Indian Overview Fashion Dress

Harpoon statues, which have been dated to approximately 3000 b. C. E. , depict the garments worn by the most ancient Indians. A Priestley bearded man is shown wearing a toggling robe that leaves the right shoulder and arm bare; on his forearm is an armlet, and on his head is a coronet with a central circular decoration. The robe appears to be printed or, more likely, embroidered or applique ©d in a trefoil pattern. The trefoil motifs have holes at the centers of the three circles, suggesting that stone or colored faience may have been embedded there. Harpoon female figures are scantily clad.A naked female with heavy bangles on one arm, thought to represent a dancer, could have been a votive figure that would have been dressed (also in a toggling garment, leaving the decorated arm uncovered) for ritual use, a custom observed throughout India in the early twenty-first century. Other excavated female figurines wear miniskirts, necklaces, and elaborate headdresses. The skirts are faste ned either by sashes or beaded girdles, which continued to be used in later times. One figure wears a short cloak leaving the breasts bare. A fan-shaped headdress is seen on statues of both sexes.Male figures appear to wear a neck scarf hat may be an early angstrom, a traditional scarf still used in the early twenty- first century. However, the Harpoon scarves are shown held by a brooch and could be signs of office. The Vivid period has traditionally been associated with the Aryans and their entry into India around 2000 b. C. E. , though this date has been disputed, as it has been learned that Central Asian tribes had been moving into northern India and beyond from very early times. The Vivid hymns refer to the Indus Valleys famous cotton and Gander's wool and dyed fabrics.The Kampala, or blanket, appears to have been used by both men and women as a wrapper. The earliest Vivid hymn, the Rig Veda (ca. 2000 b. C. E. ), refers to garments as visas. A number of words are used for cloth, thus indicating a consciousness of clothing styles. Cassavas meant â€Å"well- dressed,† and savanna described a person arrayed in splendid garments. The word shrubs meant â€Å"well-fitting,† which denotes stitched garments. The god Pupas is called a â€Å"weaver of garments,† Vass viva, for it was he who fashioned different forms. A mystical quality is associated with apparel.An undressed man could not offer sacrifices to the gods?an essential aspect of Vivid life?for he would be complete only when properly dressed. The common mode of dress during the Vivid period was draping. The most important item was the nevi, which was wrapped around the waist according to the wearer's status and tradition. Worn over this was the visas, which could be a drape, a wrap, or a Jacket (known as drape or attack). The tributary was a draped upper garment. The apartheid, or breast cover, was either wrapped around the breasts, as is still done in Tripper, or tied at the back.The attack, worn by men, was a long, close-fitting coat often India extends from the high Himalayas in the northeast to the Karakas and Hindu Cush ranges in the northwest. The major rivers?the Indus, Ganges, and Yamaha? spring from the high, snowy mountains, which were, for the area's ancient inhabitants, the home of the gods and of purity, and where the great sages meditated. Below the Karakas range lies the beautiful valley of Kashmir; to the north of Kashmir is Lady. Although the mountains have always formed forbidding barriers, passes through them permitted the migration of a range of ethnic groups from Central Asia and beyond.These nomads?the Scythian, the Hunt, and many others?settled in North India and then penetrated further, bringing varied lifestyles, levels, ideas, and skills, as well as ways to express themselves through dress, ornaments, rituals, rites of passage, myths, deities, and spirits. The valley of the verdant Punjab, Harlan?Indian's granary? attracted large-scale m igrations from ancient times. Restaurants and parts of Ketch are in the Tar Desert, while the oldest mountain range, the Arrivals, runs from Gujarat and Restaurants to the open spaces of the Delhi ridge, which conservationists are desperately trying to save.The desert was inhabited by nomads from Central Asia who created fiefdoms in Gujarat and Restaurants in the seventh century c. . These princes had their own chivalrous traditions and legends, which bards have kept alive in their ballads into the early twenty-first century. Dress and Jewelry were elaborate, and festive celebrations occurred among both the rich and the poor. Sarasota, in Gujarat, had nearly two hundred principalities, and Gujarat, Restaurants, and Madhya Pradesh together had innumerable small and large estates, all of which were laws unto themselves.Each state would try to outdo the others in the opulence of their dress, courtly life, and celebrations. The Vanity Range divides northern from southern India. The cent ral section consists of the Decca Plateau and its two rivers, the Goodyear and the Krishna, while the Eastern and Western Ghats are the small hills that edge the coastal areas. The Decca Plateau, which rolls down to the sea, is the land of the Dravidian people. The original inhabitants of this area were Stone Age cave dwellers whose traces have been found by archaeologists. Some descendants of these ancient people still cling to their age-old matrilineal social structure.The country varying climatic conditions have resulted in a range of textiles and manners of dress. Cultural milieu, 2 COUNTRIES OF SOUTH ASIA described as being embroidered with gold thread. Peas was a gold-embroidered or woven cloth used for making pleated skirts. It is interesting that many of these words continue to be used in slightly different forms. Attack may be cancan, a long, close- fitting coat worn by men, while pesewa may be the root of pesewa, the term for a long, flowing dress Joining skirt and upper g arment and worn by women at the Ragout courts; it was also adopted by dancers.Different turban styles are mentioned and appear also to have been worn by women to denote status. There are references in he Veda to mantles embroidered with gold thread, and proof (in a description of borders running the length of a cloth and of two borders across its width) that the dhoti, the lower wrapped garment, had already emerged during this period. The all- around border indicates that such cloth was used as a veil, a shawl, or an Odin for the upper part of the body. T Buddhist and Gain literature, especially the Steak tales, provides details about life between 642 and 320 b. . E. Descriptions of garments and fabrics forbidden to monks and mendicants are indicators of what was worn by laypersons. Cloth of bark, Balkan; fabric made from human hair, keas-Kimball; and owl feathers and deerskin were forbidden to monks, as were patterned and dyed garments. What is interesting is that the cinchona, the stitched Jacket, was also prohibited for monks and mendicants, which suggests that they could not wear stitched cloths; this is still the case among some sects in the early twenty-first century. Nuns, however, were allowed the use of bodices.The apparel worn by laypersons consisted of the antimacassar, or loincloth; the attractants, a mantle for covering the upper body; and he Sunnis, or turban. Tunics or Jackets were worn by both men and women. All items appear to have been mostly instituted, but the style of draping varied according to status, region, and taste. The dhoti could be pleated to fall in front like an elephant's trunk or like a fan to form a sort of fish tail, as is still done by some dancers in South India. The sash known as sandbank was also intricately knotted and draped.Shoes and sandals with linings and of varying shapes, materials, and colors are also mentioned, as are padded shoes with pointed ends like scorpion stings, still made in Punjab. A study of sculptur es from the Marry and Sung periods (321-72 b. C. E. ) provides a greater wealth of detail. Alongside a graphic description by the Greek ambassador to the Marry court of flowing garments worn by both men and women, and printed and woven with gold, dyed in multiple colors, and draped in a number of ways, the elaborate stone carvings at Barbet, Ashcan, and Patriarchal in the Decca give a good idea of dress forms.The Unitarian (lower-body wrap) was tied either in the middle at the waist or below the navel, and was tucked between the legs and taken to the back. Members of the upper class wore it ankle length, while the working class and peasantry wore it knee length. The Unitarian was fastened by a sash, varying from a short one tied at the waist to an elaborate one draped in many different ways. The tributary, or upper garment, was worn in a range of styles, from an elegant drape to a casual wrap. At Barbet, a representation of one of the earliest stitched garments can be seen; it has a round neck tied with tassels and also ties at the waist.Women wore the Unitarian either tucked in back or as a pleated, instituted skirt, and they also used a sash. The tutorials An embroidered backless blouse from the nomadic people of Ran of Ketch, Gujarat, India, 1994. Photograph by Asleep Domain. Of aristocratic women appear to have been very fine, with embroidered patterns and borders, and seem to have been used to cover the head. Sculpted figures wear elaborate earrings, as well as necklaces, armlets, bracelets, and belts. The Kanata was worn close to the neck, while the larger lambent carried chains, beads, and amulets. Men wore long necklaces adorned with animal heads.Girdles, armlets, and bangles were sported by women, along with rings and anklets in different forms. Some fine Marry Jewelry made with the granulation technique was discovered in Ataxia. Dating from the time of the powerful Stagehand Empire (200 b. C. E. -250 c. E. ) in southern India, the Martial caves, some of the caves at Junta, and remains at Nonjudgmental contribute to an understanding of the dress and ornamentation of this period. The Astrakhan's came to power as the Marry Empire was on the wane; the Margins had spread from the north to the Decca, as well as to the east, influencing culture and traditions as they went.In addition, a mix of ethnic groups including Parthian, Scythian, and Greeks intermingled with the local Dravidian. Trade with Rome brought new ideas and materials and increased the level of prosperity. Stitched garments were worn by men in the form of tunics, while lower garments consisted of a range of dhotis worn in INDIA numerous ways, tucked between the legs, knee length, and tied with decorative sashes, or in a more elaborate ankle-length fashion. Stitched tunics with round or V-necks were unembellished except for a folded sash, which appears to have been worn in a range of ways and added a sense of style to these ensembles.Women do not appear to have worn stit ched clothes. Their Unitarians were knotted either in the center or at the side and tightly wrapped; they appear to have been practically transparent, clearly outlining the limbs. Women did not wear turbans but dressed their hair in several styles: braided, in a chignon above the forehead (as in Kraal in the early twenty-first century), or in a bun at the nape of the neck. Jewelry, in the form of numerous bangles, long necklaces, Jeweled belts, and anklets, was elaborate.Women wore a range of Jewels on their heads such as the chiding, a tots form still worn in southern India by brides and traditional dancers. Elaborate earrings were also common. Royalty had emblems to distinguish them from commoners, including umbrellas, which were large; richly decorated with silk, gold embroidery, and applique ©; and open rather than folding as in Europe. The cheerio, or flashily, was used only for royalty or the gods. Royal standards and swords were also symbols of power, and thinned sandals ap pear to have been the kings prerogative.According to tradition, in the absence of the king, his sword and sandals represented him. The Khans (50-185 c. E. Ruled from the Genetic Plain to Bacteria in Central Asia. Part of the Wheezy tribe that originally had come from China, they united five tribes under their chief Kulak Shadiness. The most powerful Khans ruler was Kinshasa (78-144 c. E. ), a stone figure of whom, wearing elaborate stitched garments, can be seen at Mature. His tunic extends below his knees with a girdle at the waist. Beneath the tunic he wears a pair of pants; over it is a heavy coat with out- turned lapels.His pants are tucked into heavy boots, and he appears to be wearing spurs. Dress of this period exhibits certain stylistic transformations. The indigenous working people wore a simple, short longboat, a knee-length wrapper tucked between the legs, with a short shoulder cloth, similar to the Gambia, which had multiple functions: as a turban to protect from the sun , as a towel, and as a sack for carrying goods. Foreign attendants at court, entertainers, and soldiers wore stitched clothes, as did traders.Nomadic influence can be seen in the adoption of the long-sleeved, knee-length tunic and of a knee-length coat, chough, worn over the tunic and tied with a girdle or a buckled belt. Pants were tucked into boots, and a pointed cap was worn, apparently made of felt and of a type still used by the Shirking people of Central Asia. Women are shown in sculptures from Kandahar wearing a serialize garment that appears to have derived from the Greece-Roman tradition of drapery. Worn tucked at the back and draped over the left shoulder, this style is seen in the sculptures at Mature and resembles sari draping in the early twenty-first century.Some Ghanaian figures also have an tributary, draped over their shoulder like the shall, worn in the early twenty-first century over the sari outside the home or for some ceremonies. In some cases the sculptured fi gures wear blouses underneath their draped Unitarian. THE GUPPY PERIOD The Guppy Empire was a golden period of creative expression. This empire stretched across most of the north, extending to Balk in the northeast, from 400 to the mid-eighth century c. E. Stitched garments were common, and regional differences began to emerge.The fact that the Khans leaders, as well as the Asks and the Scythian, who ruled in Gujarat in western India for two hundred years, sometimes wore stitched garments indicates that such clothing was associated with royalty and high officials. Thus, it became highly prestigious. The late murals from the Junta caves provide details of colors, patterns, and drapery. Rulers depicted in court scenes appear to be wearing transparent, floating wraps and scarves, fine Jewelry, and elaborate crowns and headdresses. Stitched garments are also seen.Gold coins, some of the most exquisite artifacts from this period, show men in full Khans royal dress: coat, pants, and boots . Women in the Guppy period wore the Unitarian in many different ways. The cache style of tucking it between the legs was not very common, and a different style of wrapped Lott, very short to ankle length, was worn. The wrap gave way to a stitched skirt with an izard, or tape, tied at the waist or below it with a sash. In some cases this skirt was worn like a sarong from armpit to midnight. Ruling-class women wore longer skirts or ankle-length Unitarians, while the working class wore shorter ones.Perhaps due to Gain and Buddhist influences (nuns had been instructed to cover their breasts and wear loose garments to hide the curves of their bodies), different blouse shapes began to appear. A number of breast covers are mentioned in the literature, from ands, which raised the breasts, to schools worn with the opening at the back and an apron to cover the stomach, or blouses tied in the front, which are still worn in the early twenty's century. Jewelry appears to have been finely worked in gold. Earrings were sandals, hoops worn together with smaller pearl earrings at the top of the ear.The karakul, or lotus flower, was another type, while the canals-sandals, tremulous earrings, swayed and twinkled with every movement. Women appear to have worn a quantity of pearls, including mutilate, a type of pearl necklace, or another magnificent necklace known as visitant, which combined pearls, rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and sapphires. The knish's, coin necklace, was also popular and is still worn in the early twenty-first century. Armlets were used by men and women alike, sometimes in the form of a snake. Jeweled girdles suspended over the hips were provocatively draped and hung below the navel.Flowers, possibly fragrant, were used to decorate the hair and as garlands. In the Decca, the Vassals ruled in the fifth century b. C. E. , to be succeeded by the powerful Chalky kings at Bedlam in Andorra. Further south were the Plasmas of Champions and the Pandas of Madeira. The u pper caste had absorbed Guppy influence, but in the interior people continued to follow traditional lifestyles. Royal men wore stitched tunics; sculptures from this time attest to the use of sleeved blouses among women. However, traditional draped and wrapped clothing for both men and women continued to be the norm.Turbans were worn by men, especially royalty, but never by women, nor are there depictions of women covering their heads. Even in the early twenty-first century, head covering by women in South India is associated with widowhood. According to Motif Chancre, the lexical of the seventh century c. E. Provide a range of information about dress of this period. In fact, the very existence of such sources is a sign that the terminology COUNTRIES OF SOUTH ASIA and Turks, as well as from the Arabs, led to the introduction of Islam. Along with these groups came Suffix mystics with their emphasis on egalitarianism.Because they reached out to the people, their influence spread widely . The urban centers of the Islamic world were closely interlinked, and the tradition of having ateliers attached to Islamic courts from Spain to Syria was intended in India, resulting in a major change in lifestyles and fashion. With the founding of the Mammal dynasty by Quit-du-din Bake at Delhi in 1206, the Sultanate period began. In the early fourteenth century, Muhammad bin Thought established the dare al-tiara, court ateliers as described by the famous traveler Bin Batista.The historian Bin Fade Allah al-‘Mari (1301-1348) mentions that a tiara factory employed four thousand silk weavers and four thousand brocade weavers, whose production was made into robes of honor, kilts, and robes, saw, for the sultan, his family, and his favorite courtiers. Emir Kruse Delilah, the great savant and poet, wrote that the clothing worn by kings and noblemen followed contemporary Persian fashion. AAA-‘Mari further observed that linen garments imported from Alexandria and â€Å"the l and of Russians† were very fine and that only persons permitted by the ruler to do so could wear them.He also mentioned garments made in the style of Baghdad and described gold-embroidered robes. Sleeves were embroidered with tiara. Thus there appears to have been a fair amount of mobility of fashion at this time. A great deal of money seems to have been spent on special clothing. Frizz Shah Thought is supposed to have worn an extremely valuable Gullah cap over which a turban of fine material was tied. Four-cornered caps decorated with Jewels were also worn. Men arranged their hair into locks or ringlets and added tassels. Learned men and Judges wore long, striped gowns from Yemen.Indian Muslim society was divided into four main groups: the secular and religious nobility, the traders, the artisans, and those who worked the land. The secular nobility was divided into all-I USAF, men of the sword, or warriors, and all-I slam, men of the pen; these groups were comprised of Turks, Afghans, Arabs, and Persians who tried to remain separate from the local population, whether Hindus or earlier Muslim converts. Turks and Afghans chose their wives from households that could trace their lineages back to their ancient tribes, thus maintaining their distinctive mode of dress and lifestyle.Dress divided the people. Muslims wore tailored clothes, while Hindus wore mostly instituted garments, though Hindu men did wear Jackets, which were tied at the side opposite of that worn by Muslim men. Hindu women wore a voluminous skirt or a sari, while Muslim women wore the churchyard pajama, a tunic, and a pesewa with a veil. A man wearing the traditional dress of the nomadic people of Ketch, featuring the type of printed cloth that was exported from the area from early times. Gujarat, India, 1982. Photograph by Asleep Domain. Had become highly evolved.Variable, ornate, and Unitarian were all terms used to describe the tributary. The head cover, Dunham in Sanskrit, continued to be used in a modified form, called Odin or Danna, as did the gharry, which in the early twenty-first century is called gharry or chagrin. The Jacket, tunic, or blouse was called could, chinchilla, surpasses, Angola, and cinchona, words that are still used in efferent parts of North India. Gain sources are full of information on Indian garments used by both the clergy and the laity. The Ached Sutras, which describe rules of conduct, are rich in material.Mention is made of Jackets and quilted or draped tunics, as well as floor-length robes such as principal. The shoemaker, Pawtucket or Carmella, is mentioned as making a range of shoes. There are rules as to how often clothes are to be changed. The washing of garments is meticulously described, including hand-washing, dual; calendaring, grants (that is, stretching cloth); starching, marts; and pleating and perfuming. There are also terms for sewing implements: needle, such or sevens; and scissors, Ukrainian, karri, and kali.THE MCHUGH EMPIRE The next great change in lifestyle, thought, and administration came with the Mussels. Sahara-du-din Muhammad Baber had made five forays into India, but it was not until 1526 that he was able to defeat Sultan Abraham and reach Delhi and Agar. In the four years that followed, he laid the foundation for an empire that lasted until the coming of the colonial powers from Europe. Baber, a poet, aesthete, and adventurous warrior, never really took to India; his first act was to establish a garden, since he engaged for his homeland, the lush green valley of Ferryman.It was his grandson, Kafka the Great, who tried to understand the rich culture THE ARRIVAL OF ISLAM It was only with the incursions of Muhammad of Ghana in 997 c. E. That Indian's isolation ended. New influences from the Afghans INDIA of the country over which he ruled and who realized the need to assimilate Hindu and Muslim culture. The Burnham, Burr's autobiography, gives a graphic description of the emperor's daily ac tivities, also describing festivals and celebrations. It mentions the bestowing of robes of honor, but these are sable robes tit buttons, more suitable for the cold of Central Asia.It also mentions the presentation to Burr's son Human of a char, possibly an elaborate Central Asian collar influenced by those worn by the Chinese. There is a further reference to the expensive hat worn by Human, known as culpa; he was also given a costly plume, which he probably wore on a cap or turban. Baber describes a toothaches, a tent or storeroom where textiles and royal clothes were kept, including while on military campaigns, thus emphasizing the importance of dress even in camp. Gunner was the dismissive term applied to clothing worn by non-Muslims.Saba's chronicler Babul Faze recorded many of the changes introduced by the emperor in the area of court dress, including his interest in local traditions and his attempt to upgrade local skills by importing master craftsmen from many countries. Thes e individuals were offered special grants of land, pensions, and so forth, and given Saba's personal encouragement. He also introduced fine cotton and printed clothing as being suitable to the climate. The cheddar Jam with pointed ends is typical of the age of Kafka and is seen being worn by men in miniature paintings of the time.Women ear veils, not caps, and appear to have used fine-quality cotton and worn multiple layers of fine cloth. Kafka also renamed garments using the Hindi language. Jam (coat) became Saratoga, â€Å"covering the entire body'; izard (pants) became yard-piranha, â€Å"the 65 companion of the coat†; amanita Jacket) became tanned; fat (belt) became patgat; burqa (veil) became chitchat guppy; kulak (cap) became sis sob's; mum-ABA (hair ribbon) became Hessian; pat (sash) became Katz; shall (shawl) became paranormal; and bazaar (shoes) became charlatan.Kafka realized that in order to intermingle the wow cultures, strong racial associations with different l ifestyles had to be overcome, and the combining of Hindu and Muslim dress was one important way to do this. Babul Faze describes how the emperor took the audacity, an unlined Indian coat with a slit skirt and tied at the left, and had it made with a round skirt and tied at the right. It was typical of Kafka to alter the form of a garment that was identified with or acceptable to the Hindu community.He probably planned to make the Jam acceptable to both Hindus and Muslims, though he was also conscious of the need to prevent misunderstandings. People could be recognized at a glance by the manner in which it was tied (to the left for Hindus and to the right for Muslims). It had been compulsory during the Sultanate period, and continued to be so under the early Mussels, for local rajas, maharajah, and cards to present themselves in the dress of the ruling court. This must have caused resentment. Saba's aggressive attempts to assimilate Hindu dress into the courtly code led to a greater sense of acceptance.A study of miniatures from his time gives some indication of the changing styles. Special items were created by the emperors themselves. Just as Kafka designed the Daschle, a pair of shawls stitched together so that there was no wrong side, Changer (reigned 1605-1627) designed a special coat known as nadir', which he mentions in his memoirs. Persian and Central Asian influences became far less important during this period. Garcia Sat women in their traditional dress and Jewelry. Ketch, Gujarat, India, 1982. Photograph by Asleep Domain. COUNTRIES OF SOUTH ASIA affluent but effete style was that of Outdo at Locknut.Though the dress formula remained the same?lama, angora, fairish pajama?its style became a trifle exaggerated. Angoras became much wider and trailed on the ground. Women's churchyard pajamas gave way to the fairish pajama, which was so voluminous that young pages were required to gather and carry them. The Kurt, a loose tunic made of fine cotton with ric h china, white-on-white embroidery, was introduced, as was the embroidered topic, or cap, often worn at a rakish angle. The story associated with the invention of the topic is that the innumerable women in the nab's harem could attract his attention only by creating an unusual cap.The Sherwin, a tight, calf-length coat, and cancan, a long, fitted coat for formal wear, came part of the dress of the Muslim elite. It continues to be worn in the early twenty-first century as formal wear by Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims. Kafka having married a Hindu princess, many Hindu traditions were introduced at court. Nor Johan was known as a great designer in her own right and was responsible for a range of innovations. Toward the end of sixteenth century, the Jam was being made of cloth so diaphanous as to allow the pants worn underneath it to be seen. This was a garment for summer wear.Most Restaurants' men, both upper- and middle-class, wore the court styles, including a variety of Jams; the most m oon of these reached below the knee. Another type was almost long enough to cover the pants underneath it entirely. Sometimes the Jam had full sleeves. Most women in northern India, however, were hesitant to copy exotic dress and continued to prefer the half-sleeved bodice (chili), the ankle-length skirt (gharry), and the head scarf (Odin/Danni). The upper garment was fully embroidered at the neck and on the sleeves and the tasseled ends of the transparent Odin were decorated with pomp-pomp of wool or silk.Pomp-pomp were also found on the strings tying armlets ND bracelets and on shoes, at the ends of tassels, and they were also worn in the hair. Wives of noblemen and officials and high-ranking ladies, bewitched by the beauty of the McHugh style, adopted the Jam with flowing skirt, tight pants, and Odin. The emperor Changer, himself a painter, possessed a fine aesthetic sense. From the range of garments seen in miniatures from his reign, it is obvious that he was a fastidious dresse r. He wore a colored turban with gold fringe at the top or a screech, a Jeweled, feathered turban.A pearl string encircled these turbans. His coats were invariably of brocaded silk. The paths were woven with butts, a floral pattern. The diaphanous Jam went out of fashion around 1610, thought to be unfit for public wear and used only by entertainers. During this time beards also went out of fashion; Changer followed the example of his father and ordered his courtiers to shave. Nor Johan, meanwhile, created her own dresses. The English diplomat Sir Thomas Roe was overwhelmed by the brilliance of the diamonds and pearls she wore. Dress under Shah Johan (reigned 1628-1658) became even more elegant and luxurious.The emperor's turban had, besides the Changer' string of pearls, a Jeweled aigrette and a further border of Jewels hanging from the sides. The turban itself was constructed from gold cloth. Shah Khan's one surviving coat boasted extraordinary embroidery. His sash, sandbank or pat , and slippers were also lavishly decorated. Rearrange (reigned 1658-1707) was a pious Muslim as well as an active, aggressive ruler. The overly luxurious life at court had fostered a certain laxity in government, which he tried to control, curbing opulence and reining in festive celebrations.Some historians have accused him of banning music and painting and prohibiting the wearing of silk at court. He could not have done so as he himself dressed magnificently. His turban was Jeweled, his Jam was elaborately patterned, and he wore pearl bracelets, armlets, precious necklaces, Jeweled pendants, several rings, and a beautiful Jade-handled dagger, which hung from a pendant clustered with pearls. During his reign, the skirt of the Jam was widened and lengthened, and turbans became voluminous. Rearrange revived the beard but limited its size by ordering that no Muslim should wear one longer than the width of four fingers.The eighteenth century saw the disintegration of the McHugh Empire under weak rulers ho were unable to control court intrigues and unrest. Regional courts became more powerful and attracted artists, craftsmen, and traders. One court known for an COLONIAL PERIOD The Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English arrived in India to ask for trading concessions from the McHugh rulers and were overwhelmed by their grandeur and wealth. According to Sir Thomas Roe, the English presented a sorry sight with their dull clothing, lack of entourage, and meager gifts, which they were afraid to present. Even the minor Indian princes were better e

Morality of Management Earnings Essay

The term â€Å"Earnings Management† is a form of â€Å"number smoothing† used by a company’s management to manipulate or influence the company’s earnings to match a pre-determined dollar amount. This is done in an attempt to keep financials stable, as opposed to showing financial fluctuations. When a company appears to be stable it has a greater chance of attracting investors, which in turn demands higher share prices. When a company is able to have higher share prices, the more likely they are to draw new investors. Likewise, a company that has low share prices is often a reflection of a company that is not doing well financially (Investopedia, 2009, para 2). Often, companies perform abusive earnings management practices in an effort to â€Å"make the numbers† (Inevestopedia, 2009, para 4). In order to do this, management may be tempted to â€Å"make up† numbers as a means of drawing investors or to make their company appear financially stro nger than what it actually is. The methods used in earnings management can be varied, and may be done through manipulation of financial numbers or operating procedures (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 84). In a study conducted by the National Association of Accountants, a questionnaire was prepared which described 13 observed earnings management situations (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 83). Below are five listed generalizations that can be made by the study findings regarding short-term earnings management practices. 1. Respondents of the survey felt that earnings management practices utilizing accounting methods to be less acceptable than methods of operating procedure manipulation (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 84). Manipulation of operations can include something as simple as pushing shipping to the last day of the fiscal quarter or asking customers to take early delivery of goods (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). Another example is when companies make â€Å"Unusually  attractive terms to customers† or â€Å"Deferring necessary expenditures to a subsequent year† (Rosenzweig ; Fischer, 1994, para 5). According to survey responses, practitioners had fewer ethical dilemmas when using operational earnings management tactics compared to those involving accounting methods (Rosenzweig ; Fischer, 1994, para 7). 2. When it came to accounting, survey respondents felt that increasing earnings reports to be less acceptable than the decreasing of earnings reports (As quoted by Gibson, pg. 84). Managers appear to be more comfortable in reducing the overall company profit when reserves show elevated numbers (As cited by Gibson, p. 85). It would seem that management might assume that if their reserve numbers are high, then reducing them to show lessor profitability acceptable. If the money is genuinely there, then what is the harm in reducing the profit amount to meet a designated number? However, when it came to reporting profit increases, managers were hesitant in determining what earnings management methods would be ethical and which would not. 3. Generalization #3 is similar to generalization number two where ethics are concerned. Respondents felt that if earnings management tactics were kept small that it was more acceptable than if the effects were large (As cited by Gibson, p. 84). When manipulations of numbers or operating procedures are kept to smaller changes, managers seem to feel it more justifiable and acceptable. For instance, if management were asked to show an increase of sales by $12,000.00, such manipulations would be more ethical than if asked to increase sales by $120,000.00. Likewise, if production costs were delayed for advertising to meet a quarterly budget it would be more acceptable than if production costs for advertising were delayed to meet the end of year fiscal budget. This also ties in to generalization #4, the time period of the end effect. 4. Time periods play a large part in determining how ethical earnings management practices are. As described above, when asked to alter numbers or operating procedures in an effort to make quarterly forecasts, managers seemed to feel this practice to be more acceptable. When asked to alter numbers or operating procedures for annual reports, however, the line between ethical and questionable is blurred. 47% of respondents to the survey felt that earnings management practices that were made to meet an interim quarterly budget to be ethical, while only 41% felt that such manipulations in order to make an annual budget to be ethically sound (As  cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). 5. When asked whether it was acceptable to offer special extended credit terms to customers in an attempt to increase profits, only 43% of survey respondents felt the practice to be ethical. However, when asked if the same end result would be ethical if achieved through ordering overtime to ship as much product as possible at years-end, 74% of respondents felt this manipulation to be ethical (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). A staggering 80% of survey respondents felt that selling excess assets as a means of realizing a profit to be ethical, while only 16% felt it would be questionable (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 85). Short-term earnings management procedures, while questionable, are often legal. The alteration of financial information in an attempt to meet budgets or as a way to show profitability is often alluring and an â€Å"easy† way to draw investors. Managers who use earnings management tactics must take into consideration the impact such actions may have with key stakeholders (As cited by Gibson, 2013, p. 86). When numbers are skewed favorably, it gives stakeholders a false sense of security in their investments. Companies who engage in short-term earnings management practices often set themselves up for losses over time. When numbers are adjusted to make a quarterly or yearly dollar amount, chances are the following quarter will find the company in the negative. Such practices are rarely foolproof and care must be taken when making earnings management practice decisions. Focusing on long-term earnings management practices are ultimately more favorable, but in order to be effective management must remain committed to consistent operational procedures. Forecasting the product needs of customers and looking ahead are key strategies for keeping sales income at a consistent level. Waiting until the last minute to offer customers generous credit terms in an effort to boost end of year or quarterly sales is a short-term answer at best. Looking at the purchase history of customers and integrating theses sales number into future budgets should help alleviate the need to resort to last minute scrambling to make budget targets.

Critical Incident in Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Critical Incident in Healthcare - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that nurses were not always viewed strictly as providers of care with a minor comfort support position, essentially less-trained doctors. Rather, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, comfort provision was a key part of nurse care. Part of this may have been the domestication of nurse's roles and the association of nursing with femininity, but there was also a recognition of a holistic need for provision of comfort and care as well as treatment: â€Å"[T]here was nothing concerning the comfort of a patient that was small enough to ignore†. Nursing wasn't just concerned with mechanically providing food, cleaning, and other specific services, but with general well-being. In an era where cures were few and far between, providing comfort became the nurse's unique role. But since then, the improvement both of cures and of pain medication has made it so that nurses view their comfort role purely physically and mechanically. In the 19th and 2 0th centuries, nurses did not discuss treatment with patients because this was the role of the physician. While the change away from this norm is undoubtedly both more socially appropriate and just and more medically sensible, one good consequence of this norm was that nurses were de facto mental health care providers, giving patients emotional as well as physical comfort. That soup that day and this critical incident analysis teach me that the provision of comfort and attending to the needs of patients are vital. Hospitals are scary to many people: They feel deeply averred by sterile environments, other sick people, and an area where people often come to die. Provision of comfort is necessary to avoid deterring people from seeking medical care entirely. Resource management is vital to health care. Critical incident reports help guide those analyses. But most critical incident reports, while not looking solely at â€Å"death† and using a wide variety of indices and approaches , tend to focus purely on negative outcomes such as accidents. While critical incident reports should tend to take this approach, there is little point in focusing exclusively and perpetually on what was done wrong, what mistakes were made and what miscalculations were engaged in. Analysing success stories and proper provision in some vein, with the same techniques, is essential to resource management: One has to know where to put resources, not just where not to. Resource management in health care improves the provision and efficiency of health care through the following means: 1. Directly improving the efficiency and effectiveness of resources allocated to patients and therefore directly improving patient health.

The Career of Elvis Presley and Other Musicians of His Time Essay

The Career of Elvis Presley and Other Musicians of His Time - Essay Example The career of Elvis is an example of a striking success: he had 18 singles which took the first places in charts, and his contribution is significant to â€Å"†¦several musical genres, most notably rock, country, and gospel. It is also different from the careers of the musicians who will be discussed below in such terms that he devoted much time to participate in the filmmaking industry, and his life was almost twice longer than those of the Holly and Cochran and almost as long as that one of Vincent.  Gene Vincent, one of the biggest rockabilly and rock-n-roll stars, also made a significant contribution to the music in general and to the mentioned music genres in particular, and his career had several differences from the above mentioned Elvis’ one. First, he took part in filmmaking activity not as intensively as Elvis, and second, his popularity to a significant extent depended on the airplay of his tracks by the radio stations. Nevertheless, he was a rather popular musician and deserves being mentioned in one row with Elvis Presley.  Eddie Cochran’s phenomenon is that even though his life lasted for 21 years only, he managed to reach the top of the music Olympus and to leave tracks that are still very popular, such as â€Å"Summertime Blues†. In such a narrow period of time he managed to significantly influence the development of rock-n-roll and rockabilly and was positively referred to because of his outstanding guitar playing skills.  

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Human Resource Management - Essay Example A strong, dependable and knowledgeable workforce can change the organization’s prospects for success in the marketplace. In this paper I have been asked to assume the role of an HR Director for a privately held, mid-sized engineering and manufacturing organization that is a government contractor and prepare a comprehensive  staffing integrating the organization's recruitment, selection, and onboarding processes. The challenges present in the current scenario are that the firm is located in a city that has a larger than average percentage of people who are receiving various forms of public assistance.  The city also has a  lower than average number of college graduates and professionals, due to flight from the region to  high tech hubs in the  Northeast and Southwestern United States. Finding the Right Candidates Given the three categories of candidates to be hired i.e. Engineers, Skilled labor and Production or unskilled labor, the best approach for hiring skilled en gineers are through placing an advertisement in the newspaper and specialized engineering and construction industry related journals. ... Promise of tuition assistance for kids or medical insurance would meet the needs of many of these families and could be used as a sweetener. For new interns, we could launch a hiring program that targets graduates of all the available local universities and is coordinated with their administration and program supervisors (Weyland, 2011). We can target likely candidates just before they graduate, asking for student profiles and arranging on campus interviews with the whole class to select the most promising. It is likely that some of them would prefer working close to home rather than relocating. The informal interviews help us get a step in the door and sponsorship of some element of the engineering program would endear us to the students and faculty. It can help attract good candidates to our formal hiring program once they graduate. An open house day in the final semester would also be a good idea. For unskilled staff, it is unlikely that many of them would have relocated and possi ble that they have adapted to the needs and demands of other industries. However those who want to return to their field of expertise in the engineering production area could also be attracted by ads in the newspaper as well as word of mouth. Attracting People to the Firm Part of this has already been explained above. It is important that all those who apply would be considered for various positions depending on their experience and skills. Since we are a private firm we may be able to pay a little higher than Government organizations. However because we deal with industrial contractors, the payment factor may be viewed with uncertainty, Having firm orders from customers, keeping

Assumptions Made in the U.S. Economic Decisions Assignment - 2

Assumptions Made in the U.S. Economic Decisions - Assignment Example The rates by banks and mortgage in the country experienced a considerable decline and a consequent effect on the economy (Eavis, 2012). The mortgage and banking industries’ decision to lower lending rates was incorrect (Henning, 2011) given the assumptions made. One notable assumption was that the price of real estate would always be on an escalating trend. Banks, therefore, decided to drop lending standards. This turned to be a wrong move in maintaining a stable standard of the economy. The second assumption was that mortgage lenders’ decisions are always trusted. The second assumption rendered transactions with real property securities as safe. Insurance companies and firms rating such securities did not attest the loans provided for real estate, which constitutes their key role. Â  Although a free market experiences a number of challenges, the condition was avertable. Insurance companies and firms need to attest securities provided for loans. This would create a legitimate rating of such securities. A legitimate security rating would help to reduce the lending rate that spilled the real estate with investors. Banks need to maintain their rates (Nagle, 2009) to levels that ensure desired economic states. Perfect and sure decisions made by the banking and mortgage industries would help solve the economic stalemate experienced. A though research in market trends would help contain the economy and avoid such assumptions. Â  

Organizational Behavior in Margaret Atwoods Surfacing Essay

Organizational Behavior in Margaret Atwoods Surfacing - Essay Example Organizational Behavior in Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing Popular culture is meant to represent the common ground or the popular perception of culture but has the organization of society become too intellectualized? If work is as much a part of our lives as eating and breathing is, then is work life itself a good reflection of our cultural make-up? Gender and sexuality have both taken on new identities over the last century, thanks to war and depression, and this has also changed how the working world is comprised. Men and women are socialised in different ways, aiding the way they see themselves in later life. Little girls are dressed in pink, little boys in blue; little girls bake and sew while little boys fix cars and make furniture. The way we are told we should behave, is largely responsible for the types of vocations chosen by people and also why new world upbringing has led to current trends of women in previously exclusively male vocations such as engineering. Margaret Atwood writes a compelling, if rather disturbing account of gend er and sexuality in the modern world where her chief character battles with her own stress in the new expectations of women in the modern world. Surfacing by Margaret Atwood is essentially a feminist manifesto that looks at the complexity of how society organizes its gender differences and sexuality. It is not an easy novel to digest neither does it attempt to dissipate the uncomfortable truths about life in the modern world.... This is because women in the workplace have had an affect both on men and women: men now have to share their workplaces with women and women have to contend with previously masculine issues. The problem with academic representations as opposed to popular writing is that the academia is unable to see the interpretive mode of translation. It is not possible for academic representations to see inside the person's actual being, making it difficult to determine what it is exactly that makes employees or ordinary people tick. Any number of aspects can affect the way the person reacts to the environment around them. The past, present and future are all parts of the human life cycle that affect the way organizations are perceived by individuals. The popular culture representation for this reason is more personal, more realistic. If we look for instance at the film Portrait of a Lady we see the difference between how women were perceived in the past and now how they are perceived today. There are two female characters in the book Surfacing, the narrator and Anna. Anna is the epitome of the old-world passive female mentality. Concerned most of all about her weight and her appearance, "I told her she should wear jeans or something but she said she looks fat in them."(Atwood, 1997: 5). On the other hand, the narrator writes about her lover, Joe whom she refrains from marrying, explaining his appearance, "with small clenched eyes and the defiant look of a species once dominant, now threatened with extinction. That's how he thinks of himself too: deposed, unjustly."(Atwood, 1997: 2). If we compare this piece of writing to the above example of Portrait of a Lady, we see the way in which gender roles

Islamic center Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Islamic center - Essay Example It is a ritual in which Muslims, men and women must attend in mosques, since it is not a prayer than can be performed in house, and while Men are obliged to attend as it was made clear in Quran and Prophetical narrations, women are excused from doing so, as the Prophet Muhammad (may the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Him) explained that when He said (with the meaning): "Jumu`ah is an obligation upon every Muslim which He must perform in congregation, except for four: an owned servant, a woman, a young boy and a (very) sick Man" The time needed for the Jmu`ah prayer changes from one mosque to another, it depends on the important of the subject addressed by the Imam, the man who usually leads the 5 daily prayers in the mosque, He usually choose the topic of it according to what He sees best regarding benefiting the Muslims attending the prayer. Sometimes the Imam addresses a social problem taking place within the Muslim world and communities, in other cases He points and guides toward the right practices, remind people of what is good and forbid them of what is bad, channel their thoughts and help toward other Muslims in need and no matter what is the main topic of the speech, it is all follow the reminder of Allah and His Messenger, by quoting Verses from Quran and Hadith (Narrations) from the words of the Prophet Muhammad and in other cases He mentions certain related opinions or ruling for known knowledgably trusted scholars. One can clearly see the Muslims heading toward nearby mosques before the start of the prayer, some goes there real early as they try to seek more rewards while others try to manage being there before the Imam starts the speech. It doesn’t matter if you are a local in that area or just passing by or even a traveler, when you go inside the mosque you instantly see all sorts of people walking in, placing their

Guiding Principles to Rewarding Performance and Performance And Reward Essay

Guiding Principles to Rewarding Performance and Performance And Reward Strategies - Essay Example The paper tells that most organizations trying to gain competitive advantage in the market without success attribute their failure to such items as organization structure, poor communication; employee incompetence as well as policies and procedures hence end up redesigning or restructuring the organization to eliminate the problems. Little do they realize that their problems are as a result of poor performance and reward systems and strategies leading to poor performance by employees and the organization as a whole. A high performing organization should develop a performance-driven organizational culture where all employees are encouraged to develop and utilize their capabilities in a way that leads to improved performance. Organizations should thus involve themselves in redesigning their performance and reward systems in a way that reinforces performance and underpins business strategy as well as other organization and human resource strategies such as staffing, development and empl oyee relations. The performance management is a process that enhances organizational performance by developing the performance of individuals and teams in the organization. It entails identifying strategic goals that the organization needs to accomplish, identifying how the management and employees can help in supporting such objectives as well as carrying out performance appraisal and reviews to determine if the objectives are being achieved. Reward systems on the other hand, are used to reinforce individual commitment to performance through reward and recognition programs. However, performance should be measured properly to ensure that the reward programs pay off in terms of business goals. According to eNotes (2012), the management should ensure that performance has actually occurred before rewarding employees and also ensure that individual and group efforts are rewarded. This is to promote individual initiatives and foster group cooperation. 1.1 Purpose of the Report The purpos e of the report is to guide the CEO of DIY stores on how the organization can redesign its performance and reward systems in a way that reinforces performance, increases staff motivation as well as company’s ability to attract and retain the right people in line with the stores mission of achieving a more dynamic, performance-focused corporate culture. 1.2 Objectives The objective of the report is to design a performance and reward system that integrates business strategy and HR strategy. It is also to create a working environment that ensures just, fair and ethical treatment of employees. It also aims to develop a program that recognizes and rewards exceptional performance and ensures that reward systems are market based, equitable and cost effective. It is also to ensure that the needs of all stakeholders are met by developing a total reward system. It is also aimed at achieving high performance, customer service, high profits and ensuring product availability and minimisat ion of losses. 1.3 Background DIY store (DIYS) is a chain of large warehouse-style stores selling DIY equipment and is also a wholly-owned subsidiary of a larger retail group. It runs 250 stores across the country serving over a million customers a week and employs 12,000 people. Despite having a well established performance management and reward system clearly understood by all employees, it still experiences low morale, poor performance, high staff turnover,

Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 5

Strategy - Essay Example the people at the project level may not be well informed about the strategy of the business in detailed except in just a general manner. Those in top management may be unwilling to share the picture out of fear of commercial sensitivity (particularly of the future direction). Strategic planning is a vital tool within an organization and should be embraced within any level of management (Barry J. Witcher, 2010). A good organizational planning process is that which brings the organization together. It the process where clear vision of the organization is articulated and also the direction in which it intends to go. A strategic organization makes deliberate actions towards the future direction by coming up with ways to measure and benchmark the progress. Several organizations are faced with the challenges of adopting to changing business environment. The conventional view is that for firms to acquire competitive advantage, core competencies, it has to strategically allocate resources so as to be adoptive in the rapid changing environment. As a result, organizations should streamline their efforts and carry out extensive planning and analysis in selecting markets and products which to engage. The evolutionary, or ecology of population, perspective suggests the degree of organizational change is very high that adaptation is almost impossible; instead organizations grow to adopt into an environment through natural selection. At the other end are those who are of the opinion that the contemporary changes in environment are so high and unanticipated that planning becomes difficult, somewhat, organizations have to be adoptable and nimble. Critically, the metaphor that organizations as entities trying to adopt to their changing environment expresses a sense naturalness and inevitability that covers the discretion and internal conflicts of

Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls Essay Example for Free

Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls Essay I encourage girls to search within themselves for their deepest values and beliefs. Once they have discovered their own true selves, I encourage them to trust that self as the source of meaning and direction in their lives† Mary Pipher, Ph. D. Clinical psychologist Mary Pipher has brought widespread attention to the loss of true-self, experienced by adolescent girls in her critically acclaimed book, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. Whitaker, 2006). In her book, Pihper addresses the development issues of adolescent girls, the culture they live in and how their needs are and are not being met. She explains that our failure as a society, is not giving our children good, sound advice on how to become a decent, functioning adults and our unwillingness to do so, is destroying our culture (Pihper, 2002). She also offers insightful advice as to how, we as a society can encourage our adolescent girls to remain true to their authentic selves. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls More than anything, I want to save my children from the pain and self-imposed isolation I experienced during adolescence. As a parent, I want to shelter my children, make all of the hard decisions for them and protect them from any harm that comes their way. As a realist, I understand that the experiences of adolescences are necessary to build character, strength and integrity. As a dreamer, I want my children to magically transcend into adulthood, unscathed from the trauma of their teens years. As a future psychologist, I agree that our children are growing up in a poisonous culture and without intervention; we will all suffer (Pipher, 1994). When I looked up this book and noticed its publication date (1994), my first thought was, â€Å"How relevant can this book be, it’s almost 20 years old? † The issues adolescents faced in the early 1990’s are not the same issues that my children are dealing with in 2013. American cultural has changed significantly in the last 20 years. Society as a whole, has become more aware, more understanding and more proactive; we’re willing to acknowledge the faults of past ideology and we’re eager enact positive change. We’re involved; we’re conscientious and we’re dedicated the betterment of society. Yet with all of our good intentions, our adolescent girls are drowning in vast sea of negativity and losing their true authentic selves, to an over sexed, hypercritical, media crazed culture. The most important message it took from Mary Pipher’s book, Reviving Ophelia, is how damaging and belittling our culture is to the development of adolescent girls. We are living the â€Å"information age† and there is very little parents can do to shield or protect their children from the harmful influences of the media. The internet and social media has taken over society and negatively impacted our culture in numerous ways. Children are exposed to sexual, violent content so often and from such an early age that they’ve become indifferent to it. Even the movies, music and television programs that are specifically geared towards adolescents, often advocates under-age drinking, drug use, defiant behavior and overt sexuality. As a result, our children are growing-up too fast. My twelve year old daughter is dealing with issues that were once considered to be taboo even for adults, such as sexting and posting naked picture online. Parents and the media often contradict one another, which further confuses adolescents (Pipher, 2002). Parents are trying to establish healthy boundaries and instill moral values, such as kindness, respect, consideration and modesty. Their goal is to produce happy, well adjusted, morally sound adults. The media, on the other hand, purely wants to make money by pushing products and opinions (Pipher, 2002). All facets of the media push, sell, and glorify sexuality over newsworthy content. These types of media encourage self-doubt and insecurity in girls by teaching them to worry about their sexuality, popularity and attractiveness (Pipher, 2002). Pipher blames the inescapable influence of the media, in part, for the eradication of self-esteem and loss of true identity among young impressionable girls (Whitaker, 2006). Throughout time, the needs of our children have not substantially changed (Pipher, 2002). They still need love, understanding, protection, acceptance and guidance to grow and thrive. It’s our culture and expectations, or lacks thereof, that have changed; we no longer expect people to do the right thing. Our culture has become much more sexualized, violent and dangerous for adolescent girls; 44 percent of all rape victims are under the age of 18 (Rainn, 2009). Startling statistics like these make it difficult for parents to balance their adolescent’s need for safety against their need for autonomy. These changes have also made it much harder for young women to identify and ultimately get what they need (Pipher, 1994). Our culture encourages adolescent, girls and boys, to distance themselves from their parents (the people that care most and know them best) as a sign of independence (Pipher, 2002). When adolescents are in their most vulnerable/impressionable state, their parents are unable to help them navigate difficult life altering situations. For the lack of better option, adolescents turn to their peers and media (Facebook) for advice and guidance: which leads to confusion and loss of self (Pipher, 2002). Mary Pipher explained, the problems that girls (adolescents) are having is not because of dysfunctional families, as much as a dysfunctional culture. I found this perspective refreshing. For many years, family members, especially mothers, have been blamed for their daughter’s (adolescents) unhappiness and emotional issues (Pipher, 1994). Parents are not the only ones responsible. They cannot protect their children from everything and everyone. Our culture and society are responsible as well; we all have an obligation to the youth of our nation. As a society, we are failing to provide a safe, nurturing environment for our children to flourish. As a culture, we are failing an entire generation of young women by allowing the media to dictate the value of external and internal beauty. We are also allowing the media to teach our culture, that it’s acceptable to view children in an overly mature, sexualized manor (Pipher, 1994). Adolescence has always been a time of turbulence and strife but in today’s culture, girls and young women feel overly pressured to conform to society’s unrealistic expectations of beauty, sexuality and femininity. During childhood, girls are praised for their kindness, academics, sports ability and natural talents. During adolescence, their childhood accomplishments and personal strengths are minimized or devalued and their sense of â€Å"self† becomes dependent upon their perceived level of attractiveness (Pipher, 1994). Girls who do not feel attractive or â€Å"normal,† see their bodies as a personal failure and are left feeling worthless and/or excluded. Pipher explains that an adolescent’s lack of emotional maturity, makes it difficult for them to hold onto their true-selves and not fall prey to our over sexualized culture. Girls are encouraged to sacrifice their true-selves and they are expected to mold themselves into what society wants from its young women. In a sense, their identity is strip away so their sexuality and attractiveness can surface. Society has little concern for who these young women want to become or what they’re capable of accomplishing (Pihper, 1994). Our culture doesn’t typically embrace or reward individuality, unless it comes in a pretty, blatantly sexualized, package. Girls respond to cultural or societal pressures by being angry, developing depression, withdrawing and by conforming (Pihper, 2002). Pipher explains that insecure girls often â€Å"lead with their sexuality,† as if it’s their only redeemable quality and all they have to offer. As a parent, how can I help my children navigate a media obsessed culture that I do not truly understand? How do you limit the dangerous influence of the internet and Social media; it’s everywhere, all the time? This is not the culture or society that I grew up in, the rules have changed and the stakes are much higher. I feel like I’m running a never ending race against peer pressure and media influence; whoever wins the race gets to keep my child’s soul and dignity. The idea of losing my sweet, loving twelve year old daughter to title wave of uncontrollable, irrational hormones is terrifying. Like most parents, I fear adolescence. I clearly remember my own â€Å"war path† through my teen years. I needlessly pushed and distanced myself from my family. I was very â€Å"uncool† to get along with your parents. I fought viciously for independence, which really meant doing whatever I wanted. I lied, skipped school, snuck out at night, stole liquor and drank to the point of passing out. I felt misunderstood and disconnected from everything. I deeply craved companionship; so much so that I allowed myself to be used by unworthy, equally damaged people. The peer pressure was so intense and my need for acceptance ruled my life. It was a very confusing time and I tortured myself and my parents. I remember how lost I felt, how hopeless it all seemed, how angry I was and how much I hated my body. I was too short, too fat, teeth were crooked and my chest was too big. I breast developed quickly; in junior high, I was 34 C-cup and by high school, I was a 36 D-cup. I got a lot of inappropriate and unwanted attention, that I didn’t know what to do with. Men/Boys liked me too much and women seemed to be bothered or intimidated by me. Some of my girlfriends were jealous, while others were overly critical. The attention I received permanently changed how I saw myself and how I interacted with the people around me. I went from being a tiny, abrasive tomboy, who was always fighting to be seen as an adult, to being viewed in a completely sexualized manor. The media has taught women, of all ages, that their most revered, important qualities are sexuality and appearance (Pipher, 1994). Adolescent girls are constantly bombarded with distorted, over sexed images of what beauty should look like. You have to be tall, ridiculously thin, wear expensive clothes, have perfectly straight teeth, flawless skin and above all else, exude sex (Pipher, 2002). When young women compare themselves to the images they see on television, in movies and on advertisements, they’re often left feeling inadequate and confused about their own bodies. The media’s idea of what constitutes attractiveness or what beauty looks like is often unattainable, unhealthy and unnatural. The average fashion model is 5’10/5’11 and weighs 110 pound (Pipher, 1994). According to the Center for Disease Control (2007-2010) the average American girl, at age 11 is 4’11† and weighs 104. 8 pounds; an average American girl, at age 15 is 5’4† and weighs 139. 6 pounds; the average American women over the age of 20, is 5’4† and weighs 166. 2 pounds. These statistics are mind-blowing and sad. How can we expect adolescent girls to have a healthy understanding of beauty and body image, when the average 11 year old girl (at the beginning of adolescence) is just 6 pounds shy of the average fashion model? How, as a society, do we expect our young women to develop positive attitudes about weight, height and appearance when we continually glorify an unrealistic and often unattainable standard of what beautiful is? When the media portrays â€Å"beauty† in such an unnatural way (being supper skinny) adolescent girls will do unhealthy, extreme things to be thin; which often leads to eating disorders (Pipher, 1994). Bulimia Nervosa is the most common eating disorder among young adolescent women, ages 14-24 years old (Duke University, 2010). People with bulimia will binge eat or consume large amounts of food in a short amount of time; an average of 3,000 – 5,000 calories within an hour (Smith amp; Segal, 2012). After binging, the bulimic feels compelled to purge or rid the body of the recently consumed food by vomiting, excessively exercising, or abusing laxatives and diuretics. Approximately 1 out of every 50 American women will suffer from bulimia at some point in her life (Duke University, 2010). Bulimia Nervosa can become all-consuming and take over the adolescent’s entire thought process. Every decision, in one way or another, is about food. In the beginning, bulimia makes them feel powerful, in control and invincible. For the first time in their life they can eat whatever they want, it doesn’t count, the calories don’t matter because they can get rid of them. No harm, no fowl! Slowly, over time, they come to realize that they are not in control, they’re eating disorder is. The uncontrollable compulsion to binge and purge interferes with relationships, daily routine and their life in general. In an attempt to hide their eating disorder, adolescents may isolate themselves from friend and family, which only exacerbate their illness. Pipher offers some great advice on how, we as a society, can encourage and effect positive change in the lives young women. She list 6 essential things that all adolescent girls need. First) Physical and Psychological Safety: Girls need the ability to thinks clearly and the permission to feel what they feel, without fear of punishment or ridicule. Second) Love and Friendship: Girls need the love of their parents. They need to develop lasting relationships that are based on mutual respect, love and understanding. Third) Useful Work and Skills: Girls need feel useful and purposeful by develop skills that promote personal accomplishments and success. Fourth) Opportunity to Grow: Girls need time, compassion and guidance as they develop into total functioning human beings. Five) Self-Defense Training: Girls need to feel empowered; they need to know that they can take care of themselves, that they are not passive victims.

Relation Between the Oil Prices and the Sales of Automobiles

Relation Between the Oil Prices and the Sales of Automobiles Abstract The objective of this research is to study and understand the relation between the oil prices and the sales of automobiles. The escalation in the petroleum prices plays a major role in the automobile industry worldwide. When the price of oil increases, it evidently alarms the automobile industry because the auto companies are in the competition with one another to fulfill the new demands for more fuel efficient consumer mindful at condensed price. Furthermore, rise in the petroleum prices also impacts the kind of means of transportation demanded by the buyer and the way those vehicle motors are designed. However after studying the oil price impact on Pakistans automobile industry sales we have concluded that the relationship of oil prices and auto sales does not exists in Pakistan. Contents Acknowledgements II Abstract III Contents IV 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 The Impact of Rising Oil Prices on Automobile Sales: 1 Background of Pakistans Automobile industry 4 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 5 4.0 RESEARCH METHOD 14 5.0 HYPOTHESIS TESTING 15 5.1 INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLE 15 5.1.1 Independent Variable à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" domestic oil prices 15 5.1.2 Dependent Variable à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Pakistans Auto mobile Sales 16 6.0 DATA ANALYSIS: 17 7.0 CONCLUSION IMPLICATIONS 19 8.0 REFERENCES 20 List of Tables: Table 6.1 ANOVA and level of Significance 18 Table 6.2: Regression Statistics of the tested variables 18 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Impact of Rising Oil Prices on Automobile Sales: Impact of oil in daily life is quite evident. Oil is considered as a strategic energy for economic time line. The price of oil has an effect on cost of production in diversified ways such as with the increase in oil prices, there is an increase in the costs of transportation of export, import and goods for local expenditure. Apart from this there is also an upward slope in rates of air, road, rail and sea transportation with the rise in the price petroleum. Oil endows with 97% of the transportation fuels that facilitates in running the trucks cars and other automobiles in the countrys highway. Thus, when the price of the oil increases, it evidently alarms the automobile industry because the auto-companies are in competition with one another to fulfill the new demands for more fuel proficient consumer mindful at condensed price. There are no reservations that profit margin of the companies are affected by this. Furthermore, rise in oil price also affects the kind of means of transportation demanded by the buyer and the way those vehicle motors are designed. The escalation in the petroleum prices plays a major part in the automotive industry. The world consumes over 82 million barrels of oil per day (BPD), with the united states taking roughly 20 million BPD1. Petroleum is one of the most essential contributions in a nations economy and its price has extensive economic and social impacts. Various researches illustrate that the price of petroleum in Pakistan is considerably high either with or without involving per capita income and it needs to be leveled downwards in order to guarantee competitiveness of Pakistans exports and lessen the burden on the buying competence of the nation. Nevertheless, this cannot be a simple task as Pakistan heavily depends upon imported oil in order to fulfill its petroleum necessity and the development surcharges and the import revenues compose a major sector of the Government income. However, a feasible and reasonable solution to trim down oil price is needed keeping in sight the revenue making facet and the prevailing global prices of crude oil. The major reason of escalated oil prices is linked with the demand of oil and the complication in oil refineries. Petroleum is used usually for two reasons: Firstly, in the gasoline production and secondly in the production of tires. In the US, during the last few years the prices of gasoline have risen up considerably reaching on an average over $ 3.00/gallon (EIA-Energy Information Administration).Oil is considered as the main element in the tires production. With the increase in the oil prices, the cost and expenditure in making the tires escalates, the cost to heat up or cool the manufacturing plant where tires are produced increases, and eventually escalates the expenditure of shipping the tires to further destinations. Because of the rise in the price of petroleum, the tire makers are also increasing the price of tires. The automobile sector is affected by both, tire production and gasoline prices as the profit margins are affected by the rise in oil prices and tire production prices. The automobile industry catastrophe, currently worldwide phenomena, started during 2008-H2. The automotive sector is going through a crisis condition in US and Canada because of the Automobile products Trade Agreement. Nevertheless, all auto makers worldwide, especially in Japan and Europe are also facing the same crisis. The first fragile connection in the auto sector was the record high petroleum prices during 2008 which caused global oil crisis and made fuel costs and expenditures unreasonable, causing buyers to opt for smaller cars rather than larger SUVs (sports utility vehicles) and the pick up trucks. Background of Pakistans Automobile industry The global oil crisis has affected Pakistan economy severely. Automobile sector has been greatly impacted by the oil price shocks. There had been consistency in the Gross Profit Margin of Pakistans Automobile industry. It raised from FY01 (6.83) to FY03 (13.73).Then had a downward slope for two consecutive years to 12.17 (FY05), then remained stable for two more consecutive years (FY05 FY07).Since FY07 there has been a constant downward slope, reaching 6.14 (FY09) the diminishing Profit margin was because of the ever escalated cost of goods sold. The risen up cost is primarily due to the global oil price shocks and the high depreciation value of Rupee. The escalated costs were also linked to the high inflation rate during FY09. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Escalated oil prices have been accountable for periods of extreme inflation, recessions, and lower productivity and reduced economic growth. For the Automobile manufacturers the fuel price debate is nothing new. Due to predefined end of petroleum resources, the automakers have come up with various strategies to avert any sudden need for action. However till now, no one has clearly defined the oil supply definitive end. Kiseol Lee and Shawn Ni analyzed the effects of oil price shocks on demand and supply in automobile industry depicting the effect of oil price shocks mainly reducing demand. They suggested that oil price shocks influence economic activities. The first OPEC oil embargo in early 1970s has led to the start of debate over the oil shocks and its Macroeconomic effects. The most comprehensively surveyed theories on the direct consequence of oil price shocks incorporates that an input-cost effect, that higher energy cost lowers usage of oil which in turn lowers productivity of capital and labor; and an income effect, that higher cost of imported oil reduces disposable income of U.S. households. (K.Lee, 2002) According to an editorial in 1973-1974 oil crises: Automobile sales, especially for standard and medium-sized cars, began diminishing almost with the first realization that the energy crisis is reality. The trade-in value of big gas-guzzlers toppled unmercifully and some dealers were threatening not to take them in trade at all. Gasoline mileage, not size and comfort suddenly became the paramount concern for the consumer. (Wards Auto World) K.Lee contrasted to the situation in the petroleum refinery and industrial chemical industries which were bothered by the escalated cost of fuel, research in trade papers proposed considerable indications that the automotive industry distraught by the two fuel price shocks mainly due to the demand for larger vehicles stabbed. The effects of oil price hikes for nearly all other industries are less severe and intricate. The writings in trade journals of rubber, metals and other machinery industries often cited that the major factor of soggy economical activity is the dejected and depressed automotive market, however the highlighted that various sectors of these industries have also gained benefit from augmented economic activity in energy exploration and protection.(K Lee ,2002) The steel sector was adversely affected by the hunch in automotive sales. According to the Wards Auto World, Chemical week and Industry Week magazines, the oil prices crunches lowered the demand for the metals by their effect on automobiles, housing and consumer durables. Globally, the auto mobile assemblers are facing financial crisis at their worst which is eventually leading to recession. In the same way , as Pakistan s Auto Market is an export driven industry which attracts both foreign and locals investments, therefore is facing decreasing sales and production level and depicting a depressing future. Because of the present critical situation prevailing in the automobile sector, many companies are on the threshold of economic failure and bankruptcy. K Lee discussed that after an oil price shock, demand for vehicles is destabilized in view of the fact that a prospective new car holder may go for other ways of transportation to save the operating expenditure of vehicles, or delay buying a new car because ambiguity about future energy prices makes it difficult to come to a decision which type of automobile to purchase. Increase in Oil price also alters the composition of the automobile demand. As compared to the small-size cars, the demand for full-size cars is much more destabilized. The U.S. auto makers suffered more ruthlessly from rising and falling oil price because they manufacture inconsistently more full-size cars than their overseas competitors. Hamilton in 1988 mentioned in his writings that the oil crisis stimulate recessions primarily because a sharp increase in oil price escalates ambiguity and elevates operating costs and expenditures of several durable goods, which diminishes demand for durables, venture and investments. (Hamilton 1988, 1999). Brad M. Barber, Reid W. Click, Masako N. Darrough analyzed and empirically estimated the degree to which exchange rate and oil price alterations have contributed to this market swing. Increase in oil prices diminishes the amount of vehicles sold by the US auto makers, but conversely to the common idea, had minor effect on the Japanese auto mobile makers .That oil price effect reported 6.5 percent of the variance of alteration in monthly sales volume for US automobile manufacturers. They also discussed that productions costs are affected by oil prices hikes. For their research they used VAR to highlight the environmental issues that influence the cost of manufacturing and demand in the automobile industry. They clearly account for the effect of oil prices and exchange rates on manufacturing costs and the impact of oil prices and income on the demand for vehicles. Their outcomes suggested that the all the considered macroeconomic variables affected sales volumes as forecasted by the model they used. With reference to oil prices, escalated oil prices have certainly led to turn down in sales by the U.S automobile manufactures. Hamilton proposed that financial slumps tend to emerge after oil price trends. In particular, the worldwide inflationary strains of 2008 became rigorous with the spikes up in fuel prices shocks in the global financial system including Pakistan. Fuel prices with respect to domestic currency emphasized the fact that the delivering channels of global shocks via exchange rates variations put down major effects on the domestic inflation within the economy. According to Hamilton, the variations in oil prices in local currency are inflated and unpredictable in contrast to the variations in prices of oil in dollar terms particularly in 1999 and onwards. This underlines the details that the impacts of external oil price shocks have considerable effect upon local inflation via exchange rate variations in the economy (Hamilton, 2005). Bresnahan and Ramey discussed that the OPEC oil price shock in US during 1973 had major impact on the U.S auto mobile industry. It amplified the demand for smaller, fuel efficient cars and at the same time condensed the demand for larger cars. As the funds, financial stock and labor force were basically bound for the manufacturing and production of larger cars, therefore the U.S automotive companies were inadequate to respond to this oil price shock. As a result, capacity consumption, utilization and the output cut down during the period of Oil price shock. Only few plants were equipped to produce the small cars, manufacturing and operating at their peak capacity. (Bresnahan and Ramey ,1993). Steven J. Davis, John Haltiwanger studied the impact of oil price shocks on the creation and devastation of American automobile manufacturing employment from 1972 to 1988. The oil price shock unfavorably had an effect on the proximity between the preferred and actual characteristics of factor contributed in the automobile industry along different dimensions. Firstly, a large amount of the physical resources in the auto industry was devoted to the manufacture of larger cars instead of the smaller ones. Secondly, the American automobile labor had built up proficiency that was skilled and specialized in the manufacture and production of particular car models, and these were likely to be larger vehicle models. In Pakistan also the increase in oil prices had impact on many enterprises. Many different small to medium Automobile companies in the manufacturing sector are facing a severe threat of downsizing, closures, layoffs and limited production cuts due to an abrupt rise in their cost and expenditures of doing manufacturing and a significant reduction in their car sales. According to the owners of different small automakers, the sales of different auto parts have plunged downwards to 30%-in proportion to the reduction in the car sales. The overall margins have also dropped down. With reference to the statistics of Pakistan Automotive Manufactures Association, car sales during the period of 2008-09 positioned at 82,844 units, which were declined by 48% from 164,650 units in the 2007-08. According to Birol and Keppler (2007) the association between mobility, calculated as time spent in movement, and economic output is more stable than the relationship between output and fuel utilization, partly due to increased possibilities of substitution between the latter. This examination bears a significant policy lesson: relative price changes to decrease energy consumption per unit of output are most effective where possibilities for substitution are highest. (Birol, Keppler, 2007) Storchmann (2005) employed a pooled model to calculate approximate average fuel utilization using various explanatory variables such as, population, private income, urbanization rates, density, oil prices and automobile expenditures. The sales of automobile sector is affected by all these variables. Thomas Klier and Joshua Linn estimated the impact of the price of gasoline on the demand for fuel efficient vehicles. They institute the idea that gasoline prices considerably influence the new auto market and the price escalations explained almost half of the down turn in market share of U.S auto firms. The outcomes suggested that consumer demand reacts when the price of gasoline increases or rise up during 1970s and near the beginning of 1980s. During stable prices in the middle period, the sales had a negligible effect by the prices of gasoline; their results were steady with casual observation of the new auto market. Hamilton (1988) used a model called sectoral shifts that elucidated how an oil price slog might lower real GDP. The primary propagation method in this model is that an oil price escalation will lower consumer buying power of energy-using commodities such as automobiles. Goldberg (1998) determined the rebound effect by means of the Consumer Expenditure Survey for the years between 1984-1990, as an ingredient of a bigger equation system that also forecast the effect of oil on automobile sales and prices. Lutz Kilian in 2007 used Regression analysis to discuss that Automobile purchases were by far the most responsive expenditure item when the oil prices fluctuates. Purchase of other durables goods for instance appliances or furniture; by contrast, are far less responsive to energy price swings. Spending on public transportation and on food at home are few of the expenditure items that privileged from unexpected elevated energy prices. There will be a demand side impact of oil price increases. When oil prices rise, consumers are likely to delay or postpone their purchasing durables such as automobiles. This demand side impact leads to relative increase in inventories to sales and then decline industrial production. 4.0 RESEARCH METHOD The objective of this study is to determine the impact of local oil prices on Pakistans Automobile sales. The research is exploratory in nature and relied on secondary research and data collection, reviewing available literature and data. The sample data consists of five years monthly oil prices; taken from OGRA (Oil and Gas regulatory authority), and five years monthly auto sales; taken from PAMA (Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association.) An extensive secondary data analysis was done where the impact of oil prices were observed and the related research were also examined to find out the linkages of the oil prices with the auto sales, data analysis was done through Ms-excel. The statistical tool used is regression and correlation. The tables were also generated through Ms-Excel 2007 version. 5.0 HYPOTHESIS TESTING The purpose of this research is to find the relationship between Local oil prices and the Pakistans auto industry sales. Globally, researchers have observed that oil plays a major role in impacting the Automobile industry sales. In our research we are also testing the following hypothesis. H1: The local oil prices have a direct impact on Automobile sales in Pakistan. 5.1 INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLE 5.1.1 Independent Variable à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" domestic oil prices In Pakistan, the oil prices passed through to domestic consumers is determined by Oil and Gas regulatory authority (OGRA) and although the oil price in international oil market fluctuates on a daily basis, in Pakistan the pass through is carried out after every 15 days. The international oil prices impact almost every sector of the country from transportation to the Agriculture. Hence oil is the backbone of every sector of the economy and plays an important role in the development of any economy. 5.1.2 Dependent Variable à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Pakistans Auto mobile Sales Pakistans automobile sales were taken from PAMA which is a registered Pakistan Automobiles Association company. The global oil crisis has affected Pakistan economy severely. Automobile sector has been greatly impacted by the oil price shocks. 6.0 DATA ANALYSIS: The data analysis was done through Ms-Excel 2007, Correlation and Regression analysis was done to find out the relationship between the two variables. The monthly local oil prices were compared with the monthly automobile sales. The regression Analysis was done to determine if escalation in oil prices affects the sales of automobile industry or not, to find out this the following equation has been used Y = a + bx Here Y= auto sales And X= oil prices Sales = f (oil price) S=16,150.92-32.03(oil price) Negative sign of X intercept shows that the result is inline with the literature review i.e. with the increase in oil prices, automobile sales is declining. However the relationship is insignificant because P value is 0.51 (greater that 0.05).Therefore, the research hypothesis has been rejected and there is no relationship between oil prices and sales of auto industry. Table 6.1 ANOVA and level of Significance ANOVA df SS MS F Significance F Regression 1.00 7,521,403.95 7,521,403.95 0.44 0.51 Residual 55.00 939,576,283.03 17,083,205.15 Total 56.00 947,097,686.98 Table 6.2: Regression Statistics of the tested variables Multiple R 0.09 R Square 0.01 Adjusted R Square (0.01) Multiple R is 0.09 which means the correlation between the two variables is negligible. R square is also 1% which also indicates negligible effect of oil on the auto sales .Y intercept signifies that if oil price is 0, still the auto sales will be 16,150.92 units. Whereas, the slope indicates that with the increase in oil prices, the auto sales will decrease with 32.03 units. Log of both the variables was tested in order to find out the linearity, but no such relationship exists between the two variables. 7.0 CONCLUSION IMPLICATIONS The purpose of this study is to find out the effect of local oil prices on automobile sales in Pakistan. After conducting this research the results indicates that there is no significant impact on the Auto sales when the oil price changes. The escalation in the petroleum prices plays a major role in the automobile industry worldwide. When the price of oil increases, it evidently alarms the automobile industry because the auto companies are in the competition with one another to fulfill the new demands for more fuel efficient consumer mindful at condensed price. Furthermore, rise in the petroleum prices also impacts the kind of means of transportation demanded by the buyer and the way those vehicle motors are designed. However after studying the oil price impact on Pakistans automobile industry sales the research concluded that the relationship of oil prices and auto sales does not exists in Pakistan. The result shows that the correlation between the two variables is very minor and the significance value F indicated that there is no linear relationship between the two variables.

Distinction Between Absolute And Strict Liability Offences Law Essay

Distinction Between Absolute And Strict Liability Offences Law Essay In general, the criminal liability requires the proof of both actus reus and mens rea before convicting a person. When the necessity for the prosecution to prove mens rea (in the sense of intention, knowledge or recklessness) regarding the actus reus elements of the offence is disregarded, either expressly or impliedly, the offence in question is described as strict or absolute liability offence. What is the distinction (if any) between absolute and strict liability offences? The distinction can be seen by what the prosecution must prove. Strict liability offences do not require proof of mens rea in respect of at least one element of the actus reus, usually the essential element. However, proof of mens rea may be required for some of the elements of the actus reus. Absolute liability offences do not require proof of any mens rea element, but are satisfied by proof of the actus reus alone. The distinction can be seen by examining the issue of causation In strict liability, the prosecution is required to prove the causation of the actus reus and the offence. In Empress Car Co (Abertillery) Ltd  [1]  , the lordship said that, While liability [for water pollution] is strict and therefore includes liability for certain deliberate acts of third parties à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it is not an absolute liability in the sense that all that has to be shown is that the polluting matter escaped from the defendants land, irrespective of how this happened. It must still be possible to say that the defendant caused the pollution. In absolute liability, however, a crime may not require any causation link at all, if the specified state of affairs exists. In Winzar  [2]  , the defendant was removed from a hospital by police and was then arrested and found guilty of being drunk on the highway, even though the police officers had put him there. The court held that it was enough to show that D had been present on the highway and was perceived to be drunk. It didnt matter that his presence on the highway was momentary and involuntary. The distinction can be seen by what defences are available to the defendant Many academic papers differentiate strict and absolute liability by the availability of the defence of honest but mistaken belief, which is a common law defence. Where it is available the liability is strict, where it is not available the liability is absolute. The situation becomes complex in case where defence are provided in the statue for the defendant to escape liability. If common law defence is held by court to be excluded from the offence, does the provision of statutory defence disqualify an offence from being absolute? In the case HKSAR v So Wai Lun  [3]  , the court of appeal has the opportunity to look into the case B (A Minor) v DPP  [4]  , and made the following observation. Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 made it an offence for a person to have unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 while section 6 made it an offence in relation to girls under 16. Under section 6, a defence was expressly set out where the defendant, provided he was under the age of 24, believed the girl to be 16 or over Lord Steyn said à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦since section 5 contained no such defence, it plainly created an offence of absolute liability. So the court is suggesting that unlawful underage sexual intercourse, a traditional example of absolute liability, will not be considered as absolute liability per se in the present of statutory defence in provision. This observation is reaffirmed in the recent case Hin Lin Yee v HKSAR  [5]  by Ribeiro PJ in paragraph 198 (ii) and (iii). In other jurisdiction like Australia, the definition of absolute liability is even more blurred by the fact that common law defence like duress and self defence are available for absolute liability. How does one determine if an offence is one of strict or absolute liability? The question of whether a statutory offence requires proof of mens rea or is strict liability is treated as a matter of statutory construction, the statutory provision enacting the offence must be construed to determine the legislative intention. In Gammon (Hong Kong) Ltd  [6]  , the lordship has summarized the approach to the interpretation: There is a presumption of law that mens rea is required before a person can be held guilty of a criminal offence. The presumption is particularly strong where the offences is truly criminal in character. Truly criminal offence usually refers those dealing with violence against persons or property. The presumption is particularly strong due to the stigma that attached to the offence. The presumption applies to statutory offences, and can be displaced only if this is clearly or by necessary implication the effect of the statute. Sometimes the offence will expressly specify the type or level of mental fault by using words such as willfully, recklessly, carelessly, etc. In such cases, the court must then go on to define the precise meaning of those mens rea words. Where a statute is silent as to the mens rea for an offence, the courts must decide as a matter of general principle or statutory interpretation what level or type of mens rea applies. The only situation in which the presumption can be displaced is where the statute is concerned with an issue of social concern, and public safety is such as issue. Strict liability has often been imposed in regulatory offences concerning social concern and public safety, such as licensing, pollution, health and safety, driving offences, environmental offences and public health offences. Even where a statute is concerned with such an issue, the presumption of mens rea stands unless it can also be shown that the creation of strict liability will be effective to promote the objects of the statute by encouraging greater vigilance to prevent the commission of the prohibited act. In Lim Chin Aik v R  [7]  , the defendant had been convicted under the immigration laws of Singapore by remaining there (after entry) when he had been prohibited of entering. The aim of the law was to prevent illegal immigration. The defendant had no knowledge of the prohibition order and there was no evidence that the authorities had attempted to bring the prohibition order to his notice. Since there was nothing D could have done to determine whether a order had been made against him and thus ensure compliance with the relevant legislation, the Privy Council ordered that the offence was not one of strict liability because it did nothing to promote enforcement of the law. What policies are behind the creation of absolute and strict liability? It is said that the imposition of strict liability encourages greater observance of and compliance with law, especially to the employer who is vicariously liable to employees act, and this is particularly important where matters of public safety, public health and public welfare are concerned. High standards can be achieved and maintained only if those conducting activities involving risks to safety, health, the environment and so on are made to feel that it is not enough just to take reasonable care; they must take all possible care. Secondly, it is said that strict liability, by relieving the prosecution of the task of investigating and proving mens rea against an alleged offender, enhances the efficiency of our administrative and judicial systems. How do the concepts of absolute and strict liability assist or hinder the Prosecution, the Accused and the Court in a criminal trial? Prosecutor It relieves the prosecutor of the virtual impossibility of proving intent or knowledge of the wrongful conduct, particularly where the defendant was a company rather than an individual. No significant hindrance is observed for prosecution in regard to the application of concept. Accused Strict liability draw a clear line between legality and illegality, which may reduce the information cost for the accused to determine whether himself is guilty or not in some minor offence (e.g. speeding). Unnecessary legal fee may also be saved in this regard. On the other hand, the concept imposes liability on accused who have taken all possible steps to prevent the offence being committed and should not be blameworthy. The onus of proof is also reversed to the defendant side. Court The concept allows the court to strike down the many bogus defense that would otherwise succeed if excusable ignorance or mistake were always accepted as defense. On the other hand, the courts need to engage in time consuming debates about whether the legislature intended strict or absolute liability to apply. The difficulties in identifying strict liability offences can be seen from lack of clarity in judgements. Also, the court often need to justify the creation of strict liability does not per se contravene with the Bill of Rights.  [8]   Conclusion Overall I feel that strict liability is necessary, but that it should be used wisely and that statutes should be extremely carefully worded. Other jurisdiction is slowly moving away from creating new offences of strict liability and phasing out some of the older ones, or at least revising the statute and adding possible defences. Hong Kong should also revisit the issue and see if any improvement can be made.