The Case for Introducing a Property Tax, Collected at Local Government

I propose that an annual residential property tax be introduced and collected at central government for an introductory period with a view to control being handed over to local government and the revenues generated by the tax to be used solely for local publicly provided goods. But for this to be an efficient and effective method of funding local authorities and not adversely affect the balances of the exchequer there needs to be an overhaul as to how local authorities are currently funded and run. Introducing a property tax will hopefully broaden the tax base and go some way to overhauling how the tax system works in Ireland and how local authorities are funded. Rationale for a residential property tax in Ireland Stability There are many reasons in support of a residential property tax. Firstly, it will provide a stable and less volatile income for the exchequer, as is the case with a transaction such as stamp duty, and generally improve macroeconomic stability. The tax income collected by stamp duty made a huge contribution to the exchequer, but as we can see from Fig 1.1, it tended to fluctuate, making it more difficult to budget long-term and susceptible to market forces, as is the case currently. A â€Å"recurring annual tax is less economically distortionary than the imposition of tax on either income or capital† (TSG 09/07) and a more reliable and stable tax income achieved from a proposed residential property tax would help with investment planning, as an â€Å"over-reliance on expenditure and transaction taxes has resulted in tax revenue dropping more quickly than (nominal) GNP† (Commission on Taxation Report 6:2.2). As we can see from the data contained in the ‘Commission o n Taxation Report 2009’ (Fig 1.1), revenues from sta... ...t such scenarios and ensure the equitable nature of the tax is maintained and â€Å"serious administration and avoidance problems arise when rates differ between jurisdictions† (McDowell 1988). Bibliography Research Papers McDowell, M. 1988. University College Dublin, Department of Political Economy. Financing Local Authorities: The Questionable Viability of a Local Property Tax. Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. Gurdgiev, Dr.C. 2009. Trinity College, Dublin. Macroeconomic Case for a Land Value Reform in Ireland. Dublin 2, Ireland. Reports Tax Strategy Group. 2009. Property Taxation. Dublin. Ireland Commission on Taxation. 2009. Report 2009. Dublin, Ireland: Stationary Office Online Resources Collins, S. 2011. Property Tax Brought Forward. The Irish Times, 21st December. Available at: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1221/breaking6.html

Corporate Culture and Its Influence on the Development

â€Å"CORPORATE CULTURE AND ITS INFLUENCES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY AND BUSINESS SOLUTION JOINT STOCK COMPANY† INTRODUCTION ************ 1. Rationale of the study The term â€Å"Corporate culture† has appeared in the world and become a hot topic of many researches since the late 20th century. When the business environment faces a number of unpredictable changes and challenges resulting from integrity process and economic crisis, enterprises from any size and any country must recognize the important role of corporate culture to their survival.However, corporate culture is truly concerned only in big groups and corporations and some medium-size companies. In Vietnam, the number of enterprises that have a proper strategy to develop their own culture is nearly insignificant. It is the fact that each company has its own culture may be without recognizing and controlling it. In the simplest way we can understand corporate culture as the environment within a company in which all staff and workers communicate and work together.Hence, if we pay a certain attention, we can easily see that corporate culture has a strong affect on the cooperation between all employees, the productivity in particular and the development of the company in general. Moreover, in consulting companies, the reputation plays a key role in the company development for it influences the number of customers trusting in and using their consulting service. However, the reputation of a company is contributed from the professionalism that is reflected through the working environment or, in other word, the corporate culture of the company.Therefore, it is necessary to study corporate culture and its influences in real consulting companies in Vietnam like Management consultancy and business solution Joint stock Company. In conclusion, such researches about corporate culture like the one being conducting in this study somehow will be highly appreciated by businesses. Especia lly in 2013, the economic outlook is considered to be worse than that in 2012. That is the reason why each company has to find out a developing strategy which can make them outstanding from others.Therefore I would like to choose â€Å"Corporate culture and its influences on the development of Management consultancy and business solution Joint stock Company† as my thesis in this study for its huge value and meaning to our economy. 2. Aims of the study The primary aim of this research is to study about the corporate culture of MC&BS JSC and its impacts on the development of the company. Then the author will give some recommendations with the hope that they can help MC&BS JSC find out their comprehensive strategy for further development. 3. Scope of the studyBecause of the limitation of time, this research will not cover all components of the corporate culture. It will just analyze some important and prominent factors which have significant effects (both positive and negative) on the development of MC&BS JSC. More importantly, the research does not look at the corporate culture of MC&BS JSC from the foundation up to now but in the two recent years (in 2011 and in 2012) for the reason that when the economic shows a sign of downturn corporate culture becomes more and more meaningful to the lifespan of its owner. 4. MethodologyData analysis is the most frequently applied method in the study. Besides, the author also conducts surveys by using questionnaires in order to get more information. In concrete, in the first stage lasting two weeks, the researcher collects data from various sources: media, employees and internal files†¦Then, the researcher carries out some surveys to have more specific and precise information in two later weeks. Lastly, in the four following weeks, data analysis method will be adopted to produce final conclusions. 5. Organization of the study The study is divided into three parts:The first part is the introduction dealing with th e rationale, aims, scope, method, organization and significance of the study. The second part is the main part with three chapters: * Chapter 1 is the literature review which provides readers a general review of what corporate culture is, its components, and how it affects the company development. * Chapter 2 refers to the research methodologies. This means that it will describes in detail sources of data, methods applied in the research and their progresses as well as their outputs. * Chapter 3 is the main part of the study which consists of some discussions.This chapter will point out strengths and weaknesses of the current corporate culture in MC&BS JSC. Then, the author will suggest some actions that could be done in MC&BS JSC in order for them to develop a proper corporate culture. The last part is the conclusion that summarizes the content of the paper and gives some suggestions for further study. 6. Significance It is hoped that this research will be a helpful reference paper for the management of MC&BS JSC in specific and for businesses in general to build up their most appropriate corporate culture. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 1.Rationale of the study1 2. Aims of the study2 3. Scope of the study2 4. Methodology3 5. Organization of the study3 6. Significance4 CHAPTER 1: LITARATURE REVIEW 1. 1 Definition of corporate culture 1. 2 Components of corporate culture 1. 1. 1 Structure and roles 1. 1. 2 Espoused mission and goals 1. 1. 3 Rules, regulations and procedures 1. 1. 4 Formal codes of behavior 1. 1. 5 Informal codes of behavior 1. 3 Influences of corporate culture on the development of a company 1. 1. 1 Influences of a positive culture 1. 1. 2 Influences of a neutral culture 1. 1. 3 Influences of a negative culture . 4 Assessment of a company culture and phases to develop the desired one 1. 1. 1 Criteria to assess a company culture 1. 1. 2 Phases to develop the desired corporate culture CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2. 1 Study of structure in MC &BS JSC 2. 2 Study of the company rules, regulations and procedures 2. 3 Study of the interactions between management and employees and between employees themselves CHAPTER 3: DISCUSION 3. 1 Strengths of MC&BS JSC’s corporate culture 3. 2 Weaknesses of MC&BS JSC’s corporate culture 3. 3 Recommendations to improve the company’s corporate culture

Computers And Privacy The Cloud - 1296 Words

Nothing to hide, nothing to fear- Computers and privacy don’t mix Computers and privacy is an ever growing topic of conversation. Technology has advanced so much over the past 10 years it is hard to know how secure files on our computing devices really are. Storage methods like â€Å"The Cloud† are used by millions of people every single day to store files like music, images and personal details like bank account details that people simply don’t have the space to hold on their devices but how much do we really know about the cloud? How secure is it, who could gain access to the files and where the physical location that the â€Å"Cloud† servers are stored? The cloud gives users the impression that their files are quite literally up in the air, but should we not have more of an idea what the cloud actually is? Many mobile devices such as Apple iPhones are often set up to automatically back up to the cloud so users of the cloud can often be unaware what they are saving to this server. The cloud is a computing model where resources are provided on the users demand through the use of the web and all data on the cloud is stored â€Å"off-site†- the cloud is generally a great way to store large chunks of data without filling the memory on your mobile phone or computing device- but surely this will impose some security threats that we should be aware off? (Realtime-IT (online) what exactly is the cloud?) Mobile phones, iPods, computers etc. are all great methods of storage but as soon as youShow MoreRelatedThe Cloud Of Cloud Computing Essay1715 Words   |  7 Pagesis also known as cloud computing. Cloud computing is presently quick turning into the most noteworthy field in the IT world because of its progressive model of computing as a utility. It permits the decision makers to turn their consideration on the business as opposed to their IT Infrastructure. There is no organization that has not considered moving to cloud computing in light of its versatility, responsiveness, and deftness. A few surveys from RightScale (2015) state of the cloud report has demonstratedRead MoreThe Cloud : Going Beyond The Contractarian Paradigm1323 Words   |  6 PagesPrivacy in the Cloud: Going Beyond the Contractarian Paradigm Masooda N. Bashir, Jay P. Kesan, Carol M Hayes and Robert Zielinski 1. Citation Bashir, M, Hayes, C, Kesan, J Zielinski, R 2011, â€Å"Privacy in the Cloud: Going Beyond the Contractarian Paradigm†, Proceedings of the 2011 Workshop on Governance of Technology, Information, and Policies, pp. 21-27, December 2011 2. Purpose of the Article The purpose of the article is to provide a brief summary of cloud computing, a relatively new conceptRead MoreThe Goal Of Cloud Computing1194 Words   |  5 PagesINTRODUCTION Cloud computing is an internet based computing that depends on sharing computing with other resources rather than local servers or personal devices to handle applications. Cloud computing has fundamentally changed the way people view computing resources; rather than being an important capital consideration (Navavati, M., Colp, P., Aiello, B., Warefield, A. (2014)). Cloud computing offers many potential benefits to organizations by making information technology (IT) services availableRead MoreAn Efficient Way Of Preserving The Privacy Using Proxy900 Words   |  4 PagesAn efficient way of preserving the privacy using proxy re-encryption for shared authority accessing in cloud environment ABSTRACT Cloud computing is the technology which provides services in various forms through online . The number of online stores for storage are available to back up our data and accessing the data anywhere at anytime. Cloud computing is a pervasive advancement which gives a beneficiary way to the clients to benefit the cloud applications on interest. It refers to the networkRead MoreCloud Computing : The Future1320 Words   |  6 Pagesbenefits of cloud computing. It explores how it may become in the future, and examines its advantages and disadvantages. Cloud computing continues to grow in popularity. Many people hear the term and use it but some are unaware or confused by what it really means. This paper helps understand what the cloud is and how it works. First, it explains and demonstrates with some examples how organizations can reduce their cost in the future and how they can also improve their security by using cloud computingRead MoreThe Impact Of Media On Social Media1487 Words   |  6 Pagessocial media and privacy implications of sharing photos and videos on it. Privacy implications of cloud-based storage need to be researched further as the current literature on this is clearly not sufficient. Increasingly, many are storing their own private photos and videos in the cloud. Such cloud storages offer convenient backup features and allow users to access their data from anywhere with internet connection being the only requirement. Few users are aware that the term cloud is just a fancyRead MoreRegulation on Cloud to Protect User Privacy1700 Words   |  7 PagesRegulation on Cloud to Protect User Privacy This essay writes about regulation that rules cloud provider to protect privacy of data citizens within country. First of all, this essay will describe about what cloud services that used nowadays, its wide range of services, and users motivation why they would use cloud services. In the second section, it will explain more about the security threat of cloud services and going more specific into privacy issue. The next section, I will discuss about theRead MorePersonal Statement : Computer Science781 Words   |  4 Pageshave always been deeply fascinated with computer technology. When I was growing, computers were not highly prevalent in Saudi Arabia; furthermore, the first computer I had did not even have access to the Internet. However, I was born in an age that enabled me to fully appreciate the increasing complexity of technological innovation, allowing my skills and knowledge to grow with these advancements. Following my fascination with technology, I studied computer science as an undergraduate student at TaibahRead MoreThe Cloud Storage Is Not A Safe Service1435 Words   |  6 Pagesan expectation of privacy with regard to electronic storage, i.e. cloud storage. The background of the problem under consideration is a scandal with American celebrities whose nude pictures were illegally stolen and published online on autumn 2014. In fact, they were stolen from the celebrities’ iPhones through iCloud service. A big scandal not only revealed a private life of famous US people, but also disclosed vulnerability of Apple’s products and incompetency of their computer engineers. The evidenceRead MoreCloud Computing And The Computing1587 Words   |  7 PagesThe Important of Cloud Computing is increasing and it is receiving a growing attention in Scientific Industrial Communities. Cloud computing is one of the top 10 most important technologies and has a greater possibility in successive years by companies and organizations. Cloud computing implement everywhere, favourable, on demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, servers, storage, applications and servers) that can be immediately supply and released

The Digital Human Activity On Social Networking Sites

chapter{Conclusions}% and Future Research Directions} label{final:conclustion} drop{S}{ocial} networks have been the pulse of human society, traffic on these social networking sites currently rival that of the traditional Web. The digital human activity on social networking sites has generated a tremendous amount of data and due to the availability of affordable and portable digital devices, the social interactions or activities on these networking sites can be measured and stored in digital formats. These data contain a lot of important information and had been used in testing numerous sociological hypothesis and also modeling systems that depend on human activities and research in this area is actively ongoing in the research community. The social interaction as the result of the human activities on these networks generate a non-trivial topology in the process of time. %After the discovering of the ``heavy tail distribution, the small world phenomenon and high clustering in real networks, And various graph-theoretical tools have been developed and used to analyze this network topology and also modeled networks with such topology. In this dissertation, the theory and key technology challenges within social networks are thoroughly investigated and various novel findings are presented. The remaining parts of this chapter are organized as follows. The work and results obtained in the thesis are presented in Section ef{summary}. Section ef{ThesisContr} highlights the mainShow MoreRelatedTrends of Social Networking1362 Words   |  6 PagesThe growth of social networking is one of the fastest growing digital trends to exist. Many social networking sites boast with millions if not billions of members. Prominent examples of these social sites are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Members of these networks use them daily to communicate, share various types of information or to collaborate with other members. Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004 and its sole purpose is to give people the power to share and connect with the world.Read MoreThe Current System Of Global Social Networking Essay1663 Words   |  7 Pagesexchange of thoughts and ideas among people were once hindered by long distances and cultural divides, but this is no longer true as knowledge and information are currently free flowing. The current system of global social networking allows for ample sharing of thoughts and ideas with online social networks such as Twitter and Facebook emerging as giants in this new world (Hogan, 2010). Qualman (2010) stated that the introduction of technological innovations and infrastructure into countries has been a majorRead MoreThe Current System Of Global Social Networking Essay1662 Words   |  7 Pagesexchange of thoughts and ideas among people were once hindered by long distances and cultural divides, but this is no longer true as knowledge and information are currently free flowing. The current system of global social networking allows for ample sharing of thoughts and ideas with online social networks such as Twitter and Facebook emerging as giants in this new world (Hogan, 2010). Qualman (2010) stated that the introduction of technological innovations and infrastructure into countries has been a majorRead MoreSocial Networking Effects On The Socialization Of People1302 Words   |  6 PagesIn twelve years the social networking site has surely grown quite a bit from the site intended to allow Harvard students to connect with one another. Today, Facebook is a site filled with advertisements and cheaply made free-to-play games. Cat pictures and cheery posts that say, â€Å"Like/share if you love Jesus!† riddle the landscape of a service that is supposed to be actually connecting people. Things like this have led people to lose hope in online social networking. To some it seems likeRead MorePrivacy : Privacy And Privacy1509 Words   |  7 PagesLaw-enforcement agencies, meanwhile, favor government limitations on the use of sophisticated encryption technology, which makes online communications secure - even from the police. They fear that strong encryption software will help criminals in hiding their activities. But privacy advocates argue that encryption technology assures companies and consumers that their online communications are not being tampered with. . In one of the interview by By Biance Bosker, Mark Zuckerberg said â€Å"Facebook isn t violatingRead MorePrivacy : Privacy And Privacy1504 Words   |  7 PagesLaw-enforcement agencies, meanwhile, favor government limitations on the use of sophisticated encryption technology, which makes online communications secure - even from the police. They fear that strong encryption software will aid criminals in hiding their activities. But pri vacy advocates argue that encryption technology assures companies and consumers that their online communications are not being tampered with. . In one of the interview by By Biance Bosker, Mark Zuckerberg said â€Å"Facebook isn t violatingRead MoreThe Media Of The Digital Media Era868 Words   |  4 Pagesthe digital media era, the internet provides a platform for social media networking to become a major influence in the lives of everyone and everything imaginable. The internet is used for everything from entertainment to school, work, shopping, and research. Consumers also use the internet to play games, gather information, read blogs and websites; download, upload, and share text and media files, images, and music; communicate with others via email, instant messages, and social media sites. WithRead MoreSocial Media and Mental Health998 Words   |  4 Pagesmore recent study, led by social psychiatrist Ethan Cross of the University of Michigan, found that using Facebook may even make us miserable. On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection, says Kross. But rather than enhance well-being, we found that Facebook use predicts the opposite result - it undermines it. The negative impacts of social media In 2012, Anxiety UK conducted a survey on social media use and its effectsRead MoreThe Social Media Culture Is Defined As The Beliefs, Customs, Practices, And Social Behavior1506 Words   |  7 Pages THE SOCIAL MEDIA CULTURE SOC101 Regina R. Davis February 10, 2016 Culture is defined as the beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior of a particular nation or people. Our cultures are made up of the communities we grow up in, the people within that community, and the ethnicity of the people in our communities. A community is defined as social unit of any size that shares common values. Communities range in size and scope from neighborhoods to national communities to internationalRead MoreSocial Networking in Indonesia1154 Words   |  5 Pages(of my nation - Indonesia) consider social networking to be unhelpful to culture and, to an extent, the bane of its existence. This may be due to the commonly-considered conception of digitalWith the usage of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter seeing an escalation in the last decade, the idea that human contact between individuals is diminishing may not be as farfetched as once was. Indeed, before the rise in social networking, telephones and human rendezvous saw more prominence in

Communication Styles, Communication, And Adolescent...

Despite the fact that communication is very much a part of our everyday lives, it is not always easy. For a number of reasons young people, mostly teenagers, can experience challenges in their communication with peers, parents, teachers and other important people in their lives. Sometimes, just talking through communication problems is very valuable and can benefit you in determining how to make some positive changes. At other times, you might need to do some work on altering the way you communicate by determining different ways to give messages to others, whether it is face-to-face, on the phone, through email, or by text. The goal of this literature review is to examine collected works to provide an overview of communication, including communication styles, types and skills. As well to discuss possible applications of communication as it relates to adolescent development, social skills temperament, and adolescent leadership. Communication Overview Communication Styles Communication styles are often a combination of personality fused with what you have learned from those persons in your immediate circle. Everyone is unique and there is a huge range of qualities when it comes to communication. Some people are as you would imagine are more modest than others are- they may have grown up in families that are usually rather quiet. Then again, there are those who are born very talkative and/or they may have grown up around lots of talking or loud conversations. No one way isShow MoreRelatedA Brief Note On The Adolescent Medicine Fellowship ( Amf ) Program1044 Words   |  5 PagesUndrea Ravenel HCAI 5360 Leadership – EI Dr. Stefl In your current position, how important is EI versus technical competency? The Adolescent Medicine Fellowship (AMF) Program is one of the military’s subspecialty-training programs, which train pediatricians in the specialty of adolescent and young adult medicine. The function of my position, program coordinator, is to support the program director. The role of the program coordinator has a significant role in successfully managing and facilitatingRead MoreSuicide Squad Prevention Treatment Center1711 Words   |  7 Pagessuicidal attempts can be deliberately planned to fail or actually carefully planned to succeed. At SSPTC, we know that adolescents or adults who are struggling with thoughts of suicide are most often at a point in their lives where they feel so hopeless about the future that they cannot see a reason for living any longer. We offer a program that will meet the needs of adolescents and adults who are struggling to overcome the emotional pain they are facing that is causing them to have these dark thoughtsRead MoreTeenagers With Ident ity Issues : High School Is The Most Important Time For Teenagers1347 Words   |  6 Pagesand behavior. The essay will continue on discussion about some possible programs that should be created to help middle adolescents or teenagers with identity issues; because identity affects all categories of development. For this first assignment, the age group that is discussed in the paper is focused on middle adolescence from age sixteen to seventeen years of age. The adolescent that has been chosen for this observation paper is a senior in High school and have just recently started her job notRead MoreLeadership Styles And Theories Of Leadership1570 Words   |  7 Pages Leadership styles will vary in different situations for a coach. The same coach may have one style of leadership for different teams in the same sport depending on the players’ ages, nationalities, gender, and personalities (Weinberg Gould, 2015, p. 212-213). To recognize the consequences of leadership using Chelladurai’s model, the research to determine the type of leadership a coach should demonstrate for team satisfaction, should include satisfaction, cohesion, performance, and intrinsicRead MoreThe Success Of A Successful Company1646 Words   |  7 Pagesin their observations is that leadership or the lac k thereof of leadership, is the most common factors of these companies outcomes, to which they have concluded as being the most important aspect in either the rise or fall of these companies. As a result, many companies are taking necessary strides into their own reorganization of leadership, therefore they do not become a mirrored image of the failing few like so many others have. Well, what is leadership? Leadership is the ability to influencesRead MoreChild And Parental Boundaries And Self Exploration Essay1683 Words   |  7 Pagesfacilitate positive growth of the adolescent. 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It explains the concepts of learning and outcomes, we were asked to complete a task of inputting our own range of learning styles into his calculated model of learning styles, entitled, â€Å"I learn and remember best by†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This is a great way for teachers to effectively communicate to understand the diversity of the student body. Instead of takingRead MoreA Public Health Nurse ( Phn )1450 Words   |  6 Pagesdisease investigations have helped prevent further spread of illness and disease in our communities. She was also actively involved in the 2009 H1N1 mass vaccination clinics with enthusiasm and positivity. Currently, Jane works in Maternal Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) as the Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program (CPSP) Provider Relations Nurse. With her breadth of knowledge and understanding of population health, she is able to advocate for quality perinatal care keeping in mind the cultural

Nick Hornby a Long Way Down Free Essays

His first book Fever Pitch was released in 1992. It’s an autobiographical story about his fanatical support for Arsenal Football Club. High Fidelity — his second book and first novel — was published in 1995. We will write a custom essay sample on Nick Hornby: a Long Way Down or any similar topic only for you Order Now The novel was adapted into a film in 2000 and a Broadway musical in 2006. For his second novel About a Boy (1998) Hornby received the E. M. Forster Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult starred in the 2002 film version. A Long Way Down was published in 2005 in the UK. The book received mixed reviews from critics. Johnny Depp bought the rights to the book before it was even published and has since hired writer D. V. DeVincentis, who previously wrote the script for the film High Fidelity, to write the screenplay. The story takes place in London sometime these days. Martin Sharp – Martin Sharp is a former celebrity. We don’t know his exact age but he is in his 40-s. Martin’s life was perfect: he had a wife and two little daughters, a well-paid job and was successful. He was host of a famous show but Martin made the mistake of sleeping with a 15 years old girl, for which he spent three months in prison. This made him even more popular as his case was stripped in the yellow press. When he is released from prison he discovers that his marriage is ruined. From that point he works for a cable TV channel with low popularity and has an affair with Penny, his former colleague. He does not make an effort to see his daughters or to clarify the tense situation with his wife. He’s very unhappy about his situation and feels that he has â€Å"pissed his life away† and that’s why he wants to end his life. Maureen – Maureen is a 51-year-old single mother of a disabled son named Matty. Her whole life is turning around Matty. She believes that it is her cross she must bear for her mistake (Matty was born out of wedlock). She has led a completely closed-in life for two decades raising him. Before she got Matty she was employed and outgoing. This has changed because she has to care for Matty the whole day. She has no freedom and free time except the services at church she attends every Sunday. She wants to get rid of her problems, which seems impossible to her. That is why she wants to commit suicide. Jess Crichton – Jess is an eighteen-year-old girl. She does not have real friends. Jess is a person who pisses people off very quickly with her direct and rude character because she says everything that comes to her mind. Jess’s father is a local politician and the family is completed by her mother. Her sister Jen, who is really important to her, left the family a few years ago and is thought to have committed suicide. The whole family, especially the mother and Jess, are still very upset about it. She wants to commit suicide by jumping from the tower block because of her family problems and losing her ex-boyfriend though it’s also slightly impulsive. JJ – JJ is an American who came to London with his girlfriend Lizzy. He used to play in a band called â€Å"Big Yellow† and toured across the whole UK. For Lizzy he gave up his dream of becoming a rock star, the band broke up and Lizzy dumped him. Now he earns money by delivering pizza, a fact that he is really unhappy with. He compares his own ambition for suicide with the ambitions of well-known musicians These four strangers happen to meet on the roof of a high building called Topper’s House in London on New Year’s Eve, each with the intent of committing suicide. Their plans for death in solitude, however, are ruined when they meet. After telling their individual stories to the others, they decide to hold off on jumping and to protect themselves. Thus a group of four unfortunate and very individual people forms. Jess’ condition not to jump is that they help her to find her ex-boyfriend Chas. So they take a taxi and drive to the party they suppose Chas to be at. After finding and talking to Chas they decide to go to Martin’s place where they find Penny, who has obviously been crying. After this event the press begins to chase them. The newspapers claim that Martin has slept with Jess and that they concluded a suicidal-pact. Jess suggests that they can try to profit from the suicidal-report in the newspaper. Jess tells a reporter that they saw an angel that looked like Matt Damon, who saved them from jumping. Because of this silly lie their lives get worse. They go on vacation together and then plan next meeting for Saint Valentine’s Day. They meet at 8 o’clock on the roof of Topper’s House on Saint Valentine’s Day. While they have a conversation, they detect a young man who is planning to jump from the roof. They try to stop him from committing suicide but he jumps. They are really taken aback. They decide to go home and to meet the following afternoon. Martin tells them about a newspaper article he read according to which people who want to commit suicide need 90 days to overcome their ambition. So they decide to wait with their decision until the 31st of March. A lot of event happens during these three months. Things improve a bit. Maureen, JJ and Martin have new jobs now. Martin teaches pupils and wants to start a new life, JJ is a busker and is happy to make music again and Maureen works in a newspaper-store. Jess’s relationships with her family come to normal. The ninety days have passed and they meet in front of the Topper’s House again. They decide to go on the roof. On top, while watching the London Eye they realize that their lives are not so bad. They decide to wait with killing themselves for another six months. The book is divided into 3 big parts. And every big part consists of many small ones, each is written in the first-person narration from the points of view of each character. The language differs significantly from one character to another. Jess and JJ use a lot of slang, rude words. It’s interesting to compare British and American languages, thus JJ is an American. Though this is a book about four suicidal people, it is written in rather humorous and witty way. There are a number of laugh-out-loud passages, but also moments of real heartbreak (scenes with Maureen and her son, the suicide of a young man) Ideas Jess, Martin, and Maureen can be seen to represent Freud’s concepts of the Id, Ego, and Superego. The person’s change and development, overcoming difficulties and love for life are the main ideas of the book. Though the changes in the characters appear slight, Hornby shows that such changes are often the ones that lead to real progress in the right direction How to cite Nick Hornby: a Long Way Down, Papers

Education Reforms to Improve Australian Education

Question: Discuss about theEducation Reforms to Improve Australian Education. Answer: Introduction Australia is embracing the need to have improvements on education sector (PWC, 2017). Education has been taken to be a great driver for economic growth. The performance of students in Australian schools has depreciated over time and this has created a need for educational reforms. There are many challenges facing the education industry leading to its poor quality of education (OECD, 2011). This paper will show that the government could implement various reforms that could offer much benefits to this industry. Economies with more advanced levels of education are well positioned in terms of social success, literacy level and economic growth. This study will be useful to other developed and developing economies to raise their need for education reforms. The reforms not only are intended to improve the education quality, but also to increase the accessibility and affordability (Acedo, Adams and Popa, 2012). Thus the paper will be useful in instilling confidence on parents about the futur e of their children. Most people in Australia fail to seek education to high level because of insufficiency of funds. We shall consider the various reforms the government has taken against this challenge so as to improve affordability. The paper will also create awareness to all the Australian schools to understand that they are supposed to receive funds for developing their education attainment. This would help them in making such a claim in case it fails to be delivered. Economic Analysis The article The quality reforms needed to get all Australian students ahead by Malcolm Turnbull and Simon Birmingham written in 2016 noted that this is a generation where excellence is required in the Australian schools. In some years to come, the quality of education in Australian is projected to rise and the government has committed a package towards this achievement. In order to achieve this plan, there is $73.6 billion budget meant for driving this excellence. The article noted that there are many parents who are needy and thus have no peace that their children are going to get the necessary education. Towards addressing this challenge, the government has planned to set aside an additional $1.2 billion as from 2018 to 2020 that will be dispersed on a needs-based (Goss, 2016). This will assure the parents that their children will access the necessary education irrespective of their income level; affordability will be improved. This will help in eliminating the income inequality ch ild which makes the high income group children to achieve higher quality of education and a low quality for the low income group. The article also noted that the costs of delivering education are rising every year as the economy is changing towards embracing the world globalization (OECD, 2011). This has created a rationale for the increment in funding for the Australian education sector year after year (Hewett, 2016). If extra funding will prove to raise the Australian education quality, Turnbull and Birmingham (2016) pointed out that this will be an assurance that every year the funding will be increased. Its also noted in the article that in an international assessment basis that spending by Australian on education is much higher compared to economies like Poland and the Korea. Irrespective of the high funding level, its performance has lagged behind compared to those with a lower spending (Boston, 2017). This is questioning how the extra funding is used in driving quality education. What the additional funds are used for determines the effectiveness of increased funding (Turnbull and Birmingham, 2016). This explains why the enrollment has remained low even with increased funding. The funding is lower in non-government schools but their enrollment is higher as shown below; Fig: Funding and enrollment in Australian schools. Source: ISCA (2017) It was also noted in the article that funds are used for inappropriate purposes. The student in schools have generation deficiencies that should be addressed with the available funds (Goss, 2016). The heads of schools are using the funds in developing the schools (like building pretty school gates) whereas the school could be deficient in resources necessary to promote education attainment. Recommendations to Policy Makers and Key Players The lower performance in Australian education irrespective of the increased funding is evident that the funds are not allocated to the areas where they are needed most. The action of the government on raising its funding to drive excellence is under sound intentions, but it should also ensure that the money is directed towards solving the various challenges facing this industry. Most importantly it should focus on the challenge of increasing affordability on a needs-based. Countries like Sweden and the US has a great spending per child but their performances low. They should use the argument of this paper in their allocation of funds. In order for the governments policy reforms to be effective, the problems of each child should be addressed differently; this is by collecting information on every student. The reforms would only be effective if more investment was made on research and development that would help in identifying the areas where child development is required mostly. When the government is providing funds to the Australian schools, it should specifies the primary purpose for the funds and follow up to ensure that purpose has been satisfied. The government should also audit the schools spending to ensure that the funds are not lost through greedy and corrupt school heads. Conclusion Higher funding could be a great driver of excellence if the funds are accessed on the areas that were much improvement is required. Otherwise, increased funding wont be able to achieve the governments objective. There is misallocation of funds in the Australian schools that is hindering its development. The government is not efficient in ensuring that the funds are used effective purposes only. While the government is increasing the funding, some schools may still not be able to receive the funds because of the presence of corrupt leaders. The needs-based funds are the best package that is surely expected to drive excellence in the Australian schools. References Acedo, C., Adams, D. K., Popa, S. (2012). Quality and qualities: tensions in education reforms. Rotterdam, Sense Publishers. Boston, K. (2017). Our school funding system is unfair and holding Australia back. Here's how to fix it. [Online] ABC News. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-13/our-school-funding-system-is-unfair-and-holding-australia-back/8435300 [Accessed 24 Apr. 2017]. Goss, P. (2016). Let's meet in the middle on schools funding, not continue the trench warfare. [Online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/lets-meet-in-the-middle-on-schools-funding-not-continue-the-trench-warfare-65894 [Accessed 24 Apr. 2017]. Goss, P. (2016). Three schools reforms that will lift student outcomes. [Online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/three-schools-reforms-that-will-lift-student-outcomes-61808 [Accessed 24 Apr. 2017]. Hewett, J. (2016). Fronting up to tertiary education reform. [Online] Financial Review. 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