Sexual harassment in the workplace Research Paper

Sexual harassment in the workplace - Research Paper Example This is a crucial topic to discuss since women have made significant progress towards achieving respect and equality at the work place, but there are some challenges that face their efforts. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Introduction For many years, women’s rights have been under threat, whether it is within the family set up or any other place outside the family set up. In many countries, the civil society organizations are in the forefront fighting for women equality in all spheres of life. However, equality have failed to prevail in various areas whereby women face lack protection from violence, political, economic, and personal security, and also lack of full access to sexual and reproductive health. It is worth mentioning that women have come out in large numbers to join the workforce around the world (Kaushik, 2003). Discussion The need to be financially independent is a significant contributing factor to these advancements in women life. The increased number of wom en in the workplace is marked with increased vulnerability of women to acts of sexual harassment. This form of women mistreatment is said to be the oldest and most widely spread form of women harassment. In addition, it affects lives of all women irrespective of their culture, age, religion, income, race or class. Experts point out that sexual harassment is a tool that men use to portray their dominance on women since they are considered to be the weaker gender. The most affected women in the society are those focused on fighting the patriarchal system (Shahira & Widad, 2009). Sexual harassment being about power puts women in an inferior position. There are women who respond to acts of sexual harassment in extremely strict manner, but the largest number of women continues to suffer in silence. Those who persevere with acts of sexual harassment do so due to fear of stigma, hostility, ridicule, and discrimination. At the work place, the management must ensure that women are protected from acts of sexual harassment as well as handling such cases in a free and fair manner when they arise. However, due regard is not paid to such cases, which aggravates the issue of sexual harassment in such organizations (Cobb-Clark, 2009). Over a long period of time, many countries have failed to recognize the issue of sexual harassment as a key violation of human rights. This has caused the lack of clear rules and methods to deal with cases of sexual harassment. However, countries such as India have made tremendous progress in combating offences on sexual harassment. In India, the Supreme Court recognizes acts of sexual harassment as unacceptable acts, which cannot be condoned at work places. The increased number of women at workplaces and the closeness between men and women calls for clear guidelines on how to deal sexual harassment in all countries (Shahira & Widad, 2009). Women are known to be excellent in whatever they do. Going by this fact, providing a safe work environment for women implies that their productivity at the workplace will be optimum. Therefore, any organization that is to excel in its operations should take advantage of its women work force. Study based evidence indicates that, in work places where women are in authority, there are less cases of sexual harassments towards women. This observation implies that main perpetrators of acts of sexual harassment are men in authority. This gives men in such positions a lot advantages since the affected women fear

Madof’s Scandal Essay Example for Free

Madof’s Scandal Essay In the first two weeks of December 2008, the stressed that 70-year old businessman, Bernard Madoff is suffering becomes apparent to his employees, most particularly to his two sons. It concerns a $7 billion redemption request that Madoff had been ‘struggling to obtain the liquidity necessary to meet his obligation’. This made them approach him directly what the problem is all about. The answer is unexpected. Prior to this incident, Madoff is well known throughout the world of economics and investment as a genius and a trustworthy owner of Madoff Investment Securities LLC. The firm is generally a broker-dealer and investment advisor concerned with the management of investors’ assets, giving advice to investment management and is associated with some nonprofit organizations (Helyar et al. , 2009). At the age of 22, Bernard Lawrence Madoff managed to build his firm from his $5,000 savings. Since its first few years in the business, Madoff’s Securities reputation was tantamount to success. Madoff also served as chairman of the board of directors of the NASDQ Stock Market (Byrne et al. , 2005). Madoff confessed, according to Theodore Cacioppi (BackgroundNow. com 2008), that ‘There is no innocent explanation’ pertaining to the fraud that he committed. Cacioppi’s testimony also revealed that Madoff stated to his ‘senior employees’ that he is already ‘finished’ and the firm is actually ‘one giant Ponzi scheme’. The Hennessee Group, represented by Charles Gradante, had also been suspicious of the Madoff’s success when their reports showed that Madoff’s only had 5 months down in a span of 13 years despite several market fluctuations and economic changes. Helyar and colleagues (2009) reported that Madoff’s strategy of split-strike conversion turns out to be front-running. This strategy involves â€Å"brokers’ for their own account†. This is known to be illegal yet Mardoff’s investors didn’t care. Helyar and colleagues believes that investors are concerned about the money they get. In my opinion, Madoff’s scandal opens the public’s eyes to the fact that cheating is indeed prevalent in the American Society. Even successful people cheat and are cheated. The effect cripples the economy and results to distrust. New policies are being and will be initiated to avoid and detect possible frauds. When I heard about the scandal, the first thing that came to my mind was the quote ‘when everything is going your way, you’re probably in the wrong lane’. Taken literally this indicates driving at the other side of the road. Nonetheless, another interpretation reveals that ‘everything coming your way’ resembles things are being ‘too good to be true’ or turning out as you expected. In the case of Madoff’s investors, they looked at the facts; they listen to what former investors say and followed that path expecting the same returns. Despite the fact that Madoff’s offer and profiles seem ‘too good to be true’. They grabbed the chance and hope for the best. At the end, it is the ‘wrong lane’ after all. Madoff fraud strategy is well-known as ‘Ponzi scheme’. This type of fraud had been in the business industry for several decades yet people still fell for it. The good promises are simply too great to refuse. These same things eluded logical thinking and provoke greed. The scandal affects the investors and their reputation. It also raised doubts regarding implementation of laws and economic policies. It posed new challenges for proper investment management and questions the liability of security firms. Moreover, it is not simply an issue of crime or fraud; rather it undermines societal values and trends. References BackgroundNow. com. (2008). Bernard L. Madoff Charged In Multi-Billion Dollar Ponzi Scheme. Retrieved on February 17, 2009 from http://books. google. com/books? id=m2_yfK582ukC Helyar, J. , Burton, K. , and Silver, V. (2009). Roots of a $50 billion Ponzi Scheme. Retrieved on February 17, 2009, from http://www. businessmirror. com. ph/index. php? option=com_contentview=articleid=5577:roots-of-a-50-billion-ponzi-scheme-catid=46:bloomberg-specialsItemid=70 McShane, L. (2008). Bernard Bernie Madoff: From Queens lifeguard to soaking fraud. Retrieved on February 17, 2009, from http://www. nydailynews. com/news/ny_crime/2008/12/13/2008-12-13_bernard_bernie_madoff_from_queens_lifegu. html Schwartz, R. A. , Byrne, J. A. , and Colaninno, A. (2005). Coping with Institutional Order Flow. Springer. US Security and Exchange Commission. (2001). â€Å"Ponzi† Schemes. Retrieved on February 17, 2009, from http://www. sec. gov/answers/ponzi. htm

Physics in Volleyball Essay examples -- physics sport sports volleybal

Physics is used in almost everything we do throughout our everyday lives. Sports are almost entirely composed of the physics of the human body in order accomplish the performed action. Volleyball is a sport which has physics at the heart of the game, understanding the physics of the game actually allows a player to improve and become more efficient and effective in his or her game. This essay gives insight into how the rules of physics can be used and are essential in the game of volleyball in all aspects of the game including serving, passing, setting, hitting, and blocking. Volleyball is a game of constant projectile motion with various types of contacts involved in each aspect of the game. In volleyball when serving one must stand behind the end line, which is 30 feet from the net. The net measures 90 inches, or 96 inches for men, from the ground. The goal is to get the ball across the net with as little time as possible so that the other team has less time to react and handle the ball. Traditionally serving has been done from the floor where the server has to create a parabolic motion path for the ball to travel so that it will clear the net and then land within the boundaries of the court. In modern volleyball the game has progressed to more of a vertical game, with jump serving. The advantages that jump serving gives have to do with the physics of projectile motion. The angle in which the server’s initial velocity has to start from is smaller, because as the height increases the slope of the parabola in the motion of the ball decreases. As the height of contact increases the path that the ball follows becomes line like as it crosses the net and if the contact height is high enough and the ball is contacted correctly... ...ember 2004 Zobel, Edward A. "Projectile Motion, General Solution" 2001. 23 November 2004. . Western Washington University."Projectile Motion" .22Novemeber 2004 Bixby, Sarah.University of Alaska Southeast."The Physics of Volleyball" 2004. 23 November 2004 Anon. Science 306(5693) 42-42. "Engineering of Sport- In Volleyball, Crafty Players Serve Up an Aerodynamic crisis. 2004. 23 November 2004.

Relation of Physical Education to the Personality Development of the Students Essay

According to Harrison (2005), in the field of human resource management, training and development is the field concerned with organizational activity aimed at bettering the performance of individuals and groups in organizational settings. It has been known by several names, including employee development, human resource development, and learning and development. According to Robbins and DeCenzo (2000), training has traditionally been defined as the process by which individuals change their skills, knowledge, attitudes, and/or behavior. In this context, training involves designing and supporting learning activities that result in a desired level of performance. In contrast, development typically refers to long-term growth and learning, directing attention more on what an individual may need to know or do at some future time. While training focuses more on current job duties or responsibilities, development points to future job responsibilities. However, sometimes these terms have been used interchangeably or have been denoted by the single term performance consulting, which emphasizes either the product of training and development or how individuals perform as a result of what they have learned. Training is an educational process. People can learn new information, re-learn and reinforce existing knowledge and skills, and most importantly have time to think and consider what new options can help them improve their effectiveness and performance at work. Effective trainings convey relevant and useful information that inform employees and develop skills and behaviors that can be transferred back to the workplace Robinson and Robinson (1999). The goal of training is to create an impact that lasts beyond the end time of the training itself. The focus is on creating specific action steps and commitments that focus people’s attention on incorporating their new skills and ideas back at work. Training can be offered as skill development for individuals and groups. In general, trainings involve presentation and learning of content as a means for enhancing skill development and improving workplace behaviors. These two processes, Training and Development, are often closely connected. Training can be used as a proactive means for developing skills and expertise to prevent problems from arising and can also be an effective tool in addressing any skills or performance gaps among staff. Development can be used to create solutions to workplace issues, before they become a concern or after they become identifiable problem. Development perspective examines the current environment, the present state, and helps people on a team, in a department and as part of an institution identify effective strategies for improving performance. In some situations, there may not be anything â€Å"wrong† at the present time; the group or manager may simply be seeking ways to continue to develop and enhance existing relationships and job performance. In other situations, there may be an identifiable issue or problem that needs to be addressed; the Development process aims to find ideas and solutions that can effectively return the group to a state of high performance. Development implies creating and sustaining change. Training and development describes the formal, ongoing efforts that are made within organizations to improve the performance and self-fulfillment of their employees through a variety of educational methods and programmed. In the modern workplace, these efforts have taken on a broad range of applications—from instruction in highly specific job skills to long-term professional development. In recent years, training and development has emerged as a formal business function, an integral element of strategy, and a recognized profession with distinct theories and methodologies. More and more companies of all sizes have embraced â€Å"continual learning† and other aspects of training and development is a process that â€Å"strives to build the capacity to achieve and sustain a new desired state that benefits the organization or community and the world around them†. Development perspective examines the current environment, the present state, and helps people on a team, in a department and as part of an institution identify effective strategies for improving performance. In some situations, there may not be anything â€Å"wrong† at the present time; the group or manager may simply be seeking ways to continue to develop and enhance existing relationships and job performance. In other situations, there may be an identifiable issue or problem that needs to be addressed; the Development process aims to find ideas and solutions that can effectively return the group to a state of high performance. Development implies creating and sustaining change Charnov, Garavan, Costine, and Heraty (2000). According to Marmer (1999), training and development describes the formal, ongoing efforts that are made within organizations to improve the performance and self-fulfillment of their employees through a variety of educational methods and programmed. In the modern workplace, these efforts have taken on a broad range of applications—from instruction in highly specific job skills to long-term professional development. In recent years, training and development has emerged as a formal business function, an integral element of strategy, and a recognized profession with distinct theories and methodologies. More and more companies of all sizes have embraced â€Å"continual learning† and other aspects of training and development as a means of promoting employee growth and acquiring a highly skilled work force. In fact, the quality of employees and the continual improvement of their skills and productivity through training are now widely recognized as vital factors in ensuring the long-term success and profitability of small businesses and in addition create a corporate cultu re that supports continual learning. For the most part, the terms â€Å"training† and â€Å"development† are used together to describe the overall improvement and education of an organization’s employees. However, while closely related, there are important differences between the terms that center on the scope of the application. In general, training programmed have very specific and quantifiable goals, like operating a particular piece of machinery, understanding a specific process, or performing certain procedures with great precision. According Ambler (2006), effective training and development begins with the overall strategy and objectives of the small business. The entire training process should be planned in advance with specific company goals in mind. In developing a training strategy, it may be helpful to assess the company’s customers and competitors, strengths and weaknesses, and any relevant industry or societal trends. The next step is to use this information to identify where training is needed by the organization as a whole or by individual employees. It may also be helpful to conduct an internal audit to find general areas that might benefit from training, or to complete a skills inventory to determine the types of skills employees possess and the types they may need in the future. Each different job within the company should be broken down on a task-by-task basis in order to help determine the content of the training program. According to Schwartz (2000), in measuring the effectiveness of train ing, researchers have typically relied upon the subjective reactions of participants (Baker & Titus, 1982; Heppner & Reeder, 1984; Pfaff, 1981; Pritchett, Clay, & Nichols, 1984; Twale & Muse, 1996; Upcraft & Pilato, 1982). Other measures that have been used previously include the performance of task activities within the context of training programmed (Baker & Titus, 1982; Forney, 1986) and follow-up questionnaires designed to assess trainees’ subsequent emotional states (Winston & Buckner, 1984) or their ability to apply programmed content to hypothetical situations similar to those encountered on the job (Schuh, Stage, & Westfall, 1991). With the exception of one study by up craft and Pilato (1982), in which ratings of job performance were used as a criterion, there appears to have been little or no published research dealing with the effects of training on actual job performance. Importance of Training and Development on Job Performance Training is one element many corpora tions consider when looking to advance people and offer promotions. Although many employees recognize the high value those in management place on training and development, some employees are still reluctant to be trained. Training and development offers more than just increased knowledge. It offers the added advantage of networking and drawing from others’ experiences therefore it is not uncommon to hear excuses regarding why someone has not received training. (Choo 2007) According to Bowley (2007), training in an organization can be mainly of two types; Internal and External training sessions. Internal training occurs when training is organized in-house by the Human resources department or training department using either a senior staff or any talented staff in the particular department as a resource person. On the other hand, External training is normally arranged outside the firm and is mostly organized by training institutes or consultants. Whichever training, it is very essential for all staff and helps in building career positioning and preparing staff for greater challenges. While the applications of training and development are as various as the functions and skills required by an organization, several common training applications can be distinguished, including technical training, sales training, clerical training, computer training, communications training, organizational development, career development, supervisory development and managemen t development. According to Mondy, R.W. and Adeniyi, (1995), is of the opinion that for every employee to perform well, there is the need for constant training and development. The right employee training, development and education provide big payoffs for the employer in increased productivity, knowledge, loyalty, and contribution to general growth of the firm. The reasons behind employee training and development cannot be overemphasized. Local According to Roberto G. Medina, training is regarded as an attempt to improve the employee’s ability to perform his job so the goals of the organization can be achieved. The person mainly responsible for training is the supervisor who is assisted in some ways by the personnel manager or the training director. The supervisor of the new employee is the best position to provide training. This is so because he knows what output his unit needs. In addition, the supervisor has the abilities, the skills, and the right attitude needed to be imparted to the new employee. According to Jose P. Leveriza, training starts before the employee walks through the door of the place of work for the first time. However, learning about the employer starts with the job advertisement and continues through the selection process. As a result ‘training’ in its widest sense could be deemed to have begun, albeit subliminally, several weeks, or even months, before a new employee is added to the payroll. It is important at this stage to make a clear delineation between training or development as a result of some initiative taken at work, and education that is undertaken before and is mutually exclusive to the work situation. Education at school, college or university may be undertaken as part of an individual’s development programme, but for the process of this discussion, achievements in these areas outside and prior to employment will be regarded as qualifications required to gain employment, and thus not within the employer’s control. According to Florence M. de Guia, training is ‘a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge or skill behavior through learning experience to achieve effective performance in an activity or range of activities. Its purpose, in the work situation, is to develop the abilities of the individual and to satisfy the current and future needs of the organization’. This is a wide-ranging remit, but the confusion with the education which has a more abstract, formal and lengthier connotation must be established at the outset. Related Studies Foreign The study conducted by Joseph Kennedy (2009) â€Å"The Impact of Training and Development to Job Performance†. The Judicial Service of Ghana as a Public Service Institution is the organ responsible for the day to day administration of the Courts and Tribunals of the land. To achieve the above function of the Judicial Service of Ghana, part of its budgetary allocation has been earmarked solely for training of judges, magistrates and judicial staff to enhance their capacity to perform their duties effectively and efficiently so as to achieve the vision and mission statements of the Service. To this effect, the judicial training institute which has the mandate to promote effective training of judges, magistrates and judicial staff, has over the years conducted and continue to provide training to judges, magistrates and judicial staff to build their capacity to perform their functions effectively. Notwithstanding the huge investment in training by the Judicial Service of Ghana, the service is confronted with a lot of challenges in achieving its vision and mission statements. These challenges include delays in the processing of court cases and the need to constantly upgrade the skills of judicial staff, judges and magistrates to cope with new trends in efficient justice delivery. This study seeks to evaluate the impact of the huge investment made in training on job performance of judicial staff. The researcher used both primary and secondary sources of for the conduct the research. The research findings revealed that the training conducted by the Judicial Service of Ghana for its employees was very negligible. The research further recommends that the frequency of Training provided by the Judicial Service of Ghana should be improved to ensure that more employees have access to Training and Development. Again, Training and Development offered by the J udicial Service of Ghana should ensure a better understanding of the Mission and Vision statement of the Judicial Service of Ghana so that, employees can identify themselves with the organizational values in the discharge of the duties. The study conducted by Ayesha Mirza (2010) â€Å"HR Process and Impact of Training and Development on Employee’s Performance at PSO† This project discusses research that was undertaken about the HR process and impact of training and development on employee’s performance at Pakistan State Oil. I have studied all the HR practices of the company but the main focus was to study the impact of training and development on employee’s performance in the company. A theoretical framework is developed from a literature search and this issued by me as a model for further research. I have collected data within this framework and analyzed it according to the requirements of the project. To collect the data required I have also visited regional office of PSO in Karachi and also collected data from several outlets of PSO. The web site of PSO is also used as source of data by the group. At PSO, they strongly believe that Human Resource is the asset that should be appreciate d with the passage of time. Consequently, PSO considers the strong focus on training and development of their employees a value added and worthwhile investment. Then, in the last by the detailed study of the impact of training and development practices used by the company some recommendations are made and on the basis of the analysis of company’s practices conclusions are drawn. Chapter 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter deals with the methodology to be applied in. It covered the research design, respondents of the study, research instruments, and procedure in gathering the data, determined of sampling technique, and the statistical treatment. Research Design The researchers will use the descriptive design to find out and make a comparison of training and development and job performance of the newly hired employees of Card Mutually Reinforcing Institute and to determine the levels of training and development. The correlation design will also use to determine if there is a significant relationship between training and development and job performance. Population and Distribution of the Study The populations of the study are the newly hired employees of Card Mutually Reinforcing Institute in San Pablo City. The researcher selected fifty (50) newly hired employees in the said company by administering a self-made test questionnaires. The respondents randomly selected by the researchers by dividing them into two (2) batch , which consist of twenty five (25) member per batch by giving them thirty minutes allotted time to answer the provided questions given by the researchers. Research Instruments The researcher prepare self made test to measure the effectiveness of training and development to the job performance of the newly hired employees. The constructed test includes the profile factors such as age, gender and socio-economic status. Self- made Tests. These are the 15 item questionnaires made by the researcher which were use to measure the effectiveness of training and development to the job performance of the respondents. The questionnaires generally consist of general information and evaluation to test the effectiveness of training and development to the job performance of the employees. The questionnaires were then validated by the experts of the field. Research Procedure In order to get the necessary materials needed for the review of related literature and studies, the researchers visited different libraries namely San Pablo Colleges, City Library, University of the Philippines Los Banos and Colegio De San Juan De Letran. The researchers’ visit and surf different websites to gather more information and data to have a better understanding of the studies. The researchers made test questionnaires to determine the effectiveness of training and development to the job performance of the newly hired employees. The fifty (50) respondents of Card Mutually Reinforcing Institute divided into two batches for not to interrupt the workplace of the respondents. For gathering the data of the study, the researchers ask for their consent before making them as the respondent of the study. Also the researchers ask the respondents to answer the questionnaires with all their honest and sincerity. After the respondents have finish answering the questionnaires, the researchers will collect and sort it out and tabulate the scores then analyze and interpret it.

Definitions of Tourism Essay

Tourism is a booming industry and a driving force in positive economical, ecological, sustainable, social and cultural developments in several countries around the globe. Its complex nature requires sophisticated management in order to reach its full potential. Most people possess an intuitive and basic understanding of tourism, which focuses on an image of people travelling for recreational purposes, however, tourism, goes far beyond this simplistic view. According to Stear (2005), the area of studying tourism has an apparent lack of substance when it comes to defining the basic terms ‘tourism’ and ‘tourist’. Although the concept of tourism itself has been around for many centuries, the academic study of tourism in the tertiary educational sector is a recent development. There is no single definition of tourism to which everyone adheres. Many definitions have been used over the years, some of which are universal and can be applied to any situation, while others fulfil a specific purpose. This essay aims to define who exactly a ‘tourist’ is and what the term ‘tourism’ means through technical and heuristic definitions from articles written by Stear (2005), Dickman (1997), and McIntosh et al (1995). Throughout the essay definitions from organisations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will also be drawn upon. The ambiguity of two seemingly simple concepts in theory – who a tourist is and what tourism entails – will be discussed through a range of academic articles, which will address and highlight the strengths, weaknesses and differences between them. The foci and boundaries of each definition will be determined in order to assess their effectiveness. Whilst each definition is unique in their own right, there are also many similarities, which can be noted. Weaver (2010) states that â€Å"the definition of ‘tourism’ is dependent on the definition of the ‘tourist’ and when defining whom exactly is a ‘tourist’, individuals must simultaneously meet certain spatial, temporal and purposive criteria†, which will be discussed below. First and foremost, Stear (2005) defines tourism as â€Å"†¦Tourism is travel and temporary stay, involving at least one night away from the region of a person’s usual home that is undertaken with the major expectation of satisfying leisure needs that are perceived as being more njoyably able to be satisfied by being at places outside of, and qualitatively different to, the home region † (Stear 2005, pg. 8). Stear also has a clear definition of a tourist, which he refers to as â€Å"†¦ A tourist is a person engaging in activities directly associated with present or future travel and temporary stay that involves at least one night away from the region of their usual home that is undertaken with the major expectation of satisfying leisure needs that are perceived as being more enjoyably able to be satisfied by places outside of, and qualitatively different to, the home region. (Stear 2005, pg. 11) A clear fault of Stear’s heuristic definitions of ‘tourism’ and ‘tourist’ is the limitation or restriction of the time period of â€Å"at least one night away†, in which Stear fails to take into account the temporal element of tourism. The notion of how long, if any time at all, that must be spent away from one’s usual home is an aspect, which is not uniform amongst definitions of tourism. Another weakness of Stear’s definitions is the l imitation of â€Å"the region of a person’s usual home†, which implies that physically moving away from your home would make you a tourist. According to the UNWTO (cited in Weaver, 2010), for an individual to qualify as a tourist â€Å"travel must occur beyond the individual’s ‘usual environment’†. The spatial boundary of tourism as discussed by Weaver (2010) is unclear in this instance as an individual who lives in Sydney but stays in Canberra during the week for work would then be considered a tourist under this definition. Whilst Stear’s (2005) definition states a minimum stay requirement to be considered a tourist, it does not state a maximum timeframe, unlike that of other definitions, which clearly state a maximum period of time before someone loses the title of ‘tourist’. The UNWTO (1995) provides a more technical definition and defines tourism as an individual â€Å"travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes. † This definition is broader in scope compared to Stear’s (2005), which specifies that an individual who travels is only a tourist when their travel is â€Å"undertaken with the major expectation of satisfying leisure needs. † The UNWTO definition (cited in Weaver, 2010) is complemented by Dickman’s (1997, pg. 7) who identifies a tourist as â€Å"†¦a visitor who travels to a place utside his/her usual environment for at least one night but no more than six months (domestic) or one year (international) and whose main purpose of visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited† and tourism as â€Å"†¦a non-essential activity, or one that is predominantly rela ted to leisure activities† (Dickman, 1997 pg. 7). Compared to Stear’s (2005) definition of tourism, Dickman’s (1997) heuristic definition is very brief and extremely vague as spatial relevance and time period are both not addressed. Furthermore, Dickman’s (1997) definition is limited as it only refers to the activity side of tourism whereas Leiper (2004) discusses a basic tourism system involving the tourist, the generating region, the transit route, the destination and the movement in between. Despite this limitation, a major strength of Dickman’s (1997) definition is that it defines and takes into consideration the differences between domestic and international tourists. This comparison has also been addressed by Weaver (2010) who declares that a domestic tourist is one that travels within their own country of residence, whilst an international tourist travels outside their usual country of residence. The third and final authors McIntosh et al. (1995) describes tourism as â€Å"†¦the entire world industry of travel, hotels, transportations, and all other components, including promotion, that serves the needs and wants of travellers. Tourism today has been given new meaning and is primary a term of economics referring to the industry†. On the other hand, ‘tourist’ is defined as â€Å"†¦a person who travels from place to place for non work reasons by U. N. definition, a tourist is someone who stays for more than one night and less than a year. Business and convention travel is included. This thinking is dominated by balance-of-trade concepts. Military personnel, diplomats, immigrants and resident students are not tourists† (McIntosh et al. , 1995). The heuristic definition above of ‘tourism’ incorporates the industry as a whole, which is a major strength in comparison to the other definitions, hich only take into account the physical act of travelling. The tourism industry is not identifiable as a standard industry but is rather an amalgamation of parts of other conventional industries such as retail, hospitality, accommodation, entertainment and transport (Weaver, 2010). The incorporation of ‘tourism’ as an industry takes on a different approach to defining tourism and makes finding a clarified and universal meaning for ‘tourism’ and ‘tourist’ even more complicated. McIntosh et al. 1995) refer to the tourist in a very specific manner including different types of tourists such as business tourists, which is a strong point, as a tourist can’t be just defined in one aspect. According to Weaver (2010), â€Å"a basic tourist criterion concerns travel purpose which is dominated by three major categories – leisure and recreation, visiting friends and relative and business. † Compared to Stear (2005) and Dickman’s (1997) narrow definitions, McIntosh et al. (1995) have a much broader, flexible view on defining tourism and the tourist. In both definitions of ‘tourist’ Dickman (1997) and McIntosh et al. 1995) describe an individual moving out of their ‘usual environment’, which is considered a key element in the definition. Weaver (2010) supports this definition in his discussion of fulfilling the spatial component in order to be considered a tourist. Whilst this is considered a highly subjective concept, many tourism bodies specify minimum distance thresholds, which â€Å"serve the useful purpose of [differentiating] those who bring outside revenue into the local area from those who circulate revenue internallyâ €  (Weaver, 2010, pg. 22-23). When reviewing the definition by McIntosh et al. 1995), a key downfall is the reference to ‘resident students’ not being considered tourists, which can be questioned. An international student may wish to travel overseas first to experience the culture of the country they plan on studying in, however under this definition, even if they wish to take part in and visit tourist attractions which are recreational and leisure based they aren’t considered tourists. Most people do not intuitively associate study or formal education with tourism however it is considered a qualifying criterion by the UNWTO. In Australia alone, in 2007-08 international students accounted for around 7% of all inbound arrivals (Weaver, 2010, pg. 29). In conclusion, the complicated task of defining two simple terms ‘tourism’ and ‘tourist’ has been made somewhat clearer through the definitions provided by Stear (2005), Dickman (1997) and McIntosh et al. (1995). Whilst all three authors have different perspectives on how to define these terms, they also have a few aspects that seem to cross over. Considering all the definitions by the three authors Stear (2005), Dickman (1997) and McIntosh et al. 1995) it is hard to argue which definition is more just and accurate than the other as they all have their strengths and weaknesses. From the research conducted, Stear’s (2005) definition of a ‘tourist’ is the most flexible and relevant in the context of today’s society however; Dickman’s (1997) definition of ‘tourism’ is most accurate as it incorporates the entire tourism industry and not just the physical act of traveling. Ultimately, ‘tourist’ and ‘tourism’ are indefinable as we all have our own personal views and perspectives on which definitions fit the context of the situation.

How to Write a Series of Novels Your Readers Will Love

How to Write a Series of Novels Your Readers Will Love How to Write a Series of Novels Your Readers Will Love Each installment must both stand alone and work as part of the whole. You’re forced to keep up with all the elements you exploit in a single novel and make sure they serve the entire entity: characters, plot, settings, everything. Having written six adult series and ten children’s series, I can say I learned quickly that I had to re-read the previous title before starting the next, every time. Was that really necessary? The one time I tried to shortcut the process I found myself more than halfway through the writing of the next title in The Left Behind Seriesâ„ ¢ when I had a sinking feeling. One of the global curses I had included was a decrease in the power of the sun by one-third. So my characters in the desert suddenly had to wear long pants, sweaters, coats, hats. Made sense. But hadn’t that curse been lifted near the end of the previous title? A rather significant development, if I was right. And I was. A fast re-read of that previous title confirmed my suspicion. The desert was back to full aridity. I had to go back to the beginning of the current manuscript and re-dress my characters! Need help with time management?  Click here to download my free guide: How to Maximize Your Writing Time. A Crucial Checklist Navigating the delicate balance between satisfying your reader with each book and keeping them longing for the next, you must remain vigilant on many fronts. Ask yourself: Do I risk frustrating my reader by stretching the story to accommodate a series, rather than ensuring that each title works on its own? Am I able to keep each installment relatively similar in length and time span covered? Have I provided enough variety in voice, narrator, and perspective characters without jeopardizing the consistency of the message and tone?   3 Tips to Writing a Great Series 1. Remember that Publishers Love Series Left Behind began as a one-book deal. The idea was to tell the story of the Rapture, including the seven-year Tribulation (including 21 judgments from heaven). Halfway through the writing of that manuscript I realized I had covered only two weeks of the seven years. With great trepidation, I informed the publisher, Tyndale House, that I was afraid the story would require at least a trilogy. They immediately rewrote the contract and urged me to let the story dictate the length. My editor reminded me that publishers love series because they get more bang for the buck. If the overall plot can bear it, multiple titles allow advertising and promotion that much more impact for virtually the same price. The individual titles themselves promote the whole. Halfway through the writing of book two, I had covered two months of the seven years. Another phone call. Another rewritten contract to make the series seven titles. Eventually Left Behind became a series of 16 titles. 2. Keep Character Arc Paramount The main reason I couldn’t force 21 dramatic judgments from heaven into one big novel was that with such a huge, cosmic concept, my characters had to be realistic and believable. If the entire novel was filled with slam bang action, my characters would have become props, stick figures on which to hang a sort of comic book tale. My message in this story is that while it was cast as fiction- putting made-up characters in the way of these dire prophecies- I believe it’s true and will happen some day. So to lend credence to that theme, my characters had to be easily identified with. The reader had to be able to see himself in these situations and resonate- or not- with the decisions of very realistic people. Character arc takes time, and pages. It can’t flag and get boring, but neither can it be shortcut. In a series, readers expect characters to grow in each book and throughout the entire package. 3. Each Novel Must Satisfy On Its Own This is where too many novelists stumble. They succumb to the temptation to â€Å"save the good stuff† for the final book. Better to give your all to each title and, in essence, have to start from scratch with each new one. Naturally, the overall story itself needs to continue, but force yourself to write each novel as if it’s the last in terms of intrigue, suspense, conflict, dialogue, character arc, all of it. That will guarantee that the reader will get your best with every installment and one won’t dip in quality or serve only as a connector title to keep the series going. Need help with time management?  Click here to download my free guide: How to Maximize Your Writing Time. Do you have questions about how to write a series? Ask me in the comments.

Kerala from Sangam to Dutch Period Essay Example

Kerala from Sangam to Dutch Period Essay Example Kerala from Sangam to Dutch Period Essay Kerala from Sangam to Dutch Period Essay Introduction. ?Kerala has a unique Geographical position. ?Kerala has a rich culture and is the meeting point of many types of ideologies, Ideas and religious views. ?Travelers, merchants and rulers visited kerala and influenced its History. ?Story Behind the birth Of Kerala. ?Parasurama the 6th Incarnation of Lord Vishnuthrew an axe far into the sea and commanded the sea to retreat. ?The land that emerged from the waters became Kerala. ?From where does the term kerala come from ? ?Sanskrit scholars derive the name from â€Å"Kera or coconut†,which is a staple product of kerala. Others say it is derived from the Tamil word â€Å"Charal† meaning Mountain slope. ?Arab and Persian writers and early Malayalam and medieval Tamil Literature say that the word kerala means the land of hills and mountains. Traditional sources. ?Early history of kerala is based on traditions. The two major sources are : ? Archaeological Sources. ?Archaeological survey and excavations were started in Kerala by Ward and Conor in 1819. ? there are 3 relics of the Historical period found in the various parts of Kerala. They are : 1. monuments 2. coins 3. inscription. ?Monuments. 1. Stone images of Buddha, reflect the culture of kerala during the Buddhist era. 2. Religious monuments : Temples , Churches, Mosques and Synagogues. 3. Palaces – famous Padmanabhapuram palace in Kanyakumari district and Dutch palace in Fort Cochin. 4. Forts and historical sites. ?Coins. ? Many foreign and indigenous coins have been found in kerala. Rast is the oldest of them. Roman coins are the oldest Foreign coins. Rulers of Travancore and Cochin Had their own independent coinage. Dutch copper coins and British Indian Coins give valuable information to historians. ?Inscriptions . Throw light on the political,Cultural, and social life of the People of Kerala. 2. Give insight into working conditions of local assemblies, how temples were managed, Relationship between the landlord and tenant and functioning Of educational institutions. 3. Some inscriptions testify the liberal policy of religious tolerationfollowed by the ancient rulers of Kerala. ?Sangam Age(1-500 A. D. ) ? Sang am Literature was composed, In which the Works of poets and writers threw light upon cultural, economic, political, Social and other aspects of the kingdoms of the South. Through these works we get to know what happened during the first 500 years of Christian Era : I. there was monarchy and patrilineal system of succession, II. Women were well educated and had a good position in society, III. Monogamy was the norm, widow remarriage was permitted, Child marriage was not there. ?No division of society into high and low castes,there was no untouchability, ? Rice was the staple food, people had no restrictions regarding beef eating and other non-veg items. Rice-wine was a popular drink. ?It was rare to find Brahmins though some were there as Aryan Brahmins in the royal court. Agriculture was a major occupation and due to trade with countries like Rome, they flourished as a prosperous set of people. Post Sangam Period (500-800 A. D. ) ?Main rulers of this period were Cheraman Perumal and Kulasekara Alwar. ?The former became a Vaishnavite Poet and the latter accepted Islam and went to Mecca. ?Adi Shankara (788-820 A. D. ) lived and propogated the Advaida philosophy during this period. ?After the creation of Kerala it was believed that Parasurama planted sixty-four joint Brahmin Families and gave them rules which would govern them. The Brahmins invited rulers called â€Å"Perumals â€Å" to rule them and each ruler was appointed for a period of 12 years to rule over them. The Kollam Epoch (800-1200A. D) ?Politically Kerala was under the Cholas and Pandyas. A temple was constructed at almost every town and village in Kerala the Quilon calendar was introduced during this time in 25 July 825 A. D. ? Festivals like onam and vishu came to be celebrated. ? The 9th century A. D. saw Malayalam growing as a distinct language. ? Educational institutions like â€Å"Salai† came into existance. ? This period also saw the grow of trade and commerce. There was trade betwe en China and Kerala. ?Tenant system was prevalent whereby the feudal lords enjoyed life at the cost of the poor tenants. ?Sales and tax on vehicles fetched a revenue for the state. ?Ravi Varma Epoch (1200-1500 A. D) ? During this period the land relations showed certain important features : ? Increase of intermediaries as temporary holders of land. ?Increased measures to expand cultivable land and enhance income from land. ?The emergence of cash money in obtaining land rights. ?Traditional landowners held the right of ownership of land. ?Pledging of land of debt on interest. Agriculture was the main occupation. ?There were other occupations like ritual-cum-medicine men, astrologers, washer men and so on. ?There was growth of trade and trading centres; ?Trade was at 3 levels : ?Transport system was essential for trade and in this context there were many boats, ships; even bridges over waterways was essential. ?Portugese Rule In Kerala. ?Political authority was fragmented by the time the Portuguese came to kerala. ?In 1498, Vasco-do-Gamma reached Kappad near Kozhikode. ?Portugese, was the first to achieve a stronghold in Kerala ? A number of battles were fought between the provincial rulers and the Portugese. In 1524 Gamma was appointed the Portugese viceroy of Kerala. ?Apart from commerce, they were also interested in imparting their faith to the people. ?Many people were forced to convert. ?In 1550’s , St. Francis Xavier converted many fisher folk and other socially backward sections along the coastal regions of southern Kerala. ?The chiefs in the state (except the Muslims to whom the Portuguese were hostile) did not resist the conversion as long as they had freedom to do trade and commercial activities and the economic fabric of society was not disturbed. The Portuguese used their own tactics of divide and rule policy for fulfilling their commercial interests in the state. ?New towns had risen and old towns decayed. eg. Calicut, Cochin, Chaliyam gained importance while Quilon and Cranganore languished. ?Crops like cashewnuts, tobacco, custard apple, guava, pineapple and papaya were introduced. ?Gunp owder increased the importance of artillery. This brought unemployment among the Nairs who were well trained in swords and shields. They established seminaries and colleges in Cochin, Angamali and Cranganore. For gtting Christian priests. St. Francis Xavier translated Catechism into Malayalam. Fearing ?The Dutch in Kerala. ?Dutch East India Company was established in the year 1592. ?In 1604 they came to the Malabar coast. ?There was rivalry btw Cochin and Kozhikode during that time and they took advantage of this situation. ?However like the Portuguese their involvement in the local politics was minimal. ?However they had conflicts btw Marthanda Varma of Thiruvithankur and Samuthiri of Kozhikode. ?The Dutch had the main power over the Trade activities. ?Pepper and spices were exported by merchants only after the consent of the Dutch people. They constructed forts and factories here like the Portuguese. ?They sold Indonesian spices and sugar to those ships which were going to Cochin. It turned out to be a success. ?But this didn’t last for long as it declined from 1783 and was completely stopped by 1793 due to poor demand. ?Conclusion ?The History of kerala is very essential part of the heritage of the state and cou ntry as well. ?If we study History well then we would know about the real background in which our state developed through the years. ?We can also see the contrasting practices that were in vogue during the ancient and medieval and the present kerala society.

The Controversy Over Columbus Day Celebrations

The Controversy Over Columbus Day Celebrations Only two federal holidays bear the names of specific men- Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Columbus Day. While the former passes each year with relatively little controversy, opposition to Columbus Day (observed on the second Monday of October)  has intensified in recent decades. Native American groups argue that the Italian explorer’s arrival in the New World ushered in genocide against indigenous peoples as well as the transatlantic slave trade. Thus Columbus Day, much like Thanksgiving, highlights Western imperialism and the conquest of people of color.   The circumstances surrounding Christopher Columbus’ foray into the Americas have led to an end to Columbus Day observances in some areas of the U.S. In such regions, the contributions Native Americans have made to the county are recognized instead. But these places are exceptions and not the rule. Columbus Day remains a mainstay in nearly all U.S. cities and states. To change this, activists opposed to these celebrations have launched a multi-pronged argument to demonstrate why Columbus Day should be eradicated. Origins of Columbus Day Christopher Columbus may have first left his mark on the Americas in the 15th century, but the United States didn’t establish a federal holiday in his honor until 1937. Commissioned by Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to explore Asia, Columbus instead sailed to the New World in 1492. He first disembarked in the Bahamas, later making his way to Cuba and the island of Hispanola, now the home of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Believing that he had located China and Japan, Columbus founded the first Spanish colony in the Americas with the help of nearly 40 crewmembers. The following spring, he traveled back to Spain where he presented Ferdinand and Isabella with spices, minerals and indigenous peoples he’d captured. It would take three trips back to the New World for Columbus to determine that he hadn’t located Asia but a continent altogether unfamiliar to the Spanish. By the time he died in 1506, Columbus had crisscrossed the Atlantic numerous times. Clearly, Columbus left his mark on the New World, but should he be given credit for discovering it? Columbus Didn’t Discover America Generations of Americans grew up learning that Christopher Columbus discovered the New World. But Columbus wasn’t the first European to land in the Americas. Back in the 10th century, the Vikings explored Newfoundland, Canada. DNA evidence has also found that Polynesians settled in South America before Columbus traveled to the New World. There’s also the fact that when Columbus arrived in the Americas in 1492, more than 100 million people inhabited the New World. G. Rebecca Dobbs wrote in her essay â€Å"Why We Should Abolish Columbus Day† that to suggest that Columbus discovered America is to suggest that those who inhabited the Americas are nonentities. Dobbs argues: â€Å"How can anyone discover a place which tens of millions already know about? To assert that this can be done is to say that those inhabitants are not human. And in fact, this is exactly the attitude many Europeans†¦displayed toward indigenous Americans. We know, of course, that this is not true, but to perpetuate the idea of a Columbian discovery is to continue to assign a non-human status to those 145 million people and their descendants.† Not only didn’t Columbus discover the Americas, but he also didn’t popularize the idea that the earth was round. The educated Europeans of Columbus’ day widely acknowledged that the earth was not flat, contrary to reports. Given that Columbus neither discovered the New World nor dispelled the flat earth myth, opponents to the Columbus observance question why the federal government has set aside a day in the explorer’s honor. Columbus’ Impact on Indigenous Peoples The main reason Columbus Day draws opposition is because of how the explorer’s arrival to the New World affected indigenous peoples. European settlers not only introduced new diseases to the Americas that wiped out scores of Native peoples but also warfare, colonization, slavery, and torture. In light of this, the American Indian Movement (AIM) has called on the federal government to stop observances of Columbus Day. AIM likened Columbus Day celebrations in the U.S. to the German people establishing a holiday to celebrate Adolf Hitler with parades and festivals in Jewish communities. According to AIM: â€Å"Columbus was the beginning of the American holocaust, ethnic cleansing characterized by murder, torture, raping, pillaging, robbery, slavery, kidnapping, and forced removals of Indian people from their homelands. †¦We say that to celebrate the legacy of this murderer is an affront to all Indian peoples, and others who truly understand this history.† Alternatives to Columbus Day Since 1990 the state of South Dakota has celebrated Native American Day in lieu of Columbus Day to honor its residents of indigenous heritage. South Dakota has a Native population of 8.8 percent, according to 2010 census figures. In Hawaii, Discoverers’ Day is celebrated rather than Columbus Day. Discoverers’ Day pays homage to the Polynesian explorers who sailed to the New World. The city of Berkeley, Calif, also doesn’t celebrate Columbus Day, instead recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day since 1992. More recently, cities such as Seattle, Albuquerque, Minneapolis, Santa Fe, N.M., Portland, Ore., and Olympia, Wash., have all established Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations in place of Columbus Day.

Government Administration in the Political System Essay

Government Administration in the Political System - Essay Example This is also applicable to all strata in the society; the rich and the poor; to all ethnic demarcations in the society as well. Every one of them has to send their children to the school. The promotion that the federal government has to carry out needs to reach every one of the ethnic minorities in the country, as well as, make sure that the government has a public school in every corner of the country. The number of students in the school may not be deciding factor but the presence of a school in every locality will be. This program was found to be the one that should be cleverly planned, closed executed and also should be followed up strongly. Otherwise, all the good work done will become a wasteful expenditure to the society. In addition to this, the impact on the society by such a program will be tremendous and awe inspiring. Therefore, this program was chosen for the analysis. No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was signed by President Bush On Jan 8, 2002. The basic principle of this Act was made brief by the President in his bill introduction speech in the Congress. This bill, according to him, was to make sure that "all the students will have a better chance to learn, to excel and to live out their dreams". The responsibility of doing this would of course lie with the states and the accountability will stem from the schools. Of course, the federal government will help by increasing the resource allocation for education. This, the federal government, hopes would ensure that the overall performance of the students will go up. In the current situation, as Joel Klein, New York City Schools Chancellor, says, with this law "we can no longer mask the deficiencies of some students with outsized gains of the others". The law aims at putting the children's need for education as the top priority. It also recognizes that there will be multiple performance levels among the schools. And therefore, any school that does not produce appropriate results will lose its students to other good performing schools. Teachers are to be highly qualified and the methodology of teaching should be in line with the latest researches that abound in the sphere of education. Appropriate research based instructional methods will be adopted by the schools to ensure that the best results are obtained. The relationship with the parent will be to pass information to the parent at the right time so that he or she can help in improving the performance of the student. Again, this centers on the performance of the student and not of anything els e. The proposed plan of the Act and the scheme was that: There should be a steady and ongoing performance improvement of the students. The target being every student should be able to read and do math at or above grade level. The Planning Phase Since this was a follow up act on the original 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the plan from the outset was towards building the right kind of processes to ensure that the growth in performance of the students really happen. The following major actions were identified during the commencement of the project (US Dept of Education, Fact Sheet). The same was implemented subsequently. 1. There will be a stronger accountability. This accountability would be more to the

Deviant behavior within cults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Deviant behavior within cults - Essay Example According to an estimate some three thousand (3,000) of such cults have been reported to exist all over the world with a total population of at least three million people attached to them as their followers. The secret religious ceremonies in Greek were technically called the Mysteries. The history of Mysteries is traced back to the days of ancient Greece in the year 600 B.C. when in a Greek city Eleusis, the people practiced a cult of Eleusinian Mysteries. Those Greek who practiced this cult, which involved the worship of Demeter, the goddess of fertility, were promised blessings in the life hereafter. In ancient Rome the group, comprising mostly of soldiers, and belonging to the 'Mithraism Cult' also practiced Mysteries. The members of this cult worshipped the god of fire and light called Mithra. (Raitt, Jill., n.p.n.d.) It was not easy to become a member of a cult in ancient times. Before their admittance into a particular cult, people had to undergo rigorous tests of their patience and staunch adherence. Some of the steps and mechanism involving induction of new members into the cult included: 2. The new entrants then take an oath and pledge for their adherence to the cult so as to become permanent member. The members develop a sense of belonging to that particular cult whose membership they attain. The followers of the cult then begin to imbibe within them the characteristics of cult, their mentality converting into strong allegiance to the group as denoted by the phrase "Us vs Them" 3. Belief of the members: Members gradually are made to develop a belief that it is only they or their group which is on the path of truth. And the other forms of truth as described in other various divinely religions become meaningless to them. The process of operative exclusivists comes into play allowing awareness of several unrevealed dogmas and special information only to those who are interested and proved their loyalty within the group. 4. The natural outcome of this belief is the segregation of such a group from the existing society. The feelings of hostility for other members of society who are not members of such a cult are emanated from the process of indoctrination from cult's beliefs. 5. Self-negation: Cults demand sacrifice of personal wishes, desires or wishes from its members. It is through the practice of this principle of self-negation that members exhibit willingness to sacrifice their self-comfort, getting along without money, and crushing their ambitious dreams for fulfilling cults motives and the so-called salvation The Modern Cults As the time passed, the meaning of cult underwent a change especially after 1960s. The new definition

Acquisition of Merril Lynch by Bank of America Essay

Acquisition of Merril Lynch by Bank of America - Essay Example The self-serve bias, one of the strongest biases faced in organizational decision-making, is a tendency to favor oneself. Generally people taking decisions with this kind of bias, credit themselves for success of their decisions while blaming others for their wrong decisions (Tosi, Mero & Rizzo, 2000, p.79). The aim of this essay to analyze if the decision taken by Bank of America’s executives was a result of self-serving bias. Background of the Problem Bank of America acquired the almost collapsed Merrill Lynch in January 2009 with the approval of shareholders of both the companies. The deal was worth $50 billion. The acquisition made the bank world’s largest financial service provider. However, the earnings released in the same month revealed losses of $21.5 billion in the fourth quarter of Merrill Lynch. The executives of BOA in the announcement before the voting by shareholders provided an unjustified and randomly projected losses rather than the actual analysis of Merrill Lynch. This called for two times infusion of money by the government. However, the executives of BOA in November testified in a Congressional Hearing that they relied on faulty data in order to gain shareholder vote on the acquisition. The forecasts of losses were faulty and some of the losses from collateralized debt obligations for the month of November and December, and various other illiquid assets were omitted. This omission of losses from the financial model used by Merrill Lynch, led to around $9 billion losses where the actual pre-tax losses should have been $18 billion (Cohan, 2009). The carelessness and absence of due diligence on part of BOA executives has had cost its shareholders and resignation of the chairman of BOA Kenneth D. Lewis who also happened to be the chief executive of the bank. However, there is another aspect of the situation faced by BOA i.e. the executives in their testimony also provided the reason for ignoring the significant losses to be press ure from the government to acquire Merrill Lynch before it declares bankruptcy. Analysis of Executives’ Behavior The BOA executives’ testimony in case of Merrill Lynch’s acquisition shows that they deliberately ignored to make a careful analysis of the accounting books of Merrill Lynch. The possible reason for this could be that they had already made up their minds about the acquisition and so ignored the basic principle of investment decision-making i.e. due diligence (Stowell, 2010, p.71). The motivation could be from the fact that the acquisition made BOA world’s largest financial services company and this could have been linked with the compensation and bonuses of the executives. BOA was also interested in buying the bankrupt Lehman Brothers, which was eventually taken over by Barclays. Moreover, BOA executives’ over confidence stems from another recent successful acquisition of Countrywide Financial Corporation that made BOA America’s b iggest home lender (Mildenberg & Keoun, 2008). At the time of acquisition announcement it was believed by many analysts that if BOA was able to restrict the bad assets, then Merrill Lynch’s retail distribution with sales force of 16,690 brokers managing $1.6 trillion of assets, could be the most profitable deal the bank had got during the financial crisis (Mildenberg & Keoun, 2008). Unlike Barclays’ acquisition of Lehman without its bad assets for a much smaller amount, the Merrill Lynch deal was a hasty decision by BOA’s chief executive Kenneth D. Lewis. Lewis had been the driving force of BOA’s success around the nation (The New York Times, 2009). In a study of self-serving bias in managerial decision-making, it

A Danger to Fourth Amendment Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Danger to Fourth Amendment Rights - Essay Example This created controversy, where many individuals claimed that the Supreme Court did not follow the fourth amendment and increased the tension with minority communities (Deborah, 1997). Terry v Ohio (1962), addressed a number of reasonsin seizure and search activities. The court decided that it was legal for police to frisk, question and stop any person whom the law enforcement officers believed that he was acting suspiciously. This is referred to a lower standard than what the fourth amendment refers to a probable cause. Deborah (1997) claims that such frisking and question is against the Fourth Amendment rights while majority think that allowing seizures and searches was a serious blow against the fourth amendment, because it is less than a probable cause. Many seizures and searches are based on probable cause, and the Supreme Court has approved those that are suspicious. This was a serious blow to the Fourth Amendment because all these searches were based on less than a probable cause, while the amendment requires that all searches and seizures should have a probable cause. Additionally, the majority should have adopted Justice Douglas position because he disagrees with the court decision, and contends that the Fourth Amendment entails that every search and seizure to have a probable cause. He also goes ahead and explains that when the court decides to have an exception, then the Americans will lose their protection of privacy. However, despite his concern, Terry v Ohio (1962) law remains. Police are still allowed to question and frisk individuals who look suspicious without any reason or cause to believe they are involved in

Situation analysis in marketing planing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Situation analysis in marketing planing - Essay Example ?†¦.. 4 Marketing Mix elements †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 The customers †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Unique Value Proposition †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 External Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 The Market Extent †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 Competitor Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 The Economic Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 T echnology Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 SWOT Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ... As Armstrong and Kotler (2005, p. 6) stressed, marketing deals with customers more than any other business function and therefore building customer relationship based on customer value and satisfaction is at the very heart of modern marketing. This paper presents a brief report based on the marketing analysis of the Pizza Restaurant, to be located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This piece of paper relates to various marketing concepts and principles such as marketing vision, marketing mix, customer analysis, internal and external analysis and marketing strategies with regard to Pizza Restaurant. Situation Analysis (Internal to the company) Company’s mission, objectives and growth strategies The Pizza Restaurant aims to contribute to human needs by delivering quality pizza-foods and drinks and to enhance healthier food and joyful environment to help its customers find their entertainment needs to be satisfied. Armstrong and Kotler (2005, p. 42) emphasized that a statement of an organ ization’s purpose- a mission statement- must be able to define the business in terms of satisfying basic customer needs. For Pizza Restaurant, its customers are rich hippies and business or other professionals from Riyadh who come to meet their needs of hunger, thirst, joy and leisure entertainment. Company will value their needs, their responses and their varying requirements and thus it will design different services and quality multi-cultural organic food items in order to satisfy its customers. Main objectives of the company are establishing customer focus strategy, maintaining customer loyalty, ensuring long-term profitability and thus achieving sustainable competitive advantages. In order these objectives to be achieved, the

Against super PACs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Against super PACs - Essay Example The next presidential election will be one like no one has ever seen before in terms of campaign funding and expenses. Even now, the GOP Presidential Primary races are already showing signs of how money will not be an object for their presidential candidate. This paper will delve into the committee's history and the reasons behind the public outcry against the existence of Super PACs. A Super PAC is an independent - expenditure only committee that has the legal power to raise unlimited sums of money in campaign contributions from individuals, corporations, unions, and other (lobbyist) groups. The committee was the result of a landmark Supreme Court Decision (Citizens United vs. Federal Election Committee) that dictated that campaign contributions to third party groups cannot be limited. The term Super PAC can be attributed to Eliza Newlin Carney, a reporter who worked for CQ Roll Call. She was the first person to have used the term Super PACs in the context of the word definition (We theimer, â€Å"Citizens United and Contributions to Super PACs: A Little History Is in Order†). Although Super PACs were not meant to openly support any single candidate, the committee has become a force to reckon with this campaign season. Its power and financial backing of particular candidates can be seen and felt in the negative ads that candidates like Mitt Romney have run, all amounting to tens of millions of dollars. That is one reason the public has come to reject the idea of the Super PACs. It has the turned the political campaign into a shallow, reality television, mud-slinging type of contest from which the candidates can never return. The ads being run in the newspapers, television, and radio stations cost these candidates and Super PACs money that could have been used for better political means such as contributions to charitable organizations by the candidates or their support groups on their behalf. That sort of act would have had a greater political impact upo n the voting public than an ad campaign explaining the ills of Newt Gingrich. Even more sickening, is the fact that most of the candidates will feign knowledge of participation in any negative campaign movements because of the independent nature of the Super PACs. The candidate can deny any involvement in the act all the while coordinating with his Super PAC under the radar of mass media. These negative campaigns leave the candidate free and clear of any involvement as all the Super PAC has to do is run the ad with a clear disclaimer absolving the candidate the ad supports of any wrong doing because the ad was not sanctioned by the candidate or political party. In other words, Super PACs gives a voice to people with money. All corporations that have money to give are giving millions and millions of dollars to the candidates across the board. Independent voters do not have that money to donate, so their candidates are not as prominent in terms of connecting with voters. Such is the e ffect of the Super PAC. It makes it seem like only certain candidates have a right to be in the political race because they are the ones with the (lobbyist group) backing and financing. However, ordinary citizens also find themselves scratching their heads in terms of wrapping their brains around the idea of a Super PAC not being a coordinated group founded by the political figure. Take for example the case of Newt Gingrich and the Winning Our Future group. Disclosures later in the campaign proved that he was the very person who founded the group and his close friend Becky Burkett worked for the group. His personal

Situation analysis in marketing planing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Situation analysis in marketing planing - Essay Example ?†¦.. 4 Marketing Mix elements †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 The customers †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Unique Value Proposition †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 External Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 The Market Extent †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 Competitor Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 The Economic Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 T echnology Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 SWOT Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ... As Armstrong and Kotler (2005, p. 6) stressed, marketing deals with customers more than any other business function and therefore building customer relationship based on customer value and satisfaction is at the very heart of modern marketing. This paper presents a brief report based on the marketing analysis of the Pizza Restaurant, to be located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This piece of paper relates to various marketing concepts and principles such as marketing vision, marketing mix, customer analysis, internal and external analysis and marketing strategies with regard to Pizza Restaurant. Situation Analysis (Internal to the company) Company’s mission, objectives and growth strategies The Pizza Restaurant aims to contribute to human needs by delivering quality pizza-foods and drinks and to enhance healthier food and joyful environment to help its customers find their entertainment needs to be satisfied. Armstrong and Kotler (2005, p. 42) emphasized that a statement of an organ ization’s purpose- a mission statement- must be able to define the business in terms of satisfying basic customer needs. For Pizza Restaurant, its customers are rich hippies and business or other professionals from Riyadh who come to meet their needs of hunger, thirst, joy and leisure entertainment. Company will value their needs, their responses and their varying requirements and thus it will design different services and quality multi-cultural organic food items in order to satisfy its customers. Main objectives of the company are establishing customer focus strategy, maintaining customer loyalty, ensuring long-term profitability and thus achieving sustainable competitive advantages. In order these objectives to be achieved, the

Information Technology in Criminal Justice Systems Research Paper

Information Technology in Criminal Justice Systems - Research Paper Example On law enforcement, such information systems have helped in crime prevention and criminal justice program network, technical cooperation activities, and the development of the criminal justice information aimed at maintaining institutional capacities to respond to requests from member states as well as the general public. Future activities in the Information technology require more funding, planning, and coordination within the crime prevention and criminal justice programs in the realm of criminal justice information and computerization (Dana Spiegel 2009, pg 113). There are potential benefits that will come about with the use of wireless technologies in the criminal justice systems, which will mainly be realized in prosecutions, courts, and the correctional parts of the criminal justice systems. The prosecution will undoubtedly see an improved case output through the computer-based systems to assist with the cases' recording, in detail, and to track progress on each case, thereby triggering reminders when actions fall due. It will also bring about better use of clerical and professional resources as a result of easier recording and collating of information pertaining to different cases.

Motivation Through Acknowledgement Essay Example for Free

Motivation Through Acknowledgement Essay Impact of being a charismatic leader Leadership is about the ability to influence people by personal attributes and behaviours; different leadership qualities may be needed in different circumstances. Charismatic leadership: A charismatic leader is a leader whose followers are attracted to his or her personality and charm. People using this leadership style excel at working a room and making others feel that they are truly important and needed for the leader (and the cause) to be successful. These magnetic leaders do this through actions such as: Direct eye contact Remembering personal details about the person they are speaking with e. g. use of name or enquiry after family/social matters Giving their complete focus to the other person for the time they are with them Reading their surroundings and being skilled at detecting the moods of the audience and Adjusting his or her behaviours and speech to suit the situation at hand. Their approach when leading teams is to have their enthusiasm rubs off on their team members by being extremely positive and energetic. Teams do, however, need more than just a charming leader to keep them sustainable over the long term. Impacts of Charismatic Leadership Selling The Vision: These leaders are often exceptional at selling the vision and getting people to come along for the ride. They are geniuses at helping people to see possibilities and potentials to buy into something bigger than themselves. They are generally masters at weaving stories and anecdotes that enable people to buy into a big dream e.g. JFK leading a nation to put the first man on the moon Inspiring: Their generally optimistic and positive nature draws people to them like a moth to a flame. Often these leaders do inspire people to be at their best and the work environments they create can be very motivating to employees and colleagues alike. Drive Results. A highly charismatic leader can have people willing to walk over hot coals for him or her. Because of this they can achieve results and often get things done that other leadership styles may not. Think Hitler, Lee Iacocca Charismatic leadership is certainly a dynamic and empowering form of leadership, and combined with other styles of leadership, it creates a powerful force that gives people the enthusiasm and  self-management to achieve great results. A leader is a person who has a vision, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills to make it happen. A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal.

The Microsoft Case: Protecting Competition or Competitors? :: Business Management Economics

The Microsoft Case: Protecting Competition or Competitors? "When a company of merchants undertake, at their own risk and expense, to establish a new trade with some remote and barbarous nation, it may not be unreasonable to incorporate them into a joint stock company, and to grant them, in case of their success, a monopoly of the trade for a certain number of years. It is the easiest and most natural way in which the state can recompense them for hazarding a dangerous and expensive experiment, of which the public is afterwards to reap the benefit. A temporary monopoly of this kind may be vindicated upon the same principles upon which a like monopoly of a new machine is granted to its inventor, and that a new book to its author." -Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, 1776 Introduction Protecting the competition, not the competitor, has become a commonly used statement in recent interpretations of the Sherman antitrust acts of the late 19th century. Such words, however, were not used in the preliminary decision of the U.S. v. Microsoft monopoly case. Just recently, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson cast Microsoft as a "voracious monopolist that has hindered innovation, harmed consumers, and run roughshod over its rivals." (Chandrasekaran, 1999: 1) A 207-page "findings of fact" report did not conclude whether Microsoft violates the Sherman Antitrust Act. The report suggests, however, that Microsoft is indeed a software hog with a decade of at least 90%-95% control of the Windows market share. Chief Executive Officer Bill Gates said he respectfully disagrees with a number of the court’s findings. "In the end we’re quite confident that our integrity†¦and the benefits we provide consumers will be upheld." (Chandrasekaran, 1999: 1). It seems that in an effort to protect the consumer, the government may have forgotten the power of the consumer’s dollar. Perhaps Microsoft has control of the market share because the product is superior to all others, and consumers know it. Is it possible that the government would be punishing the consumer, if in fact consumers truly are happy with the Microsoft product, and have chosen to buy it, not because Microsoft has a significant influence on the market, but because the product is more advanced? What makes a product superior to another? Vision, innovation, risk, marketing: the same elements that Adam Smith praises in a new venture, then rewards, if successful, by granting the company a temporary monopoly in the market.

Surrogate Mothers Essay -- essays research papers

Surrogate Mothers The practice of bearing a child on behalf of another woman. This is surrogate motherhood. Is it considered immoral? By some, yes. In some countries it is banned—and in others it is promoted or up for consideration. In recent days, the issue of "right and wrong" has surfaced in the midst of this argument, sharing different meanings to the opposing sides. To some, it is right only for the woman who brings forth life to raise the child; for it is deemed that she is the only one fit to be the child's mother. Clearly, we must indeed recognize this side of the argument. But to those with that viewpoint, that is the end of the argument. They do not see any reason for the issue to be continued further; rather, to end the debate and declare anyone who disagrees to lack morals or values. But have those who preach this anti-surrogate moralism ever experienced what it would be like to be those on the other side of this issue? Suppose, for a moment, that they were the ones who were incapable of having children. Would they condemn themselves the way that they condemn others if they were in another predicament? It is surely easy to say what one would do in any situation, but one can never know exactly what they would do until that situation comes. How many of you have ever held a small child in your arms and looked into its small eyes and felt the love that you had for it. Perhaps it was a younger sibling, perhaps even a child of your own. You know how much th...

Example Fo a Descriptive Essay Eng 101

Week 4 Assignment: Descriptive Essay John Barkle IV ENG 121 English Composition I Instructor: Antoinette Oesterlein 11/24/12 It is a very merry Christmas. It's my favorite time of year. For some people, Christmas lasts one day. For me it starts the week before Thanksgiving and last the whole month long. I have been celebrating month long Christmases since I was a little boy. My family owns 5 Christmas tree lots, and I have the pleasure of working on our main lot; Deejohn's Christmas Trees in San Mateo.This paper w ill discuss the sites, sounds, and smells of the Christmas tree lot, and how there is no place that says Christmas like a real Christmas tree lot. (Thesis) The first thing you notice is the lights. Most every Christmas tree lot uses the same types of lights. The temporary lighting system uses evenly spaced bare light bulbs strung methodically above each row of trees. This creates an unmistakeable pattern of lights that screams Christmas tree lot.Maybe it is just because I a m so attuned to the business, but I can recognize a Christmas tree lot from a mile away because the way the lights look from a distance is so distinct. Most people probably do not think about it, but next time you are out during the season, keep an eye off into the distance while you drive down the street. I am sure you will understand what I am talking about once you start to look for it. Of course the most distinctive feature of a Christmas tree lot is the trees. We display our trees all in a row,side by side, and sorted by height.As you walk on the lot you notice the trees all grouped together like a little green forest amongst the urban background. Something about the way the trees are arranged in even straight rows, make the little ones want to play hide and seek. Almost every kid who comes on the lot ends up hiding in the trees. Of course every one decorates the place with bright red, green, gold, and silver Christmas ornaments. We have a 5 foot tall inflatable Santa. Standing next to Santa are two 3 feet tall elves, all dress in holiday green and red, with their pointy green elf shoes and red jingle bell hats.The most famous reindeer of all Rudolph the Red Nose reindeer stands with Santa and his elves. One thing that is unmistakable about a real Christmas tree lot is the smell of fresh cut fir trees. One thing you can not get away from on our Christmas tree lot is the music. As I sit and write this essay, I am listening to Bing Crosby singing I'll be home for Christmas over the loud speakers outside the trailer. On our tree lot there is always Christmas music playing. From Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, to The Little Drummer Boy, Christmas music is playing from open to close.To be honest, we all get a little tired of it near the end of the season, but for our customers, it would just not be the same experience with out hot apple cider and Christmas Carols. I can not count the number of times I caught myself humming I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas In J uly. Another sound you hear on the lot all the time is the sound of laughter. Children dart between the rows(even though we tell them to walk for their safety) and giggle when they get â€Å"found† by their siblings and parents. For the most part, a Christmas Tree lot is the happiest place on Earth.There is something about the experience that just lends itself to good cheer. This is the one time of year Mom gets to be as picky as she wants, while Dad just sits back and says â€Å"Yes dear it is a beautiful tree, I think the your mother is going to love it. † Of course Dad always glances at me, rolls his eyes and shrugs as if to say: â€Å"What can I do? It's Christmas! † Almost everyone who comes on the tree lot comments on the fresh smell of pine, and how wonderful it is. What most people realize is there is no pine on our tree lot. All of our trees are Firs.We have Noble Fir, Douglas Fir, and Grand Fir and each has a distinctive smell. The noble fir smells lik e a traditional Christmas tree. The Noble fir smell is the smell most people relate to Christmas trees. The smell of our Douglas Firs is overpowered by the Noble and Grand firs on the lot, but when you take them home they can really perk up your lace with the smell of Christmas. My favorite tree for smell is the Grand Firs. The Grand fir has a vibrant green needle with a silver gray back. The grand fir has a powerful and pungent oil, and it has a vibrant smell that is unmatched by any other live tree I have experienced.Just rubbing a branch on your skin or clothes can leaving you smelling festive for hours. Working on a Christmas tree lot is a dirty business, but I have come home from many another job smelling much worse than I do at the end of a long day on the lot. The sights and smells of Christmas come and go, but the music stays with me the whole year round. Christmas is one time of year that brings families separated by states and nations back together; even if only for a shor t time, and the Christmas Tree Lot seems to be one experience they all seem to agree is positive and fun.From the delicious cinnamon spiced hot apple cider, the pungent aroma of fresh cut fir trees, and the joyous laughter of a game of hide and seek in the trees, a visit to the tree lot is loved and remembered by all. Come visit us, and I bet you will find yourself humming Jingle Bells or Joy to the World all the way home. Whatever you do, don't forget to grab a red and white stripped peppermint candy cane on your way out.

How does Confucianism and Daoism view women?

To begin with, Confucianism is a religion that is named after the philosopher, Confucius. He was an almost deified and impossibly wise man. He believed that to regain social order, people must act the role that society gave them. The father was to act the father, the son was to act the son, etc. The process of becoming that of which one is supposed to be is called â€Å"Rectification of Names. † The society should be founded on five relationships: 1) The ruler and subject; 2) The father and son; 3) The husband and wife; 4) The elder and younger brother; 5) The friend and friend. This proper behavior was required to create a calm, enduring, and beneficial society. In terms of the third relationship, husband and wife, the concept of the Yang and Yin come into play. The Yang is the male, dominating, structures. The Yin is the female, calm, passive structures. This balance, if maintained, is supposed to keep everything in perfect accordance. This concept, in my opinion, is what gave women the submissive role in the Confucius society. Unlike the women in Daoism, under Confucian ideals women were to play their roles in society by being submissive to men and were limited in their participation in society, but were respected and necessary. Their lives were centered in the family as â€Å"inside members† which meant that they were to stay indoors and not associate with the â€Å"outside† more than necessary. Actually, in upper-class homes, inside chambers were built for the women while the men had their own chamber outside. Women were also supposed to remain under the dominion of men and follow the â€Å"three obedience†: Woman follows man, youth follows father or eldest brother, after marriage, wife follows husband, and if her husband dies, she is to follow her eldest son. As children, young girls were not apart of the ancestral line. After marriage they gained their husband's line and became apart of a family making this the single most important event in a young girl's life. However, many girls never made it to marriage because their mothers killed them after they were born. Giving birth to a baby girl was not at all joyous. For those that did make it, their objective was to become a wife. A wife was the lowest link in the social hierarchy and was there to serve the mother-in-law. Once married, both the husband and wife's main focus was to take care of the husband's parents. Women were expected to be completely devoted to their husbands and would often choose to commit suicide than violate their womanly virtues. Mothers with lost of sons were much higher up socially than those with fewer. Women who did not marry were not accepted in the Confucian society. Divorce was also not accepted and was allowed only under strict circumstances by the husband. These circumstances include incurable sickness, no male heir, talking too much, stealing, disobedience, promiscuity, and jealousy. The husband could have several concubines of which the wife was supposed to be kind and courteous to. On the same level, women could talk to other women about their husbands if they drank too much alcohol, neglected their duties as a husband, or became abusive. The other women would then tell their husbands who would act accordingly. This all seems rather harsh, but the fact that women are the only ones that could give life; they were respected and considered necessary. On the contrary, women in the Daoist society were treated a whole lot better. Daoism puts an emphasis on nature and the feminine qualities of nature. Seeing as how women create life and Daoism is† that which creativity flows from,† women hold the up most respect. As a matter of fact, Dao means â€Å"Great Mother. † Unlike in Confucianism, the role of women being passive and flexible comes natural and unforced. Because of this natural passiveness, women are naturally good Daoists; simply because of this â€Å"naturalness. † In the Daoist Society women are reared as especially receptive to divine inspiration which provides a spiritual outlet for them. Women are also allowed to participate in all levels of Daoism and were thought to be the only ones who could reach the highest levels of Dao lineage, all except that of the Divine Lord. However, this did not move women out of their subordinate roles nor did it raise their social status, and the sexual practices in Daoism for prolonged life may have led to the exploitation of women. Another tradition performed by the Chinese women in the Confucian society was foot-binding. Originally it was done as a kind of ballet toe dancing performed for royalty. It eventually worked its way down the entire social strata and became a tradition linked to marriage. It was performed on young girls from the ages of five to seven, as early as two and as late as thirteen. The foot was to be shaped into what looked like the Golden Lotus bud. The perfect shaped foot was three inches long looked like it naturally extended form the foot, not like the 90* angle normal feet make. The foot was bound to break the arch and toes. The toes were broken to curl under the foot. The big toe was left to look like the point of the bud. Girls were told to walk on pieces of sharp metal and broken glass to cut the bottom of the foot so that when it healed, the toes would fuse to the foot. Every so often the feet were unbound to clean and tighten. This was an extremely painful process that took more than two years to complete. The binding shoes were worn the rest of the girl's life. Perfectly bound feet meant that the girl was marriageable, she was obedient, submissive, and could endure great amounts of pain. This also controlled her sexuality because it was hard for the girl to â€Å"get around. † The tiny feet also became an erotic fetish for some men. The girl's shoes were sent to her mother-in-law-to-be for inspection. The Girls' new mother would inspect for size, shape, and craftsmanship. Since the girl made the shoes herself, the explicit details gave a clue to what type of worker she was. This creativity was often the only creative outlet for the young girls. So to conclude, there are many differences in the ways women were dealt with in Confucianism and Daoism. In both religions, however, women were not very high up on the social scales, they were supposed to be the calm, passive and obedient counterpart of men, and were ultimately inferior beings. Foot binding became a Confucian tradition in marriage, while in Daoism, women held nearly the heights levels I the religion. I am just glad to say that I am a woman living in America today, and not in the classical Confucian society of China.