Nobody can deny that there are certain professionals like nurses, doctors and teachers who are essential to the fabric of society, and who should therefore be rewarded accordingly. However, this is seldom the case. When we look at the salaries and fees commanded by certain film stars and actresses and people who run large companies, this does not seem fair.

First of all, not all film stars earn huge sums of money. In fact, at any one time in the UK, for example, roughly 80 per cent of actors are out of work and on top of that the number who are paid so-called ‘telephone number fees’ is even smaller. One must also remember that the career of many actors is very short and that therefore the money they earn has to be spread over many years. The same applies to company bosses.

Stating a set of criteria as to how much people should be paid is not easy. The idea of performance-related pay is very much in vogue at the moment. Rewarding people according to qualifications has long been used as a yardstick for paying people, but it is not a consistently good measure. Another is years of relevant experience, but there are many cases where a younger person can perform a task better than someone with lots of experience.

Whatever criteria are used to assess salaries, an on-going cycle will develop. This will create pressure in other areas. This considered, generally I feel that certain key professionals should have their salaries assessed by independent review bodies on an on-going basis so that they do not fall behind.

(269 words)

Studying abroad has become increasingly common in the last few years, especially for young people from countries such as China and India. Many students and their families clearly consider the experience worth the sacrifices involved. The former often give up friendships when they move abroad; the latter often use their life savings. Moreover, many governments are willing to invest huge sums of money in sponsoring their young people to study in universities overseas.

However, this trend has drawbacks as well as benefits for those concerned. One potential drawback is that the instruction international students receive may not be relevant to their home contexts. For example, students from developing countries who go to Western countries for teacher training are often taught to use teaching techniques that are suitable for small classes. When they return home they are often expected to teach classes of 40 or 50 students. Hence, what they have been trained to do may not be relevant.

Another potential drawback is the phenomenon of ‘brain drain’. Prior to leaving home, they may be fully committed to returning. Nevertheless, students are often at the stage in their lives when they are forming their most important personal and professional relationships. Thus they may choose to remain in the host country on completing their studies.

However, most international students find ways of making the experience work well for themselves and others involved. Most return home, enriched by new friendships made abroad. Furthermore, most find ways of adapting what they have learned to their home context. On balance, the drawbacks do not outweigh the benefits.

(262 words)

Computers are a relatively new invention. The first computers were built fifty years ago and it is only in the last thirty or so years that their influence has affected our everyday life. Personal computers were introduced as recently as the early eighties. In this short time they have made a tremendous impact on our lives. We are now so dependent on computers that it is hard to imagine what things would be like today without them. You have only got to go into a bank when their main computer is broken to appreciate the chaos that would occur if computers were suddenly removed world-wide.

In the future computers will be used to create bigger and even more sophisticated computers. The prospects for this are quite alarming. They will be so complex that no individual could hope to understand how they work. They will bring a lot of benefits but they will also increase the potential for unimaginable chaos. They will, for example, be able to fly planes and they will be able to co ordinate the movements of several planes in the vicinity of an airport. Providing all the computers are working correctly nothing can go wrong. If one small program fails disaster.

There is a certain inevitability that technology will progress and become increasingly complex. We should, however, ensure that we are still in a position where we are able to control technology. It will be all too easy to suddenly discover that technology is controlling us. By then it might be too late I believe that it is very important to be suspicious of the benefits that computers will bring and to make sure that we never become totally dependent on a completely technological world.

(288 words)

Some people argue that the state does not have the right to make parents immunise their children. However, I feel the question is not whether they should immunise but whether, as members of society, they have the right not to.

Preventative medicine has proved to be the most effective way of reducing the incidence of fatal childhood diseases. As a result of the widespread practice of immunising young children in our society, many lives have been saved and the diseases have been reduced to almost zero.

In previous centuries children died from ordinary illnesses such as influenza and tuberculosis and because few people had immunity, the diseases spread easily. Diseases such as dysentery were the result of poor hygiene but these have long been eradicated since the arrival of good sanitation and clean water. Nobody would suggest that we should reverse this good practice now because dysentery has been wiped out.

Serious diseases such as polio and smallpox have also been eradicated through national immunisation programmes. In consequence, children not immunised are far less at risk in this disease-free society than they would otherwise be. Parents choosing not to immunise are relying on the fact that the diseases have already been eradicated. If the number of parents choosing not to immunise increased, there would be a similar increase in the risk of the diseases returning.

Immunisation is not an issue like seatbelts which affects only the individual. A decision not to immunise will have widespread repercussions for the whole of society and for this reason, I do not believe that individuals have the right to stand aside. In my opinion, immunisation should be obligatory.

(274 words)

Successful people are usually prosperous and famous; however, the opposite might not always be true. Although mostly people who have accumulated huge wealth are broadly considered successful by others, but apart from fame and fortune, success demands and depends upon several other attributes which I will elaborate in my further essay.

Firstly, a person can be considered truly successful only when he possesses moral values: mainly dignity, integrity and a strong character. These morals not only define his personality, but also positively inspire others around him. Anyone who lacks these characteristics may still be able to accumulate huge wealth in short term, but will have to pay for his misdeeds, if any, and eventually lose everything that he had earned – including wealth, respect as well as confidence. For example, Sreesanth, one of the youngest sensations of his time in the world of cricket, had seen extreme popularity and was among the most demanded sportsperson in India; however, he ruined his career overnight and earned a lifetime ban from playing cricket due to integrity issues.

Secondly, one should be able to accept success with humility in order to be able to retain it for long and must not allow money or fame to get over his head. Despite being extremely successful, it is crucial to maintain an attitude of respect towards others – whether they are your family members, friends or your staff – in all scenarios. Manisha Koirala, a yesteryear Indian actor, got quick success and became a favorite pick of every film director; but after having an initial promising career, she eventually disappeared from the industry. The reasons quoted by the actor herself in an interview were her arrogant attitude and ill-treatment towards other coworkers, because of which she lost all her movie projects, which lead to complications in her health and personal life too.

To summarize, personality traits like humility, integrity and dignity are absolute necessities to achieve and retain success. Money and fame are not the requirements for success but are the outcomes of the process of becoming successful. Prosperity and popularity follow those automatically who are successful in the true sense.

(354 words)

It would be difficult to imagine life without computers. Over recent years, in particular, their use and potential have grown at an incredible rate and I strongly believe that this growth will continue as more innovative ways to use them are developed. Although there are definitely some downsides to their use, I do believe the positives outweigh the negatives.

Computers enable us to do a wealth of tasks that would have been unthinkable for previous generations. We can bank online, book holidays, do our weekly shopping – the list of labour-saving activities is almost endless. Given the speed at which they have evolved and altered the way we do things, I am convinced that this evolutionary trend will continue. Take, for example, the rise of virtual reality. We can already do amazing things with it, and, as a computer-based technology, it is only in its infancy. It has so many practical applications, from improving gaming to providing training for doctors or pilots to handle real-life situations. As computer processing power increases, so will its potential to enhance everything we do.

Despite this, there are dangers in relying quite so heavily on computers. So much of our daily lives is controlled by them, that without them, modern-day life as we know it would be impossible. Furthermore, computers store all our important data and the risk of hacking exposes us to crimes such as fraud. However, I would argue that the technological advances made possible by computers have improved our world in so many ways. I believe that most people would argue that any negative aspects of computers are outweighed by all the benefits they have brought.

In conclusion, I believe we will probably become more dependent on computers but that our lives will improve as technology improves. While there is a negative side to such a dependency, there are many more positives that we can focus on.

(318 words)