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Addiction Support Group Narcotics Anonymous - 1544 Words

Addiction Support Group: Narcotics Anonymous Behavioral Healthcare professionals are likely to encounter individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). These are highly prevalent and often co-occur with Mental Health Disorders. SUDs affect vital areas of life, such as physical, emotional, and behavioral functioning. Recovery from addiction is a long a road with highs and lows, however having a strong support system makes facing these challenges manageable. Addiction support groups gives the person a safe place to discuss these challenges while maintaining sobriety. They offer invaluable education, guidance, and the encouragement the patient needs to succeed in living a healthier lifestyle. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is the most well-known†¦show more content†¦Like most addicts, my stepfather didn’t go to NA voluntarily. He was diagnosed with cancer and his treatment was interacting adversely with the alcohol intake. He was also given an ultimatum. As a family, we were prepared to walk away from him and seek our own mental health and safety if he kept declining to receive treatment, but we agreed that for as long as he was willing to try, we would try with him. The first step the James A. Haley Veteran’s hospital took was to get his doctors, psychologist, and social worker to stabilize his critical condition. Once his medical condition was stabilized, he was released and he was assigned a case manager, who linked us to Narcotics Anonymous and Al Anonymous. As a family, we assisted to both. When I first walked into an NA meeting, my step-dad had already been a member for over a year. His meetings are currently being held at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Ruskin, Florida. Members are welcomed anytime and although their presence can remain anonymous, members usually take notice and introduce themselves. During my most recent visit, they noticed a new member. A shy, young man in his late 20’s, who had a prosthetic leg. Group members began introducing themselves and quickly shared stories. I noticed how this casual tone helped the new member relax. At first, he seemed anxious and had an air of dread and despair. This quickly went away when they all talked about their first time theShow MoreRelatedNarcotics Anonymous1453 Words   |  6 PagesOlivia Ferrell Informative Outline April 7th, 2014 Specific Purpose: I will inform my audience about Narcotics Anonymous. Central Idea: Narcotics Anonymous is a worldwide self-help organization that has been around for many years and continues to impact our society. Introduction Attention Getter: Imagine 60,000 people in one city, all dealing with the same problem, addiction. According to an article written by Carter M. Yang for ABC news on March 14th of this year, there are 60, 000 peopleRead MoreThe Ten Steps Of Narcotics Anonymous1437 Words   |  6 PagesTwelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous? If you are suffering from a drug addiction, you ve likely heard of groups like Narcotics Anonymous and their dedication to the 12-step process. However, few people really understand what these 12-steps entail and how they can be used to overcome addiction. Understanding them can help you decide whether this process is right for you. What Is Narcotics Anonymous? Narcotics Anonymous or NA is something of a sister program to Alcoholics Anonymous. It was foundedRead MoreNA Reaction paper1370 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting Reaction Paper Denisha Hightower Morgan State University Dr. Anthony Estreet 4/15/15 The Narcotics Anonymous meeting which I attended was named 7 Days of NA which was located on 1212 North Wolfe Street at an organization called Dee’s Place. Just as the Alcoholic Anonymous meeting previously attended, the location appeared to be in a covert and quiet place to hold a support group. 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These symptoms include the practice of taking larger amounts to obtain a high, the persistant desire to use, continuous cravings, the unending exacerbation of use, being consumed by consequences relating to her opiate addiction throughout the entire day, inability to focus or channel energy in any other areas of her life and Katrina’s need to continuing taking opiates in order to subcome the symptoms of withdrawal (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). A diagnosis of

The Philosophical Study of Morality Free Essays

Introduction Our behavior reflects on our personalities. Morality speaks of a system of action in regards to standards of right and wrong behavior. Morality describes the principle that presides our behavior. We will write a custom essay sample on The Philosophical Study of Morality or any similar topic only for you Order Now Without this principle, societies cannot survive for so long. In today’s Society, morality is frequently thought of as inseparability to a particular religious point of view. Moral describes the principle that controls our behavior. In everyday living, we are witnessing such crimes of killings. But we, the citizen of this country are looking for this as the usual that happens every day. And we’re not looking for the reason of those people who kill or commit crimes. We don’t really know what’s the reason behind it and if there’s no reason, but we judge them for no reason. What is moral being instead? Judging others or committing crimes? They are saying that we are religious country and they said that the person here is also religious, but how those people commit crimes if they are really religious? Does being religious can be a Moral person? Or Does Moral principle helps us being a Religious person? The word carries the concepts of: Moral Standards with regards to behaviour; Moral responsibility, referring to our conscience; and A moral identity or one who is capable of right or wrong action. It explored the action of morality and examines how people should live their lives in relation to others. Background of the Study According to www.allaboutphilosophy Morality as it relates to our behavior is important on three levels. Renowned thinker, scholar and author C.S Lewis defines them as: to ensure fair play and harmony between individuals, to help make us good people in order to have a good society, to keep us in a good relationship with the power that created us. Based on this definition, it’s clear that our belief is disapproving to our moral behavior. On point 1, Professor Lewis says most reasonable people agree. By point 2, however, we begin to see problems occurring. Consider the popular philosophy â€Å"I’m not hurting anyone but myself†, frequently used to excused bad personal choices. How can we be the good people we need to be if we persist in making these choices? Bad personal choices do hurt others. Point 3 is where most disagreement surfaces. Exposition of the problem There are different definition of morality, first is the moral standards it explains the right and wrong behavior of a human person the second is the moral responsibility it explains the conscience or the guilt of a human person, and thirdly is the moral identity it explains that each Human have their own decision and capable of right and wrong action or doing. Morality speaks about ethnics, principles, virtue, and goodness. Morality is very complicated to explain yet; morality always depicts our behavior it controls and limits us. Is Morality Objective? According to philosophynow.org/issues/115/Is_Morality_Objective Great moral philosopher differs about the character of morality. Immanuel Kant’s influential duty-based theory of ethnics maintains that truth-telling is universally binding on all of beings. In a pristine world a crystallized moral ideals, perhaps morality could be objective and universally binding on all people. However, we live in a world of moral flux, impermanence and flexibility. And it is because of this that morality is not nor could ever be objective. -Albert Filice, Scottsdale, AZ Morality is objective. That is, moral claims are true or false about aspects of human interaction that involve the ideas of rights and obligations. Further, the fundamental moral maxims apply universally, and reasonable people can agree on their truth. -John Talley, Rutherford on, NC. Is there any way to know the difference between right and wrong? Does religion have anything left to offer? From time to time we hear that the established churches are in bafflement that too often their leaders have nothing to say that’s applied and helpful where does the truth on these signify lie? The relationship between religion and morality has long been hotly debated. Does religion make us more moral? Is it Essential for morality? Does moral partiality emerge independently of religious intuitions? Philosophical Response A recent report in psychology today concluded â€Å"the most significant predictor of a person’s moral behavior may be religious commitment. People who consider themselves very religious were least likely to report deceiving their friends having extramarital affairs, cheating on their â€Å"programmed† in each of us. This is in keeping with the writings of Paul Apostle, who points out that even those who do not believe in God frequently obey God’s as given in the ten commandments, â€Å"for when gentiles, who do not have the law by nature do not have, these although not having law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing themselves† (Romans 2:14-15; NKJV). Again those who do not believe in God are left with the only possible conclusion they can come to that our decision are based solely on our need to survive, what we call our conscience based on learned behavior, rather than part of a Devine design. Many scientific researchers have failed to disintegrate â€Å"religion† and â€Å"morality† into theoretically grounded elements; have adopted illiberal conceptions of key concepts in particular, sanitized conceptions of â€Å"prosocial† behaviour; and have neglected to consider the complex interplay between cognition and culture. They argue that to make progress, the categories â€Å"religion† and â€Å"morality† must be fractionated into a set of biologically and psychologically cogent traits, revealing the cognitive foundations that acclimate and obligate relevant cultural variants. Being religious doesn’t make us Moral person because we, in ourselves know if we commit mistake and if we are doing good deeds. Yes, doing right seems that you are having with the lord but doesn’t mean that we are moral. Being a moral is seeing in our action not only to our faith by our god. Every one of us have different definition of god, so that being a moral person is not depending on being a religious one. The question of whether or not morality claims religion is both topical and ancient. In the Euthyphro, Socrates famously asked whether goodness is loved by the god because it is good, or whether goodness is good because it is loved by the god. Although he favoured the former proposal, many others have argued that morality is dictated by, and indeed inconceivable without God: â€Å"If god does not exist, everything is permitted†. (Dostoevsky, 1880, 1990) According to Aristotle, there are two meaning of good. There is good absolutely and there is good for somebody. The first one is he/she was doing it because it is good. And the other one is doing it for others, in short doing it for a purpose or reason. In that based, we can judge the others by doing wrong because we are all people, maybe it is right for them because it was for their love ones. Conclusion Moral philosophy is the branch of philosophy that contemplates what is right and wrong. It explores the nature of morality and examines how people should live their lives in relation to others. Almost every day, the Philippine media are always flooded with stories of horror about people getting killed. Killing in itself is very dreadful but what makes it more alarming is the fact that most of the killings that took place in the Philippines were perpetuated not by hardened criminals but by policemen who were expected to protect the welfare of the people. According to the administration, most of those killings occurred in order to protect the lives of the policemen whose lives were at stake during their encounters with criminals. These said killings call to reignite the discussion about what can be said as morally right or morally wrong through looking at the mere essence of morality in this society. Right and wrong is determined by the particular set of principles or rules the relevant culture just happens to hold at the time. Is something right (or wrong) because the gods command it, or do the gods command it because it is right? According to Rights-based Theories, We are to act in accordance with a set of moral rights, which we possess simply by being human. The right to life does not require that we give what is needed to sustain life rather merely that we refrain from taking any action that would take life. How to cite The Philosophical Study of Morality, Papers

Common Size Statement, Comparative Satement and Trend Analysis Essay Example For Students

Common Size Statement, Comparative Satement and Trend Analysis Essay COMPARATIVE STATEMENT COMMON SIZE STATEMENT AND TREND ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION We know business is mainly concerned with the financial activities. In order to ascertain the financial status of the business every enterprise prepares certain statements, known as financial statements. Financial statements are mainly prepared for decision making purpose. But the information as is provided in the financial statements is not adequately helpful in drawing a meaningful conclusion. Thus, an effective analysis and interpretation of financial statements is required. Analysis means establishing a meaningful relationship between various items of the two financial statements with each other in such a way that a conclusion is drawn. By financial statements we mean two statements: (i) Profit and loss Account or Income Statement (ii) Balance Sheet or Position Statement These are prepared at the end of a given period of time. They are the indicators of profitability and financial soundness of the business concern. The term financial analysis is also known as analysis and interpretation of financial statements. It refers to the establishing meaningful relationship between various items of the two financial statements i. e. Income statement and position statement. It determines financial strength and weaknesses of the firm. Analysis of financial statements is an attempt to assess the efficiency and performance of an enterprise. Thus, the analysis and interpretation of financial statements is very essential to measure the efficiency, profitability, financial soundness and future prospects of the business units. Types of financial statement are: 1) Comparative statement 2) Common size statement ) Trend analysis Financial analysis serves the following purposes: 1. Measuring the profitability The main objective of a business is to earn a satisfactory return on the funds invested in it. Financial analysis helps in ascertaining whether adequate profits are being earned on the capital invested in the business or not. It also helps in knowing the capacity to pay the interest and dividend. 2. Indicat ing the trend of Achievements Financial statements of the previous years can be compared and the trend regarding various expenses, purchases, sales, gross profits and net profit etc. an be ascertained. Value of assets and liabilities can be compared and the future prospects of the business can be envisaged. Assessing the growth potential of the business. The trend and other analysis of the business provides sufficient information indicating the growth potential of the business. 3. Comparative position in relation to other firms The purpose of financial statements analysis is to help the management to make a comparative study of the profitability of various firms engaged in similar businesses. Such comparison also helps the management to study the position of their firm in respect of sales, expenses, profitability and utilising capital, etc. 4. Assess overall financial strength The purpose of financial analysis is to assess the financial strength of the business. Analysis also helps in taking decisions, whether funds required for the purchase of new machines and equipments are provided from internal sources of the business or not if yes, how much? And also to assess how much funds have been received from external sources. 5. Assess solvency of the firm The different tools of an analysis tell us whether the firm has sufficient funds to meet its short term and long term liabilities or not. PARTIES INTERESTED Analysis of financial statements has become very significant due to widespread interest of various parties in the financial results of a business unit. The various parties interested in the analysis of financial statements are: (i) Investors : Shareholders or proprietors of the business are interested in the well being of the business. They like to know the earning capacity of the business and its prospects of future growth. ii) Management : The management is interested in the financial position and performance of the enterprise as a whole and of its various divisions. It helps them in preparing budgets and assessing the performance of various departmental heads. (iii) Trade unions : They are interested in financial statements for negotiating the wages or salaries or bonus agreement with the management. (iv) Lenders : Lenders to the business like debenture holders, suppliers of loans and lease are interested to know short term as well as long term solvency position of the entity. v) Suppliers and trade creditors : The suppliers and other creditors are interested to know about the solvency of the business i. e. the ability of the company to meet the debts as and when they fall due. (vi) Tax authorities : Tax authorities are interested in financial statements for determining the tax liability. (vii) Researchers: They are interested in financial statements in undertaking research work in business affairs and practices. (viii) Employees : They are interested to know the growth of profit. As a result of which they can demand better remuneration and congenial working environment. (ix) Government and their agencies : Government and their agencies need financial information to regulate the activities of the enterprises/ industries and determine taxation policy. They suggest measures to formulate policies and regulations. (x) Stock exchange : The stock exchange members take interest in financial statements for the purpose of analysis because they provide useful financial information about companies. Thus, we find that different parties have interest in financial tatements for different reasons. COMPARATIVE STATEMENT Comparative statements are financial statements that cover a different time frame, but are formatted in a manner that makes comparing line items from one period to those of a different period an easy process. This quality means that the comparative statement is a financial statement that lends itself well to the process of comparative analysis. Many companies make use of standardized formats in accounting functions that make the generation of a comparative statement quick and easy. IMPORTANCE AND USES The benefits of a comparative statement are varied for a corporation. Because of the uniform format of the statement, it is a simple process to compare the gross sales of a given product or all products of the company with the gross sales generated in a previous month, quarter, or year. Comparing generated revenue from one period to a different period can add another dimension to analyzing the effectiveness of the sales effort, as the process makes it possible to identify trends such as a drop in revenue in spite of an increase in units sold. Fraternities Are Not All Bad EssayIn case of common size statement analysis the absolute figures are converted to proportions for the purpose of inter-firm as well as intra-firm analysis. . Limitations As with financial statements in general, the interpretation of common size statements is subject to many of the limitations in the accounting data used to construct them. For example: 1. Different accounting policies may be used by different firms or within the same firm at different points in time. Adjustments should be made for such differences. 2. Different firms may use different accounting calendars, so the accounting periods may not be directly comparable. TREND STATEMENT Trend analysis calculates the percentage change for one account over a period of time of two years or more. Percentage change To calculate the percentage change between two periods: Calculate the amount of the increase/ (decrease) for the period by subtracting the earlier year from the later year. If the difference is negative, the change is a decrease and if the difference is positive, it is an increase. Divide the change by the earlier years balance. The result is the percentage change. Calculation of Percentage Change : amount in 000 rupees) (N/M: not meaningful) | 2001| 2000| Increase/(Decrease) | Percent Change | Cash| 6,950| 6,330| 620| 9. 8%| Accounts Receivable, net| 18,567| 19,330| (763)| (3. 9%)| | | | | | Sales| 129,000| 103,000| 26,000| 25. 2%| Rent Expense| 10,000| 0| 10,000| N/M| Net Income (Loss)| 8,130| (1,400)| 9,530| N/M| | Calculation notes: 1. 2000 is the earlier year so the amount in the 20X0 column is subtracted from the amount in the 2001 colum n. 2. The percent change is the increase or decrease divided by the earlier amount (2000 in this example) times 100. Written as a formula, the percent change is: | | | | 3. If the earliest year is zero or negative, the percent calculated will not be meaningful. N/M is used in the above table for not meaningful. 4. Most percents are rounded to one decimal place unless more are meaningful. 5. A small absolute rupee item may have a large percentage change and be considered misleading. Trend percentages To calculate the change over a longer period of time—for example, to develop a sales trend—follow the steps below: 1. Select the base year. 2. For each line item, divide the amount in each non base year by the amount in the base year and multiply by 100. 3. In the following example, 2007 is the base year, so its percentages (see bottom half of the following table) are all 100. 0. The percentages in the other years were calculated by dividing each amount in a particular year by the corresponding amount in the base year and multiply by 100. Calculation of Trend Percentages (amount in rupees) | 2001 | 2000 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | Historical Data | | | | | | Inventory| 12,309| 12,202| 12,102| 11,973| 11,743| Property ; equipment| 74,422| 78,938| 64,203| 65,239| 68,450| Current liabilities| 27,945| 30,347| 27,670| 28,259| 26,737| Sales| 129,000| 97,000| 95,000| 87,000| 81,000| Cost of goods sold| 70,950| 59,740| 48,100| 47,200| 45,500| Operating expenses| 42,600| 38,055| 32,990| 29,690| 27,050| Net income (loss)| 8,130| (1,400)| 7,869| 5,093| 3,812| Trend Percentages | | | | | | Inventory| 104. 8| 103. 9| 103. 1| 102. 0| 100. 0| Property ; equipment| 108. 7| 115. 3| 93. 8| 95. 3| 100. 0| Current liabilities| 104. 5| 113. 5| 103. 5| 105. 7| 100. 0| Sales| 159. | 119. 8| 117. 3| 107. 4| 100. 0| Cost of goods sold| 155. 9| 131. 3| 105. 7| 103. 7| 100. 0| Operating expenses| 157. 5| 140. 7| 122. 0| 109. 8| 100. 0| Net income (loss)| 213. 3| (36. 7)| 206. 4| 133. 6| 100. 0| | Calculation notes: 1. The base year trend percentage is always 100. 0%. A trend percentage of less than 100. 0% means the balance has decreased below the base year level in that particular year. A trend percentage greater than 100. 0% means the balance in that year has increased over the base year. A negative trend percentage represents a negative number. 2. If the base year is zero or negative, the trend percentage calculated will not be meaningful. 3. In this example, the sales have increased 59. 3% over the five-year period while the cost of goods sold has increased only 55. 9% and the operating expenses have increased only 57. 5%. The trends look different if evaluated after four years. At the end of 2000, the sales had increased almost 20%, but the cost of goods sold had increased 31%, and the operating expenses had increased almost 41%. These 2000 trend percentages reflect an unfavourable impact on net income because costs increased at a faster rate than sales. The trend percentages for net income appear to be higher because the base year amount is much smaller than the other balances. FEATURES OF TREND ANALYSIS 1) In case of a trend analysis all the given years are arranged in an ascending order. 2) The first year is termed as the â€Å"Base year† and all figures of the base year are taken as 100%. 3) Item in the subsequent years are compared with that of the base year. 4) If the percentages in the following years is above 100% it indicates an increase over the base year and if the percentages are below 100% it indicates a decrease over the base year. ) A trend analysis gives a better picture of the overall performance of the business. 6) A trend analysis helps in analysing the financial performance over a period of time. 7) A trend analysis indicates in which direction a business is moving i. e. upward or downwards. 8) A trend analysis facilitates effective comparative study of the financial performance over a period of time. 9) Fo r trend analysis at least three years financial data is essential. Broader the base the more reliable is the data and analysis.

Ambedkar and Buddhism free essay sample

He was therefore vehemently critical of the hypocracies of Brahmanism. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar declared his firm resolve to change his religion in 1935 at Nasik district in Maharashtra â€Å"I was born a Hindu and I had no choice about that. But I will not die a Hindu†. THE NAGPUR DHAMMA DIKSHA : Ambedkar had been attracted towards Buddhism since his student days. On further study, he was convinced that the ‘untouchables’ could attain social equality and psychological liberation only through the teachings of Buddha. He undertook a detailed study of the religion and met numerous Buddhist scholars. He was greatly influenced by the writings of P. L. Narasu and other Tamil Buddhists, and also of Mahatma Jotiba Phule, a nineteenth century radical social reformer of Maharashtra. Ambedkar claimed that he had three gurus the Buddha, Kabir and Jotiba Phule. He travelled to Ceylon and Burma to see Buddhism being practised in these countries. We will write a custom essay sample on Ambedkar and Buddhism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the World Buddhist Brotherhood held at Rangoon (Burma) in 1954, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar delivered a historic speech and gave a clarion call: it would be a grave error to suppose that Buddhism disappeared from India without leaving its influence on Indian people and their culture. Dr. Ambedkar had made a meticulous study of all the contemporary world religions for nearly twenty years, after which he came to the conclusion that if the world must have a religion, then it can only be the religion of the Buddha. The year 1956 marks the beginning of a new era for the revival of Buddhism in the land of its origin. It was the year of the 2500th Buddha Jayanti and was celebrated all over the Buddhist world. Pandit Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, described this event as the â€Å"homecoming of Buddhism†. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with more than five lakh followers on the auspicious day of Ashoka Vijaya Dashmi (Dasera) on 14th October 1956. The oldest bhikkhu then in India, Mahasthavira Chandramani of Burma, came to Nagpur for the conversion ceremony, and initiated Ambedkar into Buddhism. The world witnessed this great event as an unprecedented phenomenon of mass conversion. This historical event acknowledges Dr. Ambedkar as the greatest revivalist of Buddhism in modern times and enhances the importance of his thoughts and interpretation of Buddhism. Another huge ceremony was held in Bombay ten days after Ambedkar’s death in which Andhra Kausalyayana, a Pali scholar and Hindi speaking Punjabi Brahmana monk, initiated thousands to Buddhism. But these massive conversions mainly affected only low castes, particularly the Mahars of Maharashtra, the community of Ambedkar, who had been involved for decades in a battle for political, social and religious rights. Their conversion, however, made the authority of ‘Babasaheb’ Ambedkar unquestioned for them. A few even refer to him as a ‘Second Buddha’ and describe the Nagapur Diksha as a new Dharma Chakra Pravartana. THE ‘BIBLE’ OF AMBEDKAR MOVEMENT : The chief vehicle for transmitting and interpreting the new faith of Ambedkar is his book The Buddha and his Dhamma. (Ambedkar, B. R. The Buddha and his Dhamma, Bombay 1974). It was written in English at the end of his life, published posthumously, and subsequently translated into Hindi and Marathi. It is a rationalized biography of the Buddha and contains a selection from Buddhist Pali works. In it the events of Buddha’s life are narrated in free style. Ambedkar’s aim was to produce a ‘Bible’, and so it has been, and continues to be, for his followers. For many of those who can read, it is the only Buddhist text which they have read, and for most of those who are illiterate, it is the only one which they have heard, having been read aloud to them. In ‘The Buddha and his Dhamma’, Dr. Ambedkar gave a unique interpretation of Buddhism. He had undertaken an in depth study and found the real teachings of Buddha. He substantiated his radical interpretation by presenting sermons and discourses of the Buddha delivered in various places. By his deep study of Buddhism, Dr. Ambedkar could bring out the original social message of Buddha. He was totally convinced by and extolled the teachings of the Buddha as the only panacea for the downtrodden and suffering masses, Ambedkar was fully convinced that the basic and ideal formation of our present society should be on the basis of Buddhism. Ambedkar recalled that the Buddha had commanded the first batch of sixty disciples in the following words, â€Å"go ye forth, monks and wander, for the gain of many, for the welfare of the many, out of compassion, for the worlds, for the good, for the gain and for the welfare of gods and man. † Dr. Ambedkar wanted to emphasize that Ahimsa and Peace were not the only messages given by Buddha to the humanity. He had also laid emphasis on equal opportunity to all, equal status for all (men and women), freedom of thought and universal brotherhood. Dr. Ambedkar determines the authenticity of the Buddha’s teachings by the following criterion, â€Å"There is one test which is available. If there is anything which could be said with confidence, it is: He (the Buddha) was nothing if not rational, if not logical. Anything, therefore, which is rational and logical, other things being equal, may be taken to be the word of the Buddha. The second thing is that the Buddha never cared to enter into a discussion which was not profitable for man’s welfare. Therefore, anything attributed to the Buddha which did not relate to man’s welfare cannot be accepted to be the word of the Buddha†. (Ambdkar, B. R. , The Buddha and His Dhamma, Bombay, 1974, IV. V. 12. 4). Thus Dr. Ambedkar greatly emphasised on the above two characteristics of the Buddha’s teachings, their rationality on one hand, and their social message on the other. Ambedkar describes Buddha as â€Å"a reformer, full of the most earnest moral purpose and trained in all the intellectual culture of his time, who had the originality and the courage to put forth deliberately and with a knowledge of opposing views, the doctrine of a salvation to be found here, in this life, in inward change of heart to be brought about by the practice of self-culture and self-control†. Ambedkar, B. R. , The Buddha and His Dhamma, Bombay, 1974, II. II. 7. 7). Dr. B. R. Ambedkar stated that Buddha was totally opposed to the Brahmanical belief of the infallibility of the Vedas. For to accept the infallibility of the Vedas meant complete denial of freedom of thought, to know the truth, one has to enjoy the freedom of thought. He also rejected the rituals and sacrifices. According to Dr. Ambedkar, Brahmanism propagated graded inequality, in the form of the ‘Chaturvarna’ or the four fold caste system, dividing the society into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. The Shudras and women were fully denied human rights, like the right to education, the ultimate means for achieving freedom. These were the reasons why the Buddha rejected Brahmanism, where as his Dhamma teaches the right relationship between man and man in all spheres of life. AMBEDKAR’s POINTS OF DEPARTURE FROM TRADITIONAL BUDDHISM : Ambedkar introduced a number of innovations in traditional Buddhism. These deviations or innovations may not be regarded as isolated phenomena. Fresh views on the Buddhist social ethics have been expressed in other countries of South and South-East Asia also, though evidently in Ambedkar’s Buddhism, the degree of divergence from traditional doctrine is much greater. Thus Ambedkar and his views can be seen as a part of a larger phenomenon of ‘modernisation’ of Buddhism in Asia. 1. The ‘rationalism’ of the Buddha serves chiefly, in Ambedkar’s Buddhism, to deny the existence of God and ‘atman’ whereas Buddha maintained silence on these questions, Ambedkar was very vocal and explicit on this question. According to Ambedkar there is no God who created from his body the four varnas (as opposed to Purusha Sukta of Rig Veda), and there is no atman to transmigrate and visit the sins of one life upon the next. Ambedkar wrote about Buddha’s first sermon, â€Å"He began by saying that his Dhamma had nothing to do with God and soul. His Dhamma had nothing to do with life after death†. (Ambedkar, B. R. , The Buddha and His Dhamma, Bombay 1974, II. II. 2. 14). Thus, according to Ambedkar, along with rationality and egalitarianism, ‘atheism’ is an important element of Buddhism. . Ambedkar’s rejection of the existence of atman led him to the rejection of ‘belief in Samsara, i. e. , transmigration of the soul’, ‘belief in moksha or salvation of the soul’, and ‘belief in Karma (as) the determination of man’s position in present life’. (Ambedkar, B. R. , The Buddha and His Dhamma, Bombay 1974, I. VII. 1. 1). 3. Ambedk ar interpreted the traditional Buddhist concept of ‘dukkha’ or ‘sorrow and suffering in the world’ as a social phenomenon. According to Ambedkar, ‘Man’s misery is the result of man’s inequity to man’. (Ambedkar, B. R. , The Buddha and His Dhamma, Bombay 1974, III. V. 2. 16). 4. Ambedkar gives a new account of the Mahabhinishkramana (Great Renunciation) of Gautama Siddhartha. According to him the cause for Gautama’s renunciation of his princely life were not the traditional Four sights. Instead, he suggests that the renunciation was the result of Gautama’s refusal to support a Sakya military action against the Koliya tribe in a feud over water rights. Siddhartha went into voluntary exile as a parivrajaka as he was determined not to participate in war. Ambedkar probably derived the idea for this interpretation of Mahabhinishkramana from the writing of Dharmanand Kosambi, who in his ‘Bhagavan Buddha’ published originally in 1940, had criticised the credibility of the story of the Four Sights and had turned to the Rohini water dispute that is described in the Kunala Jataka, in which the Buddha intercedes and recites the Attadanda Sutta decrying conflict and the use of force. 5. Ambedkar played down the role of Sangha in the history of Buddhism. According to him the difference between upasakas (lay-worshippears) and bhikkhus (monks) as to initiation of diksha turned out to be a grievous one â€Å"Sangha-Diksha included both, initiation into the sangha as well as into the Dhamma. But there was no separate Dhamma-Diksha for those who wanted to be initiated into the Dhamma, but did not wish to become members of the sangha. This was a grave omission. It was one of the causes which ultimately led to the downfall of Buddhism in India†. Ambedkar, B. R. , The Buddha and His Dhamma, Bombay 1974, V. IV. 1. 10-12). To amend this ‘grave omission’ Ambedkar invented the Dhamma-Diksha ceremony for the laity. He publicly expressed the opinion that the majority of modern bhikkhus had ‘neither learning nor service in them’, and urged monks to follow the example of Christian missionaries to reach the masses. 6. According to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, India’s aboriginal stock had common ethnic roots which he id entified as Naga. Dr. Ambedkar pointed out in his conversion speech that Nagas were the chief propagators, who â€Å"spread the teachings of Bhagavan Buddha all over India†. The Koliyas, to whom Siddartha was related on his mother’s side, belonged to this ethnic stock. So the Nagas were connected to the Dhamma’s origins through blood, and were instrumental in its spread. Many of his followers see a symbolic significance in the choice of Nagpur, city of the Nagas, for the mass conversion of 1956. 7. The inclusion of ‘Babasaheb’ ambedkar as object of reverence is the most visible innovation adopted by his followers. Though Ambedkar is not worshipped as a God, but on every special occasion, his figure is garlanded after Gautam Buddha’s, incense is burnt, and Bhagwan Gautama Buddha and Paramapujya Babasaheb Ambedkar are addressed before any speech is delivered. Ambedkar is regarded as a Bodhisattva by some of his followers in recognition of his role as the saviour of modern Indian converts to Buddhism. Another way of honouring Ambedkar, is to include his name in the list of refuges i. e. , ‘Bhimam Sarvam gachchhami’, ‘I go for refuge to Bhimrao’ (Zelliot, Eleanor, op. ity P. 144) – thus the ‘Three Jewels’ becoming four. 8. The Buildings dedicated to the Buddhist religion of Ambedkar’s movement are not called temples or ‘mandira’, but ‘viharas’. The Buddhist ‘viharas’ were originally living quarters for the monks. But these ‘viharas’ are places where Buddha’s images are kept, and t he community can gather for lectures on Buddhism or for ‘vandana’ or songs. For the Ambedkarian Buddhists, the vihara serves mainly as a community centre (Zelliot, Eleanor, op. Cit. ,P. 146). 9. In 1956, when Ambedkar and his followers converted to Buddhism, there were very few Buddhist bhikkus in India, and none of them had Marathi as mother tongue. So in the beginning, Ambedkarian Buddhism was propagated by his Republican Party. However, soon, deeply influenced by Ambedkar, young Marathi leaders arose at the local level. The only Maharashtrian center for the training of bikkhus is that at Nagpur, where Bhadanta Ananda Kausalyayana built in 1970, a home and training center for Buddhist bhikkhus, on the same grounds where the 1956 mass conversion had taken place. 10. The followers of Ambedkar celebrate four great occasions – Dhamma Diksha Day, Buddha Jayanti, Ambedkar’s Death Memorial Day, and Ambedkar Jayanti. ASSESSMENT OF THE MOVEMENT : The innovations in Ambedkar’s Buddhist movement represent those elements in the past of the Buddhists that are important for their present progress: the exemplary work of Ambedkar himself, their social unity in the face of continued prejudice and their rejection of Hinduism as a religion of inequality. There is some retention of Hindu or traditional Indian customs – the ‘guru’ idea, the public processions, and the days honouring the birth and death of great men. Along with this amalgam of traditional Buddhism, the Mahar past, and the socio-religious practices of Hindu society in general, the Buddhist followers of Ambedkar have made some innovations on their own. The multi-purpose viharas and the initiative and responsibility of the lay leaders The innovations in Ambedkar’s Buddhist movement represent those elements in the past of the Buddhists that are important for their present progress: the exemplary work of Ambedkar himself, their social unity in the face of continued prejudice and their rejection of Hinduism as a religion of inequality. There is some retention of Hindu or traditional Indian customs – the ‘guru’ idea, the public processions, and the days honouring the birth and death of great men. Along with this amalgam of traditional Buddhism, the Mahar spast, and the socio-religious practices of Hindu society in general, the Buddhist followers of Ambedkar are the most striking of these. (Zelliot, Eleanor, p. 150-51). Thus Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s conversion to Budhdism on 14th October, 1956 with his lakhs of followers was indeed an epoch-making istorical event. Not only did it become a culminating point in his personal life, but it created for him a permanent place in the modern history of social and cultural transformation in India, and in the world at large. For nearly three decades Dr. Ambedkar had studied the comparative philosophical doctrines of different religions. He ultimately reached the conclusion that it was the philosophy of the Buddha that commanded permanent relevance to h uman society. He interpreted Buddhism in his own unique way so as to make it more relevant in the context of ever changing human society. REFERENCE BOOKS: 1 Ambedkar, B. R. , The Buddha and His Dhamma, 1974 2 Goyal, S R, Buddhism in Indian History and Culture, 2004 3 Basham, A L, The wonder that was India, 1998 4 Mungekar, Bhalchandra, Buddhism and the Contemporary World- An Ambedkarian Perspective,2007 5 Jaini, S Padmanabh, Collected Papers on Buddhist Studies, 2001 6 Bapat, P V, 2500 Years of Buddhism,1964

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buy custom Protectionism essay In the past, protectionism was believed to have an origin from mercantilism, which was believed to bring about a positive balance in trade. It was also closely associated with import substitution. It was at this time that classical economist Adam Smith advised against the interested sophistry of industries, which were seeking to take advantage of the consumers. All through history, majority of the classical economists supported protectionism. However, present day economist lobby for the removal of protectionist trade policies as they claim that its costs are over and above its benefits ; therefore, harmful to the world economy (Singer, 1950). A greater percentage of the contemporary economists uncompromisingly support the anti-protectionist school of thought. They; therefore, have sought to support free trade, which involved no barriers to trade with other nations. In the last century, the world economy has seen a considerable increase in the value and volume of trade. This phenomenon has been experienced in both developed and developing countries. A great percentage of countries are familiar with the long-term benefits presented by free trade. However, there are unending disputes of what free trade truly is. Trade is considered a mechanism that aids in the growth of the aggregate demand and aggregate supply sides of any economy in the world. Nevertheless, there are frequently arising trade disputes between different nations. This happens when one country thinks that there is an uneven playing field the other country is carrying out trade unfairly. Another instance is when the said country believes that it is economically justified for a certain level of import control. Free trade, like most economic policies, has both winners and losers. Different countries benefit differently from free trade depending on their level of competitiveness. If any country thinks it is not benefitting from free international trade, then it has the right to seek some form of protectionist measure of import control. Protectionism This is the effort by and government to enforce restrictions on trade between countries. This may be done by imposing tariff or non- tariff barriers to trade. Non-tariff barriers are such as embargoes, quotas, exchange controls and export subsidies. Tariffs Several economists define a tariff as a tax, which caused the price of imported goods to go up. This leads to a reduction in domestic demand and a general increase in domestic supply. The overall result is that the government gets tax income from the tariff while the level imports are reduced to a certain level. The maximum tariffs are, most of the time, levied on goods coming from developed nations. Amongst non-agricultural products, the European Union has over 135 tariff lines, which are over 15%. Most of these are in labor-intensive goods, which developing countries have a comparative advantage. America has 230 tariff lines above 15%. Import quotas Imposition of quotas causes a physical limit to the value of imports and to the number of units that are imported. Administrative barriers Some nations choose to use administrative barriers as a form of trade protectionism. In such a case, the government may choose to be unnecessarily bureaucratic on firms, which want to import commodities into the country (Singer, 1950). Administrative barriers may be in several forms such as long delays in customs arrangements or inflexible safety and requirement checks. This can be seen in the standards that the European Union imposes on dairy product imports. Preferential Government Procurement Policies and State Aid In such a case, the government allocates significant spending on projects, which do not favor foreign suppliers but rather favor domestic suppliers. This policy is against free trade principles, but it is a crucial part of the trade policies for the developed nations such as nations in Western Europe. An example is such as the awarding of contracts to suppliers of security equipment or construction companies, which carry out infrastructure ventures. The use of financial assistance from the state may also limit free trade in a country. This is such as the use of subsidies in certain chosen sections of the economy. Economic impacts of protectionism Protection from foreign dumping Under the World Trade Organization rules and regulations, dumping is illegal. This is a form of price discrimination and voracious pricing behavior. Dumping is often used in the context of trade disputes between two countries. Businesses from one country may come up and give evidence that manufacturers from the other country are exporting commodities at a cheaper below the actual cost of production. However, it is a difficult and time-consuming task to prove allegations of dumping by a given manufacturer. It is; therefore, hard to prove, and few firms seek to do so. A good number of developing countries often complain about the export refunds offered by the EU to producers. This has the effect of causing a substantial reduction in cost of production for the suppliers. It in turn, leads to lower prices and the offloading the surplus commodities to developing economies. This leads to an adverse effect on the level of demand, profits and competitiveness of the domestic producers even in their home country. Infant industry Some industries may have a potential, comparative advantage in a given sector, but have not yet been able to fully exploit the prospective economies of scale available to them. This calls for short-term protection from established foreign firms to allow the infant industry to establish its own level of comparative advantage. After this, the trade policy protectionism is relaxed to allow the firm to trade competitively with its foreign counterparts. However, this form of protection may cause the industry to be unable to achieve full efficiency. The government may be forced to make these short-term policies permanent. Market failure, externalities and import controls Protectionism can also be used to deal with negative externalities and demerit goods. Demerit goods are such s narcotic drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which have unpleasant social effects. Protectionism can be used economically as a tool to reduce the importation of such commodities or wholly inhibit importation. This may be done by setting high tariffs on these commodities. Supporters of protectionism claim that protectionist laws, which keep out goods from foreign competitors, will save jobs and give domestic manufacturers a chance to prosper and thus cause a positive impact on trade deficits (Schwartz, 2000). On the other hand, protectionism has its costs. A country seeking to put up protectionists laws should first critically weigh the pros to the cons. By this, nations will either choose to the trade policy protection way or the free trade way. Costs of trade policy protectionism John Stuart Mill, a classical philosopher and economist, noted that trade barriers are notably detrimental to any country that chooses to effect them. The folly of protectionist trade policy has been studied by economist throughput the world. All these studies have led to one conclusion; the costs of protectionism entirely outweigh the benefits offered by this trade policy. The main arguments against trade protectionism are as follows: Market distortion Protectionism has proved to be extremely ineffective at sustaining the level of employment in a country. Hurting the consumer Tariffs as a form of trade barrier cause the tax charged on a commodity to increase. This further increases the cost of production and in turn lead to higher prices for the imported commodities. They also protect ineffective sectors of the economy from competition. These tariffs hurt the foreign producer and lead to inefficient allocation of resources both within the country and globally. Import controls enforce costs on the consumers that would not be there if the country practiced free trade. Forms of protection such as tariffs and non-tariff barriers act as a tax on domestic consumers. They are a form of taxation that is regressive in nature. This is because; they hurt the poor consumers as compared to their richer counterparts (Schwartz, 2000). An example is in the European Union where the protectionist policies mean that the highest tax is imposed on necessities such as food and clothing. Loss of jobs Protectionism trade policy may either enforce quotas and/or raise the tax on imported commodities that are entering into the country. These laws limit consumer choice tremendously and increase the cost of doing business and purchasing commodities (Lewis, 1954). In fact, when these protectionist laws reduce consumer spending, they also reduce the level of employment. This can be seen through a survey carried out by the US department of labor. It showed that protectionism causes the loss of eight jobs while saving only one job in the protected industry. Increased prices In Japan, the consumers pay approximately five times more than the world price for rice. This is due to the import restrictions that are put by the government in a bid to protect the Japanese farmers. American consumers also suffer the same fate and end up paying six times more the global market price for sugar. This is due to the trade restrictions imposed by the American government. Protectionism trade policy forces consumers to pay more tax on imported commodities. In addition to this, it also raises the level of general taxes for the consumers. This is because, the government has to increase the bureaucracies existing in the customs department (Lewis, 1954). This is a form of trade regulation. However, the bureaucrats have to be paid. This increases the expense for paying increased customs personnel. As a result, there will be increased taxes to fund this government expedition. Not everyone loses from protectionist trade policy. Some groups such as large corporations, farmers and unions benefit from these laws. They enjoy the support of the government to get higher wages than would be expected in the world market. Trade wars If the government of a given nation A put up trade restrictions against the imports from country B, then country B will strike back by also putting up trade restrictions on imports from country A the final result of this is that both countries will lose. Infant industry protection Economists against the protectionism trade policy have argued that, after the period of protection, the protected industry is likely to have grown. This gives the industry the power to thwart and oppose legislation hence the removal of protection is heavily restricted. This may lead to permanent protection by the government of this industry. Another argument against infant industry protection is that the best way for the government to intervene is not through a tariff but rather by the use of subsidies. A subsidy will be more effective than a tariff if the aim is to increase production. This is because a subsidy does not bring about the unpleasant effect of reducing consumption in the end. Loss of economic welfare Tariffs cause deadweight loss of both the producer and consumer surplus. This is due to a loss of allocative effectiveness. The consumer welfare is reduced by a limit in his/her choice and by an increase in prices. Poor distribution of income An increase in tariffs on consumer goods such as foodstuffs and other necessities often attacks the low-income consumers the most. This protectionism policy may lead to further inequalities in income distribution, in a given country. Production inefficiencies Industries that are protected from competition from their foreign counterparts often have no incentive to produce quality goods or even lower their production costs (Todaro, Michael, Smith, 2009). Negative multiplier effect If a given country puts up trade restriction so goods from another country, the resulting decline in total trade will cause a negative multiplier eeffect. This will have an effect on other countries because exports are an injection of demand to the worldwide circular flow of income. This multiplier effect can be seen better, when the trade war leads to a strike back by the other country. Protectionism policies hardly ever achieve their objectives. They are exceptionally costly to enforce and lead to higher costs by providing the domestic producers with a shield. Economic nationalism This is used to define regulations that are led by the principle of shielding a countries home economy (Todaro, Michael, Smith, 2009). This involves protecting jobs, domestic consumption and investment even if it requires that a tariff, quota or any other means of regulation be imposed. Professor Ha-Joon Chang from Cambridge University argues that almost all developed countries of today promoted their national industries to their current position through protectionism. An example is in the UK and the US where their governments put up relatively high tariffs during the period when they sought industrialization (Chang, 2002). Some economists; therefore, argue that it would be unfair for these countries to re-institute protectionism trade policy. By doing this, they would be preventing developing countries from achieving their own level of development. The alternative to protectionist trade policies is the enforcing of free trade in the society. Most present day economists favor free trade over protectionist trade policy. This is due to the nature of the benefits offered by free trade. Free trade and its benefits Free trade promotes competition and innovation Very few people in the world today grow all their food or even sew all their clothes. This is because they can get them relatively easily. Another reason is that it people feel making their own commodities is time consuming and would cost them too much (Chang, 2002). This opinion also holds in international trade. It is economically sensible to purchase products from those who have specialized in its production or from those who can make it at a cheaper cost and more easily. The main purpose of engaging in trade of any form is so that to acquire access to a greater choice of goods and services. A country participates in exports to be able to acquire goods from other countries in return. Importing; therefore, should be unrestricted since it is unavoidable for the benefit of exporting. Many economists see free trade as the only type of just trade. This is because it offers consumers a wide range of goods and services without restrictions to enable them to improve their standards of living. Free trade also promotes competition and innovation of the local industries. This means that local industries will aim at producing quality goods at a cheaper price to enable them to compete with their counterparts overseas. Protectionism trade policies hinder this level of competition as the industries are shielded from any form of competition. Generates economic growth Free trading rewards risk taking industries with increased profit margins, sales and market share. Companies may reinvest these profits by entering new markets, expanding their operations and creating employment and higher paying jobs. Rivals of free trade fear that if the government removes protectionists trade policies, then people will lose their jobs, especially those working in the manufacturing sector (Lewis, 1954). However, the growth of developed economies such as the U.S is of immense benefit even to poorer countries. When these countries trade with the developed countries, they are able to acquire capital for their budding businesses. This fuels production and fosters the development and growth of new industries. People living below the poverty line are thus able to increase their living standards, acquire more goods and better wages. Free trade; therefore, allows for a win-win situation for both the developed and developing countries. Less developed countries have been caught up in poverty despite all those years of financial aid. The advantage of the less developed countries being able to trade for capital goods other than rely on foreign aid is that the payoffs from investing in development of industries is more long lasting. This is because the funds obtained from foreign aid are privy to fraud and waste by those administering it. Trade in capital goods reduces the dependence of developing countries like Kenya on already developed countries. Free trade disseminates democratic values. Free trade encourages support for the rule of law. Firms that engage in international trade are forced to abide in the rules and regulations found in contracts and any other international laws of trade. An outstanding example is how the World Trade Organization requires all its members to abide to terms of trade. Also in the event of any trade dispute, its members have to honor the decisions that WTO comes up with to end the trade dispute (Chang, 2002). Like all other trade policies, free trade also has a substantial number of demerits. These are such as: It may lead to entry of harmful products such as drugs and illegal arms, which may lead to loss of social welfare May cause dumping especially in less developed nations May lead to loss of employment in industries which do not have a comparative advantage in production. The government may lose the tax revenue obtained from enforcing tariffs There are countless benefits to protectionism as there are to free trade. A country; therefore, should choose which of the two trade policies improves the living standards of its citizens while leading to substantial economic growth. A country should be able to forego the cost of its chosen trade policy when weighed against its benefits. On the other hand, when making this crucial decision it would be of utmost importance for the government to note that contemporary economist of today supports the abolishing of protectionist trade policy. Almost all of these economists and philosophers whole-heartedly embrace the logic of free trade in the world. Buy custom Protectionism essay

Foreign operations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Foreign operations - Assignment Example This would enable the firm to retain control over its foreign operations and proprietary rights over its technology. In this case, wholly owned subsidiaries may be the ideal mode of entry because it reduces the risks of losing control over the foreign operations. Alternatively, a firm may prefer licensing as a mode of entry in case the technological competence is only transitory. On the other hand, firms enjoying competitive advantage based on managerial knowhow may rely on international trademark regulations to protect trademarked products and services (Nande & Shaila, 2007). Further, these firms experience a lower risk of losing control of management skills, thus making franchising and joint ventures attractive modes of entry. The strategies adopted by a company also determine its mode of entry in foreign markets. For instance, Tesco has assumed a rather unique strategic approach in its global expansion within the grocery industry. Tesco’s strategy entails ignoring highly competitive markets and pursuing markets with high growth potential and low levels of competition (Tesco, 2014). As such, Tesco is able to use its competence in management knowhow to expand within the international markets, without incurring the unnecessary costs of competing in mature and highly competitive markets. Tesco’s global expansion strategy entails identifying underserved markets with strong growth potential, identifying local companies with effective understanding of their markets and with strong distribution systems, entering into joint venture agreements with them, transferring management expertise to these ventures and later acquiring these ventures (Tesco, 2014). The joint venture strategy has proven to be a very effective entry strategy for Tesco within the international market. The company has been able to improve its financial performance and competitive advantage by leveraging its expertise and tapping into the knowledge of the local