Financial statements interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial statements interpretation - Essay Example The main reason is that the ratios are simple to calculate. Moreover, they provide a standard for comparison between companies or between the company and the industry in general. They can also be applied to various time periods of the same company and can provide valuable information related to the trend and future prospects (Pendlebury and Groves, 2004). The ratios that are chosen for analyzing VDB Limited include Operating Profit Margin, Return on Assets, Current Ratio, Quick Ratio, Average Collection Period, Stock turnover period. The ratios are computed for VDB Limited based on the financial statements provided for the two years. This will provide a base for comparison of the The profit margin is the measure of the company's ability to earn profit from the generated revenue. This is a very important and crucial ratio as this depicts the earning capacity of the company (Samuels et al, 2000). It is clear from the values that the profit margin has declined steeply in 2008 relative to 2007. Though the revenue is much higher in 2008, the purchases and the expenses are relatively higher and hence lesser profits. This ratio measures the income generating ability of the assets. ... This ratio is necessary, since the income or the earnings is given higher importance and a company should not only have high revenues, but should also earn the income from it. The return on assets is computed as Return on Assets = (Net Income / Total Assets) * 100 Profitability 2007 2008 Return on Assets 10.53% 7.89% It is evident that the assets are not being utilized at the same level as that of 2007. The income generating ability of the assets has come down in 2008. iii. Current Ratio: The current ratio is a measure of the company's ability to cover its current liabilities using its current assets (Samuels et al, 2000). It is computed as Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities Ratio 2007 2008 Current Ratio 3.16 2.96 The current ratio is a measure of liquidity and it indicates that VDB Limited is well positioned in terms of liquidity and will be able to cover its liabilities. Though the ratio has reduced in 2008, it is still very substantial and a healthy value. iv. Quick Ratio: The quick ratio is a measure of the company's ability to cover its current liabilities using its liquid assets. The assets included in this ratio are those which can be easily converted to cash (Samuels et al, 2000). It is computed as Quick Ratio = (Current Assets - Inventories) / Current Liabilities Ratio 2007 2008 Current Ratio 1.5 1.48 VDB Limited has sufficient liquid assets to cover the current liabilities. There is no change in the quick ratio in 2008. v. Average Collection Period: The time period (no. of days) taken to collect the receivables is a crucial measure that illustrates the company's ability to collect the debts (Samuels et al, 2000). It is computed as Average Collection Period = (Average (net) Receivables) / Net Sales) *

What Factors Effect The Climate Environmental Sciences Essay

What Factors Effect The Climate Environmental Sciences Essay Scientists used the word Climate to describe the precipitation and temperature of an area for a long period of time. They have defined the factors that have a great effect on temperature. These factors include latitude, wind, elevation, as well as the effect of the nearby ocean currents. The scientists pointed out that the factors which contribute primarily to precipitation are the prevailing winds and mountain ranges. As for the earths major climate zone, the scientists have divided the earth into three main regions: polar, temperature and tropical zone. In this study, we will discuss all that matters in details in addition to other matters which are related to the climate. (Ruddiman, et.al; (2005) Factors affecting climate 1.1 Elevation: it is clear that the higher you go, the colder it gets. When oxygen becomes less in the air, it affects vegetation. The oxygen exists in the rain shadow of mountains leads to relief rain ( in the matter of fact the monsoons occurred when air goes up to passes over the Himalayas, carrying a lot of water. When it goes up, it cools and so cant carry the water, therefore it rains). 1.2 Latitude, location: the further you are from the equator, the colder it is. This because the sun rays coming on the earth are less and, therefore, they have less warming effect because the angle of the planet becomes near water resulting in altering the high specific heat capacity comparing to land. This means that water has the ability to absorb a lot of energy without showing a very big change in the temperature. The reverse is also true. Therefore the islands and areas which are surrounded by water have fewer variations in the temperature degree over the course of the year (including day and night, than continental places. (William F. Ruddiman (2005) 1.3 Wind: in the matter of fact, wind leads to reducing the ability of a place to support life. This because it removes away all the soil as well as what is needed to start life. At the coast, for example ,life only begins on the strand line because that keeps providing a little shelter against the wind , therefore the plants become capable to grow and they, in turn, lead to trapping the debris to become a bigger wind shelter etc. however, without the wind shelter, it would have just blown away. 1.4 Oceans: the oceans have a great effect on the climate. The Indian Ocean, for example, represents a signature of climate change over the past years. It has showed the temperatures the climate near Australia. By measuring and analyzing the climate, it is clear that there are changes in features of the ocean that cannot be explained by natural variability. These changes on the ocean climate are almost related to changes in the heat structure of the atmosphere and this affected the temperature of water by raising it in the Indian Ocean of around two degrees Celsius. There are many other factors such as atmosphere (thickness, composition), shape of land, ozone, and natural disaster such volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, etc. 2.0 Earths major climate zone Polar It is a known fact that the polar climate zone goes from North and South Poles to 60 degrees latitude. The annually average temperatures stand below freezing, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. There are some famous polar zones which include Alaskas and Canadas northern coasts as well as the southernmost tip of South America, in which the snow melts during the warmest periods of the year. Many areas have layers of ice or glaciers. They get up to 10 inches of precipitation yearly, this, in turn; result in making the area very dry. 2.2 Temperate It is a known fact that the temperate zone is situated between the arctic or Polar Regions and the tropics, ranging from nearly 23.5 degrees to 66.5 degrees latitude, north and south of the equator. The areas which are very far from the equator may have snow during the winter season. The rains fall throughout the year closer to the equator. Yearly, the average temperatures range from 41 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Inland deserts are also included in temperate zone includes, such as the Gobi Desert in Central Asia and the Great Sandy Desert in Australia. (Edwards, et.al; (2001) 2.3 Tropical Zones Tropical zones, in the matter of fact, tend to cover the area ranging from the Tropic of Capricorn, situated at 23.5 degrees south latitude, up to the Tropic of Cancer, situated at 23.5 degrees north latitude. The Tropical zones include high temperatures as well as humidity levels. Throughout the year, the temperature degree remains above 64 Fahrenheit. Throughout the day, temperature degree sometimes exceeds 95 Fahrenheit. It is known that the tropical climates have sub-tropical zones including rainforests, semi-arid zones and savannas. These climates have high levels of humidity as a result of the air convection and vertical uplift. Climate Changes In the matter of fact, the climate changes all over the world. Actually, we have new changes in the climate throughout the world. No one, all over the world, can deny this fact. Those changes may have a great effect on life throughout the world in general and on the Arabic area in particular. In fact, the problem of climate change has a relationship with the problems of the water or rivers resources and human health; therefore, these changes may have a negative effect on the economy of various countries throughout the world. Rising of temperature may lead to the destruction of many beaches; the matter may result in causing harm to the animals in the oceans. World Climate Type The KÃ ¶ppen Climate Classification System is the system which is used throughout the world to classify the various types of climates in the world. The categories of this system are based on the annual and monthly averages of temperature as well as precipitation. The KÃ ¶ppen system has identintified five major types of climate , each one of these types is distinguished by a capital letter. A Tropical Moist Climates: it a known fact that this type of climate has average temperatures exceeding 18Â ° Celsius all months. B Dry Climates: it is well known that this type of climate has deficient precipitation nearly throughout the year. C Moist Mid-latitude Climates: this type of has Mild Winters. D Moist Mid-Latitude Climates: this type of climate has Cold Winters. E Polar Climates: this kind of climate has extremely cold winters and summers (Ruddiman, et.al; (2005) There are also 8 biomes. It is known that they represent the tropical forest, dessert, temperate grassland, savannah, temperate forest, coniferous (pine) forest, chaparral and tundra. There are some people who may count High Mountain and arctic as two extra biomes, however they theyre not really biomes because they dont have almost n plant life, How the oceans influence the climate It is a well known fact that the oceans have a great influence on the climate over long as well as short time-scales. On the longest time-scale of geologic time, the location and shape of the continents leads to specify the oceans circulation patterns. As continental plates drift at nearly 5 cm per year and mountain ranges rise by nearly 1 mm, it takes usually many years for new land formations in order to change the oceans. In the matter of fact, the patterns of ocean circulation can also change rapidly, leading to climate fluctuations and variations on a human time-scale. Records of regional, in particular, and global, in general, climate indicates periods continuing from years to centuries during which the climate was systematically different from earlier and later periods. Most of the scientists believe that this behavior has a relationship with the changes in the way that the oceans store and transport heat, though the precise causes of these changes are not always clear. (D. Qi n, et.al; 2007) The scientists assured that there is a strong link between the oceans and the atmosphere indicating that they together form the most dynamic component of the climate system. The temperature and circulation patterns of the atmosphere-ocean system can be altered as a result of changes in external factors such the distribution of various plant species, the suns energy or the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Atmosphere and oceans can also generate internal fluctuations because they are turbulent. The currents and temperature of the underlying ocean can also be directly influenced by the short-term changes and fluctuations in wind or temperature (namely, weather), meanwhile oceanic fluctuations can diminish, magnify, or modify the atmospheric fluctuations. The scientists assured that the oceans play an important role in storing carbon and heat. The change in temperature becomes greater and faster over the land than the over the oceans especially when the earths surface cools or is heated by the sun. The ocean spread the effects of the temperature change for great distances through vertical mixing and convective movements because it is a fluid. On the contrary, the solid land cannot, therefore the suns heat penetrates only the thin, upper crust. The oceans ability to absorb more heat resulted in that when an area of ocean becomes cooler or warmer than usual, it takes much longer for that area to revert to normal than it would for a land area. This clarifies the reason that makes maritime climates tend to be less extreme than continental ones, with smaller day-night and winter-summer differences. The powerful currents lead to moving the oceans waters constantly. The currents of the surface are largely wind-driven, though the presence of continents, the rotation of the earth, as well as the oceans internal dynamics have a great influence. The density differences produced by cooling and heating as well as by and evaporation and precipitation lead to driving the deep-ocean flow. The behavior of the atmosphere actually has great effects on these density differences. Clouds, for example, can lead to cooling the sea by preventing the warming rays coming from the sun or reducing the surface salinity by bringing rain. The wind can also have a great influence on the evaporation rates by blowing more weakly or more strongly. By transporting heat, these currents have a great influence on the climate. The horizontal currents, especially the currents moving north or south, can carry cooled or warmed or water as far as many thousand kilometers. After that, the displaced water can cool or warm the air as well as the land over which this air passes. Water from the tropical and subtropical Atlantic, for example, moves north through the Atlantic in a current with is well known as the Gulf Stream. There it passes the shores of Western Europe, resulting in producing the climate which is mild for that latitude. Scientists asserted that the currents which are involved in deep-water formation are very important for climate. Surface cooling, in winter, makes water become denser. (As the fresh-water which is cooled begins to expand at temperatures less than 4 C, salt-water continues to compress all the way down to its freezing point of -2 C.) .In the areas where the evaporation becomes more than precipitation, the resulting rise in salinity leads increasing density. Convective overturning occurs as well as the dense surface water mixes downwards especially when the surface water becomes denser than the underlying water. In some places this downward mixing can extend all the way to the bottom, even in deep oceans. Therefore, the dense, deep water which is formed spreads throughout the ocean. When the downward mixing occurs at high latitudes, as a result, it leads to creating a circulation pattern where the warm water from tropical and subtropical regions moves pole ward, surrenders heat to the a tmosphere, sinks, cools and flows back towards the equator. This in turn resulted in transporting the heat pole ward. Now it becomes clear that a small change in just one aspect of the oceans behavior can result in producing major climate variations over very bi areas of the earth. The cold-water formation areas represent good example of this possibly wide-spread phenomenon. Although the scientists asserted that there is an urgent need for conducting more researches, the oceanographers agreed that, as for the whole area north of 30 N latitude, the oceans pole ward transport of heat is equivalent to nearly 15 watts per square meter of the earths surface (W/m2). This actually can be compared with about 200 W/m2 from direct sunshine, and nearly 6 W/m2 for what climate change models predict will happen if the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide doubles. Ocean core records, recent observations, and many results denoted that North Atlantic deep-water formation as well as its ocean heat flow changes and fluctuate substantially over time-scales ranging from years up to millennia. Effect of climate change on oceans In the matter of fact, the climate change and variation may have a great effect on the oceans throughout the world. Actually, from the south Arctic with its diminishing sea ice to the new low-lying beach areas in England to the Great Barrier Reef, the temperature of the planet raised more than the last century. The sea level is continuously rising. The CO2 gas levels are constantly increasing. The planets and animals are appearing in some areas and disappearing from others. As for the climate variation and change, the oceans represent a wonderful source of indicators. The climate change, in general, has a great effect on these oceans are affected. The Climate change has also a great effect on the ocean animals such as the sea turtles, polar bears, penguins, right whales, lobsters, seals, and cod. The beach sea fish are also involved; therefore it is too important to work on ways that may lead to reducing the negative impacts that the climate has by supporting the research, creating p ristine marine protected sanctuaries and promoting sustainable seafood. (Hansen, et.al: (2000). Conclusion Finally, we can safely say that climate play an important role in our world. In this study, we have tried to cover some of the main sides of the climate in the world. First, we touched upon one of the main sides of the climate in the world, namely, the factors that have a great effect on the climate explaining how these factors affect the climate greatly. Then we moved to another important point, that is, the earths major climate zone explaining how the scientists have divided the earth into three major regions: polar, temperature and tropical zone. We didnt stop at this point, but we continue to shed the light on the world climate type, the oceans influence on the climate and the effect of climate change on oceans to end our study with the effect of the climate change on the Indian Ocean.

Leadership and Management at the Coca Cola Company Essay -- Business M

Leadership and Management at the Coca Cola Company Business is an economic institution whose goal is economic Survival and whose activities are dominated by the profit motive. Its primary purpose is to create and satisfy a customer and make a profit. To achieve this purpose, business must be skilfully managed. Management is defined as the art of conducting and supervising a business or as using judgment in business affairs. A manager is one who actively directs, controls and manipulates his or her business environment in a manner that takes account of the risks involved in order to realize monetary gain. Successful business leaders have stressed that good management skills, whether in a large corporation or in a one-person business, are vital to the success of a business. Many small business people may be good at launching their venture, but weak in managing the development and later stages of the business. DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN A MANAGER AND A LEADER Leadership is just one of the many assets a successful manager must possess. Care must be taken in distinguishing between the two concepts. The main aim of a manager is to maximise the output of the organisation through administrative implementation. To achieve this, managers must undertake the following functions: * Organisation * Planning * Staffing * Directing * Controlling Leadership is just one important component of the directing function. A manager cannot just be a leader; he also needs formal authority to be effective. In some circumstances, leadership is not required. For example, self-motivated groups may not require a single leader and may find leaders dominating. The fact that a leader is not always required p... ...f management style involves empowerment. In this management style individuals and teams are given responsibilities and decisions to make, usually within a given framework. If anything wrong happens then the individuals and teams are then held responsible for the decisions that are chosen. With this type of management style it allows the manager to feel comfortable with other people in the organization making some of the decisions. Democratic managers will often want feed back from their employees on decisions being made. Democratic leaders listen and act on the opinions of the group. This type of management is good as it makes the employees happy and productivity is high. This is very good because employee's thoughts and suggestions are listened to by the business. This makes the employees seem as if they are respected and that their thoughts are valid.

Critical incident in public health Essay

This script is an analysis of a critical incident which occurred during a home visit in one of the suburbs of Cape Coast Metropolis. A brief description of the incident will be given including the interventions that were given and recommendations for future occurrence. I will apply the Gibbs (1988) reflective model to identify strengths and weaknesses observed in the analysis and how they may be enhanced. In conclusion, the lessons gathered from the incident will be stated. Pseudonyms will be used here to maintain confidentiality. NMC (2000) Critical incidents are defined as extreme behavior either outstandingly effective or ineffective with respect to attaining the general aims of the activity. The procedure has considerable efficiency because of the use of only the extremes of behavior. It is well known that the extreme incidents can be more accurately identified than behavior which is more nearly average in character. Flanagan (1954). If we were to add the critical incident to Cre swell’s (1998) list of qualitative traditions, we would describe its distinctive features as the following; a) Focus is on critical events, experience of a specific situation or event. b) Discipline origin is from individual trial and organizational psychology. c) Data collection is primarily through interviews either in person or on telephone. During a home visit exercise to one of the communities within the catchment area of the public health unit, we went to a house to see the clients who visit our facility for child welfare clinic. On this visit, we seized the opportunity to address the health needs of the house hold members as it was observed to have problems with environmental hygiene. This was when one member of the house told us about a pregnant woman who abuses alcohol. I was alarmed to hear that, so this got me curious to learn more. Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse is a patterned use of a substance (drug) in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or the methods which are themselves harmful. Some of the drugs often associated with this term includes; alcohol, barbiturates, substituted amphetamines, cocaine and opiods. Mosby’s Medical Nursing and Allied Health dictionary (2002). Public health practitioners have attempted to look at substance use from a broader perspective than the individu al, emphasizing the role of society, culture  and availability. A study done in 2010 asked drug-harm experts to rank various illegal and legal drugs. Alcohol was found to be the most dangerous by far. Behave net.com. Madam AA is a 24 year old woman who co habits with a blind man, her boyfriend. The man takes care of her especially all her financial needs but she has one particular problem which according her is the cause of her recent drinking habit. According to madam AA, she wished her boyfriend had performed the necessary marriage rite so that she can also be addressed as a â€Å"Mrs.† Earlier on, Madam AA admitted that, she used to drink alcohol occasionally but the trend has now increased to drinking alcohol every day, an act her boyfriend and siblings abhors very much. Upon further questioning, she admitted that she has defaulted from Antenatal Care (ANC) services because the Tablet Fersolate she takes changes the color of her stools to green which is unpleasant to her. The public health nurse educated Madam AA on some of the benefit s that one can get from attending ANC services. A colleague also promised her to substitute the Tablet Fersolate with Tablet Vitafol which she agreed to. Madam AA’s sister added that her drinking habit is so bad that she normally trips over the abdomen. I spoke to Madam AA about the danger she is exposing her unborn child and that of her own life to. I encouraged her to try and stay away from friends who normally go out with her to drink alcohol. I also encouraged her sister to be a â€Å"watch woman† for her in order to prevent any accident in the future. Traditional pediatric care is often based on the assumption that parents have the basic knowledge and resources to provide a nurturing, safe environment and to provide for the emotional, physical, developmental, and health care needs of their infants and young children. Unfortunately, many families have insufficient knowledge of parenting skills and an inadequate support system of friends, extended family, or professionals to help with these vital tasks. Home-visit ation programs offer an effective mechanism to ensure ongoing parental education, social support, and linkage with public and private community services(†¦) The following day, we visited Miss AA at home. On this day, unlike the previous one when we met Miss AA drunk and unkempt, she really appeared neat. She had seen to her personal hygiene needs, did not have the alcoholic breath smell and was assisting a neighbor in preparation of food for a  naming ceremony later in the afternoon. We advised her to turn down any alcoholic beverage she may be served with, which she agreed to. The Vitafol pills were then handed over to her as promised and she was congratulated for staying away from alcohol. My feelings about Madam AA’s drinking habit reminded me of what we have been taken through on the subject of substance abuse especially alcohol being the most dangerous of these substances. I was however astonished to see a young woman who was so careless with her life. In fact, immediately I saw Madam AA, for the first time, I was prejudiced. I thought for a moment that she may be suffering from one form of psychosis or the other. This was when I realized that, keeping this woman at home was not the best of options for her. I just judged her in my heart without thinking professionally. She actually needed care in the psychiatric hospital. She needs to see a psychologist for sessions. Being on admission for monitoring would have been the best of alternative for her but all I could do was judge her. On evaluation, a small but growing body of research has supported the effectiveness of home-visitation programs. The following benefits have been found as an outcome of some, but not all home visitor programs. Olds DL, Kitzman H. Review of research on home visiting for pregnant women and parents of young children. Future Child. 1993;3:53–92 According to Olds DL, Henderson CR Jr, Tatelbaum R, Chamberlin R.,(1993) in the journal, Improving the delivery of prenatal care and outcomes of pregnancy: a randomized trial of nurse home visitation. Pediatrics. prenatal benefits of home visiting includes; Increased use of prenatal care, increased birth weight, decreased preterm labor and increased length of gestation, increased use of health and other community resources (eg, prenatal visits, well-child visits, family, planning programs for women, infants, and children [WIC], and immunizations, improved nutrition during pregnancy, fewer urinary tract infections during pregnancy, increased attendance at childbirth classes and decrease in maternal smoking and alcohol intake. The bad aspect of Madam AA’s situation was, she was prone to falls and normally topples over her abdomen but that never deter her from drinking the  next day. In addition to her accidents, she had also defaulted from her ANC attendance so there was very little to learn from the progress of her pregnancy. That is, the present state of her fetus and that of her own health was unknown. In a report by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) released on September 9, 2013, it stated that women who drink alcohol while pregnant increase the risk that their infants will have physical, learning, and/or behavior problems, including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). These problems are caused by alcohol and can be permanent. Alcohol can disrupt fetal development at any stage during a pregnancy, even before a woman knows she is pregnant. If a woman is pregnant, there is no known amount or type of alcohol that is safe for her to drink. To prevent problems like FASD, a woman who is pregnant or likely to become pregnant should not drink alcohol. However, the good aspect of the situation was our meeting with Madam AA was very timely so we gave the necessary education on the importance of attending ANC service. We informed her that this will help assess her condition and that of the unborn child. In addition we spoke to her on the need to abstain from alcohol so it however not surprising that we met her the next day in a better condition than the previous day., In analysis, public health nurses have been viewed as advocates of the poor, the disadvantaged, minorities, and any population groups in need of community-based, prevention-oriented health care services. As early as 1859, with the founding of the first district nursing association, nurses were viewed not as mere attendants of the sick, but as social reformers. Public Health Reports nurses were strategically located to become responsive to their communities’ unmet needs. (Gardner, M. S.: Public health nursing. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1917.) In this incident, I realized that the public health nurses do well to visit the various homes but their intervention to problem encountered is very minimal. For instance, in Miss AA’s case, it can clearly be seen that we should have made the appropriate referral for further management but that could not be done. We just counseled her and left her to her own fate. I therefore recommend that, the public health nurses will make contacts with other institutions for either curative or rehabilitative purposes. This will help in the proper referral  and further management of cases that are identified in the communities. I also recommend that certain special cases identified in the communities should be followed up on to know the outcome of the visit. Again, logistics such as easy means of transportation for the nurses to their various catchment areas should be provided. This will help in transporting any emergencies encountered in the communities to the appropriate facilities so that lives can be saved. In conclusion, there’s much to be gained from effective home visit such as identifying high risk persons and offering the appropriate intervention. In using the component of nursing service, assessment of Miss AA led us to the root cause of her drinking alcohol, she was educated and counseled but continuous support and arrangement for referral to the appropriate facility for further management was not done. Despite the intuitive appeal of deploying health care professionals whose target of care is the whole community, public health nursing has not been firmly institutionalized in the nation’s health care system. Indeed, in many metropolitan areas, PHN services are facing unprecedented budget cutbacks and staffing reductions. List of references 1. Schieber GJ, Poullier JP, Greenwald LM. Health care systems in twenty four countries. Health Aff (Millwood). 1991;10:22–38 2. Kamerman SB, Kahn AJ. Home health visiting in Europe. Future Child. 1993;3:39–52 3. Buhler-Wilkerson K. Public health nursing: in sickness or in health? Am J Public Health. 1985;75:1155–1161 4. Weiss HB. Home visits: necessary but not sufficient. Future Child. 1993; 3:113–128 5. Baker JP. Women and the invention of well child care. Pediatrics. 1994; 94:527–531 6. Chapman J, Siegel E, Cross A. Home visitors and child health: analysis of selected programs. Pediatrics. 1990;85:1059–1068 7. . Olds DL, Kitzman H. Review of research on home visiting for pregnant women and parents of young children. Future Child. 1993;3:53–92 8. Olds DL, Henderson CR Jr, Tatelbaum R, Chamberlin R. Improving the delivery of prenatal care and outcomes of pregnancy: a randomized trial of nurse home. Downloaded from pediatrics.aappublic ations.org at Ghana:AAP Sponsored on April 2, 2014

Liberal Education as a Livingstone

During a time when unemployment is at its lowest since World War II, one would think that finding a job would be easy. However, at this point in time, applicants for jobs are more qualified than ever. The competition for well-paid jobs is stiff, and in order to get ahead people need not only skill in one certain area, but a general intelligence of many subjects as well. A liberal education provides the general knowledge that gives job applicants an extra edge when applying for a job. With a base of knowledge in the liberal arts and a specialization in a certain area, people prove to be beneficial to employers. Throughout this paper, I will use the term â€Å"liberal education† not only in describing subjects like English, history, philosophy etc. , but as Livingstone describes a liberal education: an education which â€Å"aims at producing as perfect and complete a human being as may be. † In using the term â€Å"liberal education† I expect that all graduates of a liberal arts college have an expertise in rhetoric, as the art of speaking and writing well is a key focus in the curriculum. I will also use the â€Å"specialized education† in reference to Livingstone†s definition: an education â€Å"which aims at earning a living or making money†. Undergraduates pursuing a liberal undergraduate education have an advantage over people with a specialized undergraduate education because liberal education provides a greater versatility in terms of a broader base of knowledge so that finding a job and excelling in different areas is easier. Training in art of rhetoric, which today is defined as the art of speaking and writing effectively, is a valuable asset for job hunters. Specialized undergraduate curriculums focus less on rhetoric than liberal arts curriculums. A person with training in rhetoric would be hired over another applicant due to their expertise in communicating ideas effectively through speech and writing. Companies aim to employ intelligent people who can express themselves wisely and eloquently because in nearly every profession, writing well and persuading others to one†s opinion is essential: scientists have to apply for grants in order to fund their research and experiments; businessmen must present proposals and of course, columnists and authors who have not mastered the skill of rhetoric are less likely to find a job and be successful in terms of status and salary. Ability to express oneself clearly and effectively designates to what level one may raise in the corporate ladder, for people with refined writing skills benefit companies to a large extent, while people with less skill in writing have less influence, and therefore less power. People with a liberal education are skilled in multiple areas and therefore can be of more benefit to employers. Rather than a specialized study in one area, a liberal education provides students with a broad range of knowledge that attracts employers. As Virtruvius says, liberal education teaches the student the connection between different disciplines. Knowing and realizing the relationship between subjects, an employee can perform a greater number of tasks and learn new ones more rapidly thus being more valuable to a company. Should a man lose his job due to it becoming extinct or other reasons, a liberal education would provide a better cushion to fall back on because of the diversity of subjects studied. For example, if a court stenographer loses his job due to a new audio technology that records and word-processes court proceedings, he would not have to, in a sense, start over for lack of knowledge in other areas. Utilizing his knowledge in rhetoric, philosophy, history, and other humanities, he could find another job without going back to school. On the other hand, the opposition would report that a liberal education would not benefit many people because a curriculum based on the humanities repels many students. Rather than take courses that disinterest them, students should specialize in subjects they enjoy. One should not waste money on an education that does not focus on one†s interests; an education that does not stimulate the student is a failed education. In order to make the most out of undergraduate years, the students should study what interests them. In rebuttal, a liberal education does not suit every personality or preference. However, in the job market, having a liberal undergraduate education and a specialized graduate education gives people an advantage, for not only are they trained specially in their specific area, but they also have a general knowledge of the liberal arts. Students interested in areas such as technology and sciences should take classes that interest them. However, in addition to the sciences courses, rhetoric classes would prove beneficial even in a scientific line of study. Every occupation entails writing in some way, and sharpening one†s writing skills only reaps more benefits when searching for a job. Many people interested in the sciences and technologies specialize during their undergraduate years, and therefore miss out on training in rhetoric. Specialists who take classes to improve writing are better-prepared and more likely for find a job. Another argument of the opposition: people who start specializing during undergraduate years are better prepared for graduate school. They master and excel in one specific area of study. Whereas, it would take someone with a general undergraduate education a longer time to master a specific area of study because of the attention spent on a broad education during undergraduate years. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a general education, students could use the four years to specialize in the field that they enjoy. A liberal education may prove beneficial for students who are unsure about their major, but focused students should not waste their time on general education. Students who know what they want to focus on should specialize their education in order to expedite their college time and either start a masters degree or start their careers. It may take longer for a generally trained undergraduate to specialize in a certain area, but then again, if they are trained in understanding the connection between different areas of study, they may be able to pick up different subjects more quickly. There are really two issues here to refute. First, when studying, why is everything such a rush? People are in a hurry to enter the job force rather than to take their time during their schooling. I suppose the answer to the question is money. While people are in school they pay thousands of dollars and receive very little back in comparison. Once they start working they can begin the payback period. Sadly, those who enter the workforce first do win in the sense that they can start paying back their debt, while the people still in school keep accumulating debt. Second, even if people with a liberal arts education enter the workforce at the same time, they are not at a disadvantage in terms of knowledge capability as the previous argument concludes. In fact, liberal arts undergraduates may be at a slight advantage in terms of useful knowledge. For example, two applicants for a job have both had the same graduate education but one (person 1) had been trained in the liberal arts during undergraduate years, and the other (person 2) had specialized earlier. Assuming the two candidates preformed equally in gradate school, which may not be a fair assumption due to person 2†³s past knowledge and previous study, however, for argument†s sake, assume both were successful in graduate school. An employer would choose person 1 because of the liberal arts background on top of the specialized graduate schooling. An employer would know that people with a liberal arts background are not only intelligent in their specific line of study, but also understand the connection between disciplines, and would choose the person with the broad base of education. In discussing liberal arts training, one assumes that every student who graduates has a well-developed knowledge of all the subjects a liberal education offers. However, it is not fair to assume that every student attending a liberal arts undergraduate school explores each subject extensively and excels in every class. Many students take advantage of the time they spend in undergraduate school by partying on weeknights and coming to class so tired that they cannot concentrate on the lesson, or even worse, they skip class all together. This careless behavior towards schooling hurts not only the students† understanding of the material, but their grades as well. It is time that all upperclassmen graduate with honors rather than just slide by. The effect on the community and world would be astounding. Thousands of great minds graduate from college every year and become success stories like Bill Gates. Imagine every college student intellectually on par with the smartest graduate. Our world would be a different place. That is the place to which we should strive, and we have reached out goal when everyone achieves individual excellence.