The Lorax Essay Example for Free

The Lorax Essay â€Å"The Once-ler perceived a market opportunity, displayed extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit and proceeded to create an industry of Thneed manufacturing. His story exemplifies laissez faire economics and the potential of free market enterprise and what’s truly possible if government â€Å"stays out† of markets with needless regulations. So what went wrong? † In order to understand exactly the story of The Lorax as an allegory of economic principles you must understand in terms of different philosophy foundations, scarcity, uncertainty, interdependencies, and the duel nature of rights. Philosophy foundations are all based on making a choice in any given situation. In the story The Lorax by Dr. Seuss the two main characters, the Once-ler and the Lorax, had conflicting philosophical perspectives. The Lorax’s prevailing philosophical perspective is utilitarianism where the belief is â€Å"the greatest good for the greatest number. † That is, in order to seek a greater social good once must chose the course of action that results in the maximum amount of overall good, not only for one’s own good, but also for the good of others. More in depth analysis of this perspective shows that â€Å"morally appropriate behavior will not harm others, but instead increase happiness or ‘utility’† (Driver, History). The Lorax spoke up against the Once-ler only when he believed the Once-ler was shrinking the happiness that the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, the Humming-Fish and himself, were experiencing in the environment around them from the Once-ler’s production of the Thneeds. The prevailing philosophical perspective of the Once-ler is egoism, that is, maximize one’s self-interest. In the story the Once-ler had been searching his entire life for trees such as the Truffula Trees to make something like the Thneeds that create business and money, which were all that he needs. The Once-ler didn’t care about the crummies in the tummies of the Brown Bar-ba-loots, or pollution that filled the air and the ponds that forced the Swomee-Swans and Humming-Fish out. The only thing he cared about was making the factory and wagons bigger to meet the capacity of Thneeds he wanted to ship out to make more money. In the story the Once-ler, the Lorax, the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming-Fish are all put in a situation known as Pareto Optimality. This â€Å"exists when economic resources and output have been allocated in such a way that no one can be made better off without sacrificing the well-being of at least one person† (Wisdom, V Pareto). In a situation like this it is hard for the perspectives, like that of the Once-ler and the Lorax, to have a positive outcome. If their perspectives had been different, say like ‘the golden rule’ or ‘do no harm’ perspectives, things have a much better potential to come out more ideal for everyone. As discussed in class, both of these philosophical perspectives believe in withholding harm to one’s self and to others. If these were the perspectives taken by the Once-ler and the Lorax, both would be happy, in addition to the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming-Fish, but given the Pareto Optimality environment it is almost impossible to make everyone involved happy, instead there needs to be a more costs-benefits perspective taken where things are weighed out and people pick as a whole what the best usage of resources should be to maximize the outcome for everyone. The basic economic problem that arises because people have unlimited wants but resources are limited† (Investopedia). In the story scarcity affects the choices and the outcomes realized. The Once-ler held the power of control and chose to use his power over the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming-Fish to ignore their requests and use whatever he wanted to make the Thneeds, creating a scarcity among resources. The Brown Bar-ba-loots made the decision to leave town after the Once-ler created a scarcity of Truffula Trees which caused a shortage in Truffula Fruit, the main food that that ate. The problem with scarcity is that if it isn’t monitored then the resources will eventually run out. The Once-ler didn’t realize the scarcity he was creating among the clean air, Truffula Trees, and pond water by continuously using all of these resources without replenishing them. The outcomes of the choices he made left him with no demand, no money, and no resources to continue on with his business. Uncertainty is very hard to manage. You can’t assign a probability, value or outcome to something that is unknown. In the story the source of uncertainty is the biological nature of production. When you make poor decisions they are bound to have outcomes with issues of uncertainty. The Once-ler only saw the opportunities the Thneeds gave him incrementally; he didn’t look at the big picture of things. He failed to acknowledge every situation he faced with the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming-Fish, thinking they were all part of the standard operating procedures in business, causing each of the potential risks faced to create a much larger ap of uncertainty. By the end of the story the Once-ler poor decisions inefficiently used all of his resources up, forced everyone out of the town, and left him with the inability to manage these unintended outcomes of uncertainty. The interdependencies that are central to the story are asset specificity and high exclusion costs. Asset specificity is the aspect or feature of an asset that makes it useful for one or more specific purpos e and therefore cannot easily be sold off. The Truffula Trees, the ponds, and the air are all goods with specific uses to each individual with the potential to be held hostage by the Once-ler, the Lorax, the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, or the Humming Fish. In order for high asset specificity to occur there should have been some type of contract created between the parties to prevent one single party from taking advantage of the resources to achieve some opportunity. To avoid the potential of an asset holding situation, a buyer-seller relationship could have been created between the Once-ler and the the Lorax/Brown Bar-ba-loots/Swomee-Swans/Humming Fish. If this had occurred in the story the Lorax, the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming Fish wouldn’t have been forced to leave and the environment would have lasted. High exclusion cost goods are what determines the provisions of the good; if the good exists for one user it is costly to exclude others. The Truffula Trees, the air, and the ponds are all considered high exclusion cost goods. The Lorax, the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming Fish had the token right to exclude the Once-ler from using these goods unless he contributes to the production or maintenance of the goods, but they didn’t. This gave the Once-ler the ability to use the Truffula Trees, the air, and the ponds as he saw fit, that is to make the Thneeds, without contributing anything back. The Once-ler is a clear cut case of what is known as a free-rider; a major problem associated with high exclusion cost goods. Before the Once-ler comes to town, the property rights of the Truffula Trees, the air, and the ponds lie with Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming Fish; everyone respects the usage of one another and no actions need to be taken to enforce those rights. When the Once-ler comes to town the usage of the Truffula Trees, the air, and the ponds comes into dispute. The Once-ler has the right to use Truffula Trees, the air, and the onds 24/7. The non-rights duties lie with the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming Fish; they must respect and tolerate the Once-ler. The Lorax has the obligation to enforce those rights. If different endowments of property rights occurred, such as an ordinance that limited the Once-ler’s usage of the Truffula Trees, the air, and the ponds, the Truffula Trees, the air, and the ponds wouldn’t have been overused and the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming Fish wouldn’t have been forced to leave town.

Awake and Sing by Clifford Odet versus A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine

Clifford Odet's play, "Awake and Sing", and Lorraine Hansberry's play, "A Raisin in the Sun", both revolve around the struggle of attaining the American dream during the hardships of a struggling economy and most important the value of a family. By analyzing the main characters, Ralph and Walter, it can be seen that even though they wish to use the insurance money to fulfill their dream they eventually realize that with family they can survive through poverty. Both characters are being weighed down by poverty. This brings them to dream of the life they could live if one was giving a chance "to get to first base" and the other a chance to open up a liquor store. Ralph doesn't really seem to be interested in his family at first and is only interested in his own advancement from all his hard work. He wishes he could afford a pair of shoelaces and "a pair of black and white shoes." Ralph is only thinking of himself and how he and his girl can live together. That is where "life begins" for him. Walter also wants to see advancement, but for both him and his family even if it ...

Assignment Composition Essay

As an experienced social care worker you have been asked to mentor a new social care worker. You plan to use a supervision session to explain about the duty of care and how this helps to protect individuals from harm and abuse. Prepare a set of notes to help you in this supervision session. In the notes, you must include an explanation of: Ai)What is meant by ‘duty of care’ Aii)How the duty of care affects the work of a social care worker Aiii)What having a duty of care means for a care giving organisation Aiv)How the duty of care contributes to safeguarding individuals Ai)What is meant by ‘duty of care’ Duty of care means the obligations you have in your role as a care worker to ensure that your service users are supported and enabled to live in an environment which is free from prejudice and safe from abuse or injury. This means providing care and support for individuals within the law and also within the policies, procedures and agreed ways of working of your employer. Every individual should be supported and enabled to live in a safe environment and it is your responsibilities under the duty of care are to do everything reasonable within the definition of your job role to make this happen. Aii)How the duty of care affects the work of a social care worker A care worker has responsibility at work, under the duty of care, to do everything reasonable within the law and also within the policies, procedures and agreed ways of working of your employer to make the environment for your service users safe. Your duty of care means that you must aim to provide high quality care to the best of your ability and say if there are any reasons why you may be unable to do so. As a care worker, you must adhere to a standard of reasonable care and you are expected to keep your knowledge and skills up to date in order to provide a service of no  less a quality than that to be expected based on those skills, etc. If you do not work in this way, you could be considered negligent or incompetent. You also need to keep accurate and up to date records of your work. However, you must keep those records confidential except where the wider duty of care or the public interest might justify disclosure. Aiii)What having a duty of care means for a care giving organisation The duty of care to a service user exists from the moment they are accepted for treatment or a task is accepted and they begin to receive services. This obligation applies to those working part time or full time, those in agency or temporary roles as well as students and volunteers. All health and social care organisations, whether they are public, private or voluntary organisations, have a duty of care. Their duty of care is to provide a comprehensive service to citizens and to demonstrate that, within the available resources, the appropriate priorities are chosen. They must also ensure that those people who are providing that care are able to do so safely in appropriate and timely manner. To ensure this is the case, training is provided by employers to help ensure that their employees’ knowledge and skills is up to date. Aiv)How the duty of care contributes to safeguarding individuals In order to safeguard individuals from harm, care workers have a duty of care to raise any concerns they have about any aspect of their work. These could be things such as inadequate working conditions, poor equipment, poor practice by other staff, and also raising concerns about potential abuse cases and situations of neglect. If such a situation did arise or the care worker were in any doubt at any time, it would be their duty to raise these issues with their supervisor / manager. A negligent act could be unintentional but careless or intentional that results in abuse or injury. A negligent act is breaching the duty of care. If an individual has evidence that you have been negligent, you are likely to be disciplined. You could lose your job and you could have legal action taken against you. Task B: Reflective account Describe two situations which demonstrate a conflict or dilemma between exercising a duty of care and the rights of an individual. In this first  scenario, the care and support plan for a physically disabled individual includes for the support worker to take them to a cafà © or restaurant every week. This gives them the opportunity to dine out as they are unable to do this alone. However, in this case the client is overweight and a diabetic and their doctor has said they should be making wiser choices. In situations where there is a conflict of interest or a dilemma between an individual’s rights and a carer’s duty of care, it is best practice to make sure the individual is aware of the consequences of their choice and that they have the mental capacity to understand the risks involved in their choice. Presenting the client with the information and facts in a non-judgemental way allows the individual to make an informed choice about where and what they eat. The care worker should take care to use an encouraging and supportive tone of voice and words so that the individual does not feel bullied or harassed into doing what they think the care worker wants them to do. The support worker should tell the individual the facts about eating at McDonalds and ask them if they would like to try somewhere different. It is the role of the care assistant to assist them in making those choices and reducing the risks without compromising their rights. Ultimately, if the client does not want to do so, then the care worker should take them to McDonalds if this remains their choice. If an individual insists on doing something that the care worker disagrees with, they can only advise and encourage them. However, they would be failing in their duty of care if they did not try to prevent the client coming to any harm although in this case, intervention was not necessary. Any ongoing concerns the care worker has should be discussed with their manager and perhaps they could also request the client be given more information about their condition from a health worker or dietician so they have the full facts in order to make wise choices. In the second scenario, let us assume that the client has been categorised by the appropriate professional authorities as ‘a person who lacks capacity’. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) has a set of criteria to determine whether a person is able to make informed decisions and choices. The term ‘a person who lacks capacity’ means a person who is unable to make a particular decision or take a particular action for themselves at the time the decision or action needs to be taken. The dilemma is that the care worker would still want to respect the decisions of the client but would need to exercise a duty of care to make sure that this person was not exploited as they are very vulnerable. If, after a discussion with the client, the care worker had concerns that the client had made an inappropriate decision, they would need to report it to their manager, for example, if the person has given their money away or if another person has â€Å"borrowed† it etc. By passing the information to the manager, the care worker would have respected the client’s privacy by not revealing information to outside agencies without permission and also fulfilled their duty of care by trying to safeguard them from harm. A record of the incident should be made in writing and both signed and dated. It would then be the manager’s role to inform outside agencies if appropriate, such as the police, or the client’s family. Task C: Guidance Notes Write a set of guidance notes for social care workers to help them deal with complaints. In the notes, you must: Ci)Explain legal and organisational requirements for dealing with complaints. Cii)Describe how best to respond to complaints from service users, other practitioners and the family of service users Ci)Anyone who has a concern regarding the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust which includes Tameside and Glossop Community Healthcare can make a complaint. A service user can complain about the service or the treatment they have received or alternatively, a complaint can be made on behalf of another person. If anyone is unhappy with any aspect of their care or the service received, they should speak to member of staff as soon as possible. If that staff member cannot resolve the problem or the person is not comfortable talking to them, the complainant can contact the Patient and Customer Services Department (PCS) by phone, email or post as soon as possible. The PCS aim to resolve all complaints quickly and satisfactorily  but if the issue is too complex to resolve quickly, they may ask them to put their concerns in writing so they can begin a formal investigation. Cii)Treat the person with respect, listen to their concerns and reassure them that the matter will be treated seriously. Deal with the issue promptly and in many cases, it should be possible to sort out the problem straight away. If the member of staff approached cannot resolve the problem, the PCS department may need to be involved. Explain to the person how the procedure works and timeframes: The procedure The complaint will be reviewed by the Head or Deputy Head of Patient & Customer Services. It will be graded according to the complexity and severity of the issue. A case officer will be appointed to coordinate the investigation. The case officer will check whether there are any confidentiality issues and also whether more than one organization is involved. If necessary, the persons consent will be required so that additional organization are informed. Details of the complaint will recorded on the Risk Management Database and forwarded to the correct department for investigation. Patient confidentiality will be respected. For example, if the complainant is acting on behalf of someone else, a form requesting the authorisation of the patient to disclose confidential information to them may be required. Similarly, if the patient themselves is unable to provide their consent, e.g. they have died, then appropriate authorisation for the complainant to act and receive information on the patient’s behalf may be required, such as written consent from the Next of Kin. The person who has raised a complaint should not worry that they will discriminated against and that their, or their relatives, future healthcare will be affected. To maintain confidentiality of patients and staff, letters of complaints and their replies are not stored in the patients’ records. They are kept centrally within the Patient & Customer Services Department. If the person is unhappy with the response that the Trust provides or they would like further clarification of the points raised, they should contact the case officer dealing with the complaint to discuss further options. Timeframes The Trust will acknowledge the complaint by contacting the complainant within 3 working days of it being received. The Trust will strive to provide the  complainant with a full response, wherever possible, within 25 working days. If it is likely to take longer than 25 working days to resolve, then a date by which a response is anticipated will be provided plus ongoing progress reports will be given at regular intervals.

What If My Financial Situation Changes And I Am Unable For...

What if my financial situation changes and I am unable to make the payments? We understand that during your IVA, the income from your business could fluctuate. This in turn could affect your payments into the IVA as they are likely to be dependent on your business cash flow. If you find yourself unable to make your payments at any point during the term of the IVA, it’s really important that you contact us so we can help you. We have years of experience of assisting people in difficult situations and there may be a variety of solutions available in order to help you complete the term of your IVA successfully. If your financial circumstances change – for example due to a downturn in business, depending on the terms of your IVA, you may†¦show more content†¦At Payplan, in excess of 95% of all revised proposals are accepted by the creditors. If payments are not maintained, it is possible that your IVA will fail which means your creditors are free to chase you for their outstanding debts. How are IVA payments calculated? First you need to create a business budget for the next 12 months – we can help you with this. List your monthly takings from your business and then deduct all your business expenditure. Next, deduct the monthly Tax and National Insurance provision you make and the figure you are left with is your monthly income from the business. Next you need to create a personal budget. Write down your monthly business income (which is the final figure on your business budget) and any other income you receive such as benefits. Following this, write down all your personal expenditure. This will include allowances for things like mortgage or rent, Council Tax, Utility Bills, telephone, travel costs, housekeeping, clothes and toiletries. Once you have done this, deduct your expenditure from your income. This will be the amount you can afford to pay your IVA. It is very important that you ensure all your expenditure is listed in your Income and Expenditure, so you can live with your budget, and so your IVA is sustainable. How long will my IVA last? IVAs normally last for five years.