Delivery of Human Service Program

Delivery of Human Services Program Jakiya Burse BSHS 471 Deborah Machold October 28, 2012 Delivery of Human Services Program Many people rely on human service programs. This paper will discuss the delivery of  human service program for men, women, and teenagers. There are various men, women, and teenagers that need help with reproductive health care education. Planned Parenthood provides sex education to men, women, and teenagers. Planned Parenthood acts as an advocate for their clients. Planned ParenthoodAccording to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Planned Parenthood†Ã‚  (2012),  Ã¢â‚¬Å"for nearly 100 years, Planned Parenthood has promoted a commonsense approach to women’s health and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed, independent decisions about health, sex, and family planning† (Planned Parenthood). Planned Parenthood healthcare providers offer men and women affordable medical care. How Services are Delivered Planned Parenthood has be en able to be around for so long because this organization provides their clients with trustful healthcare services and information.According to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Planned Parenthood†Ã‚  (2012), services are delivered to clients through â€Å"preventive, primary care, which helps prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections through testing and treatment, and screen for cervical and other cancers. Caring physicians, nurse practitioners, and other staff take time to talk with clients, encouraging them to ask questions in an environment that millions have grown to trust (Planned Parenthood). Planned Parenthood offers supports group to clients who have had an STD before or who have terminated a pregnancy in the past.Depending on the location the services offered by Planned Parenthood are abortions, birth control, emergency contraception (morning after pill), general health care, HIV testing, LGBT services, men’s health c are, pregnancy testing and services, STD testing, treatment and vaccines, and women’s health care   (â€Å"Planned Parenthood†,  2012). Some of the  services offered require an appointment to be set up. Others can be seen on a walk-in basis. Educating According to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Planned Parenthood†Ã‚  (2012),  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Planned Parenthood known for provided reproductive services to their clients.Planned Parenthood offers easily understandable and  honest data that allow women, men, teens, and families to make informed choices and lead healthy lives. Planned Parenthood is proud of its very important role in providing young people with honest sexuality and relationship information in classrooms and online to help reduce the nation’s disturbingly high rates of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Nearly 1. 2 million youths and adults participate in Planned Parenthood educational programs every year (Planned Parenthood). EvaluationAccording to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Planned Parenthood Of New Mexico†Ã‚  (2012),   medical services are provided in accordance with high medical standards set forth by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and are closely monitored by the Medical Director. The affiliate is evaluated on a regular basis by PPFA to ensure that PPNM meets all standards for accreditation. PPNM went through this process in April 2007 and received a four-year accreditation. PPNM's Standard and Guidelines as well as other, manuals were recommended or used as models for other affiliates (Our History). Conclusion Planned Parenthood has been around for 95 years.In those 95 years this human services program has continued to provide clients with reliable healthcare that the client can trust. Planned Parenthood advocates for public policies to make sure clients have access to the services provided. Planned Parenthood also provides education to men, women, and teenagers around the world about human sexuality. References P lanned Parenthood. (2012). Retrieved on October 28, 2012 from http://www. plannedparenthood. org/about-us/who-we-are-4648. htm Planned Parenthood of New Mexico. (2012). Retrieved October 28, 2012 from http://www. plannedparenthood. org/new-mexico/our-history-3150. htm

Determination of water of hydration Essay

Observation of copper sulfate No copper sulfate Light blue After heating for about 2-3 minutes, of the powder turns lighter and then into grey-white. Water released as vapor is observed from this point. After heating for another 2-3 minutes, of the powder turns into grey-white. After heating for 10 minutes, the whole part of the powder turns into grey-white with some parts of light green The whole part of the powder remains grey-white with some parts of light green The whole part of the powder remains grey-white with some parts of light green * Mass of hydrated copper sulfate (g) = (46.08 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01) – (43.78 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01) = 2.30 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.02 (g) * Mass of water (g) = ( 46.08 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01) – (45.22 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01) = 0.86 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.02 (g) * General reaction: hydrate anhydrous salt + water CuSO4.xH2O CuSO4 + xH2O m 2.30 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.02 (g) 0.86 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.02 (g) M 160 +18x (g/mol) 18x (g/mol) * n xH2O (mol) = n CuSO4.xH2O = = (0.86 )(160 + 18x) = )18x 160(0.86 ) + 18x(0.86 ) = )18x 160(0.86 ) = 18x(1.44 0.04) x = = = 5.3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.3 Conclusion: The value of x in CuSO4.xH2O is quite similar to the value on the label (literal value) of the hydrated copper sulfate jar (% of difference is 6%) Evaluation Limitations Effects Improvements The number of experiments carried out is not enough (Random error) If the data obtained are inaccurate; as a result, the value of x calculated will be inaccurate Do the experiment many times When cooling the crucible, water can be reformed in copper sulfate (random error) Weight of the crucible may increase Use a data logger computer to take the mass of the crucible continuously until the mass remains unchanged The flame is too strong (random error) Some copper sulfate molecules may be decomposed Keep the flame at a reasonable height and temperature

Memory and Morals in Mement Essay

Memento is the film I decided to do my final analysis essay because it is one of very few films that is told in reverse order. The main character Leonard Shelby kills the murderer of his wife in the film’s first scene and the film moves backward from that point. Memento is a film that allows us (the viewers) to see the film as neo-noir because of Leonard’s amnesia-like disability. The story is revealed backward so the viewers only know what Leonard knows, which means that it is extremely difficult for the viewers to know what is going to happen next/what happened before. The genre, non-diegetic, the goal-orientated plot, and many other things make the film Memento seem neo-noir in the scene where Leonard hits Natalie and Natalie goes back outside to wait for Leonard to forget so that she could walk back in as he forgot. This film falls into more than one genre, which is mystery and thriller. Mystery â€Å"centers on a person of authority, usually a detective that is tr ying to solve a mysterious crime. A mystery is one of Mementos genres because Leonard is trying to find who raped and murdered his wife. Leonard, with the inability to remember what happened after he got knocked out in the incident, developed a mysterious amnesia-disability that does not allow him to create new memories and heavily relies on notes to himself and important facts tattooed to his body. Due to Leonard’s rare disease, there are only a limited number of clues that are given in each scene. The scene that I chose was mysterious because Natalie grabs every pen and writing utensil for whatever mysterious reason and puts them in her purse/backpack. Soon after, they both get into an argument and Leonard punches Natalie in her face. Natalie leaves outside to wait for a few minutes as Leonard tries to find a writing utensil to write down what just happened. As he is doing so Natalie walks in and he completely forgot he punched her and asked her what happened to her face. Little do we know that these little mysterious actions can make a difference. This film also falls under the genre thriller. There is so much tension and clues to look forward to in this film that make it a thriller! With the story being told in reverse order, viewers are kept at the edge of their seat, constantly wanting to know what is going to happen next/what happened before event. This format helps build suspense and surprises viewers. It shocked me that Natalie took advantage of Leonard when she said that Dodd was the one that beat her up, when in reality it was Leonard that punched her for talking trash about his memory disorder and wife. There were so many non-diegetic elements in Memento that made it a neo-noir film. The main non-diegetic element that made the film seem neo-noir is him talking to himself during the movie, like in many detective movies. In the scene that I chose to analyze, Leonard is seen mentally talking to himself, telling himself to hurry and find a pen or he will forget the situation he was in with Natalie wanting him to â€Å"get rid of Dodd†. Hearing Leonard talking to himself in his mind does not exist in the real world which is why it is non-diegetic. Memento is a goal-oriented plot where Leonard wants to solve the mystery of who raped and killed his wife. Leonard’s goal can only be achieved with time and patience. As days go by, Leonard learns to stay updated with any new information by writing down information onto paper notes and tattooing facts about the mystery guy that killed his wife. He starts his days by picking up onto notes that he left for himself to solve. Day by day, moment by moment, Leonard makes progress towards his goal by solving new clues every day.

The impact of Pay for Performance program Assignment

The impact of Pay for Performance program - Assignment Example This essay discusses that there have been many different approaches applied before to ensure quality health care service in nursing homes. Two of the most used tools were the reimbursement system and the surveillance and enforcement system. The reimbursement system covered residential care and quality of life via payments to the providers in accordance with the standards set by the federal Nursing Home Reform Law, 1987. And surveillance and enforcement system made sure that these standards were met by the providers and if they are not, then to penalize them through penalties and fines until the deficiencies are corrected. However, for numerous reasons these systems did not prove to be effective enough in improving health care standards and simply too many residents suffered every day. Providers often complained that they were more or less underpaid to do a better job. Under these circumstances, agencies came up with ‘Pay for Performance’ program to ensure better health c are facilities by rewarding nurses and physicians according to their performances and improving the overall standard of care they’ve been providing. Pay for Performance (P4P), is a growing program that encourages health care providers to provide better health care facilities by rewarding them on the basis of their performances. The program focuses on three key features namely: participation, achievement and rewards. Participation implies that all the employees of an organization participate and contribute beyond the standard levels. Achievement stresses on reducing costs and at the same time increasing profits. It also focuses on productivity by emphasizing on group rather than individual performances. Whereas rewards are usually in the shape of cash prizes given at regular intervals based on outstanding performances (American Nurse Association, 2006). Compensation is a system of exchange. Participants are given certain targets to achieve and in return are rewarded with eithe r money or valuable assets. Compensation can be either direct or indirect. Direct compensation involves actual money given to workers and consists of base pay, incentive pay, merit pay and deferred pay whereas indirect compensation does not involve any money. Instead it includes protection programs such as health, pension, social security and other insurance services. Benefits on the other hand are the non-financial form of reimbursement offered in addition to cash salary to enrich workers’ living standards. Some of these benefits include health/medical benefits, educational assistance providing tuition reimbursements and cost of books, work/life benefits including life insurance programs, long or short term disability, cancer/critical illness plans, vision and dental coverage and most importantly retirement and pension plan for retirees since a large number of workers approach retirement every year (Report by Center of Health Program Development and Management, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2003). Challenges associated with Pay of Performance strategy There are a number of challenges or concerns faced by the Pay for Performance strategy. The first being its potential negative impacts on nursing through its worsening documentation load. Since the program requires a lot of documentation for keeping the record, through which nursing providers are monitored and are awarded based on their performance, more than 30 percent of the allocated time is spent on documentation of their work (American Hospitals Association, 2003; Pg 2004). One also questions the validity of these documentations since according to the analysis of the Centre for Medicare Advocacy, it is typical that providers self report their data in pay for performance programs. This leads to false documentation. Another challenge that comes to mind is that institutions tend to focus entirely on specific points targeted by the schemes rather than broader aspects

Managing Financial Resources and Decisions Assignment - 1

Managing Financial Resources and Decisions - Assignment Example The paper will be divided into 4 sections. Section 1 will be focused on assessing the tangible cost and the opportunity costs incurred by Tesco when raising share capital through shares, bonds and proposed dividends, with hypothetical illustrations. Section 2 will aim at explaining the role and significance of financial planning in Tesco, while section 3 will remain focused on identifying the needs that investors of Tesco might essentially seek in respect to the fund raising activities of the company. Taking note on the changes expected in the PE (Profit-Earning) ratio, EPS (Earning per Share) ratio and ROCE (Return on Capital Employed) owing to its fund raising activities, section 4 will be constructed. Section 1 In correspondence to the three optional measures that Tesco can consider to raise its capitals, it was observed that the tangible cost will be as follows. Correspondingly, the opportunity costs associated with these options will be, As can be observed from the above analysi s, it is likely and suggestible that Tesco decides for option 1a, having least opportunity cost of ?5,500,000, considering its next best alternative to be option 1b. Section 2 Financial planning assists large companies in finding out the best possible ways to generate the cash flow and to make the capital investments effective by incurring limited degree of risks. Large companies often face issues in dealing with complexity issues when deciding for capital gains owing to the varied range of sources available, ranging from shares, bonds and other financial instruments. Financial planning thus helps a large sized company like Tesco in identifying the best investment opportunities, keeping in account the investors’ interests. Financial planning also assists with the effective forecasting of the implications that the funding strategies may impose on the investors’ decision, considering the results from ratio analysis and other similar mechanisms (Greenwood, 2002). Section 3 The range of information to be required by the financial decision makers in Tesco may include details of the market investment trends, competitor’s influence on the demand of its products, market structure, regulatory norms applied to funding sources and changes in the market pricing trends concerning the fact that Tesco deals with consumer goods, which are highly influenced by market volatilities (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, n.d). Section 4 Considering options 1a and 1b, as the most suitable options for Tesco, it can be observed that option 1a will be more beneficial as it is capable of yielding a higher P/E ratio, indicating that investors shall pay more for every dollar in comparison to option 1b. While the EPS ratio remains the same in both the instances, the ROCE reveals a contrasting situation where capital employed in option 1b is likely to have a higher return as compared to option 1a. This reveals that Tesco shall be able to obtain better efficie ncy in its capital allocation following option 1b. Source: (Tesco PLC, 2013) Conclusion From the above analyses that fund raising strategies used by Tesco is quite likely to impose strong effects on its financial statements and thereafter determine the decisions of its investors either favorably or unfavorably. A proper financial planning and effective decision making thus play a major role in the effectiveness of the business. References Chartered Institut

Applying People CMM to Your Organization-Part 1 Essay

Applying People CMM to Your Organization-Part 1 - Essay Example The company also recognized the need for a continuous improvement culture in order to sustain the process. Because of that, Toyota selects the brightest and best workers within the organization, from all levels, and challenges them to use their proposals and creativity to experiment and learn. This is a challenge that puts the workers through a constant problem solving state, and encourages them to grow in their jobs. Every specialty, for example; engineering, accounting, sales, service, and human resources, are equipped with skills which the company refines to achieve customer satisfaction. This continuous improvement culture could use people CMM for the company to achieve its targets (Toyota, 2014). Continuous improvement means the company will always have changing aims to meet. There should be a system of ensuring these aims are met, and this is where the people CMM come in. It provides staged improvements through which the organization’s culture can be changed. People CMM is a model of change that focuses on improving workforce practices. It has five levels of maturity, and these act as guidance through change. If Toyota, for example, wants to change the culture of the organization to a continuous improvement focused, it will make use of the maturity levels to meet its targets. The model describes an evolutionary process through which companies go through to achieve quality and effectiveness. Maturity levels determine the characteristics of the organization. Toyota, for example, already established a continuous improvement culture which it has to maintain. It means that the company has passed the initial level, the managed level, and the defined level. The initial level is all about the inconsistency of the practices. Toyota has a consistent practice of identifying the best skills, and guiding them through problem solving activities to develop new ideas

Integrated Project Management Tools Research Paper

Integrated Project Management Tools - Research Paper Example At the project’s starting stage, the project is explicitly and clearly defined. The scope of the project and its purpose are defined, and a benchmark for the expected final product is set. The time and resources required for completion of the project are allotted. Resolving problems encountered during the project and controlling the product quality are the main activities of a project’s control stage (Bainey, 2004). This stage oversees the completion of most of the work, and it is during this stage that most of the project’s time is consumed. The project’s closure level involves officially ending the project and providing any useful tips applicable to other projects. Any outstanding work that requires completion is done in this stage. The Project Manager is responsible for managing the basic factors of a project simultaneously; these include time, scope, resources, and money (Schwalbe, 2010). These four elements work hand in hand, and for the project to be a success, these elements must be managed together. In a bed and breakfast project, the resources include equipment, funding, people, facilities, or materials. Management Tools Work Authorization System This is a method used in hand with project management. The project manager together with his designees uses the work authorization system to sanction all project work during a project management. Work authorization procedures show the person responsible for authorizing activities to be completed and how those authorizations may be achieved (Schwalbe, 2010). These procedures include documents that must be filled before initializing any work, and the possibilities of any prerequisites. In order to facilitate the efficiency of project management in bigger projects, work authorization systems detail the timeline of the project. For example, the work authorization system might show when some parts of the project should end, by whom and in which order (Bainey, 2004). For a bed and breakfa st project to be successful, work authorization is an effective tool. Project Status Report It is a regular, official report on a project progress against the plan of the project. Its purpose is to efficiently and effectively communicate the project status at regular intervals. In addition, it can be utilized in providing a documented history of a project. Objectives of a status report include communication of the project progress, simplifying the mode of collecting and distributing project information, improving passing of information within the project, and improving organizational support of the project. A good, consistent project status report prevents a project from missing completion deadlines by keeping the project on the early-start and early-finish schedule. Being alert of the start and completion dates during a project increases the chances for the project being successful. A project status reporting is a function that is performed throughout the project (Barkley, 2006). S cheduling System A scheduling system is a form of a tool used to build an integrated project management system. A good scheduling system should aid in achieving the best end results in a bed and breakfast project. The project manager should ensure that the scheduling system

Inventables Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inventables - Research Paper Example Inventables Incorporation analyses the up-to-date technologies and materials from all over the world and exhibits the most appropriate items to customers on a trimestral basis. To be counted for inclusion, specimens must demonstrate fascinating properties in addition to substantial prospective for ‘technology transfer’ - the likelihood to be employed in a business that they are presently not standard(Rao par 2). The ‘Inventables service comprises of access to the firms online database as well as actual, physical models of selected specimens. This paper is going to analyze the Inventables Incorporation. Inventables provide firms with the technology and the materials to invent their own ideas. Having available materials and technology has rendered the innovation process for most companies easy and less costly. When the technology and materials are available, companies can try out different ideas to formulate new inventions or even improve on the available inventions thereby making them more effective and efficient (Rao par 3). Additionally, it saves companies the time they would have otherwise spent on searching the materials and the technology to create new inventions. Inventables launched an innovators hardware shop, which is a tailored collection of materials to democratize accessibility of these materials by interested clients (Rao par 3). The company has also created a website where its clients can access it and find out what is available and at the same time meets their needs. When companies have a production notion or even a production challenge or require a specialized material to afford a solution, they do not start from scratch. Instead, companies search the extensive variety of technologies and materials one of which could be the solution to their snag. The Inventables’ website is easily accessible, with a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate while searching for products (Rao par 4). Inventables has become very beneficial to small

Code of Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Code of Ethics - Essay Example To attain continuous patronage from our customers, the supermarket has to meet the level of expectations of our customers. One of the more critical elements required to improve the services of a Supermarket is to implement a set of code of ethics which will be adhered to by all personnel group from top to bottom. What is this set of code of ethics? A Code of ethics is a set of standard rules, procedures, guidelines and policies disseminated, understood and imposed by top management to all the people who work at the Supermarket. They are all to comply with this code of ethics. These are standard policies and standard procedures that will â€Å"guide the organization to steer conduct, both for the organization itself and its employees, in all their internal and external business activities† (Code of Ethics, 2005). This is healthy in the system of any organization as it would â€Å"signal to the suppliers, patrons, bankers, traders, government, among others the supermarket's exp ectation from them and vice versa. This would also be a good strategy to enhance the supermarket’s reputation and achieve excellent culture that would strengthen public confidence in the organization† (Code of Business Ethics, 2010). Finally, the monitoring of operations, security and accountability become more effective with the adoption of a code of ethics.

Business Law Phase 2 DB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Law Phase 2 DB - Essay Example (b) Buyer has sole control of the defense and all related settlement negotiations; and (c) Buyer provides Seller with the assistance, information and authority necessary to perform Buyer’s obligations under this section. Buyer shall have no liability of any claim of infringement based on use of Equipment altered by the Buyer. 1. Identification of Parties involved: The beginning of the contract should always be with names of the parties signing the contract. In case of involvement of companies or organizations, the name of the company should be followed by the representatives. Contact information will be an additional advantage, if included. 3. Limitations of the Contract: The details of the expiry date, if any, should be mentioned i.e. how and when will the particular contract end? In case of renewals, quote the date and time for contract renewal. 4. Monetary Obligations: Clearly mention all the monetary obligations, costs involved etc of the contract. Also mention the details of taxes involved, their calculations and the person responsible for covering

The Land Registration Bill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

The Land Registration Bill - Essay Example One significant step towards achieving the mirror principle, a step which is particularly welcome, has been the phasing out or complete removal of a number of overriding interests by the 2002 Act. This is because the 2002 Act envisages that the majority of interests in land will only be capable of being created when simultaneously registered. However, admitting to there being overriding interests undermines the ‘mirror principle’. These un-registrable rights, deemed so important that they do not require registration and which have to date been given statutory protection, dilutes the fundamental objective on which the 2002 Act is based. Lord Denning in Strand Securities v. Caswell spoke of the purpose of the overriding interest in Section 70(1)(g) of the Land Registration Act, 1925 (the â€Å"1925 Act†) as being to â€Å"protect the person in actual occupation of land from having his rights lost in the welter of registration†. He further stated that such a p erson may â€Å"simply stay there and do nothing† but will nonetheless be protected. The 1925 Act listed out the ‘old law’ overriding interests in Section 70(1). Section 70(1) consisted of a number of lettered paragraphs. Many of the types of interest listed in Section 70(1) were unimportant; in practice there were five important categories of overriding interest. â€Å"The guiding principle on which it [the Bill] proceeds is that interests should be overriding only where it is unreasonable to expect them to be protected on the Register.†

Hawthorne studies Essay Example for Free

Hawthorne studies Essay A student of science conducts a research study in order to test a hypothesis or a theory. He/she is guided by a problem and or questions that he/she hopes to answer in order to refute or confirm existing theoretical constructs. A research study is an application of the scientific method and a researcher delves into that with a set of predetermined hypotheses. There are many ways of conducting researches but experiments are the most applicable if the study seeks to establish cause and effect. The Hawthorne studies started out with the purpose to prove that lighting in the workroom had an effect on worker productivity (Ballantyne, 2000). Although the motivation for conducting the research was utilitarian it however forever changed the concept of management and gave birth to the â€Å"Hawthorne Effect†. The insights I gained from digesting the Hawthorne studies were that a research study does not necessarily confirm our research assumptions (Fawcett Downs, 1999). Conducting a research is actually like wading into a pool full of disparate objects and sometimes what we find is not what we are looking for. It is important to maintain objectivity and we must not force or lead our discussions and findings towards supporting our hypothesis if we truly want to be scientific and maintain academic integrity. Another thing I learned was that even if we are guided by a research problem that we wish to answer, it is how we measure and manipulate the variables that we want to explore dictates the results that the study yields. In the Hawthorne studies on lighting and work productivity, although the variable degree of illumination was manipulated to test whether work output increased, the relationship was not established because the researchers was not able to identify beforehand that the presence of the researchers was an extraneous variable (Levine Parkinson, 1994) hence the concept of the â€Å"Hawthorne effect† which referred to the phenomenon where the presence of the researcher corrupts the results of the experiment. Lastly, the Hawthorne studies demonstrated that even the most rigorous experiments or study has limitations and anyone who wishes to conduct experiments must recognize in the outset what the limitations of his/her study are.

Relationship between Transport and Environment

Relationship between Transport and Environment The relationship between transport and environment is paradox in nature. From one perspective transportation is categorised in two areas, passenger transportation which consists of all transport of individual, refers to all forms of public and private transport of commuters, passenger baggage transport whether scheduled or unscheduled. The second category of transportation is freight movements meaning the movement of raw materials, of work in progress, finished goods from supplier to consumer and of returns of used and new products back to supplier. Freight movement is also consists of movement of agricultural products (food, fertilizers) and animals. Freight movement is progressively intermodal and multimodal and makes use of local, regional, national and international operations. Transportation causes a considerable amount of harmful emissions, which causes problems that become harmful and costly to the society and environment. According to EU analysis 35% of freight transport acco unts for eight percent of external transport cost to the GDP in European Union (EEA, 2001). The transport sector contributes to 30 percent of the CO2 emissions in OECD countries. 32 percent of Co2 emitted is accounted for by freight transport, while passenger transport accounts for 48 percent of emissions of CO2. This share of transport emissions however increases yearly. In this paper I will be focusing on freight transport (goods and services) impact on the environment. Based on different mode of transport which includes air cargo, shipping, rail, trucking, pipelines and intermodal terminals, the effects on the environment are majorly air pollution, water pollution, noise, global climate concerns, accidents, land take and habitat fragmentation both for humans and animals. The effects of freight transport on the environment affects the interrelation of the environmental system which is between the following:- Atmosphere (air quality) Hydrosphere (water quality) Lithosphere (soil quality) Biosphere (living organisms) In the process of defining the environmental impacts of freight movement, three components could be considered: Firstly the environmental stressors which include pollutants, noise, or exotic and toxic species are released in natural ecosystems. Each tonne of goods transported adds an additional stress on the environment. The cumulative amount of stress placed on the environment depends on the quantity of goods and the destination and distance they are transported. The total stress can be calculated as the quantity of goods times the distance carried multiplied by the stress per tonne. In addition the mode of transportation used is also put in to consideration. The total stress is also determined by the nature of the receiving environment. Visible characteristics such as physical ecosystem characteristics, how populated is the area affected, and how critical or endangered species in the receiving ecosystem will determine the willingness to avoid the impact and payments. This paper will be focusing more on the first component primarily to the other two components, with a little attention to the third component. Overview of Freight Movement Impacts on the Environment Air pollution: Air pollution is considerably seen has the most dangerous environmental threat caused by transportation. Highway vehicles (i.e. cars, trucks, vans e.t.c), marine engines (i.e. propels ships, boats), locomotive (i.e. diesel, coal trains e.t.c), and aircraft are the main causes of pollutant which affects air quality causing damage to human heath and the climatic changes in the environmental system, all these includes gas and emissions that are particulate matters. All these toxic air pollutant are closely related with the cause of cancer, cardiovascular (heart arteries, capillaries and veins), respiratory and neurological diseases. Air pollution reduces the availability of oxygen which affects the blood stream, and can be extremely harmful to public health if Carbon Monoxide (CO) is inhaled; also nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emission from different modes of transportation when inhaled reduces lung function, affects the respiratory immune defence system and put humans at higher risk of respiratory problems. Acid rain is caused by the emission of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere from different acid compounds that when they get mixed in the cloud water. Acid rain has serious disruption on the built environment, limits agricultural crop yields and causes deforestation. Acid rain also causes smog, affecting the visibility in the environment having adverse effect on the quality of life and less attraction of tourist activities. Emission from vehicle exhausts as well as non exhaust like dust raise due to vehicle and road abrasion affects air quality in such areas. The impact of the modes of transportation on air quality Air transport: air transport emission during take off and landing contributes to air pollution and global warming. Although emission from air transportation are minor relatively to other means of transportation of goods and services, the rate at which air transportation is adding to the emission from transportation is faster than all other emission source, due to the increase in air travels and air freight. (Vedantham and Oppenheimer 1994, p 1). From a survey two thirds of air freight is carried by commercial passenger flights, and estimated increases in air freight is expected to be distributed through passenger flights. (Snape and Metcalfe p. 176). Low level emission is recorded during take off and landing of air transport, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide during high altitude flight are pollutants to the atmosphere and ozone layer. These pollutants with other compounds could lead to smog. Road/trucking: the movement of freight by road or truck as a great impact on the air quality. The longer a truck is driven the more emission it impacts on the environment. Emission from both exhaust and non exhaust, like the abrasion between truck and road raises dust. Carbon Monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are all effects of emission on the environment. Rail: rail transportation is the less damaging mode of land transportation when compared with trucking. The effect of rail transport on the environment is determined greatly on the source of power generation for the train, like in Europe most of the trains are powered by electricity. In some other part of the world like Nigeria, trains are powered by coal (locomotive) this generates a lot of pollutant to the environment. Shipping: freight transportation through shipping are not a major source of air pollution. Nevertheless, most of ships are powered by combustion engines, so they do emit air pollutants. Emission occurs both underway on the waters and while docking. Pipelines: this mode of transportation is usually safe and free of air pollution, except in cases of accidents, pipe bursting or vandalized. Apart from the pumps been used to pump or compress oil or gas, which emit air pollutant like all other machine does. Water pollution: Generally most of the other mode of transportation does not really have effect on water quality, except for shipping and in land water ways transport, and also in times of accidents i.e pipeline bursting, car accident entering the waters, oil spill e.t.c. The activities of shipping are increasing because of the increase in demand for shipping. Emissions from marine transport as also increased as well; the main effects of marine transport on water subsequently arise from dredging, waste disposal, ballast waters and oil spills. Dredging is essential to build and maintain water depth for ease of shipping operations and port accessibility. Dredging affects the marine biological diversity. Waste disposal of plastics at sea is a major source of environmental harm, since the material are both sizeable (buoyant) and persistent i.e. fishing boats discard old nets, and lines, which are usually made of plastic. Ballast waters are used in containers to keep the ship balance when the ship is empty of cargos. It is used to control the stability and draught and to modify the ship centre of gravity in relation to the cargo and the difference in weight distribution. The water ballast is usually discharge in to the water and replaced with freight. These ballast waters are mixed and contaminated with oil and possibly with other wastes in the tank. The discharge is therefore water pollution to the waters. Oil cargo vessel accidents are one of the most heart breaing problems of maritime transport activities due to oil spills Oil. Road transportation is usually not a factor to consider when it comes to water pollution, but issues like road accidents and vehicle exhaust are both sources of oil and hazardous chemicals which run off the road into surface and ground by rain waters, into seas and ocean these are all direct and indirect causes of water pollution. Noise: Noise pollution refers to the unpleasant irregular and chaotic sounds. It traumatize the hearing organ, its unpleasant and disturbing character are serious threat to the quality of life, noise contributes to such health problems that affects the quality of life such as stress, sleep disturbances, cardio vascular disease, and hearing loss. Surveys show that noise pollution affects people more directly than any other form of pollution. German experience has found that as people become annoyed about noise, they become aware of other environmental pollution problems as well (Kà ¼rerp. 493). And also long term exposure to noise levels greater than 75db seriously hampers hearing and has a significant discomfort to human physical and psychological existence. Trucking: there is different size of trucks causing noise pollution at different scale. Trucks are considered to be a more significant source of noise than other modes of freight transport. Rail: rail freight movement is a lesser noise pollutant when compared to trucks. Air Transport: people living or working around airports suffer from major nuisance from the noise pollution generated during landing and taking off of planes, traffic congestion and other dangers of air crashes. It is a major nuisance to those who live or work in the vicinity of airport. Climatic change All the activities from different mode of freight transportation and passenger transport industry have lead to the emission of several million tons of gases into the atmosphere every year. Gasses, dusts from contact from road and tire cohesion and ash like substances from different modes of transport like lead (Pb), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), silicon tetraflouride (SF6), nitrogen oxides (NOx),benzene and volatile components (BTX), heavy metals (zinc, chrome, copper and cadmium) and particulate matters (ash, dust) as lead to climatic change when mix in the cloud waters. Land take and soil quality The construction of transportation infrastructures and facilities has an impact on the layer of urban landscape. The construction of roads, airport, and rail ways take up significant land space in the environment, in most cases displacing people of their habitat and farm land. Airport takes up space, and discourages people from living in areas close to the airport. Water transport displaces some organism from their habitat, and also dredging is bad for the water and soil organism. Dredging causes soil around the water to be contaminated. Green Movement of Freight The environmental effect of freight movement has caused a lot of harm and changes in the environmental system. Due to all these impacts, some companies have come together separately and some as a group working towards reducing the effects of freight movement on the environment. There lots of freight movement lacking fast and efficient transport underpinning the Global economy. Globally road transport is the most proffered mode of freight movement but rising traffic volumes cause congestion, pollution and extra costs. There are alternatives route which make more economic and environmental sense like rail, sea and inland waterways. Alternative forms of transport are greener, cleaner and even cheaper over time, but most manufacturers and producers and hauliers are not really interested in investing in change. Here are some of the companies investing in alternative green, cleaner and even sometimes cheaper mode of transport:- Damco: is one of the worlds leading company in rendering freight movement and supply chain management services. For more than 30 years Damco have been providing her customers all over the world with transportation and logistics solution. In the process of Damco working on her supply chain expertise extensively, Damco recognize and implements solutions for reducing carbon emissions in your supply chain. The extra advantages of conducting a Supply Chain Carbon Check helps the company have a lower carbon emission level based on best practises within the monitored period. The Supply Chain Carbon Check (SCCC): aides companies in assessing and reducing their supply chain carbon footprint. Damco conducts Supply Chain Carbon Check projects globally for many global companies from various industries. Through increased supply chain efficiency, the emission of CO2 can be reduced with the process of SCCC projects. It also reduces the cost of supply chain. Powered by the partnership with First Climate, Damco offers its clients the opportunity to offset their unavoidable CO2 emissions. Damcos Supply Chain Carbon Dashboard: is a tool use in able to reporting of carbon emissions on a periodic basis. Through the companies new Supply Chain Carbon Dashboard platform, Damco delivers a unique value proposition, assisting other companies in understanding their overall supply chain carbon emissions. By zeroing in on a particular level of emission levels, the Carbon Dashboard immediately allows companies to indentify carbon hotspots in their supply chain. This will help such companies to determine how and what to do to reduce and minimize their carbon footprint, in response to the effects of carbon emission on the climatic change. Damcos Packaging Optimization Service: this service helps in reducing environmental impact of freight movement, by implementing packages that suit companys end to end needs, reducing the number of trucks or containers needed. Damco as a company is able to achieve this new service by partnering with Supply Chain Optimizers (SCO) to deliver a unique Packaging Optimization service. Norbert-Dentressangle: is a freight forwarding company that operates in over 50 countries and across 3 continents. Norbert Dentressangle offers experienced and committed freight forwarding expertise and also work in cooperation with network of specialist partners and channel the transports of goods and services throughout the world using road, sea and air. Norbert Dentessangle provides transport and logistic network solutions that extends across Europe. In Norbert Dentressangle commitment in reducing the companys environmental impact on society, they have taken some measures and obtained accreditation of relevant environmental organisation body like ISO 14001 environmental certification for all the companys sites in Europe. The company is the leading owners of Europes No.1 HGV fleet, in reducing the green house gas emissions from trucks and other transport modes by the company, the company has kept a firm commitment and also believed trucks are not the problem, but form part of the solution. In showing their commitment the company developed some strategies in reducing the impact of their activities on the environment: The companys first strategy was to obtain ISO 14001 environmental certification for all their European sites. The companys sites meet up with stringent environmental management standards, these standards includes several dimensions, like complaisance with regulations, monitoring and measuring energy/water consumption, discards and waste all under the ISO 14001. The company carries out measurement of their consumption of natural and energy resources and reporting on waste treatment. Out of the companys 192 logistic sites, 79 are ISO certified. Truck/ Driving (Eco Driving) Hiring and training of responsible drivers in economical driving also know has eco-driving. Efficient driving that reduces fuel consumption over the same distance of freight movement. In the past decades engine technology has improved, with many drivers not adapting wit changes. Ecodriving offers lots of benefits, including GHG emissions reductions, fuel cost savings, as well as better safety. Working closely with their customers the company is able to optimise their transport plans and loading of associated vehicles. Also Norbert Dentressangle carries out RD projects in partnership with truck manufacturers, with primary objective on creating alternative technologies (innovation) to the diesel engine. The company renews her fleets of vehicle (85% of the companys fleets meets the Euro IV and Euro V standards) periodically to meet EU emission standards. Innovations like: increasing the level of aerodynamics (introduction of deflectors in roofing /lateral,feul efficient standard equipments in all vehicles average fuel efficiency gain of 1.5 l/100 km; tear drop style aerodynamic bodywork which has been tested in the UK: with proven estimated fuel efficiency gain of 5% estimate). Optimising transmission systems: purchases of automatic gearboxes which improve fuel efficiency in driving standard combined with standard equipment in all vehicles: a tested and proven statistics of an average fuel efficiency gain of 1.5 l/100 km). Investing in trucks by purchasing parts reducing rolling resistance (newly produced low-energy tyres by Michelin Energy) The company procures fuel economy device like Stop-Start technology, this device stops the engine from working when the trucks come to a stop, is made available as standard in all trailers purchased from major manufacturers, this new development as recorded an estimated fuel saving of 3% 5%. The company provides alternative multimodal transport solutions where possible. Either combining rail/sea/river/road in different channels. The company reduces carbon emission by carrying out proper packaging of freight goods, reducing the number of trucks and containers needed. Improved transport capacity (ambient and temperature controlled double-deck trailers). Testing alternative technologies to the diesel engine like hybrid technology innovation, being tested on four different prototype trailers in 2011: the following recordings and observations were made: 20% fuel saving efficiency, reduction of about 30% in pollutant emissions, less noise pollution. Carbon Calculator In the effort of measuring carbon emissions, given the fact that in 2013 the European regulations will make it compulsory for all companies registered to measure and publish their carbon emissions. Norbert Dentressangle with the help of its internal team has gone a step further in designing and developing a carbon calculator reliable in measuring emissions produced by the company and her customers during transport activities. The calculator analyse different types of information like mileage, diesel consumption, load weight, content in order to produce to indicators which are: Gross CO2 emissions and CO2 emissions/ tonne per kilometre DPS International DPS international is a global logistic company that has grown to become one of the most advance vehicle routing and scheduling systems service providers in the world. The company is the leading developer of desktop solutions by creating a state-of-the-art desktop solution called (LogiX) and also recently introduced their newly produced web based pay-as-you-go routing and scheduling system, logixcentral. In the effort of the company providing its clients with fleet efficiency, DPS has now developed a module to ensure her client are able to measure their fleets carbon emissions and the impact of introducing new and efficient fuel and emission saving vehicle types, and reducing mileage and numbers of vehicles. For several years the companys customers have been able to reduce their carbon emissions by using the state-of -the art DPS LogiX routing and scheduling software to optimise their vehicle usage. In 2006, from published results, DPS customers were able to save around, 15,000 tonne s of carbon by using LogiX software. DPS Saving Calculator: With the aide of this device companies can estimate how much carbon emissions they are contributing to pollution, and how they could reduce both cost of operations and in relations to carbon emissions by using the DPS calculator. DPS calculator could be downloaded from the companys website under the Financial and Carbon Savings (FACS) link. In show of DPS commitment to reducing green house gas emissions, the Managing Director (MD) Paul Palmer made note in his statement in 3rd April, 2007 for DPS UK to become carbon neutral. The company have worked closely with Climate Care organisation to offset all carbon emissions generated over the past years from our energy use within the companys office and also from the business travel. Due to the use of LogiXcentral over the web, DPS has seen some of her customers reduce their fleets of vehicles from at least (20 to 30 vehicles) to as few as ten vehicles. This reduction in vehicles as offset the cost of software licence (up to  £50,000), computer hardware (laptops and desktop); maintenance agreement (monthly maintenance and upgrades); internal IT support and upgrades (web site maintenance and upgrades). CONCLUSION Basically the major effects of transportation on the environment generally are freight movements. Road contributes a major share of pollutants relatively to other modes. Although air transport has some contradiction with passenger transportation, most goods moved by air is done on commercial flights. The increasing effects of global warming, has been a major wake up call for several organisation in reducing the factors causing global warming. Freight movement is major contributor, with proper awareness and constant innovative solutions the world can remain a better place. Question 3 Fourth Party Logistic Operator (4PL) What is a Fourth Party Logistics operator (4PL) Fourth part logistics companies serve as consultants that integrate the relationship between the principal company and transportation companies and one or more third party logistics companies to make sure all operations are running well. 4PLs render several levels of responsibility, which varies from advice on choosing the best companies, right up to the day-to-day management of essential logistical tasks being performed for the principal companies. Fourth Party Logistics (4PLs) was born originally in the 1990s, by the consulting firm Accenture. The definition of a 4PLs as since then evolved from being a consulting firm who integrates and mange companys logistics resources and providers, including 3PLs and transportation companies. A 4PLs dont own the assets use in the logistics process unlike 3PLs. The heart of the fourth-party logistics concept is the presence of that integrator and the sense of strategy involved. It is a Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) provider. A 4PL brings different perspectives and value which includes knowledge, experience and technology existing in the operational systems of the customers, and can and will work with the firm to reengineer it into an improved or new process. A 4PL is neutral and offers managerial responsibilities for the logistics process, regardless of what carriers, forwarders, or warehouses are owned or used by the primary company. The 4PL will even manage existing 3PLs either one or more, already been used by the customer. Historical relationship with the customer and existing 3PL means a better understanding of the complexity of the customers requirements, this allows for a viable solutions and to have customer satisfaction and retention policies. Some 3PLs companies also upgrade their expertise to render consultancy services like a 4PL. Some 3PLs have a 4PL division. Advantages of outsourcing a transport operation to a fourth part Logistics operator A good 4PL company should have a state-of-the-art technology that ensures their customers high demands are met. It should be able to render solutions that can be customized to each clients requirement, and also be able to deliver maximised availability of the right product at minimum inventory holding cost. These are the advantages/benefits of an efficient collaborative 4PL approach to logistics solutions: Debt and Unique Expertise: when logistics process becomes complex, increasingly expensive and non core competency to shed. The verse availability of resources at 4PL disposal makes it have capabilities to identify the most effective ideas and do further analysis on them to see how effective they are to their customers. 4PLs have more recourses and contacts (3PLs, IT vendors and transport companies) available for their customers to choose from. It retains cooperate supply chain network in the companys data. 4PLs addresses operational failures of existing 3PL companies by creating completely new structure for their customers. 4PLs carries out a single point of contact to mange all areas of their customers supply chain network to check for failures from existing or previous 3PLs. Normalize data: due to difference in reporting formats and different metrics from multiple relationships, 4PL is able to align these different data (normalize data) and makes it easy and quickly to compare data across the supply chain and across the company. For instance 4PLs knits together different 3PLs into a total, integrated solution. 4PLs deploy assets as efficiently as possible by considering both inbound and outbound sectors of supply chain logistics to leverage synergisms. Analytic capability: 4PLs does this by managing supply chain on a more concentration on data intensive basis. For instance, the curiosity of whether deliveries reached their final destination safely and on time is further analysed to also determine whether distribution stations have the right inventory and right levels of inventory. Optimisation of supply chain: this the ability of the 4PL to get a great rate on transport cost from one point to the other. 4PL do more comprehensive research in the process of goods being moved from one point to the other, paving way for an environment in which encourages the supply chain to become a competitive advantage. 4PLs are in a better position to develop meaningful metrics in a common format making use of terms and conditions that are standardized across the company and its supply chain. The ability of 4PLs to deliver raw materials and finished goods at the right place and right time, gives their customers a competitive advantage. Customers working with a top 4PL have the advantage of getting exposed to best practices and encourages innovation through the supply chain. 4PLS work with variety of companies both home and abroad, so they have a wide contacts and knowledge. 4PLs are welled positioned to see different approaches to problems and issues, in the process they assimilate the most effective approaches into their practices that could later be used on their customers. Sharing and Reducing Risks: the relationship between 4PLs and its customers brings about the sharing and reduction of risks. The 4PL company transfers, avoids, and also eliminates risks because they are specialized providers of logistic solutions. They are able to have first hand experience to assess uncertainties and potential catastrophes affecting logistics operations. The 4PL also have sophisticated and sufficient equipment and facilities to run logistics and supply chain process efficiently. The 4PL dont want to fail, in doing so they share risk with their customers. Improves Accountability: most companies find it hard to track money spent on transport activities, they cant come up with a presentation that states the consolidated report of detail spending or the reasons for it. 4PLs drive efficiency: by improving not just on transportation efficiency, but also on packaging engineering and products engineering. It makes use of its collaborative environment to pull together both packaging engineers and production engineers to optimize the sectors that has direct or indirect effect on the supply chain. For instance, freight forwarders deal with chartered weights and actual weights, so the main aim is to minimize the difference between charted and actual weights and in the process get better unit prices. Changing the structure of the network: this a usual approach taken by 4PLs, by implementing changes to optimize the supply chain, changes/ additional warehouses and distribution centre location, staging and inter or multi modal transportation. These are a one time savings, but are necessary for effective performance. It is very essential to look at transportation modes; fluctuation in factors affecting transport modes like economics, disaster, and pollution e.t.c. for instance, fluctuation in economics may cause some changes to modes of shipment. The decision on what combination of transport modes is necessary to get a better logistics solution. 4PLs provides its customers Improved availability of raw materials, increased customer satisfaction rating, and increased sales and profit by exposing its customers to its additional clients and other divisions. Effective consultancy and solutions provided by 4PLs leads to reductions in lead-times in exportation from export country to import country and vice versa. Improved load planning through consolidation options delivering optimised container fills 4PLs creates the opportunity of greater collaboration and improved relationships with multiple partners which shows no one knows it all. No company is perfect in every area and location of operations. A 4PL over sees all financial activities of 3PLs, in case of financial failure 4PLs releases capital through proper selling of logistics assets to the 4PL organisation or on levelled headed free market. Disadvantages of outsourcing a transport operation to a fourth part Logistics operator Although 4PLs have lots of benefits and logistic solutions to their customers, there are also some negative aspects of a Fourth Party logistics to the customers and the company. Some of these disadvantages are listed below: Lost of Control over the Supply Chain: as a company outsource its supply chain to a 4PL a bit of the companys control is lost. The company takes the risk of depending on the fourth party logistics provider and losses the control over the logistics and service process when the logistics operations are subcontracted to logistic providers like 4PLs. if the logistic operations goes like an error or mistake, the company will be affected directly but is unable to fix the problem itself due to the fact that such activities have been outsourced to a 4PL. Cost Awareness: out

EU Economic And Monetary Policy Case Of Spain

EU Economic And Monetary Policy Case Of Spain This research paper aims to discuss how the EU has influenced economic and monetary policies of Spain and vice versa. This dual relationship is of utmost importance as we look at the costs and benefits the EMU has brought to Spain and the possibility of the long-standing inflation problem in Spain affecting EUs monetary policies. EU membership has undoubtedly largely influenced the economic policies and conditions of Spain. For example, Spains accession in 1986 forced the government and economic elites to adopt the necessary policies to embark on economic modernization. In addition, the European Monetary Union (EMU) Maastricht Treaty criteria resulted in Spain having to implement micro and macroeconomic policies like fiscal consolidation, central bank independence and wage moderation (Royo, 2006). Also, the current Greek debt crisis has also thrown the spotlight on Spain which is also undergoing a crisis of itself: competitiveness crisis. With this crisis in mind, it is highly unlike ly but still possible that EU might either choose to expel Spain from the euro area or undergo a series of policy reforms to deal with this crisis. This research paper will begin with an introduction of Spains accession into the EU, followed by the costs and benefits Spain experienced from complying with the EMU Maastricht Treaty. This will be followed by an investigation on the competitiveness crisis in Spain and its influence on the EU. Lastly, this paper will have a discussion on the possible economic and structural reforms that both Spain and EU should undertake to smoothen EU integration for both parties. Spains accession into the EU Before accession into the EU, Spains economy was of a protectionist nature. It remained largely outside the international economic trading area. However in the 1980s, Spain decided to integrate with Western Europe, and was enthusiastic in accommodating to the EC trade customs and rules in order to secure accession. Spain joined the EMU because it was economically beneficial then as the majority of Spains trading partners are in the EU. On January 1986, Spain joined the European community as a full member. Spain was a firm supporter of the European and Monetary Union from the very beginning and rushed to be a part of the European Monetary System (EMS) in 1989 (Sebastian Royo, 2003). The European Monetary Union was established with the purpose of creating and improves trade among European countries. Based on the accession agreement, the taxation policy of Spain was transformed dramatically. Firstly, Spain had to gradually remove custom duties as well as industrial tariffs on EC goods (US Library of Congress). Spains tax rebate on exports had to be removed too. In addition, Spain had to impose a value-added tax (VAT) which had affected Spain negatively in the 1980s. For instance, the introduction of VAT makes Spain a more expensive destination for inbound visitors/tourists and this will affect the Spanish tourism industry. 2.1 Implications of European financial integration on Spain More importantly, membership in the Economic Monetary Union has many implications on Spains domestic economic policies. This is because Spain now loses control of monetary and exchange rate polices to fix problems in its economy and have to rely on the EMUs monetary policy instead. The EMU is tasked with the objective to conduct policies to ensure and achieve stability and growth in the Euro zone (Trichet, 2005). European financial integration kick-started a series of reforms aimed at liberalizing and modernizing the Spanish economy. Accession to ERM and then EMU membership resulted in the reform of the tax system. This reform of the Spanish tax system includes the introduction of VAT as well as a reduction of import duties. This was accompanied by a fiscal consolidation process (reducing government budget and debt deficits). Membership in the EU which resulted in European financial integration has both positive effects and negative effects on the economy. The general consensus is that the economic outcome for Spains membership is still largely positive. For example, gross domestic product per capital (GDP) increased significantly from 1985 and 2005 (Elcano Royal Institute European Parliament Office in Spain, 2006). The Spanish economy has also enjoyed growth since accession. Furthermore Spain has received a large amount of funds since accession and has made use of these funds to finance regional cohesion projects and develop infrastructures to modernise the economy. In addition, with greater exchange rate stability, imports of goods and services in Spain rose significantly and thus there was a greater degree of openness in the Spanish economy. However there remain major differences in economic development between Spain and the leading economies in the EU. Financial integration due to EMU was not totally smooth-sailing for Spain. The financial integration, which resulted in industrial restricting, has adverse effects on the economy in the early 1980: it resulted in high unemployment. In addition, the 1992 EMS crisis was traumatic for Spain. The 1992 crisis originated from an increase in government spending in Germany. This coupled with contractionary monetary policy led to increase in interest rates which affected the rest of the members of the EMU. The result was a sharp decline in the growth rate of real GDP and Spain having to devalue thrice. Many jobs in Spain were lost in the crisis. Fortunately these effects were cushioned somewhat by an economic boom in Spain, the continuing fall in oil prices and large inflow of foreign direct investment into Spain as many foreign companies seek to grab a slice of Spains expanding consumer market (US Library of Congress). Therefore for Spain to seize the benefits of EU membership and enjoy economic growth as well as low inflation, it has to push forward its structural reforms as well undertake sound fiscal policies. Spain till now has succeeded in conducting sound fiscal policies. However its inherent problem of high inflation continues to threaten its competitiveness and hence its trade balance. This has not been resolved quickly partially because of complacency due to its early economic success in the EU (Royo, 2006). European financial integration of the EU which entails efficient free movement of capital, commitment to exchange rate stability as well as harmonization of capital taxes have many positive implications on the Spanish macroeconomic policies. One benefit is that free movement of capital results in a decrease in financial costs for companies and thus allowing companies to raise more resources. However European financial integration has its drawbacks too for Spain. For instance, such commitments come into conflict with the aim of the Spanish government to reduce inflation as such commitments tend to result in lower interest rates thus raising inflation rates. Nevertheless, EU membership has contributed to some extent in lowering inflation in Spain. The introduction of the Euro and the European Central Bank (ECB), have considerable success in limiting price increases. The ECBs main aim of its monetary policy is to keep inflation of those in the euro zone under control and achieves this b y raising interest rates. The ECB therefore sets long-term interest rates for all the EMU countries. Since entering the EMU and participating in the single currency, Euro, the Spanish economy has transformed in a starkly different manner as compared to its counterparts in the EU. Spains economic growth in terms of GDP and inflation rate has been significantly higher than the other member states in the EU (Andres, Hurtado, Ortega, Thomas, 2009). These differentials particularly the inflation differential is most probably caused by the convergence and the integration of foreign markets. In fact, the surrendering of a nations right to pursue autonomous monetary policy as a result of complying with EMU and ECB is one reason why Spain has problems reducing her traditionally high inflation rate. Therefore this is perhaps the reason why Spain is powerless to use initiatives like setting interest rates to control inflation. As mentioned previously, one of the most significant implications of EMU membership for Spain was the convergence of interest rates which resulted in extremely low interest rates in Spain. (Royo, 2006). The drastic decline of interest rates in Spain was necessary in order to secure entry into the EMU. In fact, this convergence of interest rates as a result of EMU membership has an indirect effect on Spains current account trade deficit. Low interest rates led to an explosion of credit and mortgages. This raises houses prices. Low interest rates cause savings to decrease and thus the saving rate is insufficient to finance investment projects, resulting in the private sector having a large trade deficit. Low interest rates also result in excess demand and leading to high goods and wage inflation. Therefore, although membership in the EU served as a primary trigger for the Spain to embark on liberalizing the economy and has largely improved trade, it also contributes to problems regarding Spains trade balance. This is because most of Spains trade partners (countries which Spain exports her products to) are in the EU. (Royo, 2006)This coupled with rising GDP, which increased at a faster rate than exports, resulted in a growing current account deficit. It is important to note that the high inflation problems and the rising current account deficit took place in a setting of fiscal stability (Ubide, 2007). Once again, membership in the EU has resulted in Spain having a lack of monetary and cyclical tools to achieve fiscal surplus and control rising inflation. Having the national currency in a fixed exchange rate due to the EMS thus caused Spain being unable to resolve these economic problems. In other words, if Spain is not a member of the EU and do not participate in the single currency, Euro, she could have devalue her currency with respect to other currencies and improve its competiveness of its exports, and thus improve her trade balance. 3.1 The Competiveness Crisis in Spain The Greek debt crisis has put the spotlight on the peripheral member states of the EU especially Spain. However Spain is undergoing another crisis which of a different nature as compared to Greece. Spains crisis is not due to a lack of budgetary discipline, but caused by the boom in domestic credit (due to convergence in interest rates in the EU). The membership in the EMU can be attributed to the boom in domestic credit leading to the construction boom in Spain. EMU reduced the cost of borrowing for households as real interest rates for households fall substantially. This is due to the reduction in the risk premium as a result of EMU membership. Therefore, reduced cost of borrowing for households led to an increased in number of houses built and thus a boom in the construction industry. The construction boom in the private sector was accompanied by poor economic performance in the other sectors; this resulted in instability as well as trade imbalance. From the late 1990s to 2007, Spain has displayed poor international cost competitiveness (as compared to the rest of the EU members) as a result a significant increase in cost of production especially in the tradable goods sector (Marzinotto, 2010).This significant increase in cost of production is caused by Spains real estate investment boom. Other factors that contributed to poor international cost competitiveness include wage indexation to past high inflation and extension of wages which are agreed at industry level (Marzinotto, 2010). In the 19809s, Spanish firms were facing intense competition from Latin America and the Far East on products like clothing, textile which are Spains main exports. These countries from the Far East and Latin America have leverage on Spain because they are able to produce these goods far cheaper than Spain due to their low wages (Royo, 2006). As a result, Spain is often overlooked by foreign investors who chose to set their operations in these countries instead. This situation worsened when the enlargement of the European Union to the central and eastern European countries materialized. This is because Spain has to deal with new competition from new members on industries which are labor-intensive which form the bulk of Spanish trade. This further affect the trade balance of Spain because these new members also are able to exploit their low wages thus are able to produce cheaper exports as compared to EU. It is a tough obstacle for Spain to resolve the resulting current account deficit because such trade imbalance exists independent of any utilization of sound fiscal policies. This is not only an important issue for Spain but also has an important influence on the EU. This is because the poor international competitiveness of Spain will affect the stability of the Euro too. 3.2 Spains crisis and its implications on the EMU Based on the current competiveness crisis of Spain, one of the unlikely options for Spain is to exit from the euro area. However such an option begs another central question: is a euro exit possible and how will the credibility of the euro being affected? Firstly, the credibility of the euro is unlikely to be threatened if countries like Spain and Greece exit from the euro zone. However in an event of a Spanish exit from the euro zone, it will lead to other troubled nations pondering over similar departures and such spill over effects will create an uncertain environment which is not conducive for further European financial integration. Nevertheless, such concerns may be redundant because the chances of Spain exiting the euro zone or any other member state doing likewise is extremely unlikely because of the difficulty in doing so. One important barrier to exit is the financial integration between the members of the EU has reached a significant degree thus cross-border assets are very high. Therefore an exit will result in massive upheaval (Willams, 2009). Of course there will be benefits for Spain to leave the euro as it implies regaining autonomy in pursuing independent monetary policy as well as exchange rate flexibility. However, the costs of withdrawal are high too. For instance, there will be a cut in access to finance as well as a sharp increase in funding costs due to a removal of funding by the EMU as a result of withdrawal. This thus suggest a likely situation where Spain will remain in the euro zone and attempt to deflate its housing boom without the use of independent monetary policy or currency devaluation. This crisis has wide implications on the EU. The EU cannot and will not hang these struggling economies out to dry. Therefore to fix the competiveness crisis in Spain, there is a need for the EU to make some changes or introduce some frameworks. One possible way in which the EU can manage this crisis is to introduce a system to monitor wage and price developments (Marzinotto, 2010). This is not exactly a novel avenue which the EU has not implemented before. One of the requirements of the Exchange Rate Mechanisms ERM (before the introduction of the euro) was that no member country could change its nominal exchange rate without the consent of the others due to its effects on competitiveness. This is not the case now. Member states can now change its real exchange rates via VAT increases and cuts in social security contributions (Marzinotto, 2010). Therefore in this avenue, the EU should regularly monitor the real exchange rates in the euro zone and should introduce initiatives whenever economic developments pose a threat to the stability and the operation of the EMU. In addition this European competiveness monitoring framework (Marzinotto, 2010) should have a euro-wide perspective and focus as Spains current account deficit means a surplus for another country. Therefore in the event of necessary adjustments, the EMU must take into consideration both the interests of the deficit and surplus member states. In addition to a monitoring framework, there should also be an alert procedure (Marzinotto, 2010)that will have an assessment whenever fluctuations in a countrys current account deficit exceed the predefined limits. In the alert procedure, the country that has flouted the predetermined limits will be assessed based on its efforts to correct this problem. If the assessment is negative, the commission will then propose initiatives to solve the problem based on a euro-wide focus. Nevertheless, despite these recommendations to help Spain and other similar countries to solve such competiveness crisis, the onus is for these countries to make a concerted effort to resolve it via national efforts. The Spanish government should implement a national competiveness monitoring framework (Marzinotto, 2010). This framework includes utilizing a range of policies for remedial action. However this will not be any easy task due to obligations to the EU. Policies that Spain is hindered from using due to euro membership include encouraging inward investment by offering tax incentives and cheap loans to investors as well as devaluation. Therefore there seems to be only supply-side policies which Spain can use to remedy the crisis. Supply-side policies are favourable because an improvement in supply-side performance tends to lead to sustained economic growth without a rise in inflation rate, ceteris paribus. However, a good supply-side performance alone is not sufficient and mus t be accompanied by a sufficiently high level of aggregate demand so the productive capacity of the economy can be utilized. The Spanish government can encourage an entrepreneurial culture by providing regional policy assistance for entrepreneurs and also helping these firms with regards to access to knowledge and advice. In addition, although Spain has managed to maintain a sound fiscal policy, it has not fully utilized the fiscal policy to deflate the housing boom. Spain can modify the tax treatments of interest payments on house loans to cool the domestic housing market. With higher cost of capital, the disposable income of a household will be affected thus leading to a reduction in excess housing demand. In fact Ireland has demonstrated that raising the cost of capital of households can be achieved by removing interest relief on mortgage interest payments, (Gerald, 2004) is possible within the EMU. This goes to show that the loss of independent monetary policy (as a result of EMU membership) to correct the crisis cannot be an excuse for failure. This is because a well targeted fiscal policy can be used effectively to reduce excess demand in the housing market. However such measures undertaken by the Spanish government may not be popular with the Spanish public. 3.3 Efforts by the Spanish government Spanish government launched the National Reform Program (OECD, 2007) in 2005 to identify challenges to the economy (as a result of indirect implications of EMU membership) and propose initiatives to solve these problems. Despite the intentions of the program, it has not been very successful in meeting the challenges. In addition, the tightening by the European Central Bank has not managed to cool the domestic demand in Spain by a small degree. Furthermore, although the housing market in Spain has showed some signs in slowing down, residential investment continue to form a significant part of Spains GDP and house prices are still steadily increasing (OECD, 2007). Industry productivity has not improved significantly thus inflation differential still persist between Spain and the rest of the euro zone members. As compared to other members of the euro zone, Spain has embarked on a fiscal consolidation policy with a more concerted effort. This is because of a need to counterbalance the effects of the current loose monetary policy conditions. Although ECB raised the interest rates in 2007, it had limited success in cooling the domestic demand in Spain. This is partially due to tax reductions on households which increase the households disposable income. Therefore Spain should continue or even enhance its restrictive fiscal stance to reduce pressure on the domestic demand. The Spanish government has also attempted to develop the rental housing market. However it has met with limited success. Therefore, it will be better to gradually phase away any forms of assistance which home owners can receive in order to balance the incentives between renting and purchasing and moderate demand pressures. (OECD, 2007). Another measure is to improve the legal security of relations between owners and tenants so as to improve the use of the housing stock (OECD, 2007). With the gradual decrease in EU transfers to Spain as a result of enlargement, there is an increasing need to have and manage the government budget effectively. The Spanish government has recognized this need and have adopted reforms to improve the management of the government expenditure and resources. The Spanish government limited the growth of government expenditure to below the projected rise in nominal GDP and also used tax revenue to reduce indebtedness (OECD, 2007). The government has also increased the accountability and responsibility of regions regarding their expenditure. This is achieved via increasing the control the regions have over the taxes imposed on their specific regions. This will have the effect of reducing the reliance by these regions on the central government for transfers. Therefore this delegation of responsibility will also enhance the regions revenue raising powers. However there are problems associated with such decentralization, there may be loss of in formation thus affecting efficiency. Therefore there have to be an independent agency to monitor and evaluate the polices of the various government agencies of the respective regions (OECD, 2007). In addition such assessments have to be transparent to the Spanish public. The Spainish government has also reformed the 2003 Fiscal Stability Law (OECD, 2007)in order to maintain fiscal stability and prudence in a decentralised system. According to the 2003 Fiscal Stability Law, each level of the government has to ensure that its accounts are permanenty in balance. In addition, the law assessed the cyclical position of the Spanish economy by monitoring its expected growth rate against it potential. Although this law seems has a great influence on maintaining fiscal stability, the government must execute this law with caution to prevent a situation of a pro-cyclical budgetary outcome where a loose fiscal stance is adopted when times are good and a restrictive fiscal stance when times are bad. Conclusion Since accession into the EU in 1986, Spain has enjoyed a positive economic growth. In addition, EU transfers had also allowed Spain to modernise and develop its economy as well as infrastructure. Although the financial integration process was difficult for Spain with the introduction of VAT and other measures, Spain accommodated its national policies to secure entry into the EMU. Despite Spain maintaining an environment of fiscal stability, the high inflation differerntial between Spain and the rest of the euro zone members threatens to harm Spains international competitiveness. This competition crisis can be partially attributed to the low interest rates set by the EMU thus leading to domestic credit boom and hence excess demand in the housing market. This is a central issue for both the EU and Spain as it has wide implications for both parties. Therefore it is likely that EUs economic policies and framework will be modified to include initiatives like a monitoring framework to mana ge the Spains crisis or other similar crisis by other member states in the future. In addition, although Spain is tied by its obligations to the EMU (which include not being able to devalue its exchange rate or pursuing an independent monetary policy to deflate its booming housing market), there are some supply-side policies and national reforms that Spain can pursue to reduce inflation. Lastly, remedial action by both the EU and Spain will invariably have implications on each other as well on the rest of Europe.

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This short story starts out by setting the scene. The American and a girl sit at a table in front of a building where they were waiting on a train to arrive. It is very hot outside and the background is hills described to be long and white. â€Å"They look like white elephants,† she said. â€Å"I’ve never seen one,† the man drank his beer. â€Å"No you wouldn’t have.† â€Å"I might have,† the man said. â€Å"Just because you say I wouldn’t have doesn’t prove anything.† (Hemingway 6-10) These lines from Ernest Hemingway depict how a man can overpower a woman with his chosen words and tone. In this conversation between the American and the woman, you will see the woman become less and less sure of herself and eventually she can’t even make her own decisions. The girl is even unsure if she wants water with her drink. â€Å"We want two Anis del Toro.† â€Å"With water?† â€Å"I don’t know,† the girl said. â€Å"Is it good with water?† (Hemingway 19-21) Marsh 2 In the previous lines you can see the girl is skeptical. She is waiting for reassurance from the American. â€Å"The Huffington Post† featured an article which came from a study conducted by the University of Texas. Students observed the behavior of boys and girls in a room and how they responded to social cues. Each child was left alone with his mother and were told by their mothers not to touch a forbidden object. The boys not only touched the object more frequently than girls but they ignored the mother’s voice telling them no when they picked up the forbidden object. The girls touch the object less frequently and when they did they often looked at their mother for reassurance. The boys rarely paid attent... ... comforting the girl and telling her to come in the shade. This is him protecting her and giving the girl security which she doesn’t have on her own. The train finally arrives which seems to have been what the girl wanted because she did not wish to discuss the topic anymore. Marsh 7 Works Cited: Zweig, Robert. â€Å"Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing†: Hills are Like White Elephants(1927) Tenth Edition. Pearson Education 2004. 350-353. Print. Biddle, Tabby. â€Å"The Huffington Post† : Why Do Women Feel They Need Permission? Jan 30,2009 Hoplock, Lisa â€Å"Science of Relationships†: How You Doin’? Self-Esteem Affects How People Flirt (2014) www.scienceofrelationships.com

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Gun Control The time has come for our country to take action to reduce gun violence in America. Aurora, Colorado, Sandy Hook Elementary School, and most recently Arapahoe High School are only three of the recent atrocities. More than twenty mass shootings have taken place since 2009, yet many people still believe it’s acceptable to own guns. We, as a country, have suffered too many losses to not take action. No laws created can ever fully stop every act of violence, but there are ways to prevent the mentally ill, the suicidal, and criminally minded from buying guns and ammunition. If the government tries to ban people from owning every type of gun, we will get no where with the issue. The problem in our country is having access to assault rifles and handguns. Many assault rifles sold are semi-automatic, firing one round every time the trigger is pulled. For example, an AR-15 can fire between 45 and 60 rounds per minute. No civilian needs to have a gun this powerful; the only place they should be allowed is for military use. Having these types of guns available to the public ...

Violent Females and Restorative Justice Essay -- Violence, Women

2. Introduction As of the early 20th century, there has been a rise in violent crime committed by women. This is due to a change in gender roles that result in women having a lack of informal control, giving women the mindset that they are more assertive (Kruttschnitt, et. al, 2008). It has been found that women as a whole are less likely to reoffend after attending a restorative justice conference (Hayes, 2005). Due to the female violent offenders only being a minority offender group (Bonta, et.al, 1995), there are gaps in research in terms of the effectiveness of restorative justice on their recidivism rates (Latimer et.al, 2005). This research proposal will aim to address the gaps in this research by outlining the theoretical framework that backs the ideology that restorative justice may potentially be more beneficial and have a more positive outcome for females than males. Firstly this paper will discuss the current literature, outlining the effectiveness of restorative justice, the research su rrounding the rise in female violent offenders, and the potential success of the two variables in reducing future recidivism. And finally, a research question and hypotheses will be outlined in order to potentially influence future policy change. 3. Literature Review Restorative Justice conferencing has been seen to be successful in reducing recidivism. This method of justice involves the offender(s), victim(s) and/or stakeholders of an offence to meet in a professionally mediated environment to discuss the offence and negotiate an outcome (Tuddenham, 2001). The term â€Å"Restorative Justice† is referred to as practices that are aimed at making the offender aware of the material and psychological damage or harm that has been caused t... .... (2001). Evaluating Restorative Justice. Probation Journal, 48(4), 296. doi:10.1177/026455050104800411 Umbreit, M. S. (1995). Holding Juvenile Offenders Accountable: A Restorative Justice Perspective. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 46(2), 31. doi:10.1111/j.1755- 6988.1995.tb00815.x Umbreit, M. S., & Armour, M. P. (2011). Restorative Justice and Dialogue: Impact, Opportunities, and Challenges in the Global Community. Journal of Law and Policy, 36(65), 65-89. Verrecchia, P. J. (2009). Female Delinquents and Restorative Justice. Women & Criminal Justice, 19(1), 80. doi:10.1080/08974450802586992 Walgrave, L. (2011). Investigating the Potentials of Restorative Justice Practice.Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, 36(1), 91. Wortley, R. (2011). Development. In Psychological criminology: An integrative approach (pp. 36). New York, USA: Routledge.

God’s Existence Can Be Proven a Priori Essay

Trying to prove that God exists is a difficult argument and many people have tried many different ways. The Ontological argument is one argument; at the centre of the argument is the concept of existence. The Ontological argument has been argued from a group of philosophers for the existence of God. â€Å"Ontological† means talking about being and so that being is the existence of God. The ontological argument differs from other arguments in favour of God because of the fact that it is an a priori deductive argument. There are two main arguments for the ontological argument which seeks to prove the existence of God a priori. The first argument is from Anselm; he was the Archbishop of Canterbury and therefore started his argument from a theistic point of view. Anselm believed that no belief in God was absurd and he used a reducio ad absurdum argument, which tries to show that God not existing could not be believed because in not believing you are adopting a nonsensical argument. His starting point was his definition of God, ‘God is the thought than which nothing greater can be conceived’. Firstly Anselm attacks the idea that there is no God, even the thought that there is no God requires the concept of God. The greatest possible being has to exist in reality as well as in the mind to be the greatest possible being therefore we can conceive of the greatest possible being because it also has to exist in reality. A criticism that was raised about the greatest possible being is that we as humans all have different ideas of what it could be but Anselm responded by saying that when we reach the idea of such a high level being such as God then the idea of what it is becomes very similar. Therefore God exists according to Anselm. Also God is considered to be a necessary being, which will always exist, does not rely on other beings and cannot not exist, therefore God must exist if he is to be called a necessary being. The second philosopher to argue the existence of God using the ontological argument was Rene Descartes; he set out his argument firstly by defining God as ‘a supremely perfect being’. From this he tried to prove the existence of God, because God is defined as a supremely perfect being he possess all perfections. According to Descartes the perfect state includes existence as well as the classical attributes of God, he believed that existence was perfection in itself and therefore God must exist. Therefore this is why we as humans cannot have a necessary existence because we do not have complete perfection. Descartes used mathematics and an example of a mountain with a valley to explain that God must exist, the mountain being separate from the valley and according to him it is the same with God, you cannot separate existence from God. This argument however cannot apply to objects affected by space and time, contingent things and can only apply to necessary beings which are perfect. He continues by saying that only God can have absolute perfection and there can only be one absolute. Descartes goes on to point out that Mackie or Russell are trying to establish necessary existence of contingent objects such as unicorns but necessary existence only applies to absolutely perfect beings. A criticism of the argument was put forward by Thomas Aquinas, who had already questioned the important aspect of the ontological argument, the idea that we cannot assign existence a priori to our definition of the idea of a perfect being. Aquinas claimed Anselm was guilty of making a ‘transitional error’, moving from his definition of God to the claim that he exists. Anselm also made the assumption that his definition was shared by all believers of God. The meaning of the term God means he exists in peoples understanding but not in reality. According to Aquinas the existence of God must be shown a posteriori which is what he tried to attempt to show in his cosmological argument. Also David Hume disagrees with the ontological argument. Hume was an empiricist so disapproves the use of a priori to prove existence and believes it should only be used for a definition. A description of a thing can contain every detail possible but we have to go beyond a description to be able to determine its existence, just because we can describe it does not mean it therefore pops into existence. He believed the only way in which you could prove something a priori was if the opposite implies a contradiction, such as x=not x. Therefore if it implies a contraction then it is inconceivable and then everything can be conceived not to exist. Therefore Hume’s believed that nothing can be proven to exist a priori, including God. He came to the conclusion that existence could only ever be contingent. Kant also disagrees with Descartes ontological argument. He used the example of a triangle, if you have a triangle it must have three angles but if you do not have a triangle it will not have three angles. It all depends on whether you agree there is a God or not, if there is a God then his existence is necessary but we do not have to accept the idea there is a God. Descartes according to Kant just gives God existence, however existence isn’t a property. God could have all the classic attributes but still he might not exist. For example a chair, it has many properties which are established a posteriori but whether it exists or not have to be discovered a priori. Using Descartes idea but changing it slightly, â€Å"existence is not predicate†. By adding reality to something does not mean it makes it better, Kant’s example, â€Å"a hundred real thalers does not contain the least coin more than a hundred possible thalers†. We must establish whether something exists or not before we can describe it, not the other way around and therefore if there is a perfect being then he must exist. Kant distinguishes between a priori and a posteriori, a priori are necessary, they have to be so whereas a posteriori can be challenged, such as how many people you think you saw. If something exists and the existence of that tells us about its property then by saying it does not exist you deny it of that property and almost say that it lacks it, however how can you say that something that does not exist lack something? This is a strong argument against the ontological argument which cannot be explained easily. A criticism of Anselm’s ontological argument directly was from Gaunilo, he had the same idea as Kant, that something cannot be defined into existence. Just because we define what we believe God to be does not mean that he actually exists. In Gaunilo’s book ‘On behalf of the Fool’, he describes the Lost Island as the greatest possible island and that no greater island can be conceived. It is logical to say that it is greater to exist in reality than as just an idea. If this island therefore did not exist there could be a even greater island which did exist and so therefore the Lost Island must exist somewhere. The perfect island exists but it may not be what you think of as the perfect island because by imaging it does not mean it exists. Therefore Anselm saying that God the perfect being had to exist cannot work. However, there is a problem with Gaunilo’s criticism, Anselm said he was not arguing about contingent things such as the island which have no intrinsic maximum, he was arguing for the ‘greatest thing that can be conceived’ which has a intrinsic maximum and so can be perfect. Therefore the ontological argument can be used to talk about such things as God which is necessary but cannot be used when talking about contingent things such as an island. The island is limited whereas the notion of God is not. To conclude, to prove the existence of God a priori we need to have knowledge of what God is, before sense experience can be gathered. This is where the ontological argument falls down. How can we understand a being when we cannot see, hear or touch them first if we want to prove the existence using a priori. A priori uses facts which are either true or false to determine things but without ever experiencing God ourselves through a posteriori first we have no facts in which to use a priori. The only way in which we can argue that God exists is if we treat him as if he were an object. God existence is reality in the believer’s world but for someone who is atheistic then he does not. I agree with Norman Malcolm who argued that necessary existence cannot be affected by anything external to itself. It cannot be created or destroyed, therefore God either exists or his existence is impossible. Therefore I believe that he cannot exist because something would have had to bring him into existence at the beginning which therefore means he cannot be a necessary being because he would have always had to exist but there must have been a point when he didn’t. Also if he is a necessary being with all the classical attributes why is the evil and suffering and if he was omnipotent then why does he want to hide himself from us? If he has power in which to be able to show himself then why has he not and then we would be able to prove his existence using a posteriori instead of a priori.