Perfect Competition :: Brisbane Australia Restaurants

Brisbane, Australia, is the third largest city; where it serves up some of Australia’s best culinary finds. There is a marvellous collection of Brisbane restaurants with everything from stylish boutique eateries featuring top chefs from around the world to local diners than feature Australian specialities (ABC Integra, 2004). This essay will discuss the extent to which restaurants in Brisbane match the characteristic of a perfectly competitive industry both in the short and long run. Following that, this essay will elaborates on the pros and cons from an economic perspective, the characteristics of a perfectly competitive industry. Comparison between perfect competition and monopolistic along with examples will also be given to further illustrate the best market structures that fit restaurants in Brisbane. It will then be concluded that restaurants in Brisbane does not fit the characteristics of a perfectly competitive industry but rather a monopolistic industry as the only si milarity between restaurants and a perfectly competitive industry is the large number of participants involved. Diagram 1.0 – Perfect Competition Perfect competition (as shown above) is a market structure characterised by a large number of small firms, a homogenous product, and very easy entry into, or exit from, the market (Layton, Robert & Tucker, 2002, p.173). The characteristic of a large number of small firms is fulfilled when each firm in a market has no significant share of total output and has no ability to affect the product’s market price. Each firms work autonomously, rather than coordinating decisions collectively (Layton, Robert & Tucker, 2002, p. 173). Restaurants in Brisbane do not fit this characteristic as restaurants are more fitted under monopolistic competition; exist under a large number of firms where no single firm can influence the market outcome. For example, Michael’s Riverside in Brisbane serves some of the area’s best seafood (ABC Integra, 2004). Even so, Michael’s unable to influence the market outcome, but is able to set the prices higher than rival restaurants without fear of losing its customers. This is due to product differentiation (Layton, Robert & Tucker, 2002, p.233). Consumer demand for differentiated products is described using two distinct approaches – the heterogenous demand and homogenous demand. The heterogenous demand assumes that each consumer has a demand for multiple varieties of a product over time and the homogenous demand assumes that each product consists of a collection of different characteristics such as in location, atmosphere, quality of food, style, services and price (Suranovic, 1997).

Buddhism as a religion

Buddhism is a religion with a major following of believers from the Far East Nations. These nations are among the most populous countries of the world commanding about three quarters of the world population; with large part of China professing Buddhism it can be regarded as that religion enjoying the largest number of believers. Bearing in mind that many of this nation are (or they were) communists by ideology it is doubtless that establishment of any form of religion has not been easy, and Buddhism has not been an exception.Craik Kenneth: (1943). In this narration two most important names feature-a devoted Buddha who runs away at the time of heightened persecution, and the second one belonging to an American author and artist, George Crane. Tsai ran away from Mongolia as a young Buddhist monk in the wake of attack by the Red Army in 1959. Unfortunately many of the remaining monks are killed in this operation that was meant to do away with the Buddhism religion.According to Tsai, the main character in the Bones of the Master, he ran away to save the teaching of Buddha. Craik Kenneth: (1943). His exodus takes him to Hong Kong and eventually to the United States where, in New York he meets his neighbor and friend George Crane. As they were all working on translation of poems their relationship gets to grow deep despite their age, although it appeared quiet unusual for Crane in the way the Buddha friend expressed his faith.In observing the Buddhism culture to the maximum Tsai seeks to return to Mongolia with the main aim of searching for the bones of his master and also construct a shrine for his master. Tsai also has a statue of the master which was given him by his student of meditation, but this seems so awkward to Crane who fears for its size and weight. Crane feared because with such a massive thing with them they might not even be allowed to go beyond the boundaries of China. In this return journey he asks his friend Crane to accompany him, and the later is more than willing to come along.The land at this moment is still very dangerous for any individual who professes Buddhism as his religion and for this very reason Crane is worried on how they will enter Mongolia, a land which is more obvious that he is the only one remaining of the stock of Buddhist monks. Craik Kenneth: (1943). George Crane (2000), came out to explain the very basic concepts of Buddhism and begins by saying that this religion is built on main principles and one of them is basically that life is about suffering. He notes that human life is centered on striving and attachments and therefore according to Crane it is this struggles that bring about suffering.Futhermore, of utmost importance according to his views is how to overcome this sufferings in which he suggests that the believer should choose the way of the right action and views. At this point, Crane, who most obviously has been influenced by the Buddha practices points out that this actions lead to a path or a way of nirvana or unification with the universe, in which the author says it is about one being in control of her own experiences. Further on Crane says that this path is brought down into four divisions, three of which deal with mental experiences and the remaining one deal with the physical part of the approach.By doing this the author is giving as the insight of the importance of emotions for any believer of the religion of Buddhism. In addition, an individual of the Buddhism faith should act with emotions in addition to his or her mind as a sign of understanding the faith. Concequently, the believer should use the triangle of emotions, imagination and wisdom as a rule of following the right path. This insight therefore makes us to understand that Buddha religion brings an individual to closer understanding himself and the influence of his actions affect his relation with the spiritual world.Death appears to play a central role, an important pillar in the Buddhism philosophy. In fact, according to this philosophy death has never existed because the spirit undergoes a reformation called reincarnation, a kind of a circle involving deaths and births believed to be eternal up to the point of spirit achieving Enlightment and eventually enters nirvana. Another believe is in the idea of Karma which is actually the totality of good and bad deeds associated to an individual during his or her lifetime and which his future life in nirnava.Devotional Practices The Buddhism religion is characterized by a series of practices which are meant to show how devoted the faithful is in the religion. These devotional practices are a sign of veneration expressed before Buddha. Craik Kenneth: (1943). Shrines It is difficult for a Buddhist to worship without the use of shrines. Shrines are special worship points where the image of Buddha is placed and the worshippers bow down around the image during worshipping.For along time Buddha images and shrines have been used as objects of w orshipping and devotion to Buddha – being important in the sense that they are used as objects of inspiration and helps one to remain focused in worship hence showing maximum reverence and gratitude towards the teachings of the Buddha. Images and shrines reminds one of the importance of having perfection in wisdom and compassion in Buddha in addition to the inspirational aspect which serve in developing important qualities as one recalls the majesty of the teachings of Buddha.A Buddhist will tell you that the image in the shrine helps them to be peaceful because when they go to the temple and see the image it helps them to know that there are some peaceful beings elsewhere and they also ought to be so. Psychologically therefore one settles down. Craik Kenneth: (1943). There are several ways in which the faithful of the Buddha show respect to their majesty, the Buddha. This by: Folding palms and placing them on the chest. This action expresses deep respect to Buddha; Dharma an d Sangha.Another way is by Prostration before the image of the Buddha as a sign of showing deep veneration and makes one set to listen to the teachings. Prostration before Buddha helps a Buddhist to focus on the qualities of Buddha which include compassion, patience and wisdom. George Crane (2000). Therefore, the practices employed by Tsung Tsai from USA are the clear ways of showing how devoted he was to his traditional religion. The first expression of the practice is that of meditation. In the travel account we come of the meditation class organized under Tsung Tsai through the of appreciation him by one of his students.The class organized under Buddhist meditation types of the Western world appreciated their teacher on his return to Mongolia by giving him a gift of a statue of Buddha. Possibly they had understood the weight contained in this act of devotion because establishing a shrine for Buddha is the highest form of devotion one expresses to Buddha. George Crane (2000). Mast ers are highly respected among the Buddha because they are the teachers of the traditions, meditations and devotional practices among the monk communities. As an act of devotion therefore there has to be some respect and reverence to masters of the religion.We remember vividly that before Tsung Tsai left for Hong Kong while escaping the massacre he had to visit his master before leaving. While away his master dies, most likely by the bullets of the insurgents, and is buried not in accordance with the proper Buddhist traditions he used to teach. Consequently, Tsung Tsai seeks to come back to accord his master the required burial as per the Buddhist culture. George Crane (2000). Finally we recognize an act of wisdom as a devotional practice. Wisdom is about having a right understanding about all aspects of life, that is, recognition of one’s environment as it is.This act of wisdom is not viewed by Buddhists as any act of intelligence but the way one is refined and with time bec omes freed of ignorance of this religion wisdom is described as a devotional practice where should give in fully to be transformed . Wisdom is achieved through ethical practices and therefore our mental displine is important in the achievement of understanding. To the Buddhists wisdom is very imperative during meditation where one requires clarity of the mind . This is probably the main reason the old master teacher of Tsung Tsai spend times alone in meditation.According to the Buddha wisdom is a characteristic of an enlightened personality and the possessor is compassionate and is likely to operate wisely. George Crane (2000). Conclusion Devotional practices are the basis of any religion and the determinant of how engraved to the acts of the religion one is. To Buddhism in particular they show reverence and respect to the master and his Buddha. Bones of the master is a clear insight to explaining to us the clear insights of the culture of worship evolved behind the curtains of Budd hism. Craik Kenneth: (1943).T sung Tsai can be described as a Cha’n master and monk and is seen as the last Ch’an on earth. Ch’an is a form of Buddhism from Chinese and when it was later introduced in Japan it was renamed as Zen. Therefore a Ch’an monk is associated with the Mongolian or Chinese while the Zen is to Japan. According to Ch’an traditions in Buddhist writings women are accorded the same status as men, and that is why Crane receives a gift from a lama woman and also believed that he was taught the religion by this woman. Craik Kenneth: (1943). Hinduism and Buddhism are closely related religions and evolved together in the Far East.As a result it has been documented that Buddhism and Hinduism a rose from closely related ideas. In addition the early development in the Indian valleys as documented show that there was a strong flow of faith between the two religions such that at one time the Buddha temples were built under the control of Hi ndu kings. Furthermore, the worship through the use of images brings them together in addition to a strong culture embodied in devotional acts of meditation, building of shrines and the role of teachers in the passing of this beliefs to the next generations. Both religions show venerations to many deities. Kadodwala, Dilip. (1995). References Kadodwala, Dilip. (1995). Hinduism. World Religions Series. New York: Thomson Learning, ISBN 1-568-47-377-X. L.C. BL1203.K33. Grades 5Â ­7. Craik Kenneth: (1943). The Nature of Explanation Cambridge University Press. George Crane (2000). Bones of the Master: A Journey to Secret Mongolia Bantam Books, (paperback) 304 pages.

Cultural Assimilation and American Music Artists

good afternoon everyone, today i am going talk about the impact of americanization, First of all i will talk abiut some background of americanization and then i will talk about the positive and negative impact of it. what does americanisation mean? The word, of couse has many meanings,definitions and descriptions. the impact and influence of the US on the culture, politics,business practices and technology of other countries. Nowadays, people view America in the form of a role model and a leader in influencing other countries and have their culture blended in. deals, traditions, and ways of life. Do you notice that American culture has gradually assimilated into our society? Have you ever thought of how Americanization affects our daily life? However, it can be argued that the American culture domination poses a threat to culture diversity. Ranging from Hollywood, popular music, fast food to Disney cartoons, the world in which we live in would be imbued with less local colour. Unique festivals and rites celebrated by people of different culture round the world which filled the world with vibrancy are on the verge of extinction.In addition, americanisation can also have other downsides,American culture has affected the mentality of Asians; such as increase in the number of abortion rates, illegitimate children and the surge in the number of single parents in there. Traditionally, were very conservative and the abovementioned problems were uncommon and condemned. This shows that the American culture has indirectly affected the mentality of Asians; although people generally disapprove of single parenting and abortion, the statistics prove otherwise.The spread of American media including TV, film and American music artists, has been the main component of Americanization of other countries. American TV shows are broadcast around the world. Many of the shows are broadcast through American broadcasters and their subsidiaries such as HBO Asia, CNBC Europe, Fox Channel and CNN International. All of what is known as the â€Å"big four† American broadcasters have international distributors, for example HBO broadcasts to over 20 countries. Many of these distributors broadcast mainly American programming on their TV channels.

Free Essays on Frederick Douglass’ Status Elevation Through Disassociation From Slavery

Frederick Douglass states he found himself regretting his own existence. Douglass is humiliated by his slavery status, and attempts to elevate himself in other’s eyes. Douglass writes about slavery from a third person point of view, free of personal accounts. Douglas attains an education; something very uncommon for slaves. He affirms his father is a white man, while not having any true confirmation in writing. Altering his name from Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey to Frederick Douglass changes his identity and removes his â€Å"slave† identity. Douglass’s narrative takes on a modest tone about his classification as a slave as he struggles to pursue an elevated status in society. Douglass’ recount is written in the third person point of view, removing him from the condition of slavery. He removes himself so easily because in writing the narrative, he is no longer a slave. However, consciously or subconsciously, Douglass displays his elevated status by writing and through his recognition as an autobiographer. Referring to the slaves’ feelings about the Great House Farm, and not his own elevates his position and disassociates himself from slavery in the reader’s mind. â€Å"The slaves selected to go to the Great House Farm, for the monthly allowance for themselves and their fellow-slaves, were peculiarly enthusiastic (Douglass 270).† Although Douglass writes in third person often, he chooses the narrative voice when he retells about his education, allowing him to become a freed slave. Education for Douglass was attainable due to Mrs. Auld, the white boys, and his own perseverance. Because Mrs. Auld was the first teacher Douglass had, reading gave Douglass the ability to learn about possibilities and gain a desire to improve his condition. Closer to his age, the white boys helped him learn to read, and instilled within him a need to become equal with them. â€Å"Have not I as good a right to be free as you have (Do... Free Essays on Frederick Douglass’ Status Elevation Through Disassociation From Slavery Free Essays on Frederick Douglass’ Status Elevation Through Disassociation From Slavery Frederick Douglass states he found himself regretting his own existence. Douglass is humiliated by his slavery status, and attempts to elevate himself in other’s eyes. Douglass writes about slavery from a third person point of view, free of personal accounts. Douglas attains an education; something very uncommon for slaves. He affirms his father is a white man, while not having any true confirmation in writing. Altering his name from Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey to Frederick Douglass changes his identity and removes his â€Å"slave† identity. Douglass’s narrative takes on a modest tone about his classification as a slave as he struggles to pursue an elevated status in society. Douglass’ recount is written in the third person point of view, removing him from the condition of slavery. He removes himself so easily because in writing the narrative, he is no longer a slave. However, consciously or subconsciously, Douglass displays his elevated status by writing and through his recognition as an autobiographer. Referring to the slaves’ feelings about the Great House Farm, and not his own elevates his position and disassociates himself from slavery in the reader’s mind. â€Å"The slaves selected to go to the Great House Farm, for the monthly allowance for themselves and their fellow-slaves, were peculiarly enthusiastic (Douglass 270).† Although Douglass writes in third person often, he chooses the narrative voice when he retells about his education, allowing him to become a freed slave. Education for Douglass was attainable due to Mrs. Auld, the white boys, and his own perseverance. Because Mrs. Auld was the first teacher Douglass had, reading gave Douglass the ability to learn about possibilities and gain a desire to improve his condition. Closer to his age, the white boys helped him learn to read, and instilled within him a need to become equal with them. â€Å"Have not I as good a right to be free as you have (Do...

How to get a job in medical billing

How to get a job in medical billing You’ve probably heard about how the healthcare job scene is growing by insane amount over the next 10 years. But if you’re not necessarily interested in the medical side of being an allied health professional, where does that leave you? The good news is that there are lots of administrative roles that are growing and opening right alongside the rest of the healthcare field. One such job is medical billing, because a fact of healthcare is that services need to be tracked and paid for accordingly. What does a medical biller do?Medical billers work behind the scenes in a medical office, hospital, or other healthcare facility. This is an administrative role, ensuring that patients (or their insurance companies) are accurately billed for the medical care they receive. Medical billing responsibilities may include:Tracking payment informationAssigning billing codes to a patient’s tests, procedures, and other healthcare servicesSubmitting and following up on invoices to patients and insurance companiesWorking with medical staff (like physicians and nurses) to ensure billing accuracyWorking with patients to set up payment plansMonitoring payment status and collectionsManaging patient records securely and accuratelyThis is typically a 9-to-5 kind of job, with a stable work week, since billers work primarily with data and patient information rather than in direct patient care.What skills do medical billers have?This is an entirely administrative role, so your skill set should be heavy on organization, attention to detail, and financial math.Organizational Skills:Â  Medical billers are responsible for ensuring that all medical procedures are billed accurately, whether to the patient or to the insurance company, so it’s important to have the ability to keep things moving cleanly and efficiently.Attention to Detail:Â  Errors in billing can lead to legal or financial problems, so it’s essential to be able to notice errors and confirm the a ccuracy of data before it goes out.Finance:Â  While this job typically doesn’t require advanced accounting, medical billers should have strong math skills and the ability to analyze billing and financial data.Discretion:Â  Healthcare information is usually highly confidential (and legally so), so medical billers need to be able to maintain that patient confidentiality at all times.What’s required to work in medical billing?Medical billing is a field you can enter without a college degree, though an associate’s degree in medical coding or health information technology can be an asset. Certification is not usually a requirement for medical billing clerks, but if you want to enhance your resume there is an optional certification by the AAPC (formerly known as the American Academy of Professional Coders).How much money do medical billers make?According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical billing professionals make a median annual salary of $38,040 (or $18.29 per hour).What’s the outlook for medical billers?Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for medical records and health information technicians (including billing professionals) will grow by 13% by 2024- faster than average for all jobs.If you want to work in the growing healthcare world, but find yourself drawn to the more administrative end of things, medical billing and coding can be a solid long-term choice for your health-related career path.

More Hills Like White Elephants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

More Hills Like White Elephants - Essay Example On one hand, ‘the man’ is for abortion, whilst ‘the girl,’ on the other hand, is strongly against abortion (Hemingway, 2013). As such, in order to procure the abortion against ‘the girl’s† wish, ‘the man’ does all he can to convince he fiancà © to agree to abort the child. In fact, ‘the man’ goes to the extent of telling his fiancà © that abortion is just a simple operation that is necessary for her interest. Even though Hemingway failed to tell readers, whether ‘the girl’ procured the abortion or not, we can only conclude that she did the operation in Madrid. This became apparent at the end of the story, where ‘the girl,’ like her fiancà © became a supporter of abortion, which was not only considered immoral and dangerous, but also illegal (Hemingway, 2013). Hemingway developed the plot in such a manner that interlinks well with the characters in the story. After reading the story, one becomes convinced that the two characters are acting naturally in the story. Naturally, a man will always seek for an abortion in the event that a girl friend becomes pregnant unplanned. On the other hand, woman would always tend to resist performing an operation that she believes to be dangerous. Therefore, the two characters, no doubt, act naturally in the story. Regarding the ending of the story, Hemingway should have ended the story by telling readers whether the abortion was successful. In addition, the author ought to have ended the story by informing readers of the repercussion of performing the abortion considering the fact that abortion was illegal and considered immoral at the time he wrote this short

Social class in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social class in America - Essay Example The line that separates the social classes can be vague. Just what the dividing line is and what determines it is subject to the individual’s perception of social standing. Using upper, middle and lower class to classify the various categories in which people may fit is not sufficient. Society is more complex than that. A person’s social standing depends greatly on their upbringing. Simply because a person from a poor family becomes wealthy does not mean they can buy their way into the upper class. The opposite is true as well. This paper breaks the social classes into seven groups to better understand the social classes in American.A person from the upper class is very likely to have been born there and have been schooled from the start to, above all else, represent the upper class ideal of power and prestige. This group is also much more likely than not to have inherited their fortune. Despite the popular perception of this class, they usually do not speak well or beh ave in a â€Å"gentlemanly† way, more like spoiled rich kids for life. Dudley Moore’s character in the movie Arthur is an accurate description of the upper class. The lower-upper class is often referred to as â€Å"new money† as opposed to the â€Å"old money† upper class. This group and their children did not grow up privileged, therefore, understand the value of a dollar, have a good work ethic, are motivated and set goals. Upper-middle class refers to well respected and well paid professional occupations such as doctors, college professors and attorneys. They are considered successful by all classes, especially so by the middle class. The upper-middle is more cultured than the upper or lower-upper class. This group is the biggest supporters of the theater, ballet, symphony and art museums. A person must have at least a bachelor degree but preferably have attained a post-graduate degree to be considered part of the upper-middle class (Skinner, 2009). Th e middle class acts as the dividing line between the upper and lower classes, neither of which has any love for the middle class. The true middle class are the movers and shakers of the nation. They are the real estate and insurance agent, stock broker, entrepreneur, middle manager, car salesman and local politician. They dress for success while fantasizing about expensive cars pretty women and big houses. â€Å"In a free-market society the middle class is always a minority. If your street has a gate and a security camera at the end of it then you are middle class. A middle-class kid can afford a college education, not a web-based degree† (Mason 2010). A middle-class family does not have the electricity shut off due to lack of payment or skip any meals and can afford at least once a year family vacation. The class known as upper-labor is usually associated with the middle class but actually is not. Though some in this group may make more money than some in the middle class an d carry more political clout, they lack the people skills, education and refined character. Their knowledge of culture, history and current events falls short of the middle and upper classes. They are not as adventurous or as well-read in addition to lacking the natural curiosity and drive of the middle class. The lower-labor class is unskilled workers; the roofer, security guard, landscaper, toll booth collector, etc. They do not have expendable income. All their earnings are spent on necessities and they usually come up short each month. They generally must live in small, bug infested government subsidized housing units located in bad neighborhoods. â€Å"Life is lived always under the poverty level and hope and religion play a large role in this class’ culture, because that’s really all it has† (Skinner, 2009). They have very little chance, if any, for upward social mobility and they know this unfortunate reality which leads to drug and alcohol use and abuse which is common. This is the social class that you see on television shows like