Business Essay about Mergers Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business about Mergers - Essay Example It is vital to note that federal and state laws are controlling systems for mergers. This occurs for notable reasons. To begin with, the government regulates such arrangements because of the elimination to competition (Halibozek & Kovacich, 2005). Competition is beneficial for the government because it drives entrepreneurship. Large firms motivate smaller firms to strive to their levels. In the event of the same, the smaller firms expand to generate substantial revenues for the governments (Truitt, 2004). In addition, such firms expand their marketing scope by improving on aspects such as advertising. This means that there is an interrelation, of firms, that create mutual benefits among the same. In turn, industries provide employment to population and accord social benefits to particular countries. In the sense of mergers, the same minimizes competition between the bigger and small firm. It is vital to note that mergers benefit the bigger firms in terms of pushing the same towards m aintaining their market capture. On the other hand, it is vital to note that mergers could result controlled market power. This relates to the power of monopolies. In this aspect, monopolies could exploit the market in two notable ways. To begin with, they would minimize on their output. This results into deficient products for consumers. In addition, monopolies would constrain output and raise prices. This reduces on the relative income of consumers because their previous income affords fewer goods. The monopolies ensure interaction of these two aspects in order that they generate super normal profits. The reason why the same is exploitation relates to the idea that consumers pay for products at a value that exceeds the production costs of the same. It is vital to note that consumer welfare demands production at a level whereby production costs equal prices. Production costs relates to marginal costs in economics (Mankiw, 2006). Mergers cause monopolies that may create other econom ical dangers. This relates to the idea that they could prevent growth of other firms. Monopolies acquire expansion advantages in the form of economies of scale. In this sense, other firms experience a difficulty in reaching the minimum efficient scale. It is vital to note that the minimum efficient scale refers to the state of production where a firm acquires maximum benefits out of the same (Mankiw, 2006). It is the most prominent level of production. This means that the merged firms would become the sole operators in the market. In the end, smaller firms would strive to rise and extinguish sooner. In case of an industry’s decision towards self-expansion, there would be notable obstacle to the same. This relates to the idea that such a firm would expand by use of capital projects. The benefits of self-expansion relates to the idea of self-dependence. In this sense, an industry faces limited obstacle form actions of other firms. It is vital to note that self-expansion leads t o maximum benefits because a firm enjoys all its revenues (Truitt, 2004). However, the aspect, of capital projects, constrains the same in the quest for independent expansion. To begin with, capital projects consume significant resources in the same. This poses notable dangers. For instance, the industry would require huge amounts of capital for expansion. In case it utilizes its own capital, it will constrain the advancement of

The Development of Chinese Bond Market and Its Critical Issues for Essay

The Development of Chinese Bond Market and Its Critical Issues for Future Development - Essay Example sts have argued that the bond market, whose role in the economic development is as great as that played by equity market has for a while remained obscure, as the general public seems to have little of it. Currently, few private investors are taking part in the bond market as compared to those in the stock market (Wu, 2014, p. 484). Worth noting, bond market plays a critical role in the economic development of a country, with the cash flow it provides playing a vital role in promoting the maturity of the individual investors assets and liabilities, and in the long run helping in the management of risks. As such, this paper will provide a detailed discussion of the development of the Chinese bond market, and provides an insight into the critical issues for future development. China began issuing treasury bonds in 1981 when it was first allowed to trade over numerous counters leading to the development of the secondary market for RMB Bond. The establishment of the Chinese stock exchange market in the 1990s led to the centralized trade of the Treasury bond. This piece of work analyzes the development of Chinese Bond market, which due to the absence of the centralized Securities Depository and not limited to inappropriate infrastructure has been hit by serious strikes. China is putting efforts to build a safe and cost effective bond market, which has led it to a healthy growth to emerge as one of the biggest financial markets in China (Zhu and Martha, 2009, p. 56). The bond market plays a significant role in the determination and setting of the fiscal policy and the monetary policy in China to sustain the financial revolution. In an effort to build a safe, low cost and efficient bond market, the establishment of the China Government securities Depository Trust and clearing company was a big boost (Guizot, Armelle 2012, p. 64). The CDCC (China Depository and Clearing Company) was the custodian of any marketable RMB bond and also began the development of open market

The Relationship Between Money And Happiness Philosophy Essay

The Relationship Between Money And Happiness Philosophy Essay In todays world without exception everyone wants a happy and fulfilling life. The people around us, the society which we belong and even media tells us daily that the only way to reach a happy and fulfilling life is to have a higher income. But, is it true? Firstly we have to examine the meaning of happiness. Most commonly, happiness is known as a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. For years, a great amount of researches have been done to answer this question. In this investigation, while some of researchers are supporting that attaining wealth and possessions is good for us, on the other hand some people are saying it is not. For example, In The High Price Of Materialism Tim Kasser says, No matter how many fancy designer clothes, cars, or jewels they might obtain, no matter how big their house or how up-to-date their electronic equipment, the lost opportunity to engage in pleasurable activities and enjoy each others companion ship will work against need satisfaction, and thus against their happiness. Annie Leonard also supports her idea through her video about consumerism and happiness. In this video the most important thing missed is people and their satisfaction. And again Juliet Schor claims that with statics National income has been rising for the last 20 years, but measures of the quality of life and happiness have fallen. Although all of these statements prove that happiness doesnt come from wealth and possessions, according to Peter Saunders Why Capitalism is Good for The soul, In some companies when workers start to get more profit, it results in higher living standards for workers as well as cheaper and more plentiful goods and services. And this improvement leads to a good life for workers. Although without money and wealth life seems difficult, too much focusing on the possessions affects our mental health, self-control and satisfaction badly as well as damages our relationships and lead to un happiness. Happiness is the most valuable aim of human being. While the earth is getting complicated and changing day by day, almost all people are trying to have a happy and fulfilling life. During this pursuit of happiness, our relationships play a crucial role. In pace of life, when we have encountered with some stressful or disappointing situation or cases, in order to take a breath we always consult our families and fly into our familys arms. If we have our own families and their real support, it is the most reliable way to reach the happiness and relief. But sometimes people can be in a dilemma between possessions and relationships. This is the point of collapsing real happiness, because when the passion of money comes to a person, he starts to abandon his family. He thinks as if money will bring them happiness and good life. But it wont. As Tim Kasser says in the article of Mixed Messages a focus on materialistic values detracts from well-being and happiness. For example when spouses spe nd most of their time working to make money, they neglect opportunities to be with each other and do what most interests them. And again in Downshifting in Britain Difficulties in managing work-life balance can have a detrimental impact on the quality of the relationships between parents and children and the parents responsiveness to the child, with implications for child outcomes. This is particularly important for every young children, with evidence suggesting that it is best for children if they can receive intensive parental contact for the first months(HM Treasury DTI 2003, p 13-14). As you can see in these sentences as long as people dont allocate enough time for their families, there is no way to make them happy. The same situation is also acceptable for peoples friends. Friends are known as a second family; even for some people they are the first. A friend can help us in every tough situation, they can back up us in everywhere. So always we want to have a good friend. If we select and take care of our friends carefully, as well as we have to be careful to maintain our relationships with them. The money, possessions, wealth shouldnt be our friends. While we are establishing a friendship, it mustnt be based on materialistic values or we mustnt let money to interfere our friendship. When money comes, it might hurt our friends and us. Furthermore, if we look at the richest people in the world, we see that the loneliest people are these rich people because of money. According to lots of people, money means high status, greedy and responsibility. With these prejudices, rich people cannot make friends easily, by this way they cant be happy. We associate this situation with food pyramid, if assume t hat there are richest people at the top of chain, and the chain is getting narrowed with the rate of friends, so if we are at the top of the pyramid we wont have friends who makes us more and more happy. To give an example, John Jacob Astor 3 bemoans, money brings me nothing but a certain dull anxiety. So even if you have too much money to spend, as long as you dont have friends and family you cant be happy. The other most important step to reach the happiness is our satisfaction. Because actually the money doesnt make us happy, it can help us just by providing some satisfaction. When we lost our satisfaction, it means we lost our happiness and this is exactly what our possessions do. Lots of people in consumer countries and societies think that they always need more money than they have now, even if they are wealthy and rich people. In the book of Clive Hamilton, this situation is stated with this sentence: The trouble with the rat race is, even if you win, you are still a rat. Because of the society that they belong to, they are convinced that more money means always more happiness. So without exception all people are trying to have more possessions to be satisfied by being able to buy what they need. But there is an insidious fact they always forget, and it is that at the same time they are raising their threshold of sufficiency, and decreasing their rate of happiness. The answer of h ow they can raise their threshold is meanwhile their needs change as incomes rise. While this is being happened, usually most of people are unaware of this situation. So no matter how they are wealthy, unconsciously it is working against their satisfaction and happiness. According to the Affluenza, studies shows that most people would prefer an income of $50 000 if the average is $40 000 to an income of $70 000 if the average is $100 000, that is, most people would rather be poorer, provided others are poorer still. Moreover, in late 2002 when a newspoll survey asked Australian people (richest) whether they can afford to buy everything they need, the answer investigators got is that sixty-two per cent of Australians believe they cannot afford to buy everything they need. If we consider Australia is one of the richest countries, it is a really good example of dissatisfaction and rat race. Self-control is the ability to control ones emotions, behaviors and desires or is the capacity of efficient management to the future, in this process without any control mechanism is it possible to have a good life or live peaceful. Of course NO, because the failure of self-control can cause immense personal and societal repercussions on people. So in this world everyone has to have self- control to handle with obstacles and bad effects of our environment but our possessions are such a dreadful nightmare for self-control that when we look at the whole world suffering of lack of self-control results from more money people have. Because as long as you have more money your ability to prevent yourself from doing something false is getting weaken. For example, using of drugs are known as a way of escaping from stress and most of people dont use it thanks to their self-control because they can see the results of this addiction after usage, but if there is a person who is rich and cannot be happy no longer with his possessions, due to dissatisfaction his/her self-control couldnt work. And at this point he/she lose themselves in drugs and also their happiness lose in it. Beside their happiness their physical health also can be harmed like the brain, heart, and other important organs. We can give more general examples to this case like consumption and credit card debts. If you dont have more money, by fear of debts and overconsumption while you are buying something or spending your money you try to be careful because you can imagine the results of overconsumption thanks to your self- control, but when you lose it, you plunge into debts immediately. So without the self-control we cannot be happy because it is most effective way to be careful about the harmful things. And money is the main enemy of the self-control. On the contrary there is some people claim that money can buy happiness with its benefits in terms of providing higher living standards. Peter Saunders stated that when workers start to get more profit, it results in higher living standards for workers as well as cheaper and more plentiful goods and services. And this improvement leads to a good life for workers. Yes until a certain limit it is true because this world which has capitalist system is not suitable for living without money. Because money provides you necessities like shelter, education, health etc. Furthermore if you have a family, without a good income you cant imagine a good life while you are trying to be alive in this world. But when you have enough money and you are able to supply what you need, after this point moneys importance suddenly decrease and remains only one way to be happy which is not money, just our relationships and our health. According to the Journal of Happiness Studies by Fischer, Claude S. Although Americans wealth increased substantially over the last few decades, their happiness did not. Because as I said before this is not the case of money after a certain point. So no matter without enough money we cannot be happy, it doesnt mean happy comes from wealth and possessions. To conclude, if you have enough money for your basic necessities, after that happiness doesnt come from money. On the contrary, as long as you have a great amount of money or try to have more money than you have, in the pursuit of wealth and possessions you can lose your most important relationships with your friends and family which make you really happy, furthermore your mental and physical health can be affected very badly because of dissatisfaction and lack of self control. Briefly attaining wealth is not essential for our fulfillment even it is against. Work Cited (HM Treasury DTI 2003, p 13-14). The high price of materialism / Mixed Massages By Tim Kasser Why Capitalism is good for the soul By Peter Saunders Journal of Happiness Studies by Fischer,

Inclusion Essay -- essays research papers

Inclusion in Class   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inclusion â€Å"mainstreams† physically, mentally, and multiply disabled children into regular classrooms. Back in the sixties and the seventies, disabled children were excluded all together from regular classrooms. Currently, the federal inclusion law, I.D.E.A. (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), addresses children whose handicaps range from autistic and very severe to mild (I.D.E.A. Law Page). From state to state the laws of inclusion vary. The laws may permit the special needs children to be in regular classrooms all day and for all subjects or for just one or two subjects (Vann 31). Other times the state laws allow those with special needs to have aids with them to help them in the regular classrooms (Sornson). There are many more variations. The creators of inclusion had the right idea in mind, but it is misused by many administrators and teachers because they aren’t focused enough on what the children really need. I believe that incl usion is not beneficial to normal children or special need students because of the difficult learning environment it creates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My oppositions leads a strong argument; every child should be able to experience a regular classroom in order to mature and socialize with other children in normal situations (Stussman 18). This is true; children need to be around other children in order to learn how to interact. In stating that, inclusion is one way to let children â€Å"mingle† and socially grow into adults who can communicate with the rest of the world. In March of 1997, â€Å"The Educational Digest† composed an article on Barak Stussman. She has mild cerebral palsy. She shared with the readers her story of how inclusion worked in her life. Barak retold how she felt deep sadness when she realized she was not â€Å"regular†. This made her hate going to school (Stussman 19). Two important statements were made by Barak: â€Å"If children do not perceive barriers, they will amaze you with what they are capable of doing,† and â€Å"I believe public school systems should be a microcosm of the ‘real world’† (Stussman 20). My oppositions feels inclusion is beneficial to children because they believe in the concept, â€Å"what you really need to make it in this world is good people skills and common sense; not academic achievement.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, the truth is... ...motional and distraught. It could also cause them to dislike school more and more as time goes on (Stussman 19). This bad learning environment is harmful the children who dislike the classroom. This negativity can spread and influence other children to dislike school as well; therefore they may not try or function to their potential. The focus of school should be to educate children in a manner and environment which supports and values them as people (Vann 33). The best program is the one which provides a combination of approaches that best suits each individual child (Vann 33).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inclusion is detrimental to both regular and special needs students because of the complicated and strenuous learning environment it creates. Though there are many variations in the inclusion technique, children are still being helped inadequately and they are not accomplishing the academic achievements that they could. Every child deserves to be in an environment where they will succeed academically and emotionally. Our responsibility is to ultimately create a system that places and supports students and their families in ways that will promote the greatest amount of success.

Title Anaylsis Painted Door

Title Sharon Sarai Block 4 In the story â€Å"The Painted Door† by Sinclair Ross the title is significant. The title is symbolic, it ties into the plot, and it sums up the main event. When Ann says, â€Å" ‘†¦It’s going to make the room a lot lighter’ † she is talking about brightening the bedroom door (49). We paint to bring change and improve upon an old appearance, it is clear that that is what Ann is trying to accomplish with not only her bedroom door, but her life as well.She thinks that she is embarking on a new adventure by bringing change into her home and painting the door white, but in reality she is just beginning a new adventure behind the door. The title also ties into plot and sums up the main event because the painted door is a very significant part of the story. If Ann had chosen not to paint her bedroom door she would have never known John made it home, because John would have never had the paint marked on him.Ann would have tho ught that John had just collapsed on his way home but the suspicion of suicide is confirmed after she finds the white paint on his palm, â€Å"On the palm, white even against its frozen whiteness, was a little smear of paint† (67). It could be by chance that a smear of paint coated John’s palm or it could be a way of allowing Ann to know that his death was no accident. The title of the story â€Å"The Painted Door† is symbolic, and relevant to the plot and main event of the story.

Desdemona’s death Essay

Iago does not immediately suggest Desdemona’s death. He first ensures that Othello is convinced of her guilt. At the beginning of the scene, Iago tells Othello that it is not a crime for a woman to be naked with a man if nothing happens. He also states that if he were to give his wife a handkerchief, she would be able to do with it as she wished. These reminders of Desdemona’s supposed unfaithfulness arouse Othello’s anger. After Iago finally admits that Cassio has told him he has lain with Desdemona, Othello is already blind with rage and jealousy. In order to further goad Othello, Iago convinces Othello to hide explaining that he will ask Cassio to describe his relationship with Desdemona. Iago instructs Othello to observe Cassio’s face during the conversation. In reality Iago recounts his experience with a prostitute named Bianca. Cassio is so amused by his story that he laughs hysterically. Othello, who is already irrational at this point, imagines that he is hearing more than he actually is. When Cassio talks about about Bianca hanging on his neck and pulling at him, Othello says, â€Å"Now he tells how she plucked him to y chamber† (4. 1. 141). Later on in the scene, Bianca appears, and argues with Cassio. Iago uses this in his favor by convincing Othello that Cassio has given Desdemona’s handkerchief to Bianca, a prositute. Othello asks, â€Å"How shall I murder him, Iago? † (4. 1. 170). When Iago attempts to equate both Cassio and Desdemona to trash, Othello can think only of killing Cassio, but not his beautiful and loving wife. Sarcastically, Iago says to Othello, â€Å"If you are so fond over her iniquity, give her patent to offend; for, if it touch not you, it comes near nobody† (4. 1. 197-199). Threatened with emotional isolation, Othello responds as Iago wants him to and says, â€Å"I will chop her into messes. Cuckold me! † (4. 1. 200). Iago first discredits Desdemona by supposedly offering proof of her infidelities to Othello. Iago then angers Othello by framing Cassio, making it appear as though Cassio is laughing about his trysts with Desdemona. Othello is so enraged that he decides Cassio must die, but he cannot bring himself to kill Desdemona. Finally, Iago threatens Othello with emotional isolation. Othello finally concedes and states that Desdemona must die.

She essays

She essays Acceptance. Love. Arent these two words feelings everyone longs for? No matter what age you are, everyone wants to be accepted and loved. Acceptance is especially important to teenagers. The ability to fit in and be like everyone else. It hurts to see the fingers pointing or hear the mocking laughs behind your back. In the novel Shes Come Undone by Wally Lamb, a young girl named Dolores goes through numerous hardships using food and anger as her shoulder to lean on. However, through all the tragedies, all the taunting, all the problems, Dolores comes out triumphant and happy. If you think no one could understand the cruelties of being overweight, of going through hard times, then you havent met Miss Dolores Price. Mr. Pucci was Doloress school counselor while shes in high school at St. Anthonys. Mr. Pucci was there for Dolores whenever she needs him and puts up with her foul-mouthed language and attitude. He was there through all the usual high school dilemmas, after her mother and fathers divorce, through the months her mother is at a mental facility, through her mothers, grandmothers, and fathers death, and her painful divorce from her first husband, Dante. Mr. Pucci was always uplifting to Doloress hurting spirit. He pushed her to achieve more, make dreams for herself, and then carry those dreams out. Dolores was able to return the favors to an extent once she reached her twenties, after her grandmother died. Mr. Puccis better half, Gary passed away due to AIDS, but had passed the HIV virus to Mr. Pucci. Dolores proved to be nothing less and nothing more than a sturdy rock for Mr. Pucci to lean on. They both healed each other through the time they had together. Since Dolores is the narrator, you are in her thoughts, you hear what she hears and see what she sees. It feels you could point Dolores out if you saw her walking down the stree...

Earthquake Research Paper

Earthquake Research Paper It is a bitter and humiliating thing to see works, which have cost men so much time and labour, overthrown in one minute; yet compassion for the inhabitants is almost instantly forgotten†¦ Charles Darwin (on the ruin of Concepcion in Chile by an earthquake (Robinson 47) People tremble when they hear the word; destruction, mayhem, and tragedy: all words that come to mind when earthquake is heard. They occur without warning and cause millions of dollars in destruction and numerous deaths. For these reasons and more, earthquakes are one of the most unpredictable and devastating occurrences Mother Nature dishes out. Earthquakes usually occur without warning. There is a sudden slip in the earth’s crust, which makes the earth shake causing mass destruction to buildings and people in the surrounding areas. These areas in the earth’s crust are called faults. When the earth â€Å"faults† the ground bends to a certain limit until the point of breaking. When it finally snaps, it sends vibrations up to the earth’s surface where the earthquake occurs (USGS). There are two different types of waves during an earthquake, the P-wave and the S-wave. The P-wave is the primary wave that is the first wave to arrive, followed by the transverse, or S-waves, which arrive after (USGS). Quakes can last for short or long periods of time and are sometimes followed by aftershocks. They are tiny earthquakes that last for a few seconds after the bigger quake. Charles F. Richter of the California Institute of Technology created the Richter magnitude scale in 1935 in order to compare the magnitudes of earthquakes. The magnitude of an earthquake is determined from the logarithm of the amplitude of waves recorded by seismographs (USGS). The scale ranges from numbers zero through 10. A number such as 4.6 on the Richter scale would be considered a mediocre earthquake in seismologists’ minds while any number over six would be a large earthquake. Earthquakes under a two rating are not felt by people and are not recorded because no damage is done. Earthquakes of these magnitudes are likely to occur thousands of times a day while one of a ranking higher than eight will only occur once on average in the world each year. Earthquakes have also been measured in equivalence to weights of dynamite. For example, if an earthquake gets a reading between a 6.0 and a 7.0, it is the same as blowing up around 100,000 tons of dynamite (Nuhfer 39). Earthquakes cause massive losses in money for the government when they strike. Buildings are knocked over, streets cracked, and there are many electrical problems that they have to deal with. It takes a lot of time for places to recover from the effects of earthquakes. A new Federal Emergency Management Agency report says that damages from U.S. earthquakes total about $ 4.4 billion a year. California alone accounts for $ 3.3 billion of the total (Fema 9). Another tragic loss we have when earthquakes come around is the loss of our family and friends. Thousands of people lose their lives without ever knowing what hit them. The most devastating quake in United States history is by far the one that â€Å"shook the world† in San Francisco in 1906. More than three thousand lives were taken on that day. The closest death toll to this in the United States was one hundred and fifteen, an earthquake that occurred in Long Beach, California in 1933 (USGS). To try and reduce these loses of friends and relatives, there are steps to reduce hazards in the home. One example if you are in a high seismic-risk zone would be to strap or bolt all furniture to the floor or to the walls so that if an earthquake does occur, it will not harm anyone. Also, the frame should be checked periodically to make sure that it is all in tact. One final precaution would be to use plywood sheathing wherever needed, such as garage door areas, to strengthen the home so that less damage will occur (Bolt 228-29). Most of the earthquakes that happen in the United States occur on the West Coast, especially in California. This is true because of one of the most famous fault lines in the world, the San Andreas Fault. This fault line stretches for over six hundred miles from the Imperial Valley in Southern California to Point Arena on the northern coast and then out to sea. To date more than twenty-five earthquakes have occurred in California. Most of these are because of the San Andreas Fault. And these are only the earthquakes that have been measured on the Richter scale. The most recent damage an earthquake has done in the United States was on February 28, 2001 in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, called the Nisqually earthquake. The quake measured a 6.8 on the Richter scale and shook the earth for a good forty seconds. Even though it was a long earthquake, it was still one of the less damaging earthquakes of this magnitude in the United States. Immediately after the quake, 28 state bridge inspection teams examined about 500 state-owned bridges within a 73-mile radius of the epicenter. There was almost no structural damage, said Weigel, Washington State Dept. of Transportation bridge engineer, to insure safety for motorists using the bridges (News Site). There was only one death contributed to it, a heart attack victim. The damage bill was nothing compared to other quakes. The bill totaled up to around two billion dollars. That may seem like a lot, but when compared to the earthquake in Northridge, California in 1994 it was pennies. This qu ake ranked at 6.7 on the scale and was the costliest earthquake the United Stated had ever had at forty billion dollars. The after shocks of this earthquake caused more damage than the entire Nisqually quake including its aftershocks, which did not reach above a 3.4 (SCEC). This quake was also different from other quakes, as the city of Santa Monica knows first hand. Parts of their coastal city, 21 kilometers south of Northridge and separated from it by a mountain range, had received shocks just as severe as those felt in Northridge (O’Hanlon). Scientists are still stunned about why this occurred, but attribute it to something of a magnifying glass of a rock in the earth’s surface that focused the quake to Santa Monica. The Northridge quake, like all others, brought attention to the way that some buildings were structured. Although not much damage was done to some buildings due to the soft soil around it, others were hit hard. One of the more severely damaged buildings was the six-story Palmer Court Building, an un-reinforced masonry structure located in Seattles historic Pioneer Square district (Staff 10). Although damage to buildings is inevitable during an earthquake, improvements can still be made to buildings so that they do not end up like the Palmer Court Building. Every building, however moves somewhat during an earthquake, no matter its size. During the Loma Prieta Earthquake in San Francisco during the World Series, the seats were seen shaking back and forth along with the entire Candlestick Park. After a few moments of shaking, it regained its original position without much structural damage (Levy 94). Although this is the most recent quake felt by the United States, one that occurred nearly a century ago will not soon be forgotten. The earthquake that occurred in San Francisco on April 18, 1906 ranks as one of the most significant earthquakes of all time (USGS). At around 5:00 in the morning, the northernmost 290 miles of the San Andreas Fault ruptured. Although the Richter scale was not around, it is believed to be one of the most powerful earthquakes to ever hit the United States. The city shook violently for almost a full minute. Fires blazed and approximately three thousand people were killed in this tragic event. So is there anything anybody can do to prepare for another such disaster? There is really no way of knowing when the next earthquake will hit, but seismologists have several methods so that they can estimate approximately when another one will occur. By studying the amount of earthquakes and when they happen in a certain area, seismologist can then guess the probability of another one occurring in that area within a given time (CBC News). This will then give people the time to prepare themselves for another possible quake. Seismologists can also measure how much stress a certain region of the earths crust is under, and how quickly that stress is increasing. This will help them to determine if another quake is likely in that region, but it is a very difficult procedure and far from perfect because a lot of areas lack the equipment and data needed for this. There is no way to stop earthquakes from shaking our earth. It is something that, unfortunately, we will have to deal with for the rest of our lives. Many scientists and seismologists are doing the best they can so that we can be better prepared for another earthquake when it hits. Until the time when we will be able to predict when they will strike comes, we will have to live knowing that at anytime an earthquake can come and shake up the earth as well as our lives.

How to Use the Spanish Pronoun Se

How to Use the Spanish Pronoun 'Se' Se is undoubtedly the most versatile of the Spanish pronouns. As you learn Spanish, you will come across se used in a variety of ways, usually meaning one of the -self words of English such as herself or yourself.   Using Se as a Reflexive Pronoun The most common use of se is a reflexive pronoun. Such pronouns indicate that the subject of a verb is also its object. In English, this is usually accomplished by using verbs such as himself or themselves. ​Se is used as the reflexive pronoun for third-person uses (including when usted or ustedes is the subject). Some verbs (as in the final two examples below) can be used reflexively in Spanish even though they arent translated that way in English. Pablo se ve por el espejo. (Pablo sees himself using the mirror.)Los padres no pueden oà ­rse. (The parents cant hear themselves.)Rebecca se perjudica por fumar. (Rebecca is hurting herself by smoking.)Benjamà ­n Franklin se levantaba temprano. (Benjamin Franklin got up early.)Se comià ³ los tacos. (He ate up the tacos.) Using Se as the Equivalent of the Passive Voice Although this use of se isnt technically the passive voice, it fulfills the same function. By using se, particularly when discussing inanimate objects, it is possible to indicate an action without indicating who performed the action. Grammatically, such sentences are structured in the same way that sentences using reflexive verbs are. Thus in a literal sense, a sentence such as se venden coches means cars sell themselves. In actuality, however, such a sentence would be the English equivalent of cars are sold or, more loosely translated, cars for sale. Se abren las puertas. (The doors are opened.)Se vendià ³ la computadora. (The computer was sold.)Se perdieron los llaves. (The keys were lost.)Se prohibe fumar. (Smoking is prohibited.) Using Se as a Substitute for Le or Les When the indirect-object pronoun le or les is immediately followed by another pronoun that begins with an l, the le or les is changed to se. This prevents having two pronouns in a row beginning with the l sound. Dà ©selo a ella. (Give it to her.)Se lo dijo a à ©l. (He told it to him.)No se lo voy a dar a ellos. (Im not going to give it to them.) Using the Impersonal Se Se is sometimes used in an impersonal sense with singular verbs to indicate that people in general, or no person in particular, perform  the action. When se is used in this way, the sentence follows the same pattern as those in which the main verb is used reflexively, except that there is no subject to the sentence that is explicitly stated. As the examples below show, there are a variety of ways such sentences can be translated to English. Se maneja rpidamente en Lima. (People drive fast in Lima.)Se puede encontrar cocos en el mercado. (You can find coconuts in the market.)Muchas veces se tiene que estudiar para aprender. (Often you have to study to learn.)No se debe comer con prisa. (One ought not to eat quickly.) A Caution About a Homonym Se shouldnt be confused with sà © (note the accent mark), which is usually the singular first-person present indicative form of saber (to know). Thus sà © usually means I know. Sà © can also be the singular familiar imperative form of ser; in that case it means you be as a command.

Jazz music Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Jazz music - Assignment Example It was attended by a huge audience consisting f mainly university students. I attended the concert to have a firs-hand experience and make personal observations n whatever I encountered. This paper presents a candid, critical and in-depth review of the concert. It does this by focusing on the performers, audience, venue and general performance. During the concert, the band played a series of tracks. These were very interesting jazz songs that have dominated the music scenes for decades. As a band, Paul Iquihua consists of a team of experts who are specialized in playing different instruments as they perform to thrill their audiences. Having taken my time to attend the concert, I got an opportunity to enjoy jazz songs which I have never seen being performed live on stage. Just like the rest of the audience, some of the songs were familiar to me. At the same time, there are others that I have never gotten a chance to attend a live concert and enjoy them being performed on stage. In the program was Faubourg Treeme. The melodious song was composed by the legendry John Cooper. It was played during the concert because of its popularity. While doing this, I observed that the musicians were quite organized and well coordinated. All the instruments were properly played to ensure that the vocalists and the instruments produce sweet melodies throughout the performance. According to my observation, the song was a right choice for the concert as it was used to create a good rapport between the artists and the audience. Everyone danced to the tunes because it was quite outstanding and remarkable. The song was quite hilarious because it was composed by a renowned American musician who has been attributed to the composition of great hits that have of course revolutionized the jazz industry (Szwed 71). In the list of performance was another song called Daahoud. It was composed by Clifford Brown, an American trumpet player who lived between

Financila Performance and Positioning Assignment

Financila Performance and Positioning - Assignment Example A projected profit and loss account of Clinton Cards plc has also been included in this part to add to the analysis. Shareholders need to analyse the management's performance and efforts put into the company affairs through the financial results so as to realise its strengths and weaknesses. Riahi-Belkaoui (1998, p11) says, "the profitability ratios portray ability of the firm to efficiently use the capital committed by stockholders and lenders to generate revenues in excess of expenses". Therefore, the analysis for the shareholders has been done with the help of following profitability ratios: The above chart depicts the profitability ratios for Clinton Cards plc indicating the financial performance of the company over the last five years. Shareholders are interested in the company's profit records and being the real owners of the firms, they constantly need to appraise the company's performance. If the company is able to generate a stable profit for its shareholders out of its business activities, then it is said to be a good performer in the financial sense. The Gross Profit Margin Percentage evaluates the percentage of profit earned by a company on sales after the production and distribution activities (Mcmenamin, 1999). It shows how well the company manages its expenses so as to attain maximum profit out of its total sales. Clinton Card plc's gross profit ratio shows that the company is sustaining a stable profit margin with a slight increase in profitability. It further illuminates that the company manages to keep about 11% of its total sales revenue out of all the production and distribution expenses. This can also be inversely stated that the company loses about 89% of the total turnover in meeting cost of sales. The Net Profit ratio shows what percentage of profit a company earns on its sales (Mcmenamin, 1999). It reveals the profit retained by a company after accounting for its various operating costs. The difference between the company's net and gross profit ratios indicate the amount of profit foregone by them in the course of meeting various selling and administrative expenses. Thus the above graph shows that the company manages to retain about 6% of the total sales after accounting for various operating costs. The company's net profit margin is also rising sparingly at a stable rate showing the management's efficiency in managing costs. Riahi-Belkaoui (1998, p11) says that the return on capital employed ratio "indicates how efficiently the capital supplied by the common stockholders was employed within the firm". Clinton Card plc's return on capital employed ratio reveals that the company is having a slightly fluctuating rate of profit on the funds invested by the shareholders. However the rate of fluctuation is not high and thus the graph shows that the company gains profit as about 30% of the total equity funds. The return on asset ratio indicates the returns or profits generated after utilising the financial resources of the company determine the company's financial performance throughout the year (Meigs & Meigs, 1993). The company in consideration has had a significantly

British Ethnic Legacy in Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

British Ethnic Legacy in Africa - Essay Example This paper contends that problem of tribalism and negative ethnicity that has dominated the African social cultural political and economic spheres giving rise to intense rivalry, divisions and frequently civil strife is predominantly a legacy of British colonialism. Using their superior economic and political position, they created deep-seated divisions that destroyed the social- political harmony in Africa since even after they left the class inequalities and negative feelings that some communities had towards others who collaborated with colonialist remained to fuel future conflict (Blanton, David & Brian 474). Nigeria exemplifies the divisive nature of ethically motivated politics; therefore, British colonialist divided the country with the intention of making it easier to control in the typical divide and rule policy capitalizing on the preexisting ethnic and religion differences (Amadife & Warhola 533). The British were gradually withdrawing from the country and with them the co ntrol they had exerted over the different groups; however, the disunity that served the British so well in marginalizing and effectively making it impossible for the tribe to unify against them became a cause for civil conflict. The long run effects are evident in the civil war of 1967- 1970 when the nations was almost split asunder as communities fought form behind the artificial boarders the British cleaved into their country. Even today, many insecurity problems facing the country are due to ethic conflicts which can be traced back to the British Imperialist’s actions. In addition, another example can be seen in the infamous Rwanda genocide of 1990, as aforementioned, elevating certain communities over others to effectively practice indirect rule was a tactic the British widely employed, however the aftermath of the divisions which usually ran deep has often been catastrophic in posterity (Blanton, David & Brian 478). While it would appear that the conflict was a primarily matter of tribal issues with no connection to the retrospective colonial past, critical examination of the events leading up to the period implies otherwise. Since their takeover of the country in the late 19th century, the British had taken advantage of existing divisions between the two tribes and by sideling the Hutu and elevating the Tutsis who the deemed as more civilized than the Hutus (Wa Wamwere 142). Decades after independence, the Hutu used the fact that the Tutsis had been loyal to the British in retrospect to massacre them and strengthen their position as legitimate leaders of the country, the Exiled Tutsis came back to try to salvage the situation and this resulted in a full scale war to end the aftermath and the British who had sowed the seeds of the bloody divisions were nowhere to quell the situation. Opponents of this papers claim will likely claim that not all African colonies degenerated in violence and ethnic politics, to this end, they may cite Tanzania, Liberi a and several other states that remained peaceful. Therefore, according to them, accusing the British of being responsible for Africa’s present and past problems is unreasonable and the situation would probably be much worse had it not been for their intervention in the first place. In addition, attributing the problems of Africa to

English Composition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

English Composition - Essay Example They are country people who are happy living on the edge of the country which is shown when a cow pokes around the backyard. Maggie is content with the idea that she will be marrying an unattractive but dependable man who she doesn’t really love but who she is comfortable with. He also lives in their small town so she won’t need to move too far away from her mother. When she was little, she was trapped in a fire that caused scarring on her arms and legs. Her own ugliness makes her shy and withdrawn. This idea is carried through the story as Maggie seems to only hover around the edges of her sister’s visit. In her interests and activities, Maggie is more like her uneducated mother. Although she tries to read to her mother in the evenings like Dee did, â€Å"she stumbles along good-naturedly but can’t see well. She knows she is not bright.† She is used to doing things the same way her ancestors did which is made clear when it’s mentioned that s he understood the â€Å"small sinks; you could see where thumbs and fingers had sunk into the wood† of the butter churn’s dasher. While she values the family’s cultural treasures, she values them on a number of levels. Maggie enjoys her heritage from a lived experience. Dee, on the other hand, is known for her good looks, her outgoing charm and her ‘refusal to be denied.’ Her mother talks about how she’s had a charmed childhood. She was always able to get her way with other people. She had and still has natural charm and good looks. She is also intelligent which made it possible for her to reach a higher level of education than the rest of her family. Although her mother doesn’t know whether or not Dee’s married to the man she travels, but Mama is afraid to ask. Overall, Dee’s attitude is very much like a middle class urban woman. This life doesn’t seem to be completely satisfying though since she spends her visit desperately

The strategic management processes of KPMG Assignment

The strategic management processes of KPMG - Assignment Example This essay explores the Human Resource Management (HRM) practices of the company with focus given on the management of employee resources, employee voice and employee relations so as to understand the effectiveness of the management of KPMG in strategically managing the most significant resource of the organization which is the people resource. In relation to the study the company which has been selected is KPMG as one of the biggest professional services and consulting firm in the world. Along with Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte Touchà © Consulting, KPMG is one of the Big Four auditing companies in the globe. The headquarters of the company are located in Amstelveen, Netherlands. KPMG is one of the most famous and preferred employers in the financial services sector. Currently, the company employs more than 162000 people in more than 16 geographical locations. The company has three main divisions of service which are advisory, Tax and audio services. The audit s ervices account for 42% of the revenues as of 2014, the advisory services account for 37% and the tax services account for 21% of the total revenue generated by the consulting firm in the year 2014. The company has been able to establish and maintain an ethical, sustainable and responsible image for the business over the years of its operations through a number of strategic management processes including employee management and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

Evidence Based Practice in Social Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Evidence Based Practice in Social Work - Essay Example While other children have parents that they can live with and are willing to pay for their college tuition, youth in care have no one. Renting an apartment with no parent to co-sign a lease, finding money for a security deposit, and getting to work or school without money for transportation, and being able to feed themselves in the absence of a job, are several of the obstacles care leavers confront. As a result, many care leavers confront negative outcomes, primarily homelessness (Barth, 1996). In his study on the demographics of homelessness, Barn (2001) indicated that youth homeless was not an ethnic minority problem but a predominantly economic one. Wright's (2002) findings are consistent with Barn's (2002) conclusions. Commander (2002) and Mendes and Moslehuddin (2006) concur, emphasising that the demographics suggest that youth homelessness cuts across ethnic groupings but not economic ones. Nevertheless, they contend that the demographics reveal a more important commonality between the homeless youth. Specifically stated, the greater majority of the homeless across the United Kingdom are care leavers. Indeed, both studies independently maintain that incidents of hopelessness amongst domiciled youth are rare. 2.2 Homelessness: The Risk Factors In a cross-cultural study, Kurtz, Jarvis, and Kurtz (1991) identified five causes of homelessness. First, youth who are already members of homeless families are often separated from them because many shelters do not serve older youth. Youth from homeless families may be placed in foster care or emergency shelter system and consequently experience disintegration of ties with their families. Some studies, according to Pain and Francis (2004) suggested that as much as one-third of Britain's total homeless and in-care youth population came from homeless families, or ones which had simply disintegrated due to divorce or the death of the bread winner. Smith (2005), however, puts the figure at closer to 40%, adding that mental instability/problems in one of the parents as a leading predicator of homelessness and familial disintegration. A second reason for youth homeless is physical and sexual abuse (Pain and Francis, 2005). Kurtz et al. (1991) and Pain and Francis (2005) suggested the third reason is because youth are thrown or pushed out of their homes by parents or guardians. A fourth group of homeless are those that are removed from homes at an early age because of family abuse, neglect, or unwillingness or inability to care for them. They are taken into state custody and become foster youth. The fifth group of homeless youth are members of minority groups who have immigrated to Great Britain, whether legally or as illegal asylum seekers, and are attempting to make themselves inconspicuous.

The strategic management processes of KPMG Assignment

The strategic management processes of KPMG - Assignment Example This essay explores the Human Resource Management (HRM) practices of the company with focus given on the management of employee resources, employee voice and employee relations so as to understand the effectiveness of the management of KPMG in strategically managing the most significant resource of the organization which is the people resource. In relation to the study the company which has been selected is KPMG as one of the biggest professional services and consulting firm in the world. Along with Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte Touchà © Consulting, KPMG is one of the Big Four auditing companies in the globe. The headquarters of the company are located in Amstelveen, Netherlands. KPMG is one of the most famous and preferred employers in the financial services sector. Currently, the company employs more than 162000 people in more than 16 geographical locations. The company has three main divisions of service which are advisory, Tax and audio services. The audit s ervices account for 42% of the revenues as of 2014, the advisory services account for 37% and the tax services account for 21% of the total revenue generated by the consulting firm in the year 2014. The company has been able to establish and maintain an ethical, sustainable and responsible image for the business over the years of its operations through a number of strategic management processes including employee management and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

Summary of Professional Ethics Module Essay Example for Free

Summary of Professional Ethics Module Essay Ethics is a branch of philosophy that studies the difference between right and wrong. As professional accountants, you will have many opportunities to choose between right and wrong. And as you have seen in the business press, making the wrong choice can lead to serious consequences including corporate failure, loss of reputation, fines, and even jail sentences. The objective of this unit is to introduce you to different branches of ethics, in order to help you understand that people approach the topic with different points of view. You will learn about different ways of thinking through an ethical question. This will help you identify the way that you make decisions so that you can recognise your own personal ethics in any professional ethical problem that you may be faced with. In this way, you can mitigate any detrimental impact of your own personal ethics, with a view to a more objective approach. Perspectives on ethics In very broad terms, there are three ways of looking at ethics that have developed over time: rules conformance, good intentions, and competence. One way of thinking about ethics is in terms of conformity to rules. From this perspective, ethics is understood as a list of things to do and to not do. Sometimes the list gets very long and complicated and needs to be interpreted by a whole institution of people. The ethical person, from this perspective, is the one who conforms to the rules. A second way of thinking about ethics is in terms of good intentions. From this perspective, a behaviour is considered ethical if it is based on good intentions. Good behaviour then follows from good thinking. The third perspective thinks of ethics in terms of competence. From this perspective, the ethical person is one who can make decisions based on principles and then act on them. This perspective is thought of as looking at competence, because ethics is thought of in terms of an ability rather than an attitude our duty to others One way to think about ethics is to acknowledge that there are things that someone just does not do, as part of a duty to others. A limitation of this principle is that you have to decide what those things are that someone should not do. At least one philosopher (Immanuel Kant) has defined those duties by saying ‘act according to principles that everyone could follow. ’ For example, if you disobey traffic lights, you should consider what would happen if everyone did so. The point is that we should recognise everyone as equals, and not assume that the rules are any different for ourselves than they are for other people. As an accounting example, a professional accountant would not deliberately issue false or inaccurate financial statements. If everyone did so, no statements could be trusted and as a consequence not only would the profession be brought into disrepute, but all financial statements would have no value to their users. Ultimately the need for accountants and for financial reports would be called into question. Consequences Another way of thinking about ethics is based on thinking about the consequences to different people. Briefly, consequentialism encourages you to make decisions based on the consequences — both positive and negative — for those involved. This category of thinking is the branch of ethics known as utilitarianism. This states that an action is right if it leads to the most good outcomes and the least bad outcomes for the greatest number of people. One limitation of thinking about ethics in terms of consequences is that you have to agree on what sorts of consequences matter: for example, should you be trying to promote pleasure and avoid causing pain, or should you instead focus on promoting people’s actual well-being, regardless of whether doing so makes them happy? A modern application of this point of view is the cost-benefit analysis, which involves assigning monetary values to the costs and benefits of an action and seeing how they add up. This practice is often used in evaluating new projects. As an accounting example, an accountant thinking in terms of consequences would prepare ‘true and fair’ financial statements because doing so would bring the most benefit to the greatest number of people. In other words, stakeholders inside and outside the organisation would be able to make more informed decisions as a result. Virtue theory  In virtue theory, the emphasis is on deciding what sort of person one should try to be, and to define the virtues such a person would embody. You decide what makes a good person, instead of what makes a good action, and act accordingly. One limitation of this way of thinking is that what constitutes a virtue must be agreed upon, and it can vary by culture and over time. For example, the qualities of good financial reports were once considered to be completeness, historical accuracy, reliability and strict adherence to the legal form in disclosing business transactions. More recently, the qualities of good financial reports have come to be relevance for decision-making, reference to a wider conceptual framework, and presenting the economic substance of business transactions. As an accounting example of the use of virtue theory, in deciding whether to agree to a client’s request to use a questionable method for valuing inventory, an accountant would ask, ‘What would a conscientious accountant do in such a situation? What would one of my respected mentors do? ’ Social contract theory  The social contract theory of ethics advises you to think about ethics as embodying a set of rules agreed upon by reasonable people to bring order to social living. So when making an ethical decision you ask yourself, ‘What rule would reasonable, unbiased people agree to? ’ You then follow such rules, regardless of whether they benefit you in particular situations. One criticism of this theory points out that the agreement referred to by social contract theory is entirely imaginary. Why consider yourself bound by an agreement that never happened? An accounting example of social contract thinking might be seen in a situation where an accountant has to decide between loyalty to a client and candid assessment of financial statements. Both of those options involve important social values. Thinking in social contract terms, the accountant might ask, ‘What sort of rule for balancing these values would unbiased people agree to? ’ Confucian ethics Confucian ethics seeks to provide harmonious relationships within society, the family, and the individual. Looking within yourself and learning from experienced people are seen as the main roads to wisdom and self-harmony. The emphasis on experience leads to respect and reverence for the past, the aged, and for one’s ancestors. One of the criticisms of this model is that in a society where relationships are considered more important than the laws themselves, corruption and nepotism may be tolerated. As an accounting example, in deciding whether to agree to a client’s request to use a questionable method for valuing inventory, an accountant thinking in Confucian terms might consider agreeing to it because doing so would cause harmony with the client. Rules of thumb In addition to scholarly branches of philosophy, some other ways of looking at right and wrong have developed. The golden rule The classic golden rule is to ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you. ’ In other words, ‘I will not cheat that person because I do not want them to cheat me. ’ The golden rule is a simple and useful tool, but it does have some limitations. We don’t really know how babies or animals want to be treated, for example, so the golden rule can’t tell us much about how to treat them. Also, the whole rule is based on your own feelings of how you yourself would want to be treated. But your own needs and preferences might not be typical. For example, the fact that you personally do not value privacy does not mean that you don’t owe others an obligation to respect their privacy. As an accounting example, this rule of thumb could be applied to mean that you disclose all information that may be relevant in financial reports because, if you were the reader of those financial statements, you would expect to receive all the information, and disregard any that is not relevant to you. Mirror Test Another rule of thumb is the mirror test. This is a quick way to evaluate a decision that you are about to make, and reinforces the notion that you are responsible for your own actions. Imagine you’re looking in a mirror and ask yourself: Is it legal? If it is not legal, dont do it. What will others think? Others meaning a friend, a parent, a spouse, a child, a manager, the media, or someone else whose opinion is particularly important to you. As an accounting example, in deciding whether to agree to a client’s request to use a questionable method for valuing inventory, an accountant thinking in terms of this rule of thumb would consider how a story about this action would look on the front page of the local newspaper. Justice and care based approach What this quiz actually does is help you identify whether you lean towards a justice and rule-based approach or whether you lean towards a care-based approach. The justice and rules-based approach says that the rules should be applied equally to everyone and that justice and fairness are most important. Some researchers have suggested that this is a more masculine approach to the world. The care-based approach says that care, rather than justice, is most important and that we should act responsibly to people in need. Some researchers have suggested that this is a more feminine approach to the world. You can see why this research is controversial, and why you may disagree with the results. However it is interesting to consider whether gender could influence ethical positions. It may also help you when discussing issues with colleagues from other countries. Generally, in North American and European groups, men have been found to have, on average, higher ‘justice’ scores and women have been found to have, on average, higher ‘care’ scores. The significance of these statistical findings is a topic of ongoing debate among scholars. It is important to know how you approach an ethical question, and to recognise that other people may approach it a different way, irrespective of gender.

How did Pterosaurs Move on the Ground?

How did Pterosaurs Move on the Ground? The locomotive manner of pterosaurs is a matter of intense dispute in the scientific community. The way that these prehistoric creatures traversed the ground is continually being contested. Did pterosaurs walk how we imagine them to have; on all fours in a semi erect posture, or did they only walk on their hind legs, or on all fours and completely prone? If, in fact, they did walk on all fours, would the feet have been in line with the hands, or would the hands be splayed out much farther than the feet? Because the method of pterosaur locomotion is widely disputed, scientists rely on footprint identification in order to determine if the tracks that they are studying do actually belong to a pterosaur. Unfortunately, even this is a contested issue, as some scientists cant even agree on which tracks belong to which prehistoric creatures. These are all issues that are disputed by scientists, but there does seem to be some common consensus when multiple seemingly conflicting scientific fi ndings are synthesized. The general perception of pterosaurs today is one that is possibly incredibly flawed because of theories about them from the early nineteenth century. Soemmerring confused a juvenile Pterodactylus with what he believed to be the skeleton of a deviant bat in 1817 and Cuviers identified pterosaurs as reptiles in 1812. These ideas have persisted until the modern day so that most people cannot shake the image of a pterosaur as a large, scaly, bat-like creature that walks around on all fours in a semi-erect fashion (Padian, 1983). While this is a possible form of locomotion, there are numerous arguments to the contrary. One of the first writings on pterosaur locomotion on land was Wm. Lee Stokes Pterodactyl Tracks from the Morrison Formation published in 1957. Stokes found a track of nine footprints that he attributed to a pterosaur that he named Pteraichnus Saltwashensis. Since pterodactyls are naturally found near bodies of whatever, its not out of the question that these tracks would belong to one. Stokes claims that the imprint of the manus shows the unique wrist and hand of a pterodactyl and that the imprint of the pes shows the unique V-shape and sharply pointed heel that corresponds unmistakably to that of a pterodactyl. He says that all of this is proof that at least one pterosaur was quadrupedal. Despite the evidence that Stoke says confirms that the creature that made these tracks was a pterosaur; this is one of the most disputed claims in the theory of the ground-level locomotion of pterosaurs. Many scientists believe that these tracks were not made by a pterosaur, but instead by a crocodilian creature. This is a distinct possibility because the tracks of pterosaurs and crocodilians are commonly confused for one another. In The Fossil Trackway Pteraichnus: Not Pterosaurian, but Crocodilian, Kevin Padian and Paul Olsen claim that the tracks that Stokes attributes to Pteraichnus Saltwashensis are more likely the product of one of the four species of crocodilian known to have inhabited that area. They say that the pes is not unique to pterodactyloids, as crocodiles also exhibit four toes and a V-shaped heel. Also, they claim that the manus does not consist of four digits, but five, even though the impression of all five is not clearly preserved. Another distinguishing feature is that crocodiles are plantigrade and therefore the heel print would be visible, as it is in these tracks. This is opposed to the digitigrade nature of pterosaurs, which would cause the heel print to be excluded from the footprint. Padian and Olsen claim that the manner of movement that the footprints represent is completely different than the kind that Stokes claims created them. Stokes suggested that the depth of the depression created by the manus was due to a large wing knuckle. Padian and Olsen argue that this is not the case, and that the depression was actually caused by the force of the step and the incompetence of the substrate that led to the creation of the fossilized track. One of Padian and Olsens points is refuted in Terrestrial Locomotion of the Pterosaurs: A Reconstruction Based on Pteraichnus Trackways, published in 1997 by S. Cristopher Bennett. Padian and Olsen claim that by using Bairds method, they were able to determine that the length of the body that made the tracks was too long to be that of a pterosaur, but long enough to be a short crocodile. Bennetts refutation of this point rests on the idea that Bairds method was intended to be used on tracks created simultaneously and that this was not the condition under which the tracks in contention were created. Whether this refutation is credible or not is of little importance. Padian and Olsens assertion that the Pteraichnus tracks were actually created by a crocodilian, and that they back it up with plausible scientific hypotheses, casts enough doubt on Stokes original claim to make these tracks inadmissible in determining how pterosaurs moved on land. The primary reason for the possible mistak e that these crocodilian tracks were created by a pterosaur, according to Padians 1983 paper, A Functional Analysis of Flying and Walking in Pterosaurs, is that Owen suspend[ed] the principles of comparative anatomy [and drew] spurious comparisons between pterosaur structures and those of lizards and crocodiles [as well as] misrepresenting the work of H. von Meyer, the German authority on pterosaurs. This paper offers an in depth analysis of the way a pterosaur would move on land based entirely on its bone structure. Padians primary subject of analysis is a Pteranodon, which he claims, among other things, was an active flyer, meaning that it flapped its wings. Padian claims that a pterosaur would walk upright on two legs as opposed to any form of quadripedal motion. He compares pterosaurs to both birds and bats throughout the paper. He attempts to show that the attributes that pterosaurs share with either birds or bats, or both of them, would prevent a pterosaur from being capable of quadrupedal locomotion. Padian says that the forelimb of the pterosaur was adapted entirely for flying and not for quadrupedal walking. The humerus bone of the forearm was adapted for the type of movement that facilitated a down-and-forward flapping motion, since Padian claims that pterosaurs were active flyers, and not for the rotation of the humerus that would protract the forearm to facilitate terrestrial walking. Moving down the arm, the elbow joint in birds, bats, and pterosaurs are what allow for rotation. In bats, this allows for quadrapedal walking but, in both birds and pterosaurs, it has hindered articulation to the extent of turning their limbs into pulley-like hinges with a wide arc of movement possible in only one plane (Padian 1983, 227). Padian claims that the differences in the shape of humeral heads in pterosaurs were even more restrictive in the pterosaurs range of motion than it is in birds. The delto-pectoral crest in pterosaurs was pronounced and twisted along the axis of the shaft, whi ch caused the deltoideus muscle to actually reverse the rotation of the humerus that was initiated by the pectoralis muscles as the pterosaur made a downward stroke while in flight. This reversal in rotation prohibited the forelimb from being moved into the proper position to facilitate its placement on the ground and therefore any form of quadrupedal locomotion. Ultimately, Padian asserts, the structure of the forelimbs of pterosaurs prevented them from walking quadrapedally. They were incapable of parasagittal movement over the ground because of restrictions imposed on them from their bone and muscular structures. The structure of the hind legs of pterosaurs that are included in Padians argument for a bipedal pterosaur is equally as important as the structure of the forelimbs. Padian bases his argument on a pterosaur thats wing was not attached to its hind legs and the idea that despite the relatively small size of the legs of a pterosaur when compared to the rest of its body and specifically its forelimbs, it would still have been able to, and in fact been solely capable of, bipedal locomotion on its hind limbs. Padian reconstructs the pelvis and hip joints of a pterosaur to show that certain elements of its anatomy would prevent it from bending forward in a way that would enable quadrupedal locomotion. He says that there are two girdles surrounding the point where the femur is inserted into the hip that restricts the degree of rotation of the leg so that it would be impossible to move in any way other than bipedally. Padian uses a Pteranodon as his case study for a pterosaur with an extremely large upper body and a relatively small lower body that is still able to walk on the ground. He says that the reason the forelimbs are so large is because the mass of the Pteranodon necessitated expansive wings to provide the appropriate amount of lift while airborne. The size of the wings, though, is not correlated to the size of the legs. The surface area of the wings needed to increase at a rate of L^3/L^2 when compared to the size of the body. The disproportionate lengthening of the wing afforded a greater relative area that allowed the Pteranodon to achieve flight. On the other hand, the Pteranodons legs are not restricted to the same ratio. The legs can be, and are, significantly smaller than the body that theyre supporting without compromising the Pteranodons terrestrial locomotive abilities. In fact, the size of the Pteranodons hind limbs in relation to the size of the rest of its body is comparable to the relationship between the hind limbs and bodies of all other pterosaurs. Padian compares the bone structure of the hind limbs of pterosaurs to the bone structure of the hind limbs in modern birds. He says that, like in birds, the tibia is the main load-bearing bone in the leg. He claims that the femur had a position that ranged between slightly above horizontal to about forty-five degrees below it and that this orientation allowed for the tibia to move on a parasagittal plane. This essentially means that pterosaurs moved on the ground like most other bipedal dinosaurs. Padians ultimate claim is that pterosaur hind limbs were designed for bipedal, digitigrade, locomotion when they were moving on the ground. He even suggests that it was possible for pterosaurs to achieve high rates of speed on the ground. S. Christopher Bennett is another proponent of the upright, bipedal form of terrestrial locomotion among pterosaurs, but only among the larger pterodactyloids. He exams the acetabulum of Anhanguera, Pteranodon, and Dsungaripterus in A Pterodectyloid Pterosaur Pelvis from the Santana Formation of Brazil: Implications for Terrestrial Locomotion, published in 1990, and determines that its strongest part is the anterior wall. He suggests that the strength of this anterior wall allows for upright bipedal locomotion because the acetabulum becomes a downward facing component of the anatomy. This downward orientation allows for a large area of contact for the head of the femur and, therefore, the weight of the body of the pterosaur can be supported in an upright position. Bennett refutes three arguments that are often leveled against bipedal locomotion in pterosaurs. He says that the femora bone could, in fact, have been brought underneath the body of the pterosaur, which is demonstrated by AMNH 22569. Secondly, that the hind limbs of the pterosaurs had straight femurs with distinct, inturned heads, mesotarsal ankles without a calcaneal tuber, and a foot with elongated metatarsals. Finally, he argues that the preservation of pterosaurs, in a position with their hind limbs splayed to the sides, a position that has caused many scientists to claim that theyre incapable of bipedal locomotion, is a false supposition. He notes five specimens that were preserved with their hind limbs on one side of the body, and argues that the splayed nature of the other specimens is due to greater hip flexibility in pterosaurs. Bennetts inclusion of the fossilized remains of pterosaurs in his argument for bipedal locomotion among the larger pterodactyloids is particularly convincing. He makes up for one of the key elements that Padians argument was missing, in that he actually gives concrete physical evidence to support his argument instead of supposed anatomical construction and the type of movement that that structure would or would not allow. One thing that Padians analysis of the terrestrial movement of pterosaurs lack is the actual fossilized track that a pterosaur made. While the supposed structure of the bones may lead one to believe that Padians claims are accurate, there are numerous pterosaur tracks that indicate a quadrupedal form of locomotion among pterosaurs. The majority of the studies included in this paper have focused on larger pterosaurs, and mostly on the Pteranodon. This particular pterosaur shares a large amount of its anatomy with modern birds and it makes sense that, from an analysis paying the majority of its attention to this pterosaur, they would all seem to be bipedal. There is evidence in other fossils, though, that would say otherwise. Pterosaurs, depending on the kind they were, were either bipedal or quadrupedal. Bennetts refutation of Padian and Olsens crocodilian diagnosis of the Pteraichnus tracks contains very valid points concerning the way that pterosaurs could have possibly walked in a quadrupedal manner. He says specifically that rhamphorhyncoids, the earlier variation of pterosaurs, as well as small pterodactyloids were quadrupeds with plantigrade pedes (Bennett, 1997). He says that the model he constructed of Pterydactylus and that, along with other detailed studies and manipulations of other three-dimensionally preserved pterosaur specimens, the limb and girdle joints would have easily allowed for the range of motion necessary for a pterosaur to achieve a quadrupedal walking motion. Bennett cites the Pteraichnus saltwashensis tracks as being representative of a quadrupedal pterosaur, which was disavowed earlier in this paper. He validly examines the tracks of Pteraichnus stokesi that were discovered in the Sundance Formation of Wyoming as well as pterosaur tracks from the Upper Jurassic of France. These trackways show manus and pes prints that are clearly pterosaurian. This indicates that there were certain species of pterosaur located in these areas that were quadrupedal. All of Bennetts are based on the principle of identifying the tracks as pterosaurian based on the structure of the manus and pes. Another piece of research that proves that quadrupedal locomotion was present in pterosaurs is First Record of a Pterosaur Landing Trackway, published in 2009 by Jean-Michel Mazin, Jean-Paul Billon-Bruyat, and Kevin Padian. The tracks that they are examining are clearly the landing pattern of a pterosaur because they originate with two pes prints and then continue on in a walking pattern. They claim that the stance of the pterosaur was erect because the pedes tracks are placed almost directly below the hip joints. After the first impression of the pedes, the second impression includes both pedes and manus impressions. The impressions of the manus are splayed out wider than pes, which is the generally accepted idea of how a pterosaur would ambulate. The tracks, not only created by a flying creature, are located in the Late Jurassic site known as Pterosaur Beach, which is a place universally agreed upon to contain unquestionable pterosaur tracks. Therefore, the landing pattern and subs equent tracks, that clearly show quadrupedal locomotion, prove that at least some pterosaurs moved in this way on the ground. The debate surrounding the terrestrial locomotion of pterosaurs can be broken down into many categories and subdivisions. Its clearly that one form of locomotion, whether it be bipedal, quadrupedal, plantigrade, digitigrade, erect, semi-erect, or any other distinction, cannot be used to define every single pterosaur that ever existed. This is similar to the idea that one form of locomotion cannot be used to describe every dinosaur that ever existed. There is variation between species of pterosaurs. The larger pterosaurs seem to be generally more bird-like and more inclined to quadrupedal locomotion. The Pteranodon, specifically, almost definitely was a biped. Its wing structure was the most similar to that of a bird (Padian, 1983), and its two hind limbs were more than sufficient for bothing locomotion and launching off from the ground in order to initiate flight. Smaller pterosaurs, on the other hand seem to be more similar in locomotive method to the general perception of how pterosaurs moved, in a kind of quadrupedal crawl. The tracks found at Pterosaur Beach, and if actually created by a pterosaur, those of Pteraichnus saltwashensis, prove that at least some smaller pterosaurs were quadrupedal. In conclusion, any attempt to define the entire order of Pterosauria as quadrupedal or bipedal is an exercise in futility. The larger pterosaurs, such as Pteranodon, were bipedal, which is apparent based on their wing and leg structures. They would have been unable to move their forelimbs into a position that would allow them to place them on the ground and the mobility of their hind limbs allowed only for bipedal locomotion. Smaller pterosaurs, such as Pteraichnus stokes, were definitely quadrupedal in terms of locomotion since there have been numerous tracks found confirming this idea. Works Cited Bennett, S. (1990). A Pterodactyloid Pterosaur Pelvis from the Santana Formation of Brazil: Implications for Terrestrial Locomotion. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 10(1), 80-85. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4523298 Bennett, S. (1997). Terrestrial Locomotion of Pterosaurs: A Reconstruction Base on Pteraichnus Trackways. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 17(1), 104-113. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4523790 Mazin, J., Billon-Bruyat, J., Padian, K. (2009). First Record of a Pterosaur Landing Trackway. Proceedings: Biological Sciences, 276(1674), 3881-3886. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30245351 Padian, K. (1983). A Functional Analysis of Flying and Walking in Pterosaurs. Paleobiology, 9(3), 218-239. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2400656 Padian, K., Olsen, P. (1984). The Fossil Trackway Pteraichnus: Not Pterosaurian, but Crocodilian. Journal of Paleontology, 58(1), 178-184. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1304743 Sà ¡nchez-Hernà ¡ndez, B., Przewieslik, A., Benton, M. (2009). A Reassessment of the Pteraichnus Ichnospecies from the Early Cretaceous of Soria Province, Spain. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 29(2), 487-497. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20627057 Wm. Lee Stokes. (1957). Pterodactyl Tracks from the Morrison Formation. Journal of Paleontology, 31(5), 952-954. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1300563 Drug Abuse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Research Proposal Drug Abuse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Research Proposal BACKGROUND STUDY Drug abuse is a cause of concern to all nations around the world either in developing countries and undeveloped countries and in both cases the most affected are the youth,. Due to the rapid increase in drug related crime and drug abusers in Asian countries, the establishment of effective countermeasures for demand and supply reduction are a pressing issue. And if they are all left out to be addicted to dangerous narcotics, it can lead to all social ills like road accidents, high crime rates, unplanned pregnancies, school dropouts and many more which may result in fracturing the moral fibre of the country and eventually the nation will be without prominent future leaders. The abuse of drugs has an adverse impact, not only on the individual abuser, but also on the economy and society of a country as a whole. According to Scorzelli JF, (2009) despite the heavy punishment of death imposed by the Malaysian government for whoever is caught in drug possession, within the last five years, the Malaysian drug abuse problem has escalated. This has led to the increase in social ills like HIV/AIDS which is contracted by the use of IV-Heroin. He continued to state that 93.7% of people caught in drug possession are male aged between 20-29 years of age. This clearly shows that our youth are in dire need of thorough drug and peer education. The National Anti-Drug Agency has been on track to get rid of the drug problem in Malaysia by 2015. When interviewed by the New Straits Times (2010, February) the director-general Datuk Abdul Bakir Zin has pointed out that they have helped out around the country to bring addicts to their rehabilitation centre. He has said that the centre spends around RM 300 million which is their annual budget which is nearly spent on prevention, treatment, rehabilitation of addicts and enforcement operations. Addicts are kept for two years and they are released but some of them go back to their bad habits. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Drug abuse has led to an alarming increase of social ills in the society like HIV/AIDS contraction , road accidents and many more which have resulted in the collapse of the moral fibre of the nation. The medical and psychological effects are very obvious. Addicts cannot function as normal members of society. They neglect or abuse their families, and eventually require expensive treatment or hospitalization. Huge police resources are needed to fight smuggling and dealing. Criminal gangs and mafia underworlds develop with the money from drugs. However the main target should be the user. Families and counsellors need to talk to children and people at risk. The fact that the youth is the most affected especially in Malaysia poses a great concern because the youth are the future leaders of tomorrow. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The specific study of the study is to find ways and methods to educate the people of Malaysia especially the youth about the dangers posed by the abuse of drugs. This initiative itself can lead to positive results such as reduced number of drug abusers therefore leading to a low numbers of social ills such as HIV contractions and crime. There should be a diversion programme for drug abusers which can be institutional or community based. RESEARCH QUESTIONS To justify this study, the researcher will investigate the following matters: How many cases of illicit drugs were registered from 2006 to 2011 in Malaysia How individuals are affected psychologically, physically and economically by the abuse of drugs Does the government play a role in reducing the problem of drug abuse? SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY Generally the study of drug abuse phenomenon that is widely occurring in Malaysia will be an endeavour in promoting a much healthy lifestyle that is a drug -free society. Drug-free society means a lot to a country of about 28,310,000 people. It means less crime such as road accidents, thefts and murders, less HIV AIDS positive, less people in the narcotics rehabilitations centre and more manpower in order to bring Malaysia towards becoming a fully developed country. By understanding the main source of the problems, we can all move together to cure as well as to prevent further advance of this spreading illness in our community. The Malaysian psychiatric association (July 6 2006) has cited that when pregnant women abuse drugs there may be foetal abnormalities especially when the pregnancy is early. These deformities may cause the mother to dump the baby, a crime which is currently on the rise in Malaysia. If the drug was used late in the pregnancy may become dependent on opiates, and may later show withdrawal symptoms after delivery. The United Nations Aids (2010) on their report have pointed out that an estimated 170,000 injecting drug users (IDUs). In those users most of them share the needles therefore there is increased spread of the diseases such as HIV/AIDS because likely they do not sterilise such needles. Moreover, this study will reveal most of things behind these drug abuse cases, therefore will significantly boost the awareness of the community about the cases of drug abuse in this country simultaneously contribute in reducing such cases in community. SCOPE OF THE REPORT We undertook the task of reviewing all studies describing the impact of drug abuse at Kuala Lumpur. The population of interest includes injection drug users, and non-injection drug users of heroin, cocaine and marijuana, because these groups of individuals have been identified as having a biological risk of exposure to addictive drug use, including deadly exposure (via injection drug use) to blood-borne via sharing of straws or pipes used to administer drugs (non-injection drug use). Data from questionnaires are analyzed separately, as they different substantially form interview data, and because their drug-related risk factors are quite different and not elaborated further. Another goal is to examine the influence of study methodology on study findings, particularly because the descriptive data may be strongly influenced by sampling methods, and because study design may affect associations between various characteristics and drug use. Since the brand data collection was carried out using information collected from various associations, access to each data was time consuming. We also do not have any compiled data of approved unregistered drug users making the task very complicated. Such database may be hard to acquire as most drug users choose to stay in the dark as they know there is a capital punishment for such a crime. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION Drugs A medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body Abuse To use something to bad effect or for a bad purpose Addict A person who is addicted to a particular substance Rehabilitation Restore to former privileges CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction In the literature review we compare and contrast studies done by other people and we note how different they are from ours. We have read journals, books and articles in Science Direct. In this chapter we are able to expand our knowledge on how other writers view the issue at hand. We have displayed various ways of the data we found, either by citing using the APA format, images and tables. 2.1 Literature Review By the year 1983, the problem of drugs was declared a national emergency by the Malaysian government. Everyone convicted of trafficking and those caught with the drugs depending on the amount of drugs they had in their possession were sentenced to death, those were some of the ways the government was trying to solve the problem but if someone was convicted of only for possession of drugs he/she was put in a rehabilitation centre for 2 years. Once realised from the centre, the individual has one year of probation were he or she has two urine tests a month. Drug, taken from Cambridge Dictionaries Online, falls into two categories which are medicine and illegal substance. In the medicine category, the word drug means any natural or artificially made chemical which is used as a medicine while in the category of illegal substance, drug means any natural or artificially made chemical which is taken for pleasure, to improve someones performance of an activity, or because a person cannot stop using it. The latter meanings actually portraying the main interest in this study which is the action of drug abuse, which by the same source, abuse means to use or treat someone or something wrongly or badly, especially in a way that is to your own advantage. This unhealthy phenomenon is actually a worldwide crisis and can bring along a great impact in ones life, consequently a community, and then will affect the growth of a country. Some said that this crisis is the same age as humankind. It is in our nature that we like to consume things that bring us pleasure and being in the state of euphoria. However, we must first consider the side effects of the consumption of such substances. There was enormous number of researches that had been carried out in order to suppress or banish this crisis all over the world. There are ups and downs for the trends of the drug abuse cases but it had never been ceased completely. Kuala Lumpur as a busy place, most of the inhabitants need drugs to cope with the fast life. These drugs can be addictive substances such as heroine, alcohol, and ecstasy pills. The research by the Malaysian Psychiatric Association (2006), showed that the brain is affected by the consumed drugs. The left part of the brain is affected is called the reward pathway. Continued use of drugs short-circuits the reward pathway and that how addiction starts. The brain will then need more and more large quantities of the substance taken over time. The brain chemistry is altered at this point, therefore behavioural patterns starts here. Drugs like cocaine can lead to permanent damage, death and even addition. From the article adapted from RECOVERY NOW website on cocaine effects, it is stated that there are two different categories of cocaine effect. These effects are said to be long termed and short termed .Regardless of how many times a person uses cocaine even once! heshe experiences short-term cocaine effects which includes increased blood pressure, mental alertness, increased heart rate, decreased appetite and increased body temperature .The long term effects appear after increased periods of use. Long term effects include irritability, mood disturbances and restlessness. Marijuana is also one of the most commonly abused drug and according to the American Council For Drug Education they describe it as a mild hallucinogen with some alcohols depressant which results in bronchitis, emphysema and bronchial asthma. They also continue to stress that marijuana leads to reduction of learning ability which is one of the reasons why most students who smoke marijuana end up performing badly at school as it limits the capability to absorb information as it is highly addictive. In an addiction state a person engages in a compulsive behaviour, even when faced with challenging life situations. Taking a look at the fast life in Kuala Lumpur a lot of challenges are faced by the youth there, these include unemployment, loss of a loved one or poverty. These situations can cause you to excessively use drugs to suppress such hurt felt within. The National Anti-Drug Agency (New Straits 12 February 2010) has used over RM 300 million annually to prevent, treat, and rehabilitate addicts. They are trying to achieve the goal for a drug-free Malaysia in 2015 and drug-free Malaysian schools in 2012. The director of the agency Datuk Abdul Bakir Zin has mentioned that there is an alarming rate of drug abusers on the increase. The agency successfully rehabilitated 11 395 addicts in 2009 but only 51% of the addicts are clean now. That shows that the drug addicts do not have enough out of rehab education. B.Vicknasigngam, M.Mazlan, K.S Schotchfield , M.C Chawaski(2009),stated that heroin and injection drug are the major public health risk cases recorded in Malaysia. Furthermore they continue to state from their findings, between the year 1998 and 2006 individuals close to 300 000 individuals were registered as persistent drug abusers in Malaysia. In between the years 1998-2006 heroin was the main primary drug abused around 62.6% of those were registered. And this caused a main concern for the Malaysian government as it lead to increase in social ills like road accidents and also the rise in HIV contraction as the drug abusers shared the same needle hence the spread of the virus was induced. Despite the Malaysian strict law on use of illegal drugs people still continue to use the illegal drugs and have even gone to an extent of making it into a business to finance their lifestyle. The law clearly states that any person found in possession of at least 15 grams of heroin, 200 grams of cannabis is presumed. The National Drug Agency, Malaysia in 2006 around 22,811 drugs users was recorded and 12,430 of whom were repeat offenders. They also stress that the total number of drug users recorded for the period of 1998-2006 is 300,241 people which constitutes to 1.1% of the Malaysians population. CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction The introduction highlights the data collection methods which were used to gather information which enabled us to reach our conclusion. One of the vital aspects we looked into was the validity and reliability of the data collection methods that we decided to use. In our research we found that the ideal data collection methods that we can use are the questionnaire and interview for analysis Questionnaires are very cost effective when compared to face-to-face interviews. This is especially true for studies involving large sample sizes and large geographic areas. Written questionnaires become even more cost effective as the number of research questions increases. Questionnaires are easy to analyze. Data entry and tabulation for nearly all surveys can be easily done with many computer software packages. Nearly everyone has had some experience completing questionnaires and they generally do not make people apprehensive and they reduce bias. The researchers own opinions will not influence the respondent to answer questions in a certain manner. There are no verbal or visual clues to influence the respondent. When a respondent receives a questionnaire in the mail, he is free to complete the questionnaire on his own time-table. Unlike other research methods, the respondent is not interrupted by the research instrument. Some of the reasons why questionnaires are widely used as data collection method in reports and projects in the fact that the responses are gathered in a standardised way so questions are more objective, certainly more so than interviews, generally it is relatively quick to collect information using questionnaires and information can be collected from a large portion of a group. For our research a questionnaire, written both in English and Malay consisting of A3 size pages was sent to different agencies/organizations which were requested to answer it. The main contents of the questionnaire included; Prevention of drug abuse Outline organizations handling drug abuse problem Institutional treatment programmes for drug abusers Outline drug control laws Interviews are also one of the most convenient ways of data collection for reports projects and investigations as they provide first hand information from the correspondent. The interview is also flexible in the since that follow up questions can be asked, also clarity of the question can be made if the respondent does not understand. Even though it has overwhelming advantages one of its major problems maybe that the correspondent may feel like shy to give out information and in that case the interviewer can solve the problem by assuring the correspondent that whatever he/she is being interviewed for will be considered confidential at all costs. For our research, interviews were conducted with the relevant agencies/organizations. Firstly we set an appointment with them and informing them of our objectives.