Porter's Industry Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Porter's Industry Analysis - Case Study Example Creative, Samsung and Sony and a plethora of other companies manufacture small, portable music players which is an answer to apple ipod, since ipods are quite expensive people prefer buying other reliable music players which are way cheaper than the ipod. Barriers to Entry: Some of the most important points which should be considered under this section are as follows: Time and Cost of Entry Knowledge Economies of Scale Technology Other Barriers Fake Stores in China: â€Å"Recently it was found that there are several fake stores of apple in China, the fake apple products are bound to cost the company losses.† (Fake Apple Stores in China) Several big companies have lost a lot of money because of counterfeit products sold by the fake sellers. These fake stores will directly impact the credibility and the profits of the company, today there are fake stores in China, and tomorrow fake stores may open up in European countries. This will severely impact the brand name of the products and it will also hamper the reputation and the profits, this is a huge barrier and Apple must do something about it. â€Å"The favorable brand perception had also increased sales of Macintosh computers. So iPod gives the company access to a whole new series of segments that buy into other parts of the Apple brand. Sales of its notebooks products is also very strong, and represents a huge contribution to income for Apple.† (Apple SWOT) Threat of New Entrants: The following points must be considered under threat of new entrants: Verizon allows streaming audio and video with the help of a software called v-cast New entrants equipped with disruptive technology could affect apple significantly Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Intel, IBM, Motorola and others are big rivals of apple when it comes to processors and computer technology, it could give the new ipad and the iphone a good run for its money Sony, Warner, BMG and others are huge suppliers of music ABC, Fox, Sony and many oth ers are huge suppliers of movies and popular television shows Bargaining Power of Customer: Peer to peer technology provides free music to the customers Distributors may press apple to reduce its price or for better terms Economic downturn will lead to decreased spending of customers Substitutes Present a Substantial Threat: Satellite radio is becoming increasingly popular for music Xbox and the PS3 provide great entertainment, media and music can be enjoyed on these gaming consoles Dvds and Cds provide an alternate source of movies and music Theaters, cable tv and other sources are alternate sources for movies and videos Recommendations for apple: Maintain the same quality but bring down the prices a bit Joint ventures would surely prove profitable plots Focus on knowledge management Open more stores so that customers can easily get their hands on the latest products Work at making the technology better, innovation is the key to success. References Apple has More Money than the US Government (2011). Tech News. Retrieved from

Developed country Essay Example for Free

Developed country Essay 1. In many countries schools have severe problems with students behaviour. What do you think are the causes for this? What solutions can you suggest? It is undeniable, that most problems with students in the school occur because of their behaviour. There are many cases that prove it and, of course, the majority will agree due to own experience. There are several causes of this problem and few measures that could be taken. To begin with, psychologists argue that reasons for all children’s problems are their parents. So the first and the main cause for the stated issue is bad upbringing. For example, give a child an excessive care and worry. It means that in school child feel like at home and require as much attention as at home. Moreover the student feel deprived if doesn’t recieve the attention and demand it with the help of bad behaviour. Next reason for bad student’s behaviour in many countries is separate education of boys and girls. Approaches to the education of two sexes vary a lot. For example, girls can easily ask a teacher for a help and see in him an ally, boys, in contrast, in the cases when they can’t deal with the problem, start to fool and disturb the lesson. Consequently, separate education and different approaches for both genderes can prevent problems with behaviour. Speaking about possible solutions, first of all, I can suggest the professional development of teachers. Inasmuch as in most cases teacher is able to deal with problems between students and to prevent a serious scandal. Secondly, separate education can help students to be more concentrated and teachers to develop successfuly the peculiarities of both genderes. In conclusion, it is clear that there are various reasons for student behaviour, and steps need to be taken to prevent and solve this problem in order every country has a great young generation. 2. Many universities charge higher fees for foreign students. Why do they do this? Do you believe it is fair? It is undeniable that nowadays many students decide to move to another country to get better education or just to get a 2 or 3 months practice in foreign university. It’s the fact that fees are higher for foreigners. To my mind, it’s fair, and I’ll provide some reasons for this phenomenon. To start with, often students, in particular, from poor areas, e. g. India, Africa, move to other countries to get higher education. So developed countries try to save balance of native students and set higher fees for foreigners. For example, Russia suffers from migrants from the near abroad, that is why in many russian regions, such as Lugansk, fees raised. Next reason is that foreign students bring monetary gain not only to a particular university, but also to a citys budget and a whole country. Universities upgrade their equipment, pay for utilities and so on. For instance, countries, in which are said to be many prestigious universities, such as America, England, Spain, Netherlands, have higher fees for foreign students, but demand for them increases every year. In my point of view, it’s fair, because every country should support its own students. If the difference between payments become low, people from poor regions will be able freely to migrate and it is said to be a great harm for economy of developed country and, moreover, to the economy of poor country, which lose its â€Å"brains†. In conclusion, it is clear that higher fees only support the economies of countries and prevent the unneccesary migration.

The Factors affecting dividend payout policy

The Factors affecting dividend payout policy INTRODUCTION Dividend policy in the firm has been the major matter for recognizing how managers set dividend ratio and change dividend given to stockholders. The existing literature on dividend payout ratios provides firms with no generally accepted prescription for the level of dividend payment that will maximize share value. Black (1976) in his study concluded with this question is that what the corporation should do about dividend policy. It has been argued that dividend policy has no cause on either the price of a firms share or its cost of capital. Thus, extensive studies were done to find out various factors affecting dividend payout ratio of a firm. The setting of corporate dividend policy remains a troublesome issue and involves ocean deep judgment by decision makers. The behavior of dividend policy is the most debatable issue in the corporate finance literature and still keeps its prominent place both in developed and emerging markets. Many researchers try to uncover the issue regarding the dividend behavior or dynamics and determinants of dividend policy but still dont have an acceptable explanation for the observed dividend behavior of firms (Black, et.al (1976), Allen and Michaely, 2003 and Brealey and Myers 2005). One of the well known explanations of dividend behavior is the smoothing of firms dividends vice versa earnings and growth. Linter (1956) found that firms in the United States adjust their dividends smoothly to maintain a target long run payout ratio. Numerous studies appeared after this work and facts suggested that the dividend policy of the companies varies from country to country due to various institutions and capital market differences. The study examined the relationship between determinants of dividend payout ratios from the context of a developing country like Pakistan. The primary objective of this thesis is to find out whether numerous factors influence the dividend payout ratio of Sugar Sector in Pakistan. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamics and determinants of dividend policy of sugar firms in Pakistan. After that it explored how Pakistani firms set their dynamic dividend policies in a different institutional environment than that of developed markets. This study examined whether Pakistani firms follow stable dividend policies as in developed markets or they are going to retain their earnings. The paper also identified the areas of firm level factors that influence the degree of dividend smoothing. This paper indicated that importance of institutional features towards the dynamic of dividend policy and also critical out the advantages of examining the dividend policy in different institutional environments. The outcomes of the thesis provided meaningful and handy information in the role of institutional factors which creates dividend policy at firms level. More than a few studies become visible after this work and evidence suggest that the dividend policy of the c ompanies varies from country to country due to various institutions and capital market differences. The Pakistans capital market and the economy have several important features for examining the dynamics of dividend policy. Firstly Pakistan is moving towards the development and improving the economy position in the world since the 1980. Pakistan capital markets are much better than before. Many studies conclude that firms are likely to pay constant dividend during the high growth period and it is interesting to find that how dynamic dividend policy is determined in growing economy like Pakistan. In fact, in Pakistan the many major investors are still disagreed with dividends and consider stock prices positive reception as the major part of stock returns therefore, it is assumed that investor attitude towards dividends is expected to have an impact on the way in which firms set their dividend policy in Pakistan. Sugar Industry in Pakistan The sugar industry plays an important role in the economy of the Pakistan. It is the second largest industry after textiles. The Pakistan sugar industry is the second largest agro based industry consists of 78 sugar mills with per year crushing capacity of over 6.1 million tones. Sugarcane farming and sugar manufacturing contribute significantly to the national exchequer in the form of various taxes and levies. Sugar manufacturing and its by-products have contributed appreciably towards the foreign exchange resources through import substitution. The Sugar industry employs over 75000 people, including management experts, technologists, engineers, and financial experts, skilled, semiskilled and unskilled workers. It contributes around 4 billion rupees only under the head of excise duty and other levies to the Government are also paramount significance. In the year 2008-09 sugarcane production is estimated at 51.5 MMT, a decrease of 19 percent over the previous year due to both a decline in area harvested and yield. Milling policies and practices, coupled with attractive prices for alternative/competing crops (rice, cotton and sunflower) and insufficient irrigation supplies are major factors limiting crop expansion in the country. In the year 2009-10 sugarcane production is estimate at 53.6 MMT, an increase of 4 percent over the previous year due to an expected increase in area and yield. A shortage of cane supply during the current crushing season led to an increase in cane prices. This situation benefitted growers who received prices higher than the indicative prices announced by the Government. This development is expected to contribute to an increase in sugarcane area and productivity in the ensuing year. Moreover, last years higher production of rice and sunflower led to lower prices received by farmers, thereby encouraging the switch back to sugarcane. Purpose of the Study In Pakistan there were few firms which paid dividend to stockholders constantly. For this explore, the listed sugar firms of Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) were not able to pay their dividends and which factors are influencing or determining the dividend policy in Pakistan. In this thesis it examined the number of firms various factors and their function in dividends policy. The liquidity of the stock market, is the profitable firms are paying dividends in Pakistan, is the firms with greater investment opportunities pay less dividends in Pakistan, is the dividends and debts are substitutes and the degree of leverage is negatively associated with dividends payments and finally examined the firms with greater cash flows pay lesser dividend in Pakistan. Research Objective Objective of thesis has to find out the relationship between dividend policy and operating cash flow, EBIT, Sales and Debt to Equity Ratio. It is very important for investors to examine the factors of dividend policy that whether they have been impact on the sugar sector of Pakistan or not. Hypotheses Development H1: There is association between CFO and dividend payout ratio. H2: There is association between Debt to Equity and dividend payout ratio. H3: There is association between Revenue and dividend payout ratio. H4: There is association between EBIT and dividend payout ratio Thesis Structure: This thesis is composed of five chapters. The first part of a thesis is introduction (Chapter I).Then after it evaluates and discusses the literature review in (Chapter II), in this chapter it examined the dividend payout policy of Pakistan and the main factors that influenced on it, theories, models put forward by many well-known authors is examined various studies. In (chapter III), it explained research methods and sample in detail. (In chapter IV),examined the dividend payout policy and the main indicators that affect the dividend payout policy of listed firms on the Karachi Stock Exechange 100 over the period 2003-2008 and present the interpretation of results. Finally in Chapter V, we present and discuss the main contributions and conclusion, implication and recommendation of this thesis. CHAPTER-2 LITERATURE REVIEW Naceur (2006) found that the high profitable firms with more stable earnings can manage the larger cash flows and because of this they pay larger dividends. Moreover, the firms with fast growth distribute the larger dividends so as attract to investors. The ownership concentration does not have any impact on dividend payments. In Indian case Reddy (2006) showed that the dividends paying firms are more profitable, large in size, and growing. The corporate tax or tax preference theory does not appear to hold true in Indian context. Amidu and Abor (2006) found dividend payout policy decision of listed firms in Ghana Stock Exchange is influenced by profitability, cash flow position, and growth scenario and investment opportunities of the firms. Lease (2000) the firms should follow a life cycle and imitate managements assessment of the importance of market imperfection and factors including taxes to equity holders, agency cost asymmetric information, floating cost and transaction costs. Linter (1956) studied and developed a compact mathematical model based on survey of 28 well established industrial U.S. firms which is well thought-out to be a finance classic. According to him the dividend payment pattern of a firm is influenced by the current year earnings and previous year dividends. Linters (1956) study of dividend policy found that a firms bottom line net income is the key determinant of dividend changes, which in his sample are largely dividend increases since he primarily surveys healthy firms. If one can extrapolate this finding to dividend decreases, it implies that low bottom line earnings drive dividend reductions. Jensen (1986) argued that debt is an effective substitute mechanism for dividends in this respect. By issuing debt instead of equity, managers give bondholders the right to take the firm into bankruptcy court if managers do not maintain their promise to make the interest and principal payments. This substitutability between debt and dividends as alternative mechanisms for reducing the agency costs of FCF implies that firms that use low debt ratios will tend to follow a policy of high- dividend payout. Alli (1993) the liquidity or cash flows position is also an important determinant of dividend payouts. A poor liquidity position means less generous dividends due to shortage of cash. It reveals that dividend payments depend more on cash flows, which reflect the companys ability to pay dividends, than on current earnings, which are less heavily influenced by accounting practices. They claim current earnings do no really reflect the firms ability to pay dividends. Farzad Farsio and Amanda Geary (1983) in their research the relationship between Dividends and Earnings say that dividends have no explanatory power to forecast future earnings. They presented four cases for possible effects of earnings on future dividends and show that there should be no significant relationship between dividends and future earnings in the long run. The contribution of this study is that it provides financial managers and investors with evidence that it would be a mistake to base investment decisions on inferences about dividend/earnings relationships that rely on some certain short-term periods. John and Kalay (1982) Debt agreement to minimize dividend payments are necessary to prevent bondholder wealth transfers to shareholders. An additional way dividend payout ratio affects agency costs is the reduction of agency cost through increased monitoring by capital market. Analysis shows the positive association among profitability and dividend payout ratio, corporate tax and cash flows. The study also suggests that when the liquidity of companies increases the companies disburse more dividends. The companies with dynamic profitability find out hard to disburse dividends. Last but not least, conclusion of the study shows that cash flow, profitability, growth and investment opportunities influence the dividend payout policy. Amidu and Abor (2006) conducted and they have taken the Payout Ratio as dependent variable and defined as dividend per share divided by earning per share. The included the explanatory variable profitability(profit), risk(risk), cash flows (cash), corporate tax(tax), institutional holdings(INSH), Sales Growth and Market to Book value(MTBV). By using the Panel data which involves the pooling of observations on a cross sectional of unit over several time periods and provides the results that are simply not measurable in pure cross-sections or exact time series studies. Because the panel time series is different from a regular time series or cross section regression equation and each variable use the double subscript in the data. Jensen (1986) concluded that funds remaining after financing all positive net present value projects cause conflicts of interest between managers and shareholders. Dividends and debt interest payment decrease the free Dividend payout ratios in Ghana cash flow available to managers to invest in marginal net present value projects and manager perquisite consumption. Crutchley and Hansen (1989) examined the hypothesis that financial leverage, dividends and managerial ownership are jointly determined by firms attempts to minimize the total agency costs of debt and equity. Chaplinsky and Niehaus (1992) examine whether managerial ownership share and financial leverage common determinants. In addition to the agency costs of debt and equity, they also assess whether these decisions are governed by the tax advantage of debt, the costs of issuing securities and the demand for risk sharing by insiders. Avazian (2006) conducted the study on United Stated listed firms at NYE and find that decision to smooth dividends depend at the part of public market access as proxies by the rating of bonds. In their study dividend payment is the optimal for firms raising debts in the public Unknown bond markets but not for firms in the private informed bank markets. In this logic the dividend decision is related to information asymmetric between the managers and the creditors of the firms. Pruitt and Gitman (1991) found that risk (year-to-year variability of earnings) also important factor firms dividend payout ratio. A company that has constant earnings is often able to forecast approximately what its future earnings will be. Company is therefore more likely to pay out a higher percentage of its earnings than a firm with unpredictable earnings. The liquidity or cash flow from operation is an important factor of dividend payouts policy. A less liquidity position means less generous dividend due to shortage of cash. He exposed that dividend payments depend more on cash flows, which reflect the companys ability to pay dividends, than on current earnings, which are less heavily influenced by accounting practices. They claim current earnings do not really reflect the firms ability to pay dividends. (Alli, 1993) Green (1993) questioned the irrelevance argument and investigated the relationship between the dividends and investment and financing decisions. Their study showed that dividend payout ratio is not totally decided after a firms investment and financing decisions have been made. Dividend decision is taken along investment and financing decisions. Higgins (1981) indicated a shortest link between growths and financing needs, speedily growing firms have external financing needs because working capital needs usually exceed the cash flows from new sales. Daniel (2007) conducted the study that they found that firms are more likely to manage their earnings upward when their earnings would otherwise fall down of expected dividend levels. The earning management behavior significantly impacts the likelihood of dividend cut. The firms made discretionally accruals because reported earnings to exceed the expected dividend levels are significantly less likely to cut dividends than those firms whose reported earnings fall down of expected level of dividends. They conclude that managers treat expected dividend levels as a vital earning threshold. Higgins (1972) and McCabe (1979) et.al the leverage (Lev) also influenced the dividend behavior of the firm, if the level of the leverage is high that mean the firm is high risky in the cash flows. The negative effect of leverage on dividends payments is documented in the literature, finds that the firms with higher leverage pay lower dividends in order to evade the cost of raising external capital of the firm. Lintner (1956) founded that past dividends of the companies and current earnings are the key determinants of current dividends and managers prefer to maintain stable dividends and make cyclic adjustments toward a target payout ratio. Arditti (1976) carried out research in order to evaluated dividend policy with respect to taxes and uncertainty. The purpose of this paper has been to tackle the distressing dilemma of the zero dividend solution by clearly incorporating MMs original proposal that dividends have an information aspect that is of potential worth to investors. The analysis of ambiguity they have offered is only one of many possible hypotheses which can account for the experimental fact that companies naturally do not take on intense dividend policies. Arnott and Asness (2003) suggested that a higher payout ratio results in low future growth, based their study on America stock market it founded that higher aggregate dividend payout ratios were associated with higher future earnings growth. Modigliani and Miller (1985) carried out research to evaluate dividend Policy under asymmetric information. The Standard finance model of the firms dividend/investment/financing decisions gives manager more appropriate information regarding the firms current earnings. The purpose of research is to replace the assumption built by Miller and Modigliani that the outside investors and inside managers have the same information about companies profit and future income with the assumption that inside managers know more than outside investors about the actual situation of firms current earnings. James A. Gentry (1990) informed about free cash flow analysis, showed that the financial position of a company depends upon its ability to generate net operating cash flows that are sufficient to cover up a hierarchy of cash outflows. The profiles generated from a large sample of companies show that relative cash flow components vary across company size and across industry groups. The researcher hopes that these profiles will serve as benchmarks for comparing cash flow components and encourage financial analysts to use cash flow analysis. Miller and Modigliani et.al (1961) suggest that in perfect markets, dividend do not affect firms value. Shareholders are not concerned to receiving their cash flows as dividend or in shape of capital gain, as for as firms doesnt change the investment policies. In this type of situation firms dividend payout ratio effect their residual free cash flows and the result is when the free cash flow is positive firms decide to pay dividend and if negative firms decide to issue shares. They also conclude that change in dividend may be conveying the information to the market about firms future earnings. Gordon and Walter (1963) present the bird in the hand theory which says that investors always prefer cash in hand rather than a future promise of capital gain due to minimizing risk. Jensen and Meckling (1976) the agency theory is based on the conflict between managers and shareholder and the percentage of equity controlled by insider ownership should influence the dividend policy. Easterbrook (1984) gives further explanation regarding agency cost problem and says that there are two forms of agency costs; one is the cost monitoring and other is cost of risk aversion on the part of directors or managers. The firm size (SIZE) defined as natural logarithm of total assets is expected to have a positive effect on dividend payouts as large more diversified firm are likely to have very low chance of bankruptcy and can sustain higher level of debt. In investigating the determinants of dividend policy of Tunisian stock Exchange, found that the high profitable firms with more stable earnings can manage the larger cash flows and because of this they pay larger dividends. (Naceur, 2006) Baker (2007) reports that Canadian dividend paying firms are significantly larger and more profitable, having greater cash flows, ownership structure and some growth opportunities. The liquidity or cash flows position is also an important determinant of dividend payouts. A poor liquidity position means less generous dividends due to shortage of cash. Alli et.al (1993) reveal that dividend payments depend more on cash flows, which reflect the companys ability to pay dividends, than on current earnings, which are less heavily influenced by accounting practices. They claim current earnings do no really reflect the firms ability to pay dividends. Megginson and Eije (2006) examined that the dividend paying tendency of fifteen European firms decline dramatically over this period 1989 to 2003. The increase in the retained earnings to total equity doesnt increase the payout ratio, but company age does. The empirical study of Canadian dividend-paying firms found that they try to maintain stable dividends per share, are reluctant to decrease the payout level, and smoothly adjust the level of payout based on level of expected future earnings. (Adjaoud, 1986) Easterbrook (1984) argues that increasing dividends raises the probability that additional capital will have to be raised externally on a periodic basis and consequently, the firm will be subject to constant monitoring by experts and outside suppliers in the capital market. Green (1993) questioned the irrelevance argument and investigated the relationship between the dividends and investment and financing decisions. Their study showed that dividend payout levels are not totally decided after a firms investment and financing decisions have been made. Dividend decision is taken along investment and financing decisions. Partington (1983) revealed that firms use of target payout ratios, firms motives for paying dividends and level to which dividends are determined are independent of investment policy. Lipson (1998) conducted study to examine the factors that derives dividend initiations and earnings surprises, look at the performance of newly firms that started dividends with those that did not. Earnings increases following the dividend initiation and earnings revelations for initiation firms are more constructive than for those non initiating firms. In an economy that charges taxes on investment income, dividends are obviously a disadvantageous means of transferring wealth to shareholders. To validate dividend costs, two clarifications are typically given: dividends are used to solve agency problems inside the firm, or dividends are used to communicate information to the market. H. Kent Baker, Gail E. Farrelly (1983) in their study A Survey of Management Views on Dividend Policy say that the major determinants of dividend payments today appear strikingly similar to Linters behavioral model developed during the mid-1950. In particular, respondents were highly concerned with dividend continuity. Second, the respondents seem to believe that dividend policy affects share value, as evidenced by the importance attached to dividend policy in maintaining or increasing stock price. Although the survey does not uncover the exact reasons for their belief in dividend relevance, it does provide evidence that the respondents are generally aware of signaling and clientele effects. Finally, the opinions of the respondents from the utilities differ markedly from those of the other two industries. Smith and Watts (1992) examined the relationship among executive compensation, corporate financing and dividend policy. They concluded that a firms dividend policy is affected by its other corporate policy choices. Jensen et.al, Solberg and Zorn (1992) linked the interaction between financial policies (dividend payout and leverage) and insiders ownership to informational asymmetries between insiders and external investors. They found that corporate financial decisions and insider ownership are interdependent. Lintner (1956) suggested that the firms have long run target dividend payout ratios and place their attention more on dividend changes than on absolute dividend levels. He also finds that dividend changes follow shifts in long-run sustainable earnings and managers are hesitant to make dividend changes that may later need to be reversed. Managers also try to stabilize dividends and avoid dividend cuts. Linter developed a partial adjustment model to describe the dividend decision process that explained 85 percent of year-to-year dividend changes. Gordon (1959) argued that an increase in the dividend payout raise stock price (value) and lowers the cost of equity, but practical support for this position is weak. Bemstein (1996) maintain that dividend policy makes no difference because it has no effect on either stock prices or the cost of equity. According to Gordon (1959) a higher payout ratio will reduce the required rate of return (cost of capital), and hence increase the value of the firm. Miller and Rock (1985) dividends contain this private information and therefore can be used as a sign device to influence share price. An announcement of dividend increase is taken as good news and accordingly the share price reacts favorably, and vice versa. Only good-quality firms can send signals to the market through dividends and poor-quality firms cannot mimic these because of the dissipative signaling costs. According to Easterbrook (1984) the agency costs thesis predicts that dividend payments can reduce the problems associated with information asymmetry. Dividends may also serve as a mechanism to reduce cash flow under management control, and thus help to mitigate the agency problems. Reducing funds under management discretion may result in forcing them into the capital markets more frequently, thus putting them under the scrutiny of capital suppliers. The tax-preference theory posits that low dividend payout ratios lower the required rate of return and increase the market v aluation of a firms stocks. Because of the relative tax disadvantage of dividends compared to capital gains investors require a higher before-tax risk adjusted return on stocks with higher dividend yields. Higgins et.al indicated that a direct connection between growth and financing needs: growing firms have outside financing requirements because working capital needs normally go beyond the incremental cash flows from new sales. It showed those payouts ratios are negatively related to firms need top fund finance growth opportunities. (Higgins, 1972) De Angelo (2004) conducted a study on dividend policy, agency cost and earned equity. The study told that why companies pay dividends? If they didnt have their assets and capital structure, would ultimately become unsustainable as the earnings of successful firms surpass their investment opportunities. They found that dividend payments prevented major agency problems since the retention of the earnings would have given the managers command over an additional $1.6 trillion without access to better investment opportunities and without any monitoring. This sense suggests that firms with high retained earnings are especially likely to pay dividends. In this view, firms pay high dividend when earned equity to total equity is high, and decline when this ratio declines and when this ratio is zero or near to zero, meaning that firms dont have the earned equity. They finally found that the highly significant association between the decision to pay dividends and the ratio of earned equity to t otal equity controlling for size of the firm, profitability, growth, leverage, cash balance. CHAPTER-3 RESEARCH METHODS As a various factors available in literature review have been identified that they affect the dividend policy decisions of the companies. It includes some important variables in order to achieve at some positive conclusions. Multiple linear regressions model has been developed to conduct the research, which contain of dependent variable and independent variables. Dependent variable in this study has dividend payout that is defined as the percentage of earnings disbursed as dividends. While the independent variables include of profit (EBIT), sales, debt equity ratio and cash flow from operation. These four variables are used as predictors in order to conclude that how much each of the variables affects the dividend payout of sugar firms listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange over the period of eight years (2001-2008). Model: DP = ÃŽÂ ± + ÃŽÂ ²1 EBIT + ÃŽÂ ²2 sales + ÃŽÂ ²3 CFO + ÃŽÂ ²4 DER+ ÃŽÂ µ DP is the annual dividend paid by firms during the period, while ÃŽÂ ± is Alpha constant in the model. Whereas ÃŽÂ ² (beta) shows the times of the variable in the model and ÃŽÂ µ represents the error term. Variables include in the model are Earning before interest and tax, Sales per year, Cash flow from operation and Debt equity ratio. Dependent Variable: Dividend payout ratio: The dividend policy is the one of the very important issue of corporate finance. It developed the dividend model which becomes very famous and known as Linter Partial Adjustment Model. According to the Linter each firms i has target dividend payout ratio. By using the target payout ratio linter calculated the target dividend at time (Dit*) as percentage of net earnings of the firms i at the time t (Eit), i.e Dit*= ri. Eit. John Linter (1956) In this study we used dividend payout ratio as dependent variable. It is calculated by percentage of net earnings of the firms paid at the end of period. The set of determinants of dividend payout ratio consist of following variables. CFO (cash flow), Sales, EBIT (earning) and Debt to Equity Ratio (leverage). Independent Variable: There are four independent variables are used in this thesis to find out their impact on the dependent variable as dividend payout. Operating Cash Flow: The liquidity or cash flows position is also an important determinant of dividend payouts. A poor liquidity position means less giving dividends due to shortage of cash. Alli (1993) reveal that dividend payments depend more on cash flows, which reflect the companys ability to pay dividends, than on current earnings, which are less heavily influenced by accounting practices. They claim current earnings do no really reflect the firms ability to pay dividends. The market liquidity is defined as annual value of stock traded divided by the stock market capitalization. Market liquidity is one of very important factor that can influence the decision or behavior of the dividend policy. Belanes (2007) there is a negative relationship between the market liquidity and dividend yield in Tunisian Stock exchange (TSE). OCF= EBIT +Depreciation-Taxes H1: There is positive impact of CFO on dividend payout ratio. Debt to Equity Ratio (leverage): The leverage has been used as proxy of Debt to equity ratio and variable in this study. Because debt to equity is very important variable for the determinants of dividend policy,if the level of the leverage is high its mean the firm is more risky in the cash flows. The effect of negative leverage on dividends payments is already documented .Higgins (1972) and McCabe (1979) suggested that long term debt had

Tom Sawyer :: essays research papers

Mark Twain Mark Twain (1835-1910) ,originally Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was an American writer who also worked on boats, in a printing-works and as a journalist in Nevada. His books are mostly for young people, but his Pudd'nhead Wilson is a crime which characterises the first murdercase solved by use of fingerprints. His main works are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi and especially The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Tom Sawyer The scene of the book takes place nearby the Mississippi at the end of the 19. century. Tom Sawyer is a young boy whose both parents are dead. Therefor he lives with his aunt, Polly, and his younger half-brother, Sid. Tom has got a very good friend who he spends a lot of time together with, that's Huckleberry Finn. Huck is the young "pariah" of the village. He does not go to school, and he lives alone in a hogshead. All the other children looked up to him and wished they could be like him, and of that very reason almost none of the mothers liked him. Tom spends time together with Huck almost every day, and many times that is the reason why he comes late to school. One time Tom is late at school, he is punished by sitting on the girls' side of the school-house. Tom gets to sit together with a girl named Becky, and Tom doesn't see that as a punishment at all. He and Becky becomes very close friends and we are later in the book told that they get married. Tom and Huck do often see things that they should not have seen. One of this things happened at the graveyard at midnight one night. They saw three men who were digging up a coffin. One of these men were Injun Joe, and it ends up with he killing one of the men. Tom and Huck vitnised all this, but they were very afraid of Injun Joe and they therefor swore to keep mum about it. Another time the boys decided to go treasurehunting. Tom knew of many places where there could be hidden treasures. One of them were an old haunted house. While they are searching around there, Injun Joe and one other guy shows up. They are about to hide some silver they have stolen, but they end up finding a large amount of gold in the house.

Anthropology

ANTH100 Assignment 1 Heather Hartwig American Military University October 21, 2012 Assignment 1 1) Discuss what evolution is in terms of physical anthropology. Evolution refers to â€Å"change over time†. In terms of physical anthropology, evolution is changes over time in living organisms. This means that living things have passed their traits from one generation to the next. There are very little changes that occur with each generation, but over time these changes accumulate in each living organism.It is believed that all life on Earth has common ancestry that lived more than 3. 5 billions of years ago (Park, 2008). 2) Define evolution. Evolution is defined as the idea or scientific theory that was proposed by Charles Darwin. Darwin believed that all species changed and evolved by natural selection from the same common ancestors. Evolution simply means that a species undergoes genetic change over time. Over many generations a species can evolve into something different. Thes e changes take place because of changes in DNA, which originated as mutations.Not all species evolve at the same rate. The theory of evolution does not prove that species will constantly evolve or how fast the species will change when it does (Park, 2008). 3) Discuss what a physical anthropologist may examine/investigate in order to study evolution. Paleoanthropology is a branch of paleontology that falls under physical anthropology. Paleoanthropologists study extinct primates and fossils. They use these examinations to further investigate the evolution of humans.They examine ancient humans, like the anthropoids. Anthropoids are considered humans closest relative and have been linked to human evolution (Coyne, 2009). 4) Discuss ‘how’ a physical anthropologist would study your answer for Q3 and why it is helpful for studying evolution. Paleoanthropologists are able to study evolution by examining fossils and ancient humans. They do this by investigating the fossil record and continue to make additions all the time. The first identifiable multicellular organism formed about 585 million years ago.The earliest fossil of the primate can go back before the extinction of the dinosaur over 65 million years ago. Bones and teeth were discovered in Montana and Wyoming (Park, 2008). Even though there was primate like evidence before the dinosaur extinction, (Shipman, 2012). 5) Find at least one outside source related to your answer for Q3 and Q4 (e. g. the genome project for DNA- do not use this example in your paper since it is provided for you). My outside source for questions 3 and 4 is a journal by Pat Shipman titled Fossils.This journal was published in The New Scientist Vol. 215, Issue 2876, p. 8-16. 6) Briefly describe the source and how is it helpful for examining/investigating evolution. It is a journal that discusses fossils of early life and evolution. It gives facts and information pertaining to the timelines, type and the formation of fossils. 7) Choose a second subfield of anthropology – cultural, linguistic, or archaeology. I chose Archaeology as my second subfield of anthropology. 8) Discuss how an anthropologist in this subfield would study evolution.Park defines archaeology as a subfield of anthropology that studies the past culture of humans and reconstructs the past cultural systems that existed. He goes on to say that they study cultures and people that are no longer living (Park, 2008). Archaeology reconstructs past cultural systems. Archaeology began as a method of identifying places and objects that were already known from historical records. It has become a very resourceful means of discovering new information not only about the historical period but also about years beyond the reach of written investigational facts.The purpose of archaeology is not only to recover ancient artifacts but to identify the relationship that these objects may have had with early human life. It also shows how early human primat es and modern humans are closely related. 9) Discuss what an anthropologist from your chosen subfield may examine/investigate in order to study evolution. Archaeologists have investigated fossils and remains of early humans and primates to show how human posture has changed over the years.The information that has been collected shows us a timeline of how much we have evolved since the discovery of the earliest human remains (Park, 2008). 10) Discuss ‘how’ an anthropologist from your chosen subfield would study your answer for Q9, and why it is helpful for studying evolution. Archaeologists have reconstructed human and primate remains that they have discovered to show how closely we are related to each other. They have used the information that they discovered to prove that humans have evolved from and can be compared to the primate species.Compared to earlier species, modern humans have evolved into a more upright species. Early humans were found to have a more curved p osture (Palmer, 2010). The archaeological information that is recorded proves that there is another explanation for our species other than what is believed by many. The Bible teaches that we were created by God. However, archaeologists make a strong case that contradicts what the Bible teaches. 11) Find at least one outside source related to your answer for Q9 and Q10. My source for questions 9 and 10 is Origins Human Evolution Revealed by Douglas Palmer. 2) Briefly describe the source and how is it helpful for examining/investigating evolutionThis book goes into detail on the story of the origins of the human species. It goes into detail about the journey of apes and humans. It compares and contrasts the differences as well as the similarities between early human species and the modern human species. 13) Discuss how the study of evolution between physical anthropology and your chosen subfield compare and contrast. Paleoanthropology and archaeology go hand in hand, because they both study fossils, extinct primates and the remains of early humans.They generally work together when investigating a site where artifacts have been discovered. The team work and information that is provided between paleoanthropology and archaeology gives us a better understanding of how humans have evolved into the modern species that we are today. 14) Conclude by discussing one new piece of information you learned about evolution. The one piece of information that I have learned about evolution is that I cannot solely base my understanding of how the human species became based off of my beliefs from the Bible.I understand now that scientific research has given factual information on how humans can and have evolved from ancient remains of primates and early humans. I will maintain that I believe that God did create us to an extent. However, I think that his creations have continued to evolve into the species that are here on earth today.References Palmer, Douglas. 2010. Origins human evolution revealed. Octopus Books, USA. New York, NY. Park, Michael A. 2008. Introducing anthropology an integrated approach. Fourth edition. McGraw-Hill. New York, NY. Shipman, Pat. 2012. Fossils. The new scientist. Vol. 215, Issue 2876, p. 8-16. Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humans as social organisms and how they interact with each other in a social gathering or community set up. It entails the study of humans past, present and evolution of the cultural, physical stature, linguistic traits and archaeology. An anthropologist interest lies in comprehending human diversity and way of life in an explicit manner. The four main branches of anthropology which include biological, cultural, archaeology and linguistic clearly elaborate what it entails to be human (Lavenda-2013). Biological anthropology talks of how the evolution of humans is genetically influenced and not enhanced by the surroundings. Cultural anthropology is centered on the study of structural system of individuals sharing a common belief or norm. Linguistic anthropology majorly revolves round the psychology of speech, structure and function in humans. Lastly, archaeology is based on the systematic revealing of fossils through excavation, dating the fossils to determine the period of usage and analysis. Anthropology mainly seeks to familiarize the unfamiliar with proven facts and provide knowledge that deciphers facts from fiction.Cultural anthropology is a very enticing concept of anthropology because it does not only enable one to accept and appreciate cultural diversity but also develop globally conscious individuals. As mentioned earlier, this aspect of anthropology explicitly studies human cultures, belief, daily routine, values, ideas, technical economies and domains of social and cognitive organization (Lavenda-2010). There are two means by which an anthropologist can study culture due to its abstract nature; empiricist approach, whereby he mainly relies on observation of the human behavior in a particular community set-up and subjective approach in which the researcher understands the structure of ideas and meanings that exist in a member a certain culture. The primitive perception that I personally had about humanity has been scraped off as a result of the in-depth study of cultural anthropology. Individuals and communities were initially characterized by their social, economical and political factors within their localities. Evolutionism has showed a conceptual comprise due to the easy interaction of individuals as a result of the modern evolution of technology that has made every corner of the world accessible to any person. The level of interactions between individuals from a similar ecology niche has almost become non-existence due to the replacement with television programs, movies and social electronic devices. Despite this, the social interaction circle has grown larger as a result of technology which enables an individual interact with more people different from parts of the world over a short period of time. This study has personally helped me get over the notion that Muslims are associated with terrorism. I initially felt fear when I was in an environment filled with Muslims; well, not Muslims alone but any individual wearing a veil. This mostly applied to Muslim women that wear the veils covering up their faces, leaving out the eyes. I can attribute this fear from to the society I grew in; I was used to my Christian community before I came to campus. The laws and beliefs we had were so strict that we feared other dominions, this seclusion was driven into us by the clergy; to make us believe that people that had different beliefs and practices were potential risks and could harm us at any time. The primitive notion that was instilled in me always had a bearing to this question; if they are good people, why do they find it relevant to cover their faces that much? The definite answer was that they had something to hide; not only secrets but sinister motives. Religious profiling and the threats that came to our country and get aired on national television also cultivated the fear in me. It would have never reached this point if my parents would not have been reacting to the issue with so much disgust as they used to do. My elementary and high school environments were more or less the same because all my schooling up to university level were based in the same strictly Christian district. There were some primitive practices we used to do that I now see them to have been very hurting if not shameful to the face of evolution and humanity at large; there was no shaking of hands or exchanging pleasantries with non-Christians, no accepting gifts from them and worst still, avoid all conversations. I can't imagine that I would literally snob them! I must admit that I had a tough time adjusting to the campus environment. I was always tensed in my first semesters when a non Christian would sit next t me. I remember a particular case when I came to a lecture late and found all seats occupied except one; next to Sikh, I literally missed that 2 hour lecture and had to struggle with my continuous assessment test. It is during that course that I made a turning point and my point was later boosted when I got to learn about anthropology. The struggle I had in my first continuous assessment test was the same one I had in the second. Ironically, the Sikh boy who I was evading was the same one that noticed my problem and came to help. At first I was adamant but with lack of options I thought; why not give it a try. I must admit that that is the sweetest memory I hold dear and use it to enlighten my rural folk later on. With that act of compassion I learnt that religion does or dress code does not define someone's character. Study of anthropology has helped know the value that I hold about my culture and the justifications I give to the are the same ones that any other person would give in support to their religion and culture. It also taught me that judging or profiling others because f ethnicity and background is a heinous notion; if everyone was to discriminate then the world would be an unbearable place to stay. All we could be witnessing are endless fights and ultimate wars. Cultural anthropology thus, aims at enabling the native of a particular culture objectively and rationally understands their own culture to deduce what makes them stand out from the other cultural groups hence upholding the aspect of self acceptance. Besides, it enables one apply the knowledge gained from familiarizing with different cultures to alleviate human challenges and misconceptions rather than causing ethnic conflicts. The collective study of different cultures enables scholars to identify the similarities and unique aspect of various cultures, hence embracing diversity.References:Robert H LavendaCore concept in cultural anthropologyRobert H LavendaAnthropology: What does it mean to be human? Anthropology â€Å"From ruttier to rummies: A Contribution toward the Ethnography of Peeling. † In Cultural Anthropology: A Sampler. Up. :19-22. 2. Elliot Rolling objectives for the article were to observe male urinating behaviors In public restrooms. I believe he did meet his objectives because he was able to observe them Pee. 3. As stated before, the method that Rings used to research his topic was to observe males urinate. I feel Like watching people pee could make people uncomfortable, mad, or actually elate their privacy.Although, the only way to actually understand the culture behind males urinating is to actually observe their behaviors so I think that his method was inappropriate but necessary. 4. The author's findings started off not in the bathroom, but actually led up to why a male goes into the bathroom. While in a social group, one must withdraw themselves from the group by some sort of excuse or statement like saying, â€Å"l have to go to the bathroom. † He further di scusses that bathrooms could also be used as a social setting.For example, in high school hanging UT in the hall ways was not allowed, yet if students met up in the bathrooms, they could hangout and talk without the disturbance of a teacher. Going on, he discovers that â€Å"peeing is the activity primarily intended by†¦ Males†. He discovers that men prefer to have there own personal space of one urinal to the left and right. This becomes violated when one another know each other. Another key fact that Rings realizes is that during the act of peeing, one must look forward and keep they're eyes to themselves.If one was to look at another man, this might â€Å"invite the suspicion of nonsexual interest. † Also, he notices the â€Å"shaking of the penis† to get the last drops out, even though no matter how much shaking you do, when you finish up and walk out the bathroom, the last drops of pee come out and onto your pants. He concludes that Americans value thr ee things: privacy, masculinity, and cool. And infers that â€Å"elimination patters are intimately linked with a cultures system of values. † 5. I think that the significance of the work is trying to understand how people learn the etiquette of using the bathroom without formally being taught.In class we learned bout ethnography, which is the description of a culture through an observer. In the article, a man was observing males Pee. 6. I evaluate this work as an Interesting topic because many people would not think twice about the fact that there was so much that went Into public etiquette. If I were conducting this experiment I would have test subject stand at certain urinals and see which urinals random strangers would consistently use to get better and accurate Information. Anthropology By agrarian 2 October 2013 1. Orrin Elliot 1975 â€Å"From Ruttier to Rummies: A Contribution toward the Ethnography of Peeing.In Cultural Anthropology: A Sampler. Up. Elliot Rings objec tives for the article were to observe male urinating behaviors in public restrooms. I believe he did feel like watching people pee could make people uncomfortable, mad, or actually realizes is that during the act of peeing, one must look forward and keep they're eyes article, a man was observing males Pee. 6. I evaluate this work as an interesting topic that went into public etiquette. If I were conducting this experiment I would have test consistently use to get better and accurate information.

Dreams Mice and Men Essay

George and Lennie’s dream is the most commonly mentioned in the novel, they want to live the American dream and have their own land and home. Although Crooks tells them he â€Å"never seen a guy really do it† their determination is beyond that of normal men. They crave the freedom from ordered working life and less responsibility. George desires the relief from the burden of supervising Lennie, on the ranch he constantly has to watch him to ensure he is no danger to himself or others. He talks of how he could â€Å"live so easy† without Lennie and it seems to be a private dream of his to marry and raise a family without the childish weight of Lennie upon him. He has cared for Lennie for a large part of his life and wants happiness for both of them without the strain of rules and the risk of characters such as Curley. Lennie’s only dream at first glance seems to be having his rabbits, however at a closer look the rabbits are his way of relating to their entire dream, he connects all other aspects of free life with them such as growing crops to feed them. He loves hearing the story of â€Å"how its gonna be†, his own dreams are based on what George tells him is good and bad. Candy is desperate to join in with Lennie and George and their dreams have become his. Since his dog died he has nothing left on the ranch to encourage dreams and he seems to have given up, the chance to be part of a reasonably realistic project motivates him again and he is willing to give everything to be part of it, â€Å"I’d make a will an’ leave everything to you guys case I kick off. † All of Candy’s dreams seem to have be worn away by life on the ranch, the loss of his hand also seems to symbolise a large loss mentally for without his hand he cannot realistically dream of working his own land and living alone. For Candy life on the ranch seems to be a reminder of lost dreams rather than hopeful ones and this could explain his eagerness to be part of Lennie and George’s. He is also aware that he is old and becoming closer to the end of his job and possibly his life. â€Å"They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county. † He dreams of ending his life in happiness and not in poverty and discomfort surrounded by bad memories. Curley’s wife is in many ways like Lennie and George, she tell her dream like its real and could happen at any time to escape the loneliness of the ranch. She tells as many people as she can about her dream as though she wants to make it more real for herself. Her conversation with Lennie reveals her desperation to make this dream come true, she hangs onto the man who could put her in â€Å"pitchers†, so sure he did write to her and someone else ruined her dream. It is these fantasies she uses to escape her life which is heavily restricted by her husband who wants to control her to comply with his own dreams, she wishes to be free to fulfil the life she desires. Her way of telling the story of her dream is almost sad as she clings to any glimpse of it so desperately it is clear how unhappy she is. All the dreams expressed by these characters are what drive them in the novel and can determine how they express their feelings and how they act. Niki Holdsworth Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

Black Women essays

Black Women essays In the essay In Search of Our Mothers Gardens, Alice Walker created a sense of literary tradition among black women by providing wisdom for the past, with her discussion of artistic role models. This essay has a lot interesting of themes such as spirituality, creativity, oppression of black women, and respect. Black women have shown to be highly spiritual and creative but society has oppressed them by not giving them the freedom to create art. They have suffered because of unfulfilled potential and their sorrow supports Walkers perspective of black womens treatment by society. She though that black women sang, told stories and gardened in order to express their spirituality because they were impeded to perform art on a greater level. Walker starts this essay with a quote from Jean Toomers writing. This quote showed that men were aware of black womens artistic talent and that they were hold back just to serve men and have low statuses. In Toomers quote he states, I talked, beautifully I thought, about an art that would be born, an art that would open the door for women the likes of her. I asked her to hope and built up an inner life against the coming of that day (128). Toomer agrees that black women can become artists because they all have talent and invites them to hope and never give up because sooner societys roles for black women will expand with better opportunities. Black mothers and grandmothers needed to stop listening to men and society and start listening to each other if they wanted to fulfill their artistic potential. Walkers essay shows various types of oppression. Toomer agreed that women were seen as the mule of the world and couldnt show their talents to the world because they werent allowed to. He said They stumbled blindly through their lives: creatures so abused and mutilated in body, so dimmed and confused by p...

How Chemical Hand Warmers Work

How Chemical Hand Warmers Work If your fingers are cold or your muscles ache, you can use chemical hand warmers to heat them up. There are two types of chemical hand warmer  products, both using exothermic (heat-producing) chemical reactions. Here is how they work. Key Takeaways: Chemical Hand Warmers Chemical hand warmers rely on exothermic chemical reactions to release heat.There are two main types of chemical hand warmers. One type releases heat by air activation. The other type releases heat when a supersaturated solution crystallizes.Air-activated hand warmers are single use products. Chemical solution hand warmers are re-usable. How Air Activated Hand Warmers Work Air-activated hand warmers are long-lasting chemical hand warmers that start working as soon as you unseal the packaging, exposing it to oxygen in​ the  air. The packets of chemicals produce heat from oxidizing iron into iron oxide (Fe2O3) or rust. Each packet contains iron,  cellulose (or sawdust to bulk up the product), water, vermiculite (serves as a water reservoir), activated carbon (distributes heat uniformly),  and salt (acts as a catalyst). This type of hand warmer produces heat anywhere from 1 to 10 hours. Its common to shake the packets to improve circulation, which speeds the reaction and increases the heat. Its possible to get a burn from direct contact between the hand warmer and skin, so the packaging warns users to put the product on the  outside a sock or glove and to keep the packets away from children, who could get burned more easily. Air-activated hand warmers cannot be re-used once they have stopped heating. How Chemical Solution Hand Warmers Work The other type of chemical hand warmer relies on crystallization of a supersaturated solution. The crystallization process releases heat. These hand warmers dont last as long (usually 20 minutes to 2 hours), but they are re-usable. The most common chemical inside this product  is a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate in water. The product is activated by flexing a small metal disk or strip, which acts as a nucleation surface for crystal growth. Usually, the metal is stainless steel.  As the sodium acetate crystallizes, heat is released (up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit). The product can be recharged by heating the pad in boiling  water, which dissolves the crystals back into the small amount of water. Once the package cools, it is ready to use again. Sodium acetate is a food-grade, non-toxic chemical, but other chemicals can be used. Some chemical hand warmers use supersaturated calcium nitrate, which is also safe. Other Types of Hand Warmers In addition to chemical hand warmers, you can get battery-operated hand warmers and also products that work by burning lighter fluid or charcoal inside special cases. All of the products are effective. Which you choose depends on the temperature you want, how long you need the heat to last, and whether you need to be able to re-charge the product. How to Make a Chemical Hand Warmer Its easy to make a DIY hand warmer using iron, salt, and water in a plastic bag. Materials Iron filingsSalt (sodium chloride)Warm (not hot) waterSand, sawdust, vermiculite, or sodium polyacrylate gelZip-top plastic bags Procedure In a small zip-top bag, mix 1-1/2 tablespoons iron filings, 1-1/1 tablespoons salt, 1-1/2 tablespoons sand (or other absorbent material), and 1-1/2 tablespoons warm water.Squeeze the air out of the plastic bag and seal it.Its a good idea to place the bag of chemical inside another bag, remove the excess air, and seal it.Shake or squeeze the content of the bag for about 30 seconds to mix the contents and form a slush. The bag will get hot and will remain hot as long as the chemical reaction proceeds. If the bag gets too hot to hold, set it down. Dont get burned! Another option is to wrap the bag in a sock or towel. This is an air-activated hand warmer. Even though most of the air is squeezed out, enough remains in the bag for the oxidation reaction. If you closely examine the contents of the bag after the reaction is complete, youll see the iron has changed into iron oxide or rust. This type of reaction cannot be reversed unless energy is added, so the hand warmer cannot be re-used. If you want to prepare a homemade hand warmer for later use, keep the salt and water separate from the iron and filler until youre ready for the reaction to occur.

Analyzing the Central Theme of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Essay Example for Free

Analyzing the Central Theme of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Essay Cold Mountain is a tragic yet a very profound story of love, searching, and intuition which happens in an environment terrorized by war in 1864 (Buchanan). The story is set on the troubled plains and mountains of nineteenth century America where Inman, the main character, decided to leave the battlefield as he yearned and searched for his lover. In a nutshell, the story basically revolves around a tale of love which bound two people together amidst distance, chaos, and isolation. This debut novel of Charles Frazier has definitely redefined love in ways, portrayed as a powerful force which enables people to overcome dangers and even life threatening situations just to reunite with a loved one. In several ways, the novel reflects the importance of faith as well as love despite isolation, distress, and confusion that an individual faces. Central Theme of the Novel The main feature of the novel which an average reader may notice would be the war of the 19th century America. It tells the story of how distressing and miserable life during war is and how hopeless it gets most of the time. Inman, identified as the main protagonist of the story, was a part of the confederate army before he went on to his venture of coming back to his long lost lover, Ada. His life in the confederate army made him realize that it is indeed a lot worse to lose something a person already has than fail to get what that person currently wants. The war made the character feel all the isolation and alienation any person would never want to experience. Through this isolation, Inman felt the need to come back home. However, amidst the distress and pains brought by the war, Inman’s spirit was kept alive by his love and yearning for Ada. The epic describes how more painful Inman’s longing is for Ada compared to the pains he felt because of his wounds. The author illustrated Inman’s longing as miserable as if, â€Å"his wounds gave hi, just reason to doubt that he would ever heal up and feel whole of a piece again† (Frazier 25). Although the epic was largely about battles, what Inman felt because of his separation from Ada gave the story a soft, emotional, and sentimental effect. This aspect of the story depicts a reality that no matter how harsh a person’s environment may seem, there will always be some spark of compassion and love inside his or her heart to encourage him or her to live. The story also illustrates that compassion and love will always be strong forces that will bind two people regardless of how far they are from each other and irrespective of how tough and immovable the barricade between them may be. Ada’s love, on the other hand, is illustrated in her patience and faith in Inman. Despite their distance, she never stopped waiting for Inman and believing in him. Her faith and belief that everything between them will be alright is reflected in her notes as a response to Inman’s letter which said: â€Å"This you must know: that despite your long absence, such is the light in which I view the happy relation existing between us, that I will never conceal a single thought from you† (Frazier27). The story was basically split between Inman and Ada’s life events which proved that beyond borders, their love will always unite and hold them together. Incorporating such a sentimental theme in a distressing genre such as war was an amazing feat that Frazier was able o successfully portray in his novel. However, upon further analysis of the novel, one may realize that it is from these painful and trying times that the need for love and compassion emerges, since this is the time when people are more likely to feel alienated and lost. It is also from these hard times when the need for someone to love and to be loved back is stronger. Thus, it may appear understandable and explicable why Inman had such a strong desire to come back home and turn his back from the grueling and miserable face of war. Nevertheless, Frazier was also able to present the realities of war in a very compelling manner. The alienation which Inman felt was also very believable which made it possible for the readers to empathize with the main character. Conclusion Cold Mountain is a realistic and compelling epic of a warrior who did not only fight for his state but also for him to come home to the one he loved. In this novel, Frazier was able to blend well the very different concepts of hostility, isolation, alienation, faith, and love. Yet, the author was able to present these ideas in a very realistic manner through the characters of the story. The epic can be considered as a good representation of how powerful love can be inside a person’s heart in times of desolation and loneliness. As reflected in the story, it can indeed be the driving force which can help a person to survive the harsh elements in his environments just to come home to the arms of his or her lover. Similarly, the story also portrays well the impacts of alienation and isolation to an individual and what alterations these impacts can cause to a person’s life and points of view. Thus, if there is anything that this epic would send the readers as a message, it would be that, amidst isolation, distress, and chaos, faith and love can help a person survive the odds and the tough challenges. Works Cited Buchanan, Catherine. â€Å"Cold Mountain: Context. † Spark Notes. 2009. 15 Apr. 2009. . Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. New York: Grove Pres Analyzing the Central Theme of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain. (2016, Dec 10). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Visual analysis paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Visual analysis paper - Essay Example During these periods, artists would use fired clay for creating their artwork (The metropolitan museum of art, 2012). By using the fired clay, the artists ensured that their final piece of art was highly durable and lasted longer than any form of art that was created. As opposed to other types of ancient art, for an instant painting, pottery as an art form was highly durable. Not only did the artists mould the clay into fine forms, they also assumed the skill of painting. The reason the artists’ painted their pottery was to create a means of communication. The painted decorations helped the artists in making three-dimensional representations of their pottery. Among the Greeks artists’, pottery was produced from using geometric shapes in decorating them to use of human forms. The geometric kind of art showed in the Heron class Olla came along in the middle and late geometric time. There are different lines that run across the pot from the tip to the base; distinct lines that run vertically, while pothers are designed horizontally. In between a series of lines running horizontally on the pot, the artists put other motifs. They use animal motifs accompanying them with other abstract diamonds like motifs. Thereafter, the horizontal line second row is only modelled in animal depictions. The artist has used decorative motifs after the third horizontal lines that alternate with the short vertical lines (The metropolitan museum of art, 2012). The base of the pot follows a series of horizontally formed lines that are of varying thickness. There has been much emphasis on the geometric motifs just like the artistic period name. As opposed to the black-figure period, where the artist used dark colors in the objects on the surface of the artwork, the geometric era u ses brighter hues. Unlike pottery in the geometric era, the archaic period pottery the artists were using

Communication questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication questions - Essay Example Taking the analysis a little bit further, the individual can realize that by analyzing the language of a particular media outlet, the individual can come to understand what bias might exist within the language or what understanding the media might be attempting to provide. Further, with regard to the production, the individual that pays close attention to how the production of the media is effected will be more likely to recognize a the way in which different methods tend to focus on aspects that might be biased in some way or another. Additionally, the representation of the media is another key point that helps to show a level of media literacy. By understanding the representation that a particular piece of media provides, the viewer, reader, or participant can come to understanding the approach to the story that the media outlet has decided on. Finally, a focus on the audience that the media outlet is attempting to present the story to also tells the individual a lot about what inf ormation is being represented and how the media wants the information to be used. As a result of these understandings, I have come to apply this particular approach to the majority of the media that I consume; especially to any news media. By focusing on the audience for which the media was designed, I can oftentimes see the way in which media is used to create a particular point of view or ideology on a particular topic. By thinking about how the media was produced and what factors are focused on the most, especially if it is television media, I am able to see the approach that the news story is likely o promote or the approach that the media is attempting to ridicule. Similarly, by analyzing the way that language of the media, I have been able to understand the level of bias that is oftentimes presented prior to the individual having the opportunity to come to their own

Experiecing art in person Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Experiecing art in person - Essay Example Event title: Release Your Plans by Daniel Sprick, United States, 2001. Event Location: Denver Art Museum Event Date and Time: July 27 2012, at 10 a.m. Event Performers: Daniel Sprick Brief Description of event: This is an event that took place in the Denver Art Museum, entailing the presentation and discussion of the artwork, â€Å"Release Your Plans†, which was created by Daniel Sprick3. During the event, the students and other interested parties sat and observed the painting. This was followed by a presentation by Daniel Sprick, where he discussed the background of the painting, what motivated the creation of the painting, its essence and relevance as an artwork, as well as the discussion and demonstration of the different components that makes up the painting. The audience was then allowed an opportunity to ask questions to the presenter, who then answered them. After the presentation, the event was finally closed. The form/structure of the art The piece of art, â€Å"Rele ase Your Plans†, which was created by Daniel Sprick, is located in the 7th floor of the Denver Art Museum. ... However, there are several components that are conspicuously available. First, the most eye-catching aspect of the painting is that, while its name is simply â€Å"Release Your Plans†, there is another full message written on a different piece paper which is then hang behind the easel of the painting, with a full message, â€Å"Listen to your destiny, and when it calls, release your plans† 3. The other conspicuous component of the painting is the human skull, which has some pins in its eyes, and a mirror placed on a stand, which reflects the outside of the room, and it shows that the outside is more beautiful than the inside of the room. The painting also has a litter of kitchen trash, which includes some broken egg shell, a knife, broken pieces of bottles, as well as some cans, which are particularly displayed as very old2. Broken pieces of glasses are also shown on the floor of the room, which seems to be a kitchen. The other components of the painting are floating ob jects, which include a rose flower and a plate, possibly used as the clamp for the rose. There is also a rug on the floor and a piece of cigarette that lies next to the eggshell that is already broken. The skull, the bottle and the floating objects are the placed on top of a table, which is particularly peculiar, owing to the way it is wrapped with a white cloth that appears to be larger than necessary, thus it is folded on the lower side with some strings and embedded on the main stand of the table. There are also some dead cockroaches that are placed on the table top3. The narrative intent of the art The narrative intent of the art is to depict life in its natural form, in its truthfulness and in its good and bad realities. The

El Derecho Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

El Derecho - Essay Example The meaning gets twisted depending on the usage. The same is true for El Derecho. In Spanish, as an adverb, the term when translated to English means straight, upright, or directly. Or if used in a sentence, derechos could mean a straight path, as in â€Å"The children walked straightly to the room† But as a noun, the term is no longer used to describe a direction, but rather it refers to the â€Å"right† of a person. Erichsen, Gerald, a Spanish Language Guide (n.d.), explains that the word, when used as a noun would mean another thing and not specific to direction, but more on the rights of a person such as morals, customs, principles, or according to law. The word can also come in a plural form such as â€Å"derechos†, or derechas. So if one would refer to human rights, it is correct to call it â€Å"derechos humanos† for human rights’. When â€Å"derecha† is used, Erichsen said it connotes political affinity, such as opposite of the â€Å"left† political party, or ‘right wing’. Vernor Munoz Villalobos, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education (2010) used the term â€Å"derecho humano† on her paper to describe a human right to have an education.(UN General Assembly, New York, 2010) . The word has a clearer meaning when used as an adjective because it is specific such as right, opposite of left, straight or upward or in brief, it gives a specific direction, like â€Å"linea derecha†, that means straight line. But further to vocabulary usage the term becomes important in storm predictions and a criterion for severe wind gusts. It is a word coined by the NOAA-NWS-N CEP Storm Prediction Center that describes â€Å"derecho† as a long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms. This could be related to my above description of the word because of the straight damage directed in one direction. Thus the Storm Prediction Center calls it a ‘a

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 14

Sociology - Essay Example The two major rivers, the Nile Valley in Egypt, and the Tigris-Euphrates in Iraq were the places of the worlds early civilizations. The three major religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam originated from the Middle East and here is where urban life and centralized forms of political organization arose. The archaeologists are rebuilding the cultural advancement that transformed the human ancestors from nomadic hunters and gatherers into established villagers who cultivated varieties of wheat and barley and set aside domestic sheep and goats. The most important era in human history, which can be dated back to 8000 B.C., has been considered to as the Agricultural Revolution, to emphasize its importance in the progress of human cultural past. The evolution from hunting and gathering for one’s food to one depended on food production and established society life was the introduction to the next step in human intellectual growth, the start of civilization, which goes back to about 5000 B.C in the Middle East (Rassam n.pag 2007). The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Flowing southward to the Persian Gulf across southern Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, give life into the parched land transforming this area of desert is part of the Fertile Crescent. This region became the Middle Eastern civilization more than 8,000 years before. The agricultural revolution transformed nomadic hunter-gatherers into a socially multifaceted, enduring civilization. Approximately a hundred centuries later, another type of agricultural revolution is in progress in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent, because of the major infrastructure advance in Turkey’s Southeast Anatolia area which will provide irrigation to 1.7 million hectares of fresh farmland. One of the most accomplishments of the project in 1994 was the two water-delivery tunnels which will vent out lake behind the Ataturk Dam to water the regions of southeastern Turkey that lie north of the Syrian border. Before the

Experiecing art in person Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Experiecing art in person - Essay Example Event title: Release Your Plans by Daniel Sprick, United States, 2001. Event Location: Denver Art Museum Event Date and Time: July 27 2012, at 10 a.m. Event Performers: Daniel Sprick Brief Description of event: This is an event that took place in the Denver Art Museum, entailing the presentation and discussion of the artwork, â€Å"Release Your Plans†, which was created by Daniel Sprick3. During the event, the students and other interested parties sat and observed the painting. This was followed by a presentation by Daniel Sprick, where he discussed the background of the painting, what motivated the creation of the painting, its essence and relevance as an artwork, as well as the discussion and demonstration of the different components that makes up the painting. The audience was then allowed an opportunity to ask questions to the presenter, who then answered them. After the presentation, the event was finally closed. The form/structure of the art The piece of art, â€Å"Rele ase Your Plans†, which was created by Daniel Sprick, is located in the 7th floor of the Denver Art Museum. ... However, there are several components that are conspicuously available. First, the most eye-catching aspect of the painting is that, while its name is simply â€Å"Release Your Plans†, there is another full message written on a different piece paper which is then hang behind the easel of the painting, with a full message, â€Å"Listen to your destiny, and when it calls, release your plans† 3. The other conspicuous component of the painting is the human skull, which has some pins in its eyes, and a mirror placed on a stand, which reflects the outside of the room, and it shows that the outside is more beautiful than the inside of the room. The painting also has a litter of kitchen trash, which includes some broken egg shell, a knife, broken pieces of bottles, as well as some cans, which are particularly displayed as very old2. Broken pieces of glasses are also shown on the floor of the room, which seems to be a kitchen. The other components of the painting are floating ob jects, which include a rose flower and a plate, possibly used as the clamp for the rose. There is also a rug on the floor and a piece of cigarette that lies next to the eggshell that is already broken. The skull, the bottle and the floating objects are the placed on top of a table, which is particularly peculiar, owing to the way it is wrapped with a white cloth that appears to be larger than necessary, thus it is folded on the lower side with some strings and embedded on the main stand of the table. There are also some dead cockroaches that are placed on the table top3. The narrative intent of the art The narrative intent of the art is to depict life in its natural form, in its truthfulness and in its good and bad realities. The

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 14

Sociology - Essay Example The two major rivers, the Nile Valley in Egypt, and the Tigris-Euphrates in Iraq were the places of the worlds early civilizations. The three major religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam originated from the Middle East and here is where urban life and centralized forms of political organization arose. The archaeologists are rebuilding the cultural advancement that transformed the human ancestors from nomadic hunters and gatherers into established villagers who cultivated varieties of wheat and barley and set aside domestic sheep and goats. The most important era in human history, which can be dated back to 8000 B.C., has been considered to as the Agricultural Revolution, to emphasize its importance in the progress of human cultural past. The evolution from hunting and gathering for one’s food to one depended on food production and established society life was the introduction to the next step in human intellectual growth, the start of civilization, which goes back to about 5000 B.C in the Middle East (Rassam n.pag 2007). The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Flowing southward to the Persian Gulf across southern Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, give life into the parched land transforming this area of desert is part of the Fertile Crescent. This region became the Middle Eastern civilization more than 8,000 years before. The agricultural revolution transformed nomadic hunter-gatherers into a socially multifaceted, enduring civilization. Approximately a hundred centuries later, another type of agricultural revolution is in progress in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent, because of the major infrastructure advance in Turkey’s Southeast Anatolia area which will provide irrigation to 1.7 million hectares of fresh farmland. One of the most accomplishments of the project in 1994 was the two water-delivery tunnels which will vent out lake behind the Ataturk Dam to water the regions of southeastern Turkey that lie north of the Syrian border. Before the

Injustice Anywhere Essay Example for Free

Injustice Anywhere Essay Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Hence injustice with one individual of a society can affect the life of other individuals of the society. Before we make society understand the need of justice in this essay lets first talk about what justice really is. Justice is the ideal, morally correct state of things and persons. Justice is action in accordance with the requirements of some law. Whether these rules are grounded in human consensus or societal norms, they are supposed to ensure that all members of society receive fair treatment. Justice is distinguished from other ethical standards as required and as, overwhelmingly important: justice can be thought of as distinct from, and more important than, benevolence, charity, mercy, generosity or compassion. All of these things may be valuable, but they are supererogatory rather than required. We need to know more than this: we need to know what justice is, not merely what it is not, and several answers to that problem have been proposed.. Justice is linked, both etymologically and conceptually, to the idea of justification: having and giving decisive reasons for ones beliefs and actions. So, attempts to understand justice are typically attempts to discover the justification the source or basis of justice, and therefore to account for (or disprove) its overwhelming importance. Justice becomes more essential for Islamic country like our due to the emphasis of Islamic teachings on justice. As it is said in Quran: God enjoins justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbids indecency and abomination and wickedness. [Surah Nahl; 16:90] Justice is perhaps the most important of the supreme values of Islam. In fact, it can be said that the main purpose of revelation and the tasks of Prophets (alayhum salam) has been to establish Justice. Thus, one of the early scholars of Islam has said that: Where the signs of Justice appear and its face is shown in any way that is where the Law of God and His religion are found. Justice is the first principle of social life. It can be shown to govern all relations in life: between ruler and ruled, rich and poor, husband and wife, parents and children. In all our dealings, we are required to stand firmly for justice even if it is against our own self and our kith and kin, for love too can lead to injustice. O you who believe! Be firm in justice as witnesses for God, even in cases against yourselves, your parents or your kin [Surah Nisa; 4: 135] And if you give your word, you must be just, even though it be against your kin, and fulfill the covenant of God. For that is what He has commanded you that you may remember. [Surah Anam; 6: 152] The fear of committing injustice may even prevent the doing of an act that is otherwise permissible. In fact one of the derived principles of the Shariah is that all permissible things are permissible provided that no damage or harm results to others from their practice and that in the event that such damage or harm is -suspected or confirmed, the permissible shall be prohibited to avert such damage or harm. Issues of justice arise in several different spheres and play a significant role in causing, perpetuating, and addressing conflict. Just institutions tend to instill a sense of stability, well-being, and satisfaction among society members, while perceived injustices can lead to dissatisfaction, rebellion, or revolution. Each of the different spheres expresses the principles of justice and fairness in its own way, resulting in different types and concepts of justice; distributive, procedural, retributive, and restorative. These types of justice have important implications for socio-economic, political, civil, and criminal justice at both the national and international level. Distributive justice, or economic justice, is concerned with giving all members of society a fair share of the benefits and resources available. Fair allocation of resources, or distributive justice, is crucial to the stability of a society and the well-being of its members. When issues of distributive justice are inadequately addressed and the item to be distributed is highly valued, intractable conflicts frequently result. Procedural justice is concerned with making and implementing decisions according to fair processes that ensure fair treatment. Rules must be impartially followed and consistently applied in order to generate an unbiased decision. If people believe procedures to be fair, they will be more likely to accept outcomes, even ones that they do not like. Implementing fair procedures is central to many dispute resolution procedures, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and adjudication. Retributive justice appeals to the notion of just dessert the idea that . people deserve to be treated in the same way they treat others. It is a retroactive approach that justifies punishment as a response to past injustice or wrongdoing. The central idea is that the offender has gained unfair advantages through his or her behavior, and that punishment will set this imbalance straight. While it is difficult to give a complete and adequate definition of justice, most observers can recognize clear examples of serious injustice when they arise. Such injustice comes in various forms, wherever the norms of distributive justice, procedural justice, or human rights are violated. Political injustice involves the violation of individual liberties, including the denial of voting rights or due process, infringements on rights to freedom of speech or religion, and inadequate protection from cruel and unusual punishment. Such injustice often stems from unfair procedures, and involves political systems in which some but not others are allowed to have voice and representation in the processes and decisions that affect them. This sort of procedural injustice can contribute to serious social problems as well as political ones. If voting or litigation procedures, for example, are perceived to be unjust, any outcome they produce is liable to be unstable and produce conflict. In addition,; any procedures that are carried out in a biased manner are likely to contribute to problems of religious, ethnic, gender, or race discrimination. When the procedure in question has to do with employment or wages, such issues can lead to serious economic and social problems. The highly-publicized rape case of Mukhtaran Mai, also referred to as Mukhtar Mai or Mukhtaran Bibi, highlights the Pakistani governments shortcomings in dealing with violence against women and its persecution of rape victims. In 2002, Mukhtaran was sentenced to be gang raped by a tribal council in the province of Punjab as punishment for her younger brothers alleged affair with a woman from a powerful clan. After the initial trial, six men were sentenced to death for the gang rape, while eight others were acquitted. However, last June, the Punjab High Court overturned five of the convictions and reduced the sixth to a life sentence. Mukhtaran Mai received donations adding up to $160,000 from New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff s coverage of the case. Mukhtaran has used the money to open two schools in her village, a shelter for abused women and provide her village with an ambulance. When Mukhtaran was invited to the United States to talk about her case, the Pakistani government fearing hat she would malign the countrys image abroad denied her travel visa to the United States, and placed her under house arrest. Only -fallowing great international attention and pressure was the travel ban lifted. While Pakistans High Court suspended the acquittals of Mukhtarans rapists and will be re-examining the case, the governments lassitude in amending the Hudood Ordinances which place insu rmountable obstacles for women to safely and successfully obtain justice in their rape cases foments an environment in which violence is perpetrated against women with virtual impunity. If women are unable to prove rape under the Hudood law, which requires four adult Muslim males to have witnessed the crime or the confession of the rapist himself, then the victims themselves may be tried for adultery or fornication. Mukhtaran is not the only victim of our political injustice. According to press reports cited by the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, a non-governmental organization, more than 10,000 women are raped every year in Pakistan, although the real figure is thought to be much higher. As in all countries, women are often reluctant to report rape, for social reasons as well as distrust of the judicial process. In Pakistan, there are additional legal barriers to pursuing a rape conviction. The rape law itself, one of the offenses of zina under the Hudood Ordinances, requires either the confession of the perpetrator or the eye-witness testimony of at least four Muslim adult male witnesses to the rape. If she is unable to prove rape, a woman who reports rape to the police is vulnerable to prosecution herself under the Hudood Ordinances for fornication if she is unmarried or adultery if she is married. In addition to these formidable legal barriers to the prosecution of rape, there have been several reports of police involvement in rapes and gang-rapes and of police protection of those accused of rape, particularly when they are from influential families. Women who have been raped are also at risk of honor killings, whereby a male relative kills them because they are thought to have dishonored the familys name in the community by transgressing social norms, which is seen to include having been raped. It has been estimated that on average one thousand honor killings take place each year in Pakistan. Even the Pakistan Governments National Commission on the Status of Women has recommended repeal of the Hudood Ordinances on the grounds that they are discriminatory towards women and not in accordance with Islamic injunctions. They are also contrary to the Convention on the Elimination of ; All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) , to which Pakistan is a party, and to the Constitution of Pakistan, which states at Article 25 that (1) All citizens are equal before law and are entitled for equal protection of law. (2) There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone. Crimes of honor are a pre-Islamic practice deeply rooted in the tribal societies of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) where Upper Dir is located, Balochistan province, as well as those of Sindh and Punjab where they are called karo kari. In these rigidly patriarchal communities, wives, daughters, sisters and mothers are killed for the least sexual indiscretion and upon the slightest suspicion of ad ultery. Murders in the name of honor fall under the purview of the customary qisas and diyat law. Riddled with flaws, it makes prosecution extremely difficult. Activists have been urging the government to reform the law but a bill seeking to bolster secular law against honor killings, presented in parliament last year, was defeated as un-Islamic. Drastic changes are needed,† Rakshanda Naz, resident director of Aurat Foundation told IPS. The social mind-set, specially the attitude of the courts, needs to change. Often the courts adopt a lenient view towards an accused on the grounds of grave and sudden provocation† which is nowhere in the law,† she added. Sections of the qisas and diyat law work to the advantage of the accused in the trial and appellate stages. Under section 309 of the law, an adult wall (legal heir) of a deceased could use his right of qisas (to forgive the accused). Similarly, under section 310, the offence of murder is made a compoundable offence and any heir of a deceased could forgive an accused by compounding his right of qisas after receiving compensation.. Since in most honor-related murders, either a husband or parents are the heirs of the slain woman and as the murder takes place in connivance with almost all the family members, they prefer to waive their right of qisas and pardon the accused. Each time, the judicial response has appeared to violate the basic principles of justice, activists observed. Uzma Mehboob, a womens rights activist, said no FIR was registered in a recent case in a remote hamlet in NWFPs Mardan district where a powerful landowner sprayed his daughter and driver, who had eloped together, with bullets. Economic injustice involves the states failure to provide individuals with basic necessities of life, such as access to adequate food and housing, and its maintenance of huge discrepancies in wealth. In the most extreme cases of misdistribution, some individuals suffer from poverty while the elite of that society live in relative luxury. Such injustice can stem from unfair hiring procedures, lack of available jobs and education, and insufficient health care. All of these conditions may lead individuals to believe that they have not received a fair share of the benefits and resources available in that society. Many scholars and activists note that in order to truly address injustice internationally, we must strive to understand its underlying causes. These causes have to do with underdevelopment, economic pressures, various social problems, and international conditions. Indeed, the roots of repression, discrimination, and other injustice stem from deeper and more complex political, social, and economic problems. It is only by understanding and ameliorating these root causes and strengthening civil society that we can truly protect human rights. Addressing political injustice is often a matter of developing institutions of fair governance, such as a responsible police force and judiciary. Legislative action and executive decision-making should likewise be held accountable. Such measures are sometimes a matter of reforming state ;gt; institutions or revising state constitution. In cases where some groups are excluded from political participation, the state can remedy violations of political rights by promoting political inclusion and empowering subordinate groups. Public decision-making should respond to the will of the citizens, and members of the society should have the opportunity to participate in the formulation, execution, and monitoring of state policies. In other words, a culture of political involvement and public participation should be fostered. In addition, there are various social structural changes that might give groups more social, economic, and/or political power. This is often accomplished through the strengthening of the economy and civil society in conjunction with democratization efforts. In some cases countries require outside assistance for election monitoring, nation-building programs and the development of governmental infrastructure to make their political system more stable. Addressing systemic economic injustice is often a matter of economic reforms that give groups better access to jobs, health care, and education. In many cases, lack of access to basic services stems from enormous inequalities in resource distribution. Redistribution of benefits and resources can thus- be an important component of social structural changes to remedy injustice. There are various institutional and economic development reforms that might be put in place to raise living standards and boost economic growth. In addition, by creating social and economic safety nets, states can eliminate tension and instability caused by unfair resource allocation. A central goal of responding to injustice is paving the way for future peace. Once conflict has ended and policies of oppression have been repealed, society members face the task of rebuilding their society. Many believe that measures aimed at restorative justice are well-suited for this task. Restorative Justice is concerned with healing wounds of victims and repairing harm done to interpersonal relationships and the community. It can play a crucial role in responding to severe human rights violations or cases of genocide. Huge advances are made when governments tell the truth about past atrocities carried out by the state. It is thought that true healing equires remembering the atrocities committed, repenting, and forgiving. War crimes inquiries and truth commissions can aid in the process of memory and truth telling and help to make public the extent to which victims have/suffered. One of the tragic examples of restorative injustice in Pakistan is of the incident of taking away Masihs children away from him. According to the law, all parents in Pakistan in cluding Christian parents such as the Masihs have the right to raise their children in their own faith. But the law isnt always followed in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Particularly when it comes to Christians. The girls were taken Jan. 25 by the familys landlady and her husband with police escorts. The couple contended that the children had converted to Islam and should no longer remain in a Christian home. The Masihs maintain that their daughters are still Christians, no matter what anyone says, and that even if they did convert to Islam, they should stay with their parents. But 14-year-old Nadia, 11-year-old Nyla and 9-year-old Nabila are gone, and its unclear whether theyll ever be allowed to return home. The city magistrate overseeing the case admits he decided against the Christians not on the basis of law but on public sentiment and a concern that he could have a religious riot on his hands. Legally speaking, they should have been given to their parents, says Kamran? Abdullah Siddiqi, leaning back in a cushioned chair in his office, where two armed policeman sit against a wall. But Siddiqi says if he did that, Some crazy person would come and say these are the children of Islam. Theyd say were going to chop you. Were going to shoot you. Were going to what did the KKK used to say in America? lynch you. Article 36 of Pakistans Constitution promises to safeguard the rights and interests of religious minorities. But human rights organizations say thats not happening. The U. S. State Department agrees, citing a government-fostered atmosphere of religious intolerance that has led to violence against religious minorities. In Pakistan, 97 percent of the population is Muslim; the rest is made up mostly of Christians but also of Hindus, Buddhists and other groups. Partly at the prodding of concerned American Christian groups, the U. S. Congress earlier this month passed legislation requiring the president to take action against nations that engage in a pattern of religious persecution. In the 1980s, the United States gave Pakistan billions of dollars for economic development. But in recent years, concern that Pakistan was developing a nuclear bomb has prompted sanctions, slashing aid to the millions of dollars, most of it for humanitarian, food and counter narcotics efforts. Pakistans decision to test nuclear weapons in May further cooled US Pakistan relations. Pakistans pattern of religious persecution, documented for years in State Department reports, could lead to further sanctions. This is not the only case, there are still many stories but the need here is not just to highlight the stories but also to make sure these stories end up with the mess they have already poured in our Islamic society. Restoration often becomes a matter of restitution or war reparations. In cases where clear acts of injustice have taken place, some type of compensation package can help to meet the material and emotional needs of victims and remedy the injustice. Repentance can also help to re-establish relationships among the conflicting parties and help them to move toward reconciliation. In some cases, conflicts can end more peacefully when parties acknowledge their guilt and apologize than when formal war crimes adjudication or criminal proceedings are used. In cases of civil war, because the line between offenders and victims can become blurred, a central goal of peace building is to restore the community as a whole. Restoration often becomes tied to the transformation of the relationship between the conflicting parties. However, such restoration cannot take place unless it is supported by wider social conditions and unless the larger community makes restorative processes available. Many note that an adequate response to injustice must involve social structural changes, reconstruction programs to help communities ravaged by conflict, democratization and the creation of institutions of civil society. Only then can the underlying causes of injustice be remedied.