Why Gun Control is not Enough, by Jeff Mcmahan Essay

Why Gun Control is not Enough, by Jeff Mcmahan - Essay Example This paper tends to summarize the article, with a personal reflection in a later section. Mcmahan emphasizes upon the fact that owning guns makes the matter worse by making self-defense a kind of self-help. Allowing guns will make criminals better instead of eliminating crime. This is because they will become better equipped with better guns and readier to shoot. The more the guns, the more are the chances of accidental shots. Even a slight conflict will make people shoot at each other. The power of government and police will be diminished, because people will not look for help from security agencies and police, and will defend themselves through the use of guns. â€Å"The power of the citizens and that of the police approach parity,† states Mcmahan (2010, par.5). Moreover, it is all a matter of relative safety. Individuals owing guns will feel safe, and those without guns will be the most vulnerable, and will look forward to having guns. The state which will allow guns will f eel safer than that which does not. â€Å"When only one state gets nuclear weapons, it enhances its own security but reduces that of others, which have become more vulnerable,† writes Mcmahan (2012, par.10). This relative safety will disturb the balance of power and peace among people, agencies, and nations. Mcmahan further writes that gun control is a good solution because it limits the use of guns both for the criminals and for common men. He writes, â€Å"†¦we would all be safer if no one had guns — or, rather, no one other than trained and legally constrained police officers† (2012, par.12). With gun control, people will start trusting the police force for domestic defense. Mcmahan asserts that gun advocates present their arguments against gun control, but neither of them is valid, except that the prohibition and effective implementation of gun control is not easy. Mcmahan ends his article by saying that the United States is suffering from much more vio lence and violent incidents that the rest of Western countries because of easy access to firearms, and gun advocates should give their arguments a second thought as to whether guns should be allowed or not. Personal Reflection Mcmahan has very effectively described the importance of gun control and gun prohibition by presenting arguments from both sides, and has efficiently cleared his stance on the topic. Since owning a gun is beneficial and dangerous both at the same time, thus, it becomes important to discuss who should be able to own a gun. Efforts have always been made in order to decrease criminal activity around the globe, among which taking away guns is thought to be one such effort, when it is not. Although Mcmahan asserts that gun control will result in less violence and crime, I believe that common men should be allowed to own guns so that they can protect themselves. The most important point here is how the citizens are going to ensure their safety when they are told to turn in their guns, just as Boylan (2004, p.130) states in his book. People wish to keep guns to enjoy their autonomy and guarantee their safety when they meet robbers, criminals and terrorists. Armed citizens feel their strength in protecting themselves and their families from physically stronger criminals. I disagree when Mcmahan (2012, par.3) states, â€Å"When most citizens are armed, as they were in the Wild West, crime doesn’t cease. Instead, criminals work to be better armed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I believe that criminals will still get better if guns are banned, because the wrongdoers will still obtain guns and ammunition from whatever illegal sources. And who will be in loss? The common man, because he will have no illegal source of owning a gun. Owning guns is one of people’

Management - Compensation Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management - Compensation Methods - Essay Example In this paper, we will discuss some major compensation methods/employee benefit programs, which a company can use to improve employee performance. Types of Compensation According to Menguc and Barker (2003), use of compensation plans influences all dimensions of organizational performance. Companies use different types of compensations to increase employee motivation. Some major types of compensation include bonuses, free meals, housing allowance, health insurance, company car, travel allowance, free patrol, promotion based on performance base pay, overtime pay, and commissions. In some companies, the compensations like bonuses and commissions are associated with the job responsibilities of the employees. Some jobs are of very difficult nature, so the companies put some rewards for the people associated with those jobs in form of bonuses in order to encourage them and make them dedicated to their jobs. Companies categorize different types of compensations into short-term and long-ter m programs. Mazin and Smith (2004) asserts, â€Å"Short-term programs are usually based on cash payments, while long-term incentives typically involve stock† (p.113). Short-term rewards include cash and stock bonuses, which a company gives to the employees when they achieve short-term goals, such as, increase in the company’s revenue. ... The basic purpose of short-term compensation programs is to increase employees’ performance and productivity over a specific time. Long-term rewards, on the other hand, are such rewards that a company gives to its employees when they increase the company stock’s value in the market. The stock value increases when a company maintains its product standard and quality for a long time. Good quality of products generates higher levels of productivity and revenues, which result in increasing the stock value of the company. Companies reserve long-term rewards usually for the employees who are at managerial posts. Calvin (2001, p.119) asserts, â€Å"In established firms, long-term incentives, such as stock options, are reserved for senior salespeople, national account managers, and sales managers†. Commissions and bonuses are two of the most useful types of compensations because they attract a large number of employees towards the companies, which offers such compensatio ns to the employees. Commission is a form of compensation that a company gives to its employees on achieving some targets. Commissions and bonuses play a key role in retaining talented and skilled employees for a company. Increase in salaries is also one of the most effective ways to retain key employees of a company. Employees do not want to leave the job when their companies reward them in terms of increase in their salaries. Compensation programs not only make employees work hard to achieve the incentives but also make the company achieve higher levels of profitability and productivity. Apart from increase in salaries, some other types of rewards also play a good role in increasing employee motivation. These rewards include foreign trip of

What, for Weber, are the distinctive features of the modern state and Essay

What, for Weber, are the distinctive features of the modern state and what kind of qualities are to be found in those who have a vocation for politics - Essay Example Max Weber’s lecture on ‘Politics as a Vocation’: Politik als Beruf, was given in January 1918 to the students of Munich University. In it, Weber gave his definition of the modern state from the sociological point of view, which continues to hold good in the present day context, and his conception of the person who has a genuine vocation for politics. Weber’s ideal politician is one who realistically and resolutely confronts the vicissitudes of political life and combines in himself passion and detachment, along with the ethics of ultimate means and responsibility. Weber holds that the state is a political association which cannot be circumscribed by its’ ends, as these are too varied. It can only by defined in terms of its’ employment of physical force to attain its’ ends. Weber agreed with Trotsky’s assertion that â€Å"Every state is founded on force.† The state claims its’ use of physical violence as a legitimate right and considers itself the sole arbiter of this right. Another characteristic of the state is its’ demarcation into a particular territory. In the modern state, men dominate other men. This association is reinforced by the states’ use of force when necessary. The foundation of the state is the mandatory obedience of the people who are dominated to the authority of the state. This domination is given legitimacy by three â€Å"inner justifications† – traditional, charismatic and legal. Traditional domination is that exerted by patriarchs and princes out of age old custom. Charismatic domination is based on the appeal of a magnetic personality who inspires his followers to devotion because they â€Å"believe in him.† Legal domination is based on legal decrees which are accepted and respected as valid obligations. Of course, fear of punishment for resisting authority and the hope of reward for obedience are other factors which come into play. Politically dominant

The high cost of a breast cancer drug Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The high cost of a breast cancer drug - Essay Example (3). Evidence from studies show that the essential benefit derived from Tykerb is that it doubles the time required for the progression of the disease. What this means is that women pay a high price for delaying the progress of the disease by a few months, with no hope of a cure. (4). This high cost of drug therapy for women with breast cancer repeats itself as we examine another recent drug introduction for the treatment of breast cancer. The drug Avastin has been in use in the treatment of some other forms of cancer, and has recently received FDA approval for its use in the treatment of breast cancer. Through this approval it is estimated that its use would increase involving about 43,000 women found suitable for its use. These women are however going to pay a high cost for this treatment. The annual cost involved in the use of Avastin would be to the tune of $ 92,000. Women with an annual family income would have to pay $ 55,000 for the Avastin drug regimen for a year. The pharmaceutical company involved Genentech makes the oft repeated claim in support of high cost of drugs and that is the recovery of investment in research for the drug. If drug treatment of breast cancer is to be so expensive, then many women are going to be denied the benefits of drug development for the treatment of breast cancer. (5). The use of Avastin in the treatment of breast cancer virtually means an escalation in cost by as much as four times the other adjuvant drug treatments. This is an example of the enhanced costs of the newer drugs that are coming into the market for the treatment of breast cancer. Limited finances available for spending on the treatment of breast cancer in women, which means that with the high costs of drugs in the treatment of breast cancer many women are going to be denied the benefits of drug therapy in the treatment of cancer. Patients denied the treatment will simply have to be told they cannot be given the better drugs, useful in

Are banks losing their traditional role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Are banks losing their traditional role - Essay Example However, over the last few years, banking has changed radically and is expected to continue changing in a foreseeable future. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the principal functions of banks, the emerging challenges and the impact of market and global dynamism on the future of banks and banking institutions. The types of institutions performing banking business have been changing. Banks seem to be foregoing their traditional role. In many countries, the income coming off-balance sheet exceeds the income coming from the traditional intermediary roles in finances. Banks have become financial services organizations. The actual role of banks is increasingly becoming ambiguous since it is no longer clear what banks are or the details of the businesses they conduct. The actual definition of a bank seems to be missing. This has caused banks to be under intensive regulations compared to many financial institutions. Banks the world over are experiencing formidable challenges. Banking institutions have been losing their past monopolies and perceived comparative advantages. These attributes have underpinned the dominant positions taken by the banks in the financial systems. Banks are increasingly facing stiff competition from potential or actual suppliers of banking services (Fredrick 2005). Some of these include non-financial institutions of banking, capital markets, non-banking institutions of finances and money markets. The entry of electronic banking has caused the retail banking markets to become relatively closed (Skinner 2007). This has made it difficult for the foreign banks to enter into such markets. In other cases, the corporate clients are considering having in-house banks. Under this initiative, the banking operations are conducted through internalized banking operations. This is forcing banks to shed staff and closed down branches. The entry of new technologies and alternative means of banking services delivery is pushing banks to the reconsider rest ructuring to meet the demands of the dynamic nature of the market (Skinner 2007). Banks have been squeezed by inroads affecting their conventional businesses and ever growing competition, banks are swiftly expanding to unit trusts, insurance and life insurance sectors (King 2010). As these trends emerge, banking institutions have been coerced to conduct major structural changes in their mode of operations. Major structural changes have been emerging in the financial systems. There has been a push to increase the strength of institutions that deal with saving and investment businesses (Gap 2003). These institutions have a growing role in the modern financial systems. At the same time, the financial markets have been experiencing extreme dynamism. The world is having complex financial instruments and globalised financial markets. The role of the managers of institutional funds has been on the rise in the financial markets (Skinner 2007). The traditional distinctions between financial institutions have been gradually eroded. New financial suppliers have been entering the markets at an increasing rate. There seems to be a declining share of bank loans in the corporate sector borrowing (Skinner 2007). The money markets mutual funds have experienced tremendous growth. The business of the corporate lending has been steadily declining which the financial mar

Advanced financial Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Advanced financial Accounting - Assignment Example Auckland Int’l Airport handles almost 70% of the international traffic or 13 million passengers annually for New Zealand. (Auckland International Airport, 2013). For this financial analysis, Annual Financial Filings for last three years (FY2012, 2011 and 2010) have been used. These are available on company website http://www.aucklandairport.co.nz. Summarized 3 year financial reports are provided in Appendix 1. Deloitte is the independent auditor for Auckland International Airport. Deloitte in the Audit report mentions that they conduct these audits based on International Standards on Auditing and International Standards on Auditing (New Zealand) and that it is the responsibility of the Company (Auckland International Airport) to prepare and consolidate these reports. In the Annual report of 2012 (Auckland International Airport Ltd., 2012), The Company prepares its financial statements in accordance with NZ GAAP standards. However, the auditors certify that these reports comply with NZ IFRS and other applicable Financial Report Standards, such as IFRS, appropriate for profit-oriented entities. The Company treats cash as Current Assets in accordance with generally accepted good accounting practices. Discussion on this item is relevant to Balance Sheet and Cash Flow statement. The company explains the definition of cash in Note 2h (Auckland International Airport Ltd., 2012, p. 49) as follows: â€Å"Cash in the balance sheet comprises cash on hand, on-call deposits held with banks and short-term highly liquid investments. For the purposes of the cash flow statement, cash consists of cash as defined above, net of outstanding bank overdrafts.† According to Note 2j (2012, p. 49), an estimate of impairment for uncollectible amounts is made where there is objective evidence that collection of the full amount is no longer probable. Bad debts are written off when

Individuals who suffer from depression are more likely to use drugs Essay

Individuals who suffer from depression are more likely to use drugs - Essay Example Even though there is nothing that could prevent un-depressed people trying to hit a high with the use of drugs, according to the research work available and psychological treatment records on drug abuses and depression, it is the depressed lot who turn frequently towards drugs, although the drug-induced depression too could be equally true. Drug depression could be worse in people who are genetically susceptible to depression and hence, there is a strong connection between them. Curtis (2001) says that depression should be treated without even psychotropic drugs like Prozac and the depressed people should be able to 'pull the plug' on depression with 'directed thinking'. David Healey (2004) called the relationship between pharmaceutical antidepressants and depressed individuals, extremely unhealthy. When medicinal drugs are advised to be abhorred, it stands to reason that hallucinating drugs cannot make positive contributions. Still the fact remains that according to existing research and statistics available in the field of psychology, depressed people reach for drugs as the most hopeful means of controlling depression and feeling ecstatic driven by anxiety, loneliness and depression. Drug addiction can store metabolite in the body with further side effects. Depression and drugs can encourage one another and work together towards a horrible mental and physical end. This does not mean that non-depressed do not take drugs. Their number is negligible compared to the depressed, their percentage is negligible. An astonishing majority justifies my hypothesis and hence, I would like to conduct my study on this hypothesis with the support of researched evidence, articles, journals, books, reports, statistical data etc.