Digital Divide Essay Example for Free

Digital Divide Essay The term digital divide emerged in the mid-1990’s to describe the gap that exists between individuals who have access to technology and those that do not have access (Eamon, 2004). Computer technology has transformed modern society in profound ways (Behrman Shields, 2000). Everyday society exposes citizens to technology in some form. Citizens integrate technology into common tasks such as signing into work, paying bills, shopping, paying taxes, and even reading the local newspaper (Behrman Shields, 2000). The increasing integration of technology into society cause school systems to be more resolute about including technology in every classroom. School leaders generally agree that access to technology prepares students to succeed in the 21st century (Bell, Judge, Puckett, 2006). Other researchers point out that increasing access to technology in the classroom environment does not ensure academic improvement. These researchers point out that there are limits to the advantages that technology offers. A meta-analysis by Crismann, Badgert and Lucking (1997) involving 27 studies concerning academic achievement of students who received traditional classroom instruction or traditional classroom instruction with technology integration showed interesting results. On average, students receiving technology infused instruction attained higher academic achievement than 58. 2 percent of those in traditional classrooms (Page, 2002). The digital divide addresses societal differences that correlate to the educational outcomes of students. Such differences raised concerns about the emergence of the digital divide between the children on one side who are benefiting from technology and the children on the other side who the lack of technology access leaves behind (Becker, 2000). Key Terms and Definitions 1. Application – computer software; also called a program 2. Broadband – a type of data transmission in which a single wire can carry several channels at once. Broadband technology can transmit data, audio, and video all at once over long distances. 3. Chat – real time, text-based communication in a virtual environment 4. Digital Divide – the gap between those with regular, effective access to digital technologies and those without 5. Digital Technology – machinery and computer equipment used for practical and informative purposes 6. Learning Portal – any web site that offers learners and organizations consolidated access to learning and training resources from multiple sources 7. Multimedia – interactive text, images, sounds, and color 8. Network – two or more computers that are connected so users can share files and devices 9. Online – a computer communicating with another computer 10. World Wide Web (www) – a graphical Internet tool that provides access to homepages created by individuals, businesses, and other organizations Statement of Hypothesis Researchers define the digital divide as discrepancies in technology use and access in learning environments based on ethnicity and socioeconomic status (Pearson Swain, 2002). School systems and government programs supply technology equipment and software to United States’ schools in effort to close the digital divide. Nearly every school is now equipped with computers, and over two-thirds of our nation’s children have access at home (Shields Behrman, 2000). Equal access and supply cannot close the digital divide alone. Teachers need adequate training on selection of technology and integration of technology. Teachers, parents, and students must become technology literate in order to close the digital divide. Review of Literature Advantages of Technology and Academic Performance The digital divide influences academic performance because limited student access to technology minimizes experiences and knowledge necessary to succeed academically. Computer based technology contributes to children’s academic achievement. Researchers associate having a home computer to better academic performance (Jackson et al. , 2006). Schools play a critical role in providing access to computers to students who do not have home computers. Teachers can have a profound effect on the digital divide by carefully examining how and when technology use is necessary. Regular use of technology in the classroom directly contributes to student achievement, both by making students more effective in their learning and teachers more efficient in their teaching. Teacher education should not focus on technology alone, but on its alignment with the curriculum. In order for this alignment with the curriculum to take place, more computers must be available for students use. Technology integrated into the curriculum increases students’ time on task and extends learning into the home, beyond the traditional school day (Shield Behrman, 2000). Classrooms benefit from the advantages of technology if planning is efficient and effective for a particular group of students. Students must understand that the use of technology within lessons supports productivity. Technology is a tool that students use for learning, research, networking, collaboration, telecommunications, and problem solving. Technology lessons must be meaningful and engaging for students to improve academic performance. Teachers are able to shift student learning from memorizing answers to questions to knowing how to find answers. Activities that encourage students to use technology outside of the classroom such as using the technology lab, school media center, or local public library prepare students for future educational experiences. Using technology for academic tasks plays a positive role in student achievement (Wenglinsky, 2005). If students participate in authentic technology enhanced activities on a regular basis, these activities will offer students the support they need to become learners that are more proficient and possibly narrow the divide. Limitations of Technology and Academic Performance The level and quality of the student interactions with technology can limit the academic advantages that technology offers. Students must be able to use computers for more than web-surfing, chatting, game playing, and participating in low-level thinking activities. Student interactions with computers must be quality interactions that allow students to do research and create original multimedia products. Although 99% of public classrooms have access to computers, many students are not meeting the technology standards set by the National Educational Technology Standards (Morgan VanLengen, 2005). While technology exposes students to activities that allow them to use higher order thinking and problem solving techniques, they still prefer to engage in non-academic activities on the Internet. Becker (2000) states that â€Å"most student Internet activities were recreational in nature such as email, chat rooms, web-based games, web surfing, and listening to music†. Many children’s activities on the Internet appear to be for entertainment purposes instead of educational purposes. While the Internet gives students access to an array of educational tools, it also gives them access to non-academic material. Teachers often have trouble monitoring student use of appropriate websites, electronic mail messages, instant messages, and live chat rooms. Without careful observation, students can easily use school time to access material that is inappropriate for children and will not improve academic improvement. Even if teachers properly monitor students, they may not benefit from having access to computers in the classroom. Research by Lilia C. DiBello (2005) states that many teachers have not been properly trained to integrate technology in the classroom. While teachers may be comfortable with navigating various types of software, they often have trouble implementing the technology to meet technology standards (DiBello, 2005). Teacher preparation programs now require future teachers to take a technology course as a graduation requirement. However, technology is rapidly changing and school systems offer few opportunities that allow teachers to keep up with the changes modern technology brings. When teachers are not willing and not prepared to integrate technology into their classrooms, they often fail to prepare students to perform authentic tasks using the computers. Teachers often use computers for low-level thinking activities such as drill and practice (Pearson Swain, 2002). According to Pearson and Swain (2002), students in high-poverty schools use computers for drill and practice 35% of the time, as opposed to students in low-poverty schools, who used computers for drill and practice 26% of the time. Schools who are below the poverty line are also more often to use computers for remedial purposes instead of higher order thinking skills. Teachers rarely teach students to use the computers to answers questions that they ask, research topics, or to prepare multimedia projects that coincide with the subjects they have learned in the classroom. Importance of Closing the Divide The digital divide exists both quantitatively and qualitatively. Gillan (2003) supported that quantitative gaps exist in schools and families where there is not enough access or time spent with technology. Qualitative gaps refer to selection of appropriate applications and quality training. Many studies have drawn the conclusion that the key factor in closing the digital divide may not be access alone. As years have passed, attention moved away from who is connected to the question of who is served. It is important to consider that the upper-to-middle classes are given high-quality access to technology because technologists are hard at work creating â€Å"solutions† designed just for them. According to Morgan and VanLengen (2005), most affluent students use software that requires the use of critical thinking skill. Less affluent students predominately use drill and practice software. Many school officials feel that technologists ignore solutions for the poor. The result is often that schools give the poor low-quality access that could actually hurt them and, in some sense, widen the divide. Because of the continued influences of technology on society, the United States must address the digital divide and implement strategies to narrow the gap. It is imperative to focus on what can be done if needs cannot be met. Students that are technology savvy have significant advantages over their peers. Students with limited technology skills will not have the same educational or job opportunities and information that will be necessary for full and knowledgeable participation in society. Leaders should not subject students to the wrong side of the digital divide just because computer access at home is limited or none. It is the responsibility of the schools and communities to help narrow the gap. The schools are the primary source of computer access. Schools can promote digital equity for young children by including access to computer resources used in developmentally appropriate ways (Judge, 2005). The digital divide has consequences that extend beyond the school. If the digital divide was only a matter of unequal access to equipment, closing it would simply involve duplicating the resources of wealthy schools in poorer schools (Riel, Schwartz, Hitt, 2002). Educators need to learn the basics of information literacy: searching, evaluating materials for quality, risk assessment, and equally important privacy protection. These skills go beyond online behavior to include mass media and everyday communications. Conclusion It is the job of educators to plan technology-integrated lessons that are appropriate for the particular group they are teaching. Educators must have knowledge and skills to integrate technology into meaningful activities of interest and relevance to children. Educators need to be aware of the advantages and the limitations of technology for all students. The primary key to closing the digital divide is investment in literacy and education. The biggest barrier to use of digital technology is lack of skills. It is possible that the next generation of the World Wide Web, referred to as Internet, emphasizes the need to go beyond text to give users a sensory experience of the web. Some governments are exploring the use of cell phones, and applications like voice recognition technology or use of visual icons on various devices. The implications for closing the digital divide are important to society. Closing the digital divide will offer educational advantages, future employment and earning opportunities, chance for social and civic involvement, equity, and civil rights for all.

Importance Of Geography To International Relations Politics Essay

Importance Of Geography To International Relations Politics Essay At first, it is necessary to identify the important issues that are going to be developed, I rather to start with the international relations which is the study of human interactions through national borders and the factors that affect those interactions. This definition briefly gives a globalized approach that makes people understand that nations are not the unique actor involve in the developed of the international relations but now there are many other institutions that actually affect those relationships and in some cases can change its complete direction. Those new actors can be intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, international nongovernmental organizations and multinational corporations. On the other hand, there is the geography that would be explained based on this quote: Geography is the study of the patterns and processes of human (built) and environmental (natural) landscapes, where landscapes comprise real (objective) and perceived (subjective) space.  [1]  , in a simple way the previous definition immediately reminds us to the key problem to treat. The most important relation between the geography and the international relations appeared when countries realize the differences they had with their neighboring countries, in culture, thinking and the last but the relevant one, the resources. In the final years of the XIX century began the study of the geopolitics  [2]  that appears as consequences of three important situations that occurred in the international level. The first one is the consolidation of nation-state that is a territory with a population whose has sovereignty and the power to manage that territory, when this word was defined, the head of the states was concern about having the bigger territory as it was possible, also appears terms related with the national interest. The second event that marked the study of geopolitics is the II industrial revolution where the main resource demanded was the economic capital and in a secondary instance, the natural resources; with the revolution, states become aware of the nee d of the resources that they did not have so they had to get it from other nation-states. The third thing is related to the liberalism and the socialism that in few words, are expansionist ideologies. The socialism that says that the best government is the one that guarantees the equality between the members of the society people under this believe thinks that the socialism is possible just if it is in a global scale, and the liberalism is the ideology of the believe that the democracy is the best polity and every single country must have it, these theory arises and develop the idea of the universal rights. The factors already named, are the causes of the emergence of the interrelation between the geography and the international relations because the strategic countries started to look in the non strategic countries a sources to get everything they needed to increase their economies and guarantee a successful development of their society, so they began invading other territories already delimited (randomly) and tried to impose their authority everywhere they arrive, this caused a drastically changed in the international relation because every single country realized that they were not alone and that now had to fight to keep the current state they had, also states were seeing each other as a treat, because of this there were continues fights. A significant example of this, is what happened in Europe in the final years of the XIX centuries, the time know as the age of imperialism. Having occurred a list of situations that changed the image that Europe had of themselves. European countries saw Africans as defenseless people that needed to be defended. They sent people to study the behavior of the people living in the black continent, after a period the powerful European countries were completely inside of Africa and had a control over it. The imperial that used strategies to get the richest (resources) places in Africa was Great Britain who developed important naval and military power to fight not just with Africans but also to defeat the other European countries such as Portugal, France and Germany that were also trying to expand their territory and sovereignty in the dominated country. Finally Great Britain got the power from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and from Cabo to Cairo. This has many consequences for the world order and organization, in this moment began the overseas trade of slaves and caused the emergence of African countries as nations whose h as their power based on guns. There some important authors that consider that without the age of imperialism do not hear were possible things like the spread of European languages in the hold world, also were an absence of institutions that makes the international relations what it is today. The previous paragraph shows how the application of the geography in the decisions to make in the international level (that affect another nations and their relation) can produce a lot of consequences, those would be positive or negative but the history shows that most of them has been positives and those that were negative, evolved while the time was running and now we live in a organized world that obviously is not perfect but at least spite of that are many potential fights, this can be and are controlled with the tools that international institutions has to keep the world order and the peaceful relations between nations. Another example that can be explained to prove the affirmation at the beginning is what is happening in the Antarctic, the polar caps are being thawed. But what happens with this situation? At first, it is known that many countries have their economy based in the freight transport or activities related to, some countries are Malaysia, Netherlands Panama and Singapore. The way how they are affected is because this important geographic change, caused because of an environmental issue, makes that the ports that are placed in those countries are not going to be as crowed as they used to be. All this because of the National geography showed a documental about how a group of Fishers in a big fishing boat decided to explore the Antarctic and see how difficult would be to cross from the Atlantic to the pacific to arrive to China, avoidant passed by the Indian Ocean. Second consequences is that now exist (for some countries) the possibility to distributed the last part of the world (the only one that has not being distributed) experts in geography and geopolitics affirms that it could (and most likely) leads to a struggle for having control over that zone. The third issue related to this change is about Netherlands, some projections demonstrate that if the polar caps continue thawing, this country ,that is place under the sea level and that has survive with the develop of very specific engineering, would be partially awash. Again it was prove, the international relations is considerably affected by the geography, this example is just a supposition of what would happen, but there consequences (positive or negative) may be much deeper of what it has been explained. Not to go too far, there is perfect example happening inside of Colombia and involve United States on one hand and on another hand is Venezuela and Ecuador. This is related to the military bases that United States has and use in Colombia. The interest of the US on having a close relation with Colombia is not exactly to help the country, but is for the geographical position. It is known that allied countries on Venezuela ´s side are facing the consequences of having a revolutionary government and in the case of Venezuela; they are having many structural changes to become a socialist country. Because of this, Venezuela and Ecuador are seen as potential threats. So, what US want is to somehow have a control over the region or at least being constantly reported about what is happening in those neighboring countries. The example shows how a geographical position of one country could become this attractive, for another country that is a world power, and leads to create and maintain a rel ation just to explore around him. Nowadays it still being important the geography in the international relations but, for many people, has took a secondary position in order of relevance, this is because of the globalization, with developing of technology, the media communication and the many cheap and fast means of transport, the hold world is constantly connected and easily what happens in one place has consequences in another extreme of the world. So, is not necessary to being neighboring countries to attack or to have influence over a region or country. Can be said that the affirmation made in the last paragraph is truth but has a critic and is that spite that the economies are highly developed, somewhere almost everything can be produce or invented and the transportation is not a problem anymore; there are some resources that are vital for a society to exist but that are scarce resources and the real fight will come when countries begin to use the force or the military force to obtain those scarce resources. Those are water and oil, but the last one is the one about the countries are already concern, everywhere there is people trying to find a complete substitute of this and there are many advances on it but oil continue having its key importance. Everybody would think that maybe the coming war is going to be in Europe again or maybe Asia but it is not, this war will be in the Middle East exactly where are placed Iraq, Iran and Syria. All this is because between those countries they have the 55% of the world ´Ã‚  [3]  s oil res erves. Finally, can be said that the geography is not a physical study but also gets involves in the human activities and interactions, also is related to the international relations being more specific, is related to the foreign policy of a country, this is because when an issue about distribution (resources, land, space, sea) emergence every single country need to establish their position and an idea of how are they going to act when facing the issue. When the geopolitics appeared, there were some events that mark the way it was going to be studied and how would be that study based on. Those events are the definition of nations-states (territory, population and sovereignty), the II industrial revolution that made countries to see the need of interdependence they should create and have, to develop the production and the new definition in that time, the economies of scale. The third factor that influence the study of the geopolitics is the liberalism and the socialism that are theories about the best polities to be applied on a state. Another important argument that supports the affirmation was the historical approach, because there plenty of evidence that shows that we are not alone and is needed to interact with other countries and organizations in order to get an improvement or to decrease a threat. Well, States are interconnected, and is important to keep a peaceful relation to maintain a world order and stability in the international level. When a problem is being studied, it is vital to go to a Geographic map to understand which could be the geographical factors that influence in the develop of the problem or also doing this, can be conclude that the problem is a totally about a geographical factor. Also many people involve in the geopolitics believes that the international relation just talks about who can do what to whom  [4]   and this would not to be answer without taking into account many other science but from all of it, the most determinant is the geography.

Trainee Accountant Recruitment :: Essays Papers

RECRUITMENT OF TRAINEE ACCOUNTANTS Finding ways to support improvements on traditional approaches is a constant challenge to any field and control professionals, who must be open and receptive to change. Not being afraid of change isn't enough, however; accountants must be excited and motivated about new ways of doing things. With the introduction of Human Resources, people in an organization have taken a new role. Long gone were the days when an accountant is a clerk. In today’s day and age, an employee is an asset for that company. They are a major investment and companies thrive in protecting their interests and development. Human Resources (HR) have developed and now is a full fledged field. Most companies have some sort of Human Resource management. Basically where there is hiring and firing, there is Human Resources activities involved. Whether it is a small firm or a large corporation, Recruitment and Selection is needed in every kind of organization. HR defines the organization objective to its employees. It makes the people involved to be part of the organization and work towards a goal. It also enhances ones responsibilities more clearly. The job activities and profile will be to work towards organizational goal yet at the same achieving personal objectives. Hence, in HR employee’s development is very important whether by relationship building or through training. All kinds of skills are taken into accounts and measure before an employee is hired. Career plans and objectivity in life is top priority as this will determines whether the prospective employee is a good investment or not. A major role of HR is Recruitment and Selection, which will be the topic of this article. The Recruitment and Selection procedure in any organization is most important, as they are the foundation for which the company makes the decision of hiring and invests in an individual. Selection means to choose the best candidate for a particular job, keeping in mind how his goals are in tune with the organization’s goals. HR has made this process of selection sophisticated and more challenging. Educational background and years of experience are no longer the only major pre-requisite. What people know is less important than who they are. Hiring, is not about finding people with the right experience. It's about finding people with the right mindset. These companies hire for attitude and train for skill. A mix of ten different intelligence’s: deductive, inductive, mechanical, memory, numerical, perceptual, reasoning, spatial, verbal, and vocabulary.

Culture Conflicts: Native Americans versus the White Man :: Racial Relations, Cultural Differences

People had already been living in the America long before the white man ever â€Å"discovered† it. These people were known as the Native Americans. They had lived peacefully on the land, for hundred of years till the early 1800s when white settlers began their move towards the West. As these white settler came upon the Native Americans they brought with them unwavering beliefs that would end up causing great conflicts with the Native people, who had their own way set of values. It was clear that the white man and the Native Americans could not live among each other peacefully for their values and culture were much too different. The Native Americans who occupied America before any white settlers ever reached the shores â€Å"covered the land as the waves of a wind-ruffled sea cover its shell paved floor† (1). These Native people were one with nature and the Great Spirit was all around them. They were accustom to their way of life and lived peacefully. All they wish was to live on their land and continue the traditions of their people. When the white settler came upon their land the values of the Native people were challenged, for the white settlers had nothing in common and believe that it was their duty to assimilate the Native Americans to the white way of life. However the Native Americans strongly regarded their way of live. In their culture the order of nature, was vastly important. It was understood that there was an order to which nature worked and because of this they were tied to the land. They could not comprehend how the whites could â€Å"wander far from the graves of [their] ancestors and seemingly without regret† (Chief Joseph 2). The white settlers came to America and immediately started to conquer the land, without feeling any shame. To the Native Americans that was shocking, for they believed that â€Å"even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead...[had] memories of stirring events connected with the lives of [their] people† (Chief Joseph 3). They did not understand how someone could forget their ancestors, and fight nature in such a way that there is room for nobody but themselves. All the same though the white settlers could not see that what they were doing as wrong. They had come to the West to begin a n ew chapter in life, and if the Native Americans could not accept this, then they had to be dealt with.

Essay --

Sustainable consumption is primarily concerned with the quality of growth, rather than the quantity of growth. Analysts have made two important observations regarding the current growth models. The first is that as emerging economies continue to grow, most of the wealth is accumulated in the hands of a few wealthy individuals, leading to large inequality in society. The second is that economic growth increases well-being in society, but only to the extent to which it provides for the basic needs of people. Beyond that, growth makes hardly any marginal contribution to well-being, while having damaging impacts on the environment. Aside from this, the World Economic Forum recently started to recognize sustainable consumption as an economic opportunity and future direction for business. Under-consumption is an aspect of unsustainable consumption. Many rural areas still need stable food supplies, shelter, energy, as well as infrastructure for health and education, which are essential to poverty eradication and are domains for sustainable consumption. The rural poor tend to live in fragile environmental areas, and their livelihoods heavily dependent on natural resource use and ecosystem services. Sustainable consumption ensures that these resources are exploited in an equitable manner and with long-term considerations From economic perspective, sustainable consumption can robust economic growth, the economy involves increased employment opportunities, increased use of foreign investment and the rate of unemployment and poverty reduced. Both are equal in developed economies can be accepted by all people, and to benefit from the economic development. Third is efficiency in the planning and development of the planned economy. This effici... ...orking with communities to develop drought-resilient agricultural techniques accessible to poor farmers. This has helped to reduce climate risks, increase yields and diversify food production. The techniques are based on local knowledge, use locally available materials and Cambodian innovations, and minimize labor costs. They include: integrated farming, where by-products of chicken and fish rearing provide organic fertilizers for vegetable production, enhancement of aquatic food species (fish, crabs, snails) that naturally live in flooded rice fields, drip irrigation, using cheap and locally produced materials, water harvested by traditional methods and innovations in mulching to retain soil moisture and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and other innovations in rice production, to minimize external inputs, reduce vulnerability to drought and enhance yields. Essay -- Sustainable consumption is primarily concerned with the quality of growth, rather than the quantity of growth. Analysts have made two important observations regarding the current growth models. The first is that as emerging economies continue to grow, most of the wealth is accumulated in the hands of a few wealthy individuals, leading to large inequality in society. The second is that economic growth increases well-being in society, but only to the extent to which it provides for the basic needs of people. Beyond that, growth makes hardly any marginal contribution to well-being, while having damaging impacts on the environment. Aside from this, the World Economic Forum recently started to recognize sustainable consumption as an economic opportunity and future direction for business. Under-consumption is an aspect of unsustainable consumption. Many rural areas still need stable food supplies, shelter, energy, as well as infrastructure for health and education, which are essential to poverty eradication and are domains for sustainable consumption. The rural poor tend to live in fragile environmental areas, and their livelihoods heavily dependent on natural resource use and ecosystem services. Sustainable consumption ensures that these resources are exploited in an equitable manner and with long-term considerations From economic perspective, sustainable consumption can robust economic growth, the economy involves increased employment opportunities, increased use of foreign investment and the rate of unemployment and poverty reduced. Both are equal in developed economies can be accepted by all people, and to benefit from the economic development. Third is efficiency in the planning and development of the planned economy. This effici... ...orking with communities to develop drought-resilient agricultural techniques accessible to poor farmers. This has helped to reduce climate risks, increase yields and diversify food production. The techniques are based on local knowledge, use locally available materials and Cambodian innovations, and minimize labor costs. They include: integrated farming, where by-products of chicken and fish rearing provide organic fertilizers for vegetable production, enhancement of aquatic food species (fish, crabs, snails) that naturally live in flooded rice fields, drip irrigation, using cheap and locally produced materials, water harvested by traditional methods and innovations in mulching to retain soil moisture and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and other innovations in rice production, to minimize external inputs, reduce vulnerability to drought and enhance yields.

Non-Violent Protest: Dr. Martin Luther King

Non-violent protest: Dr. Martin Luther King This morning, I woke up to turn on the 7 o clock news and listened to the reporter inform America on violence around the world. There were stories ranging from a shootout in Homewood to wars amongst territories. If violence continues to breakdown communities, there will come a time where there will be no communities left to destroy. My grandmother was telling me how today is not the same day as yesterday; when brothers and sisters helped each other progress through struggles. During the1900s, society was unjust because of color.Whites wanted to rule the nation, but this was not in the interest of black people. Blacks wanted an end to segregation, injustices, and white supremacy. There were many different leaders that used different methods to strive for the achievement of this goal and many failed. Dr. Martin Luther King made a great contribution to the conclusion of oppression for blacks. What did Martin Luther King do differently to help blacks and whites walk together after centuries of oppression? During the 1900s, blacks were faced with major obstacles that still affect people today.Blacks were not given opportunities to receive great education (Washington, M. (2006)). During that time, in Mississippi, three dollars was spent on an African American’s education and sixty dollars was spent on a white person’s education. Blacks were not allowed to vote and were not perceived as true citizens of the United States (Washington, M. (2006)). Whites sought to terrorize black people by preventing them from living life freely (Washington, M. (2006)). The world was separated and blacks were left with the trashy side of it (Washington, M. (2006)).African Americans wanted change, but they did not know how to make a huge societal change. During the time of oppression against black people, there were people, organizations, movements, and protest that aimed for black power and separation. The Black Panther Party was formed in 1966 and aimed to overthrow their white oppressors (Mintz, S. (2007)). Bookter T. Washington thought it would be a good idea to accommodate whites, integrate races economically and be separate socially. Marcus Garvey advocated a â€Å"back to Africa movement† because he saw a future with no love between blacks and whites.Black Muslims advocated racial separation and it was cultivated in their religion (Mintz, S. (2007)). Muhammad said â€Å"Your entire race will be destroyed and removed from this earth by Almighty God. And those black men who are still trying to integrate will inevitably be destroyed along with the whites (Mintz, S. (2007))† He showed much anger to white people and wanted total separation with black supremacy (Mintz, S. (2007)). Malcolm X was a leader that advocated violence if it was necessary to break down the walls of racial oppression. By any means necessary† is a famous quote stated by Malcolm X that shows his view on obtaining bl ack power (Mintz, S. (2007)). These leaders are known to be great but oppression continued to build; there was still no peace. Whites continued to oppress blacks and looked for ways to make their lives miserable. Dr. King believed society would be demolished if everything continued. He decided to take a different approach. â€Å"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that† is an infamous quote stated by Dr.Martin Luther King Jr (King, M. (1998)). Dr. King lived his whole life during a time where blacks were severely mistreated and faced enormous injustices. He felt if blacks continued to fight back with violence, then there would be a world with no peace until it is destroyed. Dr. King had a dream that blacks would not be judged by the content of their skin but by the content of their character. (Dyson, M. E. (2008)) He dreamed of a world with equal opportunities and civil rights (Dyson, M. E. (2008)). He wante d this dream to become sight and many people influenced his approach.He advocated six principles to help society reach his vision. I would like to use this section of the paper to establish who and what inspired the practices and ideas of Dr. King. While pursuing a degree at the Crozer Theological Seminary, King listened to a lecture presented by Mahatma Gandhi (King, M. (1998)). Being inspired by his words, King read different books written by Ghandi (King, M. (1998)). He learned that Ghandi used non-violence against British rule in India (King, M. (1998)). King believed this was a method that could possibly settle the injustices for blacks in America.For more influence, King studied the theories of Henry David Thoreau with the intent to make a societal change (Dyson, M. E. (2008)). King was familiar with the leaders who used non-violence such as Frederick Douglass, Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, but King wanted everyone to get involved (Mintz, S. (2007)). King partnered up wit h Ralph Abernathy and Bayard Rustin and formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (Jerome, B. (2011)). King aimed for the SCLC to be attractive to the black church so that everyone would play a role (Jerome, B. (2011)). The 6 principles that King advocated 1 Do not humiliate or defeat (King Jr, M. (1957)). During this time of injustice, there was much hatred between black and white people. Blacks were always being defeated by whites, and they were tired of white supremacy. As a result, blacks aimed to defeat their oppressors to live life freely. Dr. King, the enlightened thinker, opposed the view. Dr. King said â€Å"the nonviolent resister should not seek to humiliate or defeat the opponent but to win his friendship and understanding (King Jr, M. (1957)). † Dr. King practiced what he preached. After Rosa Parks rejected to give up her seat to a white man on the bus, she was arrested.Many community leaders and Dr. King developed a bus boycott (King Jr, M. (1957)). Th is allowed King to implement what he learned from Ghandi. Dr. King was arrested and his house was fire bombed. After his house was bombed, he called out for his family (King Jr, M. (1957)). Instead of fighting back with violence he said â€Å"Now let's not become panicky, if you have weapons, take them home; if you do not have them, please do not seek to get them. We cannot solve this problem through retaliatory violence. We must meet violence with nonviolence. We must love our white brothers, no matter what they do to us.We must meet hate with love (Jerome, B. (2011)). † However, that did not stop him. For about 13 months, 17,000 black people in Montgomery refused to ride the bus (Jerome, B. (2011)). As a result, the company was losing too much money. On November 13th, 1956, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was known as a success, because the buses were desegregated. #2. Non-violent resistance is not for cowards (King Jr, M. (1957)). Some may raise opposition and believe that they have too much pride to be disrespected. Many thought it was a cowardly act, however, King believed otherwise.King said non-violent resistance is passive and always seeks opportunities to convince the opponent of advantages in forming a loving relationship (Dyson, M. E. (2001)). Although one is not violent, one continues to drive on coming together. A person, who drives on togetherness despite opposition, is brave and strong because it is not easy to go against the masses (Dyson, M. E. (2001)). This was shown during the Greensboro sit-in on February 1st, 1960. Four black students from North Carolina A;T State University decided to sit at the â€Å"whites only† counter at a local restaurant (Schlosser, J. (1998)).They did not get served and decided to stay seated in the section until they were served. They continued to return day after day and brought friends with them. After a week, hundreds were waiting to be served (Schlosser, J. (1998)). The restaurant eventually served th e students and the protest influenced many non-violent protests throughout different cities (Schlosser, J. (1998)). Instead of fighting, mirroring, and hating, the students looked to eat with other white people. The white people did not like it, but they had the chance to hear the black students. #3: Non-violent resisters attack forces of evil (King Jr, M. 1957)). African Americans believed that they were always under-attack and had to defend themselves. If people are striving for a world full of peace, evil has to be non-existent. During the 1900s, blacks and whites had evil intentions, but it was acceptable for whites to behave on their intentions (Washington, M. (2006)). King wanted the evil intentions to exit the minds of everyone and out of the world. King said â€Å"We are out to defeat injustice and not white persons who may be unjust (King Jr, M. (1957)). † Instead of hurting the person who has done evil, attack the evil forces.He wanted everyone to concentrate on att acking the evil forces of injustice, instead of trying to defeat the white man. Given you have killed a white man; the evil forces will continue to live. However, if you attack the evil forces, everyone can walk together. In 1961, the Freedom Riders abided by this principle. Black and white Freedom Riders left Washington D. C. in 1961 and rode buses, trains, and planes from city to city to protest against the forces of evil that segregated interstate transportation (Lisker, D. (2001)). They reached opposition, mobs and were arrested (Lisker, D. (2001)).After much perseverance, great support was gained from around the world. #4 Non-violent resisters accept suffering without retaliation (King Jr, M. (1957)). King believed one should accept violence but never commit it. This would enable white people to hear and listen to what they had to say (King Jr, M. (1957)). It may sound crazy because in today’s world, many problems are dealt with by using retaliation; just watch the news. However, earlier generations watched blacks accept the abuse, and later shake hands with white people. In 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed and 4 black girls were killed (Simkin, J. (2011)).Instead of the parents and the community trying to kill Chambliss, the bomber, they accepted the suffering (Simkin, J. (2011)). They non-violently protested to let their voice be heard and Chambliss was sentenced to life in prison (Simkin, J. (2011). If they had retaliated, there would have been more than four dead girls. By not retaliating, Chambliss, who had used forces of evil, left society. As a result, there was one less force to fight against. #5 In Non-violent resistance, one loves the opponent with â€Å"agape (King Jr, M. (1957)). † Agape means unconditional love, and King expected everyone to love their opponent with it.Many people struggled with this principle because people could not find anything within themselves to love someone who terrorized them for so long. King wanted everyone to love everyone despite the opposition and the oppression (Dyson, M. E. (2008)). The avocation of this belief brought many colors together. King said â€Å"Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate (Dyson, M. E. (2008)). † King wanted blacks to shine light on breaking this chain of hate and to bring love into the relationships. #6 In Non-violence resistances, the universe is just (King Jr, M. (1957)).Evidently, there are many people who share difficulty in loving your opponent. King believes the world was created to be just, but everyone is free to act with their own free will. People acted with their own free will and brought forces of evil into the world. The forces continued to grow since the start of time. King wanted everyone to understand that the world will evolve into a just universe. King encouraged others to believe that God is moving us toward universal love and wholeness continual (Dyson, M. E. (2008)). He used this principle to reinforce to African Americans that justice will be served in God’s time (Dyson, M. E. 2008)). He wanted African American activists to have and keep faith that justice will be served in the future. All of the work for justice will result in love, peace and justice everywhere is a belief that King stood by. Some may say non-violence was not going to fix the injustices in society. In the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), non-violence was their method to help the conditions of black people (Digital Library of Georgia. (2011, July 11)). In Los Angeles in 1965, an African- American was arrested with physical force because a white police officer thought he was intoxicated (Digital Library of Georgia. 2011, July 11)). People crowded around the scene in the neighborhood of Watts and started to violate the police officers. There was great tension between the people of Watts and the white authority for days. After, SNCC used violence as their method to help relieve blacks of oppression because non-violence was not putting an end to it. They believed that blacks needed to build power instead of trying to receive accommodations from the people with power, whites (Mintz, S. (2007)). Stokely Carmichael was head of the SNCC in May of 1966 and sought to use violence to beat oppression (Digital Library of Georgia. (2011, July 11)).The non-violence approach did not work for the SNCC; however, they did not continue to persevere through the tough time. Perseverance is defined as steady persistence in a course of action despite difficulties. Dr. King is an infamous historical icon that held this trait. People should not have expected time to change immediately after many years of oppression. When Dr. King persevered and gained strong support, changed happened, and he used the method of non-violence which brought everyone together. To conclude, Dr. King’s approach to help heal society was very different from the violent retaliation that people advocated.Dr. King overcame much to achieve his vision. He dealt with blacks not wanting to support his method, but to oppose it. He dealt with whites constantly trying to prevent him from making a change in society, but Dr. King continued to advocate and practice his principles. He was able to see that blacks had been trying to make a change by using violence for many years and it did not work. He understood that if blacks fought for black supremacy then it would just cause war and corruption. Whites feared being oppressed and became threatened when blacks retaliated; which drove for more oppression. Dr.King knew if a change was going to be made, then there would have to be love in the world. His approach was successful because he got the attention of white people, and they listened to what he had to say. When blacks retaliated, whites had no time to listen because they had to look for new ways to oppress black people more. I admire Dr. Kin g because he was able to bring blacks and whites together after the hatred between the two races for many years. Presently, we have blacks killing their brothers, sisters and communities without the development of a black society. This is an issue within the black community that needs to be fixed.What should we do? We should apply the 6 principles presented by Dr. King. We have to teach our brothers and sisters not to aim to defeat each other, but to love and lift up one another. We have to teach our brothers and sisters that life is not about being the â€Å"baddest† person on the block; it is ok to walk away out of love. We need to attack the evil forces that are causing the bad behaviors of our brothers and sisters. The people within the black communities need to be taught how to accept it when someone strikes you in the face, and to retaliate with love instead of a shot to the head.We have to show our brothers and sisters that we love them unconditionally; as a result, lo ve will drive out hate. It will be hard to teach people that the non-violent principles work, just as it was hard for Dr. King. Many people are ignorant of his contribution to society and are unaware of his method. I think the ideas, values, beliefs and history of the 1900s were not passed down from generation to generation effectively enough. When I was in elementary school, my grandmother told me â€Å"if someone hits you, do not hit them back. † She was able to see how effective non-violent protests were.My parents told me â€Å"if someone hits you, then you hit them back. † These are two different philosophies from two different generations on the same subject. If my grandmother’s generation would have effectively passed down their values and beliefs, then the world would be different. The world would not be the same because retaliation may be out of the social norm. People have to educate everyone on the impact of non-violence. After we have done all we can do, we have to call on God and let his will be done. Works Cited Carman, J. (2010). 6 facts about non-violent resistance.Retrieved from http://www. care2. com/greenliving/martin-luther-king-six-facts. html Dyson, M. E. (2008). April 4, 1968, martin luther king, jr. ‘s death and how it changed america. Basic Books. Dyson, M. E. (2001). I may not get there with you: The true martin luther king, jr. Free Press. Jerome, B. (2011). martin luther king: Biography. Retrieved from http://www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/USAkingML. htm King, M. (1998). The autobiography of martin luther king, jr. New York: Warner Books. King Jr, M. (1957). Teaching american history. org. Retrieved from http://teachingamericanhistory. rg/library/index. asp? document=1131 Mintz S. (2007) America in ferment: The tumultuous 1960s â€Å"black nationalism and black power. Retrieved from http://www. digitalhistory. uh. edu/database/article_display. cfm? HHID=370 Digital Library of Georgia. (2011, July 11). Watts riots. Retrieved from http://crdl. usg. edu/events/watts_riots/? Welcome Nonviolence: The only road to freedom. (2006). Retrieved from http://teachingamericanhistory. org/library/index. asp? document=1426 Washington, M. (2006). American experience. Retrieved from http://www. pbs. rg/wgbh/amex/1900/filmmore/reference/interview/washing_obstaclesfaced. html West Virginia Department of Education. (2011, November 15). https://wvde. state. wv. us/. /02technicalwritingpowerpoint. ppt. Retrieved from http://citationmachine. net/index2. php Simkin, J. (2011). 16th street baptist church bombing. Retrieved from http://www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/USAC16. htm Schlosser, J. (1998). Greensboro sit-ins launch of a civil rights movement. Retrieved from http://www. sitins. com/story. shtml Lisker, D. (2001). A brief history. Retrieved from http://www. freedomridersfoundation. org/id16. html

TCS FInancial Statement analysis

Major Sources of Revenue: a) Revenue from operations: accounts for 98% of the total revenue of the firm and consists of the revenues from the below categories Information technology and consultancy services: contributes 97% of the total revenue from operations Sale of equipment and software lilicenses contributes 3% of the total revenue from operations b) Other Income: accounts for approximately 2% of the total revenue of the firm and consists of the revenues from the below major categories Interest Income: Contributes to 81. 0% of the total revenue from other income 73% of the Interest income comes from Interest on Bank & Interest on long term Bonds & Debentures. 25% of the Interest income comes from Inter-Corporate deposits. Profit from Sale of mutual funds and other current Investments Contributes to 0. 57% of the total revenue from other income Major Expenses a) Employee benefit expenses: consumes 35. 78% of the total operations revenue and consists of the below categories Salari es and incentives: accounts for 87. 57% of the total employee benefits expense Contributions to Provident fund & pension [Superannuation/Gratuity etc.Staff welfare expenses. b)BOperations and other Expenses: consumes 32. 11% of the total operations revenue and consists of the below major categories Overseas business expenses: – accounts for 43. 4 % of the total Operations and other Expenses Services rendered y business associates and others: – accounts for 18. 42% of the total Operations and other Expenses hardware and material costs: Software, – accounts for 1 1 the total Operations and other Expenses (c) Tax expenses: consume 7. 27% of the total operations revenue (d) Dividend on equity shares and tax thereon for Fiscal 2014 accounts increased by 40% Year on Year (7058. 2 crscoresiscal 2014) Major Uses of funds: a) Cash And Bank Balances: accounts for 21. 51% of the total Non-Current Investments and Current assets. Company has increased the Cash and Bank balan ces significantly in fiscal 2014. Horizontal analysis on the Balance Sheet for Cash and Bank Balances shows a Year on Year growth of 113. 34% for fiscal 2014. b)BPurchase of Fixed Assets: The Company has been investing in infrastructure development across various locations in India to meet its growing business needs. Additions to the gross block in fiscal 2014 amounted to 2,284. 7 crscoresHorizontal analysis on the Balance Sheet for fixed assets shows a Year on Year growth of 28. 27% for fiscal 2014. c)CNon-Current Investments: Company has increased the Non-Current Investments significantly in fiscal 2014. Horizontal analysis on the Balance Sheet for Non-Current Investments shows Year on Year growth of 134. 97% for fiscal 2014. d)DLong Term Loans & Advances: accounts for 10. 85% of the total Non-Current Investments and Current assets. e)EShort-term loans and advances: accounts for 6. 2% of the total Non-Current Question 2: Perform a horizontal and vertical analysis on the Balance Sh eet and Profit and Loss Account and comment on any significant changes that you observe over the last 2 years. AnNASPlease refer the attached excel sheet for arriving at the below conclusions a) Profit & Loss statement: Significant observations on Horizontal analysis. Net Profit After tax for Fiscal 2014 shows a Year on Year growth of 37. 70%. Net Profit After tax nearly doubled when compared with Fiscal 2012. EPPEPSEarnings per Share) also show consistent growth in the last few Fiscal years.EPPEPShows a Year on Year increase by 37. 58% in Fiscal 2014 Finance Cost for Fiscal 2014 has decreased significantly by 20%. Tax for Fiscal 2014 has increased significantly by 51% Year on Year. Profit & Loss statement: Significant observations on Vertical analysis. Despite a significant increase in the Employee base we find that Employee Expenses s a % of revenue remained constant around 35% in the last few Fiscal years Total Expenses as a % of revenue remained constant around 70% in the last f ew Fiscal years Total Tax as percentage of revenue, increased from 6. 37% in fiscal 2013 to 7. 2% b) Balance Sheet: Significant observations on Horizontal analysis. Non- Current liabilities shows a Year on Year growth of ofof4. 64% in Fiscal 2014. Fixed assets shows a Year on Year growth of 28. 27% in Fiscal 2014 Current liabilities shows a Year on Year growth of 34. 33% in Fiscal 2014. Reserves and Surplus shows a Year on Year growth of 27. 76% in Fiscal 2014. Share Capital shows a Year on Year negative growth of 33. 76% in Fiscal 2014. Current assets shows a Year on Year growth of 36. 62% in Fiscal 2014. Long Term borrowings shows a Year on Year negative growth of 2. 4% in Fiscal 2014. Balance Sheet: Significant observations on Vertical analysis. Cash and bank balances as a % of the total Assets excluding fixed assets increased from 12. 97% Fiscal 2013 to 21. 51% Fiscal 2014. Non-Current Investments as a % of the total Assets excluding fixed assets has been increasing steadily in the last few Fiscals. Short-term loans and advances as a % of the total Assets excluding fixed assets eccreasedrom 10. 81% in Fiscal 2013 to 6. 42% in Fiscal 2014. Goodwill as a % of the total Assets excluding fixed assets decreased from 6. 86% in Fiscal 2013 to 3. 7% Fiscal 2014. Question 3: Scrutinize the Notes to Accounts and Statement on Significant Accounting Policies and check for any deviations in accounting policy over the last year with respect to major items. AnNASThere were no deviations with respect to significant accounting policies. However TCTTSdopted a new hedge accounting principle under the below category. a)AForeign currency forward, option and futures contracts: TCTTSnters into foreign currency forward, option and futures contracts to manage its exposure to exchange rate fluctuations, in accordance with its risk management policies.With effect from January 1, 2014, the Company has adopted hedge accounting principles in line with International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (referred to as IFFIRS), which align more closely with the Company's risk management policy. The change has resulted in a reduction of ‘ 4. 76 crscoresn profit before tax in fiscal 2014. Question 4: Examine the Statement of Cash Flows for the last 2 years and point out the following: ) Major sources and Uses of cash: Sources: -Operations: Cash generated from operations, post adjustments to profit before tax, has gone up from 16,436. 77 crscoresn fiscal 2013 to ‘ 21,795. 4 crscoresn fiscal 2014, registering a growth of 32. 60% over the previous fiscal. -Income from Interest InInterestn funds invested went up by 71. 22%, from 798. 80 crscoresn fiscal 2013 to 1367. 72 Uses: crscoresn fiscal 2014. During fiscal 2014, the significant uses of cash were Acquisition of French Company AlAlit. A. foFor52. 41 crscoresPayment of Dividend & dividend tax for 5,489. 54 CrScoresurchase of fixed assets Increase in inter-corporate deposits Investment in fixed deposit. Pay Taxes amounting to 7,043. 63 CrScoresover Working Capital expenditures (b) Were the cash flows from operations greater than or less than net income?Explain in detail the major reason for the differences in these 2 figures. For Fiscal 2014, by referring to the Consolidated financial statements we get the below fgfiguresNet Cash provided by from Operating activities = 14751. 41 CrScoreset Profit for the year = 19163. 87 crscoresnNASNet Cash provided by from operating activities is less the net income. Explanation: Working Capital fgfiguresnder the categories below are the major reasons for reducing the Net Cash value provided by from operating activities below the net income. ) Unbilled Revenue – (811. 60) CrScores) Trade Receivables – (4015. 80) CrScoresc) Was the firm able to generate enough cash from its operations to be able to pay for all its capital expenditures? For Fiscal 2014, by referring to the Consolidated financial statements we can arrive at the below table. Net Cash provided by/Used in Fiscal 2014 Fiscal 2013 Operating activities 14,751. 41 11,614. 96 Investing activities (9,667. 08) (6,085. 66) Financing activities 5,673. 24) (5,729. 48) Exchange difference on translation of foreign currency 21 5. 41 48. 5 Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents after translation (373. 50) (152. 13) Purchase of fixed assets accounted for (3126. 15) CrScoresf the Net Cash of (9,667. 08) crscoressed in investing activities. From the above table we can clearly infer that the company generated enough cash from Operating activities to fund the capital expenditures on its own. (d) Did the cash flow from operations cover both the capital expenditures and payment of dividend, if any? AnNASDividend paid accounted for (5480. 7) CrScoresf the Net Cash of (5673. 24) crscoressed in financing activities.From the above table we can clearly infer that the company generated enough cash from Operating activities to fund both capital expenditures & payment of dividends on its own. (e) How did your firm invest its excess cash (if any)? Cash flow statement from Investing Activities indicate that the excess cash that remains after investing and financing is mamajoraintained in Short-term bank deposits. From the Cash Flow Statements we can see that Short Term deposits increased from 4911. 46 crscoresn Fiscal 2013 to 12948. 9 CrScoresn Fiscal 2014. This accounts for a significant growth of 163%. g)GAre there any other unusual / extraordinary items of cash inflow / outflow? AnNASCash outflow due to Taxes: Cash Flow Statements indicate a significant increase in Taxes for Tax for Fiscal 2014. Taxes have increased significantly by 46% Year on Year. By referring to Management Discussion & Analysis & Notes forming consolidated statements we can infer that company has paid (1) Additional tax of 2,129. 82 crscoresaid by TCTTStd on its higher income for the year and (2) 92. 00 crscoresf higher tax on dividend received y TCTTStd from its overseas subsi diaries.