and other animal-derived foods can leave a diet lacking in protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins... ...hy choice; there are numerous potential benefits that come with following a diet that abstains from meat and dairy products. Though following a vegetarian lifestyle with an unbalanced diet can be just as health hazardous as a meat-inclusive unbalanced diet, a vegetarian regime that maintains the recommended daily nutrients can be healthy and beneficial. A well-balanced vegetarian meal plan can help reduce the risks of heart diseases and obesity. Sources used http://dictionary.reference.com/ http://www.eatright.org/Public/NutritionInformation/92_11722.cfm http://www.epic-oxford.org/ http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/food-pyramid/main.htm http://www.vegetarian-diet.info/vegetarian-health-heart-disease.htm http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/updates/trends.php http://www.vegsoc.org/health/ http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/nutshell.htm

hangover helpers :: essays research papers

Hangover Helpers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This article gives advice of remedies for a hangover. It explains what you can do before you drink; what to do while drinking; as well as suggestions for after you drink. Hangover symptoms may include headaches, nausea, diarrhea, tremors, and fatigue. Hangovers are generally more severe if you haven’t been getting enough water or sleep.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before drinking, the advice that they listed was that you eat fatty foods, eat high- fiber foods, take vitamin C, and try hangover prevention formulas. Foods that are fatty or high in fiber help breakdown alcohol and absorb it, which keeps it from reaching the blood stream quickly. One of the hangover prevention formulas that were included suggested that you take an over - the- counter mixture of B vitamins and prickly pear extract. These help to fight stress and inflammation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While drinking, there are a number of things that were suggested. The first tip was that you avoid congeners. Congeners are compounds that give liquor it’s flavor and color. To avoid these compounds, one should buy lighter- colored, highly filtered alcohol. They may tend to be more expensive, but they can reduce your causes of getting a hangover. Other precautions to be aware of while consuming alcohol is to stick to one kind of drink, avoid carbonation, alternate with water, and to order onion soup gratinee. The reason behind this is that onions are high in sugar, which speeds the body’s metabolism and burns alcohol. Also, the cheese is dairy, which slows alcohol’s entry into the bloodstream.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you are finished drinking, you should drink lots of water because it cleans out your system. You should also drink fruit juices due to the fact that the fructose will restore a person’s blood sugar level. Other tips that were included was that one should: drink pedialyte, not drink bloody Mary's, eat bland carbohydrates, eat eggs, eat honey, try activated charcoal, try liver care, try milk thistle, try alka- seltzer morning relief, take anti inflammatory, and take Pepto- Bismol.

Homelessness and Vagabond Essay

Vagabonds are normally despised by the society. What happens when they are treated like an ordinary respectable human being is the main theme of this story. Introduction: The vagabond who is often chased by people is welcomed by an old man. In spite of the good nature of the old man the vagabond robs him. He later returns the money due to the good deeds and kind nature of a young lady. Summary: The vagabond sold self made rattraps. He made the rattraps with wire which he got by begging in the stores or big farms. At times he used to beg and steal, he had a philosophy of his own the entire world was a sort of rattrap. People were lured by the various pleasures of life just as a rat is attracted by cheese or pork. One day he met an old man as he was seeking shelter for the night. He was given hot porridge, tobacco to smoke and they even played cards. The old man showed the vagabond his money pouch and the three ten kroner notes. He slept that at the old man’s house and the next day he left the house with the three notes. He wandered into the forest for fear being caught for his thievery. He lost his way and finally stumbled into Ramsjo Ironworks in search of warmth and shelter. The owner of the Ironworks mistakes him to be an old friend and took him home. The vagabond played along but later requested to go back to the warmth of the forge. The Ironmaster sent his daughter to bring him back. The gentle and kind nature of the young lady made him follow her. Once he cleaned and shaved, the Ironmaster realized that he was a stranger. He asked the vagabond to leave his house but his daughter wanted him to stay. He ate and slept the entire day. On Christmas Eve the Ironmaster and his daughter went to church. At the church they heard that a vagabond had stolen money from an old man who had worked as crofter at Ramsjo Ironworks. The young lady became very sad and the Ironmaster was sure that all his silver spoons would have disappeared. On their return the valet said that the vagabond had left and he did not take anything along with him. On the contrary he left a small gift for the young lady. The vagabond had returned the stolen money along with a rattrap as a gift to the young lady. He wrote a note thanking her for her kindness and asked her to return the money back to the old man. The money was like bait that drew him to it and he would have been like a rat who got caught in the trap called ‘love of money’. Conclusion: The author has very well brought the condition of the vagabond. It is important to treat them as human beings and maybe a little love and affection can work wonders in transforming them into honest and sociable people.