Dion Lee

Sydney born Dion Lee is a 24 year old successful Australian born high end textile fashion designer who creates clear-cut, structured and tailored to perfection garments to create a perfect silhouette for the woman wearing his designs. He is one of the fashion industries youngest well known designers. Dion is inspired by the construction of clothing. He likes edge cutting garments which are extremely functional created with the combination of traditional tailoring techniques and modern concepts and techniques.His designs cater working class women who look for the smart casual look which is accomplished with the designer’s sharp blazers and also girls who are looking for a chic cocktail frock. Fashion designer Dion Lee launched his debut collection in 2008 and quickly cemented his status as one of Australia's leading talents. Best known for his translation of architecture and science into â€Å"relaxed sophistication† Dion now attracts global attention, but still calls Sy dney home.Believing that Sydney style reflects the physical landscape and its trans seasonal climate, Dion effortlessly designs collections balancing proportion and silhouette to create structures that â€Å"link the environment and the body†. â€Å"I design for a certain kind of contemporary feminine identity, there is a very strong connection within that kind of woman being Australian,† says Dion.With origami like precision, his work is an articulation of engineered construction and detailed resolution, running parallels between architecture and fashion with â€Å"the ability to draw something on a two dimensional level and materialising it on a three dimensional sensory level†. This season is no different. Utilising proportion, volume, texture and his signature prints, his current collection which recently debuted in the UK, is the perfect balance of structure and fluidity.Taking inspiration from the collaborations he seeks, Dion has previously joined forces with Cue Clothing to release his own collection and most recently worked with Kanye West and Fashion Editor of Harper’s Bazaar Christine Centenera on his London show, supported by a short film he created with Australian Director Lorin Askill. If it’s possible to balance complexity with simplicity, Dion Lee achieves this in volumes. An achievement that puts him on the â€Å"watch list†, a status that Sydney and the world will be monitoring. Check out Dion Lee’s collection at Westfield, David Jones and Incu.

Life development Essay

The aim of this research is to explore a married couple’s real life experiences and the possible influences that affect their life development. A qualitative thematic analysis was carried out on pre-existing material of three semi-structured interviews and a video. Two main themes were identified : Various Influences and Changeable. This analysis showed support for some research done regarding Erikson’s development stages, Peck’s contribution on later life, developmental contextualism and Bronfenbrenner’s theory. The findings suggest that life development is multi-facet. A reflexive analysis reviews some limitation on this analysis and recommendations are also made. INTRODUCTION Lifespan development is the one among different psychological perspectives. Psychologists are of different views on human development. Some of them split human development into different stages, some of them focus on the people’s later development, some are optimistic but some not, and some opined that our development are deterministic but also some do not think so. Erik Erikson has developed a theory named as Psychosocial in which he stated that there would be eight development stages from birth to later adulthood within our life. (Cooper & Roth, 2002). The theory emphasised that our development is a product of the interaction between the society and individual; and our parents seems to play a key role in our early life. Erikson argued that everyone must develop throughout these eight stages. While treating later life as a relative stable period, Erikson neglect the room of change during the middle and old stages, to cope with this difficulty, Peck further subdivided these two stages into sub-stages. For middle age, Peck consider that we should acknowledge our loss of physical strength while also appreciate our gaining of wisdom, the main task within these stage is to redefine one’s personality and personal relationship. Besides, individual should shift their emotional attachment to both the vertical and horizontal relationship, i. e. the death of parents and friendship (Cooper & Roth, 2002). For old age, in order to cater the crisis of retirement, Peck argued that individual need to seek other meaningful activities, thus accepted by themselves that they are continually contribute to and valued by the society. Other approach on lifespan development is named as developmental contextualism. It emphasised that development of an individual cannot be seen as an isolated manner, rather, there are internal (e. g. physical fitness) and external (e. g. cultural and social) factors that influences one’s development. These factors are referred as a level of explanation by psychologists, they comprise different variables, for instances, interpersonal influence, cultural influence, historical influence and etc. These variables would interact and change each other at the same or a different level of explanation which is known as dynamic interactionism. (Cooper & Roth, 2002) In contrast to developmental contextualism, Bronfenbrenner is of different view. He argued that individuals are capable to determine their own development rather than simply constrained by internal and external influences. In his ‘ecological’ theory of development, he suggested that individuals are actively interact with his or her environment during their development. According to the theory, it divided individual physical environment into four parts, i. e. micosystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem as well. The microsystem refers to one’s immediate environment, includes social, symbolic and physical characteristics, e. g. personality, healths, values and expectations. The mesosystem describes two or more microsystems inhabited by the same person, e. g. family, work and marriage. Links that take place between two or more settings involving the individual is known as the exosystem, i. e. our community. The macrosystem illustrates the patterns of the aforesaid systems that characterize any given culture or society structures. (Cooper & Roth, 2002) In view of the above approaches, it seems that human development are encompassed by different stages, with internal and external influences; and individuals are with ability to actively change it during the process of development. The purpose of this qualitative research is to see how a couple, Tony and Jo experienced their life and what influence to their development indeed. METHOD Three semi-structured interviews were conducted of a (an aging) couple, Tony and Jo. There is no information on the exact ages of the stakeholders, including the interviewees and the three interviewers. For teaching purposes, the process of the interviews were videotaped with the interviewees’ consent. The interviews touch topics of identity, separation and attachment and lifespan development. The first interview was conducted by a female researcher Jane who knew that couple for several years. A male researcher has conducted the second interview who knew none about that couple. The last interviewer was a female who asked them about their experiences on the first two interviews. The research was adopted analysing pre-existing materials. It assumed that the Open University of United Kingdom (OUUK) adhered strictly to the British psychological code of ethics such as obtaining informed written consent, addressing issues around confidentiality, protection of participant’s identities, permission to withdraw at any time and sufficient debriefing. (Miell, Phoenix & Thomas, 2002). I am a Chinese male, a part-time psychology student (36 years of age) of the Open University of Hong Kong, and carried out a qualitative thematic analysis on transcripts and video provided by the OUUK. (see Appendix for the full annotated transcripts and an extracted video of the three interviews is also attached) The lifespan development research topic and question were selected and supplied by the OUUK (DSE 212, Method Booklet 5, pages 60 and 61). Familiarization of material was done by reading Chapter 1 in Book 2 (Cooper & Roth, 2002). The next stage of the analysis involved my reading the transcripts several times – noting significant points related to my chosen research topic. I then identified recurrent themes from the transcripts. Two main themes were identified and the data was condensed under these themes. This was achieved by photocopying the transcripts and highlighting each bit of the dialogue relating to the themes in different colour pens. Only the first two interviews were used in this research.

Family meals Essay

The article present the issue of meals from a good perspective: it identifies that some families eat together and others do not. It states from researches that studies carried out on families that eat together on the same table are more likely to produce positive health results than others who do not: such positive health factors are enumerated in each paragraph. It states that such family meals make it easier to control diet, amount and quality. It promotes communication about nutrition; it helps to regulate the type of food consumed. Besides it is a good forum for socialization among the family members, and even visitors.   It provides the ‘opportunity to eat better’ and also the ‘chance to connect’. The latter helps to understand each other better, find about current issues in the lives of members, and even teaches the children cooking and eating etiquettes.   It concludes with a profound statement:   â€Å"Family meals aren’t just about food, they’re about family.† I am particularly interested in the type of meal that can earn the tag ‘family meal’. And really, it is worth remembering that meals can also be a time to get together with family members. For parents that do not have time for their children, this may not possible but for others who have such opportunity, I strongly believe it is a very good idea: it creates a forum for me to learn how to cook, how to serve and how to eat especially when it involves others. If I have anything bothering my mind, I can share it there. If I also notice something about my siblings, friends, visitors, other extended family members, I can bring it and the challenge/burden can be shared. It is also a good forum to celebrate any achievement. I like the idea of family meals because it helps to strengthen families and build loving homes. There is no doubt that if we can adopt this kind of idea all over the country, things would change, families are likely to become more stable and children will live in conducive happy homes. I think that the topic was presented in a good and lively way. It has information from researches and experts in the food. After going through the article, you’d have read through an unusual topic that makes a lot of sense. It starts with a description of meal times, connects to the advantages of family means and ends with the obstacle to achieving the concept. I am also concerned about this noble idea can be implemented in this kind of age, when everyone appears to be in a hurry chasing the wild wind. Is it really practicable in this jet age? Are there other means of achieving same socialization outside meals times? REFERENCE Family meals. http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/11/07/cl.family.meals/index.html

Beling reflective about 1 article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Beling reflective about 1 - Article Example In this program, she initiated that traditional assessment measures are accompanied with additional measures, classrooms are to be differentiated, and development is enhanced through preparatory services, early intervention and parent outreach. One of Robinson's critiques is Margie K. Kitano. Kitano debunked the premises in Robinson's action plan through her paper "Gifted potential and poverty: A call for extraordinary action." Instead of saying that income level produces social inequality, she pointed at the complexity of the situation, particularly in migration, that indeed, it is almost difficult to separate the two from each other. She therefore said that undermining the importance of the racial factor would indeed "not solve society's unsolved problems." Instead also of claiming that the source of the reduction in the proportion of identified gifted but economically disadvantaged children is the negatives effects of poverty, she cited the work of Brooks-Gunn and Duncan (1997) that environmental conditions outside the family have a major impact on the quality of life of these children, and therefore this problem is rooted not on the family conditions per se, but the assessment procedures in which these children are bei ng selected.

Global warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Global warming - Essay Example People have changed the land use that has increased the emission of greenhouse gases. For instance, deforestation has led to increased emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that was previously stored in vegetation. Kuwait is located on the Arabian Gulf; the country is made up the mostly flat desert. The climate of Kuwait can be severe, with temperatures that are freezing and scalding. The increased temperatures in Kuwait are as a result of increased industrialization and urbanization. However, some researchers have said that the raised temperatures are not as a result of the industrialization. Kuwait has numerous environmental issues that are severely affecting its biophysical ecosystem, as well as the human health. The rapid industrialization and the careless environmental oversight have resulted in these issues. One of the major issues is the desertification that has remained a serious problem. The government of Kuwait are taking measures to address this problem through restoring the desert lands to forests. Another major issue affecting Kuwait is the increased pollution. The different forms of pollution have increased with growth in industrialization. The government is taking precautions to ensure that this issue does not go beyond the limit. Therefore, the government is setting up the pollutant treatment infrastructure that is adequately addressing this

Personal reflective ( Critical perspectives in Global Management) Coursework

Personal reflective ( Critical perspectives in Global Management) - Coursework Example Volkswagen is a company that that had almost disappeared to obscurity in the early 1990s when Mr. Piech took over as the CEO, however through his leadership and management skills, the company has enjoyed sustained growth and development into the greatest European car manufacturer with expanded markets and a variety of products that respond to the needs of customers. The main issue here is that the former CEO Mr. Piech who has now retired upstairs to chair the supervisory board exhibited an authoritarian and autocratic form of leadership which is not characteristic of most modern organizations; as a result workers have little voice in the strategy and operations of the company. even though a new CEO in the shape of Mr. Bernd Pischetsieder has taken over, the main fear is that the former CEO has sufficient personal power to continue controlling most aspects of Volkwagen’s organization from outside, this raises fears of intransigence in terms of organizational operations. Obvious ly, most workers would like more space and ideological input in the operations of the company. ... Piech. It is clear that the former CEO appreciated discipline, authority, and unity of command with him being the major center of the last two. This indicates a distrust of other people’s leadership and a sense of authoritarianism. Max Weber’s bureaucracy also comes out clearly in the operations of Volkswagen with the former CEO appearing as a leader who ensured that every process and decision followed a clearly set path. This is clear in the fear that decision making will always be pushed upwards. Within the contingency theory, it is clear that Volkswagen under Peuch, was a company largely built around mechanistic structures characterized by centralization, strict division of labor, vertical communication, and low trust (Burns and Stalker, 1961). This is a system that current members of the organization fear will be continued under the new CEO, who has largely been groomed by the former CEO and that it will eventually be detrimental to the organization. There are a num ber of problems that can be identified in the Volkswagen case. The first and most clear of all is the problem around leadership and motivation. It is clear that although under the autocratic leadership of the former CEO the company flourished, many of the workers especially in the managerial level expected a new style of leadership synonymous with global trends that would afford them more input into the running of the company and its development to new heights. However, with the presence of the former CEO still looming large and the new CEO most likely to work under the guidance of Mr. Piech, distrust and lack of confidence has cropped up. This may affect morale and performance. On the face of it, the problem is intransigence, with organizational members having the feeling that things may

Changes in Human Resource Management at BMW Company Essay

Changes in Human Resource Management at BMW Company - Essay Example BMW Company has two manufacturing groups mainly the Mini and Rolls-Royce and it has been documented that they produced more than 1.3 million vehicles in 2006. Reports further indicate that by 2010, the company stepped up its production to more than I.4million vehicles (Oliver 2008,p.576). It was found that the company had settled on the production of motorcycles after the completion of the First World War and later advanced into the production of vehicles. Human Resource Policy. With the era of improved business, BMW has changed its strategy to accommodate their customers as they have applied one that focused on serving their customers. In the last decade, the company has developed to be more practical and willing to accommodate change that is customer oriented (Dessler 2000,p.81). The organizational structure has been rearranged in that it can be able to handle new operation styles. The culture that exists in the company has helped a great deal in the implementation of the new strat egies that have been put in place and thus ensuring the success of the strategies (Gilmore & Williams 2009,p.83).This is an indication that the human resource policies have played a vital role in the good performance of the organization. Due to the pressure emanating from competition between BMW and other companies as well as the national economies, the organization has had to undertake several changes especially in the management of their human resource so as to be able to beat the competition at the international market.  

Marketing plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Marketing plan - Assignment Example Further, it is essential for the organization to consider all the 7Ps of Service Mix and hence, contribute in all these areas to gain sustainable development. Besides, the sustainability in the business process would be gained through appropriate financial control and control measurement. These would lead the organization to accomplish its vision of performing with enhanced market share and profitability. Baglow is an organization that has certain unique business idea. This is with regard to the introduction of a business plan of bag cleaning service. The market that Baglow is targeting is Qatar. For delivering an effective service to the customers, the organization has planned to undertake the strategy of introducing advanced technology. Moreover, the organization has recruited some of the highly skilled cleaning professionals. These make the service of the organization highly effective and hence, it is able to meet the satisfaction level of the customers significantly. The service of the organization is categorized into different segments of target customers. These include the cleaning of the travel bags, school bags, gents bags, ladies bags, and miscellaneous other bags. The service of the organization is further segregated into leather, cloth and others. This segmentation is done, as the materials and the method used for the cleaning purpose are different for leather, cloth and o thers. Moreover, in order to make the service of the organization highly convenient to the customers, the organization has adapted the strategy of serving at the door of the customers. In this regard, the organization takes the bags from the home of the customers. The organization further cleans the bags at the working zone of the organization. After cleaning and pressing the bags, the organization delivers the bag at the convenient locations of the customers. In the cleaning process, it is

Introduction to the law of property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Introduction to the law of property - Essay Example However, on the facts, none of that exists and the legal title, on Bella’s death, is transferred to Dominic who is the sole legal owner of 41 Evergreen Terrace. As a result, the only interest Nigel can establish in the land in order to bar Dominic from selling the property and to continue occupying it is necessarily equitable. Dominic is currently the owner at law as well as in equity, owing to the lack of any direct conveyance to another or the declaration of a trust. Nigel, in order to claim an equitable ownership of Evergreen will have to rely on a number of recent authorities that allow a third party to claim an interest in the property of another (Pettitt v Pettitt (1970), Lloyds Bank v Rosset (1989), Stack v Dowden (2007)), and argue a constructive trust in his favor. However, since Nigel contributed to the purchase price, he can argue a resulting trust in his favor as well, according to the principals set in Curley v Parkes. It is apparent from that case that any contribution at the time of acquisition of the property will result in the creation of a purchase money resulting trust in favor of the contributor, entitling him to an equitable ownership in the property (Dyer v Dyer (1788), Laskar v Laskar (2008). However, this law is only operable if the money provided by Nigel was not meant as a gift or loan, which may as well be the case here since it was a father daughter deal. However, the facts are silent on the matter. Moreover, the House of Lords in Stack v Dowden suggested that the resulting trust mechanism to establish an equitable interest in property should be sidelined in favor of constructive trusts, since they can relate to a lot of other factors as well instead of just being concerned with the purchase money, especially in relation to family affairs. Hence, those will be considered below. Nigel has been made a promise to after he moves in by Dominic. The words used are

The financial crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

The financial crisis - Essay Example Lehman Brother’s was one of the major victims of this crisis, and its bankruptcy acted as a catalyst in such a situation. The decline of Lehman Brothers started with the abolition of the Glass-Steagall Act. This is considered as one of the legislative acts which influenced the financial institutional structure of US. This was a seminal event that intensified the financial crisis of 2008. About $10 trillion eroded away from the equity market in 2008 after the bankruptcy event of Lehman Brothers, which was recorded to be the biggest decline of all times. Answer a: Financial Crisis of 2007-2010 The financial crisis of 2007-2010 is considered as one of the worst financial crisis after the Great Depression of 1930s (Coggan, 2007; Minsky, 1992). In this section, the discussion would be specifically on such causes that led to financial crunch Right from lax regulation, housing bubble, credit rating given by the agencies, to subprime mortgage lending, pay structure of the management a nd board, and easy credit facilities, are considered to be the major causes of financial crisis. In this study each aspect will be identified, and flaws in every situation would be evaluated, so as to discuss the grounds for the downfall major financial institutions in the second section. ... However, Gramm-Leach Bliley Act of 1999, also known as Financial Modernization Act, was an abolished part of Glass-Steagall Act of 1993 acted as a force in minimizing the gap between the traditional commercial banking institutions and the modern risky investment banks. It allowed the banks to associate with each other and engage into underwriting activities and security deals (Baily, and Elliott, 2009; The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, 2011). The Commodity Future Modernization Act which was passed in 2000, allowed over the counter derivatives to become self-regulating. Derivative was designed to be a tool that hedged risk associated with investment in securities market. However, this soon turned into a speculative tool (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, 2012; (Duhigg, 2008). The banks sell the loans to the investment banks, which combine different types of loans such as home loan, car loan, education loan, etc into a complex derivative instrument, called Collateralized De bt Obligations (CDOs), and further sell them in the market to the investors. The borrower of the loans when paid the loan back, the money went straight to the investors. The Sub-prime loans were also popular because it was a high interest loan taken by those who could not afford it. The return and risk of any CDO investor was dependent on the various tranches. The securitization food chain is stated below. Figure 1: Securitisation Food Chain The Credit Default Swaps (CDS) allowed the investors to invest in certain corporations without feeling the heat of direct equity exposure, as can be seen in Figure 1. By 2008 it was found that the outstanding associated with CDS was around $40 trillion, and the over the counter derivative outstanding amount was

Increased gas prices in the US compared to the Middle East Essay

Increased gas prices in the US compared to the Middle East - Essay Example The high prices are mainly caused by the supply and demand factor. The demand for crude oil has immensely increased which directly affects the gasoline prices at pumps of USA. The supply has not been increased in that proportion. The consumption of gasoline in developing countries like China and India has been significant as the automobile industry is skyrocketing in these countries. The gasoline consumption in USA is about one quarter of the world’s total production. However supply and demand is not only the factor but the additional cost which includes taxes, cost of refining crude oil, transportation cost, and the profit to the gasoline dealer is also the reason and contributes about increasing the cost less half then cost of gasoline in United States. Rising gas prices is a matter of concern for the USA car manufacturing companies. It is expected that the use of Subways will be increased in the future. This may result in weakening the USA economy as car manufacturers are one of major stakeholders. Last but the most important factor is recent unrest in the Arab World. Although the countries like Egypt, Syria, Jordan are not the major crude oil producers but they play significant role in determining the world oil prices. President Obama has put aside the interest shown by some Companies willing to explore oil in Alaska and other areas. The aim of these people was only to increase the domestic exploration. This action of him has resulted in complete shutting down of the present oil drilling infrastructure in USA. It is reported that about 103 permits are in waiting list for review. But the Obama administration has not renewed any single exploratory drilling plan in the Gulf of Mexico. Moreover Obama administration has also put â€Å"7 year ban† on the oil exploration in the coastal waters in Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. According to the experts

Travel Market - Segmentation Essay Example for Free

Travel Market Segmentation Essay 1. The Travel Market can be segmented into 3 segments: Luxury travellers, Adventurers and Budget travellers. These segments are identified by demographics like age and income, psychological factors like personality, and benefits sought like needs and product features. Luxury travellers are usually older or middle-aged consumers who are already financially prosperous and look for relaxation and rejuvenation from their stressful positions. They can also be retirees. Luxury travellers will be willing to pay more for value, quality and service, and they look for quality relaxation and experience when looking for a place to reside while travelling. Luxury travellers will respond well to Banyan Holding’s Banyan and Laguna resorts and hotel line. Banyan tree hotels and resorts seek to have guests â€Å"pampered with a warm and friendly retreat experience† and are targeted to those â€Å"who place a premium on exclusive and unique localtes, with a penchant for the indulgent, luxurious and exotic† (Marketing in Asia 2nd Ed, p714-715). These high-end customers desire personalized service, ambience, and design, and a self-contained, personal retreat with private and tasteful amenities (Marketing in Asia 2nd Ed, p715). Luxury travellers who go on trips with their family members will prefer Laguna resorts and hotels as it provides a wide range of amenities for children to elderly, like the children’s suite, Laguna shopping centre and Angsana Spas. The Laguna hotels offers a wider range of services for a broader base of targeted audience, hence appealing to luxury travellers who travel with their family. Adv enturers are younger working adults around their twenties to late thirties who are financially independent and willing to spend. These consumers look for exotic places and place high emphasis on outdoor-recreation. They value authenticity and look for opportunities to immerse themselves in the local culture. People who go for adventure travelling would look for places that are less urbanized and richer in culture. Authenticity and thrill will be their main concern hence location and convenience would matter less. Adventurers will respond well to Banyan Tree’s sister brand, Angsana Hotels and resorts. The hotels are designed to be contemporary and which, and marketed with emphasis on outdoors-recreation which will appeal to such travellers. They also have a range of adventurous activities offered, like bungee jumping, white-water rafting and trekking. A great selling point of Angsana hotels is that it is located in unique world heritage site locales which offer adventurers a rustic experience with the added bonus of comfort and luxury. Budget travellers are identified to be in the lower to middle income group and are financially independent but not holding large amounts of disposable income for leisure activities. These travellers are sometimes young parents who hold tight budgets when it comes to travelling as they need to set aside large portions of their income for their children’s education and to support their own parents. They seek for benefits like low prices and promotions and do not always aim for quality or service. These consumers will not be prone to consume Banyan Tree Holding’s products and services as the products offered are generally high-end and too expensive. These consumers will likely to be working hard to support their families and hence unable to go for Angsana or Banyan spa treatments as well due to the lack of time. When travelling, these consumers will go for cheaper hotel options instead as they do not place high emphasis on special product features like adventurous amenities or quality of the services. 2. The attractiveness of the market segments can be assessed by the market size, the expected growth, the competitive position, the cost of reaching the segment and the compatibility with the Banyan Tree’s objectives and resources. In terms of market size, the budget travellers take up the largest percentage of leisure travellers while adventurers take up the least. In United States, the top 1% households own 35.4% of all privately held wealth (Domhoff, 2013). Wealth distribution is similar in the rest of the world; small proportion of people holding majority of the wealth. As such, the adventurers and luxury travellers take up a much smaller market size while budget travellers are aplenty. In terms of expected growth, the luxury travellers are expected to grow the fastest. Baby boomers, who are born between 1946 to 1964, are at their prime of their careers and some may already be retired. As these people age, the financially prosperous bunch of them will be expected to go travelling on retirement trips and they will have the financial capacity to spend on quality services and experiences. The luxury travellers will thus be expected to grow the fastest. The growth of the adventurers and budget travellers will then depend on the state of the economy and birth rate. Developed countries now face declining birth rates and an aging population, which causes both the adventurers and budget travellers to decrease in size or grow at a slower pace. For competitive position, the market for budget travellers will be the most competitive as most options are available. These competing hotels and motels are largely s imilar, providing homogenous amenities and services with price as the main selling point. Hence, it will be difficult to compete against these hotels as lowering price too much will start a price war, which in turn causes damage to all producers. Joining this market will not guarantee a significant market share as there are many firms and the products are mostly homogenous. In the luxury and adventure travelling segments, the hotels are largely different with their own selling points. For example the Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel in Luang Prabang would offer visitors a cultural and scenic experience of the Mekong River and hills of Laos, an experience that will not be found in any other hotels. The luxury hotels offer different scenic views and quality service, hence these hotels compete via product differentiation. There are less firms and hence more competition, but it also means that there will be a chance of getting a large market share should Banyan tree decide to invest in it. In terms of cost, marketing Banyan Tree’s products too all three different segments of consumers will take roughly the same costs. These will include advertising costs on websites, newspapers and tie-ups with travelling agencies. In terms of compatibility, reaching out to the budget travellers will be most costly as brand new budget hotels will have to be built, which requires a large amount of capital. Marketing Banyan Tree Holding’s hotels and services to the budget travellers will also not be effective as the product features of Banyan tree’s products are incompatible with the features these consumers are looking for. Reaching out to luxury travellers and adventurers will be easier as they will already be receptive to the products offered by Banyan Tree. In conclusion, Banyan Tree Holdings should focus on the Luxury Travellers market segment as they have the highest potential growth rate and the products which these consumers are looking for tally with the products Banyan Tree Holdings offer. 3. Companies in the travel industry can carry out product positioning by emphasizing on different aspects of their products and services, like the geographical location, the economic value, lifestyle, services and amenities, and environmental awareness. The geographical location of the company will include the cultural heritage of the host country in which the firm can use as a selling point to foreign visitors. The actual location of the hotel can also be used as a selling point for added convenience if the hotels are located just beside train or bus stations. The economic value refers to marketing the company’s products and services at a certain price which gives a similar level of satisfaction. Hotels can market themselves as budget hotels which are on the lower scale of the price range, or luxury hotels which gives consumers such a great experience and service that the consumers think the high price is worth it. Lifestyle and services can be marketed to consumers if the hotel provides visitors with a distinct, exotic experience or have unique facilities. Companies can also support environmentally friend codes of conduct to promote themselves as clean and green, giving off a positive reputation and image to the public and potential customers. Banyan Tree uses the product position strategy of geographic location, lifestyle and services and environmental awareness. According to Marketing in Asia 2nd Ed p714, each Banyan Tree property is designed to fit into it’s natural surroundings and the natural landscape is preserved as much as possible. This places emphasis on the location of the hotels and resorts, marketing itself to be exclusive and asian. For Angsana Hotels and Resorts, it is located in unique World heritage site locales which provide visitors with a coherent authentic experience of the local destination, serving as a large attraction. Secondly, Banyan tree also markets itself to pamper guests with a warm and friendly retreat experience that showcases Banyan Tree’s signature lend of romance, rejuvenation and exotic sensuality. This adds to lifestyle and experience. Thirdly, Banyan Tree sells itself with an environmentally friendly and conscious theme. Besides being environmentally friendly, Laguna Resorts and Hotels is also committed to providing for the health and educational needs of the children of its employees and local villages. This will attract consumers who care for the deterioration of nature and the welfare of developing countries. Banyan Tree’s products are highly distinctive as they emphasize themselves on being a luxury and premium brand. Banyan Tree previously marketed itself with the slog an of â€Å"Romance of Travel† which also emphasizes on rejuvenation and relaxation. Banyan Tree is consistent in all it’s different product types in the fact that it focuses on pampering the guest and providing the ultimate luxurious experience. To support the theme of luxury, Banyan Tree’s products are highly priced. This is because consumers usually associate higher priced products to be of better quality. Banyan Tree promoted themselves with the â€Å"Romance of Travel† campaign which emphasized on Banyan Tree’s brand of romance, intimacy and rejuvenation. Banyan Tree is also spread to other consumers through articles in many websites by travellers. Positive testimonies stir interest in potential customers, and can reach out to many due to the widespread use of internet today. To tap on the greater use of internet, Banyan Tree also offers direct bookings through popular resort websites for convenience and accessibility. To keep up with this inf ormal advertisement, Banyan Tree maintained it’s well-known quality of service which aided it to have good reviews. Banyan Tree also took part in eco and cultural tourism, and famous projects like the Tsunami Relief Project in 2004, projecting an image of awareness and goodwill for the company.

Costs and benefits of the EMU

Costs and benefits of the EMU Abstract: This paper contributes to the ongoing debate over European Monetary Union (EMU) including the costs and benefits of joining it. Advocators of EMU stressed that it is essential to create a stronger European Union with greater economic, political and social cohesion, whereas the opponents did not support this stage of the European Unions construction such as the United-Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden, reviewing the merits of a single currency (OCA) and the requirements for a stable currency (Convergence Criteria). (Bernhard Winkler, 1996) Identify and discuss the costs and benefits of joining the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)? Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Introduction According to Franà §ois Mitterrand, â€Å"EMU is seen as a mean to recover some influence over European monetary affairs.† (Franà §ois Mitterrand, 1992)The French left wings president at time wanted the emergence of the European Union against the US dollar which has been widely used as the yardstick measurement for all currencies. In Europe, the existence of different national currencies was considered as the remaining barriers for a barrier-free single market and the influence of the dollar pressed the European Union (EU) to form an Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The genesis of the EMU with the initial impulse given by the Werner Report in 1970, then failed in 1973 with the oil crisis and finally relaunched with the Delors Plan in 1989 and the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992, was noteffortlessly. The EMU is a type of trade block involving a single market and a common currency. At the European scale, it involves a single European market within its borders and the adoption of the Euro. Economists usually refer to the EMU as an economic trade off between perceived benefits and cost of joining the area (Thomas D. Willett, 2002). There are diverging views on the extent of these costs and benefits, and therefore, especially on the question whether to join the EMU or not. The aim of this paper is to analyse the key issues surrounding the entry in the EMU, and balance positive and negative aspects. The pros and cons regarding the EMU require a careful analysis of the economic benefits and drawbacks at both national and company level. Debate surrounding the EMU There are many benefits that a country will have by entering EMU. Recently, the euro has gained a lot of influence since many European nations have adopted it. Indeed, the benefits of EMU increase and costs decrease as the level of integration intensifies. (Krugman, 1990)The growing importance of the euro in international trades and the increasing trade activities which result from adopting the currency clearly shows that benefits will outweigh costs. For a country international trades are fundamental in order to have a stronger economy. Therefore, the â€Å"antis-EMU† advocate that the process will submerge the individuality of the European nations in an â€Å"unwieldy federation, hobbled by bureaucracy, commanding little popular support and imposing a crippling burden of regulatory and other costs on Europes economies† (David Currie, 1997, pp.14) They believe that an organized Europe will have a negative impact for most member states as it will also â€Å"reduce the volume of trade and would certainly increase the level of unemployment† (Martin Feldstein, February 20, 2008). In order to join the EMU, a country must correspond to the Maastricht Convergence Criteria: price stability, sustainable public finances, exchange rate stability and durable convergence. The term â€Å"convergence† refers to the process of unifying technological and non-rival domains, preparing late countries in terms of structure and institutions to match with those at the forefront. One of the first obvious benefits is that the implementation of those criteria represents a factor of macroeconomic stabilisation and sustainable economic growth for both EMU countries and future members. However, the convergence requirements are also a clear example of conflict because they are considered as lacking economic rationale and imposing unnecessary pain. Many economists have attacked the convergence criteria, responsible of provoking instability and serving no other purpose except to delay. (De Grauwe, 1993) The convergence criteria and EMU itself seek to guard against â€Å"unsustai nable budgetary policies in a member state† because these are seen to lead to either â€Å"default or debt monetisation† which would â€Å"be a major threat to the overall monetary stability† (European Economy, 1990:100) Furthermore, the convergence criteria make clear that fiscal discipline is defined as the avoidance of an unsustainable build-up of public debt (Emerson, 1992, pp.107) and the transition to EMU for a country will amplify the domestic effectiveness of national fiscal policy for stabilisation purposes. (Emerson, 1992, pp.115) Benefits and costs of joining the EMU Our aim is to understand the incentives of the players in the EMU, and a natural starting point is to assess economic costs and benefits of a single currency for a country like France as an example. More or less, there are microeconomic benefits versus macroeconomic costs. a) Transaction costs and stable environment One of the most obvious benefits is the resulting ease of transactions across the European Union. Countries are using one currency and as a matter of fact, the elimination of exchange rate fluctuation helped to eliminate transaction costs in intra-EU trade. Firms and business are both saving time and money. For example, an estimated $30 billion[1] a year is spent on foreign exchange transactions. The transactions involve the change from one currency to another but also from accounting systems. Additionally, joining the EMU eliminates the possibility of exchange-rate variation with the EMU zone. If exchange rates move irregularly and unsystematically in response to arbitrary speculation, exchange volatility imposes a macroeconomic cost (David Currie, 1997). Thus, its elimination represents a real advantage as it provides a more stable environment for trade within the euro zone by lowering risks and uncertainties as the economy is more flexible and resources more mobile. b) Monetary policy and the European Central Bank Despite affecting a fundamental aspect of a countrys sovereignty, member-states must abandon monetary policy. Additionally, members are deprived from revenue of seigniorage which is the net revenue derived from the issuing of currency. This loss mainly affects high-inflation rate countries such as Greece or Spain for example. Monetary policy is not anymore at the national level but depends on a supranational authority, the European Central Bank, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Established in 1998, the ECB is responsible for monetary policy covering the sixteen member States of the Euro zone. Granting monetary control to the ECB means that National governments are giving monetary policy instrument such as regulating exchange rate and interest rate, and this is likely to involve a cost. This cost will occur during recession or inflationary boom, when a country will be unable to raise or lower interest rates independently of other countries within the EMU. c) Fiscal power of member-states Joining EMU severely limits the fiscal power of member-states. While they maintain formal responsibility for fiscal policy, member-states will have to show fiscal rectitude to avoid penalty. Convergence criteria require countries to reduce their debt which produced a ‘squeeze effect (Gà ¤rtner, 1997) for countries with loose fiscal policy. Indeed, fiscal policy remains the only macro-economic tool that is available to governments. At the same time, the union has the power of coordination and surveillance, and the ability to recommend modifications of fiscal policy and to apply sanctions against governments that have no taken the recommended steps. d) A single currency and its effect on public support As we already mentioned earlier, a member-state joining the EMU will have to adopt a common currency: the euro. Despite the fact that the adoption of the euro will clearly affect the countrys sovereignty, some people ‘feel closer to other countries (European Commission, 2002) which can bring Europeans together and build a notion of European identity. Therefore, the adoption of a common currency can result in undermining a nations identity. Currencies such as the â€Å"Francs† or the â€Å"Deutsch Mark† have symbolized economic prosperity, especially due to the fact that people trusted them. Moreover, the â€Å"Franc† was the French national currency since 1795 and has remained for two hundred and four years. The Deutsch Mark had the reputation as one of the worlds most stable currencies. For a country like France or Germany, the change of their currencies was a memorable step. Moreover, an obvious economic consequence is the impact on the purchasing power. For example, in France the switch from â€Å"Francs† to the â€Å"Euros† had a major effect on the French purchasing power. Twenty euro is the equivalent of approximately a 120Francs and this was perceived as a large amount of money in terms of purchasing power before the introduction of the new currency. While the adoption of the euro was meant to bring stability over the long-term, a study has been conducted showing that price rises were evident in the service sector such as restaurants, cafà ©s, hairdressers and recreational and sporting services. (Eurostat, 2003) Nevertheless, French consumers have noticed a change in the cost of living. Additionally, adopting a new currency is not always the easiest thing to do. e) Effects on firms and businesses Another benefit is the increase in attractive opportunities for foreign investors and these effects are unevenly spread across firms and businesses. Thus, larger firms will benefit more from EMU. For example, strong domestic enterprises will benefit from a greater degree of internationalisation of their markets. It will be especially helpful to small and medium sized enterprises which may not be able to reap sizeable economies of scale. Nevertheless, firms and businesses will be the first to experience the negative effects from joining the EMU. For example, travel agents and banks that are losing commission on currency exchanges and European currency traders will no longer be able to exert this business. Moreover, the single currency may lead to the â€Å"Europeanising† (Brown, B.2004, pp. 57-60.) of labour markets within the EMU zone. Consequently, it would be much easier to compare wages across the zone, especially in sectors where trade unions wield bargaining power. This w ill lead to an increase of wages and could engender major problem to companies outsourcing in low wages countries such as in Eastern Europe. The single currency will remove just the elements of labour-market flexibility. f) Price transparency and price convergence Nevertheless, joining the EMU will foster competition as there is greater price transparency across countries. Indeed, a single currency makes easier to show how prices differ between countries. It has been found that â€Å"the prices of goods differ considerably in different countries and continents due to the differences in currency.† (McCallum, 1995, pp24-25) As an example, before EMU, a customer living in France was able to buy a high value-added car cheaper when going in Germany. Hence, this leads to lower prices in the short to medium run because consumers can buy from the cheapest source and thus, drive prices down as companies are running under pressure. Indeed, â€Å"The formation of the euro zone and the SM of almost 300 million consumers will inevitably sharpen competitive pressures throughout Europe†. (Spanos et Al., Greek, pp.638) The subsequent enhancement of competition will increase economic efficiency and should cause price convergence. (Spanos et Al., Greek, pp.639) Consequently, the EMU provides information to its members and thus, enables them to make wiser decisions. g) â€Å"One fit all† policy problem: Moreover, other problems of joining the European Economic and Monetary Union will occur in the medium to long term. Indeed, the concern is that whether the states are sufficiently similar for them to co-exist with a common currency. For example, not all states are at the same stage of the trade cycle which represents a periodic fluctuation in the rate of economic activity as measured by levels of prices, production and employment. As an example, the UK is the worlds fourth largest economy and the second largest in the EU. The City of London represents Europes major European financial centre. The case of the UK has specific arguments: the UK has a lower level of intra-EU trade, one of the highest percentages of home owners and is affected differently by oil price movements due to different arrangements. It is then weaker and more vulnerable to external shocks which are unexpected shocks that do not affect every nation equally. (D. Johnson, C. Turner, 2nd edition, p180-183) Hence, if t he UK joins the euro, they will have to increase their exchange risks because the euro is turning around the dollar. The pound for example is neutral compared to the dollar and the euro. Consequently, the inappropriateness of one monetary policy for so many states is a major cost of joining the EMU. The case against the UKs entry in EMU depends also on other factors such as the recession the country is undergoing and the influence of the United-States. Benefits outweigh the costs? The case of Greece is a good example to show how benefits can outweigh the costs. Indeed, Greece has recently entered the EMU and thus, represents a good example for a number of candidates. Hence, it is an example of an economy in transition that has made a lot of progress in order to fulfil the macroeconomic convergence. A study of Greek firms has been conducted by Spanos (Business strategy analyst at Athens University) which helps to understand how firms react when entering the EMU and found that leading Greek firms â€Å"appear fully aware of the dramatic changes they will have to address in the near futureIn line with recent empirical evidence, the findings presented here are encouraging in that they suggest a strong learning effect that has presumably led Greek management towards convergence.† (Spanos et Al, pp.646) We understand that both EU membership and the panorama of competing in the EMU have acted as major catalysts. In short, the EMU has contributed toward the dev elopment of western-type of management style. Additionally, Greek firms have new challenges to overcome and this requires new competitive strategies, organizational structures, and management processes. Consequently, Greek firms strategy has shifted toward offer better quality products and services, and a tighter cost control. Trade theories are examples of why benefits outweigh costs. (Aiginger, K. et al, 1999, pp.3) The traditional theory was described by Ricardo in 1817; a country can achieve a â€Å"comparative advantage† resulting from differences in productivity or endowments between countries and regions. Consequently, trade liberalization and economic integration will result in production re-location and increasing specialization according to comparative advantages. Additionally, Mundell (1961) McKinnon (1963) and Kenen (1969) identified the reasons why a country should or should not enter a monetary union. If for every member-state benefits outweigh costs then the currency area is optimal. An â€Å"optimum currency area† (OCA) considers the premise that â€Å"when an external shock hits the economy, it is easier to adjust the exchange rate rather than domestic prices or wages.† (A. Belke and D. Gros, (1997). pp. 3/50) Indeed, this approach assesses what a country loses by giving up the exchange rate as an adjustment instrument. Conclusions To conclude, according to Martin Feldstein, EMU is seen by France as an opportunity to be a â€Å"co-manager† of Europe as an equal of Germany. Furthermore, it has been assumed that economic integration among the European countries will lead to convergence while reducing asymmetric shocks. However, classical theories assess that integration results in more specialization due to comparative advantage. Hence, core economies (France and Germany) may benefit at the expense of less efficient economies such as Eastern member-states. Furthermore, with a Single Market, firms will have to expand in size in order to compete. Such large firms are mostly located in core economies of the EU. However, Greece case study showed that EMU has contributed to the development of firms by offering higher quality products and services. We can then conclude that if a country joins EMU, benefits will clearly outweigh costs. References: Aiginger, K. et al. ‘Specialisation and (geographic) concentration of European Manufacturing, Enterprise DG Working Paper No 1, Background Paper for the ‘The Competitiveness of European industry: 1999 Report, Brussels. Ardy, B., Begg, I., Hodson, D., Mahe, I. and Mayes, D. (Eds) (2005) Adjustment to EMU: One Europe or Several? Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Backà ©, P., Thimann, C., Arratibel, O., Calvo-Gonzalez, O., Mehl A. and Nehrlich, C. (2004) ‘The Acceding Countries Strategies towards ERM II and the Adoption of the Euro: An Analytical Review, ECB Occasional Paper Series, n °10. Frankfurt: European Central Bankn http://www.ecb.int/pub/ Brown, B. (2004) ‘Existing EMU, the International Economy, 18 (2), pp. 57-60. C. Allsopp M. Artis, â€Å"The Assessment: EMU, Four Years On,† Oxford Review of Economic Policy 19 Cambridge University Press, Bernhard Winkler. â€Å"Towards a Strategic View on EMU: A Critical Survey.† Towards a Strategic View on EMU: A Critical Survey Jan.-Apr 16.1 (1996): 1-26. Print. Commission of the European Communities (2004) ‘EMU after Five Years, European Economy, Special Report, and Number 1/2004, http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/publications/european_economy/2004/eesp104en.pdf Chang, M. 2009. Monetary integration in the European Union. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. David Currie, The Pros and Cons of EMU by, the economist intelligence Unit, January 20, 1997 De Grauwe, P. (2002) ‘Challenges for Monetary Policy in Euroland, Journal of Common Market Studies, 40 (4), pp. 693-718 Dinan, D. 2005. Ever closer union: an introduction to European integration (3rd ed.). Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner. Chapter 15 European Central Bank (2008) Statistical data Warehouse, http://www.ecb.int/stats/prices/hicp/html Gà ¤rtner, M. (1997) ‘Who wants the euro-and why? Economic explanations of public attitudes towards a single European currency, Public Choice 93 (3-4): 487-510 Greek Firms and EMU: Contrasting SMEs and Large-Sized Enterprises, Spanos et al. 2001, European Management Journal, Vol. 19, No. 6, pp. 638-648. (Available electronically) Johnson and Turner, 2006, Economic and Monetary Union Chapter 15 Dinan, 2005, Economic and Monetary Union Dr Rachel Doern, Royal Holloway University of London, Lecture n °5: Economic and Monetary Union, 2009 Panos.C. Afxientiou (1998), Convergence, the Maastricht Criteria, and Their Benefits, Philip R.Lane. â€Å"The Real Effects of European Monetary Union.† The Real Effects of European Monetary Union 20.4 (fall, 2006): 47-66. Print. Susan A. Banducci, Jeffrey A.Karp and Peter H.Loedel. â€Å"Journal of European Public Policy.† Economic interests and public support for the euro(June 2009): 564-81. Print. Thomas D. Willett.Some Political Economy Aspects of EMU. Elsevier Science Inc, 2000. Print. Kathryn M.E. Dominguez, The Journal of Economic Perspectives â€Å"The European Central Bank, the Euro, and Global Financial Markets.† The European Central Bank, the Euro, and Global Financial Markets Fall 20.4 (2006): 67-88. Print. Werner Bonefeld, Economic and Political Weekly. â€Å"Politics of European Monetary Union: Class, Ideology and Critique.† Politics of European Monetary Union: Class, Ideology and Critique 33.35 (1998): 55-69. Print. http://www.unc.edu/depts/europe/conferences/eu/Pages/emu8.htm http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmpubacc/541/54107.htm

Abortion and Human Rights | An Analysis

Abortion and Human Rights | An Analysis What is Abortion? The word ‘abortion’ comes from the Latin word ‘aboriri’ meaning ‘to fail to be born’. Abortion can be defined as the premature expulsion of a foetus from a womb (termination of pregnancy). In matters of ethics abortion usually refers to the intentional destruction of a foetus in the womb. Why do women have abortions? Find out that the foetus is disabled or deformed. Mother is underage and would not be able to look after the baby. The foetus is carrying a hereditary (genetic) illness. Mother got pregnant by mistake and it is used as a form of contraception. The mother will die if she continues her pregnancy. The mother is underage (16) and faces physical harm if she goes full term (as not developed well enough). The mother has been raped and become pregnant. It is used to cover up an affair. In some cultures, where sons have a higher economic value women can sometimes decide to abort if the foetus/embryo is female. Women in the workplace and career minded. The Legal Position of abortion in the UK In the UK abortion became illegal in the nineteenth century when the penalty for having an abortion was life imprisonment. Women trying to escape the unwanted pregnancy were forced to use unreliable and dangerous methods, including poisonous drugs, knitting needles, blows to the abdomen etc. If a woman had money, she was discreetly taken to a clinic for an illegal abortion. For those without money the only option was ‘back street’ clinics where untrained people performed the operation. Knitting needles were routinely used for this ‘operation’, but there was rarely pain relief. Poor hygiene and (sometimes) banned drugs were another feature of back street abortions. Many women haemorrhaged (very heavy bleeding-often life threatening) and some bled to death rather than go to hospital where their symptoms would be recognised. Many people were appalled by the number of women suffering and dying as a result of illegal (‘back street’) abortions. Due to pressure from the public, an abortion Reform Bill was introduced. This became LAW in 1967 and took effect in 1968. The Abortion Act of 1967 (Revised 1990) stated that: Abortion is legal if two doctors independently agree that one or more of four reasons for it exist: The mother’s life is at risk if the pregnancy continues. The mother’s mental or physical well-being is at risk. Scans or tests show the foetus is badly or physically disabled, or has a deformity, meaning it is unlikely to live at birth. There is risk of harm to existing children. The main time limit was lowered from 28 weeks, to 24 weeks in 1990 (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act). However, the law allows an abortion at any stage of the pregnancy if the doctors agree that continuing the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the mother or if there is a substantial risk if the child were born that it would be seriously handicapped. The biological father has no rights and cannot, in law, stop an abortion. (In 1987 an Oxford University Student lost his attempt in the courts to prevent his girlfriend aborting the child they had conceived). Most abortions in Britain are performed under the part of the Abortion Act which allows abortion if the pregnancy involves a risk to the physical or mental health of the mother. Many doctors involved in abortion argue that if a woman is determined not to have a child, to refuse her an abortion poses a possible threat to her mental health. It was the rape by British soldiers of a young girl in 1938, which justified Dr Aleck Bourne carrying out an illegal abortion in order to safeguard her mental health. At trial he was acquitted. The precedent established grounds for abortion as an exception and eventually became the basis on the 1967 Abortion Act. How are abortions performed? Vacuum Aspiration: (Suction abortion) Under general anaesthetic neck of womb (cervix) is dilated (opened) by probes. Suction then used to remove contents of uterus. Larger pieces of foetal tissue (usually the head) are crushed and pulled out with forceps. Dilation and Curettage (D C): Scraping instrument (curette) is used and contents of the womb are scraped out. Dilation and Evacuation (D E): Instead of a curette, small forceps are used to crush the contents and pull it out in bits. Prostaglandin’s (induced premature labour): This type of abortion is used in very late abortions and is rare in the UK. Hormones called prostaglandins are injected to bring on labour, which may last for 8 to 22 hours. A poison may be added to the womb to kill the foetus before delivery. RU486 pill will induce an abortion if taken in the first ten weeks of pregnancy. Why is abortion so controversial? Abortion is now commonplace and in many countries tens of millions of abortions take place every year. Although abortion is legal, its morality is still disputed. Religious organisations, such as the RC Church campaign against the availability whilst many women’s right groups campaign for greater access. The key ethical dimension in the abortion debate is whether there should be an absolutist prohibition of abortion on the basis of divine law, natural law or human rights or whether there are situations in which it should be made available. There are two central issues in relation to abortion: Whether the foetus is a person or potential person Whether the foetus has rights, and, if so, how these are to balanced against the rights of the mother. 1. When do humans become persons and become part of the moral community? The status of human life between conception and birth is central to the abortion debate. Whilst some form of life is clearly present at conception, whether that form of life should get the full protection of the law as a ‘person’ is disputed. Not all-human tissue is a person as not all living cells are persons. Living cells such as cancer cells for example are not persons. If things like bacteria or plants are considered for example, very few people would argue that they should be protected simply because they are alive. In terms of abortion, if the foetus/embryo is to be classified as a ‘person’, then abortion may be considered as the equivalent to a form of murder. Opponents of abortion argue that to kill a foetus is to murder a human person. Pope Pius IX in 1869 declared that a foetus is a human person from conception and therefore abortion is murder. This claim is supported by the fact that all necessary genetic material is present at conception and the foetus continues development from conception until born as a human being. Critics of this position argue that a fertilised egg is not a person. In ‘A defence of abortion’ (1971) Judith Jarvis Thompson accepts that there’s a continuous development but suggests that there is a point at which it is not a human being. Let’s consider when the foetus could be classed as ‘human’: Conception: In effect this is the point in which life begins and this is the argument given by opponents of abortion who say that this is the point at which a pre-embryo should be considered as a person. Others disagree with this, as the chromosomes do not develop until the third day and half of all fertilised eggs do not attach themselves to the wall of the womb, therefore cannot become babies. Physical sign: Some say that the foetus should be considered human when there is a physical sign, but what? From the 22nd day the heart beats and by day 42 the foetus is recognisably a human baby. Some argue that the foetus is human when the brain has developed activity, implying that the brain has some form of consciousness, which is crucial for making human beings what they are. Others argue that when the foetus has developed organs it should be considered human, but what organs and at what stage of development? Consciousness may be suggested as a definition of personhood as it cannot be applied to all living tissues, as it applies to sensory experiences and the ability to feel pleasure and pain etc. The only problem with this is that consciousness would include many animals and most people would argue that an animal is not a person in the same sense as humans are. The presence of rationality and our ability to develop complex language are distinctive features of ‘personhood’. Perhaps self-consciousness or self-awareness defines personhood? This includes a sense of our past and our future. However, very young babies are not self-aware in this sense, and most would argue that killing babies is killing human persons. Viability: some say that a foetus should be considered a person when ‘viable’ (can survive independently of mother). Currently a foetus is seen as ‘viable’ at 24/25 weeks. There are two objections to this: Many people have tried to ‘draw a line’ at a particular point in which a foetus is to considered viable and say that before this point a foetus is a bundle of tissue. The problem with this is that there is no easy way of drawing that line. The age at which the foetus can survive outside the womb is constantly reducing as medical technology progresses, therefore what is viable now may not be in five years. It is now possible to keep a 21-week foetus alive in an incubator and with intensive care, yet abortion is allowed at up to 24 weeks. One could say that until the main organs are formed the foetus is not a person, but which organs are essential and at what stage of the development of the organs? Many people are dependent upon medical technology to stay alive, such as dialysis. We do not consider these people not to be ‘viable’; we consider them to be persons, despite their medical conditions. Shouldn’t the same be applied to the foetus? Ensoulment: ‘Ensoulment’ means having a soul attached to something. This is a very different suggestion as to when the foetus/embryo becomes human and is based mainly on religious ideas. It is argued that the most important aspect of being human is having a soul; therefore a foetus/embryo becomes human at the point when the soul is attached. Augustine maintained that a soul was implanted at 46 days, although he condemned abortion at any stage. Aquinas maintained that the souls of girls were implanted at 90 days and boys at 40 days. In the 17th Century however, the RC Church stated that ensoulment took place at conception, therefore the fertilised egg is a human person. Birth: Before the foetus is born it is part of the mother’s body and after this it has certain independence and does not have to rely on its natural mother. Mary Anne Warren in 1991 argued that birth marks the point of true moral status. (Singers, ‘A companion to Ethics’) she sates ‘birth, rather than some earlier point, marks the beginning of true moral status’. She argues that if a foetus is to be considered a person then so should sperm. Does this mean that we need to protect the rights of sperm? She states that birth provided a clear boundary. Legislation in many countries allows abortion in exceptional circumstances up to birth but regards the deliberate killing of the baby after birth as murder. Warren’s argument is vulnerable as a foetus of 34 weeks is quite clearly viable and if aborted is likely to live outside the womb and may actually have to be left to die. Is a foetus that is capable of surviving outside the womb entitled to moral rights? The potential to become a person: It could be argued that the foetus is a potential person, as has the capability of becoming human and thus should be treated as one because of this. Many philosophers would argue against this. Potentiality does not necessarily imply that full legal status should be awarded on the basis of what it has the potential to be. A potential victory is not the same as an actual victory, having the potential to pass exams is not the same as actually passing them and a potential person is not equal to an actual person. The definition of personhood remains unresolved, as it is an agreement over the point of which a potential human being becomes a full human being. I could not find any recent statistics relating to the number of abortions at different stages in the UK and on what grounds. However, the following tables refer to abortions in England and Wales (1996) and are taken from Wilcockson’s ‘Issues of Life and Death’. Wilcockson’s source for this was ‘Office for National Monitor AB 97/4 (July 1997)’ Table 1: Abortions in England and Wales, 1996 Weeks of pregnancy Number of abortions Under 9 weeks 69,926 9-12 weeks 85,083 13-16 weeks 14,779 17-20 weeks 5,266 21-24 weeks 2,078 24 weeks and over 92 Unknown 1 Total 177,225 The above table indicates that most abortions in England and Wales take place within the first 9-12 weeks of pregnancy. Table 2: Number of abortions in England and Wales for each of the statutory grounds, 1996. A: Risk to mother’s life 138 B: To prevent grave permanent injury to mother 2,471 C: Risk to mother’s physical or mental health 171, 175 D: Risk to existing (born) children’s health 12,227 E: Substantial risk of serious disability of child 1,943 F: In emergency – to save mother’s life 3 G: In emergency – to prevent grave permanent injury to mother 0 Total (Doctors sometimes cite more than one category for reasons for abortion) 177,225 The above table indicates that most abortions are carried out under the ‘physical or mental’ health part of the act. The argument over when ‘life’ begins is ongoing and probably will be for a long time. Medical advances have made abortion easier and can also save the life of the unborn earlier. The debate is likely to continue and be hotly debate. The question you should perhaps ask yourself is when do you think life begins? When do you think a foetus/embryo can be considered a ‘person’ and therefore have rights? The table below may help you answer this question, although it must be stressed that this is only a short summary. At conception: Embryo starts growing from day one. This is when fertilization happens. The fertilized egg does not attach itself to the wall of the womb until day twelve (50% of fertilized eggs will not attach). At 1 Month (0.5 cm): Heart pumping since 18th day. The beginnings of eyes, spinal cord and nerves, lungs, stomach, intestines, liver and kidneys. At 2 Months (2.5-3.5 cm): Arms and legs become distinct and tiny fingers and toes appear. All internal organs of an adult, at various stages of development, are present. The first bone cells begin to be formed. Brain waves can be detected from about the sixth week. At 3 Months (6-8 cm): Development continues. The mother may feel the foetus kicking as it flexes its muscles. The heartbeat can be detected. The foetus now looks clearly like a human baby. At 4 Months (12-18 cm): The head has distinct human features and may have hair. The skin is pink, and the bones are closing to form joints. At 5 Months(25-30 cm): Developing rapidly and very active. At 6 Months (28-34cm): Eyes may now open. All systems are formed and are just growing in size. At 7-9 Months (36-56cm): Grows in size and fat is deposited to help survival at birth. Does the foetus have rights, and, if so, how are these balanced against the rights of the mother. If the foetus/embryo is seen as human at a certain stage it then has rights. If the foetus or embryo is regarded as a person, how then does one balance its rights against the right of the mother? A philosophy professor from Kansas, Don Marquis argued that killing in general is wrong because it deprives an individual of a future, which contains value. Most abortions, therefore, are immoral since they deprive the foetus of a future containing value. The foetus then has the right to life. Marquis argues that since it is wrong to kill rational and morally significant persons in principle it would be permissible to kill infants. Do we then allow abortion and the murder of infants because they are not rational? The feminist position began from the perspective of women’s rights. Mary Anne Warren put forward the case for granting women the ‘right’ to have an abortion arguing that the absence in the past of safe legal abortion led to undesirable consequences. (‘Back street’ abortion). Warren goes on to say that abortion must be permissible to guarantee a woman’s human rights. The World Health Organisation (WHO) backs this statement up with their statistics showing that 200 000 women are killed every year by unsafe abortions. To be forced to bear a child brings with it the hardships of possibly giving up work, therefore income, education, freedom etc. Prohibitation of abortion infringes these rights. Warren does say that killing is wrong, but to deny an abortion would deny a woman’s rights. Beverley Harrison in an article ‘Our right to choose’ argues forcefully for the rights of the mother. She maintains that since the woman carries the embryo/foetus and has to go through the pain of childbirth and has to care for and support the child then it is the woman’s decision, which should be paramount. Harrison stated that: ‘The well-being of the woman and the value of her life plan should always be recognised as of intrinsic value’ (Page 152, ‘The Puzzle of Ethics’ Vardy Grosch) A philosophy professor Judith Jarvis Thomson argued that even if we grant that foetuses have a fundamental right to life, in many cases the rights of the mother override the rights of the foetus. Accordingly abortions should be allowed in rape, life-threatening pregnancies and contraception failure. If a foetus was given equal rights then court cases would result and a mother could be forced to have an unwanted child. A court could even force a woman to go through a dangerous childbirth as her life would be considered to be of no more valuable than that of the foetus. What about Christianity? The Bible: There is not one clear message about abortion found in the Bible. In Exodus 20: 18 it is stated ‘Do not kill’ which is a quotation used by many Christians in opposition of abortion. This passage may be seen as only applying to a ‘person’ and the issue of when the embryo/foetus becomes a person crops up again. In response to this a Christian may argue that the Bible teaches that a foetus/embryo is human as it is stated ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you’ (Jeremiah 1:5) and ‘You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother’s womb†¦.. When I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there, you saw me before I was born’. (Psalm 139:13 15). This does seem to imply that someone is human before birth. We are told in Exodus 21:22-25 that if a person injures a pregnant woman, causing miscarriage, compensation must be paid. This suggests that the life of the ‘unborn’ has both significance and value. However at the same time in Exodus 21:22-25 we are also told that if the mother dies then a ‘life for life’ policy applies. This suggests that the unborn does not have the same significance and value as the mother. The birth and role of Jesus is said to have been foretold, therefore his life was mapped out before birth. In opposition to this however are passages which suggest that the foetus need not be considered human ‘a stillborn child comes without meaning, it departs in darkness’ (Ecclesiastes 6:3-4). This COULD be taken to imply that a foetus/embryo lacks humanity and we are also told that a man does not become a human being until he receives ‘breath of life’ (Genesis 2:7) Christian Tradition: Generally most churches are in favour of preserving human life but there are many different teachings on the status of the foetus. Many Christians accept abortion in order to save the life of the mother, or in the case of a severe deformity, but others argue that a person born with a deformity can still give and receive love as a human being and that the detection of such defects should not be grounds for an abortion. The RC Church maintains that it is intrinsically evil and totally condemns it. Abortion goes against Natural Law, as it is not fulfilling the purpose of life ‘to live, to reproduce’ and also goes against the word of God. (See also Ensoulment). Pope Pius IX in 1869 decreed that anyone performing or allowing an abortion was wrong. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) states that, ‘Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence a human being must be recognised as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.’ (Issues of life and death, Michael Wilcockson, page 36) The Roman Catholic Church, and indeed most Christians would argue that since man was created in God’s image and likeness, so then is the foetus/embryo. God alone is lord of life and death and humans do not have the right to take away life. The ‘sanctity of life’ argument may be given here. This is to say that life is sacred and that human life is valuable in itself. The term ‘sanctity of life’ means ‘a life set aside’ and Christians would say that God creates each life specially and uniquely. Human life is therefore intrinsically (i.e. in itself) worthwhile and we have a duty to preserve this life. There is of course in Natural Law and the Christian position the principle of double effect. Double effect is a theory used to justify the termination of a foetus/embryo if the intention of doctors is to save the life of a mother. (E.g. hysterectomy) In the case of an ectopic pregnancy, where the fertilised egg attaches itself to the fallopian tube the double effect justifies the removal of the fallopian tube as if it is not removed the mother will die. In this case if the pregnancy continues the mother and foetus will die and the double effect theory justifies the removal of the fallopian tube, because the intention is to save the mothers life even though the effect of doing so leads to the death of the foetus/embryo. Even pro-life groups, such as SPUC would allow for DDE. What do ethical theories say on this matter? Virtue Ethics: Would abortion be allowed in virtue theory? Virtue Ethics concentrates on what a person is, rather than does. The aim of virtue ethics is a good life of well being (eudaimonia) It is an ethic of aspiration to be a better person and looks to those who have set a good example. Aristotle classifies the virtues and we must try to find the ‘Golden Mean’. Would abortion be classified as an ‘extreme’ of behaviour? Well as you will remember Robert Louden argued that virtue ethics is of little practical use to someone faced with a moral dilemma as virtue ethics fails to address dilemmas, which arise in applied ethics, such as abortion. He gave the example of a woman who discovers that her baby will be born with severe disabilities. He asks how are we to know what a good person would do? How are we to choose between compassion and bravery? Having an abortion could be classed as ‘cowardice’, ‘rashness’ etc. and one could say that Mother Teresa as a Christian would not have an abortion, but what about in certain circumstances? What if virtues clash? Since Virtue Ethics focuses on the person, rather than actions or consequences of actions can we really say whether an abortion would be acceptable? For Aristotle you cannot explain ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ simply in terms of rules, but rather you can show how a virtuous person can be trusted and do the right thing in a variety of situations, each of which may be unique and cannot therefore be covered by a way of a rule. Relativist/teleological ethical theories and abortion: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Situationism (Notes from page 53, ‘Issues of Life and death’ (Wilcockson) Since the 1960s many Christian theologians have argued that Jesus’ teaching was based on giving people their own freedom to act responsibly based on the principle of generous love or ‘agape’. Joseph Fletchers influential book ‘Situation Ethics’ (1966) coined this term and set out a Christian calculus, which decides each case on its own merits. This theory is absolutist in the agape part but this is the only absolute rule. Fletcher claimed that in any given situation the ‘right’ thing to do was that which love required. Whilst this provides an alternative Christian ethic which is consistent with the Gospel representation of Jesus traditional Christian thinkers have rejected it. (E.g. Pope Pius XII-see Relativism booklet for more information). Fletcher outlined a case in 1962 where an inmate of a mental hospital raped an unmarried, schizophrenic girl. Her father’s request for an abortion was denied because the only moral and legal grounds for abortion would have been if her life were at grave risk. Fletcher finds it shocking that this kind of rigid legalism could deny compassionate treatment. The situationist answer cannot really be predicted because each case is unique but in the above case Fletcher argued that her mental health is paramount and furthermore ‘no unwanted and unintended baby should ever be born’. Fletcher however, is far from clear about why and to what extent the embryo or foetus should be included in the calculus: (Taken from p.53, ‘Issues of life and death’ (Wilcockson) They (situationists) would in all likelihood favor abortion for the sake of the patient’s physical and mental health, not only if it were needed to save her life. It is even likely they would favor abortion for the sake of the victim’s self respect or reputation or happiness or simply on the ground that no unwanted and unintended baby should ever be born. They would, one hopes, reason that it is not killing because there is no person or human life in an embryo at an early stage of pregnancy (Aristotle and St Thomas Aquinas held that opinion-see Ensoulment), or even if it were killing, it would not be murder because it is self-defense against, in this case, not one but two aggressors. First there is the rapist, who being insane was morally and legally innocent, and then there is the ‘innocent’ embryo, which is continuing the ravisher’s original aggression! Even self-defense legalism would have allowed the girl to kill her attacker, no matter that he was innocent in the forum of conscience because of his madness. The embryo is not more innocent, no less an aggressor or unwelcome invader! Is not the most loving thing possible (the right thing) in this case a responsible decision to terminate the pregnancy? (Situation Ethics (1996) p.39) Many people use the situation ethics principle to judge whether or not someone should have an abortion. Because situations differ in so many respects, then so should our response. Situation Ethics as put forward by Fletcher encouraged people to use the ‘agape’ principle – what would be the most ‘loving’ thing to do in the circumstances? For this theory the question of whether abortion is morally acceptable cannot be answered, as it would depend upon each situation and specific circumstances of a particular mother. This system allows for flexibility but the problem is, how can we be certain that our response will, in the long run, turn out to be the most loving? (Many people who have abortions regret their decision in later life.) Also if there are two ‘people’ involved, whose interest’s conflict, how should we decide whom to ‘love’? If an end result serves ‘agape’ best then it is right. b) Utilitarianism: A short summary: This theory can be summed up by the phrase, ‘the greatest happiness for the greatest number’. At a first glance it may seem that abortion is straightforward for a utilitarian. If the mother’s happiness would be greater is she had an abortion, then abortion would be the right course of action. However, it is more complicated than this, as other factors need to be taken into account. The foetus needs to be taken into account as if the foetus is to be considered ‘human’ then its happiness should also be taken into consideration. This does not mean that abortion becomes wrong. However, it does suggest that abortion would be ‘right’ in certain circumstances, such as if the mothers life is in danger. (May be more happiness if mother survived, rather than if both the mother and foetus died.) In addition, other family members perhaps need to be taken into consideration for the ‘greatest happiness for the greatest number’. If other family members did not want the mother to go ahead with the abortion, or indeed if the father wanted the child, then abortion here would not be the ‘greatest happiness for the greatest number’. In the case of pregnancy as a result of rape for example, the following would need to be considered alongside the ‘greatest happiness’ principle: Trauma for mother and existing family Trauma for any child of rape in learning of their violent origins. Absolutist/deontological ethical theories and abortion: Natural Law: This has already been covered in the ‘Christianity’ section of this booklet and the potential to become a person and Ensoulment should also be taken into consideration. When the Christian examines natural law it is clear that nature’s design is that women are naturally equipped to have children. It is thus, natural for intercourse to lead to conception and for women to be pregnant and bear children (Final cause of sex=procreation.) Natural Law theory would claim that abortion is wrong, as the purpose of the body is to reproduce. The RC Church has opposed abortion for a considerable amount of time based on this tradition. There is however, the principle of double effect, which could be applied here. This principle could be seen as ‘relativist’, although the theory of Natural Law is essentially an absolutist theory. The doctrine of double effect consists of fou

Impacts of National Healthcare Reform Essay example -- health care, A

Healthcare in the United States has become one of the biggest, most debated issues in today’s society and people express concerns over quality, accessibility, choice, cost and dozens of other factors. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have tried to use healthcare issues to their advantage, Democrats talking about the right that all Americans should have to quality healthcare while Republicans hammer on the tremendous cost and its impact on the government’s deficit and on business. With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on March 23, 2010, the debate has intensified. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the US governmental agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid, found that the legislation would do little to stem the rise in healthcare expenditures which are expected to increase to more than twenty percent of gross domestic product in the next decade. However, at the same time, President Obama stated that †Å"The Health Care Reform Bill we passed last year will slow these rising costs, which is part of the reason that nonpartisan economists have said that repealing the health care law would add a quarter of a trillion dollars to our deficit. My Administration projects significant savings from the health care reform.† This paper will not attempt to tackle the issue of whether the overall impact of the bill will be more positive or negative to the US economy. The goal of this paper is to outline why addressing healthcare is so important economically and then to explore some specific aspects of the PPACA legislation, such as the mandate for coverage, the elimination of pre-existing conditions and coverage rescissions, allowing dependent coverage until age 26, and the additio... ...s provisions does not guarantee any degree of understanding of the overall impact this legislation will have. However it is possible to look at various aspects of the legislation and forecast the implications of those changes. Certain protections that the bill provides, like expansion of dependent coverage, elimination of pre-existing conditions and prohibition of rescissions of coverage, will positively impact some people but will generally cause higher health care costs. Other aspects of the bill, like the medical loss ratio requirements and the coverage mandates, will impact businesses differentially. I believe in its totality, smaller employers will get some benefit out of the legislation while larger employers are likely harmed. However, it will be years after this law is enacted, and likely modified, that the true impacts of the legislation are known.

Alzheimers Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s disease is a slow, progressive, and degenerative disease of the brain. This disease is marked by a gradual loss of memory and other cognitive functions. "Alzheimer's Disease is also known as the most common cause of dementia--a general term referring to the loss of memory and the ability to think, reason, function, and behave properly" (Medina,1999). It primarily affects adults in their 60's or older and eventually destroys a person's ability to perform simple, routine tasks or even to care for themselves. Statistics show that "as many as 10 percent of all people 65 years of age and older have Alzheimer's," and that approximately "50 percent of all people 85 or older also have the disease" (WebMD, n.d.). Originally it was thought to be a rare condition affecting only young people, and was referred to as pre-senile dementia. Today late-onset Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s disease is recognized as the most common cause of the loss of mental function in those aged 65 and over. "Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s in people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, called early-onset Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s disease, occurs much less frequently, accounting for less than 10 percent of the estimated 4 million Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s cases in the United States" (Encarta, 2004). Alzheimer's disease advances in stages, progressing from mild absentmindedness and cognitive impairment to widespread loss of mental abilities. In advanced Alzheimer's, people become dependent on others for every aspect of their care. The most common cause of death among Alzheimer's patients is infection. Even though scientists are still learning about Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s, there is no cure. Alzheimer's disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German doctor. "In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. He found abnormal clumps (now called amyliod plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary tangles) within the brain"(ADEAR, 2004). Scientists have found that tangles and plaques cause the neurons in the brains of Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s patients to shrink and eventually die. They start in the memory and language centers and finally invade throughout the brain. &qu... ... former president Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with disease, it has been a major news headline ever since. There are thousands of organizations and webpage ¡Ã‚ ¦s on the internet that are filled with valuable information helping the public be aware of this disease, what the signs are, and where to go for help. With our baby-boomers aging, the disease is sure to emerge more in the next couple of years. Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s disease has touched many people since its discovery by Alois Alzheimer. Its effects on the brain cause its victims to lose some, if not most of their memory. This causes the patient to forget things such as who and where they are, who their relatives are, how to get home, or even when or how to eat. It is a personal tragedy for the patient as well as for those whom love and bear the burden of caring for them. Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s disease is a slow, progressive disease with no known cure. The treatment for Alzheimer's is still in the early stages but there are many drug treatments available which help slow its progression, and help with cognitive functions. As our population ages, Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s is only a tragedy that will affect more and more people.

The Dominance of Gothic Architecture in The High Middle Ages Essay

When one sees the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral in person or in pictures they are likely to be awestruck. The twin towers of the western faà §ade rise high into the sky, seemingly in an attempt to scrape heaven. Spiky arches seem to grow out of the sides and claw at the ground. Inside it is cavernous with colored light filtering in through the large, intricate stained glass windows. All of these physical qualities make Notre Dame a prime example of Gothic architecture. It does not stand alone in that distinction. One is also likely to see several hundred examples of this style on varying scales throughout Europe. Because, despite its humble origins, Gothic architecture became the standard for religious buildings in the early 11th century thanks to innovative use of new and old design techniques which resulted in majestic buildings that symbolized the builder’s version of heaven. To understand the appeal of Gothic architecture at the time, it is critical to start in the small suburb of Paris called St. Denis. There, lived a worldly member of the monastery named Abbot Suger. When he took over as Abbot in 1122, his first priority was to â€Å"fatten the monastery’s purse† (Gilgoff 59). He was able to procure more land for the abbey through royal donations and even won favor for one of the region’s large annual trade events. Thus, with the revenues he had collected, â€Å"he felt justified in spending lavishly† (Gilgoff 59). But, in his heart, he was very religious and sought to create a welcoming environment for his parishioners and saw the need to expand the church because â€Å"The narrowness of the place forced the women to run toward the altar upon the heads of men as upon a pavement with much anguish and noisy confusion" (Gilgoff 59... ...ic lighting thanks to intricate stained glass windows. These glorious structures built by some of the humblest of men have offered a vestige of the divine for people in the past and the present and will carry on into the future. â€Æ' Works Cited Bony, Jean. French Gothic Architecture of the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1983. Frankl, Paul. Gothic Architecture. Yale University Press, 1962. Gilgoff, Dan. "GOTHIC GLOW. (Cover story)." U.S. News & World Report 134.23 (2003): 59. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. "Gothic architecture and art." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2009): 1-3. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. Scott, Robert. The Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2003.