Miranda is an American short story, which was published in 1988 Free Essays

â€Å"Miranda† is an American short story, which was published in 1988. It points up the conflicts that might arise when a young girl finds out that she is pregnant. In addition to the obligatory section B, I will in my essay incorporate a short analysis of the text. We will write a custom essay sample on Miranda is an American short story, which was published in 1988 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The main character’s name is â€Å"Miranda† as the title of the story. Miranda is an 18 year old girl who, in the beginning of the story, lives at home by her parents in Los Angeles, California. The story starts the day before she leaves for College in Boston. As the story progresses Miranda’s feelings are changing. In the beginning of the story she seems like a well-balanced girl. She has everything: freedom, a great boyfriend and understanding parents. She seems like any other teenage girl. But as she finds out she is pregnant, she is slowly changing. She gets more and more sceptical towards her surroundings and the whole thing with the pregnancy is not easy for her either. She also becomes more serious and melancholic, because she learns more about life; about what is consists of. Holly is Miranda’s friend and roommate in Boston. She is a year older than Miranda and a more free-minded kind of girl who tries to get Miranda to see things from her point of view. She is a girl who just wants to have fun and not necessarily always thinks of the consequences of her actions. That shows when she often sleeps with her new friend Brian on week nights, and then subsequently gets visited by her boyfriend Tom in the weekends. Holly’s role in the story is to put Miranda into a situation where she has to choose, to tell the reader what kind of girl Miranda is; what her values are. That seems pretty obvious when Miranda says that she wants to be owned, and that she will marry Michael. (p. 4, l. 95) Holly represents the common opinion and she is the contrast to Miranda. When Miranda comes home to her parents, they are having a conversation about her pregnancy with her and Michael. Their reaction reflects the society they live in and they are, surprisingly, more than understanding and sympathizing – or so it would seem. As a true product of their environment, they strongly advise Miranda to get an abortion. Miranda’s parents do not want a daughter who does not study and therefore cannot get an education. As her mother says, she will end up as a dumb little house-wife. (p. 5, l. 147) They want her to have an abortion, so she does not end up in misery. That is not only best for her and Michael, but also for the unborn child. Miranda is mortified at the thought of killing her child. She does not care about the hardships – she is willing to accept the responsibility of the child and raise it. When her parents realise that they are not reaching Miranda, they turn to Michael in an effort to influence him. Michael is young and at school, just the same as Miranda, and although he loves her and accepts the responsibility of the child, he is thinking of his future as well as. When he first heard the news, he soon talked about marriage, because he felt that it was the right thing to do. On the other hand Michael is relieved that her parents are trying to talk her out of it, because he realized that he is not ready to be a father. Michael knows he cannot forsake the baby, otherwise he would scar Miranda. He cannot look Miranda in the eyes; probably because he feels ashamed and guilty about the whole situation. Michael is hurting Miranda when he acts the way he does. She can see that his eyes are full of relief and gratitude when her parents come to the rescue for him. In a sense they buy Michael because they know that if he wont help raise the child, neither will Miranda. Unfortunately, Michael soon realises his mistake – by giving up on the baby, he is also giving up on Miranda. You could say that the choice was between Miranda and the child, or Michael and his future. â€Å"†¦ She looked at Michael. He looked at her, guilty, ashamed (p. 6, l. 195)†¦ He had both won and lost, and his unhappy face struggled to endure both. p. 6, l. 197) The central theme in this short story is teenage pregnancy and the worries and difficulties it brings along with it. The decision to have an abortion or not is a very complicated, because it brings up intense feelings and moral questions, and this often place people in difficult situations. Miranda is an example of a girl who has a lot of thoughts after becoming pregnant. She truly wants to have the baby, but ends up giving in to the fight with her parents. Miranda falls under the traditional values of what is â€Å"the right thing to do,† but at the same time she abandons her chance for happiness. That leads us to another theme in the story: Society’s view on success and happiness. Today, the ultimate idea of success is to please ourselves first, get that major degree and job – then plan a family and a future. Miranda sees it all more simply; she has a baby, she is willing to take responsibility, and plans her future along a different path than society wants for her. Every so often you have to listen to your heart, in order to make yourself happy. Maybe that means going against everyone you know and all you’ve been taught, but sometimes, that is the only way to be happy. How to cite Miranda is an American short story, which was published in 1988, Papers

Managing Financial Resources and Decisions

Question: Describe about the Case Study for Managing Financial Resources and Decisions? Answer: Identification of different types of sources of finance available to Green Supplied Ltd. The start-up companies raise their funds to expand the business by many ways such as seed capital from the venture capitalists, borrowing money from the lenders and hiring machineries from the suppliers. These all are different types of external sources of funds. Therefore, there are three types of general sources of funds to expand the business in the market. In this context, the analysts have found that there are internal sources of funds like retained earnings (Schreiber 2013). The firms may expand its business by using the reserve funds in the balance sheet (Krishnan, Nandy and Puri 2014). However, a new company may not have much business in past to promote the future expansion by its reserve money. Therefore, the new firms have to find different sources of funds. The firms those have started its business for less than five years, cannot issue shares in the capital markets (Branch 2013). It is the normal procedure for the maximum country in the world. Thereby, the small start-ups normally source the funds by pledging its shares to some types of companies (Gartner, Frid and Alexander 2012). In this context, Green supplies may source its funds from Celtic Group. However, the available funds from Celtic Group will be a type of external source for the company. The following discussion will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of different types of sourcing of funds. Assessment of implications of different sources of finances The costs and risks of sourcing the funds are the main reasons to evaluate the different types of sources before taking the money. The external sources like equity pledging to the funding company are highly risky from the viewpoint of fund raising company. Green Supplies Ltd will have to risk its management control to the fund providers as they may stop its banking transactions as well as sell the pledged shares in the market for their benefit. It might cause to lose the management control of the existing managers in the market (Nehf et al. 2015). The external sources like borrowing money from the lenders have different risk exposures. The borrowing company has to repay from time to time for the borrowing amount and they have to rely on its revenue to do so. Further, the rate of interest may change from time to time due to change in inflation rate of the economy (Chandra and Medrano 2012). Therefore, borrowing money from the lenders is not much feasible as there will be regular burde n to repay the amount with long-term risk of upside down in interest rate. The equipment in the firm may be hired from the suppliers to reduce the operating cost. It may allow the firms to get relief from heavy capital expenditure due to expanding its capacity. However, in this way, the firm may not get the capital to expand its fixed assets like building or may not get the seed for working capital. Therefore, Green supplies cannot select hiring of equipment as the only source of funds. The risk of sourcing funds in this way is low as well as the long-term expenses too (Shourideh and Zetlin-Jones 2012). The start-up funds normally source their capital from the venture capitalists. The seed capital is provided by the venture capitalists on long-term borrowing basis. However, the firm does not need to pay any interest for the seed capital. It may manage its business with its core objectives as well as expand the same in a long-run. The capitalists may select to opt out from the investment after some contracted period by negotiating the market valuation of the shares or the investment as per the options arrive in due course of time. The issuance of shares by the company may be an option for the capitalists to get back their money in future (Mason and Harrison 2015). The internal sources of financing the expansion has the lowest risk as the firm does not need to pay any interest. Further, the internal source is available without any condition. The cost of the internal sources of finance becomes same as the rate of required return on investment in the business (Fraser, Bhaumik and Wright 2015). The borrowing money from the lenders have high risk with bankruptcy cost in future due to hike in interest rate as well as in low revenue generation in the business (Abe, Troilo and Batsaikhan 2015). The venture capital or pledging the shares expose the risk of the business towards losing the control of management in future. However, there is no bankruptcy cost associated in these types of sources of funds. The internal source of funds has no bankruptcy cost either, or any risk exposed to external environment of the business (Brooks and Mukherjee 2013). Evaluation of appropriate sources of finance There are many types of sources financing the expansion program discussed in the above section. However, it is found that Green Supplies must source its funds from internal reserve, venture capitalist and lease-hiring of equipment from the suppliers. The advantages of all of these have discussed in the above section. However, Green supplies may have some exquisite advantages such as there will be no interest cost for all of these sources. Further, the firm does not need to control over its management except in funding the business by venture capital. The financial expenses like capital and operating cost of the business will be low using these types of funds in the expansion program. Analysis of costs of sources of funds Green Supplies Ltd must use the source like venture capital. Venture capital has no borrowing cost as the firm does not need to repay the loan every month. Therefore, it can expand its business with a long-term objectives. Further, the company does not need much equipment to expand as it has to buy the electronic products and software. Thereby, it is difficult to get the lease from the suppliers of these types of equipment. There will be no change in the income statement of Green Supplies Ltd for taking the funds from venture capitalist. However, the difference will be observed in the balance sheet of the company. The equity section of the firm will show infusion of capital from the capitalist by issuing restricted shares. The investment will go to the asset or in the cash segment of the balance sheet to balance the equation. Importance of financial planning Financial planning is important in a long-run for a business as it forecasts the income and financial position of future. According to Van Auken (2015), financial planning of a business generates the target for the operational people in the business. Additionally, the planning is also important to assess the actual performance of the business with the target value. In case of Green Supplies ltd, the financial planning of the business may provide the management an idea of the future of the financial position. The management also may set target for the future using the plan. The target of business in future as well as the operation can be created using the financial target only (Seuring and Gold 2013). The deviation from the actual performance with the target can be obtained from the planned financial information by the management. Assessment of different information for making decision in business There are many types of stakeholders present in the company. The internal stakeholders are the employees and the management of the firm. Further, the external stakeholders of the firm is suppliers, lenders and the customers. The management of the firm needs to gather information on all of the stakeholders before drawing any decision in the business (Weiss 2014). The management must gather information like salary, bonus, working capacity, attitude of the internal stakeholders. It helps the management to make decision of the operational as well as strategic changing in the organisation. Additionally, the target of the board of directors also requires in making decision as the return on investment is mainly deduced on basis of this information. The external information such as customers buying behaviour and their purchasing power are important in making decision regarding the business outcomes (Matos and Silvestre 2013). The management must sue the information of the economic opportunit y can be obtained from the lenders as it may reduce the cost of borrowing. The information of the suppliers is necessary as the availability of the products and operations in production facility are highly depended on time of supply of the products (Hauswald and Hack 2013). Therefore, a management needs specific information from every stakeholders of the business. Impact of loan and equity finances on the balance sheet The loan finances can influence the balance sheet as well as income statement. The cost of interest grows in the income statement due to infusing of debt in the balance sheet. The balance sheet equation also enriches with more liabilities as well as assets in the balance sheet (Chaudhry et al. 2015). The equity finances change the equation in the balance sheet only. It has no influence on the income statement as it has no cost or accrued presentation on the income statement normally (Kwon, Heo and Hwang 2014). June, 1 July, 1 August, 1 September, 1 opening cash balance 75000 -295000 -275000 -240000 cash sales 60000 70000 75000 85000 cash from past credit sales 550000 630000 770000 cash purchase 310000 450000 500000 520000 Credit payment 55000 65000 60000 Rent 30000 30000 loan repayment 15000 15000 15000 15000 Other expenses 75000 80000 90000 95000 Closing balance -295000 -275000 -240000 -105000 Net cash after September -915000 From the above analysis of cash budget, we can see that the business of Heath limited has a deficit of 915000 at the end of September, 2015. However, the situation can be dealt by borrowing overdraft from the bank to equate the deficit with the borrowed money at the end of the month. Further, the management may reduce the credit term of the buyers at 15 days so that half of the credit can be collected from the market within the month of the sales. It would reduce the deficit of cash in the first two months. In the last month, there would be surplus of cash in the company for going with this strategy (Cunningham et al. 2012). Fixed cost/unit 100 variable cost/unit 150 total cost/unit 250 Total cost for 550 units 137500 Selling Price for 550 units 195 at 30% mark-up price Fixed cost/unit 100 variable cost/unit 150 total cost/unit 250 Selling Price for 550 units 187.5 at 25% mark-up price cost/unit for additional 1500 150 total cost 225000 SP /unit 187.5 Total revenue 281250 total cost 259375 profit on 1500 unit 21875 The above tables show the investment analysis of the three projects using NPV and payback period methods. According to Parsons and Tinkelman (2013) NPV method is suitable to analyse the investment in different projects with having same rate of return. However, the individual period of the different projects may be different. In this technique of appraisal, the projects of different period and investment can be analysed by evaluating the rate of return in present value. However, the method cannot show the comparison of sustainable advantage from any project. The risk of the investment also cannot be predicted using the NPV method (Cilloni, Marinoni and Merino 2013). The payback period ensures the return of the invested sum. In this method, the investors may get the information of risk of period that they have to bear to get back the investment from the projects (Schroeder, Clark and Cathey 2013). However, it does not provide the information of exact return on investment as in this met hod the return on investment is considered in future value. Further, the method estimates the time rather the return on investment (Oberholzer 2013). In this context, the project A is the most viable financially as well as measuring the risk associated with the investment. The payback period of the project A is the lowest as well as the present value of the return is the highest. Therefore, management of Day choice Ltd must go for the project A. Explanation of main financial statements From the business, we may get two types of financial statements income statement and balance sheet. Income statement provides the information on the revenue income of the business on current basis. Further, the current expenses on the operation of the business can be observed in the income statement. However, the capital expenditure cannot be obtained from this statement (Tan 2013). The balance sheet provides the information on current assets and liabilities at the end of the period (Ormiston and Fraser 2013). It also encapsulates the non-current assets and the non-current liabilities of the firms. Further, the equation of balance sheet equates the deficiency in liabilities with assets by the equity present in the business (Huang, Ye and Du 2014). Therefore, the main financial statements generates the information on the revenue income and expenses as well as the financial position of the business. The equation of Income statement is as follows: Income expenses = net profit The equation of balance sheet is as follows: Assets Liabilities = Capital Comparison of financial statements of a Sole trader and a Public Limited company The financial statement of Sole trader comprises of trading and profit loss statement of a period. It also adds the balance sheet in its statement of finance (ZHU, ZHANG and ZHANG 2014). However, the financial statement of a Sole trader also generates information of personal other income in the statement. Thereby, the financial income or loss can be offset by other personal income or losses (Bucci 2014). Additionally, in a sole traders financial statement, the balance sheet is optional while it is mandatory for the public limited company (Wei 2014). The reason is to provide clear information on financial position of the company to the shareholders can be produced. However, for a sole trader, the owners know about the position of the balance sheet. In a sole trader account, the profit can be withdrawn as cash without any tax treatment. But, the same treatment is not possible in case of public limited company. Personal borrowing is also possible from the business account while only th e directors can borrow with certain limitation in a publicly traded company (Gov.uk, 2016). The publicly traded companies pay tax under corporate tax while the sole traders pay class 4 income tax on taxable profit (Fairlie 2012). Interpretation of financial ratios From the ratio analysis of wholesale and retail business we can see that both the segment have different financial ratios. According to Brooks and Mukherjee (2013), profit margin of the revenue operation can be obtained by analysing the gross and net profit margin of the business. Thereby, profitability of Wholesale and retail segments have different profitability. The gross margins were same both in wholesale and retail segments. However, the difference was seen in net margin. The retail segment has made more profit in the year than the wholesale segment. The current ratio of a business shows the presence of liquidity in the business. The liquidity is measured to understand the situation of cash or the liquid assets compare to the current obligations. Therefore, liquidity measurement is important for the analyst to know the capacity to meet the current liabilities with the existing balance sheet (Lipman 2016). In this context, the current ratio of retail business was higher than the wholesale business. Further, the quick ratio of retail segment was higher than that of the wholesale segment. The gearing ratio provides the information on gearing funds with respect to the existing capital in the business. Thereby, it posits the analysis of external funds in the business. Wholesale business retail business gross profit margin 27% 27% net profit margin 15% 17% current ratio 1.62 1.72 quick ratio 0.70 0.92 gearing ratio 1.32 1.11 References Abe, M., Troilo, M. and Batsaikhan, O., 2015. Financing small and medium enterprises in Asia and the Pacific.Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy,4(1), pp.2-32. Branch, S.B., 2013. Financing-SME Research and Statistics.Small,2013, pp.08-15. Brooks, R. and Mukherjee, A.K., 2013.Financial management: core concepts. Pearson. Bucci, R.V., 2014. Income Statement. InMedicine and Business(pp. 41-48). Springer International Publishing. Chandra, A. and Medrano Silva, M.A., 2012. Business incubation in chile: Development, financing and financial services.Journal of technology management innovation,7(2), pp.1-13. Chaudhry, A., Coetsee, D., Bakker, E., Varughese, S., McIlwaine, S., Fuller, C., Rands, E., de Vos, N., Longmore, S. and Balasubramanian, T.V., 2015. Statements of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income, and Changes in Equity.2015 Interpretation and Application of International Financial Reporting Standards, pp.75-94. Cilloni, A., Marinoni, M.A. and Merino, B., 2013. Comprehensive Income, An Historical Perspective. The Development Of Proprietorship And Entity Theories, An International Approach.European Journal of Accounting, Finance Business,1(1), pp.56-78. Cunningham, B.M., Nikolai, L.A., Bazley, J.D., Kavanagh, M., Slaughter, G. and Simmons, S., 2012. The income statement: content and use. Fairlie, R.W., 2012. Immigrant entrepreneurs and small business owners, and their access to financial capital.Small Business Administration, pp.1-46. Fraser, S., Bhaumik, S.K. and Wright, M., 2015. What do we know about entrepreneurial finance and its relationship with growth?.International Small Business Journal,33(1), pp.70-88. Gartner, W.B., Frid, C.J. and Alexander, J.C., 2012. Financing the emerging firm.Small business economics,39(3), pp.745-761. Gov.uk. (2016).Choose a legal structure for your business - GOV.UK. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/business-legal-structures/sole-trader [Accessed 27 Mar. 2016]. Hauswald, H. and Hack, A., 2013. Impact of family control/influence on stakeholders perceptions of benevolence.Family Business Review,26(4), pp.356-373. Huang, Q., Ye, J. and Du, G., 2014, June. Value relevance of comprehensive income in small and medium-size enterprises. InService Systems and Service Management (ICSSSM), 2014 11th International Conference on(pp. 1-5). IEEE Krishnan, K., Nandy, D. and Puri, M., 2014. Does financing spur small business productivity? Evidence from a natural experiment.Review of Financial Studies, p.hhu087. Kwon, S.Y., Heo, J. and Hwang, Y., 2014. Value Relevance of Operating Income Self-Reported by Managers under IFRS in Korea. Lipman, F.D., 2016.New Methods of Financing Your Business in the United States: A Strategic Analysis. World Scientific. Mason, C.M. and Harrison, R.T., 2015. Business angel investment activity in the financial crisis: UK evidence and policy implications.Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy,33(1), pp.43-60. Matos, S. and Silvestre, B.S., 2013. Managing stakeholder relations when developing sustainable business models: the case of the Brazilian energy sector.Journal of Cleaner Production,45, pp.61-73. Nehf, J.P., Cohen, M.L., Fried, J.S. and Tierney Jr, G.M., 2015. Financing the Business.NY Practice Guide: Business and Commercial,2 Oberholzer, M., 2013. A Non-Parametric Comparison Among Firms' Income Statement-Based And Balance Sheet-Based Performance.The International Business Economics Research Journal (Online),12(11), p.1467. Ormiston, A. and Fraser, L.M., 2013.Understanding financial statements. Pearson Education. Parsons, L.M. and Tinkelman, D., 2013. Testing the feasibility of small multiples of sparklines to display semimonthly income statement data.International Journal of Accounting Information Systems,14(1), pp.58-76. Schreiber, U., 2013. International Tax Planning and Accounting for Income Taxes. InInternational Company Taxation(pp. 135-149). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Schroeder, R.G., Clark, M.W. and Cathey, J.M., 2013.Financial accounting theory and analysis: text and cases. Wiley Global Education. Seuring, S. and Gold, S., 2013. Sustainability management beyond corporate boundaries: from stakeholders to performance.Journal of Cleaner Production,56, pp.1-6. Shourideh, A. and Zetlin-Jones, A., 2012. External financing and the role of financial frictions over the business cycle: Measurement and theory.Available at SSRN 2062357. Tan, K., 2013. An Income Statement Teaching Approach for Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) Analysis by Using a Companys CVP Model.Journal of Accounting and Finance, v. 11, no. 4, p. 23-36. Van Auken, H., 2015. An empirical investigation of bootstrap financing among small firms.Journal of Small Business Strategy,14(2), pp.22-36. Wei, X., 2014. The Contrast Research of Presentation and Disclosure about Other Comprehensive Income.Applied Mechanics Materials. Weiss, J.W., 2014.Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ZHU, M.F., ZHANG, Q.Y. and ZHANG, S.F., 2014. Profit Operating Activities, Profit of Non-profit Organization and Design of Income Statement.Accounting and Finance,2, p.007.

Spiritual Growth Essay Example

Spiritual Growth Essay People are born into a world in which there are some objects and processes which are to them fully understandable and others that are not. When man releases his hold on a stone which he has held in his hand and it falls to the ground, the result is always the same, and there is nothing to excite any feeling of dependence on unknown forces. Birth, however, and growth and sexual relations and death and success in fishing or hunting and agriculture are all matters in which man is not his own master and appears to be dealing with something uncanny. This distinction is fundamental, and we can observe it in the behaviour of animals. Where man differs from the animals so far as we yet know is that throughout as much of his evolution as is known to us he has normally not remained supine but has striven to take a positive attitude and assume a definite line of conduct towards these mysteries.To be converted, to be regenerated, to receive grace, to experience religion, to gain an assurance, are so many phrases which denote the process, gradual or sudden, by which a self hitherto divided, and consciously wrong inferior and unhappy, becomes unified and consciously right superior and happy, in consequence of its firmer hold upon religious realities. This at least is what conversion signifies in general terms, whether or not we believe that a direct divine operation is needed to bring such a moral change about (Cohen 65).Conversion is neither the time of disbelief nor the time of belief. It is the passage between them; this is why some specialists prefer to speak of converting instead of conversion (Rambo and Farhadian 1999). Conversion is the moment when one ceases to disbelieve and starts to believe. There can be oscillations between belief and disbelief, but there cannot be any coexistence of both. It is a consequence of the principle of non contradiction: one may believe in God and not believe in the Holy Trinity, but one cannot both believe in God and not believe in H im at the same time, since this would contradict the very idea of believing in something. Conversion is therefore a punctual event, and not a durative one.As Christian conversion transforms an initial global commitment of religious faith into a psychologically responsible, intuitive perception of the future, Christian conversion infuses into human experience the theological virtue of hope. As Christian conversion transforms an initial global faith into the intuitive and inferential beliefs which intellectual conversion renders methodologically responsible, Christian conversion infuses into human experience the theological virtue of faith.Initial conversion begins with initial repentance. Initial repentance engages the heart. One repents initially by facing conscious and unconscious negative emotions which blind one to the excellence incarnate in Jesus and in people whose lives resemble His. By negative emotions, I mean shame, guilt, fear, rage, despair. As one brings such negative e motions to healing through conscious ego-integration, the positive emotions have more scope to play. By the positive emotions I mean love, affection, friendship, sympathy, aesthetic sensitivity.One converts initially as a Christian when one acknowledges in Jesus the human embodiment of divine excellence. The beauty of His life makes one desire to follow Him. Christian conversion culminates, then, in a life of discipleship; and the practical, moral demands of discipleship require the conscience to submit to the religious norms and ideals which Jesus embodied and proclaimed. In other words, repentance and practical commitment to Jesus in faith describe the first dynamic of Christian conversion.The first dynamic of Christian conversion exemplifies faith in the broadest sense of that term. We call such faith justifying because it initially rectifies the conscience and puts one in an obediential relationship to a self-revealing God. Justifying faith opens the whole of the person to the t ransforming action of the divine Breath. It therefore requires the subsequent transvaluation through ongoing conversion of the four natural, or secular, forms of conversion: namely, affective, intellectual, personal moral, and socio-political conversion. In transvaluing the other forms of conversion, Christian practice demands, as we have also seen elsewhere, practical progress in hope, faith, charity, and the Christian search for social justice. I have called the religious awareness which results from the ongoing transvaluation of the four natural forms of conversion â€Å"Christological knowing† because it assimilates one to Jesus in the power of His Breath.Logic of ConversionEvery religious conversion contains a language. The way in which people change and represent their spiritual evolution is often determined by recurrent structures. A foundational analysis of the gracing of the natural forms of conversion discovers an intuitive, passionate element in theological hope, i n theological faith, and in theological love. Hope dwells primarily at an affective level. Theological hope heals, perfects, and elevates natural human hopes by making God their future and by insuring that humans hope for the same realities which God does. The God revealed in Jesus, however, wills the establishment of His reign on earth as in heaven through the creation of faith-filled communities of sharing, mutual forgiveness, and worship. Inevitably, then Christian hope embodies a deeply affective perception of ones interpersonal relationship with God and with other persons. It therefore qualifies as a passion. Because it comes from God and leads to God, Christian hope also qualifies as a theological passion. The theological passion of hope motivates the graced acts of hope which infuse the theological virtue of hope.Christian faith too has a passionate dimension. In my own case, conversion began by attending Christian churches. Even before conversion I experienced great pleasure in finding myself in a church of the Christian religion. Not habit, therefore, but the pleasure of forming the habit, began the conversional process. It can be easily understood that participation in the sacraments, and the performance of the simple ceremonies which belong to the cult, assist in producing a complete conversion, and once the conversion is effected, strengthen it powerfully, as in my case, and many other converts.Theological faith heals, perfects, and elevates me by conforming to the normative historical revelation of God which we have received in Christ Jesus and in His illuminating Breath. Belief, however, comes in two forms: intuition and inference. Intuitive beliefs engage human affective perceptions and judgment. Because Christian faith believes in a tri-personal God and in the human community of faith which proceeds from the historical revelation of that God, like hope faith grasps and grapples with affectively complex interpersonal relationships. As the affect ive grasp of interpersonal relationships, faith, like hope, qualifies as a passion. Its focus on divine things makes it theological. The theological passion of faith motivates the graced acts of faith which infuse the theological virtue of faith (Leone 2003).The theological virtue of charity also engages my heart. Hypothetical thinking engages the intuitive mind; but deductive and inductive inference proceed dispassionately according to the rules of logic, even though rational thought never loses affective connotations. All other forms of human knowing engage the imagination and the affections directly. When we love other persons we perceive them with affective benevolence and act toward them in ways which embody that benevolence. Christian love finds its motive and ultimate object in God and in those persons whom God loves. The God of Jesus Christ loves with an all-encompassing universal benevolence. As the affective perception of human interpersonal relationships, Christian love c ounts as a human passion. Its focus on God makes it into a theological passion. The theological passion of love motivates the graced acts of love which infuse the theological virtue of charity.By committing my heart to the practical establishment of Gods reign on earth, my Christian hope mounts a frontal assault on the causes of despair: pain, frustration, failure, oppression. It inserts those tempted to despair into a healing community of hope. When personal hopes dwindle, the shared hopes and longings of the Christian community have the power to nurture hope and longing in the despondent. Despair stifles the imagination. Christian hope, by contrast challenges the human imagination to allow Gods Breath to expand it to embrace the dawning reality of our future in Christ.Finally, Christian hope universalizes the natural aspirations of my heart by teaching it to hope the best for all people. Left to its own resources, natural hopes content themselves with wishing only ones own well. N atural hopes ordinarily leave out enemies, aliens, and strangers.As Christian I see myself and others truly when I view both with Jesus own compassionate eyes. We see one another truly when we forgive one another with the forgiveness of Christ. That forgiveness recognizes in every human person the capacity to repent of past sins and failings. Graced repentance creates a new capacity to live for and in God and to serve others in Jesus image. As a consequence, Christian faith will not tolerate the hypocritical rationalization of sin, injustice, and immorality. My Christian love heals all the other passionate disorders by expanding my heart to embrace the triune God and the entire human family. Christian love also replaces all seven deadly sins with charitable benevolence toward all.Jesus loved not just theoretically but practically. Christian love begins with practical concern to meet the basic physical needs of all people. It creates a community of sharing in which the least members of human society receive the greatest care, concern, and honor and in which the great and powerful serve the rest. The synoptic gospels, which best preserve Jesus proclamation of the kingdom, all testify to these practical demands of Christian love.Charity heals hatred through forgiveness in the name and image of Jesus. While hatred divides people from one another and encourages violence by destroying communication among enemies, the practical demands of Christian love reconcile enemies and teach them to love one another. Reconciliation teaches me to look for the best in people rather personal conversion to Christ.The Holy Christian ChurchThe Church is the earthly family of God, the place where the fact of the universal divine Fatherhood is recognized and where there is made at all events a sustained effort to carry out its implications. Where there is fatherhood there must be the family. Only by sharing in the life of the family is it possible to have fellowship with the father. Th e Fatherhood of God implies the brotherhood of man.It is not possible to love the Father acceptably while in a state of chronic estrangement from the brethren. When God calls us to Himself He calls us at the same time to each other. That God has created a Church for men to belong to is an essential part of the gospel. Belief in the reality of a Church, a world-wide fellowship of the faithful, created by God the Son and indwelt by the Holy Spirit for the Fathers Glory, is an essential article of the Christian Faith, and hence the Creed boldly sets it side by side with belief in God Himself as a matter of comparable importance. We believe in the divine Fatherhood and the human brotherhood. Without the belief in the Fatherhood, faith in the brotherhood would be sheer nonsense. Where the brotherhood is not acknowledged both in theory and practice, the reality of the divine Fatherhood is by implication denied. Where there is no churchmanship there is no true Christianity.There is, of cou rse, a sense in which it is true to say that God is the Father of all men, churchmen and nonchurchmen alike. Gods attitude towards all men is certainly paternal but the attitude of men to God is far from being perfectly filial. The perfect Son is the eternal Son and we can only become true sons of God by learning what perfect sonship means from Christ, by sharing increasingly His attitude towards the Eternal Father and His unity with the Eternal Father. It is in that state of unity with Christ, and with each other for His sake, which we call the Church that the sons are reconciled to the Father and begin to live again their family life with Him.The Church is described in the Bible as the Body of Christ. It is the visible agent which He now employs to make known His presence and carry on His work. It is, indeed, a kind of diffusion and extension of the Incarnation, so that, in and through the Church, Christ still continues to live an earthly life. The Church is thus not a mundane ass ociation of like-minded human beings, united by a common admiration for the personality of Jesus and a common reverence for His teaching. No early Christian ever said or thought that the life of Jesus was such a superbly good thing that the world must never be allowed to forget it, and that those who had known Him ought to form a society, to be known as the Church, for perpetuating His memory. Christ gave the Church to men. It is not a human contrivance. The Church was designed by God for our salvation. It was not created by men as an ingenious way of giving Him glory. Churchmanship is not therefore a superfluous excellence, one way among many of serving God on earth, and perhaps the best way for those disposed by temperament to enjoy participation in its mode of life. Membership of the Church, on the contrary, is a universal human duty, and to turn deliberately away from it is to spurn Gods gift, to disobey His will and to frustrate His purpose. Because churchmanship is a duty, non -churchmanship is a sin.Moral and Ethical GrowthIn living fellowship with Christ the natural powers of the regenerate are put at His disposal, whereby there is produced a life akin to His perfection and blessedness; and this is the state of Sanctification (Mackintosh 505).Sanctification as an effect of the Spirit is already implicit in the modifier â€Å"Holy.† The texts in which Paul speaks of this effect of the Spirit are many. â€Å"God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth† (Dabney 36). Although sanctification radically means consecration, a once for all setting aside of a thing or a person for Gods service, it also has in Paul a strong ethical sense, as can be see from 1 Thes 4:1–8, where Paul says, â€Å"This is the will of God, your sanctification,† and then goes on to define it in terms of sexual morality, concluding: â€Å"God has not called us to uncleanness, but holiness. Therefo re whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.† The present tense â€Å"gives† is significant. God is constantly giving the Holy Spirit to the believer, just as living water, image of the Spirit, is constantly flowing. The ethical demands and power of the Spirit are elaborated in great detail in Romans 8:1–13, Pauls favorite contrast of the flesh and the spirit, as in Gal 5:16–25, where he pits the fruit (singular) of the Spirit against the works (plural) of the flesh.The retention of the term sanctification is justified because it is scriptural. But as it depends on a rather indefinite concept of the holy, a concept which divergent interpretations and usages have made yet more intricate, a still further exposition is necessary if it is to be used in Dogmatics. The first etymological consideration that has to be taken into account is the Old Testament use of the word for everything separated from ordinary social l ife and devoted to some use relating to God. This relation to God, however, makes no difference in any activity due to an impulse proceeding from Christ; for since it is produced by the absolutely powerful God-consciousness of Christ, it of itself includes severance from participation in the common sinful life. And fellowship being essential to human nature, this of itself supplies a basis fork an active tendency to a new common life; just as, owing to its Old Testament use noted above, the expression carries with it the priestly dignity of all Christians and represents the new common life as a spiritual temple. So that the state of sanctification too may be regarded as service in this temple.The second consideration is the connexion of the term with holiness as a Divine attribute; for of course we hold by the interpretation of this given above. It is, however, also clear that the regenerate man, through the manner of life, develops a conscience also in others, in proportion as all his activities diverge from what happens in the common sinful life.In both its aspects, however, we cannot call this condition holiness—that is, being holy—but sanctification, which means becoming holy, sanctifying oneself; which we call sanctification, because it is a striving for holiness. If the meaning were being holy, it would imply that a complete transformation had occurred at the moment of regeneration, every link with the sinful common life entirely ceasing, and the whole nature being completely and instantaneously penetrated by the life of Christ and brought under His sway.The Godward ImpulsePrayer and worship, based on and guided by the conviction that God has revealed His Nature and Purpose in Jesus Christ, are thus the essential characteristics of the Christian life. Few words are more completely misunderstood than the familiar word prayer. It is conventionally interpreted as though it meant a kind of spiritual bombardment of the Deity with a series of sel finterested human requests, slackening somewhat during those periods when life is more or less kind to us and growing more urgent whenever she frowns. All this is mere caricature. Prayer has been better described as the ascent of the mind to God; it is an offering of the self to God, the spreading out before Him of the whole content of the conscious mind, the submission of the disordered human will, confused and weakened by the endless conflict of opposite motives and mutually exclusive desires, to the perfect will of God.The underlying psychological and spiritual urge which has impelled men of all religions and all stages of mental development and civilization to prayer is the human longing to be completely known and perfectly understood. The same urge makes the anxious man open his heart to his friend, directs the neurotic to the consulting room of the psycho-analyst and prompts the penitent to seek absolution from his confessor. But the longing which each of these valuable and ef fective expedients can satisfy to a certain extent is completely set at rest only in communion with God, only when the long persevering life of prayer culminates in final vision.Who really knows me through and through? It is a decisive question, one which leads as surely to prayer as prayer at long last leads to God. Experience will teach the man who asks it that he will never be perfectly understood by other people, not even by those with whom he is in closest sympathy. Even his dearest friends will fail sometimes to see things as he sees them, or manifest surprise at some word or action which he feels to be necessitated by the very nature of his personality. He will discover that he in his turn fails to achieve a complete understanding of them. It is possible to have known and loved a man for a lifetime and yet to observe with a sudden shock some hitherto unsuspected facet of his character. But our self-knowledge is as partial and defective as our understanding of others. Again an d again in life a man surprises even himself. The trite remark that it is good for us to see ourselves as others see us is an admission that our self-knowledge is inevitably onesided and incomplete.Who really knows me through and through? No man sees and understands me whole and entire. The inner mystery of my being is not visible even to myself. I am driven back upon the fundamental truth that a created thing is perfectly understood only by its creator. The standpoint of the creator is the only one from which the whole truth can be seen. We understand best and most intimately what we have ourselves constructed. The poet is the best interpreter of his poem, the artist of his picture, the craftsman of his craft. Even so the whole truth about man is only visible to God. It is this frustration of mans desire for understanding and sympathy on the natural level that drives him to that supernatural intercourse with the God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known and from whom no s ecrets are hid. Thou that hearest the prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come.St. Paul is fired by the same thought as he reflects for a moment on the far-off goal of the life of prayer and cries out, Then shall I know even as already I am known (Ramsey 67). God already possesses a perfect knowledge and vision of man, and man, his appetite stimulated and desire kindled by this imperfect and one-sided intercourse, presses slowly forwards in his quest for a more adequate knowledge and vision of God.To pray is a great adventure for me, a launching out into the uncharted spiritual spaces which separate God and me. It is a costly adventure, demanding, like all worth-while enterprises, self-discipline and sacrifice. It is at this point that morality and goodness become plainly relevant to my life as prayer. For   me to live a Godcentred life, my own personal and moral perfection is not an end in itself. It is a means to the higher end of finding fellowship with God. I do not pray in orde r that I may succeed in living what is called a good life. Rather I strive to live a good life in order that I may pray. Such goodness as the Christian attains is not the central aim and purpose of my existence, dominating my thoughts and energies. It is a by-product of my quest for God. That is why the goodness of godly men is less selfconscious, more graceful and unassuming, than the goodness of the conscious man of morals.For me prayer not in its contractual and magic form, but in the mystic sense is in reality a contact and a fusion. It is through the power of prayer that the suppliant attains to momentary identification with the divine power supplicated. It has been observed that in the ancient religions of Egypt, Assyria, Phcenicia, and Greece, as well as in those of to-day, the supplicants in prayer have used gestures identical with those attributed to the deity. This has come to be interpreted, not as an imitation, but as a momentary projection and identification of the wo rshippers soul with the soul of God.

A Complete List of Shakespeare’s Plays

A Complete List of Shakespeare’s Plays Scholars of Elizabethan drama believe that William Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays between 1590 and 1612. These dramatic works encompass a wide range of subjects and styles, from the playful A Midsummer Nights Dream to the gloomy Macbeth. Shakespeares plays can be roughly divided into three genres- comedies, histories, and tragedies- though some works, such as The Tempest and The Winters Tale, straddle the boundaries between these categories. Shakespeares first play is generally believed to be Henry VI Part I, a history play about English politics in the years leading up to the Wars of the Roses. The play was possibly a collaboration between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, another Elizabethan dramatist who is best known for his tragedy Doctor Faustus. Shakespeares last play is believed to be The Two Noble Kinsmen, a tragicomedy co-written with John Fletcher in 1613, three years before Shakespeares death. Shakespeare's Plays in Chronological Order The exact order of the composition and performances of Shakespeare’s plays is difficult to prove- and therefore often disputed. The dates listed below are approximate and are based on the general consensus of when the plays were first performed: Henry VI Part I (1589-1590)Henry VI Part II (1590-1591)Henry VI Part III (1590-1591)Richard III (1592-1593)The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593)Titus Andronicus (1593-1594)The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)Love’s Labour’s Lost (1594-1595)Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)Richard II (1595-1596)A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595-1596)King John (1596-1597)The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)Henry IV Part I (1597-1598)Henry IV Part II (1597-1598)Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)Henry V (1598-1599)Julius Caesar (1599-1600)As You Like It (1599-1600)Twelfth Night (1599-1600)Hamlet (1600-1601)The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)All’s Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)Measure for Measure (1604-1605)Othello (1604-1605)King Lear (1605-1606)Macbeth (1605-1606)Antony and Cleopatra (1606-1607)Coriolanus (1607-1608)Timon of Athens (1607-1608)Pericles (1608-1609)Cymbeline (1609-1610) The Winter’s Tale (1610-1611)The Tempest (1611-1612)Henry VIII (1612-1613)The Two Noble Kinsmen (1612-1613) Dating the Plays The chronology of Shakespeares plays remains a matter of some scholarly debate. Current consensus is based on a constellation of different data points, including publication information (dates taken from titles pages, etc.), known performance dates, and information from contemporary diaries and other records. Though each play can be assigned a narrow date range, it is impossible to know exactly which year any one of Shakespeares plays was composed. Even when exact performance dates are known, nothing conclusive can be said about when each play was written. Further complicating the matter is the fact that many of Shakespeares plays exist in multiple editions, making it even more difficult to determine when the authoritative versions were completed. For example, there are several surviving versions of Hamlet, three of which were printed in the First Quarto, Second Quarto, and First Folio, respectively. The version printed in the Second Quarto is the longest version of Hamlet, though it does not include over 50 lines that appear in the First Folio version. Modern scholarly editions of the play contain material from multiple sources. Authorship Controversy Another controversial question regarding Shakespeares bibliography is whether the Bard actually authored all of the plays assigned to his name. In the 19th century, a number of literary historians popularized the so-called anti-Stratfordian theory, which held that Shakespeares plays were actually the work of Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, or possibly a group of playwrights. Subsequent scholars, however, have dismissed this theory, and the current consensus is that Shakespeare- the man born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564- did in fact write all of the plays that bear his name. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence that some of Shakespeares plays were collaborations. In 2016, a group of scholars performed an analysis of all three parts of Henry VI and came to the conclusion that the play includes the work of Christopher Marlowe. Future editions of the play published by Oxford University Press will credit Marlowe as co-author. Another play, The Two Noble Kinsmen, was co-written with John Fletcher, who also worked with Shakespeare on the lost play Cardenio. Some scholars believe that Shakespeare may have also collaborated with George Peele, an English dramatist and poet; George Wilkins, an English dramatist and inn-keeper; and Thomas Middleton, a successful author of numerous stage works, including comedies, tragedies, and pageants.

Structure of organization of a clinic Assignment

Structure of organization of a clinic - Assignment Example When laying off employees, treat them with respect, not like they are criminals. Be objective and  prepare  exit  benefits for them guided by the time they have worked for the organization, the titles they  hold  and their outstanding contribution to the organization. Making decisions on lay off and determining which employees and positions to let go, it is  responsible  to protect employee privacy. It is unethical to discuss issues regarding lay off in  common  areas. Documents containing information regarding layoffs must  be  confidential. Changes  introduction  in nursing care delivery In order to  deliver  similar or better services as it was before the downsize, it is necessary to  motivate  the remaining employees so that they may not  feel  overburden. Setting up a new framework on the duties and responsibilities will be  necessary. Employees should be given guidelines on how to cope with the work load. Employees may be required to work in  several  areas. For example, a nurse who used to work in one  ward  may be required to work in two wards. A procedural  framework  may also be  necessary. Services issued by  different  employees may be given by one employee. ... es, CEO,  SVP  Patient services,  SVP  Maternal Child  division, labor and Delivery manager, Maternal Child Manager, Paediatric Manager, Assistant Nurse of Clinical Coordinator, Staff RN, Nursing Assistants and Scrub Technician. Organizational structure is a system ensuring that all employees  get  coordinated to ensure the company achieves its goals. This  organization  structure  is  effective  because all these people oversees and coordinates employees and all the activities of the organization. The board of trustees acts in the best interests of the organization (Nelson &  Whitcomb,  2002). Board of trustees comprises of shareholders who oversee all the activities conducted are beneficial to the organization. The board of trustees exercises their powers for the financial benefit of the organization. Their inclusion in the organization is  crucial. This  organization  is  effective  as it includes a CEO. The CEO is responsible for success of t he organization. The CEO is responsible for Operations, marketing strategy, human resources, financing, hiring, creation of  company  culture, firing, compliance with safety regulations, PR, sales amongst other duties. His/ her responsibilities cannot be delegated. SVP  Maternal Child  division  deals with all programs of reproductive health, making it an essential component of the organization. Labor and  deliver  manager oversees employees in labour and  delivery  department. He/she ensure that patients  get  treatment and taken care of  well. He/she ensures that all operations are running well, in areas experiencing difficulty he finds for solutions. He/ she is responsible for the program and structural development making him or her an  influential  person in the organization structure. Paediatric manager makes sure that all

Honest Graft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Honest Graft - Essay Example believed that an honest graft is one which is because of the foreseeing power of an individual and it does not involve the money of treasury or the state government. He described honest graft as one in which an individual foresees an upcoming opportunity and avails it for his benefit. For example if the individual realizes that the government may be wanting space to build a park on a specific land, he would buy that land before hand so that he can sell it later on a higher price. Whereas in dishonest graft there is involvement of black money that is from sources such as gambling and treasury. An example of this is when an individual steals money from the treasury and utilizes it for his own use. I agree with Plunkitt as the honest graft can be a business in itself and this can be done by any individual who knows how to avail opportunities. Plunkitt had his own standpoint in politics. He criticized the reformers and their role in politics in the mid to late 1800’s. He believed that reformers were just the beginners in the game of politics. They were not able to interpret the bluffs and games around which the whole scenario of politics revolved. He opined that they were not able to clean up the government and politics because these individuals who were not even trained for politics tried to enter politics and change the whole scenario. Usually these individuals came out successfully in the beginning but gradually all these reformers had to exit because they were not capable of handling the overall scenario of politics. Plunkitt claimed that his party and all its members were dedicated to their country and the well being of its individuals. Their patriotism could clearly be seen in the incidents quoted in the book when the party members celebrated their independence like nobody else did. As described â€Å"Four hours under a big silk hat in a hall where the heat registers 110 and the smoke 250!† (RIORDIN, Chapter 17) Here it can be clearly seen that the leader

Organizational Strategy of Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Organizational Strategy of Apple - Essay Example According to the research findings, Apple represents one of the most successful technology companies in the world today since its launch in 1976 as a personal computer manufacturer. The organization which in 1997 was on the brink of bankruptcy has been able to transform and record profits in the following years due to the production of leading computer software and personal computers that are based on high standards of innovation, prestige, and quality. The cusses of Apple depends on the production of highly innovative hardware and software which have over the years established the company as the leader in an industry where every organization strives to gain a share of the market that readily embraces new technology. Due to the customer loyalty that Apple has been able to establish over the years, therefore, driving sales, the company has featured in several occasions as the first among Fortune magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies with latest financial results for second quarter ended March 29, 2014 indicating $45.6 billion in revenues and $10.2 billion quarterly net profits. The following sections present an analytical business report focused on different levels of organizational behavior and human resource. The multinational focuses on designing, developing, manufacturing and selling computer-based communication electronics, personal computers, and computer software. The market leader in Apple hardware was the Mac personal computers, but the company soon diversified into the world’s first media player device, iPod, a pioneering smartphone, iPhone and leafing tablet computers, the iPad. In addition, Apple introduced software such as operating systems like iOS and OS X, iTunes, the Safari browser in addition to productivity and creativity suites such as iWork and iLife. The history of Apple marks a dynamic transformation from a personal computer manufacturer to a leading manufacturer of consumer electronics, operating software and cons umer software.