Capital gains Tax Historical Trends and Forecasting

Question: Discuss about the Capital gains Tax for Historical Trends and Forecasting. Answer: Introduction: Permanent establishment as defined under Subsection 6 (1) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 states that a person, state of an authority, commonwealth or through which an individual carries on any business without limiting the generality of the foregoing. This includes a place where the person is carrying on a business through an agent or a place where the person is using or installing substantial equipment or substantial machinery. From the current study, it is evident that Alex Ran and Ryan Tan a resident of Singapore having its business in the same country looking forward to expand their business operations in Australia (Woellner et al., 2016). The study highlights that the brothers have also held a shares in ASX listed companies is Australia and intends to use the service of stockbroker, which they found online to sell the shares in order to raise capital for their enterprise. The ruling of the Permanent Establishment provides that it does not takes into the consideration a place where the person is involved in the business dealings through using the service of a bonfire commission agent or broker. The rulings provides that brokers who in relation to those dealings acts in the ordinary course of his or her business who does not receive any remuneration or otherwise than at the customary rate in relation to those dealings of that kind, not being a place where an individual otherwise carries on a business. It is noteworthy to denote that the rulings provided under Subsection 6 (1) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 states that Alan Tan and Ryan Tan is looking to raise the capital through using a broker who will be negotiating and concluding the terms of contracts on behalf of the brothers (Snape De Souza, 2016). Hence, the use of various brokers by Alan Tan and Ryan Tan will not result in Permanent Establishment in Australia. Determination of tax implications for Melbourne and Cambrai operations: According to the concept of Australian Taxation Laws if an individual acquires a vacant land either for private use or for business purpose it is normally considered as capital assets and are subjected to capital gains tax. In the current study, Alan Tan and Ryan Tan bought the properties with the intention to subdivide the land into ten blocks. The abandoned land was subdivided further into two small blocks in order to raise money by selling the blocks and the remaining eight blocks for constructing townhouse. Hence, the income raised from the selling of the subdivided land should be considered as capital gains and any profit is generally treated as capital gains, which is subjected to capital gains. As stated under the ITAA 1936 subdivision of land does not necessary result in the CGT event unless an individual retains the ownership of the subdivided block of land. This in turn represents that an individual does not make capital gains or a capital loss during the time of subdivision. However, under the current case study of Alan and Ryan the initial intention was to make a capital gain from the sale of two subdivided block of land and this would constitute Permanent Establishment. On the other hand, the remaining eight blocks were used for townhouse which implies that the constructed properties were used for residential purpose and were also engaged in the profit-making activity of property renovation and is liable for CGT tax (Kania, 2013). Considering the tax implications regarding the context of the definition of Permanent Establishment it is evident that Subsection 6 (1) definition implied on acquisition and subdivision of land in context with the ITAA 1936. Determining the residency of brothers and tax implications: Australian resident are usually taxed on their income from all sources whereas a temporary resident of Australia along with the overseas resident they are usually taxed on their income sourced in Australia. In the current case study, it is evident that the anticipated time of stay for the brothers was eight months. According to the 183 days Statutory test an individual would be considered as an Australian resident if an individual has originally been in Australia continuously or intermittently for more than one half of the income year (David, 2013). The commissioner of tax is satisfied that that the individuals original place of dwelling was outside Australia and the individual does not intend to take up the permanent resident in Australia. As stated in the given case of FC of T v Jenkins 82 ATC 4068, where an office of bank was transferred from Australia to work in bank of New Hebrides office for a three-year term. However, depending upon the Applegate the time that he spent working in New Hebrides was the tax payers permanent place of abode rather than Australia. Hence, under the current study both the brothers spend more than one half of the Australian income year living in Australia which would be substantially regarded as more than the statutory period of 183 days (Zelinsky, 2016). Hence, they would be considered as a resident of Australia since the duration and continuity of their presence was greater than the one-half of the income year. Application of CGT rules with necessary calculations: Application of CGT rules on Sale of Shares: Shares in a company or units are treated in the same way compare to any other CGT assets. It is assumed that the shares are acquired by the brothers after 20 September 1985 and Capital Gains Tax is applicable on gains derived from the sale of shares or units on the occurrence of CGT event (Clark, 2014). Thus, under the current study it is observed that the brothers were engaged in the sale of shares with the help of broker and gains derived from such sale of shares or units are liable to be taxed under the CGT event. The shares were redeemed by switching them from one fund to another and received assessable payments as it involved involuntary change in ownership. Demolitions and construction of town houses and planned disposal of townhouse and beef business: As stated under the income tax assessment act 1936 if an individual is demolishing a house the cost base does not gets reduced because any losses suffered and can be increased by the cost of demolition. In the current study, it is observed that the vacant land was demolished to build up townhouse which was later sold off to raise money and the remaining blocks of townhouse was used for residential purpose (Althaus et al., 2012). Thus, when a property changes its form to being a business into a trading stocks would lead to the application of CGT and any profit made from such sale of such block of land would constitute Capital gains tax. On the other hand, improvement made on Cambrai property with the intention to re-establish in the form of commercial herd would represent a business venture and any profits derived from the business would be taxed as normal income. Cost Calculation of Fitzroy Project:- Particulars Amount Cost of Fitzroy Block $12,50,000 Brokerage Fees $16,000 Demolition Cost $37,000 Interest Cost per year $35,000 Cost of 10 Blocks $13,38,000 Cost of 2 Undeveloped Blocks $2,67,600 Cost of 6 Blocks $8,02,800 Add: Construction Cost $24,00,000 Total Cost of 6 Town Houses $32,02,800 Cost of Each Townhouse $5,33,800 Income tax implications on the disposal of townhouse: A house is usually exempted from tax unless an individual has an investment property which is build or renovated for disposal. Ryan and Alex bought the abandoned land with the intention to renovate for profit and using it as running a business, this attracts income tax implications with capital gains tax and goods and service tax (De Goede et al., 2016). Special CGT rules are applicable since both Ryan and Alex are foreign residential who ceases to be an Australian resident for taxation purpose. Analysis of Cambrai Operations: The Cambrai operations will be considered as business since the property was originally acquired with the intention of re-establishing it for commercial herd. This ultimately signifies that any profits derived from the business would be considered for income tax (Hegemann et al., 2015). However, on the event of suffering loss from carrying on the business of commercial herd such losses are subjected to be offset on gains made from commercial herd only. Non-resident Company Company Company Company Company Company Particulars 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 Assessable Ordinary Income 0 0 $15,000 $2,50,000 $12,50,000 2000000 2150000 Less: Deductible Expenses Repairs 850000 850000 850000 850000 Depreciation on Capital Improvements 125000 250000 375000 500000 500000 500000 Interest Expenses 60000 60000 60000 60000 60000 60000 Net Ordinary Assessable Income 0 -1035000 -1145000 -1035000 -160000 1440000 1590000 Assessable Statutory Income: Sale Proceeding of Shares 1750000 Less: Cost of Shares -625000 Less: Brokerage -17500 Capital Gain Tax on Shares 1107500 Less: 50% Exemption 553750 Net Capital Gain Tax on Shares 553750 Sale Proceeding of Undeveloped Blocks 650000 Less: Cost of Undeveloped Blocks 267600 Net Capital Gain Tax on Undeveloped Blocks 382400 Sale Proceeding of 2 Townhouses 1600000 1600000 1600000 Less: Cost of 3 Townhouses 1067600 1067600 1067600 Capital Gain on 3 Townhouses 532400 532400 532400 Less: 50% Exemption 0 266200 266200 Net Capital Gain Tax on Townhouses 532400 266200 266200 TOTAL TAXABLE INCOME 553750 -1035000 -762600 -502600 106200 1706200 1590000 Tax on Taxable Income 230872.5 0 0 0 31860 511860 477000 Deductibility of interest incurred on contingency funding options: As stated under section 8-1of the income tax assessment act 1997 interest incurred on the contingency funding are the monies which is raised by Ryan and Alex through are deductible. The rulings specifically state that the payments are deductible under the positive limbs of section 8-1 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 as an expense of generating income as opposed to the application of income generated (Mehrotra et al., 2013). Analysis of structure: From the study it is evident that the two brothers are not planning to consolidate both the units however it is better advised that a partnership form of control would add significant advantage with complete control over one property. It is further recommended that the interest of the property should be vested equally in each others control and trusteeship form of property management would constitute as an advantageous step forward in managing the ownership of land. To further justify the interest of beneficiaries an equal distribution of ownership would form an appropriate mode of holding equal rights on each property. Reference List: Althaus, C., Bridgman, P., Davis, G. (2012).The Australian policy handbook. Allen Unwin. Barkoczy, S. (2016). Foundations of Taxation Law 2016.OUP Catalogue. Burnett, C. (2015). When is a company incorporated outside Australia a resident of Australia?.Tax Specialist,18(5), 198. Clark, J. (2014). Capital gains tax: historical trends and forecasting frameworks.Economic Round-up, (2), 35. David Hughes. (2013).Corporate Residence. AC Black. De Goede, J., Kaur, D., Kosters, B., Perdelwitz, A. (2013). Interpretation and Application of Article 5 (Permanent Establishment) of the OECD Model Tax Convention: Response from IBFD Research Staff.Bulletin for International Taxation. Hegemann, A., Kunoth, A., Rupp, K., Sureth, C. (2015).Impact of capital gains taxation on the holding period of investments under different tax systems(No. 183). arqus-Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre. Jones, D. (2016). Capital gains tax: The rise of market value?.Taxation in Australia,51(2), 67. Kania, B. (2013). Capital Gains Tax. InSteuerstandort Grobritannien(pp. 128-156). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. Mehrotra, A. K., Ott, J. C. (2016). WE ARE WHAT WE TAXTHE CURIOUS BEGINNINGS OF THE CAPITAL GAINS TAX PREFERENCE.Fordham L. Rev.,84, 2517-2989. Newman, S. (2016). The new CGT withholding regime: More than meets the eye.Proctor, The,36(5), 18. Rowland, C. (2013). Statutory Will Applications: A Practical Guide by Richard Williams and Sam McCullough. Saad, N. (2014). Tax knowledge, tax complexity and tax compliance: Taxpayers view.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,109, 1069-1075. Schellekens, M. (2015). European Tax Handbook 2015.Amsterdam: IBFD. Snape, J., De Souza, J. (2016).Environmental taxation law: policy, contexts and practice. Routledge. Taylor, G., Richardson, G. (2013). The determinants of thinly capitalized tax avoidance structures: Evidence from Australian firms.Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation,22(1), 12-25. Verikios, G., Patron, J., Gharibnavaz, R., Economics, K. P. M. G., Winston, A. (2016). OPTIONS FOR REFORMING AUSTRALIA'S GOODS AND SERVICES TAX. Woellner, R., Barkoczy, S., Murphy, S., Evans, C., Pinto, D. (2016).Australian Taxation Law 2016. Oxford University Press. Yong, S. E., Ma, M. (2015). A comparative study of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) implications on real property transactions in Australia and New Zealand. Zelinsky, E. A. (2016). Defining Residence for Income Tax Purposes: Domicile as Gap-Filler, Citizenship as Proxy and Gap-Filler.Michigan Journal of International Law,37.

Services Marketing Case Study Essay Example

Services Marketing Case Study Essay These customers vary in terms of their requirements and expectations. It is important for the carriers to leverage the available data to get insights into the passenger behavior Getable operated in the low-fare category of the industry, but unlike other low-fare airlines, Getable wasnt a no-frills airline Offerings Getable experience Bring humanity back to Air travel and make the experience Of flying happier and easier for everyone Wider leather seats More legroom and storage space In-flight entertainment (24 channels) Dedicated service personnel Free co-branded amenities Touch screen check-in Pre-assigned seats It offered a unique flying experience due to its Humanity touch The airlines tapped in on caring for its customers in an industry that lacked compassion, a missing human touch. It offered to better the lives of its customers, creamers and the communities. This commitment to inspiring humanity was their differentiator. The airline also flew its planes from point to point. It did not use the hub system of other airlines. By using the point-to point system, Getable was very selective when picking the geographic markets where it wants to compete. VALUE CHAIN Inbound Logistics Internet presence and web-based ticketing Operations crew scheduling, no meals, automated baggage handling Outbound Airports chosen carefully, less congested Make. ND sales work from home call centers, attractive pricing Service customer-focus, CEO who interacts Service Value : Highly productive people, productive aircrafts, caring culture of he organization Hard standards: On time performance Customer support Complaint handling time Bill of Rights Time for boarding Soft Standards: Friendly personnel Cleanliness on-flight Getable understood its internal environment, the external environment, competition, as well as its own customers and potential customers. Nonins ured behavioral segmentation and competitive advantage to be ahead of its competitors. Service Marketing Triangle: External Marketing: Jet blues external marketing promises to the customer were low cost and high service quality. The service facilities like Spa, Live TV, Dunking Donuts Effie, Satellite radio were examples of the same. Internal Marketing: Jet Blues was able to enable its promise by inspiring its employee. Jet Blue had a humble CEO who cultivated the sense of team work in its employees. We will write a custom essay sample on Services Marketing Case Study specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Services Marketing Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Services Marketing Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The CEO had the ability to connect with its people. The Jet Blue involved its employee in every aspect of the business. The Supervisors in Jet Blue attended the Jet Blue University to learn the company principles of team work. The inculcated the sense of We in the Jet Blue crew members. They increased the work force productivity through better training and smarter business processes. The internal marketing in Jet Blue helped the airlines to keep its employees motivated and they were actually seen defending the airlines during the time of the crisis. Interactive Marketing: Jet blues CEO used to frequently travel in the airlines and used to connect with the customers to take the feedback on the services provided and also requested them to provide suggestions on the improvement of the airline service as a whole. This was an example of CEO leading its employee by example. Jet blue won lot of awards, In 2007 Jet Blue was named as number three most admired airline by fortune and best in customer satisfaction by Market Matrix in 2006. They were also picked as best domestic airline by Coned NASA Travel and Travel + Leisure. They had a fleet of highly motivated employees as a result of which they enjoyed the second lowest rate of customer complaints among the 10 Largest U. S. Airlines. Service profit Chain Jet Blue internal marketing let to employee satisfaction, which led to customer satisfaction and increased revenue growth and profitability for Jet Blue. Jet Blue employees considered themselves as an integral member of the airlines. There were instances wherein the employees were responding to the customer on the complaints raised by them during the time of crisis, this is one classic example of high internal service quality in Jet Blue. The employees in Jet Blue were highly satisfied which led to employee retention and employee productivity; in addition to that this led to high external service value to the end customer. The customer were satisfied with their jet blue experience, in addition to that Jet Blue also had a loyal base of customer which came out in defense of the airline during the time of crisis. As a result of overall value chain Jet Blue experienced year on year revenue growth from 000 to 2004 and which led to profitability for the firm. Q. What challenges did David Melanin and his executive team face in managing the customer experience as the airline grew rapidly? How did they respond to those challenges? We have used the McKinney as Framework to analyze the steps taken by David Melanin after the first crisis of 2005. as Framework is used for auditing the current state of the organization and it can also be used to implement new strategy. S framework consist Of hard and soft Gs. All the as have to align for the strategy to work. If the as are aligned then the short- term strategy also works. Strategy: Jet Blue short-term strategy was to scale up to increase the revenue by market development. They planned to expand their services to medium and small sized cities. They believed that since the carriers in medium and short run cities are less they can charge a premium on the t ickets leading to better revenues. Structure In order to implement the strategy the firm also has to restructure its organization chart. There is no information present in the case on the change on restructuring of the organization. The people involved in the organization structure were CEO, David Melanin and Chief Operating Officer, Dave Barge. There are instances in the case were it is highlighted that CEO was involved in every aspect Of the business. We believe that they should have hired people from the local area upon expansion so that the load on the CEO and Chief Operating Officer should have been reduced and better handling of the on ground resources could have taken place by quick decision making. They should have restructured the organization. This was one S, which was not aligned with the company strategy. Systems: In order to implement the new strategy it is important for the organization to improve upon the systems and current processes. Jet Blue moved towards automation and smarter business processes; however Jet Blue did not pay any emphasis on customer support and capacity of the system. This led to increased chaos during the time of the crisis. Jet Blue should have load tested there system for the maximum calls and maximum bookings. The system went down when people tried to reschedule or cancel their flights during the time of the crisis. This was another place where Jet Blue strategy was not in line with the existing capacity of the system. Skills Jet Blue did improve the productivity of its workforce upon implementation of the new strategy. The employees were trained to be more productive to handle additional traffic. The Skills were aligned with the strategy. Style The management was actively involved with the customer and employee. The employees also responded positively to the management style. The Style was aligned with the strategy. Shared Value The shared value among the employees of the Jet Blue was to provide the end customer with Jet Blue experience. The Jet Blue experience was high service quality at low cost. The strategy was to expand but not at the expense of shared values. Jet Blue employees were living up to the promise of providing he same-shared values. Staff The staffs of Jet Blue were not increased on scaling up there was a gap between the resource and the demand of the employee. The prefect example of same was when the Jet Blue went through the crisis in 2007 the pilots and ground staffs were not enough to handle the situation on ground. The Style was not aligned with strategy of the company. The model clearly highlights the Gap in the Jet Blue new strategy were in by auditing using as framework we came to know that Staff, System and Structure were not in line with the Jet Blue strategy as a result Of which Jet Blue Was not able to provide prompt covers to people during the time of crisis and hence failed miserably. 3. What exactly went wrong?

buy custom Effects of High Price on Foods essay

buy custom Effects of High Price on Foods essay Introduction The importance of food to human beings health is quite unlimited especially healthy foods like vegetables and fruits. In addition to other foods like proteins and carbohydrates vegetables and fruits have a necessary value to human health as they provide vitamin C. These nutrients are vital to the human health as they protect them from several diseases like cancer, eyesight problems, and many more. This paper seeks to establish the main explanations as to why the cost of healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables keep increasing in the market. Prices of goods increase, and this increase occur due to various reasons, and that is what this paper seeks to determine. The firm increase in prices of all commodities has made it harder for people to choose foods that are healthier in the stores. An important aspect in trying to feed a family is ensuring that they have healthy and nutritious foods, and for this reason, the subject of increase in prices of food is a critical subject. People everywhere care about the subject and hence in this paper we are going to identify some of the reasons that lead to the increase of food prices. This paper aims at coming up with the reasons and explanation for the increase of food prices especially the healthy ones like fruits and vegetables. These explanations and reasons will be from various researches done by other concerned parties and recorded in secondary sources such as books. In research, information can be from primary or secondary sources. Primary sources of information involve first hand information obtained using interviews, questionnaires, and observation. Secondary information is from books, electronic database, and magazines among other records. In this paper, most of the information was from books. We now focus on the explanation that various economists and other people have come up as the reason for the increase in the cost of healthy foods. Supply and demand The first reason that most economists and researchers attribute to the increase of food prices especially the healthy ones like fruits and vegetables is their demand. One of the major rules in economics is that prices of commodities will always determine the demand and supply of these goods in the market. Fruits and vegetables are healthy foods whose demand is all through the year. Considering that these foods are seasonal and only grow in different parts of the country once a year, the vendors still need to stock the stores with these foods. This constant demand of fruits and vegetables imposes an economic strain on the on the suppliers. In return, the suppliers reflect these costs on the consumer. In comparison to other foods which are high in calories, fruits and vegetables tend to increase in costs depending on the season. During high season when their production is at its peak the prices will be relatively stable, but, when the season changes the prices go up. Their demand being constant and does not change with the season, the suppliers will increase their prices in order to cover up for the costs of bringing in stock from places where they are in season. This price fluctuation will be reflected in both domestic and international markets. When the fresh fruits and vegetables are not in season their supply decreases. Decrease in supply leads to an increase in prices of the foods. Therefore, supply and demand of fruits and vegetables significantly affects their prices. Climatic issues There have been many significant factors which influence the quantity of fruits and fresh vegetables and global warming is one of them. This has had negative climatic effects that have damaged the production of these foods thereby reducing their supply. Acceleration of prices comes as a result ofthe rising pressure on farm food production. The reduction in yields are due to global warming, which is being damage by contamination of the atmosphere; the quality has reduced by 60 percent according to ADB (2008) the countries yield has declined due to poor climatic conditions. The issue of free of greenhouse gas emission is rising the earths temperature whereby the consequences usually follows on melting glaciers, more precipitation, and fundamentally change in seasons of production. The accelerating pace of climate change, combined with the general public and income growth, threatens food security worldwide. Agriculture, which is in direct connection to the production of fruits and vegetables, is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Higher temperatures reduce the yields of this produce as the temperatures provide a chance for pests and weed proliferation. Differences in precipitation patterns increase the chances of short-run crop shortages and long-run production reduces. Although there will be an increase in some crops in some parts of the world, the overall effects of climate change on expected of agriculture to be negative, threatening global food security. Climate change is also putting pressure on water supplies for agricultural production of vegetables and fruits, changing stream flows, and its availability. Water is becoming difficult to obtain: therefore, expensive global demand for water has tripled in the last few years and limited use ground water supplies in the USA. The impact of climatic change has adversely impact on productivity of vegetables production and causes disruption both in the long term and short term. This impact is evident in the low supply of these foods in areas where the production was quite high. Energy costs Another reason for the increase in the prices of healthy foods is the cost the producers and vendors incur to bring these foods to the market or stores. Healthy foods comprise of fruits and vegetables and these are perishable and seasonal goods. The first cost that one incurs while dealing with foods is the transport cost. The transportation of these fruits and vegetables ends up reflecting in the overall cost. This transportation can be from overseas as these foods are not locally available. Most of the fruits are imports from other countries and transportation will involve means like shipping, air transport, and railway transport. Most of these means of transport are extraordinarily expensive, but, they are the most appropriate ones. For example, the transportation of some fruits from other nations using the shipping means of transport can be expensive as it requires the refrigeration of the goods. These refrigeration equipments are expensive, and the transporters are the ones incu rring the cost. Transport involves the use of fuel in all means that are in use for example, shipping, air travel, road etc. Energy costs affect all level of the food production sector. In contemporary records oil prices, in excess, has increased from $110 per barrel and which has cost throughout the marketing chain. High petroleum prices increase the competitiveness in food production especially in vegetable and fruits production. Post harvest loss Post harvest loss is another significant explanation to the increase in of prices of healthy foods. Post harvest loss refers to the loss of the produce after its harvesting. This happens mostly to agriculture products, and the healthy foods in focus are agricultural products. During harvesting, losses occur in different ways. First the fruits can be harvested when they are already ripe and, therefore, need expert storage before they get to the market. This is normally hard to the farmers as they lack the storage facilities. In turn, they experience several losses of the products and this lose is normally incurred by consumers of the produce. Another harvesting loss occurs when the produce are affected by diseases and pests. Fungi and bacteria are diseases, which cause these losses of fruits and vegetables and so are the virus diseases, common in growing crops. It is characterized by severe presence of holes makes which makes infected, fruit to be unusable. This is often the result of inflammation of fruits and vegetables in the field before harvest. Quality thrashing occurs when the infection affects only the top of the fruits. Also, skin blemishes may reduce the sale cost but do not make the fruit bad, and inedible products. Fungal and bacterial diseases spread by tiny spores, which distribute in the air and earth and via decaying plant material. Infection after consequence can occur at any instance. It is usually the result of harvesting or handling injuries. These post harvest losses expenses are reflected in the selling price of the produce which is normally high. Post harvest loss has been a serious problem which comes because of various reasons, varying from growing conditions to handling at the retail level. Not only are these losses a waste, they sometimes constitute a homogeneous abuse of human efforts, livelihoods, scarce resource such as water, and investments. Fruits and fresh vegetables hold a high proportion of water. Loss of water content after harvesting by fruits and vegetables usually cause shrinkage and loss of appeal for the agricultural products. The rate at which they lose water, fruits mainly depend on leafy vegetables, which prevent water quickly because they have thin skin pores. The rate of loss relates to the difference between the water vapor pressure inside the fruits and vegetables and in the air. But whatever the outcome, to promote food or storage account the cost of water trouncing must be minimal. The most noteworthy feature is the ratio of the outside area of the fruit or vegetable to its volume. Early harvesting of fruits and vegetables normally occurs so as to avoid extra costs on transportation. Transporting fully ripe produce leads to extra costs as it will require considerable storage facilities to keep the harvest fresh and consumable. In addition, transportation of ripe products leads to the production of extremely dangerous chemicals that are harmful to the consumer. Structural change The change in market structure of these foods is yet another reason for the increase of prices. The process of market structure and formation involve processing, handling, and distribution of the produce. These processes have led to the increase prices as the elements of these processes keep fluctuating. This mainly affects spending expense on commodities in the market, and this factor contributes to high price level in USA. For instance, the process of manufacturing keeps changing because of the constant change in technology. The manufacturing equipments keep on improving, and this equally reflects on the manufacturing cost. The increase in manufacturing cost in turn leads to the increase of prices of these commodities. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the increase in the cost of healthy foods like fruits and fresh vegetables is as a result of several reasons. Among these reasons are the change in the market structure of the products, the demand and supply, climatic conditions, and energy costs. Together all these reasons lead to the high cost of healthy foods that consumers have to incur. There is no escaping these costs as health of families is of considerable importance to the American citizens, and no one is ready to risk their families. Most Americans citizens will prefer incurring high expenses of food than incurring the medical expenses. Buy custom Effects of High Price on Foods essay

5 Words that Come from the Moon

5 Words that Come from the Moon 5 Words that Come from the Moon Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the moon. Unfortunately, all they brought back were some rocks. But the moon has given us many things, including several words! So let’s celebrate this landmark in space exploration by looking at the etymology of â€Å"moon,† plus five words it has inspired. Moon Etymology The word â€Å"moon† has a long history, which is unsurprising given that it’s a massive glowing orb in the night’s sky that has been around for longer than human language. We can, however, trace it back to both the Middle English mone and the Old English mona. Further back, it may come from the Proto-Indo-European term *me(n)ses- and the root *me-, meaning â€Å"measure.† Here, we see how people have used the waxing and waning of the moon to measure the passage of time since†¦ well, since we’ve had any notion of time passing. Waxing and waning(Image: Orion 8/wikimedia) Another term we may want to look at is â€Å"lunar,† an adjective meaning â€Å"related to the moon.† This comes from the noun luna, an old-fashioned word with origins in the PIE root *leuk-, meaning â€Å"light† or â€Å"brightness.† And here we see the importance of the moon as a source of light at night. But how have these terms influenced modern English? Let’s take a look. 5 Words that Come from the Moon There are many, many words with a connection to our lunar neighbor. And we won’t even touch on figures of speech such as over the moon and once in a blue moon. But we will look at five of our favorite moon-derived terms to see where exactly they come from. 1. Moon as a Verb As well as a noun, â€Å"moon† has picked up two key uses as a verb over the years: To act absent-mindedly, often through distraction (e.g., to â€Å"moon over† someone or to â€Å"moon around† the house when you have nothing to do). To expose one’s buttocks as a joke or insult. The first of these is probably related to the word â€Å"moonstruck,† which reflected an old belief that the moon could affect people’s behavior (more on that below). The second comes from the fact that buttocks can be pale and round, much like a certain feature of the night’s sky. We hope learning this doesn’t prompt you to see the moon as a big sky buttock, though. 2. Month Originally, a â€Å"month† was literally the time between one new moon and the next one. As such, we can find connections between â€Å"moon† and â€Å"month† in many European languages. In fact, the PIE term *me(n)ses- above may have originally meant both â€Å"moon† and â€Å"month.† Another word we get from â€Å"moon† is â€Å"Monday,† which literally means â€Å"day of the moon.† We also see this in the German Montag, as well as the French lundi, the Spanish word lunes, and the Italian term lunedi. 3. Menstruation Moving on from â€Å"month,† we have a monthly cycle: menstruation. In fact, â€Å"menstruation† and â€Å"menses† come from Latin and Greek words meaning â€Å"month† (mensis) and â€Å"moon† (mene). Some people also believe their menstrual cycles sync up with the lunar cycle. However, there is no scientific evidence for this, so it is probably a myth. 4. Lunatic Above, we mentioned the old belief that the moon can affect people’s behavior. We see this most clearly in the word â€Å"lunatic,† which now refers to someone who behaves erratically. Not that long ago, though, â€Å"lunatic† was a word for someone suffering from mental illness. And some people still believe the moon can affect our behavior. But medical science has moved on from such ideas, so we do not use this word to refer to mental illness any more. 5. Moonshine What better way to finish our list than with a drink? Having said that, we’re not sure how many of you would pick moonshine as your beverage of choice. If you buy moonshine today, it will probably be from a shop. But the term was first applied to smuggled or illegally distilled liquor, illicit activities that always occurred at night. It may also be related to the word â€Å"moonraker,† which is associated with English smugglers for the same reason. Thank You, Moon Finally, let us say a brief thank you to the moon. Sure, with modern science we know it’s a big hunk of rock that just sits in the sky, not some god or goddess watching over us. But it has been with us since before humanity had the gall to shape tools from flint, never mind strap ourselves to rockets and blast off into the void to pay it a visit. And we see that influence across human culture, art and – as shown above – language. We salute you, moon! As a species, then, we owe the moon a lot. And that’s before we even get on to its role in controlling the tides. So next time you use the word â€Å"month† or â€Å"menstruation,† spare a thought for our lunar friend.

Impact on others Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Impact on others - Essay Example The point is that the individual action must translate to some effect in the society from any perspective (Kamm 460). The question has always been what qualifies to be termed as harm. It is worth to note that harm does not necessarily occur when it is directed to another person. Although individual action may not inflict immediate physical or emotional harm to other people, the consequences on the actor will eventually be reflected in societal structure. Self-harm in itself should not be tolerated because the victim will eventually be a liability to members of the community (Kamm 460). The society has moral responsibility to ensure that actions of individuals are within the confines of the accepted norms and this includes prohibition of self-harm. It is therefore imperative that individual actions must be scrutinized in terms of the effect irrespective of the victims. This explains why attempts to commit suicide among other actions attract serious punishment although it involves taking out one’s life voluntarily. It is therefore not acceptable for to justify a given action on the reason that it does not harm another

Sunni-Shia Split Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sunni-Shia Split - Essay Example The U.S. should have supported the Shia Islam more than the Sunni Islam. This is because Sunni Arabs were more associated with Muslim extremists and the Al-Qa’Ida who considered outside powers as enemies and promoted values that were no in tune with world peace5. Al-Qa’Ida promotes monotheism and is against anyone who believes in polytheism6. It declares war on any individual who does not follow the Muslim religion. AQI viewed Shia as individuals who have rejected Islam and declared war on them7. Therefore, it is evident that Al-Qa’Ida should be stopped as they are against individualism and freedom. The U.S should lend help to individuals who are intent on driving AQI out as seen in the case of Amariyah whose new boss rebelled against AQI8. The Baath party was favored the Sunnis and ensured they took up positions of wealth and power9. The Shia Arabs are seen to be oppressed from several angles and would be the ones who would call for help as they do not promote values going against human right and freedom. The reign of Baath party saw that that the Shia did not enjoy higher living standards, prestigious education and jobs as the Sunni10. Sly, L. (2007). New Boss Turns the Tables on Al Qaeda Ex-Sunni Insurgent becomes U.S. Ally. Chicago Tribune, 22nd November 2007. Retrived Online

Technological Advantages Essay Example for Free

Technological Advantages Essay The Patriot Act of 2001 and the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 have both been controversial because of their passage. The Patriot Act was passed in response to the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, and the Federal Information Security Management Act was enacted as an offshoot of the former to help secure our nations internal information, financial and citizen’s personal information. Major advances in information technology have resulted in new ethical issues necessitating the passage and implementation of these acts. The Patriot Act of 2001 was signed in law by President George W. Bush and the key provisions were given a four-year extension by President Barrack Obama in 2011. It has been provocative from the start, with much political dissent, especially from moderates and liberals. (Lindaure,S. 2011) states â€Å"You see, contrary to rhetoric on Capitol Hill, The Patriot Act is first and foremost a weapon to bludgeon whistle blowers and political dissent.† Its intent was to help law enforcement in the gathering of information and to help regulate financial transactions as well to monitor our borders more intensely. The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 was written and passed to help secure information vital to the economic and national security interests for the United States. An earlier version was written as part of the Homeland Security Act. Its main goal and purpose is to improve computer and network security within the government and its contractors. The technological advances in past few years have been far and reaching. The  average person cannot keep up with the dizzying pace of new and improved technological products. Criminals and terrorists continue to use the newest and most advanced technology to terrorize the public and steal from them. The 9/11 terrorists could enter the US illegally using fake passports/IDs produced with sophisticated computers and software. Secure and disposable cell phones were used to communicate with and they were financed with money laundered through financial shell organizations that used technology to hide the money. Many very intelligent and well educated computer hackers can/have entered numerous government, private financial organizations, and public institutions and have stolen identities, technology, money, military secrets, data, and private information. Some of the more cutting-edge technological advances that have caused the passing of these acts and the ethical issues are the introduction of Biometrics (facial/voice recognition). Increased video surveillance, which has increased by over 125% since 9/11, work place monitoring through GPS tracking, the transmitting of the location of all cellphones, blackberries, and laptops, when they are on, and database profiling through internet searches, supermarket purchases, credit card purchases, and toll booth marking. The most pressing ethical issue is the loss of individual privacy, personal rights and freedoms. To some people the citizens’ rights have been taken away and set back over 100 years. To others it’s an act of necessity for the good and security of the nation. The detaining of illegal aliens and racial profiling has caused many to question the legal aspects of these bills. The intrusion into citizens’ personal and financial information is also a very controversial ethical issue. Many citizens’ and private organization believe that the government has over-stepped their boundaries and is leaning towards a totalitarian form of government. Feingold,R(Senator)(2001)states that â€Å"You and I have a duty to analyze, to test, to weigh new laws that the zealous and often sincere advocates of security would suggest to us†. In conclusion, many people think that with the advances in technology that we are much safe than we were 20 years ago. This is true in many cases but is it worth the cost of many of the personal freedoms that our Constitution guarantees? The ethical issues that have arisen from these acts will be debated for many years. As long as there are criminals and terrorists there will be a need for action in the form of legislative acts and bills by the government. The safety of the nation as a whole and its private citizen is one of the primary functions of the government and there will always be dissent and division within that government and its constituents as to how it should protect them. References Lindauer S. (May 23, 2001)â€Å"The Intel Hub† retrieved from http://the intelhub.com/2011/05/23/The-patriot-act-when-truth-becomes-treason. Feingold,R(Oct,12,2001) On opposing the U.S.A. Patriot Act by Senator Russell Feingold Retrieved from http://www.archipelago.org/vol6-2/Feingold.htm Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Information_Security_Management_Act_of_202 Patriot Act of 2001 retrieved from http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act