Distribution Channels And Supply Chain Management Essay

This essay is about what is supply chain management. This will cover how different distribution channels and supply chains are used in the process of international trade. This will also show the different stages of the supply chain and the five defining themes involved in supply chain management. First I will start with defining what a supply chain is, Coyle, Bardi, Landgley (2003) describe a supply chain as the physical, financial and information networks that involve gathering the necessary materials, information and funds to deliver the final product to the end customer. Therefor the supply chain starts at acquiring the raw materials and finishes at delivering to the end user. The goal of supply chain management is to build an efficient and effective process that involves teamwork and technology to create value for the final customer (Fawcett, Ellram, Ogden , 2013). It is important to understand what supply chain management is Fawcett et al. (2013, p8) define supply chain management as, â€Å"The design and management of seamless, value added process across organizational boundaries to meet the real need of the end customer†. Wailding (2011) described supply chain management as, â€Å"Management of upstream suppliers and downstream customers to create enhanced value in the final market place at the least cost to the supply chain as a whole†. From the above definitions they display supply chain management to be enhancing value to the end customer and keeping supply chainShow MoreRelatedDistribution Channels and Supply Chain Management in High-Tech Markets1411 Words   |  6 Pagesmanage complexities of distribution channels and supply chains to successfully deliver products in high-tech market. The authors claim that effective managing distribution helps the firms to reduce redundancies and inefficiencies in their production system. 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Free Finance Essay LSE TMX Merger Free Essays

string(28) " the synergies of a merger\." EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This case study seeks to analyse the intended merger between London Stock Exchange Plc and TMX Group, Inc, the operators of London and Canada’s largest stock exchanges respectively. The intended merger is offering TMX Group’s shareholders 2.9963 shares in the newly created entity, for every TMX share owned. We will write a custom essay sample on Free Finance Essay: LSE TMX Merger or any similar topic only for you Order Now The aim of the merger is supposedly to create synergies and shareholder wealth for all shareholders involved. On close inspection of the figures, and with the aid of financial theories, this study found that TMX’s shareholders stand to gain much more than LSE shareholders (35% compared to 10%) in the integration within the new company. Furthermore, synergies such as improved global market share and cost savings have been found to be achievable as a result of the merger, however forecasts for revenue improvements would take careful planning and implementation. The LSE-TMX merger is therefore recommended, given the consolidation of the industry, and the need to achieve scale in order to compete effectively. 1 INTRODUCTION Mergers and Acquisitions between stock exchanges have been widespread globally, due mostly to the need to achieve scale and reduce costs through synergies (Guardian.co.uk, 2011). One of these proposed mergers has between the London Stock Exchange Group Plc and TMX, operator of Canada’s largest stock exchange. They have been in merger discussions recently that would see a new corporate entity formed; wherein LSE would own 55%, and TMX shareholders would own 45%, with the LSE CEO Xavier Rolet being the top boss in the newly formed organisation. This supposed merger is recommended as an ideal move for LSE, given the competitive environment in which it operates, and the need to continuously expand globally after its acquisition of Borsa Italiana (Italian stock exchange). However, it has sparked criticisms and controversy on the Canadian front, as a number of parties, including the government and several top organisations have stated that a merger between both entities would reduce the status of Canada as a financial capital, and could subsequently result in Canadian firms opting to list in London and not Canada. FT.com (2011) describes Canadian authorities as â€Å"tricky† when it comes to foreign investments, as they could block bids by multinationals if it is perceived not to be in line with the national interest. Such as was seen in 2010, when the Canadian minister for Industry blocked a ?26bn takeover of a fertilizer group by an American mining group BHP Billiton. This case study seeks to review whether mergers and acquisition increase shareholder wealth for both parties, and the sort of synergies that can be expected from such a relationship. 2 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS The diagrams below show a snapshot of the change LSE and TMX before the merger. Diagram 1 and 2 show the revenue growth in LSE and TMX Plc respectively. Both companies have witnessed steady growth over the past four years. 3 WHY MERGERS AND ACQUISTIONS ARE INTERESTING Breedon and Fornasari (2000) notes that the main aim of mergers in organisations today is for companies to achieve global competitiveness, reduce costs, diversify and possibly improve growth and revenue by branching out into other sectors. Mergers are particularly rampant in highly competitive industries, where firms may be seen to be highly competitively or very fragmented and joining forces together with other players would assist organisations in achieving critical mass necessary to compete effectively. With particular reference to shareholder wealth creation and synergies, several organisations attribute synergies and increasing profit as the core reason why they are merging. For instance cost reductions when duplicate processes and roles are eliminated would assist in improving net profit (Devos et al, 2009). Furthermore, the now increased size of the joint company could be leveraged while negotiating contracts, and be used in achieving economies of scale (Salama et al, 2003). Salama et al further note that mergers allegedly offer the opportunity for new customers in new markets, improved marketing, product development, access to distribution channels and cross selling. It would also help improve market leadership, maintain current positioning and can inspire vertical integration. Even though these assertions are indeed interesting, the most interesting fact about mergers and acquisitions is the argument that down the line, most mergers fail to achieve the profit expectations, shareholder wealth and synergies they initially sought (Salama et al, 2003). This failure could be readily observed in the high price often offered in acquisitions, the substantial, albeit unmet promises given on employee retention, synergies and revenue growth, and the significant costs involved in concluding a merger and synergising operations. This area is therefore very important as a study of what actually makes mergers successful could assist us in analysing the LSE and TMX ongoing merger negotiations and draw recommendations on how they can improve shareholder wealth and achieve synergies. 4 RELEVANT STUDIES Several studies have been published on merger synergies, and the value created afterwards. Stahal and Mendenhall (2005) theorized that one of the major rationales for mergers and acquisitions is the need for businesses to synergize their activities with that of a target company, which is strategically positioned to provide an increase in value. Therefore companies aspire to merge horizontally with competitors in the same industry or vertically with suppliers/buyers in order to synergize their operational processes in a bid to develop a coherent operational strategy that takes advantage of all elements of the business process, eliminates additional cost through redundancy and generates new revenue streams, thus promoting growth. Christofferson et al (2004), in what they described as the winner’s cause argued, â€Å"when companies merge, most of the shareholder value is likely to go to the target. Indeed, on average, the buyer pays the seller all of the value generated by a merger, in the form of a premium of from 10 to 35 percent of the target company’s preannouncement market value.† A complimentary study conducted by Gomes et al (2007), found that the winner’s cause in this sense mostly materialises as a result of an overestimation of the synergies of a merger. You read "Free Finance Essay: LSE TMX Merger" in category "Best finance essays" These synergies are usually as a result of economies of scale and scope sought, new markets, leveraging of capabilities, and greater opportunities for the combined company. Furthermore, Soderberg and Vaara (2003) argued that most acquirers usually have little information about the target company, especially when it comes to the human capital they are acquiring, which often leads to integration issues once the merger is completed. However, Chatterjee (2007), in his study of 264 larger mergers, found that the average synergy gains were 10.03% of the combined equity of both merged firms. Most of which came from tax savings (1.63%) and operational synergies (8.38%). Most of these operational gains were however due to â€Å"cutbacks in investment expenditures rather than by increased operating profits†. In conclusion, Holland and Salama (2010) noted â€Å"careful and well-planned integration strategies are responsible for sustainable learning occurring, leading to desirable synergies between firms engaged in a merger process†. 5 TESTING MERGER THEORY 5.1 SYNERGIES The main objective given for the LSE and TMX merger is to create synergies, in a deal that would create the largest exchange globally in terms of the number of companies listed (6,700), and would also create an exchange where mining companies would be most concentrated. Furthermore, the combined companies are targeting an annual cost savings of ?35m by the second year after the merger, and a revenue growth of ?35m and ?100m in the third and fifth year respectively. Even though the revenue growth cannot be easily ascertained, the synergies can be readily verified. If they do merge, according to Breedon and Fornasari (2000) they would objectively increase in size, have the largest listing of mining companies, and be the world’s largest stock exchange based on the number of listed companies. Furthermore, it is indeed realistic that they can achieve cost savings in the second year, due possibly to cost cutting processes as illustrated by Chatterjee (2007). However, revenue growth in the third and fifth year cannot be easily ascertained, and the likelihood of that happening, may be slim. According to Gomes et al (2007), even though cost reduction and market size synergies are indeed achievable in mergers due to the objective and easy manner in which they can be achieved following a deal, those centered on revenue growth are usually more difficult to achieve, and often result from very optimistic synergy expectations pre-merger. 5.2 SHAREHOLDER VALUE The LSE and TMX merger is supposed to have a combined value of ?5 billion (including debt), and would be jointly headquartered in London and Toronto. LSE is offering TMX shareholders 2.9963 ordinary shares for every common share they have, and based on Diagram 4, that would result in them owning 45% of the combined company. However, in what way does this actually increase the value of shareholders in both companies? Diagram 3: Pre and post merger valuation calculation. Source: FT.com (2011) The diagram above shows the calculation of the pre and post merger valuation of both companies. Based on the market valuation of both companies on 9th of February 2011, when the merger was announced, they had a collective market cap of ?4.2bn. However, by offering TMX shareholders 2.9963 shares for every share held, they would own 45% of a ?5bn combined entity, which takes up their valuation to ?2.25 billion from ?1.70, thus representing a 35% increase on their current shares; whilst LSE shareholders only gain 10%. Even though shareholders in both companies would increase their wealth as a result of the merger of both companies, TMX shareholders stand to gain a lot more than LSE shareholders. These findings contradict that of Salama et al (2003), who stated that the only shareholders that gain considerably from acquisitions are the target companies. In this situation, both companies stand to gain, just that the target gains a lot more. An explanation for this can be found from Chatterjee (2007), who stated that most mergers have to include a premium valuation for the targets to accept, and the substantial increase in valuation within the new entity could be regarded as a premium payment for the acquisition to take place. It can thus be said that LSE has paid a premium in order to acquire TMX, which has resulted in increased shareholder wealth for TMX shareholders. 5.3 INCREASING BARGAINING POWER AND EFFICIENCIES In an effort to determine the status of past mergers, Salama et al (2003) reported that up to 60% of acquisitions fail, and this failure is mostly represented in their inability to achieve cost reduction or revenue growth objectives, or in the general lack of integration between both parties. However, Buono and Bowdith (1989) in contradiction noted that horizontal mergers do benefit organisations, even in situations where cost savings and revenue growth is difficult. They further noted that this benefit is usually in the form of market share growth and operational efficiencies that are crucial in multinational businesses seeking to establish critical mass in an increasingly global industry. FT.com (2011) notes that the most stock exchanges are often chosen for listing based on their market value and popularity amongst investors. Therefore a stock market with a larger market share has more chance of attracting lists, than others. By joining forces with TMX, LSE would be able to gain a larger market share of the global stock exchange industry, thus being able to attract more listings, trading and revenue. Without this, it faces the fear of being taken over by larger players. Therefore, in light of these findings, the merger between LSE and TMX is therefore crucial in order for it to remain competitive and useful in the global stock exchange market. Diagram 4: Market share of leading stock exchanges. Source: FT.com (2011) 6 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION This study has considered the LSE and TMX findings in light of academic theories, and analyzed existing information with the aim of testing various theories. The major reason given for the merger, which is supposedly to achieve synergies, seems very achievable given the operations of both companies. By creating a multinational entity, the new entity would automatically become the largest exchange for mining companies, and would house the highest number of listed companies. This synergy is also well connected with the theory on bargaining power and efficiencies, as a larger LSE-TMX would attract more companies to list, help reduce overall costs, and improve efficiencies. The manner and success rate of achieving these however depends highly on the careful planning and execution that goes into integrating both companies (Buono and Bowditch, 1989). If these were not done appropriately, then even though LSE-TMX would still be a large multinational stock exchange, by nature of its merger, it may not uphold its competitiveness or be able to the sort of efficiencies envisioned. Finally, the merger does seem to create wealth for both shareholders, but the TMX shareholders stand to gain a lot more, mostly due to the premium being included in the price. This is therefore not a â€Å"merger between equals† (FT.com, 2011), but an acquisition of TMX by LSE, in a diplomatic manner aimed at appeasing Canadian authorities. 7 REFERENCES Breedon, F and F Fornasari (2000) FX impact of cross-border MA., Lehman Brothers, Global Economics Research Series, April Buono, A.F., Bowditch, J.L. (1989), The Human Side of Mergers and Acquisitions, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA Chatterjee, S. (2007) Why is synergy so difficult in mergers of related businesses?, Strategy Leadership, Vol. 35 (2), pp.46 – 52 Christofferson, S, McNish, R, Sias, D (2004), ‘Where mergers go wrong’, McKinsey Quarterly, 2, pp. 92-99, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 April 2011. Devos, E, Kadapakkam, P, and Krishnamurthy, S. (2009) ‘How Do Mergers Create ValueA Comparison of Taxes, Market Power, and Efficiency Improvements as Explanations for Synergies’, Review of Financial Studies, 22, 3, pp. 1179-1211, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 April 2011. FT.com (2011) LSE and Canada’s TMX agree merger, www.ft.com, [accessed: 03/04/11] Gomes, E., Donnelly, T., Morris, D., Collis, C. (2007), â€Å"Improving merger process management skills over time: a comparison between the acquisition processes of Jaguar and of Land Rover by Ford†, The Irish Journal of Management, Vol. 28 pp.31-58. Google Finance (2011) TMX Group, Inc. financials, London Stock Exchange Plc. Financials, http://www.google.co.uk/finance?q=TSE:Xfstype=ii, [accessed: 03/04/11] Guardian.co.uk (2011) TMX-LSE merger: a timeline of takeover battles, www.guardian.co.uk/business, [accessed: 03/04/11] Salama, A., Holland, W., and Vinten, G. (2003), Challenges and opportunities in mergers and acquisitions: three international case studies: Deutsche Bank-Bankers Trust; British Petroleum-Amoco; Ford-Volvo, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 27 pp.313-21. Soderberg, A. M., and Vaara, E. (2003), Merging across Borders: People, Cultures and Politics, Copenhagen Business School Press, Copenhagen Stahal, G.K., Mendenhall, M.E. (2005), Mergers and Acquistions: Managing Culture and Human Resources, Stanford University Press, Stanford How to cite Free Finance Essay: LSE TMX Merger, Essays

Huge Orange at Riverland In South Australia †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Huge Orange at Riverland In South Australia. Answer: Reflection: Huge Orange, Riverland, South Australia I along with my investors are planning to open a Huge orange at Riverland, located in South Australia. We have a plan to construct it with steel frame, which has a fiberglass panel around it. We have a plan to include souvenir shop and function room at the first floor of the structure, and on the second floor we plan to construct a caf, on the third floor we plan to have a 360 degree mural, which shows the local scenery of the place, and on the fourth floor we want to have a lookout that gives the view of nearby orchards. This building will have a height of 15 meters, along with 12 meters in diameter. According to the plan, we might incur the total expenditure of $145000. We are sure that our building will prove to be very successful, and lots of tourists will visit this place (Bramwell Lane, 2000). As the building will have four levels, we are planning to build a footbridge for accessing the primary structure. Due to so many things available at a single place, tourist will be attra cted (Burns, Palmer, Lester Bibbings, 2010). This place is a central place, and transportation facility is also available near to the building. This building included four different theme restaurants for the visitors, who can enjoy Australian cuisine over here. In the present time, the tourist is always looking around for trying something new, and that place should hold enough fun and new things to be seen (Bramwell Lane, 2000). The price value of this building is between $100000 to around @120000. The Huge Lobster, Kingston, South Australia My investors and I are planning to open a huge lobster in the Kingston town of South Australia. Though this town is a small one, its popular and includes various facilities. The Huge lobster structure which we are planning to build will be 17 meters tall, and I am sure it will be considered as the impressive building of Australia. It will be made of steel and include fiberglass, which will attract the tourist towards the restaurant as well as a visitor center (Buhalis, Costa Ford, 2006). This visitor complex will consist of restaurant, small theatre as well as a tourist area. With the help of management, the restaurant will offer open space, which will also include wine tasting area. It will also include accommodation facility as well as accelerated tourist centre within the venue (Burns, Palmer, Lester Bibbings, 2010). Our investors are also planning to come up with a retail store in this building, which will offer fresh local seafood, including lobster dishes (Buhalis, Costa For d, 2006). The estimated cost that will be incurred in the construction of this structure will be around $1an 20000. With this building, we plan to offer lifetime experience to our tourist, who can visit this place and take a lot of memories with them. I plan to provide world-class food items through our retail store. It will be a collection of things, which tourist can quickly get from here, and it can be a specialty of Australia (Burns, Palmer, Lester Bibbings, 2010). In this structure, we also plan to offer many photographic places to tourist, including the nearby view of the city (Buhalis, Costa Ford, 2006). References Bramwell, B., Lane, B. (2000). Tourism Collaboration and Partnerships: Politics, Practice and Sustainability. Channel View Publications Buhalis, D., Costa, C., Ford, F. (2006). Tourism Business Frontiers. Routledge Burns, P. M., Palmer, C., Lester, J., Bibbings, L. (2010). Tourism and Visual Culture Methods and cases. CABI Edelheim, J. R. (2015). Tourist Attractions: From Object to Narrative. Channel View Publications Hannam, K., Knox, D. (2010). Understanding Tourism: A Critical Introduction. SAGE Mowforth, M., Munt, I. (2008). Tourism and Sustainability: Development, Globalisation and New Tourism in the Third World. Routledge Singh, T., Singh, S. (1999). Tourism development in critical environments. Cognizant Communication Corp.

Reflection Letter free essay sample

It was my actions that have caused me all these mess and according to the lessons I have learnt in the Academic Integrity Seminar, I believe in high degree of integrity from today. My friend and I were caught cheating on quizzes and online tests. Unfortunately, our instructor caught us red-handed and we were referred to the Office of Student Conduct. My relaxed efforts on academics led me into all these mess. Instead of going to do more studies on previously learnt topics, my peers and would go to the clubs and any other place that we could have fun and forgot our academic roots were more important.Only to find that had nothing to offer whenever there was an exam. Thats when my best friend would suggest that we improvise a way in which we can acquire high grades and achieve academic scholarship. The truth is that our efforts were imposing a great danger in my academic and personal life. We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection Letter or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This kind of incidences has also happened to my peers especially my best friend. To avoid such a circumstance occurring again in my life, I have decided to take my studies more seriously. Again, I have decided to make proper preparations in my studies prior to examination period or any other test and quiz. Eave also cited to avoid the bad groups or peers in the campus and choose a company with good academic morals. During the Academic Integrity Seminar, have learnt that I am only destroying my life. Am a person with great vision for my life, my county and the entire world. I dont want to shun this away. My knowledge on ethics and integrity has gone a notch higher. Being able to know that ethics and integrity is part of my scholar achievement during my academic life, its an assurance that I will practice it both in college and after college. This lesson on integrity will go a long way in my life as I have to reactive even at work place.Knowledge without ethics and integrity is harm to a scholars life. I went through all the modules in the integrity seminar and learnt that some Of us fall victims Of plagiarism knowingly or knowingly. We have to include citations in our term papers whenever we use work from other authors whether its from the internet or from any other public sources. We should not have the assumptions that the sources belong to the community. From now onwards, I will make sure that cite any reference that quote in my academic term papers and any life research papers I work on.

Steps for Strong Time Management for College Students

Steps for Strong Time Management for College Students Within the first few days of starting college, many students quickly learn that managing their time is one of the most challenging and difficult aspects of being in school. With so much to do and keep track of, strong time management skills can make all the difference. Get and Use a Calendar It can be a paper calendar. It can be your cell phone. It can be a PDA. It can be a bullet journal. No matter what kind it is, though, make sure you have one. Write Down Everything Write down everything in one place. (Having multiple calendars just gives you more to do amidst an already tight schedule.) Schedule when you plan to sleep, when you are going to do your laundry, and when youre going to call your parents. The crazier your schedule gets, the more important this becomes. Schedule Time to Relax Dont forget to schedule in time to relax and breathe. Just because your calendar goes from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. doesnt mean you can. Keep Trying New Systems If your cell phone calendar isnt big enough, buy a paper one. If your paper one keeps getting torn, try a PDA. If you have too many things written down each day, try color-coding to help simplify. Very few college students make it through their programs without some kind of calendaring system; keep trying until you find one that works for you. Allow for Flexibility Things inevitably come up that you werent expecting. You may not have known that your roommates birthday is this week, and you certainly dont want to miss the celebrations! Leave room in your calendar so that you can move things around a little when needed. Plan Ahead Do you have a large research paper due the last week of the semester? Work backward in your calendar and figure out how much time you need to write it, how much time youll need to research it, and how much time youll need to pick your topic. If you think youll need six weeks for the entire project, work backward from the due date and schedule the time into your calendar before its too late. Plan for the Unexpected Sure, you just might be able to pull off two papers and a presentation during midterms week. But what happens if you catch the flu the night youre supposed to be pulling the all-nighter? Expect the unexpected so you dont have to spend more unplanned time trying to fix your mistakes. Schedule Rewards In Your midterms week is a nightmare, but it will all be over Friday by 2:30. Schedule a fun afternoon and a nice dinner out with some friends; your brain will need it, and you can relax knowing that youre not supposed to be doing anything else.

Essay About Traveling Why Should You Start Travelling Today

Essay About Traveling Why Should You Start Travelling Today Traveling is an extraordinary experience every person needs to try. It reveals a whole new and exciting world out there, opens out your inner strength, and presents with unforgettable adventures. Read an example of essay about traveling to learn more and get inspired. Traveling – The First Thing on Your To-Do List There is nothing quite like traveling, like seeing a new place for the first time or returning to a favorite one. People of all ages, from all around the world, go to foreign places for different reasons – mainly, for work, family, and leisure. Whether by plane, train, ship or by automobile, traveling is generally a pleasurable experience, at least for the people who can financially afford comfortable and safe methods of travel. But it has more benefits than satisfying one’s need to make money, like, for example, to see loved ones and enjoy oneself on vacation. There are other benefits of traveling worth mentioning and trying out. HOW DIETING AND EXERCISING CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE? One of the significant benefits of traveling is finding and keeping inner balance. Too often, people get wrapped up in their lives, their daily routine of working, sleeping, eating, and living. They become self-absorbed to the point when their fatigue affects their health, their happiness, and their future. It’s a great, big world out there with billions and billions of people, who each day live their life and have their own unique experiences. Traveling is a humbling experience. It is merely a superior feeling: to go to another country, and to see people live differently, speak differently, look differently. This is how one comes to understand how big and crazy our world is. Another benefit to traveling is coming to see one’s native country in a different light, in a different way. It is possible through making a comparison of your home and a foreign location. Sure, this is impossible without traveling. Going to unknown places create new perspectives and inspiration. Away from home, one comes to understand what â€Å"home† actually is and what it means. Perhaps their native country is not as free as they had been told or initially thought it to be, for example. One does not understand what it means to be a citizen of their native country until they have seen it from a distance, from another, completely different country. When traveling elsewhere and having to live according to a foreign place’s laws and social norms, one immediately thinks of how things are done in their own country and culture and begins to favor one way or another. This changes how one feels about their native land, whether in a better or a worse way. This notion can be applied to various characteristics, such as women’s rights, human rights, customs and traditions, beliefs, a trust for government, etc. Traveling is always beneficial for the individual experiencing it. Another great benefit of traveling is a life experience. Many people do not have the luxury of going to another country, or even to another city of their own country. Traveling gets a person out of their comfort zone, away from all their ordinary pleasures and comforts and way of doing things. This forces them to be adventurous, to live life to the fullest, to make the most of this precious gift and use the time they have to discover new things, and meet new people. This is similar to what people experience when reading a fictional story. They get to become whoever they are reading about, just like when traveling, they get to become the citizens of the country they are visiting, even if it is only for a short time. They live outside their life. To conclude, traveling is the perfect entertainment for a person of any age. On the one hand, it helps people to form a better understanding of themselves, their beliefs, and their lives. On the other, it also provides people with a better understanding of the world they live in, even if it’s beyond their immediate environment. Moreover, it may even help a person to feel connected to the many people living in the world. Nevertheless that their lives may never meet or they are so utterly different that they may as well be from different planets. There are no hesitations. Go and explore the world. In the meantime, will take care of your academic success. Just place an order and get ready for the trip without a second thought.

Enron subverted within the structure of the rational business Essay

Enron subverted within the structure of the rational business organisation - Essay Example The book by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkin (2005), talks of the way 'the hypothetical future value' of their investments were booked and profits shown for the shareholders to consume. Enron started with Oil pipelines and made it to the broadband and to a host of other services including electric distribution and power supply. While the core competency of the company lies in pipelines, they went into energy trading and broadband systems. They did not work out and build over their core competencies which are advocated by most of the management theorists (C K Prahlad & Gary Hamel, 1990). Enron was bankrupt on January 25th, 2002. Though there were number of fraudulent practices that the company and its executives practiced, it is also true that the society had a leading role to play in the making of the company and its debacle. Supporting an untrue situation arises when the people involved are greedy and tempt a crowd to be greedy as well. Enron became ambitious with the change in leadership and when the mantle was taken over by Jeff Skilling. Enron was ambitious even prior to that under the stewardship of Ken Lay. The growth was steady and the finances proved strong. But with Skilling taking over the leadership of the company, there was a subtle but a sure change in the approach of the management towards making money. ... It was just that Enron did not have time to reorient itself and plan for a classic change and none of the theories of change management seem to have been adopted (Kotter & Schlesinger, 1979). The company's executives were paid using the company shares which were traded freely in the market. The company maintained a high price for their shares and this resulted in their own staff having a larger value added to the share prices of the company. The company started benefiting by insider trading and ensuring that the company continued to have a high share price and the rate of growth of the company was well over 30 to 50% every year. This was too good to believe but then the share holders and the company employees too continued to believe in this performance. The company hid a number of facts about the debt status of the company and failed to show the right numbers on their reports. Hidden in numerous shell companies across the world were all these losses that was used by the senior execu tives of the company to hide and mislead the public and the share holders by giving them wrong information during critical times (Bethany McLean & Peter Elkin, 2005). This has also resulted in a gross violation of law by the company and its board. These hidden facts were so high that the company could not rectify these problems and come out of it unscathed. This in itself led the company to file for its bankruptcy. The senior executives were held for taking the country and its people for a ride and having misled them. The employees of the company and the share holders of the company felt cheated at the end of the game. This debacle led not only the company to bankruptcy but also took most of the senior people into the jail. Organisation Culture Organisation culture of any organisation

Implementation of Knowledge Mining with Ontology Research Paper

Implementation of Knowledge Mining with Ontology - Research Paper Example 22). Knowledge mining is the process of merging databases together, machine knowledge, statistics and any other linked area so as to obtain important facts and information in bulky quantity of data. Organizations are required to know their data models and pattern (NEMIS. Conference, p. 1). Multi agent mining is the process in which knowledge is mined in a larger quantity using a variety of agents. Cloud computing applications In cloud computing the remote computer does not have to do more and heavy processes any more when running processes. Servers on the cloud network run this processes instead. This help in reduction of user’s need for hardware and software. The following are more reasons to why most companies and organizations should consider cloud computing; cloud computing gives an alternative of storing data in another computers hardware. Computer users are able to gain access their data and applications wherever at anytime. Cloud computing reduces IT support expenses wh ereby incase of a technical issue it’s solved online. It also reduces cost on hardware such as hard drive. One does not have to buy a hard drive with large memory (Strickland, p. 3). We have a number of cloud computing services provided by Google. The applications are as follows: Google Talk is a communication application that allows personal computer user to chat, send and receive documents and mails. Gmail is a calendar and an email application that allows each user store files and documents up to 7GB. The other Gmail services are ability to chat, receive mails and enjoy mutual calendar options. Website applications provides Google site services to design websites that include built in videos, calendars and pictures. Google Docs are applications that offer document designing and sharing online. Other applications include groups that allow one to arrange folders and favorites which assist in retrieving the unread mails (Regina, Budnikas and Ambraziene, p. 263). A Matlab tool accelerates and eases applications when using GPU computing compared to when using FORTRAN or C. The user is able to employ parallel computing toolbox when using GPUs in conjunction with Matlab tools. Parallel computing supports Nvidia Cuda GPUs, many GPUs and GPU operate straight from Matlab. Parallel computing toolbox allows the user compute and work out bulky data difficulties using computer clusters, multi processors and GPUs (MathWorks, p. 1-7). Other cloud computing tools include; VOIP, Phone systems, Blog, Wiki and social media tools. VOIP allows users make calls on the internet, for example Skype. Skype allows multiple or group calls at once. The phone system allows one to have a Google voice account that contributes to a cloud based voice mail and responding system. (Jamsa and Jamsa, p. 86- 92). Ontology applications Ontology is used to design and manage the knowledge applications. These applications are associated with the phase of software lifecycles and are concerned wi th specific components of software such as the controller module, data base and user interface. In order for the application to work more efficiently in ontology deployment and processing, additional tools are used. The ontology editor is one of the applications in the web and is used to manipulate ontology as it helps in the process of ontology translation to implemented language. They are in the HTML form and enable the

Today is a result of yesterday, tomorrow is a result of today Essay Example for Free

Today is a result of yesterday, tomorrow is a result of today Essay Today is a result of yesterday, tomorrow is a result of today. To what extent is this statement an apt representation of Buddhist ethics? Today is a result of yesterday, tomorrow is a result of today. This statement, as a representation of Buddhist ethics, would seem to suggest the realm of ethical action is effectively deterministic. This raises many questions about the nature of Buddhist ethics, most significantly: Is this a coherent position? If today is a result of yesterday how can one be said to be possessed of free will? And if one has no free will surely one cannot be considered a moral agent thus consequently, are responsible for ones actions. In this essay I will consider the evidence and arguments supporting this interpretation, together with counter-arguments in order to discuss the statement and reasoning behind this, resulting in my conclusion that will encompass all these arguments. Firstly I will look at morality in Buddhism as it is a Buddhists ethics which determine their behaviour which ultimately affects the results of tomorrow. Classifying Buddhist ethics can be considered an instance of virtue ethics, centred on the idea that the basis of morality is the development of good character traits which, in Aristotles system for example, include intelligence, wisdom (sila), and the ability to discern between good and bad. Peter Harvey contended that the Mahayana idea of skilful means (upaya) is similar to Christian situation ethics because it accepts ethical principles being overridden in certain situations in the name of wisdom and bodhichitta. Situation Ethics does not propose rules but rather suggests a guiding principle to decision making; Acting morally means acting in the most loving way in any situation. Unlike the approach of upaya in Mahayanan Buddhism, situation ethics do not ignore or reject traditional values but is bound by them. Both systems may allow for compassionate killing. There is a story in the suttas of how in one of his past lives the Buddha killed a robber to stop him from killing a number of bodhisattvas and thus prevented the robber from suffering in the hells for aeons. The difference though, is that in Buddhism only a very advanced bodhisattva is permitted to break with the traditional values, while situation ethics can be applied by anyone with a loving heart: This can thus be understood as in Buddhism, a Bodhisattva can act unethically and leave no imprint on the future, yet an unenlightened Buddhists actions will have a negative impact. Many religions emphasise the importance of the notion of good and bad actions, however in Buddhism, pre-determining actions to be good or bad would be a fruitless exercise Buddhists believe that reality of Dharma is beyond the concepts of good and bad; it contains both good and bad unseparated in a pre-conceptual state. Trying to remove half of reality, by definition, would be unachievable, thus trying to remove bad, would be unachievable, and pointless. More than that, the conscious effort to try to remove half of reality is also a kind of affirmation of the existence of just that part that you are proposing to remove. Buddhism does not say that there is no morality; it encourages the central importance of morals and ethical behavior in all areas of life. Although Buddhism believes in right action, it insists that right action is not the same as the Christian concept of right action; that moral action does not always match our conceived notions of morality. Buddhism believes that only this place and this moment are real and all else past and future are not real existence. It therefore follows that the only place where conduct can be right or wrong is here and now. So Buddhism emphasizes that right and wrong are concerned with the present moment, here and now. Acting morally means acting right at this very moment. Acting right at this moment is the only true morality. We can debate right and wrong as intangible concepts, but those abstractions are always detached from the real situation in front of us now, and so they are partial and can never be a complete guide to our action in the present; this notion would thus infer, in relation to the question I am researching, that past actions are not real existence, along with the future, therefore if the past is not real, how can it impact on tomorrow? It therefore follows that the only place where conduct can be right or wrong is here and now. So Buddhism emphasises that right and wrong are concerned with the present moment, here and now. Acting morally means acting right at this very moment. Acting right at this moment is the only true morality. It can be discussed right and wrong as abstract concepts, but those abstractions are always detached from the real situation in front of a Buddhist now, and so they are partial and can never be a complete guide to our action in the present. This therefore would conclude that if right and wrong actions are only connected with today, and not the past nor future No actions of yesterday impede on tomorrow. However this could be seen as a slight contradiction: Buddhism gives guidelines as to what good conduct is in the form of the Precepts these are not meant to be rigid and a broken rule will not result in committing sin, like the Christian Ten Commandments; However they are guidelines as to what right conduct is, but in actual situations conduct is decided by the state of the body/mind in the moment of acting, not by the precepts alone therefore if one is broken, Buddhism urges a buddhist to regain the balanced state and act in the present rather than be punished for past bad conduct, which has passed and can never be changed therefore if Buddhism states to live for today as the future and past are not real, yet the past bad conduct cant be changed therefore has left a mark in Buddhists life, how can past bad conduct even be conceived or considered to never be allowed to change if the past does not exist? To illustrate how a Buddhist might approach some of the ethical problems of today, you can look at the example of abortion. The early scriptures of Buddhism (The Pali Canon) are clear in seeing human life as starting with conception: when there is the union of the mother and father, and it is the mothers season, and the being to be reborn is present, through the union of these three things the conception of an embryo in a womb takes place. The word being, however, should not be thought of as a spirit or soul but consciousness being operated on by the force of (karma) that determines where the rebirth will be (according to previous deeds). When looking at such issue, we can see how it is an obvious moral problem as it has not been discussed at length in Buddhist literature; however there are references in the Pali canon that indicate the practice was regarded as wrong. Buddhist disapproval of abortion is related to the belief that in rebirth and teachings on embryology. It is widely held that conception marks the moment of rebirth, and that any intentional termination of pregnancy after that time constitutes a breach of the first of the Five Precepts (panca- sila), not to kill or injure living creatures, this could also be related the idea of euthanasia in Buddhism. This notion is an avowed view of most Buddhists however this position is not reflected in the abortion statistics in Buddhist countries: In more conservative countries such as South Asia, abortion is generally illegal, unless there is a threat to the mothers life, however illegal abortions are common with 300,000 per annum in Thailand, and in various east A sian countries abortions are even more numerous, such as one million per annum or greater is sometimes cited for countries such as Japan and South Korea. The fourth Noble Truth, the Noble Eightfold Path, sets out the main features of the Buddhist way of life addressing the nature of past behaviour affecting the future. The Buddha offered this path as the middle way, a way of life that does not fall into extreme views or extremes of behaviour but encourages balance and controlled moderation. Buddhist ethics are not based on the pursuit of sensual or other pleasures, and they also dont encourage extremes of deprivation, poverty or self-sacrifice. The various moral guidelines should be taken responsibly but with a light touch: Ethical conduct (sila) is built on the vast conception of universal love and compassion for all living beings, on which the Buddhas teaching is based (Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught, London: Gordon Fraser, 1928). In relation to what is good or bad in Buddhism, the main principle is linked to intention and the determining factor is whether the act is out of selfish desire and craving, out of anger or hatred, or out of mindlessness and ignorance. Any actions that are motivated that way will result in caused suffering to us and to others. However, if the act is motivated by love and compassion they will bring well-being and happiness An action characterised by this moral quality (kusala-kamma) is bound to result (eventually) in happiness and a favourable outcome. Actions characterised by its opposite (akusala-kamma) lead to sorrow. This would thus infer that if actions result in happiness or sorrow , all actions of the past affect tomorrow. In Buddhism, ethical behaviour is ultimately dependent on the mind and not on the body. On the basis of the Buddhas advice, Buddhism has developed into many various types of ethical guidance that Buddhists do their best to follow. The ethical disciplines of Buddhism can be divided into the guidelines for lay people, and the guidelines for monastics. Within Theravada Buddhism, ethical action must always be motivated by ahimsa, the wish not to cause harm, and for Theravada monks, the main ethical guidelines are the 227 precepts of a monk. In Mahayana, ethical action must always be motivated by the bodhichitta, the wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of others, in contrast to lay ethics where there is no need to attain enlightenment as there is no time to achieve such state. Ethical behaviour on the bodhisattva path consists of the six paramitas or transcendental actions. When one becomes a Buddhist one begins by taking the Three Refuges, refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The main commitment is to refrain from harming others and to adopt the approach of non violence (ahimsa). Non violence is a prevalent principle of Buddhist ethics as stated in the Dhammapada 5: In this world hate never yet dispelled hate. Only love dispels hate (Dominique Side, Buddhism, Oxfordshire: Phillip Allan, 2005, p151). Lay people can also take one or several of the Five Precepts, which are five basic vows that strengthen the Buddhist way of life: I undertake to refrain from, 1) killing, 2) taking what is not freely given, 3) misusing sexuality, 4) harmful speech, and 5) taking intoxicants. As well as giving guidelines on what not to do, Buddhism encourages positive actions. In the Buddhas advice to a young man called Sigala, recorded in the Pali Canon, the Buddha explained the positive approach can be applied in daily life within the framework of the Six Relationships: 1) Take care of your family 2) Take care of your marriage 3) Keep good company 4) Develop good relationships between teachers and students 5) Develop good relationships between employers and employees, and 6) Develop a supportive and harmonious relationship with the monastic Sangha. The importance of love and compassion is also outlined in 118 of the Dhammapada, Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again and you will be filled with joy (ibid, p153). This statement could be interpreted as if you continuously do good the outcome tomorrow will leave you filled with joy, therefore suggesting the idea of free will in Buddhism. In the Noble Eightfold Path, ethical conduct includes three factors which overlap with the Five Precepts and Six Relationships: 1) Right Action, 2) Right Speech, and 3) Right Livelihood. Lay morality rests on the principle that lay people aim to minimise their bad actions and maximise their good so they have a better rebirth. Human actions (karma) in the Buddhist framework were to be determined based on both the intent or motive (chetanaa) and the consequences (vipaaka) of the action. In the Dharmaniyama (moral duty code), theories of causality in Buddhism were challenged in the view that human destiny was unaffected by the ethics or morality of human actions. It countered the doctrine of amoral causation (akriyavaada) whose supporters argued that there was no merit in doing good and no demerit for doing evil. In Buddhist teachings, individual karma is created by situations and moral predicaments, thus the outcome of a Buddhists future will be a result of yesterdays actions. Every action a Buddhist performs can leave an imprint and their karmic potential will allow for its own effect. Positive or virtuous actions give way to future happiness, and negative, non virtuous actions will result in future suffering. This connection between actions and their effects is known as the law of karma; this law is the foundations to Buddhist morality (sila). In the Buddhas teachings, Sila was spoken of vital importance as it allows for higher attainment of wisdom (panna) and concentration (Samadhi); this was mentioned in his Visuddhimagga: A wise man, after establishing well in virtue, develops consciousness and understanding (http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/panadpa8.htm). The law of karma is seen as a natural law just like physical laws like gravity. Karma is unlike morality in other religions as it is not operated by God or any other supreme being because Buddhism does not require supernatural intervention. The idea that karma works without any outside intervention means that the result of karma is not a reward, nor is it a punishment because they believe that this infers dependence upon a supreme power in judgement, whereas in Buddhism there is nobody to judge us, we determine our future by the way we act and the way we think, this idea is expressed clearly in the first verse of the Dhammapada, What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind. If a man speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering follows him as the wheel of the cart follows the beast that draws the cart (Dominique Side, Buddhism, Oxfordshire: Phillip Allan, 2005, p130). This quote is an excellent example for evidence in supporting the question being asked in this essay, as it addresses the idea that not only our actions, but also our thoughts build our future and that impurities of the mind cause future suffering. A Common misinterpretation of karma is that it is a law of fate; however the idea of fate implies determinism, which would allow for no change or freedom, thus an idea seen in many theistic religions such as the notion that God determines life. This idea of determinism could be firstly viewed as a completely contrasting idea to that in Buddhism. Determinism is the philosophical proposition that everything is determined causally by an unbroken chain of prior events. However determinism has been expressed as the doctrine of Dependent origination in Buddhism and is an important factor in the evidence regarding my question. The doctrine of dependent origination is fundamental in connecting moral responsibility and causation, especially the ontological status of all matter. The doctrine teaches that all phenomena occur from dependence on causes and circumstances and lack intrinsic nature. The doctrine is expressed in its simplest form in phrase idam sati ayam bhavati, which means when this exists, that arises, which logically can be expressed as, when condition A arises, condition B arises, thus its reversal would be that when A doesnt exist, B wont. It is indicated in early sources that the Buddha became fully enlightened under the Bodhi tree when he fully realised the profound truth of Dependent Origination, thus that all matter is conditioned and arise and cease in a determinate chain of events. Therefore in relation to moral responsibility, it could be said that nothing happens out of its own volition, so there are no forces or metaphysical realties, such as a god or soul to act as a determiner, so it could be argued that moral responsibility is ones own, yet with a chain of causation, and no self, it could also be said one cannot be responsible if one doesnt exist. A way of classifying Buddhist ethics in Western terms is by relating it to soft determinism. Soft determinism is a midpoint between the hard determinism of philosophers such as Hobbes, Hume and John Stuart Mill, where the assertion of cause and effect is universal, therefore moral freedom is not possible; and libertarians who believe that uncaused, unconditional choices can be made and that free will exists, as Immanuel Kant stated free will was essential for morality, In morals, the proper and inestimable worth of an absolutely good will consists precisely in the freedom of the principle of action (Robert A Bowie, Ethical Studies, Nelson Thornes, 2001, p59). There is an important relationship between freedom and moral responsibility; it has been commonly held that we should be morally responsible for actions that we freely perform. If we can only blame or praise people for actions they freely and knowingly undertake, then it is vital that we have the freedom to act, morality depends on freedom. Immanuel Kant wrote ought implies can, therefore we cant blame someone for something they cannot do; If people are not free, the prospect of making moral decisions in denied, thus if an external influence causes human actions, people cannot be morally responsible. Hard determinists believe that we are not free and cannot be held morally responsible for our actions (Omar Khayyam R A Bowie, Ethical Studies, p91). This idea has some ethical similarity to the traditional Judeo-Christian idea of Predestination, it can be summarised as all our choices, decisions, intentions, other mental events, and all our actions are no more than effects of other equally necessitated events (Honedrich, ibid, p91). Hard determinism insists that all actions have a prior cause. However, this idea has a number of profound consequences; it puts doubt in our hopes for the future and how we consider the morality of others. If we praise a person for their good action, we are mistaken as it is not their action, it has been pre-determined. Additionally, if our actions are determined humans cannot deliberate rationally, we are, to an extent, illusive to the fact we cant decide for ourselves what we wish to do. Buddhism accepts the idea of determinism but rejects the idea of an agent and thus the idea that freedom is free will belonging to an agent. The Buddha said There is free action, there is retribution, but I see no agent that passes out from one set of momentary elements into another one, except the connection of those elements. Buddhism believes in neither absolute free will nor determinism, it preaches a middle doctrine, called pratitya-samutpada in Sanskrit, which is often translated as inter-dependent arising: When this exists, that exists; From the arising of this, that arises; When this does not exist, that does not exist; From the cessation of this, that ceases (Majjhima Nikaya, 1.262-64, D. Side, Buddhism, 2005, p97). It is part of the theory of karma. In Buddhism it is taught that the notion of complete freedom of choice is unwise, because it denies the reality of physical needs and circumstances. Similarly incorrect is the idea that we have no choice in life or that our lives are pre-determined. To deny freedom would be to undermine the efforts of Buddhists to make moral progress through our capacity to freely choose compassionate action. Pubbekatahetuvada, the belief that all happiness and suffering arise from previous actions, is considered an incorrect view according to Buddhist doctrines. Libertarianism however, rejects the idea of determinism. If we wish to retain the idea of moral responsibility and accept that a person can, when confronted with the choice between right and wrong, act as a free agent, one must accept the idea of libertarianism. Libertarians do not reject the idea of determinism completely, in general they agree that the inanimate world is mechanistic that all events are mechanically caused and therefore predictable and that all the mechanical chains of cause and effect may extend to the animate world. They deny the principle of universal causation applying to human action and that accordingly human behaviour is predictable. Libertarians distinguish between a persons formed character or personality and his or her moral self. David Hume described liberty in his An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: By liberty, then, we can only mean a power of acting or not acting, according to the determinations of the will; that is, if we choose to remain at rest, we may; if we choose to move, we also may (R A Bowie, Ethical Studies, 2001, p93). They believe we are not compelled to act morally by forces outside our moral consciousness. Moral actions are not chance or random events, but result from the values and character of the moral agent. An important argument for libertarianism is the human sense of decision making. While we have a sense of freedom, a sense of deliberating over our options, determinists maintain this is an illusion of freedom. Libertarianism does not explain human action, yet many would argue surely action needs a cause? Libertarianism attributes our moral judgement to an objective source, unmoved by environmental or upbringing, but this is questionable. Buddhists therefore do not agree with hard determinism in that Buddhists do not believe in an external cause, like libertarians, however they do not completely agree with the libertarian notion of complete free will. To resolve the debate on relating Buddhism to either Determinism or Libertarianism and thus create a type of determinism to which Buddhist causality can relate to, A.J. Ayer advocates a type of soft determinism which accepts that everything has a cause but which defines particular actions as free volitions. An action can be a free volition provided that 1) If you had had the volition not to do the action you would not have done it and 2) Nobody compelled you to do it. for Ayer we have responsibility for our volitional actions. In order to explain the difference between phenomena that are caused and free volitions, some soft determinists distinguish between the internal and external causes of an action, for example between its contingent and mental causes. It can be argued that while the external causes are determined, the psychological causes may not be; the Buddhist view is similar in that it states that physical objects and circumstances are always determined through causes and conditions. Physiological, physical and psychological causes are determined by mental decisions. Therefore a midway between the two contrasting theories is soft determinism and can most satisfactorily relate to Buddhist ethical principles. It would seem that we must choose between the belief in universal causation and, on the other hand, the belief in the existence of free will, it being accepted by both determinists and libertarians that these two beliefs are incompatible. The incongruity of the two however is rejected by soft determinists who say that human freedom and moral responsibility, is incomprehensible without determinism. Soft determinists state the assumption that determinism is inconsistent with free will is the result of considerable confusion about what is meant by free. It is true that freedom as incompatible with fatalism, the view that human beings are powerless to change the cause of events, but it is not conflicting with determinism. Therefore soft determinists have labelled the two ideas; when the cause of action is internal, therefore out of your own volition, you acted voluntarily and of your own free will; but when the cause is external, for example contrary to your wishes or desires, you acted involuntarily and under compulsion. According to the soft determinist, this distinction between internal and external causes explains why freedom and moral responsibility is not only compatible with determinism but actually requires it. Determinism is correct here in that for these actions to be uncaused would mean they would be completely unpredictable, impulsive and therefore irresponsible. Therefore when it is said a person acted freely it is not meant as his or her action was uncaused but rather they were not compelled to do it, that they were under no kind of external pressure, they themselves chose to act this way. We can relate the soft determinist notion of labelling the distinction between action and cause to Buddhist morality; in actual situations a Buddhists conduct is decided by the state of their body/mind in the moment of acting, not by the Precepts alone. They try honestly to follow the Precepts, but if they break one of the Precepts, Buddhism urges them to recover and regain the balanced state and act right in the present, rather than to forfeit for past bad conduct, which has passed and can never be changed as it does not exist anymore. Buddhism says that whether or not one can act morally or right in this moment does not depend on the concept or belief of what it right and what is wrong, but on the state of our body and mind at this present moment. The enlightenment (Bodhi) of the Buddha was both his liberation from suffering (dukka) and his insight into the nature of the universe; the Buddha was thus awakened to the truth of dependent origination. This is the idea that any phenomena only exists because of the existence of other phenomena in a complex web (Indras net) of cause and effect covering past, present and future. Everything is dependent on everything else: A human beings existence is dependent on the condition of everything else in the world (and universe) at that moment in time but equally the condition of everything in the world in that moment is dependent in an equally significant way on the character and condition of that human being. Indras Net is used in Buddhism as a metaphor for illustrating the concepts of emptiness of interconnectedness of all things. Everything in the universe is interconnected through this web of cause and effect thus all are interdependent. Therefore because all these things are transient (annicca) and conditioned it can be held that they do not exist, thus if they do not exist, can they be held morally responsible for their actions? The Heart Sutra disagrees with the idea of dependent origination and says that there is no such law as karma or cause and effect. This still however relates to the idea of emptiness (sunyata) as noted by Nagarjuna that dependent origination and emptiness are two sides of the same coin. For Nagarjuna, emptiness should not be interpreted ontologically, but rather in the way of the parable of the raft: The Buddhist teaching (especially shunyata), is like the raft one constructs for the crossing of a river. Once the river is crossed, the purpose of the raft has been served. Therefore the raft is not needed anymore. The same is true of emptiness: it should not be held on to; one who does hold on to it will have trouble functioning in life. Nagarjuna wrote extensively, and his teachings resulted in the formation of an Indian school called Madhyamika or the Middle Way School. Sunyata refers to the fact that no thing, including human existence, has ultimate substantiality, which in turn means that no thing is permanent and no thing is totally independent of everything else. In other words, everything in this world is interconnected and in constant flux. An appreciation of this idea of emptiness thus saves us from the suffering caused by our egos, our attachments, and our resistance to change and loss. Therefore all phenomena are dependent originations, which means that they dont exist, thus if they dont exist, they are empty which would thus mean that ethics itself is empty, thus it would be impossible to ever act ethically as there would not be such notion in existence. If everything is dependent causally, then it would seem impossible to act ethically: however a Buddhist would argue that the whole universe isnt dependent causally, there is only one determining factor, Karma. Thus one of the possible arguments against karmic determinism is that karma is only one influencing factor and the universe has a random aspect to it, which could account for a degree of freedom. Buddhist teachings explain how misleading states of mind keep you trapped in a recurring pattern of dissatisfaction by teaching about interdependent origination, the idea that things happen for a reason. Dependent Origination suggests that every event has a cause. For a Buddhist, life experiences, both good and bad, arent random, meaningless events, however, nor are they rewards, or punishments, as rewards and punishments require a controlling outside force sat in judgment such as a god, as there is no god in Buddhism blaming God or fate doesnt work, experiences come from a result of a series of causes and effects that begin in a buddhists mind. In teachings known as the Twelve links of dependent arising, Buddha described the mechanism that drives you from realm to realm within a cyclic existence and keeps you trapped in suffering and dissatisfaction in these links; Buddhas purpose for teaching these links, beginning with ignorance and ending with a corpse, was to make us aware of th e way our ignorantly motivated actions unavoidably lead to recurring suffering, this suffering motivates a Buddhist to seek a way out, thus nirvana. The Buddha taught that the way to achieve this freedom is by engaging in what he called the Three Trainings which form the foundations to which the entire structure of Buddhist practice rests. These three trainings were: Moral Discipline, the strength; Concentration, the sharp aim; And Wisdom, the tool. If a Buddhist practices the three trainings in combination with one another, the Buddha stated that cyclic existence would end and one would feel the inexpressible peace of liberation. With moral self-discipline as a base, concentration allowing for inherent focus, wisdom can break through ignorance and help you free yourself from the cycle of recurring misery. In relation to the asking if today is a result of yesterday, it would suggest it is, however a Buddhist can change tomorrows outcome by having moral self discipline, concentration and wisdom. If a Buddhist wants protection from suffering and from the danger of lower rebirth, they must try and not commit any more negative karma, however, this is also a problem in Buddhism as karma is generally negative, thus how can one create any more negativity if all karma is negative, thus everything really is Dukkha, therefore, in conclusion, it is apt to say that today is the result of yesterdays actions. However, a Buddhist can purify negative karma that has already been committed. There are ten principle non-virtuous actions that should be avoided; Three actions of the body, four of speech, and three of the mind. The three non virtuous bodily actions are killing, stealing and sexual misconduct; the four non virtuous verbal actions are lying, divisive speech, hurtful speech and idle chatter and the three non virtuous mental actions are covetousness, malice and holding wrong views. The best way for a buddhist to avoid negative actions is to practice consideration for others. All kind of non virtuous actions have three kinds of effects, the ripened effect, the effect similar to the cause and the environmental effect. The ripened effect of a negative effect is a rebirth in one of the three lower realms. A Buddhists previous actions will always have a definite outcome on tomorrow, however there are issues such as causality and free will which when taken into consideration make it hard to substantiate whether a Buddhist can be praised or blamed for such actions. The idea of Sunyata means that if everything in existence is empty, morality itself is empty which would mean acting ethically would be impossible, therefore actions are empty so the law of Karma is flawed, this is a contradiction in Buddhist philosophy as it would mean that there can be no actions of yesterday impacting upon the present, therefore I could reach a conclusion disagreeing with the statement Today is a result of yesterday, tomorrow is a result of today as it is impossible to be a result if there are no actions in existence allowing for a future; However, with many ideas in Buddhist philosophy contradicting each other it is hard to conclude on this question as there are too many conflictions between Karma being the universal law of cause and effect and dependent origination, as well as the idea that it is too simplistic a notion for today to be a result of yesterday as there are complicated ideas related to Buddhist ethics. Bibliography Damien Keown, Oxford Dictionary of Buddhism: Oxford University Press, 2003. Dominique Side, Buddhism, Oxfordshire: Phillip Allan, 2005. Geshe Kelshang Gyato, Introduction to Buddhism: Cumbria; Thorpe Publications, 1992. Michael Palmer, Moral Problems: The Lutterworth Press, 1991. Robert A Bowie, Ethical Studies: Nelson Thornes, 2001. Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught: London: Gordon Fraser, 1926. www.buddhanet.co.uk www.wikipedia.org www.nibbana.com

California Gold Rush Essay -- American History

The California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush was not all about Americans being happy and rich because of the discovery of gold. Indians, Hispanics, African Americans and Chinese all went through some sort of struggle or problem during the Gold Rush period. Not only did men go through rough times but so did some women. The California Gold Rush was a whole different world within California. Gold turned everyone into people they were not. In 1847, an Indian scout brought Mr. James Marshall to Maidu. Maidu was a village of Koloma. There, the first nugget was discovered where James Marshall built a sawmill. The sawmill was located along the American River. Some people say the first Gold Nugget was found by Indian Jim, whom worked for James Marshall to dig a channel to power the sawmill. However, James Marshall received the credit. Indians were famous for their invention in 1849 of the "Long Tom," also known as a box which caught gold. Although the Indians worked very hard for John Sutter whom was James Marshall's boss, Indians suffered tremendously. Gold Fever was a common disease which Indians died from in Northern California. Indians also died from violence and starvation. When Indians found gold nuggets, they would trade the nuggets for clothes, blankets or food for their families. It wasn't the money they wanted. It was the supplies they needed. For a while the Indians were doing well until the year of 1850 which California was now their jail. Because of the changes the whites were making, there was so much poverty for Indians around this time. Families were so poor Indian women decided to prostitute themselves. I think this is one of the most horrible things anyone can do to degrade themselv... ...erior and controlling about. A lot of people died from trying to survive in a free country because of the way they looked or the color of their skin. Lives were always in danger either way you looked at it. Now days people do have to go through some discrimination, racial problems or struggles such as being poor. We do not fight over land, we fight for each other or for money. Money is probably the only thing everyone will always cherish because money can help you do anything now. References Minorities During the Gold Rush. (2000). Retrieved October 18, 2005 From http://www.LearnCalifornia.org/doc.asp?id=1933@pagetype=content The Story of California From the Earliest Days to the Present. Henry K. Norton. 7th ed. Chicago, A.C. McClure & Co., 1924. Chapter XXIV, pp. 283-296 James J. Rawls, and Walton Bean. California. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002

Virtual Child Essay

I was asked to create and answer questions about a virtual child. When I was told this was an assignment I thought â€Å"this should be easy†. Boy was I wrong! I found many things can affect the outcome of my child. If I am too strict or too easy, the child’s behavior will show this. Over time, this will also affect the child’s temperament. I have learned that some of my classmates’ virtual children are harder to get along with and require more discipline then others. I decided to just trust my instinct and answer the questions as if they were for a real child. In this report you will see how my answers affected my virtual daughter Alexis and, my experience throughout the duration of the assignment. 0-8 MONTHS 1. How does your baby's eating, sleeping and motor development compare to the typical developmental patterns? ~Alexis’s motor skills are typical for her age, crawling, sitting up, and standing up, but not walking yet. Her sleeping habits are normal for her age. Infants normally sleep sixteen-seventeen hours a day. For the first week or so Alexis wasn't very hungry and actually lost a little weight, she has now started eating and has gained back some of the weight she lost. . At 8 months of age was your child an â€Å"easy†, â€Å"slow-to-warm-up†, or â€Å"difficult† baby in terms of Thomas and Chess's classic temperamental categories? On what do you base this judgment? ~Alexis was an easy baby. She had a positive disposition and her body functions operated regularly. She is mostly positive and shows intens e interest in her surroundings. She smiles at familiar people and toys, and she is able to laugh at funny and is developing lots of cute little habits. 3. How is your child's attachment to you and your partner developing? What is happening at the 3-month and 8-month periods that might affect attachment security according to Bowlby and Ainsworth, and various research studies? ~Alexis is more attached to me than my partner. She is able to focus her eyes on me and she studies my face. When Alexis started daycare she would usually cried when I dropped her off but got over it quickly. Now she is use to it and doesn’t seem to have any problem with it. 8-18 MONTHS 1. Describe and give examples of changes in your child's exploratory or problem solving behavior from 8 through 18 months and categorize them according to Piagetian and information processing theories. Note that 8 months is included, so you'll need to use the time-line to look back at 8 months for examples. ~When Alexis was 8 months she was in substage 3 based on Piaget’s 6 substages. . I played a hiding game with Alexis, she could find the object when I hid it in the same spot but was unable to find it if I put it in a different place. Now Alexis is in the substage 4, based on Piaget’s 6 substages. I played a hiding game with Alexis again and she was able to find the object even after long delays and seemed to think this is was great game. 2. Analyze your baby's temperament in more detail at 18 months than you did at 8 months. How would you describe your baby in terms of the five aspects of temperament utilized by the Virtual Child program (activity, sociability, emotionality, aggressiveness vs. cooperativeness, and self-control)? Has Alexis's temperament been stable over the first 18 months? A blurb defining and providing examples of the five aspects of temperament is provided at 12 months, but you should seek out further explanations of temperament from your textbook. Explain how the concept of goodness of fit (also discussed in the blurb on infant temperament) applies to your interactions with your child. Alexis is very active and is a very social baby. She isn’t aggressive at all and she cooperates very well. I play with Alexis and introduce her to new things and she seems to enjoy it very much. 3. Were you surprised by anything in the developmental assessment at 19 months? That is, does your perception of your child's physical, cognitive, language and social development differ from that of the developmental examiner? Give specific examples. If you were not surprised, write instead about some aspects of your child's development that need the most work. I was very surprised that Alexis scored above average in all aspects of language development and she was above age-norms for building a block tower to model one made by the examiner and other skills such as copying shapes, coloring within the lines and solving picture puzzles. 2 YEARS OLD 1. Have there been any environmental events in your child's first 2 1/2 years that you think might have influenced his or her behavior? On what do you base your hypotheses? ~She is now in preschool and I think it has been difficult for her because she isn't use to the new caregiver and environment. Another instance is she was in an accident with her tricycle and she is now afraid to ride it. 2. How is your child progressing on typical toddler issues, such as learning household rules, learning to follow routines, listening to you, developing self-control and learning to get along with other children? ~She has been doing well with learning household rules and listing to me. Sometimes she looks guilty when she breaks something, or embarrassment when she has a potty accident. She gets along with other children good. 3. Analyze your own parenting philosophy and practices. What principles from social learning theory, Bowlby, Ainsworth, Piaget, Vygotsky, information processing theory, developmental neuroscience and other theories do you appear to have relied on in making your parenting choices or interpreting your child's behavior? Include three principles/theorists from the above list in your answer. ~My parenting practices and philosophy come from my experience as a child. I remember when I was young my parents didn’t really push me to succeed and learn new things. I want my child to explore and learn as much as she can. My parents were also lenient when it came to me getting in trouble which made me do worse things when I was older because I knew the consequences wouldn’t be so bad. That made me want to be a strict parent. 3 YEARS OLD 1. What activities and experiences you and your child have engaged in might be promoting healthy behavioral practices and an interest in physical activity? ~Alexis like to play hide and seek and likes to play sports for a short time. I think this will help her be more interested in sports when she gets older which, will make her an active child, reducing the chance of obesity. . Describe development of your child’s language and cognitive skills and discuss how these might be affecting his or her interactions with you ; your responses. ~Alexis’s language development is very good. She likes to tell people about things she has done, but she sometimes leaves out details. When I hear her telling stories I ask questions to help her to fill in a few detai ls. Alexis is also fascinated with her new baby sister Ashlynn and tells everyone about her. 3. How well is your child adapting to social situations in the home and outside the home? Does your child have any behavior or emotional problems at this point? Why do you think these problems are occurring and what are you doing about them? ~Alexis clings more to adults and only has a few friends in preschool. The only behavioral problem she has is acting up in public places and she is somewhat anxious and unsure of herself in social situations. I think these problems are occurring because she is constantly around adults. I’m going to invite a few friends over and have play dates to help her get use to children. 4 YEARS OLD 1. How would you characterize your parenting style? How have your specific parenting techniques changed since infancy? In what ways do you think your parenting style, or any other aspect of your parenting, has been influenced by your cultural background or other experiences? ~My parenting style is Authoritative. I set rules and boundaries and if they are not followed there are repercussions but, at the same time I am a loving parent and I am emotionally supportive. My parenting techniques have been about the same since Alexis was a baby. I don’t think my parenting skills have been influenced by my cultural background at all. My experiences might have influenced my parenting because I was treated horribly when I was a child so I know I don’t want my child treated like that. 2. Describe two specific examples of changes in your child's behavior at age 4 that seem to stem from growth in cognitive and language ability since the period of infancy (e. g. , improvements in symbolic thinking, reasoning, knowledge of the world, theory of mind). ~Alexis’s symbolic thinking and reasoning has grown a lot since infancy. She is above average in her problem solving skills and language abilities. She can solve problems with more than two steps and she can complete full sentences. 3. How would you characterize your child's personality? Would you say that your child is primarily overcontrolled, undercontrolled or resilient? Support your argument. ~Alexis is in the overcontrolled category. She is cooperative, and follows the rules, but she is very shy in social situations and anxious and clingy under pressure. For example, when she is in class and is asked to join a group for work she gets very unsure of herself and clings to the teacher. 6 YEARS OLD . How well is your child adapting to social situations in the home and outside the home? Does your child have any behavior or emotional problems at this point? Why do you think these problems are occurring and what are you doing about them? ~Alexis is doing well in social situations she has made more friends and she isn’t as clingy towards adults as she was before. Alexis still acts up on occasion in public places but overall has been doing great. 2. Do you notice any improvements in cognitive and language skills since age 4? Give specific examples. Does your child have any special needs with regard to cognitive or language development at this point and what do you plan to do? ~Alexis’s cognitive and language skills are above average. Alexis’s memory is getting better. She beats me on memory games such as Concentration because she remembers where the cards are located. But when she tells people about things that happened to her, she leaves a lot of details out and sometimes gets the order wrong. I join in the retelling of the experience, prompting Alexis with questions, rather than just butting in and telling it myself. . Which aspects of your child's behavior and personality reflect continuities from earlier behavior (e. g. , at ages 3-4 years) and which seem to be novel for this age level? ~Alexis doesn’t act up in public places anymore like she used to. But she does like to cheat when we play games. Her personality is about the same a sweet girl who sometimes gets nervous and shy and looks to an adult to help her out. She has made more friends. Alexis has become a kind of quiet leader of her small group of friends in first grade. She is still a bit shy, but well-liked by the other kids YEARS OLD 1. How smart is your child, and in what areas? Think back to the blurb on multiple intelligences that appeared at age 6. Find specific evidence regarding your child's verbal, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical and bodily-kinesthetic intelligence from your observations of your own child as well as the psychologist's report at age 8 years, 11 months. ~Alexis is very smart for her age. She is grate in solving problems, telling stories, and she is very talented in piano and singing. Alexis Demonstrates strength in her reading and writing. Alexis is able to hold her own in conversations with adults, and uses some surprisingly difficult words in her speech. She also is beginning to use this vocabulary in her writing for school. Areas of speaking and listening and in content knowledge of social studies and science, areas of mathematical problem solving, understanding of data and number concepts and, in the areas of spatial understanding and visual arts. 2. Describe some examples of your child's behavior or thinking that you think are due to typical American gender role socialization and explain why you think so. Several examples can be found at ages 6 and 8. How closely does your attitude toward gender roles correspond to typical American attitudes, and if there is a discrepancy, to what do you attribute this (e. g. , cultural background, attitudes of your own parents, etc. )? ~Alexis likes to follow me around and do what I do. Alexis enjoys playing sports with one of her friend’s brothers, and sometimes Alexis will also play sports with some of the boys on the block. Alexis is able to play with both boys and girls at school, but mostly plays with girls. I have taught Alexis that she can do whatever she want’s. Such as being a police women or a sports athlete. I grew up playing with cars and toy soldiers as well as Barbie dolls to me it doesn’t matter what gender you are. 3. How might your child's development have been different if s/he was raised by people with a different socioeconomic, ethnic or cultural background? Base your answer on specific evidence of SES/cultural differences from the textbook and class lectures. ~Different cultures have different views on how a child should be raised. For instance a child in a Chinese household would have to focus more on school and less on activities and would have much stricter rules. Or a female child in a Hispanic culture would focus more on home economics. 10 YEARS OLD 1. Describe your child's academic skills between ages 6 and 10 and assess how well these skills are developing. The 5th grade report card will be useful for this but you should also incorporate your own observations. What are you doing to help your child? ~Alexis demonstrates strength in all areas of reading, and in spelling and appropriate for grade level in writing. Alexis s also demonstrating strength in the areas of speaking and listening and in content knowledge of social studies and science, in the areas of mathematical problem solving, understanding of data, number concepts, graphical applications, and arithmetic computation, in the area of art as well as in area of music. She is very smart. I help her by introducing her to new things and encouraging her to write, work on music and her art work. 2. How well is your child adapting to social situations in the home and outside the home? Does your child have any behavior or emotional problems at this point? Why do you think these problems are occurring and what are you doing about them? ~Alexis is doing good in outside social situations. She is already adept at social networking. She adds photos to the family page every so often and sends messages to her friends. Alexis likes to go on weekends and hang out there with one or two friends. At home she sometimes fights with her sister Ashlynn. Sometimes Alexis gets upset in stressful situations inside or outside the classroom, and will withdraw from activities or become anxious or moody. She usually improves before the day is over. When she fights with her sister I put her in time out and tell her what she did wrong and why it is wrong. 3. Has your parenting changed since the preschool period and if so, why do you think it has changed and what effect might this have on your child? Refer to your textbook or lecture notes for evidence on typical changes in parenting that occur in middle childhood. ~I don’t think my parenting has changed at all. I’m still a strict but loving parent and I still help Alexis excel in her school and music and other activities that interest her. 12 YEARS OLD 1. Describe any physical or behavioral signs of incipient puberty. Alexis argues with me more, mostly about clothes bedtime and chores but otherwise we get along pretty well. I have to renegotiate household rules more then I use to with Alexis. And I have to make reasonable concessions, such as a later bedtime in exchange for more chores. Alexis has shown an interest in boys and likes to talk about hot actors or music ians. I’ve also noticed she’s been reading magazine articles about sex. Alexis thinks she’s too fat due to a growth spurt. She has taken to staring at herself in the mirror and refusing to wear certain clothes that she thinks make her look big. She seems to be more interested in hanging out with her friends than studying, and tries to get out of doing homework. Alexis has been getting teased for not wearing a bra because she is developing. 2. How would you characterize your child at this point in terms of the under-controlled, over-controlled or resilient categories? Have there been any changes since the preschool period and why might they have occurred? ~Alexis is now in the undercontrolled category she does not follow the rules, and has a tendency to become distracted and overly emotional, particularly when under stress. When she was in preschool she was undercontrolled. I believe these changes have occurred because she has hit puberty and has entered a sort of rebellious stage. 3. Using the 7th grade report card and your own observations, summarize your child's academic skills at this point. What specific activities might promote some of these skills? ~Alexis is still doing great in school making straight A’s. She needs to focus more on time management, working independently in the class room and finishing homework on time. Some activities to promote her good grades would be to encourage her to keep it up. 5 YEARS OLD 1. What activities and experiences at ages 12 and 14 has your teen been involved in that might promote healthy behavioral practices, physical fitness and skill in sports? ~Alexis tried out for the high school dance team and made it. Alexis practices routines and stretches at home quite often. She also played a little bit of Tennis one summer. She likes to do outdoorsy things lik going camping. I believe these things will help promote healthy behaviors. 2. Have there been any changes in your teen's behavior toward you or your partner? Why are these occurring and how are you responding? Alexis occasionally gets upset and becomes cranky or gives us the silent treatment when we have discussions about issues such as bedtime, chores, curfew, clothing choices, music choices, etc. , but otherwise we get along pretty well. When we have discussions and she gets like this I drop it and talk to her about it more once she has calmed down. 3. Do you see any examples of how cognitive and physical changes in early adolescence (ages 12-14) relate to your teen's social or emotional behavior? ~Now that she’s older she wants to hang out with friends more and she’s a lot more social. She was a little emotional about her body because of the changes puberty brought on. Along with puberty came a lot of emotional ups and downs. 16 YEARS OLD 1. Think about your teen's cognitive strengths and weaknesses and how they are reflected in his or her school grades and activities from 14-16 years of age. What careers or courses of study might be best suited to your teen's abilities and interests? ~Based off of Alexis’s grades and interest, I think she would be best suited for a career in science, art, or music. She has excelled in these three subjects and she enjoys them very much. The most practical career would most likely be in science. 2. How important have your teen's relationships with peers been to his/her social development, emotional well-being and school achievement from 14-16 years of age? ~It has been very important to her social development and wellbeing. It has helped her socially by getting her interested in things teens her age should be interested in and has made her emotional well-being much better. It hasn’t helped her school achievements much, she would rather hang out with her peers instead of doing homework or working on school things. 3. How has your teen adjusted at 14-16 years of age to typical adolescent issues such as risk-taking, drugs, alcohol, and sexual interests, and how have you responded to your teen? ~She has experimented with alcohol, I talked to her and grounded her. She has been dating a boy for a few months and says she’s in love so I talked to her about sex, birth control and condoms. 18 YEARS OLD 1. As the program ends, what pathways does your child appear to be on in terms of physical, cognitive, social, emotional and moral development? To what extent could you have predicted these pathways based on what you knew of your child's earlier development? Describe some specific ways in which you think your parenting mattered for your child's development, based on evidence from the course regarding the contributions of parents to child development. ~I think Alexis will continue dancing and she is on a great path for education. She had magnificent grades and did great on her PSAT’s. I believe she will get into a great college and have a great career. She has good social skills and even though she is a little emotional I think she will make good friends in the future. Her moral development is good she knows what’s right and what’s wrong and I think she will act accordingly. I knew Alexis would be smart from the time she was little. She always wanted to learn and she always did great in her academics. My parenting skills helped her achive as much as she did because I always encouraged her to learn and do what made her happy but at the same time I was strict and made sure what she needed to get done was done. 2. Describe some specific ways in which your child developed that appeared to be influenced by factors outside your control, such as genes, random environmental events or the general influence of contemporary middle-class American culture. I think her shyness was probably a genetic factor. I also think that her school environment and the influence of other children her age made her the way she is. Our culture also influenced her with music and T. V. 3. Bonus Question: Are there any issues you had with your parents, your school work, your friends, or your romantic involvements in the last year of high school that continued to be issues for you in coll ege? Reflect on your own personality, interests and cognitive abilities at the time you graduated high school. How did these personality characteristics and abilities manifest themselves in subsequent years? How have they changed since your high school days, if at all? ~My last year of high school my foster mother passed away which really affected my school work which made college harder for me. I love music it’s my passion and I think when I left high school I focused more on it because I had more time to do so. When I first started my virtual child I figured it would be easy, and at first it was. After I created my user name and password I was prompted to answer a few questions to help determine my baby’s gender and inherited traits. A few minutes later my virtual daughter Alexis was born. I have to say that doing virtual child was by far a great experience. I was very eager to do this project because I believed it would show me what kind of mother I will be when I decide I’m ready for children in real life. A few weeks after Alexis was born she was somewhat lethargic, didn’t want to eat very much, and she hadn’t gained much weight. When I read this I was a little worried. I then read that I took her to a pediatrician and he said it was nothing serious. I thought it was a little strange as well so I looked it up. I learned that it is normal for newborn babies to stay around the same weight or even lose weight within the first few weeks, after that, babies generally start eating more and gaining weight. I also learned when a baby loses weight they can become lethargic from lack of energy due to not eating enough. A short time passed and Alexis was eating heartily and gaining weight back. While raising Alexis I learned a lot of things. Like that genetics play a key part in her temperament. For example, the questionnaire I answered at the beginning asked me about my sleeping habits, and I answered that I slept often and I was told that Alexis sleeps virtually all the time. At every stage, I learned something new about the stages of development. When Alexis was five weeks old I wanted Alexis to be curious about her environment so I gave Alexis a lot of audio stimulation, including talking to her, singing to her, and putting on music for her to listen to. At eighteen months Alexis was very interested in music, and often danced to the rhythm. Then when Alexis was five she impressed everyone who heard her with her singing ability and ability to play songs by ear on the portable keyboard. I think playing music for her when she was a baby influenced this. At three months, Alexis started to make sounds like she was trying to speak to me. So I would encourage her by talking back with her. One of the things I thought was cute about Alexis was that she would smile at familiar people and toys, and she was able to laugh at surprising or funny things like playing peek-a-boo. Alexis also preferred people over objects and smiled and interacted with nearly everyone. This made me feel good about how I was raising her. One part of the program said that my â€Å"mother† would come over and watch Alexis while I went out with my â€Å"husband† but I would call and check on her often. I think I would probably do that in real life. I think good mothers always worry about their children. When Alexis was fifteen months old, I noticed she would often study things in her environment and perform simple little experiments with them, almost like a little scientist. Right away I thought it was interesting. I found out later on when she was older that she enjoyed science very much. I thought to myself, wow, things that you do when you are young carry on in to your older years. This made me think about what I was interested in when I was younger. When I was about four I sang in church and now I’m twenty-two and I still love to sing and write lyrics. I had never thought about it before and I thought it was cool to compare it with my life. When Alexis was ten she got into social networking. I was kind of shocked to learn this. Even though I know computers and internet are very common these days, I wasn’t aware such young children were using social networks such as Facebook. When I was ten I didn’t even know what a computer was. Coming from my background and my raising I do not think I would let my child on a social network until they were at least fourteen. I just believe there are too many predators on the internet to let a ten year old join Facebook. A few times in the program Alexis told me that I was more supportive and approving of her than the average parent. She also said that I was stricter than most of the other children’s parents. Even though Alexis is a virtual child this comment made me feel really good. When I do have a child this is exactly the kind of parent I want to be. When I was growing up my parents were not very supportive of me at all and they were extremely strict. I do not want to be like that so knowing I was making the right choices brought me great joy. In Alexis’s teenage years she started becoming more isolated and emotional. She started spending a lot of time in her room and was very moody. She also became a lot less corporative. At first I thought it was because I did something wrong but, I started thinking about myself and other teenagers I know. From my own experience I figured out that that is just something that comes with puberty. Realizing that this was normal for teens, it helped me see that not everything was my foster parents fault when I was a teen, some of it was actually me. I believe this information will also help me when I have a teenager of my own. When Alexis was sixteen she got a part time job at a grocery store. This was an important thing for me. When I was fifteen I got my first job and it helped me become more independent. I was able to save money during the summer and buy my own school clothes and did not have to rely on my parents for much. It made the transition from living with parents to living on my own a lot easier. I think this will help Alexis strengthen her independence when she becomes an adult. Alexis was a straight A student all through school. This made me feel extremely proud of my virtual daughter. I believe that school is a very important part of having a successful life. When I was in school I strived to do my best so that I could go to college and have a great life. This experience with my virtual child was a very important one. To know my child was doing excellent in school told me I was doing something right in my parenting method. Some things that I found challenging in this assignment was the fact that there was not as much information as I thought there would be and what information was there was very spread out. I think it would have been easier if during the infant years they gave information for every month instead of every three months. Also some of the information given to was a kind of confusing and I did not agree with some of the answers to the questions because, in my mind, I could come up with so much more scenarios. My virtual child definitely challenged me and putt my mind to work. Some of the things that were easy for me during this project is the fact that at the end of each stage they gave a parent and child evaluation information. This helped me with my assignment it showed where I was at as a parent and what I needed to work on. My virtual child all in all was an excellent experience for me. To raise a child from birth to adulthood is very interesting. It helped me understand more about my human development class and I think it prepared me to be a wonderful parent in the future. My virtual child also helped me see where my all my parents were coming from when I lived in different homes and each of their own individual parenting methods. I also learned a lot from this experience about children. I know information that I probably wouldn’t have learned anywhere else. Mostly, I think my personality made this experience even better for me. The fact that I love children and projects made this fun for me which helped me get through the program.