Sunday, October 6, 2019
Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return Assignment
Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return - Assignment Example Table 1 shows the cash inflow expected to be generated and the cash outflow expected to be incurred should the proposed expansion be undertaken. During the first year, the company will incur expenses to finance the purchase of the new plant and equipment costing 5,000,000. It is assumed that this amount will be a one time expense fully incurred during the first year. This report also recognized the need to recognize the investment in research and development already incurred by the company. The rationale behind this is to fully and adequately evaluate the profitability of the project. It should be noted that in order to come up with a proper valuation, the company should account for all the revenues and expenses generated by the project. Thus, it is inclusive of all the expenses incurred to bring the project in operation. Research and development cost of 900,000 should be accounted for because without it, the expansion will be impossible to pursue. During 2005, the amount of 1,800,000 to cover additional working capital expenses is also included in the cash outlay required. However, management also expects that after five years, this amount will be freed up and can be readily used by other projects. Thus, Table 1 also shows that during 2005, the company will be needing 1,800,000 while this amount will be available during 2010. In the case of the overhead costs, this report decided to use the 300,000 per annum as estimated by the project development team advisor. This is deemed appropriate as allocating 50% of the wages is just an estimate. It should also be noted that depreciation expense will not be included in the computation of the NPV because cash flow is not directly affected by the account. As taxes and inflation are excluded in the analysis, tax shield from depreciation will not be considered. The computation for NPV is shown in Table 2. Since the company is using 14% as the required rate of return for the expansion, the cash flows are discounted at the same rate. According to the computation in Table 2, the NPV of the expansion using 14% cost of capital is (403.47). Table 2. Discounted Cash Flow and NPV for Expansion (2005-2010, in thousand) 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total Inflow/ (Outflow) (8500) 2,040 1,940 2,140 2,140 3,940 Present Value Factor (14%) 1.0000 0.8722 0.7695 0.6750 0.5921 0.5194 Present Value (8500) 1789.4 1492.8 1444.5 1267.0 2046.4 NET PRESE NT VALUE (403.47) Internal Rate of Return The internal rate of return is the cost of capital which equates the net present value of all cash flow to zero. The IRR can be computed by calculating the NPV at different interest rates. Utilizing this method, we come up with Figure 1 which shows that IRR is approximately 12%. Figure 1 . NPV at Different Cost of Capital Question 2. Prepare an informal report for the Board of
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Management Tasks and Computer Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Management Tasks and Computer Technology - Essay Example In this scenario, much of the data and information comes openly from the vision and mission statement for the organization. In addition, establishing objectives for the business goal and following up on the implementation of the plan are two significant elements of the planning function. For instance, if an organization wants to open a new local restaurant, the manager will need to develop a marketing plan, a hiring plan and a sales plan. Additionally, the formulation of these plans can involve extensive searches of data and information as well as creation of a technically feasible proposal. In this scenario, computers present an excellent support for carrying out the task of information search through information retrieval systems on the Internet (Rothbauer-Wanish; FAO). Moreover, a good information recovery system which can help in collection and retrieval of related data and information on the subject of concern can significantly improve the quality of data and information collect ion. With the exception of this, there are a wide variety of other packages for this service. For instance, activities such as working out project budgets, time frames and generation of proposal reports can be aided with the help of data management systems, electronic spreadsheets and word processing, which smooth the progress of development and management of various alternatives with relative simplicity. At the present, the majority of business organizations make use of the Internet for planning of their tasks. For instance, if an organization wants to launch a new product or a service, it can use internet based surveys to collect the response of people. In light of their response, an organization can better decide whether it should launch a particular product or not. So, the use of information technology can save a lot of precious time and effort of an organization (Rothbauer-Wanish; FAO). Organizing Another significant job of managers is organization of the business and this cons ists of various important tasks such as organizing people and resources. In fact, determining how many people would be required for specific shifts can be vital to the success of an organization. On the other hand, if those workers do not have the essential resources to carry out their activities, organization cannot occur. In addition, without an organized place of work, workers will perceive a manager as unqualified and may lose respect for that specific managerââ¬â¢s managerial techniques. In this scenario, computer supported tools and applications can play a significant role. At the present, there are a wide variety of tools and applications which can perform these jobs on behalf of managers. For instance, MS Project can be used to organize tasks. A Gantt chart can provide the necessary information such as when a particular activity will be completed and how much resources will be required to perform a specific task. In this way, computer technology has made this function of management relatively easier (Rothbauer-Wanish; FAO). Leading The management and leadership are not the same activity. Basically, a manager is responsible for managing the workers and their tasks. In other words, this person ensures that all the activities are carried out on time and specific rules and standards are followed. In this scenario,
Friday, October 4, 2019
Human Rights and Communication Essay Example for Free
Human Rights and Communication Essay Every individual has a right to communication and we are governed by standards and codes of practice to ensure that these needs are met. Communication is a basic human right, without communication the individual is unable to realise or exercise their rights. Under the human rights act 1998 all people have the right to ââ¬Ëfreedom of expressionââ¬â¢. 1. 2 When working with service users who have specific communication needs it is important to have a good understanding of what their needs are, so they can be supported and encouraged in everyday activities. If I didnââ¬â¢t understand their specific communication needs, I would not be able to communicate fully with the individual, their needs would be unmet and basic skills of effective communication may be forgotten. 1. 3 The environment I am in is important for communication towards service users. If I am communicating with a service user that has hearing loss or poor sight the lighting needs to be sufficient enough for them to see clearly or lip read. Background noise may hinder communication between the service user and I as they may get distracted by the noises and not hear what is being said. Positioning is important so that the service user and I can both see the body language and facial expressions between ourselves. All these can be helpful with effective communication. 1. 4 Some service users because of certain health conditions have their own way of communicating; this can be due to hearing difficulties, in which case they will use sign language. Another could be because of learning problems and these people use a form of body language, some might use their eyes whilst others communicate by making facial expressions, sounds or even pointing. A further reason could be due to a severe medical condition and in some of these cases the individual can learn to use electronic equipment to communicate. 1. 5 No matter what a personââ¬â¢s disability if it affects their communication they will need help and support to express them in a way that will make them to be understood. Some forms of communication aids are listed below:- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) most of us use this form one way or another every day without thinking about it. Objects, photographs, symbols Hearing aids British sign language (BSL) Makaton, which is used to help those who have difficulty in forming words Braille Picture exchange communication systems (PECS) Pen and paper Touch Translator Interpreters 1. 6 When having difficulties in expressing yourself it can lead to becoming distressed and agitated, without the right communication aids to help their needs they may become depressed, isolated and withdrawn, which can change their behaviour to frustration, violence and acts of anger. Some people may give up trying to communicate altogether which can end up having their rights denied as they werenââ¬â¢t given the right communication aids, support or listened to in the first place. 2 2. 3 It is important to access information for specific communication needs so that you can support the person in the best possible way. In my work setting before the service users arrive we are sent a care plan of the needs they may have, if they use any communication aids, I will then talk to the individual to try and get any extra information, also talking to the family/carers, friends and other professionals involved in their care. Internet can be useful when you are unsure of a certain illness, disability or communication aid an individual may have. As their needs change so will their care plan. 5 5. 1 As electronics are ever increasing and upgrading so have various aids to support communication and promote independence. Example, people with sight loss can have access to talking microwaves, talking clocks, talking photo albums and talking books. Also there is a lightwriter which is a portable device which the user types what they want to say and it says it for them, this is handy for those who have trouble getting their words out or cannot speak at all. 5. 2 There is support and training available to help an individual use communication aids, this is important to ensure they are using it properly. In many cases the aid fails because the individual received little or no support in setting up the aid. Training is important to the individual, staff, family and friends, the training can continue for a while as their needs change so might the aid to help them. It is important that the communication aid is set up properly, if not this may result in a fault with the aid and the aid not being used to its full potential. With all electrical aids a qualified electrician must check all pieces to ensure they work properly and are fit for use. The aid needs to be charged at all times and ready for use else the individual may lose communication halfway through a conversation which can then affect the behaviour of the individual by becoming frustrated and angry.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Review The Tennessee Valley Authority And Its Consequences History Essay
Review The Tennessee Valley Authority And Its Consequences History Essay When it was established in 1933, the Tennessee Valley Authority was an extremely controversial organization. As part of Roosevelts New Deal and his first hundred days, in which he initiated many new programs to jump start the nations economy and put people back to work, the TVA was charged with the responsibility of providing electricity, improving infrastructure, and enhancing the quality of life of the deeply depressed people living in the Tennessee Valley. During the Great Depression, those populating this area resided in log cabins, with only the bare essentials needed to survive, and sometimes less. Their objectives of electrifying rural America came into direct conflict with the capitalistic ambitions of private utility companies. Also, in order to accomplish their goals of improving the Tennessee Valleys waterways for transportation meant building dams and man-made lakes, displacing thousands of locals who had inhabited the area for hundreds of years. This operation not only i nvolved relocating families to their new homes, which was met with an exceptional amount of resistance, but exhuming the thousands of graves and reburying them at new sites. However, although the work done by the TVA in this area was sometimes flawed, and hated by many people in which the program aimed to help, the organization helped to bring modern commodities to a region that had been devastated by the economic crisis of the Great Depression. The Tennessee Valley During the Depression The area surrounding the prospective site for Norris Dam had been settled for the past two hundred years and, like much of Americas farmland further west, the land showed signs of exhaustion by farmers who did not consider the long term effects of over farming. Prior to the Depression, many young men and women from the Tennessee Valley would move away from the area to their own farms or to new cities of an increasingly industrialized Midwest. However, when tough economic times hit the American people during the Great Depression, many of those who had left to begin their own lives returned home to the safety and the familiar surroundings of their Tennessee homes. In the years between 1930 and 1935, the Tennessee Valley saw an increase in the areas population, which made living off what little the land provided even more difficult than before.à [1]à Farmers in the Tennessee Valley primarily raised corn for their animals and livestock while raising other crops for personal consumption. Tobacco was also raised to bring in a source of revenue, providing farmers with something they could sell in order to buy things they could not make or grow at home. Farming primarily for ones own personal use, called subsistence farming, was a way of life in the Tennessee Valley which allowed for very few luxuries to the people which lived there. The 3500 farming families in the area which would be flooded by the Norris Dam included both property owners and tenant farmers, or farmers who grew cash crops like tobacco on another persons land in exchange for a place to live. Living conditions in the Tennessee Valley were extremely difficult for both of these groups. Even during the most prosperous of times, there was not nearly enough money gained by way of local taxes to provide for adequate public schools, health services, or road construction.à [2]à Founding of the Tennessee Valley Authority One of the TVAs primary objectives was to improve infrastructure and the ability to transport goods through the Tennessee Valley through the use of its rivers and other waterways. This was particularly the case with an area of the Tennessee valley known as Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where the Tennessee River falls 140 feet in elevation over about thirty miles. This dramatic drop in altitude produced the rapids or shoals that the area received its named for, and made it extremely difficult for ships to go through and travel up further the Tennessee River. In 1916 the federal government gained ownership of the region and began drawing up plans to build a dam there. The proposed dam was intended to produce electricity which was needed to manufacture explosives for the war effort. However, the First World War ended before the sites could be completed and utilized. During the next few years, the government debated over what should be done with the area. Some members of Congress argued that t he dam should be sold to private organizations. SenatorÃâà George W. NorrisÃâà from Nebraska, on the other hand, argued that the public should retain control over the area. Norris had attempted several times to initiate bills for the federal development of the region. However, they were all defeated by Republican administrations who saw no advantages to retaining the area. With the onset of the Great Depression, Americans viewed government economic intervention in the public interest much more favorably. The newly elected President Roosevelt, who had a previous interest in regional planning, conservation, and planning, supported Norris proposal to develop the Tennessee River Valley.à [3]à On the 18th of May, 1933 Roosevelt signed the Tennessee Valley Authority Act as part of his first 100 days. The objectives of the TVA was to improve transportation along the Tennessee River, provide methods for flood control, plan reforestation, improve the quality of the poor farm lands, aid in industrial and agricultural development, and assist in the national defense effort with the development of government owned phosphorus and nitrate manufacturing sites at Muscle Shoals. Although almost ninety percent of those living in urban areas had electricity by the 1930s, this was only true for ten percent of people living in rural areas. Private electricity companies, who were the primary suppliers of electric power to the nations consumers, insisted that it would be too expensive to build electric lines to small, isolated rural farmsteads. They also argued that most farmers would not even be able to afford electricity in the event that they were provided the opportunity. Roosevelt and his administration held the belief that if private electricity companies could not or would not supply electric power to the American people, then it was the responsibility of the federal government to do it. In 1935, the Rural Electric Administration was established to electrify to rural areas such as the Tennessee Valley. In his 1935 article Electrifying the Countryside, the head of the REA, Morris Cooke, stated that: Though rural power uses of electricity began thirty-five years ago on an irrigated farm in California, the 1930 Census showed that only one tenth of American farms had central station service. One of the barriers to the development of farm electrification has been the rural line extension policy of many of the utilities. The power company has persisted in regarding the farmer not as a potential power customer, but as a small domestic consumer.à [4]à By the start of 1939 the REA had assisted in establishing several hundred rural electric cooperatives, which provided services to about 300,000 homes. Rural households with electricity had risen to twenty-five percent. Furthermore, the acts of the REA motivated private power companies to provide electricity to the countryside as well. When farmers did finally receive electric power, they helped to support local merchants by purchasing electric appliances. As in turned out, farmers generally required more energy than those living in the city, which helped to balance the extra expenses on the part of the electric companies in bringing power lines to the rural areas. The Tennessee Valley Authority established the Electric Home and Farm Authority to assist farmers in purchasing major electric appliances. The EHFA made special arrangements with appliance manufacturers to provide electric ranges, water heaters, and refrigerators at prices most farmers could afford. The new appliances were sold at local electric cooperatives and utility companies. It was here that a farmer could purchase appliances with loans offered by the EHFA, who provided these loans with low-cost financing.à [5]à Electrification of rural land was based on the idea that affordable electricity would help to improve the standard of living and the economic independence of the traditional family farm. But electricity alone was not nearly enough to put a stop the hardships being faced by Americas farm communities. Furthermore, it did not stop the migration of rural farmers from the country to the city, or did the shrinking of the total number of family owned farms. Opposition to the TVA There were many people who opposed the TVA and the federal governments participation in developing electric power in rural areas, in particular utility companies who thought that the government had an unfair advantage when competing with private companies. Also, some members of the Congress who didnt believe the government should have the right to influence the economy, thought that the TVA was a potentially dangerous program which would bring the United States just that much closer to socialism.à [6]à Others believed that rural farmers did not have the knowledge or skills needed to maintain and support local electric companies.à [7]à The most powerful opposition to the Tennessee Valley Authority came from power companies, who found it hard to compete with the cheaper energy provided through the TVA, and they saw it as a danger to private development. They argued that the federal governments participation in the electricity industry was unconstitutional. The attack on the TVA was led by future presidential candidate Wendell Willkie, then president of the large power utility company Commonwealth Southern Company. During the 1930s, many court cases were brought against the TVA. The Alabama Power Company presented a lawsuit against the TVA that made it all the way to the Supreme Court. They argued that by entering into the electricity industry, the federal government had surpassed its Constitutional powers. However, there attempts proved unsuccessful. In February of 1936, the Supreme Court came to the decision that the TVA had the right and authority to produce power at Wilson Dam as well as to sell and distribute that electricity. In 1939 the Court again maintained the constitutionality of the Tennessee Valley Authority.à [8]à Consequences of the TVA The TVA was established in part to improve the standard of living in an region which was home to three-and-a-half million people. When Norris Dam was constructed, it submerged an space of 239 square acres where about 3,500 families resided. The Act establishing the TVA gave it the authority to exercise the right ofÃâà eminent domain, and in the purchase of any real estate or the condemnation of real estate by condemnation proceedings, the title to such real estate.à [9]à Even though the TVA had been established for the purpose of improving the living conditions of the people living in the Tennessee Valley, the federal government neglected to offer much of any assistance in resettling the displaced families of the Norris Basin. In this area, farm owners were supplied with cash settlements for their property and were given help in the search for a new home. Tenants, who merely worked on the land but did not own it, received no payment at all. The Norris Basin had been home for thousands of families for centuries. Generations of people had been buried there. In addition to relocating all of the areas living population, all of the regions dead had to be exhumed from their graves and reburied in places outside the reach of the lakes created by the Norris dam. For both the farm families and the TVA workers alike, this process was extremely difficult.à [10]à Some of the families displaced by the Norris Dam benefited from the work of the TVA. Many people saw that their new homes were nicer and more comfortable than their old log cabin ones. Additionally, approximately one out of five had a member of their family who was employed by the TVA. However, sixty percent of the relocated families were relocated to new homes within the Norris Basin, which, even after the efforts of the TVA, continued to be a region prone to the same kind of problems of bad farming conditions and overpopulation and which had been a source of trouble from them prior. Similarly to other planned communities developed during FDRs New Deal, the small town of Norris was initially supposed to be a great display for the electrification of rural America and city planning. Many people believed that Norris would be the perfect home for those displaced people from the Norris Basin. However, the construction workers who came to the area in order to build the Norris Dam also needed a place to stay. Because of this, Norris originally functioned as temporary housing for the TVA workers and their families, while the residents of the Norris Basin were forced to find other accommodations, often times in areas just as poverty-stricken as where they had come from.à [11]à The idea that Norris would become a model American town was a mistaken one from the start. TVA authorities made regulations excluding African-American families from living in the town. They argued that these measures were taken in order to conform to the traditions and customs of the region. However, black leaders were quick to point out that impoverished white and black families had lived and worked together in the mountains and valleys of the basin for many years prior to the arrival of the TVA. During the 1930s, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People coordinated three separate investigations of Tennessee Valley Authority for racial discrimination in the housing and hiring of African-Americans. A man named Arthur Morgan, who was very interested in community planning, imagined Norris as a self-sustaining community of people who involved themselves in small, local cooperative industries. Early in the development of Norris, some cooperative businesses were established. These included canneries, creameries, and poultry farms. The communitys public school became a focal point of of community activity. Educational classes were given to children as well as adults, and for the town people themselves and for the farming families from the surrounding communities. However, despite Morgans ambition and noble goals for the town, living in Norris was operated much like any other company town. The TVA managed almost every aspect of activity in Norris. Everything from the towns gas station to its cafeteria was operated by the TVA.à [12]à When the dam was finished, the construction workers left Norris. Working professionals who were employed by TVA or in nearby Knoxville saw Norris as a practical alternative to life in the city, and the town slowly transformed into a white collar suburb of Knoxville. As the towns inhabitants became more affluent, and were required to travel to jobs which were outside of Norris, the cooperative organizations and many of the community driven activities diminished. In 1948, the government sold the town to a private corporation, who in turn resold the individual lots to the residents. The TVA made many advancements to the Tennessee Valley in terms of infrastructure, and the quality of life for the majority of the areas residents. This region was one of the hardest hit by the Great Depression. The majority of Americans living in rural areas were living without electricity at the start of the 1930s. Private utility companies were unwilling to spend the money needed to reach these rural communities with their power lines. As part of his attempt to bring the United States out of the Depression and into the modern era, Franklin Roosevelt initiated many new work programs, including the TVA. Unfortunately, these advancements sometimes came with sacrifice for those residents, in particular the displaced families of the Norris Basin. However, without these sacrifices, it may not have been possible for the people living in Tennessee Valley to improve their living conditions.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Expansion Of Arthurs Battle With The Giant :: essays research papers
Arthur turned his head in the direction the woman's gaze and there before him stood the giant that he had heard so much about during the past few days. It stood almost 20 feet off the ground and carried a club bigger than Arthur himself. The stench of rotting human corpses emanated from its disgusting body and insects of every sort imaginable crawled freely through its hair and under its skin. Arthur stood motionless, stunned for a moment by the unbelievable hideousness of the creature."How could a God who created the beauty of things such as the forests and mountains also be responsible for creating such filth?" thought Arthur. He then put his hand on his sword and grasped it tightly. Was this giant more than he could handle? Would his pride and honor lead him to his death? If Merlin was right, and God was not on his side, how could he expect to win this fight? Arthur's stomach began to churn as all these thoughts flew through his mind and he clenched Excalibur even tighter. The giant was carrying the bodies of twelve peasants on its back. The sight of the dead men and women the giant had so mercilessly killed enraged Arthur. This beast would pay dearly for its crimes if he had anything to do with it."May great God in heaven, who rules the world, give you a short life and shameful death! Surely you are the most foul fiend that was ever formed! Guard yourself, you dog, and prepare to die, for this day my hands will kill you!" exclaimed Arthur.The giant answered Arthur by raising its massive club and swinging it at him. Arthur could feel a gust of wind blow against him as the tree-sized club whipped through the air towards him. He raised his shield with his head covered in an attempt to block the giants blow. This was the worst part of fighting for Arthur, not being able to see what was happening, he would have to leave his fate up to God.The blow came quickly, completely jolting and stunning Arthur and shattering his shield into sawdust, but at least he was still alive. If God was to forsake him, today was not the day He did so. Arthur's strength and confidence grew after he survived the first blow for he believed God would protect him tonight.
Budgeting And The American Bur :: essays research papers
A Budget is a management tool that is an expression of planned expenditures and revenues. "Budgets serve many important functions in government. In one sense, budgets are contracts annually agreed on by the executive and legislative branches that allow executive agencies and departments to raise and spend public funds in specified ways for the coming fiscal year, as stated by Stillman in "The American Bureaucracy" He also says that budgets impose a mutual set of legal obligations between the elected and appointed officers of public organizations with regard to taxation and expenditure policies, therefore, is a legal contract that provides a vehicle for fiscal controls over subordinate units of government by the politically elected representatives of the people. Budgetary decisions are made, according to Rubin in her book The Politics of Public Budgeting, by envisioning governments as "not merely technical managerial documents" but rather "they are also intrinsically and irreducibly political." Her ideas are similar to that of general budget concepts over balancing expenditures and revenues, but differ in fundamental ways according to Stillman. "The open environments within which budgets are developed, the variety of actors involved, the constraints imposed as well as the emphasis on public accountability, give budgets special and distinctive features in the public sector." The differences between microbudgeting and macrobudgeting are just what their prefaces imply. "On the one hand there are a number budget actors, who have all individual motivations, who strategize to get what they want from the budget. The focus on the actors and their strategies is called microbudgeting." They do not bargain with one another over the budget. They are assigned budget roles by the budget process, the issues they examine are often framed by the budget process, and the timing and coordination of their decisions are often regulated by the budget process, according to Rubin. She goes on to say that actors are not free to come to budget agreements alone. They are bound by the environmental constraints. There are decisions that they are not permitted to make because they are either against the law, the courts disagree, or previous decision makers have bound their hands. "Budgetary decision making has to account not just for budgetary actors but also for budge t process and the environment. This more top-down and systematic perspective on budgeting is called macrobudgeting." Budget strategies are affected by environment, budget process, and individual strategies, all of which influence the outcomes.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
India vs Bharat Essay
Ancient Indians were not known to have a great sense of history. Historians have had to rely a lot on accounts by foreign travellers and foreign sources to reconstruct our history. And all such sources, including Megasethenes, Fa-hsien and many medieval Arab travellers, have uniformly found that Indians were remarkably law abiding and that crime was very rare. Most historians including A.L. Basham and recent writers like Abraham Eraly have treated such rosy accounts with suspicion merely because prescriptions in legal literature, largely comprising of the Smritis, reflected a more insecure and harsher society. This could either show that these foreign travellers were all fanciful in their writings on ancient India or that these ââ¬Ësacredââ¬â¢ texts played a very minimal role in governing the Hindu way of life. Apart from the absurdity of the suggestion that a traveller would lie in praise of a foreign land, the later scenario appears more probable because of another very interesting facet of ancient Hindu society- minimal State interference in the daily life of a citizen. Therefore there was no overarching government administering a code of laws or enforcing punishments to maintain law and order and prevent crimes. The codes of Manu, Katyayana or Narada were largely irrelevant to the common Hindu. There appears to have been a latent realisation that the State and its laws are inherently incapable of creating a crime-free society and the onus for this has to rest more locally; perhaps even on the individual. And it is this realisation that has to dawn in todayââ¬â¢s India. The realisation that ââ¬â¢12000 plus police stations in some 7 lakh towns and villages cannot regulate over 110 crore peopleââ¬â¢. Prof. Werner Menski, in his seminal work on Hindu Law (Hindu Law: Beyond Tradition and Modernity, Oxford University Press, 2003), explains the Hindu view of dealing with crimes most accurately. He writes that despite the recognition of fall in human values from the golden period of early ages, law and punishment in the late classical period were never used to displace ââ¬Å"self-controlâ⬠as the primary social norm. He writes-â⬠The conceptual expectation of self-controlled order in classical Hindu law would have empowered, in principle if not in practice, all Hindus to determine forà themselves, as individuals subject to the highest order, what they should be doing. A rulerââ¬â¢s claim to make what Hart called ââ¬Ëprimarily rulesââ¬â¢ could never have developed in such a conceptual climate, since in the classical Hindu systems such basic rules were to be cultivated in the social sphere and should then be implemented locally and individually in self-controlled fa shion.â⬠It would be quite wrong to assume that the traditional, classical reliance on individual and situational self-control was completely abandonedâ⬠¦threats of punishment of are not purely secularâ⬠¦as most legal commentators have assumedâ⬠¦transgressions of Dharma are also seen as sins, which require penance and/ or attract posthumous consequences.â⬠(Emphasis supplied) Therefore, the recognition that the primary onus of adhering to Dharma is on the individual naturally meant that external/ societal interventions in the form of laws and punishments were superfluous in creating a crime-free society. The emphasis instead was on encouraging a Dharmic conscience among citizens. Prof. Menski explains the current relevance of this idea- ââ¬Å"In this regard it is instructive to refer to the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 which is widely seen as an example of the futile attempts by the state law to abolish socio-legal practices in Indian societyâ⬠¦disgusted with the horrible stalemate over thousands of dowry deaths every year, some women activists began to call for a moral reappraisal. Yet, does this mean that the wheel of history should in fact be turned be back to Asokaââ¬â¢s idealism? Postmodernist analysis recognises (albeit with some reluctance) that the old Hindu concepts of ââ¬Ëexamining oneââ¬â¢s conscienceââ¬â¢ (atmanastuti) and ââ¬Ëmodel behaviourââ¬â¢ (Sadacara) retain their relevance today. While some modernist commentators have tremendous difficulty with this kind of approach, it cannot be just dismissed out of hand.â⬠What is needed in India today is a moral reappraisal on Dharmik lines. We Indians have come to imbibe amorality. In the western conception ofà Individual freedom and liberty, morality is a shackle. A variety of western thinkers including Nietzsche, Freud, Foucault, Marx joined cause in attacking allegiance to ââ¬Ëmoralityââ¬â¢ as something that thwarts individual flourishing or sustains certain unequal socio-economic relations. We have subconsciously adapted this attitude of amorality as a natural concomitant of individual freedom or free market; without realising that unlike western morality which was fostered and sustained by the Church and the State Bharatiyamorality is individual-centric and freedom-enabling. It is also important to emphasise, especially in the current context, that our morality is entirely gender-neutral. A Dharmik society or Bharat will render most kinds of activism that we have seen after the Delhi gang rape, especially the feminist variety, redundant. India unfortunately has forgotten to teach its children Dharmic morality. The only moralities we have come to follow are freedom and success. Today we stand in awe of a man from Gujarat who built a great business empire apparently through unethical and morally-suspect means; all in the name of his success. Seven centuries ago Marco Polo stood in awe of a different kind of Gujarati business men- the ordinary merchants of Lata who according to the Venetial traveller ââ¬Å"are among the best and most trustworthy merchants in the world; for nothing on earth would they tell a lie and all that they say is true.â⬠Isnââ¬â¢t this an example of the difference between India and Bharat?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)