Treasury Management Essay

Section 3 Treasury Management 3.01 Introduction How is the foreign exchange exposure on individual transactions being managed by the head of finance? 3.03 Banking Facilities / Funding Is the approval of the regional finance director sought before opening a new account (either an account in a new bank or a new account in the existing bank) or for any new source of finance such as new loan, new credit facility, renewal or increase in existing credit facilities? Is any approval from the regional finance director and or regional managing director sought before pledging of assets to bank? 3.04 Cash Management What is the limit of the maximum cash and or cash equivalents? Is this more than average sales ratio of 5 days? i.e. average sales ratio of 5 days = budgeted sales for the year x 5 260 days (52 weeks x 5 days) 3.05 Cash Flow Does the head of finance prepare a cash flow forecast for the following two months to determine whether the loan can be settled within two month or not? Does he send a cash flow statement to DIC AP on monthly basis? 3.06 Foreign Exchange Movement Are the inflows and outflows in each non local currency greater than JPY 10,000,000 covered with forward foreign exchange contracts? Is the quantum of all future inflows and outflows and the status of hedging currency exposure communicated to the regional finance director? In case, exposure is not being hedged, is the decision not to hedge communicated to the regional finance director along with proper justifications? Are all the outstanding current assets and liabilities in non local currencies reported to the regional finance director on monthly basis? 3.07 Foreign Currency Cash Flow Forecast Is a foreign currency cash flow forecast prepared? If yes, is it communicated to the regional finance director along with the status of hedging for the following 3 months?

Sources of Innovation Essay Example

Sources of Innovation Essay Example Sources of Innovation Essay Sources of Innovation Essay Sometimes knowing a field too well can stifle creatively. Answer: True Difficulty: Moderate Page: 2. The organizations structure, routines, and incentives can thwart individual creativity, but not amplify it. Answer: False page: 20 3. Sometimes paying people for suggestions undermines creativity because it focuses their shift on extrinsic motivation. Difficulty: Hard 4. Though a generalist by nature, inventors are specialists In the field in which they invent. Page: 21 5. Innovation often originates with those who create solutions for their own needs. Difficulty: Easy page: 22 6. The qualities that make people inventive do not necessarily make them entrepreneurial. 7. Manufacturers typically create new product innovations in order to profit from the sale of the innovation to customers. Page: 23 8. Firms consider their in-house R to be their least important source of innovation, but still feel it is necessary to possess. Page: 25 9. The most frequent collaborations are between firms and their customers, suppliers, and local universities. Page: 26 10. A complement is a company or individual that produces goods or services that enhance the value of another product. Age: 27 1 1 . The creation of university technology transfer offices accelerated rapidly in the United States after the Baby-Dole Act was passed. Page: 28 12. The Small Business Technology Transfer (EST.) program facilitates partnerships between small businesses and nonprofit research institutions. Page: 29 self-reinforcing advantages. Page: 30 14. Collaborative research i s especially important in high-technology sectors. Page: 31 15. Technology clusters may span a region as narrow as a city or as wide as a group of neighboring countries. Page: 32 16. A cluster of firms with high innovation productivity will discourage other firms from establishing themselves in the same area. Page: 33 17. The degree to which innovative activities are geographically clustered does not depend on the national differences in the way technology development is funded or protected. Page: 34 18. The likelihood of technological spillovers varies across countries. Page: 35 19. A knowledge broker puts existing information to use in new and profitable ways. 20. Research suggests that most innovation is due to the discovery of something fundamentally new. Page: 36 Multiple Choice 1 . Which of the following products would be considered novel? A. A detergent advertises that it can remove spots. B. A company announces it has produced a recreational hovercraft for sale in toy stores. C. A cell phone company announces that it now offers text messaging. D. A college announces it will install artificial turf on its football field. Answer: b page: 18-19 22. Which of the following persons is most likely to come up with a new way of manufacturing socks for a textile company? A. Bill, who has been the mechanic working on the current socks manufacturing equipment for the last 15 years. He ruddy states that he is a true expert on every aspect of these machines. B. Kate, who knows the basics of how the socks are now manufactured and how the machines work, but comes from a completely different background as far as training and experience are considered. C. Frank, who has been newly hired because of his mechanical knowledge, but has no real knowledge or understanding of how socks are manufactured. D. Lisa, who is the Plant Manager and is known as being impatient with her subordinates. Page: 19 23. Which of the following will probably have the least influence on organizational creativity? The creativity of the individuals in the organization b. The organizational structure c. Incentives provided for creativity d. Location of the organization Answer: d 24. The difference between Hands employee-driven idea system (DEEDS) and a traditional suggestion box is that Hands system a. Does not pay employees for ideas. B. Screens ideas for practicality before paying employees. C. Requires those who submit ideas to follow through with the suggestion, overseeing its progress from concept to implementation. D. Only ends up accepting about 10 percent of the suggestions submitted. Answer: c 25. Southeaster Athletic Mats, Inc. Produces gym mats for school and health clubs. The company recently put a metal box near the time clock and asked employees to submit ideas in writing for improved productivity. It offered $10 for every idea it implemented. This is an example of a(n) a. Employee-driven idea system (DEEDS). B. Suggestion box. C. Legal bribe. D. Applied research. 26. According to studies, which of the following tends to be true of prolific inventors? A. Inventors tend to have specialized almost solely in one field. B. Inventors tend to be curious, and question the assumptions made in a field. C. Inventors typically patent and commercialism most of their inventions. D. Inventors tend to interact socially and seek local solutions to problems. 27. The Smith brothers were trying to come up with a new cough drop but Alvin Smith kept saying to his brother, Frank, l really would like to understand more about what makes a person cough in the first place. Frank kept saying, We need to quit worrying about theoretical stuff and Just focus on how to stop the coughing. Which of the brothers is most likely to be a successful inventor? A. Alvin b. Frank c. They are equally likely to be successful inventors d. Neither is very likely to be a successful inventor 28. Which of the following is not true regarding user innovators? A. They have a deep understanding of their unmet needs. B. They have an intention to profit from the sale of their innovation. C. They have an incentive to create solutions for their own nee ds. D. Their innovations can lead to the development of new industries. 29. Susan works for a large chemical company in the Research and Development department. Her degree was in Biology and the company is encouraging her to study the mating habits of various insects to develop a better method of controlling insect image to crops. The type of research Susan is engaged in is called research. A. Basic b. Applied c. Development d. Primary 30. Which of the following is the correct sequence of steps for the science-push approach to research and development? A. Customers express an unmet need, RD develops the product to meet that need, the product is produced, and the Marketing team promotes the product. . Scientific discovery leads to an invention, the Engineering team designs the product, it is manufactured, and the Marketing team promotes it. C. Marketing does research to discover a need, RD comes up with the reduce concept which is refined by engineering, the Manufacturing team produces it, and the Marketing team sells it. D. Manufacturing sees a way to improve a product, RD takes the suggestions and expands on it, the Engineering team redesig ns it, the Manufacturing team implements the change, and the Marketing team sells it. 31 . The demand-pull approach to research and development refers to a. Research and development that focuses on developing products that are expected to increase demand in a particular market segment. B. Research and development that begins by immemorial applications may be constructed from those outputs. C. Research and development that greatly overextends the development budget of the firm. D. Research and development that originates as a response to the specific problems or suggestions of customers. 32. Which of the following is not a source for successful innovation? A. In-house research and development. B. Customers. C. External networks of firms. D. Government funding 33. Organizations that produce products such as light bulbs for lamps, or DVD movies for DVD players are examples of a. Competitors. B. Inventors. C. Complementary. D. Incubators. 34. The president of Mountain Home University has been asked by her board of trustees to set up a mechanism for the centralization of technology developed at the university. Such a mechanism is typically called a A. Business department. B. Centralization office. C. Technology transfer office. D. Loyalty department. 35. According to the text, The Baby-Dole Act of 1980 a. Made the transfer of technology to enemies of America illegal. B. Allowed universities to collect royalties on inventions funded with taxpayer dollars. C. Made it impossible to patent inventions developed at universities. . Made it legal for private 36. Regional districts that are set up by the government to foster RD collaboration between g overnment, universities, and private firms are typically called a. Government alliances. B. Research collaboration areas (Arcs). C. Incubators. D. Science parks. 37. In 2001, Shanghais Municipal Government set aside 13 square kilometers area near the Hung River for university laboratories, and start-up firms in microelectronics, digital technology, and life sciences. It was hoped that the area would foster strong research ability, the development of an advanced technology abort pool, and foster the creation of new industries in Shanghai. This area would best be termed a(n) a. Industry b. Incubator c. Science park d. Knowledge broker 38. Institutions designed to nurture the development of new business that might otherwise lack access to adequate funding or advice are called a. Overspent alliances. 39. The objective of the Small Business Technology Transfer (EST.) program is to a. More fully leverage the innovation that takes place in research laboratories by connecting research scientists with entrepreneurs. B. Help small businesses develop business that have significant innovation capabilities. . To aid technology entrepreneurs by offering them f inancial and advisory services. Answer: a is a regional group of firms that have a connection to a common 40. A technology, and may engage in buyer, supplier, and complement relationships, as well as research collaboration. . Science park b. Regional incubator c. Research collaboration area (RCA) d. Technology cluster 41 . When companies form a technology cluster it often results in a. Greater security among the companies to prevent industrial spying from competitors who are now located close by. B. Less new startups because people who have interest in this industry would prefer to work for an established company. C. A shrinking supply of trained labor due to the competition for the skills needed by the industry among the companies in the area. D. The attraction of other firms to the area. Age: 33-34 42. Which of the following would be considered true about an agglomeration economy? A. Helps enhance proximity in knowledge exchange. B. Helps firms understand the drivers and benefits of clustering for developing a strategy. C. Helps overcome the market failure that can result when a new technology has the potential for important societal benefits. D. Helps firms reap benefits by locating them in close geographical proximity to each other. 43. Which of the following would typically be considered a downside to geographical clustering? A. Firms may have to lower prices on their products because there are many local competitors serving the same market. B. Firms have to spend more on transportation costs for their inputs because suppliers are located far away. C. Firms Firms may benefit by improvements in local infrastructure such as roads and utilities. 44. Which of the following would not affect geographic clustering of an industry? A. The nature of the technology. . The degree to which communication and frequent interaction is required for knowledge sharing. C. Population density of labor. D. Profit margins of a technology firm. Is a positive externally of research and development efforts. A. Knowledge 45. Broker b. Agglomeration c. Technological spillover d. Technology cluster Essay 46. You have Just been given an assignment within your company to design a creativity training program. Describe the elements you would include in the program and explain the rationale of each one. Answer: One element of a creativity training program would be to bring in a miscommunication expert to teach managers how to encourage novel thinking and autonomy through the use of verbal and nonverbal cues. The program might also include exercises that encourage employees to consider simpler representations of a problem to avoid getting bogged down in the details, and develop rudimentary prototypes. The program probably should not entail extrinsic (e. G. , monetary) rewards, and instead should encourage intrinsic rewards such as recognition, giving the employees considerable ownership over their projects, and emphasizing the beneficial impact new solutions have on the welfare of customers.

Diffusion Confusion

Diffusion Confusion Diffusion Confusion Diffusion Confusion By Maeve Maddox The Latin verb diffundere, â€Å"to pour in different directions,† gives us the noun diffusion, the verb diffuse, and the adjective diffuse. The noun and the adjective present few difficulties, but the verb is often used ambiguously or incorrectly. Note: The si in diffusion represents the zh sound. The adjective is pronounced with a soft s sound; the verb is pronounced with a hard s sound: diffusion noun /di-FJU-zhn/ diffuse adjective /di-FJUS/ diffuse verb /di-FJUZ/ The noun diffusion refers to the action of spreading or dispersing something. In the context of physics, diffusion is â€Å"the permeation of a gas or liquid between the molecules of another fluid placed in contact with it.† Photographers and painters use the word diffusion to refer to â€Å"the process of slightly scattering a portion of the image-forming light to give a pleasing artistic softness to a photograph [or painting].† Figuratively, diffusion refers to the spreading or scattering of people, customs, or knowledge: In his Researches into the Early History he  ascribes the  curious custom of couvade  to diffusion, an interpretation that few modern ethnologists would countenance. Carnegie donated $300,000 to build Washington, D.C.s oldest library. The building was dedicated to the diffusion of knowledge. The adjective diffuse means â€Å"spreading out.† A tree, for example, might have â€Å"diffuse branches.† A â€Å"diffuse writing style† is wordy. An artist paints a picture in which the light is â€Å"diffuse and ethereal.† A population that is not concentrated in one area, but scattered over a region, is diffuse: Variation in state laws is related to whether the gay and lesbian population is concentrated (where laws permit inequality) or  diffuse  (where laws promote equality).- The Washington Post. Like the other words derived from diffundere, the verb diffuse conveys the sense of â€Å"scattering or spreading abroad†: The Japanese  intended to diffuse  Japanese language and culture throughout the archipelago. Efforts have been made  to diffuse Christianity  throughout the world.   When an artist diffuses the light in a painting, the particles of paint that represent light are spread out, producing a softened effect. Perhaps it is this use of diffuse that causes some speakers to use diffuse as if it means â€Å"to soften† or â€Å"to make less tense.† For example: While there have been signs that China’s leadership is taking some initiatives intended to diffuse the situation, there are no indications whatsoever that the present tough policy on Tibet will mellow.- Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. Or, the writer of the above example may have confused the words diffuse and defuse. Literally, the verb defuse means â€Å"to remove the fuse from an explosive device.† Taking the fuse out of a bomb makes it totally ineffective. Figuratively, defuse means â€Å"to make a situation less tense† or â€Å"to make something ineffective.† If the intended meaning is â€Å"make less tense† or â€Å"forestall,† ambiguity may be avoided by choosing defuse or some word other than diffuse to express it. Here are some options: ease calm soothe mitigate palliate moderate reduce lighten Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant NamesHow Long Should a Paragraph Be?6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know

Participant Observation Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Participant Observation Assignment - Essay Example The research questions formulated in this paper are mainly based on empirical observation, that is, information gained by means of watching, experiments or by performing some research study. This field work has been conducted on August 6, 2009 during 10.30 AM and 12.35 PM. The journey for observation assignment started from Hudson, NY station and ended at NY-Penn Station. The train selected for this observation assignment is Empire Service-Eastbound train (which is running Mondays thru Saturdays) whose number is 280. The source station of this train is Niagara Falls, NY, the departure time from this station is 3.45 AM and its arrival time in the destination station New York, NY-Penn Station is12.35 PM. Subways in New York are the fastest way to travel around the New York City. It is very difficult for the fresher to travel through New York subways. If one is not careful, then one would find it very difficult to reach the destination. If one does not know about the rules and regulations that need to be followed in the subways, then one would find it hard to travel through the subways. Here, it can be observed that some people are asking others about the direction, or the route one needs to take for reaching specific destinations. People in New York help others to sort out their problems in very friendly manner. Another important thing about people in New York is most of them are confused as to which direction they need to go to reach their destination. In the platforms, it is observable that all sorts of people are present such as teens, middle aged people, old aged people, families etc. Some people are looking on the map which is placed near the entrances; they are sorting out the ir doubts themselves without asking to anybody. By observing their facial expressions, it may be concluded that they are not so clear about whether they have gleaned what they needed to know. Time is 10.15 AM. The train to New York, NY-Penn Station will reach

Liability for nurses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Liability for nurses - Essay Example of performing a task and does not necessarily have to include accountability or liability in it; in addition, responsibility can be delegated while accountability and liability cannot be delegated (Cornock, 2011) Advancement of technology in the provision of health care to the patient is very vital in obtaining a quick and optimum treatment. However, the equipments if not used properly by nurses can lead to litigation issues in court. Some equipment usually stores the patient’s data and information, which should be confidential and private (Kim, Kim, & Lee, 2010). If a nurse forgets to store those data or information correctly can make other people access them and make them go public. This will result in a breach of patient privacy thus making the nurse liable for his/her action. According to Guido (2013), nurses need to be very vigilant while executing their duties to a void breach of ethical issues related to patient care. Advanced specialised care can make a nurse become liable for some of the action she/he takes the care. For example, when a nurse offers care that are beyond his/her scope as well as using equipments that he/she is not well oriented with can lead with, can lead to maim or permanent death. The nurse will be accountable for the action and risk being jailed. To promote quality health care amidst technological advances, a nurse should always be a Brest with the latest technology in use. The nurse should know its merits and demerits as well as attending a seminar to be taught on how to use the machine without infringing the patient’s rights. The nurse should read all the instructions and cautions before using a machine. In addition, nurses should work within their scope of work on what he/she was trained at, and document all the actions done while offering the service (Weinstein, 2009). If these are adhered to then nurses will utilise technology and avert litigations (Guido,

Effect of Immigration on New York City Research Paper

Effect of Immigration on New York City - Research Paper Example Writing about New York City's population, Nathan Glazer noted, "If the United States remains the permanently unfinished country, to an even greater degree the same is true for New York City" (Vecoli, 567). Various reports show that immigration continues to shape the city. Immigrant flows are at an all time high since the peaks at the turn of the century. Immigration to the city in the 1990-2000 periods stood at approx 13,000 annually, a 32 percent increase over the average of 86,000 in the 1980s. (Lobo, 12) This growth mirrored the increasing flow of immigrants to the country as a whole; as a result, immigrants to the city constituted nearly 15 percent of all immigrants to the U.S. in both the 1980s and 2000s. (Martin, 02) This article examines the nature of these recent immigrant flows and their impact on the city's population. Traditionally, immigrants to the city have been disproportionately from the Caribbean and South America relative to the nation, which has been more likely to get immigrants from Asia and Mexico. The Caribbean comprised 33 percent of the flow of immigrants to the city, but only 12 percent of the flow to the nation in the 2005-2009 periods. ... Likewise, Asians were 26 percent of the city's flow but comprised 42 percent of entering immigrants to the nation. (Martin, 5) The 2000s marked resurgence in European immigration to New York City, and a decline in the share of Caribbean flows. Immigration from Europe stood at 22 percent, more than twice the level of 9 percent in the 1990s. (Vecoli, 562) Caribbean immigration, which stood at 40 percent of the total in the 1990s, dropped 7 points in the 2000s. However, the share of the Hispanic Caribbean (primarily the Dominican Republic) actually increased while there was a decline in flows from non-Hispanic Caribbean nations such as Jamaica, Haiti, and Barbados. Flows from Guyana, an English-speaking South American nation with a heavy Caribbean influence, also declined. The number of African immigrants to the city, while small, has been increasing steadily over the past three decades and comprised just over two percent of entering immigrants. The reason that immigrants are able to find jobs in the New York City and put a lot of people out of work is because they often take the low-paying jobs that most Americans don't want to do. Even though a lot of people may not like immigrants because they are putting them out of jobs, immigrants in this economy today are helping to keep inflation low, improve housing values, and benefit taxpayers (Martin, par. 12). In other words, immigration helps provide an increase to the U.S. economy. The only people that are really being hurt right now by immigrants are those people without high school degrees (Gelfand and Yee, par. 10). Every year they fight against immigrants for jobs and their wages just seem to keep getting lower. Immigrants who see their relatives and friends leading a better life

Why Divorce Is A Good Thing

Why Divorce Is A Good Thing We owe all the wonderful aspects of modern marriage to one thing: divorce. You will hear just the opposite, of course. Religious fundamentalists and politicians will tell you that divorce is crumbling our society, ruining childrens lives, and weakening the moral character of the nation. Dont listen to them. They know perfectly well why divorce is a good thing, they just dont want you to ever find out. Divorce means choice. Divorce means that two people do not have to remain bound to each other until the grave, as society dictated until the 20th century. Divorce means that human beings can determine the path their life will take. And at its very root, divorce provides for that most crucial, most valuable of human experiences: happiness. Divorce is also the great equalizer, and the hallmark of a truly advanced society in terms of womens rights. No woman can ever claim to feel like property or subjugated by men where are there are equitable divorce laws in place. When we look back at ancient civilizations, the ones that stand out are the ones like ancient Egypt which provided equitable treatment for women and the accessibility of divorce as a way to end a legal marriage. Even in the modern world, the best countries for women are those that allow them to divorce freely and without social stigma. But the freedom to live your life how you please, without affecting how others live theirs, is something that a great number of people dont want you to have. Religions in particular seem devoted to making sure that you donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t live how you please, that your every action is analyzed and criticized and ultimately judged. Whether its a stern and moralistic God or a harsh and judgmental society you claim as your higher power, be aware that both of them have one central belief at their core: personal happiness is bad, and personal choice is worse. The Catholic Church, for example, maintains that if you marry someone while your first spouse is still alive, you are committing adultery and will go to Hell. You are not allowed to put aside one spouse and find another, no matter what the reason. They dont like the idea of your having sex with more than one person in your life, even if you want to marry each person that you have it with. Or do they? If your spouse dies they have put no such hex on you. Widows and widowers are given the full blessing of the church to marry again. The limit seems to be three marriages, although Im not sure how stringently this rule is applied. It may be that the widowed are allowed marrying as often as they wish. But even if the church absolutely forbids a widowed person from re-marrying more than twice, it still means that the church would rather sanction youà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢re having sexual relations with three people in your life, rather than let you be married to two if the first one is merely divorced from you. Its adultery and fornication if you divorce one spouse and remarry even once, but legitimate carnal relations if you marry three times because the other two died. This cant possibly indicate a desire to limit the number of sexual partners you have, or to stamp out the sin of sex. I couldnt understand this breach in logic. As much as I disagree with the premise, if youre going to claim that all sex outside the bonds of your first marriage is sinful, then surely you have to call the widowed fornicators too, as much as the divorced are. But the church doesnt. And for years, neither did the public at large. Widowed people were pitied but respected. Divorced people caused scandal, were looked down upon by respectable people, were shunned and considered morally bankrupt. Now I know why. Its a question of choice, of volition, a unique human quality. The church, and society, simply wouldnt allow you to exercise your volition beyond that first choice of partner you made a choice, by the way, that was often made for you by your parents and had nothing to do with what you wanted. Nothing would justify wanting to make another choice later in life. Only God could do that, it seems. If God took your partner away from you, you had no choice in that, and therefore, you were allowed to choose again. If God decided to take that spouse from you too, that wasnt your choice either. As long as you yourself werent thinking and choosing and making your own decisions about your life, the church would be lenient on you. The minute you decided to affect change in your own life, to undo something you regretted doing or something that no longer served a purpose in your life, you were branded a sinner. So for centuries, miserably married people could only find freedom in the grave. Many people killed their mates to be free of them. It was not uncommon for aristocrats, attempting to climb the social ladder, to arrange for their no-longer-advantageous spouses to fall down stairs or eat poisoned meat so that they, the aristocrats, could marry someone higher up in the echelon of the nobility. For those without the stomach for murder, there was no option. There may have been unofficial separations as there are today, but the medieval mind was so accustomed to accepting discomfort and sacrifice that most unhappily married people stayed together because they felt it was their lot in life to suffer. Its a sentiment that carried through to our grandparents, and even our parents to some extent, many of whom lived out lives of unhappiness and dissatisfaction, bound for life to someone that contributed to the misery of their life, all under the guise of respecting the sanctity of wedlock. It was only when people started believing that their happiness was more important than a vow to God, that they had choice in life and were free to make choices responsibly, that marriage was a voluntary, mutually agreed upon partnership of respect and love that could dissolve if that love and respect disappearedit was only then that people started seeing marriage as an expression of joy and started enjoying the marriages they had. There is nothing sacred about a loveless marriage. Whats sacred is having the freedom to enjoy the best kind of marriage possible, the kind freely entered into by two people who understand that it could end if they neglect or abuse their partner, or that it could last a lifetime if they both want it to. Whats sacred is knowing that a satisfying, happy marriage is always possible, no matter who you find yourself with at the moment or how many times youve tried to make it work and failed. Whats sacred is saying to yourself, and your children, that happiness in love is a crucial component of a healthy life, that sacrificing that happiness for some fuzzy morality is an insult to the human mind. People who divorce and remarry respect the institution of marriage, and respect themselves. As difficult as divorce may be, as painful and unpleasant as it may be, it is necessary to preserve the essential beauty of marriage. People are much more likely to respect and honor each other, to stay in love, when they know that if they dont earn their partners love and admiration, constantly, their marriage could end. People who are bound, inextricably, to each other for life have no incentive to be good to each other. Children and Divorce But what about the children? Its a cry we hear constantly, in protest against everything from adult sites on the internet to garbage dumps to government cutbacks. Future generations, it seems, are far, far more important than this one. But I digress. I will discuss the issue of children and their relationship to marriage in a later page. Yes, children are often hurt by divorce. Yes, it can be painful for a child to see his parents split up. But I believe it is far more damaging for an adult to have grown up in a household where love has disappeared from his parents marriage, and therefore the only experience he has with it is that its a doomed institution, a miserable partnership, something he never expects will give him joy. One of the biggest mistakes parents make in child rearing is in putting their marriage last. It is imperative that you put your marriage first, not only for yourselves, but also for your children. Show your children what a marriage is, what they can expect and look forward to when they grow up. Show them a couple who are deeply in love and committed to each other, show them a man and woman enjoying being in love, respecting each other, living with each other, loving each other. If they see this, they will want and expect this for themselves. They will know what a good relationship is, and wont get drawn into bad ones. So what happens if you arent that blissful couple? What happens if you dont love each other, if your marriage isnt good? Then is that something you want your children to emulate? Even if your partner is the best parent in the world, it will do your child a great disservice if the two of you fight and hurt each other and then turn around and behave sweetly to your child. It will make your child feel uncomfortable, like they are somehow usurping love from one of their parents. Children plainly understand that their parents are supposed to be in love. Its what assures them that when they grow up theyll be in love as well. If you dont have a loving model to show your children, you are doing them no favors by staying married. Divorce. Separate yourselves from each other, and continue to be good, if separate, parents. Marry again, choosing carefully, so that your children can see that it s alright to want happiness for yourself and to go after it. Show them its alright to leave one marriag e if its bad and start another one thats better. Give them some idea of what to expect for their own happiness in the future. Divorce isnt easy. And naturally a happy marriage is preferable to divorce any day. I dont blame anyone for being afraid of divorce or for not wanting their marriage to end. But if we really want to understand what makes free, unfettered, romantic marriage possible, we have to embrace that which makes it possible, and give it the quiet respect it deserves.