You should be familiar by now with the implications of class, age and Essay

You should be familiar by now with the implications of class, age and gender for the kind of lives that people lead in society. But do you think that where you - Essay Example Durkheim strongly believes that the cohesion or the lack of cohesion of religious groups is more important than what the believers think or feel about their religion. Since the behavior of the group can strongly affect the social phenomenon of society, it is but fitting that one should always play closer attention to the characteristics manifested by the group. However, he stressed that social facts, such as moral rules are effective guides and controls of the conduct of the group if and only if these social facts are internalized by the individual members of the group. By instilling the moral standards in the members of a group, the members will now be constrained to obey rules as a moral obligation. The existing structures of society and the constraints that social factors tend to create on the individual members of the group affects the kind of lives that people may lead in a certain place. Note that any social formation be it superior or inferior to the quality of individuals that compose it, is considered a separate entity from the individuals that comprise it and therefore demands a certain that culture and social circumstances can be considered as unique to a place and to a group of people thus it very much likely that the quality of life of people will be greatly affected by where they live. A clear example of the social effects of where one lives can be seen in the case of Northern Ireland where a group of people come in constant conflict with each other. Technically, the conflict in Northern Ireland can be more easily understood if taken in the light of the opposing forces composed of the people who want Northern Ireland to be part of the United Kingdom on the other side and the people who want to â€Å"liberate† Ireland from external controls. An overwhelming majority of the members of the group that wants the union between Ireland and the United Kingdom are Protestants. On the other hand, the people who want

Financial Accounting Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Financial Accounting Concepts - Essay Example The higher the current ratio the greater is the company’s ability to pay its bills. It is also a tool which also helps make rational decisions in keeping with a company’s objectives. This is the reason why the bank insisted that they maintain a current ratio of 1.5. This would also enable the bank to keep a track on the company’s functioning. The accounting principle relevant here is conservatism. Conservative accounting can only cause temporary increase in the company’s earnings. The effect is temporary and the actual may differ and hence not considered a good indicator of subsequent earnings. Conservative accounting would raise questions about not only the balance sheet but also about the income statement. Accounting conservatism only helps to reduce disclosure. According to me it would he unethical to record the revenue of the new sales contract in December. It is always advisable to be honest with the bank because the relation with a bank is a long-term one. If the bank found out on its own it would reflect badly on the company and then the bank would be very cautious in all future transactions also. Manipulation may not be intended by the company but banks would be cautious in all future reporting by the company incase they found out. If the company records this revenue in December the current ration would increase. They could complete the contract in December itself and raise the bill. Once the bill is raised, whether they receive cash for it or it remains as current receivables, the current ratio goes up. In this case there is nothing wrong. But as can be seen it is already the 15th December. Would it be possible to complete the contract within this period? Besides, credit has to be given to the party so cash payments cannot be expected. But in the event that the contract is executed in January and considered in December just for the sake of reporting, it would be a false

Modern Programming Tools And Techniques Computer Science Essay

Modern Programming Tools And Techniques Computer Science Essay Q:1 Define abstraction, encapsulation, modularity and hierarchy in your own terms. Ans:-AbstractionAbstraction denotes the essential characteristics of an Object that differ it from other objects, and thereby providing a boundary that is relative to the perspective of the viewer. Abstraction focuses on the outside-view of the Object, and helps separate its behavior from its implementation, Think of it this way, to you, your car is an utility that helps you commute, it has a steering wheel , brakes etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ but from an engineers point of view the very same car represents an entirely different view point, to the engineer the car is an entity that is composed of sub elements such and engine with a certain horse power, a certain cubic capacity, its power conversion ratio etc. It is the same car that we are talking about, but its behavior and properties have been encapsulated to the perspective of the viewer. This is what abstraction is. Encapsulation Encapsulation is breaking down the elements of an abstraction that constitute to its structure and behavior. Encapsulation serves as the interface between abstraction and its implementation. To understand encapsulation better, lets consider an animal such as a dog. We know that a dog barks, it is its behavior, a property that defines a dog, but what is hidden is , how it barks, its implementation, this is encapsulation. The hiding of the implementation details of a behavior that defines a property of an entity is Encapsulation. Modularity The art of partitioning a program into individual components so as to reduce its complexity to some degree can be termed as Modularity In addition to this, the division of the code into modules helps provide clear boundaries between different parts of the program, thereby allowing it to be better documented and defined. In other words Modularity is building abstraction into discrete units. The direct bearing of modularity in Java is the use of packages. Elements of Analysis and Design Hierarchy (Inheritance) Abstraction is good, but in most real world cases we find more abstractions than we can comprehend at one time, though Encapsulation will help us to hide the implementation, and modularity to crisply cluster logically related abstractions, at times, it just isnt enough. This is when Hierarchy comes into the picture, a set of Abstractions together form a Hierarchy, by identifying these hierarchies in our design; we greatly simplify our understanding of the problem. Single Inheritance Single Inheritance is the most important part of is a hierarchy. When a class shares thestructure of another class it is said to single inherit a base class. To understand the concept better, lets try this. Consider the base class Animal. To define a bear terms of and animal, we say a Bear is a kind of Animal. In simpler terms, the bear single inherits the structure of an animal. Multiple Inheritance Multiple Inheritance can be defined as a part of inheritance where the subclasses inherit the Behavior of more than one base type. Q:2 Sketch the object-oriented design or the Card game Black-Jack. What are the key objects? What are the properties and behaviours of these objects? How does the object interact Ans:-Blackjack Implementation It must write three new classes and link them with all of the previous classes in the project. The first class, DealerHand,implements the algorithm of playing Blackjack from the dealers perspective. The classcontains a field which keeps track of the current number of points in a hand, and a methodthat calls in a counter-controlled loop the method of the previous class GameDeck to deal cards one at a time from the top of the deck. As cards are being dealt, the current number of points in the hand is updated accordingly. Another method of GameDeck returns the value of the above field.The next class, PlayerHand, is a subclass of DealerHand. It overrides the method for dealing cards: the cards are still dealt in a loop, but the loop is sentinel- controlled this time, and the method incorporates interaction with the user. The third class, GameApp, contains the method main in which objects of DealerHand and PlayerHand are created. Methods for dealing cards are invoked on these objects. When these methods return, the winner of the game is determined according to the standard Blackjack algorithm. The specific details of the algorithms for calculating points in each hand and for determining the winner of the game are figured out by students with practically no assistance from the instructor. By this point in the course, the students are able to write this code independently, making use of the techniques, concepts, syntax and basic structures of the Java language that they have learned during the semester. While the application could be created using any development environment, Ibelieve that its success in my class is dependent upon the use of BlueJ. BlueJ enables this project in two ways: (1) as a very simple-to-use tool for writing and editing code, and (2) through the provided sample code that allows users to create images onscreen without any prior knowledge of Java graphics (e.g., the Swing API). Because BlueJ minimizes the hurdles associated with graphics programming, novice students are able to create an interesting and fun application, which helps them master the basics of the object-oriented approach in the earliest stages of their CS coursework.As an example, suppose you want to write a program that plays the card game,Blackjack.Youcan use the Card, Hand, and Deck classes developed. However, a hand in the game of Blackjack is a little different from a hand of cards in general, since it must be possible to compute the value of a Blackjack hand according to the rules of the game. The rules are as follows: The value of a hand is obtained by adding up the values of the cards in the hand. The value of a numeric card such as a three or a ten is its numerical value. The value of a Jack, Queen, or King is 10. The value of an Ace can be either 1 or 11. An Ace should be counted as 11 unless doing so would put the total value of the hand over 21. One way to handle this is to extend the existing Hand class by adding a method that computes the Blackjack value of the hand. Heres the definition of such a class: public class BlackjackHand extends Hand { public int getBlackjackValue() { // Returns the value of this hand for the // game of Blackjack. int val; // The value computed for the hand. boolean ace; // This will be set to true if the // hand contains an ace. int cards; // Number of cards in the hand. val = 0; ace = false; cards = getCardCount(); for ( int i = 0; i // Add the value of the i-th card in the hand. Card card; // The i-th card; int cardVal; // The blackjack value of the i-th card. card = getCard(i); cardVal = card.getValue(); // The normal value, 1 to 13. if (cardVal > 10) { cardVal = 10; // For a Jack, Queen, or King. } if (cardVal == 1) { ace = true; // There is at least one ace. } val = val + cardVal; } // Now, val is the value of the hand, counting any ace as 1. // If there is an ace, and if changing its value from 1 to // 11 would leave the score less than or equal to 21, // then do so by adding the extra 10 points to val. if ( ace == true val + 10 val = val + 10; return val; } // end getBlackjackValue() } // end class BlackjackHand Q:3 Sketch the object-oriented design of a system to control a Soda dispensing machine. What are the key objects? What are the properties and behaviours of these objects? How does the object interact? ANS:- The state machines interface is encapsulated in the wrapper class. The wrappee hierarchys interface mirrors the wrappers interface with the exception of one additional parameter. The extra parameter allows wrappee derived classes to call back to the wrapper class as necessary. Complexity that would otherwise drag down the wrapper class is neatly compartmented and encapsulated in a polymorphic hierarchy to which the wrapper object  delegates. Example The State pattern allows an object to change its behavior when its internal state changes. This pattern can be observed in a vending machine. Vending machines have states based on the inventory, amount of currency deposited, the ability to make change, the item selected, etc. When currency is deposited and a selection is made, a vending machine will either deliver a product and no change, deliver a product and change, deliver no product due to insufficient currency on deposit, or deliver no product due to inventory  depletion. Identify an existing class, or create a new class, that will serve as the state machine from the clients perspective. That class is the wrapper  class. Create a State base class that replicates the methods of the state machine interface. Each method takes one additional parameter: an instance of the wrapper class. The State base class specifies any useful default  behavior. Create a State derived class for each domain state. These derived classes only override the methods they need to  override. The wrapper class maintains a current State  object. All client requests to the wrapper class are simply delegated to the current State object, and the wrapper objects this pointer is  passed. The State methods change the current state in the wrapper object as  appropriate. . public class VendingMachine {               private double sales;               private int cans;               private int bottles;               public VendingMachine() {                           fillMachine();               }               public void fillMachine() {                           sales = 0;                           cans = 10;                        bottles = 5;               }            public int getCanCount() {return this.cans; }               public int getBottleCount() {return this.bottles; }               public double getSales() { return this.sales;}               public void vendCan() {                           if (this.cans==0) {                                       System.out.println(Sorry, out of cans.);                           } else {                                       this.cans -= 1;                                       this.sales += 0.6;                        }            }               public static void main(String[] argv) {                           VendingMachine machine = new VendingMachine();               }            } Part B Q:4 In an object oriented inheritance hierarchy, the objects at each level are more specialized than the objects at the higher levels. Give three real world examples of a hierarchy with this property. ANS:- Single Inheritance Java implements what is known as a single-inheritance model. A new class can subclass (extend, in Java terminology) only one other class. Ultimately, all classes eventually inherit from the Object class, forming a tree structure with Object as its root. This picture illustrates the class hierarchy of the classes in the Java utility package, java.util The HashTable class is a subclass of Dictionary, which in turn is a subclass of Object. Dictionary inherits all of Objects variables and methods (behavior), then adds new variables and behavior of its own. Similarly, HashTable inherits all of Objects variables and behavior, plus all of Dictionarys variables and behavior, and goes on to add its own variables and behavior. Then the Properties class subclasses HashTable in turn, inheriting all the variables and behavior of its class hierarchy. In a similar manner, Stack and ObserverList are subclasses of Vector, which in turn is a subclass of Object. The power of the object-oriented methodology is apparentnone of the subclasses needed to re-implement the basic functionality of their superclasses, but needed only add their own specialized behavior. However, the above diagram points out the minor weakness with the single-inheritance model. Notice that there are two different kinds of enumerator classes in the picture, both of which inherit from Object. An enumerator class implements behavior that iterates through a collection, obtaining the elements of that collection one by one. The enumerator classes define behavior that both HashTable and Vector find useful. Other, as yet undefined collection classes, such as list or queue, may also need the behavior of the enumeration classes. Unfortunately, they can inherit from only one superclass. A possible method to solve this problem would be to enhance some superclass in the hierarchy to add such useful behavior when it becomes apparent that many subclasses could use the behavior. Such an approach would lead to chaos and bloat. If every time some common useful behavior were required for all subsequent subclasses, a class such as Object would be undergoing constant modification, would grow to enormous size and complexity, and the specification of its behavior would be constantly changing. Such a solution is untenable. The elegant and workable solution to the problem is provided via Java interfaces, the subject of the next topic. Multiple inheritance Some object-oriented programming languages, such as C++, allow a class to extend two or more superclasses. This is called multiple inheritance. In the illustration below, for example, class E is shown as having both class A and class B as direct superclasses, while class F has three direct superclasses. Such multiple inheritance is not allowed in Java. The designers of Java wanted to keep the language reasonably simple, and felt that the benefits of multiple inheritance were not worth the cost in increased complexity. However, Java does have a feature that can be used to accomplish many of the same goals as multiple inheritance: interfaces. Class hierarchies Classes in Java form hierarchies. These hierarchies are similar in structure to many more familiar classification structures such as the organization of the biological world originally developed by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century. Portions of this hierarchy are shown in the diagram . At the top of the chart is the universal category of all living things. That category is subdivided into several kingdoms, which are in turn broken down by phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. At the bottom of the hierarchy is the type of creature that biologists name using the genus and species together. In this case, the bottom of the hierarchy is occupied by Iridomyrmex purpureus, which is a type of red ant. The individual red ants in the world correspond to the objects in a programming language. Thus, each of the individuals is an instance of the species purpureus. By virtue of the hierarchy, however, that individual is also an instance of the genus Iridomyrmex, the class Insecta, and the phylum Arthropoda. It is similarly, of course, both an animal and a living thing. Moreover, each red ant has the characteristics that pertain to each of its ancestor categories. For example, red ants have six legs, which is one of the defining characteristics of the class Insecta. Real example of hyrarchy Ques5 How do methods System.out.print() and System.out.println() differ? Define a java constant equal to 2.9979 X 108 that approximates the speed of light in meters per second. ANS:-1) public class Area{ public static void main(String[] args){ int length = 10; int width = 5; // calling the method or implementing it int theArea = calculateArea(); System.out.println(theArea); } // our declaration of the method public static int calculateArea(){ int methodArea = length * width; return methodArea; } } 2) public static void printHeader(){ System.out.println(Feral Production); System.out.println(For all your Forest Videos); System.out.println(427 Blackbutt Way); System.out.println(Chaelundi Forest); System.out.println(NSW 2473); System.out.println(Australia); } System.out.println(String argument) System.out.print(String argument) In the first case, the code fragment accesses the println() method of the object referred to by the class variable named out of the class named System. In the second case, the print() method is accessed instead of the println() method The difference between the two is that the println() method automatically inserts a newlineat the end of the string argument whereas the print() method leaves the display cursor at the end of the string argument Define a java constant equal to 2.9979 X 108 that approximates the speed of light in meters per second. Floating-point values can also be written in a special programmers style of scientific notation, in which the value is represented as a floating-point number multiplied by aintegral power of 10. To write a number using this style, you write a floating-point number in standard notation, followed immediately by the letter E and an integerexponent, optionally preceded by a + or sign. For example, the speed of light inmeters per second is approximately 2.9979 x 108 which can be written in Java as 2.9979E+8 where the E stands for the words times 10 to the power.Boolean constants and character constants also exist and are described in subsequent chapters along with their corresponding types. Q:6 Write a code segment that defines a Scanner variable stdin that is associated with System.in. The code segment should than define to int variables a and b, such that they are initialized with the next two input values from the standard input stream. Ans:- Import java.util.*; Public class mathfun { Public static void main(string[] args) { Scanner stdin=new scanner (system.in); System.out.print(enter a decimal number); Double x=stdin.nextdouble(); System.out.print(enter another decimalnumber); Double y=stdin.nextdouble(); Double squarerootx=math.sqrt(x); System.out.println(square root of +x+is+square rootx); } }   System.out.println(PersontHeighttShoe size);   System.out.println(=========================);   System.out.println(Hannaht51t7);   System.out.println(Jennat510t9);   System.out.println(JJt61t14);  Ã‚   Q:7 Separately identify the keywords, variables, classes, methods and parameters in the following definition: import java.util.*; public class test { public static void main(String[] args) { Scanner stdin = new Scanner(System.in); System.out.print(Number:); double n = stdin.nextDouble(); System.out.println(n + * + n + = + n * n); } } Ans:- public static void main(String[] args)-method double n = stdin.nextDouble();-variables public ,static, void ,-keywords stdin println-keyword test -class double-parameters

Aids And Its Causes :: Free AIDS Essays

AIDS and Its Causes 1.INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In June 1981, the centers for The Disease Control of the United States reported that five young homosexual men in the Los Angels area had contracted Pneumocystis Carinii pneumonia( a kind of pneumonia that is particularly found in AIDS patient). 2 of the patients had died. This report signalled the begninning of an epidemic of a viral disease characterized by immunosuppression associated with opportunistic infection( an infection caused by a microrganism that does not normally produce disease in human; it occurs in persons with abnomality functioning immune system), secondary neoplasms( any abnormal growth of new tissue, benign or malignant) and neurologic mainfestation, which has come to be known as AIDS.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though Aids was first discovered in U.S.A, AIDS has been reported from more than 163 countries around the world and an estimated 10 million people are infected worldwide. Worsestill, the pool of HIV- infected persons in Africa is large and expanding. 2.RISK GROUP AND MODE OF TRANSMISSION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Studies in the U.S.A. have retentified five groups of adults at risk for developing AIDS. The case distribution in these groups are as follows: (1). Homosexuals or bisexual males constitute the largest group, about 60% of the reported cases. This includes 5% who were intravenuous drug as well. (2). Intravenous drug users with no previous history of homosexuality compose the next largest group, about 23% of all patients. (3). Hemophiliacs (the people who have inborn disease characterized by excesssive bleeding and occuring only in males) especially those who received factor VIII concentrate before 1985, about 1% of all patients. (4). Recipents of blood and blood components who are not hemophiliacs but who received tranfusions of HIV-infected whole blood components (e.g. platelet, plasma) account for 2 %. (5). Other high risk groups: 86% of patients acquire disease through heterosexual contacts with members of other high risk groups. 80% of children with AIDS have a HIV-infected parents and suffer from transplacental or perinatal transmission.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thus from the preceding discussion, it should be aparent that transmission of HIV occurs under conditions that facilitate exchange of blood fluids containing the virus-infected cells. Hence, the three major routes of transmission are sexual contact , parenteral routes( ie adminstration of a substance not through the digestive system) and the passage of the virus from infected mothers to their new borns where are mainly by three routes: in the womb by transplacental spread, during delivery through a infected birth canal, and after birth by ingestion of breast milk. 3. CAUSES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is little doubt that AIDS is caused by HIV-I, a human type C retrovirus ( RNA virus the contains the enzyme, reverse transcriptase , to

Personal Response on Sexuality Identity Essay

* Relate value systems and critical thinking to your sexual decision making before and after this course. * Describe the effect of environment and historical perspectives on your sexuality. * Discuss the development of your gender identity. * Analyze the effect of attraction and love in your relationships. * Discuss another topic of this course that is interesting and useful to you. Relate this topic to your life. When I first started this class I had no idea of what I was in for and then the first class took me back to when I was a young girl and had no clue about what I wanted or who. I never thought about boys much when I was in school and that made think maybe I was different than other girls, because they dated and I didn’t, was there something wrong with me or was I just waiting until I met the right person. I now know that I was just waiting for the right guy and the right time to even think about sex.I have learned in this class that even though I am not confused now that back then it was a normal thing to be confused and wonder if I was different. Back when I was young the fear of being different was about the only thing that we ever had to face (besides getting pregnant), I was raised Catholic and being different was and still is frowned upon, so when I would talk to my mother she would simply tell me that my body wasn’t ready and now after this class I can see that what she said was right, my body and my mind wasn’t ready to make that choice and when it was I knew what I wanted. That is still what a lot of the youth today have to face and understand, if their bodies are ready they have to make sure that they understand everything that goes along with being sexually active. The biggest thing that helped me understand my sexuality is that I grew up watching â€Å"Little House† and my parent’s, and also my grandparent’s. These things made me realize that I was meant to be with a man and to love only one person for life. I know that before I started dating I thought at one time that maybe I was meant to be with a girl not a boy, but then I went to church more often and after reading the bible (a lot) I was to be with a man if I wanted to be part of my family.  Even today if I was to be with a woman not my husband my family would never talk to me again. That is a lot for one person to have to deal with and that is what a lot of people have to deal with on a daily basis. I believe that if you want to be with the same sex then you should do what is going to make you happy, not everyone around you. In history if you laid down with the same sex as you everyone thought that you had something wrong with you and wanted you locked up, to make you change. I never wanted to be a problem for anyone, so I choose to do the right thing and go along with what everyone in my Catholic family told me that I should be like. I don’t regret it, but sometimes wonder if I gave in to easily and was too scared to be different. History has not been kind to people who are different and the same goes for people these days, if you’re different than them then they want to change you and make you like them. I was always told that I would go to hell if I ever even thought about women the way I was to think about a man, today I tell my daughters that if a women can make them happy and not hurt them then go ahead, I wish that that had been said to me. When I first started to date me only went out with people that I knew my parents wanted me to date, I never thought about being attracted to them or even interested in them. I know that being attracted to someone is one of the most important things when thinking of going out with them, but sometimes people do it (have sex) without thinking about it or any feeling at all. That is what I did for a long time and that took me some time to realize that I was onl y hurting myself and the men didn’t care why I was doing it. When I first fell in love with my husband we weren’t even dating, I met him at my sister’s and felt my heart beat faster every time he was around, that made me want to change for the better and the more I thought about him the more I wanted to be with only him. I know that love doesn’t always happen when you want it to or for whom you want, but it does happen. People I think need to be patient and kind to others and learn that putting yourself out there (so to speak) is the only way that you will realize that someone can love you and once you know that and learn to love yourself in spite of everything that has happened in the past, love is a wonderful thing and so is just being attracted to someone. Just knowing that my husband is going to be there no matter what I do or say gives me the sense of self that I can’t control. The topic that hit home really hard for me during this class was: Sexual Abuse  of Children. This hits home on two different levels, first I was abused as a child by my uncle and my grandfather. No one believed me and I felt completely alone and scared all the time. I do believe that this was one big factor on me not knowing who I was or what I wanted when I was the dating age (as my mother would say), I wouldn’t look or talk to any of the boys and got into fights with the girls, I always tried not to be home when my uncle had to watch us, but it never worked. So I ran away and that was when I started talking to someone who could help me deal with all the feeling that I was having. It took me (what seemed like forever) some time and at times even today I think about it and just want to cry, I still to this day don’t have anything to do with that uncle and never have forgiven him and never let him around any of my daughter’s. The second reason for this topic is that my daughter was raped when she was 15 and that brought up all of the feelings that I had as a young girl. I did everything that I could, I got her counseling and we pressed charges against the man who did it to her. She is doing some what alright,except she only wants to date a lot older men and started being sexually active shortly after that happened to her, she still has night terrors over it, but is getting the help that she needs and is talking more about it which is one of the best ways of dealing with childhood trauma. After taking this class my daughters and I are a lot closer because we talked about my assignments every week and they seem to want to talk to me more about what is going on with them. I never really talked to my mother about what I was feeling and that did more harm than good in my eyes. No day’s you have to be open and honest with young people and then maybe they will want to be open with you. Telling my girls that no matter what is going on with them I will always be there for them is the best thing that I could do for them. If there was one thing that I could change about the way that my thinking was before this class, it would be to be more open minded about things that I wonder about, like how can someone who has been with a man/women all there life’s change and flip it.I mean that I was always confused as to how someone would be gay,bi,and how did they know without a dought in their minds. I never really had any friends that were not straight and this class helped open my eye’s as to maybe why someone would be the way that they are without passing a bad thought about it.I’m really glad that I had the chance to get to know myself a little bit  better and understand a few other things that had me wondering.

Meaning of Public Enterprises

MEANING OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES As state earlier, the business units owned, managed and controlled by the central, state or local government are termed as public sector enterprises or public enterprises. These are also known as public sector undertakings. A public sector enterprise may be defined as any commercial or industrial undertaking owned and managed by the government with a view to maximize social welfare and uphold the public interest.Public enterprises consist of nationalized private sector enterprises, such as, banks, Life Insurance Corporation of India and the new enterprises set up by the government such as Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT), Gas Authority of India (GAIL), State Trading Corporation (STC) etc. CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES Looking at the nature of the public enterprises their basic characteristics can be summarized as follows: A. State control:  The public enterprises are financed, owned and managed by the government may be a central or state governmen t.B. Rendering service:  The primary objective of the establishment of public enterprises is to serve the public at large by supplying the essential goods at a reasonable price and creating employment opportunities. C. Government Ownership and Management: The public enterprises are owned and managed by the central or state government, or by the local authority. The government may either wholly own the public enterprises or the ownership may partly be with the government and partly with the private industrialists and the public.Autonomous or semi-autonomous organization:  Public enterprise is an autonomous or semi-autonomous organization because some enterprises work under the direct control of the government and some organizations are established under statutes and companies act. D. Financed from Government Funds: The public enterprises get their capital from Government Funds and the government has to make provision for their capital in its budget, they become financially indepe ndent by arranging finance for day-to-day operation. E. Public Welfare: Public enterprises are not guided by profit motive.Their major focus is on providing the service or commodity at reasonable prices. Take the case of Indian Oil Corporation or Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL). They provide petroleum and gas at subsidized prices to the public. F. Monopoly Enterprises:  In some specific cases private sectors are not allowed and as such the public enterprises enjoy monopoly in operation. G. Public Utility Services: Public sector enterprises concentrate on providing public utility services like transport, electricity, telecommunication etc. H.Public Accountability: Public enterprises are governed by public policies formulated by the government and are accountable to the legislature. The state enterprises are liable to the general public for their performances because they are responsible for the nation. I. Excessive Formalities: The government rules and regulations force the p ublic enterprises to observe excessive formalities in their operations. This makes the task of management very sensitive and cumbersome. J. A direct channel for use of Foreign money:  Sometimes the government receive foreign assistance from industrially advanced countries for the development of industries.These advances received are spent through public enterprises. K. Agent for implementing government plans:  The public enterprises run as per the whims of the government and as such the economic policies and plans of the government are implemented through public enterprises. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR ENTERPRISES By private sector, we mean, economic and social activities undertaken privately by a single individual or group of individuals. They prefer to do business in private sector basically to earn profit.On the other hand public sector refers to economic and social activities undertaken by public authorities. The enterprises in public sector are set up with the main aim of protecting public interest. Profit earning comes next. Besides the difference in the objective, the enterprises in both these sectors also differ in many other aspects. In this section let us know the differences between the enterprises of public sector and private sector. Basis of difference| Private sector enterprises| Public sector enterprises| Objective| Maximization of profit| Maximize social welfare and ensure alanced economic development| Ownership| Owned by individuals| Owned by Government| Management| Managed by owner and professional managers| Managed by Government| Capital| Raised by owners through loans, private sources and public issues| Raised from government funds and sometimes through public issues| Area of Operation| Operates in all areas with adequate return on investment| Operates in basic and public utility sectors| FORMS OF ORGANISATION OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES There are three different forms of organization used for the public sector enterprises in India.These are (1) Departmental Undertaking; (2) Statutory (or Public) Corporation, and (3) Government Company. Departmental Undertaking form of organization is primarily used for provision of essential services such as railways, postal services, broadcasting etc. Such organizations function under the overall control of a ministry of the Government and are financed and controlled in the same way as any other government department. This form is considered suitable for activities where the government desires to have control over them in view of the public interest.Statutory Corporation (or public corporation) refers to a corporate body created by the Parliament or State Legislature by a special Act which defines its powers, functions and pattern of management. Statutory Corporation is also known as public corporation. Its capital is wholly provided by the government. Examples of such organizations are Life Insurance Corporation of India, State Trading Corporation etc. Government Com pany refers to the company in which 51 percent or more of the paid up capital is held by the government.It is registered under the Companies Act and is fully governed by the provisions of the Act. Most business units owned and managed by government fall in this category. DEPARTMENTAL UNDERTAKINGS Departmental undertakings are the oldest among the public enterprises. A departmental undertaking is organized, managed and financed by the Government. It is controlled by a specific department of the government. Each such department is headed by a minister. All policy matters and other important decisions are taken by the controlling ministry.The Parliament lays down the general policy for such undertakings. FEATURES OF DEPARTMENTAL UNDERTAKINGS The main features of departmental undertakings are as follows: (a) It is established by the government and its overall control rests with the minister. (b) It is a part of the government and is managed like any other government department. (c) It i s financed through government funds. (d) It is subject to budgetary, accounting and audit control. (e) Its policy is laid down by the government and it is accountable to the legislature.MERITS OF DEPARTMENTAL UNDERTAKINGS The following are the merits of departmental undertakings:- (a) Fulfillment of Social Objectives: The government has total control over these undertakings. As such it can fulfill its social and economic objectives. For example, opening of post offices in far off places, broadcasting and telecasting programmes, which may lead to the social, economic and intellectual development of the people are the social objectives that the departmental undertakings try to fulfill. b) Responsible to Legislature: Questions may be asked about the working of departmental undertaking in the parliament and the concerned minister has to satisfy the public with his replies. As such they cannot take any step, which may harm the interest of any particular group of public. These undertaking s are responsible to the public through the parliament. (c) Control Over Economic Activities: It helps the government to exercise control over the specialized economic activities and can act as instrument of making social and economic policy. d) Contribution to Government Revenue: The surplus, if any, of the departmental undertakings belong to the government. This leads to increase in government income. Similarly, if there is deficiency, it is to be met by the government. (e) Little Scope for Misuse of Funds: Since such undertakings are subject to budgetary accounting and audit control, the possibilities of misuse of their funds are considerably reduced. LIMITATIONS OF DEPARTMENTAL UNDERTAKINGS Departmental undertakings suffer from the following limitations: (a) TheInfluence of Bureaucracy: On account of government control, a departmental undertaking suffers from all the ills of bureaucratic functioning. For instance, government permission is required for each expenditure, observanc e of government decisions regarding appointment and promotion of the employees and so on. Because of these reasons important decisions get delayed, employees cannot be given instant promotion or punishment. On account of these reasons some difficulties come in the way of working of departmental undertakings. b) Excessive Parliamentary Control: On account of the Parliamentary control difficulties come in the way of day-to-day administration. This is also because questions are repeatedly asked in the parliament about the working of the undertaking. (c) Lack of Professional Expertise: The administrative officers who manage the affairs of the departmental undertakings do not generally have the business experience as well as expertise. Hence, these undertakings are not managed in a professional manner and suffer from deficiency leading to excessive drainage of public funds. d) Lack of Flexibility: Flexibility is necessary for a successful business so that the demand of the changing times may be fulfilled. But departmental undertakings lack flexibility because its policies cannot be changed instantly. (e) Inefficient Functioning: Such organizations suffer from inefficiency on account of incompetent staff and lack of adequate incentives to improve efficiency of the employees. STATUTORY CORPORATIONS The Statutory Corporation (or Public Corporation) refers to such organizations which are incorporated under the special Acts of the Parliament/State Legislative Assemblies.Its management pattern, its powers and functions, the area of activity, rules and regulations for its employees and its relationship with government departments, etc. are specified in the concerned Act. Examples of statutory corporations are State Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Industrial Finance Corporation of India, etc. It may be noted that more than one corporation can also be established under the same Act. State Electricity Boards and State Financial Corporation fall in this ca tegory. FEATURES OF STATUTORY CORPORATIONSThe main features of Statutory Corporations are as follows: (a) It is incorporated under a special Act of Parliament or State Legislative Assembly. (b) It is an autonomous body and is free from government control in respect of its internal management. However, it is accountable to parliament and state legislature. (c) It has a separate legal existence. Its capital is wholly provided by the government. (d) It is managed by Board of Directors, which is composed of individuals who are trained and experienced in business management. The members of the board of Directors are nominated by the government. e) It is supposed to be self-sufficient in financial matters. However, in case of necessity it may take loan and/or seek assistance from the government. (f) The employees of these enterprises are recruited as per their own requirement by following the terms and conditions of recruitment decided by the Board. MERITS OF STATUTORY CORPORATIONS Statut ory Corporation as a form of organization for public enterprises has certain advantages that can be summarized as follows: (a) Expert Management: It has the advantages of both the departmental and private undertakings.These enterprises are run on business principles under the guidance of expert and experienced Directors. (b) Internal Autonomy: Government has no direct interference in the day-to-day management of these corporations. Decisions can be taken promptly without any hindrance. (c) Responsible to Parliament: Statutory organizations are responsible to Parliament. Their activities are watched by the press and the public. As such they have to maintain a high level of efficiency and accountability. (d) Flexibility: As these are independent in matters of management and finance, they enjoy adequate flexibility in their operation.This helps in ensuring good performance and operational results. (e) Promotion of National Interests: Statutory Corporations protect and promote national interests. The government is authorized to give policy directions to the statutory corporations under the provisions of the Acts governing them. (f) Easy to Raise Funds: Being government owned statutory bodies, they can easily get the required funds by issuing bonds etc. LIMITATIONS OF STATUTORY CORPORATIONS Having studied the merits of statutory corporations we may now look to its limitations also.The following limitations are observed in statutory corporations. (a) Government Interference: It is true that the greatest advantage of statutory corporation is its independence and flexibility, but it is found only on paper. In reality, there is excessive government interference in most of the matters. (b) Rigidity: The amendments to their activities and rights can be made only by the Parliament. This results in several impediments in business of the corporations to respond to the changing conditions and take bold decisions. c) Ignoring Commercial Approach: The statutory corporations us ually face little competition and lack motivation for good performance. Hence, they suffer from ignorance of commercial principles in managing their affairs. MERITS OF GOVERNMENT COMPANIES The merits of government company form of organizing a public enterprise are as follows: (a) Simple Procedure of Establishment: A government company, as compared to other public enterprises, can be easily formed as there is no need to get a bill passed by the parliament or state legislature.It can be formed simply by following the procedure laid down by the Companies Act. (b) Efficient Working on Business Lines: The government company can be run on business principles. It is fully independent in financial and administrative matters. Its Board of Directors usually consists of some professionals and independent persons of repute. (c) Efficient Management: As the Annual Report of the government company is placed before both the house of Parliament for discussion, its management is cautious in carrying out its activities and ensures efficiency in managing the business. d) Healthy Competition: These companies usually offer a healthy competition to private sector and thus, ensure availability of goods and services at reasonable prices without compromising on the quality. LIMITATIONS OF GOVERNMENT COMPANIES The government companies suffer from the following limitations: (a) Lack of Initiative: The management of government companies always have the fear of public accountability. As a result, they lack initiative in taking right decisions at the right time.Moreover, some directors may not take real interest in business for fear of public criticism. (b) Lack of Business Experience: In practice, the management of these companies is generally put into the hands of administrative service officers who often lack experience in managing the business organisation on professional lines. So, in most cases, they fail to achieve the required efficiency levels. (c) Change in Policies and Managemen t: The policies and management of these companies generally keep on changing with the change of government.Frequent change of rules, policies and procedures leads to an unhealthy situation of the business enterprises. IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC SECTOR ENTERPRISES  § Balanced Regional Development  § Boost the basic industries of an economy.  § Concentrate on public welfare activities.  § Promote exports  § Price control of essential goods  § Limit the influence of private monopoly.  § Ensure security of the country.  § Minimize the economic inequalities.