International Financial management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Financial management - Term Paper Example Although international banks offer their services to both individuals and organizations, they tend to prefer conducting business with organizations and relatively wealthy individuals. On its part the money market was primarily introduced for the sake of trading in currency rate futures contracts as well as options. Essentially, currency futures were intended to realize a liberally traded exchange market that would promote trade across national borders. Therefore, the money market serves a number of functions that include lubricating central bank policies, financing trade, enhancing the self-sufficiency of commercial banks and facilitating profitable investments. From their roles and functions, it can be seen that international banking and money market are inextricably linked. With the opportunities and challenges presented by globalization and the global market, there are also benefits and hazards associated with international banking and money market. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the concept of international banking and money market focusing on the reasons for international banking, how international banking and money market functions and also highlight the hazards associated with the concepts. International banks provide certain services that make a distinction between them and domestic banks. Most significantly, they facilitate export and import services for their clients through their role of arranging trade financing. Further, they not only play the crucial role of arranging the necessary foreign exchange multinationals use to carry out international transactions but also assist in making foreign investments by hedging exchange rate risk. This is typically in foreign currency payables and receivables options and forward contracts. However, the international banks are mainly distinguished from domestic banks by the types of loans they give, investments they make and deposits they accept. From the perspective of international money market,

Airline marketing Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Airline marketing - Research Proposal Example In fact, Dubai is known as the business hub of Middle East. Even though Dubai witnessed rapid growths during the latter part of twentieth century, a national airliner was a dream until 1985, despite having an excellent airport. Dubai had been used as the stopover on routes between Europe and Far East during the 70’s and early part of 80’s. The business savvy Dubai royal family has realized potential of airline business during this period and they decided to exploit it. Thus the initial works for the formation of the company EA has started in 1985. †Because of Dubai's unique political structure, Emirates could be described as both government-owned and privately held, though most considered it state-owned. It was required to operate independent of government subsidies, however, apart from $10 million in start-up capital† (The Emirates Group History). It is difficult to consider EA as a private or public company because of the unique political and administratio n system prevails in Dubai. The royal family is responsible for Dubai administration and at the same time, they are engaged in many other private businesses like EA. In 1974, three years after independence, the rulers of the UAE decided to establish a joint flag carrier: Gulf Air. However, a tense relationship between the airline and the Dubai government existed ever since its inception, as the latter re fused to give in to Gulf Air’s demands to abandon its open-skies policy. In reaction, Gulf Air reduced frequencies and capacities to and from Dubai by more than two thirds between 1984 and 1985 without advance notice. Since foreign carriers proved unable or unwilling to fill the gap, Dubai’s then ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, convened a team of experts – headed by Maurice Flanagan and later joined by Tim Clark and the ruler’s then 26- year old son, Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum – to devise an emergency plan. The group’s rec ommendation to set up a home carrier for Dubai was quickly accepted by the ruler, but he imposed two conditions: The new airline should meet the highest quality standards and there would be no additional capital injections from the government other than the agreed USD 10 million start-up capital (Knorr and Eisenkopf, p.1). EA was formed in 1985 under the chairmanship of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the nephew of the ruler of Dubai. Maurice Flanagan has taken charge as the managing director of the new airline. The first Emirates flight took off on October 25, 1985, from Dubai to Karachi. â€Å"Thereafter, Emirates Airlines reached Delhi and Mumbai. The airline launched services to Colombo, Chaka, Amman and Cairo in 1986. It kicked off non-stop services to London Gatwick in 1987 and also added Frankfurt, Singapore and Male to its network later on† (Emirates Airlines). Within nine months from the beginning operation, EA became profitable. Even though chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum was only 27 years of age at the time, of taking charge of the airliner, he succeeded in converting EA into one of the most prominent airliner in the business with the company of Maurice Flanagan. As mentioned earlier, the differences with Gulf Air, motivated the Royal Family of Dubai to give take the growth of EA as a challenge. The Royal family allotted lavish funds for the initial expenditure, and took the growth of EA

Culinarian Coookware Case Essay Example for Free

Culinarian Coookware Case Essay I.Consumer Behavior Culinarian cookware is sold through retailers and directly to consumers. Culinarian has carefully cultivated relationships with its limited retail network, comprised of three upscale kitchen specialty chains, two department store chains, and 75 local specialty stores. Direct-to-consumer sales are made through Culinarian’s website or its catalogs. Because Culinarian relies on a variety of intermediaries to sell its products through retail channels (see Exhibit A for details), it must be careful how any planned promotions will change incentives for those intermediaries. For example, price discounts offered by Culinarian may not be passed on to end users. Thus, although end users ultimately drive sales of Culinarian products, Culinarian must take care to protect the interests of retailers and their salespeople in order to remain successful. The Orion Market Research Study reveals a great deal of useful information regarding Culinarian’s target demographic. Despite the many options to purchase remotely (via online vendors or mail order catalogues), purchases from retail locations account for 85% of total sales. See Exhibit B for details. This is strong evidence that consumers want to evaluate the quality and style of the cookware at the time of purchase. 75% of consumers in the study already own more than 5 pieces of cookware. See Exhibit C for more details. The majority of households in the Orion study had either given or received cookware as a gift, which aligns with evidence suggesting that cookware sales are seasonal – purchasing peaks occur in May and June (wedding season) and November and December (the holiday season). Because cookware is a durable good (i.e. it is not consumed and carries forward from one period into the next) it may be especially sensitive to sales discount cycles. Details on pre-sale losses and post-sale losses due to cannibalization are shown in Exhibit E. See Exhibit F for details on variation in cookware purchases by month. If consumers are purchasing in anticipation of annual events, they may be especially sensitive to promotional offers. This means that any analysis of cannibalization due to promotions or price discounts must be sure to analyze the full impact of pre and post-sale cannibalization. II.Culinarian success factors Culinarian has built a premium brand by producing innovative, high-quality cookware and developing strong relationships with retailers. Culinarian’s products are trusted by consumers who consider cooking to be their number one hobby (60% of Culinarian customers), and by professional chefs. The company meets the needs of these different segments by offering four product lines, each varying in terms of the level of technology and features involved, but all high quality. Culinarian has also been a leader in terms of metallurgic improvements in the cookware industry. Most important to Culinarian’s success, however, is its relationship with retailers. The company’s focused retail strategy allows the Culinarian sales team to visit retailers more often than their competitors, keeping retailers abreast of new products and training sales clerks as necessary. In addition, Culinarian products are more profitable for retailers than competitors’ products, creating addi tional warmth for their cookware among retailers. III.Evaluation of 2004 promotion Culinarian’s senior sales manager, Victoria Brown, maintains that the 2004 promotion was profitable, while a team of consultants believes it lost Culinarian money. The tables in Exhibit G depict each viewpoint on the effectiveness of the promotion, in addition to our own midrange analysis. Differences in the estimation of projected vs. actual sales largely accounts for the difference in profitability estimates. The consultants included cannibalization estimates in their model, while Brown argued that different â€Å"normal† estimates should be used when calculating sales. However, we find Brown’s belief that â€Å"there is no reliable way to calculate cannibalization costs† (case p.6) to be unconvincing; while the consultants’ numbers may not be perfect, they approximate the results of customers and retailers being able to plan purchasing around the price promotion due to the January notification. We included cannibalization in our midrange estimate for this reason. Brown and the consultants also disagree on the calculation of variable costs. Brown states that only direct labor and raw materials should be included, while the consultants include a much more comprehensive bundle of SGA expenses and overhead. Either could be considered correct, but as a check we calculated a midway point in addition to the consultants’ perspective and Brown’s perspective. Brown’s numbers show strong profitability of $2.4 million due to the 2004 sales promotion, while the consultants’ numbers show a loss of $409,697 due to the promotion. Our intermediate scenario, incorporating cannibalization costs but splitting the difference between the consultants and Brown on both sales figures and variable costs, shows a weak profitability of $106,594 from the promotion. This weak profitability must be held against the negative side effects of price promotions in general, and part icularly with regard to premium products. IV.2007 promotion recommendations We do not recommend that Culinarian continue offering price promotions. The fluctuations in demand for Culinarian products around the promotional period in 2004 indicates the likelihood that cannibalization occurred; we found that much of the growth in demand as well as the corresponding decline in demand before and after a promotional period had little to do with the typical monthly demand in the market. It seems very likely that the decreased demand we see before and after the promotional periods can be attributed to the cannibalization of full price sales by the discounted units sold during promotions. Another strong reason why we recommend against price promotions is that no other premium cookware manufacturer engages in these promotions. Part of cultivating a high-end brand image is making sure that products are priced accordingly, and making sure that consumers are able to distinguish between lower-end and premium products. Price can be an important indicator of quality, desirability, and status in this regard. Culinarian is extremely careful about maintaining its premium brand image, and offering regular price promotions along with lower-end producers such as Star Chef and Kitchen Select would likely erode the brand positioning that Culinarian had developed. However, we have developed two alternative recommendations to price promotions that may help strengthen Culinarian’s distribution network and increase sales. First, we recommend that Culinarian strengthen the point system currently in place to reward retail salespeople with Culinarian cookware. Emphasizing this alternative incentive would help maintain good retailer relationships, and would increase the motivation of salespeople to sell Culinarian. Second, we recommend that Culinarian continue its free gift promotion in slightly altered form. Qualifying customers should be provided with a coupon that directs them to Culinarian’s website, where they can enter their information and have the gift shipped to them. By running the promotion through its website, Culinarian will remove the burden of free gift inventory costs for retailers and, more importantly, drive traffic to Culinarian’s underutilized website (currently less than 5% of sales are made through the website). Additional web traffic could increase the proportion of direct purchases (with the attendant higher margins), as well as keeping customers more connected to the company and more likely to purchase Culinarian products in the future.

Advantages And Limitations Of Topical Negative Pressure Therapy

Advantages And Limitations Of Topical Negative Pressure Therapy Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a new method used for improving wound healing. It influences granulation formation, bacterial colonization, and increasing wound blood flow. Although this method has been used explosively for wound healing, its influences are not cleared enough. So the main aim of this review article is to weight up the benefits and problems associated with this method. Method: An electronic search was done via Pubmed, Embase and ISI web of knowledge data from 1960 to 2010. The abstracts and titles of each paper were analysed and selected according to especial parameters. Result: The results of the relevant literature were characterized based on the benefits and problems associated with use of this method. Discussion: Direct comparison of NPWT with other available method is difficult. Although there are some research to support the effectiveness of using this new method on wound healing, more controlled clinical trials are needed to defiantly prove that the NPWT is less expensive and more effective wound care modality. A wound is defined as a break in the skin which is usually caused by cuts or scraps. The selection of the treatment methods depends upon the severity of the wounds (how serious they are). Healing is a response of the injury that sets into motion a sequence of events. There are classically four stages associated with wound healing which include: haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodelling (Hart, 2002, Stephens and Thomas, 2002, OKane, 2002). Many factors can interact with one or more phases of wound healing process which can facilitate or decrease its rate, such as local and systematic factors. Local factors are those which directly influence characteristics of wound itself, while systematic factors consists of those which related to state of individuals and their abilities regarding wound healing. Some systematic factors include infection, age and sex hormones, stress, diabetic, obesity, medication, alcoholism, smoking and nutrition and using some treatment method such a s Topical wound healing (Guo and DiPietro, 2010, Ranzato, 2009, Urschel et al, 1988, Argenta and Morykwas, 1997, Kirby, 2007). The effects of some factors such as oxygenation, infection, age, stress, medication, obesity, nutrition are well described in the literature and were investigated by many researchers(Guo and DiPietro, 2010, Shepherd et al, 2006, Lioupis, 2005). However, using some parameters such as topical negative pressure therapy (TNPT) is new method for wound healing (Miryam et al, 1999, Kirby, 2007). Pressure is one important parameter which can influence wound healing. In one side, it can decrease the speed of healing as produce skin ulcers in some patients suffering from stroke and spinal cord injury and those who need to be in bed for a long time. In other side, it can be used to facilitate the wound healing process, especially in chronic wound (Miryam et al, 1999, Argenta and Morykwas, 1997, Evans and Land, 2001). In contrast to other available methods, this procedure is a little bit new so the main aim of this review article was to review the relevant literature regarding TNPT and its influ ences on wound healing. Moreover, it was aimed to show the positive and the side effects of using this method. Method: An electronic search was done via the Pubmed, Embase and ISI web of knowledge data from 1960 to 2010. The abstracts and titles of each individual study were assessed by author. A first selection of relevant literature article was done based on weather the title and abstract addressed the research question of interest. Figure 1 shows the stages which were selected in this review process. The second selection of the articles was done according to the following criteria: experiment practice published in English addressing using this method on wound healing Figure 1: The stages which were selected in this research study The results of the various research studies were characterized based on mechanism of action, the instrument used and the benefits and problems associated with the use of this method. Result: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is also known as Tropic Negative Pressure (TNP) used as a non pharmacological treatment for chronic and actuate wounds, such as pressure ulcers, diabetic wounds, abdominal and trauma wounds (Argenta and Morykwas, 1997, Evans and Land, 2001, Kirby, 2007, Miryam et al, 1999). What is NPWT? This method of treatment based on this idea to turn the open wound into a close one. Moreover, it is possible to remove the excess fluid from the wound. Although, this method has been used exclusively in UK since 1995, the idea behind this method is not new. For nearly more than 50 years suction drainage has been used. It has been reported that continues suction, negative pressure drainage serve as an excellent atmospheric bandage in subcutaneous surgical procedure and help to increase the speed of wound healing. The concept was based on mechanics of physics. The application of controlled subatomospheric pressure causes mechanical stress to the tissues. The new vessels are constructed with in the tissue and the wound is drawn closed. It should be noted that the degree of pressure to the wound tissue is small, but when all areas of the wound work togheter in an efford to close toward the centre point, the effects of negative pressure become impressive and results in quicker healing an d resolution. This system consists of non adherent, porous wound dressing (polyurethane foam or gauze dress) and a drainage system which are attached to each others by use of a transparent film. The foam is connected to a VAC vacuum pump through an evacuation tube. The suction guarantee a continues vacuum in the polyurethane foam producing a high contact zone in wound foam interface. It is required to change the foam every 2 days. The system is commercially available in UK since 1995 and has been used significantly for wound healing. Figure 2 shows various components of this system. Figure 2: The NPWT system used for improving wound healing ( adapted from (Miryam et al, 1999) with permission NPWT has three forms which differ based on the type of dress used, such as Bio Dome, gauze and foam. The polyurethane foam was used first by Morkey and Argenta in 1997. It has been reported that the foam can be easily cut according to the wound size, especially those which has a regular contour and used when better granulation formation and wound contraction is a desirable goals. However, gauze can be used for sensitive and irregular wounds. The type of selected foam is based on the type of wound as is mentioned in table 1. The foam is placed into the defect and the area is covered with adhesive drape. The suction generate a continues vacuum in the foam, producing a high contact zone in wound foam interface so a vacuum seal is achieved. It should be mentioned that the negative pressure applied on the wound is 125 mm HG below ambient that is transmitted to the wound in a controlled manner. The selected pressure in this system is based on especial guidelines as shown in table 2. Wound Description Poly- urethane (black foam) Polyvinyl- alcohol (soft foam) Both Either Deep, acute wounds with moderate granulation tissue growth X X Deep wounds with extremely rapid growth in granulation tissue Deep pressure ulcers X Superficial wounds X Postgraft therapy X Fresh grafts X Compromised flaps X Tunneling/sinus tracts/undermining X Diabetic ulcers X Dry wounds X X Deep trauma wounds X Superficial trauma wounds Table 1: The types of the foam used in NPWT system Wound Type Target Pressure Poly-urethane Target Pressure Polyvinyl- alcohol Acute/traumatic wound 125 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Surgical wound dehiscence 125 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Meshed graft 75-125 mm Hg 125 mm Hg Pressure ulcer 125 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Chronic ulcer (diabetic/arterial vascular) 50-75 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Fresh flap 125 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Compromised flap 125 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Table 2: The selected negative pressure used in NPWT based on the type of foam used Evidences regarding NPWT: There are some evidences regarding the positive effects of using NPWT on wound healing. The main advantages of this treatment method include: provision of moist wound healing environment removal of the fluids and infection material which help the wound to heal speedy assisted profusion decreased bacterial colonisation enhance formation of granulation tissue rapid cell division increased blood flow increased number of active fibroblasts and macrophages enhance epidermal cell formation decreased harmful chronic wound fluid reduced the number of dressing changes and decrease damage to underlined tissue provision of mechanical approximation of wound edges promotion of viscoelastic flow due to tissue stretch limitation of zone of injury after orthopaedic trauma splinting effect Indication and contraindication of using NPWT: The foot and drug administration (FDA) approved this method for treatment of non healing wounds. Then it has been extended to include chronic, acute, and traumatic and sub acute wounds, flaps and grafts. In the United State of America the following contraindications have been considered in this regard: wound with necrotic tissue untreated osteomyelities fistulas to organs or body cavities placement directly over exposed veins and arteries malignancy within wound What are the problems associated with NPWT: The following problems have been mentioned in the literature regarding NPWT: patients may experience discomfort or pain when the foam dressing is changed topical skin problem may arise during use overgrowth of geast or Candida infection skin stripping and sub epidermal granulation foam removal frequently results in trauma to wound in the form of minor capillary and granulation tissue disruption achieving and maintaining a vacuum seal can be difficult at times staff must be well trained and educated Discussion: There are over 325 publications on NPWT wound healing method, including 15 randomized clinical trials. However, it can not be concluded strongly that the system results in faster wound healing than other conventional methods or provides cost effective despite much greater material cost. It has been reported that using this method enhances bacterial clearance which improves the speed of wound healing. When microorganisms enter to wound, consume the nutrition and oxygen which otherwise directed toward tissue repair. When the amount of wound infection decreases (reducing bacterial loads) the healing capacity improves (the blood used for wound repairing). However, in the research undertaking by.. on 25 patients reviewed respectively, it was found that using this method dose not have any effects on bacterial clearance. Moreover, bacterial colonization increases significantly with this therapy and remains in the range of. Improvement in Granulation tissue formation was another advantage mentioned in using this method for wound healing. Granulation is a small blood useless and connective tissue in the base of the wound. A well granulation wound provides an optimal bed for epidermal migration and for skin grafts as a newly formed capillary incorporate the transplanted skin. Studies have shown that granulation tissue formation is enhanced by negative pressure by virtue of interstitial fluid resolution and resulting increase in circulation. In the research done by .. on 162 patients it was shown that NPWT improves the proportion and rate of wound healing after partial foot amputation in patients with diabetics. Nearly 56% of the patients using this method achieved a comparable closure during 16 weeks assessments compared with 39% in control group. In the other research done by Blume et al (2008) the safety and clinical efficiency of this new method was compared with Advanced Moist Wound Therapy (AMWT) to treat foot ulcers in diabetic patients on 342 patients. It was found that a greater proportion of foot ulcers achieved by this method in contrast to other method (43.2% compared to 28.9%). The time of therapy was the other considered parameter in this research. The time of therapy was a little bit less in this method. Regarding the safety of the two methods there was no significant difference. Morie et al carried out a literature review based research regarding the effectiveness of this method. They mentioned that although many controlled and non randomized studies describing the effectiveness of this new method, few prospective randomized control trials have been published. They claimed that the researches in this field have lots of problems such as: small sample size, variable outcome measure across studies, significant methodological problems. So it is not possible to have a strong conclusion regarding the effects of this method in contrast to other methods. They suggest that other research must be done regarding the effect of this method on healing, cost of care, patient pain and quality of life in contrast to other methods. Gregor et al have undertaken another literature review regarding the effect of using this method. They also concluded that although there seems to be some evidences regarding the effects of this method on wound healing outcome as a main outcome, they are insufficient to clearly prove an additional clinical benefit of this method. Cost consideration: wound care is an expensive endeavour. The range of pressure ulcers which is one of the main complication of being in bed for a long time is between 2000 and 70,000 per wound. NPWT decreases the cost regarding wound healing through a decrease in the number of dressing changes required. Moreover, the supervisory role of the trained nurses would be decrease to perform dressing change. According to the results of a research the long term cost of NPWT was lower and output was better when compared with standard wound care method. In another research study it was shown that the cost of wound healing was decreased by 38% in contrast to other method, as the healing occur by 61% faster than using gauze dressing method. Conclusion: The review of the relevant literature stated that the available evidences can not be used to determine a significant therapeutic distinction of NPWT method in contrast to other methods. There are over 325 publications on this method however only 15 randomized clinical trials compare the new method with other available methods. It is concluded that the available research studies can not support the effectiveness of this method on wound healing. It should be mentioned that direct comparison of NPWT to a particular type of dressing would be difficult as it is unlikely that a single dressing type would be appropriate through out entire healing process. As there is not enough research which directly focus on the effects of this method on wound healing, and safety according to wound type, the author of this article represent a need for a large high quality randomized studies. Moreover, it is recommended to evaluate the effects of this method based on the used components.

Physiological Effects of MDMA Use :: Health Drugs Essays

Physiological Effects of MDMA Use MDMA has significant cardiovascular effects. This is consistent with its norepinephrine releasing (Johnson et al. 1991; Rothman et al. 2001) and  £\_2 adrenergic agonist (Lavelle et al. 1999) properties. MDMA dose dependently produces robust increases in heart rate and blood pressure (de la Torre et al. 2000a; de la Torre et al. 2000b; Grob et al.). Peak cardiovascular effects occur between 1 and 2 hours after MDMA administration and largely subside within 6 hours of drug administration. A study suggested that the relationship between MDMA dose and cardiovascular effects was supralinear by de la Torre et al. (2000a) who reported unexpectedly high drug exposures (measured as AUCplasma for MDMA) and diastolic blood pressure increases in two volunteers given 150 mg MDMA. While pharmacokinetic data suggest MDMA has nonlinear kinetics, there is no clear evidence of supralinear relationships between dose and blood pressure or heart rate. In fact, there may be less increase in heart rate after higher doses. The tendency toward less heart rate increase with higher dose is consistent with a study using both conscious and anesthetized rats (O'Cain et al. 2000). In this rat study, 3 mg/kg IV MDMA decreased heart rate, while lower doses tended to increase it or leave it unchanged. Studies monitoring blood pressure found significant relationships between MDMA use and blood pressure. In one study, (Vollenweider et al. 1998) involving subjects without a history of MDMA use, one subject experienced hypertensive crisis from a dose typical of recreational use. The correlation of blood pressure is described, "A two way ANOVA for systolic blood pressure revealed a significant main effect of drug [F(1,2) = 41.09; p < 02] and a significant drug x time interaction [F(3,6) = 11.31; p < 007]. Significant changes occurred in the 0 to 75 minutes and 75 to 150 minutes interval (one way ANOVAs). Two way ANOVA for diastolic blood pressure was not significant, but one way ANOVAs showed significant changes in the 75 to 150 minutes and the 150 to 300 minutes interval. Increases were in the range of 10 to 30 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and 5 to 10 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure." (Vollenweider et al. 1998 pp.245_246) This study shows a similarity in changes in systolic blood pressure, and a lesser similarity in changes in diastolic blood pressure. The occurrence of hypertensive crisis suggests caution in potential use and study.

Tool Of The Devil: Comparing Satan in Paradise Lost and The Golden Comp

The devil, in literature, is always a catalyst of change for those who encounter him. He is a force working underground, moving against what is widely considered virtuous and good, and it is contact with him that often changes the course of characters lives, and even the world. In Paradise Lost and a book based on it, The Golden Compass, ‘the devil’, in both cases, is an advocate for moving away from the control of God and the Church. Where the stories differ, is in the author’s intent for these actions. In the former, John Milton uses the devil to display how vanity and pride are the sins that halt us in an opportunity to live blissfully, with and under God. Philip Pullman, in his twist on Paradise Lost, The Golden Compass, claims that the original sin was the first, and most essential, step in human beings claiming their free will. He writes the devil (Lord Asriel) as a manipulative, selfish but ultimately admirable character. One who stands his ground and hold s onto his beliefs with an intense passion. Milton’s Satan, on the other hand, comes off originally as charming, but slowly presents himself to be weak and unsure, and his ideals are eventually presented as a mask for his insatiable pride. When Milton’s Satan tricks Adam and Eve into leaving paradise, they are ultimately worse off. Pullman, on the other hand, shows that human beings are essentially crippled without their right and ability to sin and make choices. It is through their differing portrayals of Satan, that Milton and Pullman present their respective cases on how the original sin caused man to lose paradise and eternal bliss, or find free will. When Paradise Lost begins, the vainglorious actions of Satan have resulted in his removal from heaven and placed him on the path to exact revenge against those who have done so. Though, the reader is hardly able to experience any distaste when reading about this man who opposes the consented force of good. He is are charming, dark, fanatical and desperate in his attempts. It is from these characteristics, that the reader may be swayed into viewing him as the protagonist (or even the hero) of the tale. Even C.S. Lewis, famous for his critical detraction of Milton's Satan acknowledges how, "Milton's presentation of him (Satan) is a magnificent poetical achievement which engages the attention and excites the admirat... ... an essential moment that exemplifies our true nature. Lord Asriel represents this, a man who is cunning and self absorbed, who is selfish in his tendencies, but also willing to fight passionately for freedom and independence. Pullman’s Lord Asriel never feels guilt or remorse for his actions, as he fully believes his actions are not wrong. In The Golden Compass, the church is an institution that oppresses it’s citizens, and Lord Asriel has no qualms in fighting against it. It is the truth behind Lord Asriel’s passion, that allows the reader to accept him as a sort of hero, while it is Satan’s doubt and weakness that allows us to eventually cast him aside. The resolve of Lord Asriel reflects Pullman’s insistence on how detrimental our own individual thoughts and determinations are. Though our actions may be negative and even harmful, he believes we are essentially soulless without them. Milton, however, see’s that man has no greater obligation than to serve God, and this is the only way which we can find true peace within. Both authors use Satan as their strongest tool, to reflect where they believe we should put God and the Church in man’s life.

Codes of practice and guidance Status Essay

Definitions – equality, equality of opportunity, diversity, different types of discrimination (direct, indirect etc); equality legislation (UK, EU, the international picture); human rights legislation; coverage of legislation: employees, customers, stakeholders; industry requirements eg. public sector; conflicts eg. between law and religious or cultural beliefs Codes of practice and guidance Status of guidance and codes of practice ie. voluntary, required; industry standards or requirements eg. public sector requirements Benefits Benefits of equality and diversity in workforce, benefits of equality and diversity in stakeholder/customer base Needs Needs and expectations of those inside the organisation, needs and expectations of those outside the organisation; fairness and justice, impact of prejudice and discrimination on groups and individuals 2. Understand the dynamics of leading and managing equality and diversity in an organisation Commitment Creating a language and culture of commitment; how the behaviour, actions and words of those within the organisation support commitment to equality and diversity; the importance of showing respect; leading by example Policies and procedures Policies and procedures for legal compliance, policies and procedures to meet organisational aims and commitment, writing equality and diversity policies, how to ensure procedures help to meet policy Communication Importance of communicating commitment, policies and procedures; training staff; raising awareness of staff and stakeholders. Ensuring suppliers are aware of commitment, policies and procedures eg. website designers, printers consider accessibility issues in terms of language, size of text; facilities management consider suitability of premises access and use etc .