Jungle Essays - Meat Packing Industry, The Jungle, Jurgis

Jungle The family knows all the dirty secrets of the meat-packing industry. The most spoiled of meats becomes sausage. All manner of dishonesty exists in the selling diseased, rotten, and adulterated meat to American households. The working members of the family fall into a silent stupor due to the grinding poverty and misery of their lives. Ona and Jurgis grow apart. Jurgis begins to drink heavily. He delivers himself from full-blown alcoholism through force of will, but the desire to drink always torments him. Antanas suffers all manner of childhood illnesses, but the measles attacks him with fury. However, he reaches his first birthday owing to his strong constitution despite the privations under which his family suffers. He is perpetually malnourished like the rest of Packingtown. Ona, pregnant again, develops a bad cough and suffers increasingly frequent bouts of hysterical crying. Winter arrives again, and with it comes the grueling rush season. Fifteen and sixteen hour workdays are frequent. Twice, Ona does not return home at night. She explains that the snow drifts kept her away, so she stayed with a friend. Jurgis discovers that she lied about staying with her friend. He wrangles a confession out of her. Sobbing hysterically, Ona confesses that, Connor, a boss at her factory continually harassed her and pleaded with her to become his mistress. Eventually, he raped her in the factory after everyone had gone home. He threatened to arrange the firings of every wage earner in her household. Moreover, he threatened to prevent them from obtaining work in Packingtown ever again. With these threats, he forced her into accompanying him to Miss Henderson's brothel in the evenings for the past two months. The recent snowstorms prevented Ona from returning home twice. Jurgis storms to Ona's workplace. It takes more than a half dozen men subdue him before he can choke the life out of Connor. Jurgis is arrested and taken to jail where old men and boys, hardened criminals and petty criminals, innocent men and guilty men share the same squalid quarters. Jurgis's trial date is set, and his bond is three hundred dollars. Jurgis spends the Christmas holidays in jail, worrying about his family. While Jurgis awaits his trial, he becomes friends with his cell mate, Jack Duane. Jack claims to be an educated man from the East. His father committed suicide after his business failed. Jack claims that a big company later cheated him out of a lucrative invention. After his misfortunes, Jack became a safe-breaker. Before his trial, Jack gives Jurgis his mistress's address and encourages him to seek his help should the need arise. Jurgis's trial is a farce. Kotrina and Teta Elzbieta attend it. Connor and several witnesses testify that Conner fired Ona fairly, and Jurgis attacked him for revenge. Jurgis tells his side of the story through an interpreter, but the judge is not sympathetic. He sentences Jurgis to thirty days in prison. Jurgis begs for clemency because his family will starve, but the judge remains firm. In Bridewell, Jurgis and the other prisoners spend the greater portion of their time breaking stone. He writes a postcard to his family to let them know where he is. Ten days later Stanislovas visits to tell him that he, Ona, Marija, and Teta Elzbieta have all lost their jobs. They are unable to pay rent or buy food. Marija is suffering blood poisoning because she cut her hand at work. Ona lies in bed, crying all day. Teta Elzbieta's sausage factory shut down. Stanislovas lost his job after a snowstorm prevented him from going to work for three days. No one can obtain other jobs because they are too sick and weak and because Conner is scheming to prevent them. Stanislovas asks if Jurgis can help them. Jurgis has no more than fourteen cents to give. Kotrina, Stanislovas, and the children earn money selling papers. Their only other income comes through begging. Commentary Packingtown is full of predators. Connor, empowered through his criminal connections, violates the marriage bond between Jurgis and Ona. No individual really has the power to fight for themselves. Marija tried to fight for her full wages only to be fired. Ona cannot afford to reject Connor's advances because he has the power to ruin her family. The wage laborer is systematically crippled and silenced by the power structure enabled by capitalism. Jurgis's attack on Connor would be perfectly justified according to the values of the American reading public. A man has violated his wife against her will. However, judges are bought and sold by

A Complete Guide to 2019 Interview Questions

A Complete Guide to 2019 Interview Questions The hardest part of preparing for an interview is the unknown factor. Although you can make assumptions about what you’ll be asked, you never know for sure until you’re there on the hot seat. Sure, you’ll be asked about your jobs, your skills, and your experience- but there are lots of different ways any given interviewer can go. While it is impossible to predict with 100% accuracy what might be thrown your way, you can do your best to prepare for the different scenarios you might see on interview day. The most asked interview questionLet’s start with THE interview question. The alpha. Without a doubt, the most  asked  interview question in existence is â€Å"Tell me about yourself.† It’s an easy ice-breaker, and it lets the interviewer start to get a sense of what you’re like as a candidate.Here’s how you can answer it:Tell Me About YourselfYour Elevator PitchThis  will most likely be the first question you’re aske d in any job interview, so it’s absolutely imperative you have your response ready to go.Interview questions measuring personalityUnlike the classic â€Å"Tell me about yourself,† questions measuring personality are a lot more uncommon, subtle, and complex. These are generally questions the employer has tailored to measure your personality and how  it would translate to the responsibilities of  their open position.Here are some examples:Ethical Interview QuestionsBehavioral Interview QuestionsHypothetical Interview QuestionsBrainteaser Interview QuestionsSituational Interview QuestionsProblem Solving QuestionsThese questions can be tricky because it’s not often clear what kind of answer the employer wants to hear. A person hiring someone for an accounting position may consider someone with an introverted personality a better fit for the job than someone who parties it up every Saturday, and vice versa.Interview questions you’re not expectingIt’ s less likely that you’ll be asked any of these interview questions, but as you can never be sure of anything in the interview game.  It’s always a good idea to prepare:Interview Questions You’re Not ExpectingRemember, these questions exist, which means they were all asked at one point or another. Don’t be the interviewee  that gets caught like a deer in headlights when faced with a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"gotcha† question.Here are some additional questions that you might not be expecting:â€Å"How would you fire someone?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"What’s your idea of the perfect day?â€Å"â€Å"You’re driving down a dark road, during a wild storm. You drive past a bench†¦.â€Å"The â€Å"biggest challenge† interview questionIf the interviewer does ask you a question like, â€Å"What’s the most difficult part of being a [current job title]?† or â€Å"What was the toughest part of your last job?† here are ways you can frame your struggles  to make yourself look awesome:The Biggest Challenge Interview QuestionsQuestions relating to salaryThe job application process has a number of separate stages: applying, interviewing, job offer, then salary negotiation and acceptance. Most employers stick to this, and let the money talk wait until things are further along. But if they jump the gun and ask you up front for a) your current salary or b) desired salary, what do you do?Interview Questions Relating to SalaryInterview Questions About Your Current SalaryQuestions about salary are important to keep in mind. More and more states are passing legislation about what potential employers can and can’t ask you about your salary history, so make sure you know what your state’s current policies are, before you hand over that information to an interviewer.Illegal interview questionsOut of ignorance or slyness, an interviewer might try to get information out of you that the company is not allowed to fac tor into their hiring decisions. However, you’re not obligated to answer them- and in fact you shouldn’t.  Your battle plan should be to figure out why they’re asking (whether it has direct consequences for the job itself), and to decide whether you should answer.Illegal Interview Questions11 Unethical Interview Questions You Don’t Need to AnswerRed Flag QuestionsSome of the hardest questions you’ll encounter might be illegal, so it’s important to know what the danger zone questions are, and why you don’t need to answer them. And if there’s an out-of-bounds question being asked, don’t panic. Just say you don’t feel comfortable answering it, and deftly steer the topic to something else you’d like to share about yourself.The hardest types of questionsWhen you’re in the hot seat, all questions thrown your way seem tough. Some, though, are harder than others, like the ones below. Remember: your intervi ewer not only wants to get a good sense of what you will answer, but also how you handle the pressure. Stay cool and take a breath, even when you’re struggling to come up with an answer. Study these questions and prep yourself for whatever might come your way.Tough Interview Questions That Are Very CommonThe Hardest Interview Questions of 2016The 10 Toughest Interview QuestionsHow to Answer the Toughest Interview Questions9 Super-Tricky Job Interview Questions and How to Answer ThemWild card questionsAnd finally, here are some additional questions that did not fall into any particular category, but are very important to prep for:â€Å"Can I contact your current employer?â€Å"â€Å"Why have you had so many jobs?â€Å"â€Å"Aren’t you overqualified for this position?â€Å"â€Å"Why Should I Hire You?â€Å"What you should ask themAnd just when you think you’re done prepping for every possible question you can get in an interview, there’s still more work to be done: you need to prep the questions you’re going to ask too. You should always, always have questions for your interviewer.4 Questions to Ask at the End of an InterviewAsk These 10 Interview Questions to Impress Your Hiring ManagerThe Most Important Question You Need to Ask in an InterviewNow that you’re prepared for what you’ll need to say and ask on interview day, don’t forget to dust off your lucky interview outfit and brush up on that body language as well. Good luck, and happy interviewing!

Understanding the dangers of identity theft and how a company or Essay

Understanding the dangers of identity theft and how a company or individual can be protected from it - Essay Example As advancement in technology made access to information easier, many unscrupulous people take advantage of their skills and steal sensitive information from companies and private persons online. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, a non-profit organization based in the United States (www.idtheftcenter.org), in 2010, there were about 662 cases if information security breaches reported in the United States but the actual number may be higher since not many people and organizations report breaches on their information security system. People whose identity have been assumed by another can suffer tremendous loses. Note that once somebody steals another person’s identity, he or she may be able to access the bank accounts and other personal information of the victim (Abagnale, 2007). As it is, there is a big possibility that the victim may lose money and assets on the process. Aside from taking money and other assets from their victims, some identity thieves use the ide ntity of their victims to commit crimes (Cullen, 2007). For instance, an identity theft can sue the identity of his or her victim in fraudulent online transactions so when the fraud is reported to the police, the police go after the identity theft victim. As it is, it is very important that individuals and organizations understand the kind of risks that they are in and do something to protect themselves from identity thieves. II. Ways and Means Employed by Identity Thieves to Gain Access to Important Information There are a number of ways to commit identity theft but the most common are social engineering, phishing and hacking attempts. Social engineering is committed by exploiting human psychology to gain entry to databases, computer systems and even buildings with sophisticated security system (Hadnagy, 2010). Note that instead of attacking the software or system used by a company or individual, the identity theft uses mind tricks to retrieve sensitive information for the people i nside the building and the people who are running the databank or the system (Hadnagy, 2010). To get the information that he or she needs to gain access into the building or the database, the identity does a lot of research and identify the key persons who he or she will retrieve the needed information (Wilhelm, 2010). For instance, if the identity theft wants to gain access to a database, he or she may pose as a computer technician or IT support person and trick an employee in the IT division to divulge passwords and codes to gain access into the system. Although the basic principles of trickery used in social engineering may sound simple, the execution of the act requires careful planning and psychological manipulation skills (Mitnick, 2003; Allsopp, 2009). When planning its strategies to defraud his or her victim, the identity needs to gather all the necessary information to trick the victim. To do this, he or she may access the personal information of the person targeted using e xisting social networks such as facebook, linked in and others (Mitnick, 2003; Wilhelm, 2010). Note that a good number of users of these online networking sites tend to give out personal information such as e-mail addresses and even telephone numbers online which may them relatively easy preys for identity thieves (Wilhelm, 2010). From the information gathered from these social networking sites, the identity may now be able to psychologically manipulate the victim into giving him or her sensitive information. In most cases, the deception happens online or through the phone so the identity theft and his or her victims do not actually come face to face (Allsopp, 2009). Aside from social engineering, phishing is also commonly used by identity thieves to steal information from their victims. To steal information from their victims, identity theft pretends to be a reliable online entity such as a bank, a well known courier, website and the like (Abagnale, 2007).

Evaluating Teachers Unions Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Evaluating Teachers Unions - Article Example They also discover and develop individual skills and talents in students, and the senior teachers also guide and mentor their assistants and trainees (Wahlstrom & Louis, 2008). In addition to the standard lesson-exam tasks, teachers are also responsible for the overall growth and development of their students as insinuated by Mr. Pipler who states that he is responsible for the overall development of his students. Considering their overwhelming tasks and their instrumental role in academic implementation, therefore teachers deserve rewarding employment packages. Unfortunately, the government and other employers tend to ignore teachers’ welfares and hence they depend on teachers’ unions to advocate for them. Teachers’ unions present their grievances to the government and if they are not met they mobilize their members to engage in attention-seeking actions such as strikes (Hoxby, 1996). Many observers feel that some of these actions are extreme and that unions should engage in conciliatory talks to avoid academic disruptions (Boyd, Plank & Sykes, 2000). Union leaders and teachers justify their actions and declare that all their actions work to improve the education system (Boyd, Plank & Sykes, 2000). This brings up the following question: Are teachers’ unions a solution or an impediment to the improvement of the education system? I conducted an investigative researc h to answer this question and the findings were insightful. In order to understand the situation properly, we need to understand the professional demands and responsibilities of teaching as a career. Many people think of teaching as an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule job. Teachers engage in many academic chores after official working hours such as academic research, setting, and marking examinations. In addition to these academic tasks, we have to remember that teachers have a social responsibility of managing students (Wahlstrom & Louis, 2008).

Describe key financial statements, including balance sheets and cash Essay

Describe key financial statements, including balance sheets and cash flow statements - Essay Example The income statement is usually valid for a period that is specific. This may be a month or a year. Nonetheless, income statements are indispensable. This is because they permit the owners of a business to evaluate the business results over a period and to know the outcomes of other businesses for a similar period (Longenecker, Petty, Palich & Hoy, 2012). A cash flow statement illustrates the flow of money out and in a business. The cash flow statement depicts both the accompanying alterations and the current results of operation in the balance sheet. A cash flow statement is helpful in ascertaining the viability of a business that is short-term, most importantly, its capacity to pay costs. Moreover, a cash flow statement highlights the true cash flow paid and received by the business. A cash flow statement highlights the flows of cash from operations, that is, the staff and suppliers’ payments, and money received from clients (Longenecker, Petty, Palich & Hoy, 2012). Also, it shows cash flows from investing activities and financing activities. Cash equivalents are assets that can be willingly converted to money, for example, commercial papers, treasury bills, money market, or marketable securities. Moreover, cash equivalents have an existence that is short-term. Cash equivalents mature within a period of 3 months. A cash equivalent investment should have a change in value that has insignificant risk (Graham, Zweig, & Buffett, 2003). Accounts receivable is cash owed to a business by customers and the balance sheet depicts it as an asset. It deals with the billing of a client for services and goods ordered by the client. In addition, accounts receivable epitomizes cash owed by persons to the business on services or products sales on credit (Graham, Zweig, & Buffett, 2003). An inventory is a list of materials and goods that are stocked by the business. Inventories are mainly materials and goods

Evaluating Compensation Strategy and Incentive Plans

Evaluating Compensation Strategy and Incentive Plans 1.1.0 Introduction It has become more and more important, especially in the current conditions following the credit crunch for organisation to monitor and control labour costs, whilst striving for increased productivity, better quality and good customer service. For this reason; there has been need to review strategies, if not bring in new strategies towards employee compensation and incentive schemes. In this competitive environment, companies are looking to recruit and retain high performing and highly committed employees and taking note that this comes at a cost, but a cost justifiable enough to ensure competitive advantage and success of the organisation. Michael H. Schuster, P.H.D on Aligning Compensation Strategy notes that Companies are examining the method and basis for compensating employees, there has been a growth in the number of companies seeking to develop high performance, high committed work systems, based upon expanded roles for employees, require that employees accept more responsibility and accountability. Therefore employee compensation is an important element to the financial success of the organisation. A strong emphasis is placed on the fact that compensation and reward schemes should transparently reflect the financial potential of the company and align it to the organisation strategy and objectives. In the past, wages and salaries usually grew only by a consistent and constant spinal point. More recently, there has been a growth where the labour market has become more and more aggressive and has brought about the notion that compensation and incentive packages must be competitive enough to attract and retain well skilled workers. 2.1.0 Compensation Strategy As all strategies for any organisation, the ultimate goal and objective is to maximise the wealth for shareholders. The compensation strategy should take into consideration that; They should clearly implement a value based company management system. The long term appreciation and capital value of the company Market conditions and orientation of engaging qualified and skilled workers And important aspect is the cost of the strategy to the organisation. Compensation is one of the main concerns to secure the high performance of the organisation. There is no understatement in saying that organisations perform because of the work being carried out and accomplished by the people it employees, and therefore they make the difference. In saying this, it is important to note that protecting human capital is crucial, and this is done through motivation, recognition, an appropriate reward and compensation scheme. An obvious and important element to consider in the strategy is the possible analysis of the cost of executive and employee compensation will cost the organisation. This will be concentrated on the opportunity cost to the company of the stock and performance based parts. The cost in this case to the company would therefore be the foregone resources on the compensation agreement. It is said that money is a powerful source of motivation. But its also said that salary increase can only motivate until the next pay increase is due. An element of any organisations compensation strategy is to always reflect the strategic business objectives. The objectives and goals should be clearly defined, making them achievable through the compensation structure. As stated earlier and reemphasised now, the compensation plan should be integrated with the performance objectives of the organisation and with the employees individuals goals. 2.1.1 Core Elements of Compensation Strategy An intensive analysis needs to be carried out on the organisation framework, this will be able to establish and reflect the demands of the future business development and which framework conditions will be required to structure an effective compensation strategy. It is even more important to define the management and operative levels taking into account value orientation. As well as the objectives that have been set out for each employee and how their performance is evaluated. Therefore clear roles and responsibilities need to be defined and a strong communication system to be put in place to ensure that all employees are aware and know how their performance is reflected into the incentive scheme. Other elements to consider are should be; Generic They should be a buy in into the incentive plan by the employees. It should be designed in such a way that employees at all levels are participative and have the same gaol and direction. Be of significant and Perceived Value to the employee. Employees should be able to easily recognise the potential reward related to performance. Related to Individual Performance As stated by Bob Normand Institute of Smart Business Management. A factor in the determination of how much an individual employee receives should be their performance rating as determined by their formal job review and appraisal. Employee Loyalty A good incentive plan should be able to retain employees and gain their loyalty. Therefore, an incentive plan should foster employee tenure and performance. There are two main streams of rewards being monetary and non monetary. The monetary being the preferred, and is usually a Pay-For-Performance scheme. Types of performance based pay are; Stock based This will include stock options and grants, equity shares. Cash Compensation These are usually bonuses and are related to the achievement of performance objectives and goals that were set out. Cash incentive is the most common and preferred form of an incentive scheme. An effective compensation strategy if implemented successfully can fulfil other objectives. This has been summarised in the table below; Objective Result Alignment to the strategy of business units. Strong market position. Strengthens the performance and is result oriented. Competitive Advantage Enable organisation change and flexibility to adapt to changed business situation. Success and forward moving organisation. Promotes motivation and loyalty Retaining of highly skilled employees. Controversy Over incentive schemes 1Over the past years, and more recently the past 2 years, where the economy experienced a depression and a down turn in the market for most industries, there have been continued sensitive arguments over corporate executives compensation and how they align to the firms performance. Holmstrom 1979,  [2]  looked at the contribution that made clear the trade off between risk and incentives in the moral hazard problem. This study was partly based on his unpublished dissertation. The media, public, politicians have raised concerns over the current executives compensation packages that seem to drive employees towards taking short term risks, without taking into consideration the long term repercussions and effects on their organisation. As a result of this, there have been regulations being put on the table that look at restricted stock pay options and maximum level cash incentive, or other types of compensation that will focus more on long term performance. This will push executives to always base their investment and finance decisions with the shareholders best interest at hand. There will have to be a strong correlation between long term incentive compensation and the future firm performance. With the emphasis on transparency, CEOs pay is usually publicized in the press in papers and magazines such as Fortune Magazine that has an annual ranking of the highest paid CEOs. It has been observed that the firms that pay their CEOs the highest are organisations that tend to be the ones experiencing high returns, and high operating performance in comparison to others. 4.1.0 Performance Measurement and Incentive Schemes Leonard, 1990 and Hayes and Schaejar 2000, looked at the studies that focussed on the relationship between pay and the future accountancy performance of the organisation. There has been an assumption that in efficient markets, executives and investors will capitalise the present value of future firm performance increase into the stock price. The question is always 2 how do you align strategic performance measures and results to compensation and incentive plans?. The first question to ask when designing a bonus plan that replicates the incentive of an owner is how to measure business performance. The right measure of corporate performance will have strong ties to the amount of additional wealth that a company produces for its shareholders and by extension for society at large. It will guide people to make the decisions that will generate the added value necessary to fund their bonus, to re w a rd the shareholders and to reinvest in business growth. They are several models that organisations can use to measure the performance and determine the level of incentive to be paid out to executives and employees. Strategic Performance Measurement (SPM) System This measurement translates the business strategies and objectives into deliverable results. The advantage of this model is that it combines the financial, strategic and operating measures and compares it against how well an organisation meets its objectives, goals and the targets. Economic Value Added (EVA) / Value Based Management This model emphasises on performance measurement and the cost of capital and measures the value created for shareholders. The main advantage of this measure is that its focus is on wealth creation. Balanced Scorecard System Its core element is its emphasis on the key business drivers such as customer and employee satisfaction, operational excellence and new product development. 4 As strongly supported by Stern and Co. Economic Value Added offers more to an organisation as it focuses on measuring value created for shareholders, which is the essence and objective of any organisation; to create wealth for its shareholders. This measure is also focuses more towards the capital markets and assists in developing organisation strategies at all levels of the organisation. 5 Other advantages of EVA as a measurement tool are; It creates measurable objectives and goals for employees and are specific It can easily align the operations and business units with the overall corporate strategy. EVA can link individual performance and compensation plans to business strategies. 5.1.0 Relationship between Stock Price Performance and Incentive Schemes The hypothesis by a paper written by M. Cooper, H. Gulen and P. Ray Performance for Pay? looked at the relationship between CEO incentive compensation and future stock price performance. They summarised that The efficient market hypothesis suggested that markets capitalise incentive pay grants into the stock price at the announcement day, resulting in no relation between incentive pay and future stock price performance. On the other hand, the optimal incentives hypothesis suggests that whilst compensation and incentive schemes can be aligned to managerial interests with shareholders value wealth creation and maximisation, investors may not necessarily react to the information. This could be as a result of not understanding the incentive strategy, and not having the right measurement model to gauge it against. Therefore investors are not able to observe or attain the value it may have to the organisation future stock price performance.  [6]  7A positive relation may be evaluated between the incentive pay and the future stock price performance. 8Needless to say, based on studies carried out in the past and present on the relationship between Stock Price Performance and Incentive Schemes, there is not much direct evidence that shows that incentive plans do lead to a companys improvement in future stock price performance. One of the challenges of stock returns are they having shareholders expectations imbedded in them. Other challenges are that economic theory would not be able to predict that increase in incentives would lead to increase in profitability. 9 A much earlier study by Masson 1971 linking financial incentive to future performance of the organisation, his findings were that firms and organisation that had attractive financial incentives showed a better stock market performance during the post-war period. Conclusion Due to the increased competition of business, it has subsequently increased the competition for employing skilled workers, and retaining them. A compensation strategy creates and brings about a unified culture, and offers corporation and advances the implementation of the business strategy. This will essentially promote performance and employees will be result oriented. Incentive plans should be reviewed annually to analyse if they are actually effective and increasing the performance of the organisation and meeting the strategic objectives. This involves looking at any accomplishments and the desired outcome. Despite the soaring pay, many experts argue that the system is working better than ever. They see the bull market and healthy corporate sector as proof positive that companies get what they pay for. (Business Week April 21, 1997, p.p 60) Performance based pay is the best incentive strategy for any organisation as it maximises on the strategic plan, as the compensation strategy requires that the plan is set on organisation goals and objectives. This has a major influence on the employees. Pay for performance has been cited to be a more motivating factor, both short term and long term incentives.  [10]  A study carried out established that employees showed a more positive work attitude with a pay for performance incentive. Other benefits of a pay for performance incentive scheme is the pay receives special treatment in some contexts. This is under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). Essentially, at the end of it all, the compensation strategy and incentive plans main purpose is to: Attract and retain employees. Motivate and establish loyalty towards the company. Making sure the cost of the strategy is line. Encourage peak performance.

Essay --

In 2002, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) and the New York and New Jersey Port Authority held a collaborative planning event organized by America Speaks regarding the future development of the World Trade Center site after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The LMDC and Port Authority initially created six congruent plans regarding the reconstruction of the site. The LMDC saw the mandate they had to follow in reconstructing the tower to be broad. "LMDC thus announced that it would set up eight advisory councils to represent key constituencies—families; residents; restaurants, retailers, and small businesses; arts, education and tourism; financial services firms; professional firms; commuters and transportation; and development." (Rosegrant P.2 2002) The LMDC had made plans that would involve making the site into a mixed area of commercial and residential. The Port Authority likewise desired to stick to the original layout of the previous World Trade Center struct ure. They wanted to keep the space strictly for commercial and office space purposes. (Rosegrant 2002) Unable to come to an agreement on how the site should be used, it was decided to try and reach a wider demographic in regards to creating a blueprint for the reconstruction of the site. The Port Authority and the LMDC decided to accept a proposal from America Speaks on organizing a collaborative process that will bring all of the various stakeholders together. To discuss the future of the World Trade Center site. America Speaks' collaborative event brought together over 5,000 participants. 4,500 of whom were of the general public representative of the various demographics that resided within the region. The rest being composed of government and civic leade... ...c mobilization and decision making embodies the message. When designing a collaborative process I might have done certain things differently, despite its flaws the collaborative process proved to be successful. This success is owed to being inclusive through the formatting of the meeting. Innovative use of online and offline space. Allowing participants during the initial meeting define what they would want in a design plan of the space to be reconstructed. This format of collaborative planning was fairly new and it explains why participants were not confident that their input will not be considered in the decision making. While technology did play a prominent role the management of the process was also depended on the quality of table facilitators, scribes and the theme team. America Speaks was able to successfully organize and operate this collaborative process.

Consequences of Unethical Behavior Essay

I had not heard of this until now, actually. Google paid their way out of CEO prosecution last year. Not only was their behavior unethical, and illegal, it was very socially irresponsible to the American people. Google was taking part in advertising narcotics and other prescription drugs for an illegal Canadian pharmacy on the American internet; making all of these drugs readily available to the American people. David Whitaker, a federal inmate and convicted con-artist became posed as an American government agent who went undercover to prove Google knew exactly what was going on. Google advertisement executives accepted the $200,000 worth of the government’s â€Å"set-up† money to begin advertising. Whitaker collected emails and recorded calls to prove that Google knew what they were doing were illegal. Even though it was obvious through the evidence to see that Google representatives knew that the advertisements were illegal, they extended Whitaker a â€Å"very generous credit line and allowed me to set my target advertising directly to American consumers. On August 24th, 2011, Google paid $500M dollars to pay their fines and avoid prosecution of their C. E. O. Larry Page. Through the emails and recordings, it is made obvious that Page knew exactly what was going on. Google was allowing illegal Canadian pharmacies to platform their ads on Google and target the American population. Google allowing American consumers to be targeted is absolutely outrageous. Google’s $500M fine covers the advertising costs and profits of the companies. The Department of Justice also has a â€Å"non-prosecution† agreement with Google. Now, what exactly is a â€Å"non-prosecution† agreement? To me, this all sounds like something illegal all the way around. How can a company, any company, buy their way out of prosecution? How can a C. E. O. not be classified as a drug peddler who well knows of what is going on within his company? How does this make him any different that Bernie Madoff or the Goldman Sachs C. E. O.? Google was allowing drugs to be sold through their network, period point blank; with the citizens of America being the target. How can a company buy their way out of prosecution? I just do not understand. If I was caught selling drugs, or giving people a platform to sell, I would be prosecuted to the fullest extent. Would I be able to buy my way out of prosecution? I absolutely would not! The American government would lock me away and take their sweet time about taking me to trial and finishing my case. Why was this not made more public? Now, it seems, Google is being looked into from every aspect, in which they should.

Nature as the Mean of Expression in Romanticism

Nature as the Mean of Expression in Romanticism The à ©poque of Enlightment was followed by Romanticism. It was the period of extreme changes in the world outlook. This period expressed a strong criticism of the previous one. The principles of writing and the themes had changed. The main hero of the Romantic literature was a lonely man with sensible soul and isolated from the society in terms of his perception of the reality. The period of Romanticism is characterized by its address to nature, in other words, the world was perceived through the nature.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Nature as the Mean of Expression in Romanticism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More â€Å"It is characterized by a shift from the structured, intellectual, reasoned approach of the 1700’s to use of the imagination, freedom of thought and expression, and an idealization of nature† (â€Å"Romanticism†). So, nature was the main tool of Romantic poets and writers they u sed in order to describe different aspects of life and human soul in particular. Romantic writers emphasized the connection of man and nature. They looked at this connection from the moral perspective. The first person who outlined the principles of Romanticism was Jean Jacques Rousseau who said about the human freedom, sensitiveness of human soul and connection with nature: â€Å"Rousseau was to have the deepest and most lasting effect upon the self-understanding of the Romantic mind† (Travers 4). In Britain, at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, Romanticism developed very quickly and was the most expressive. Different authors revealed to nature in order to express their intentions and thoughts. Moreover, â€Å"English poets, such as Lord Byron and Persey Bysshe Shelley used nature as their inspiration. They wrote of nature being wild and without logic and their poems evoked strong feelings in their readers† (Gunderson 15). One of the best romant ic writers of England were William Wordsworth, Samuel Coliredge, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley. They used quite different respective depictions of nature, however, the one thing is common: the descriptions of nature in their works are aimed at depicting the characters, behavior, feelings and concerns of the main heroes. Onno Oerlemans says, â€Å"I think, that Wordsworth is the most original†¦.Wordsworth’s nature (as cycles of life, or an emblem of eternity) rarely provides the kind of relief†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In his Tinturn Abbey, he used the descriptions of nature to show the feelings of protagonist and his memories. For him, nature is the sort of eternal teacher of human. â€Å"Nature to Wordsworth is a mother-goddess who teaches the soul† (Gleckner 311), he acclaims: Knowing that Nature never did betray The heart that loved her; tis her privilege, Through all the years of this our life, to lead From joy to joy: for she can so inform The mind that is withi n us, so impress With quietness and beauty, and so feed With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues, Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men, Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all (Wordsworth 212)Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Wordsworth’s descriptions of the Tinturn Abbey are gentle and he emphasizes that nature is the keeper of the time: Therefore let the moon Shine on thee in thy solitary walk; And let the misty mountain-winds be free To blow against thee: and, in after years, (Wordsworth 121) At the same time, Shelley focuses on the connection of the natural processes and the way people think. He uses the comparison of the river being born in mountains with the thought being born in one’s mind: In the wild woods, among the mountains lone, Where waterfalls around it leap forever, Where woods and winds contend, and a vast rive r 10 Over its rocks ceaselessly bursts and raves (Shelley 64) Moreover, he uses the descriptions of a â€Å"dark valley† that produces the effect of trans on the reader. The epithets and images they create evoke deep emotions in readers. In Samuel Coleridges Rime of the Ancient Mariner, one can see the descriptions of the sea. The storm and the dead calm of the sea are the main means to reveal the essence of the story. Moreover, the author uses the bird albatross as a metaphor that meant â€Å"the will of God† and sometimes compared with the symbol death. The images of nature in work of every author are quite different, Wordsworth describes it gently using special epithets; Shelley uses the images of nature in order to show the flow of time and his sorrow, his pictures are more dark and ferocious. Coleridge describes the sea, and even when it is calm, it still evokes horror and foreboding of evil. One more wonderful writer of the period of Romanism is Mary Shelley with her famous Frankenstein. This writer is probably the one who used the images of nature in order to reveal every single thought and emotion of one of the main characters Victor.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Nature as the Mean of Expression in Romanticism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The author uses natural phenomena metaphorically in order to describe Victor’s early years: â€Å"I find it arise, like a mountain river, from ignoble and almost forgotten sources; but swelling as it proceeded, it became the torrent which, in its course, has swept away all my hopes and joys† (Shelley, 21). In addition, every Victor’s emotion is connected with nature. The nature is one that helps him to survive horrible moments in his life. To sum up it all, it should be mentioned one more time that nature and its images served as the main tool for the writers of Romanticism. They perceived the world through th e nature and searched answers for eternal questions of being. Finally, all romantic writers were great masters of description. Gleckner, Robert, Gerald E. Enscoe. Romanticism: points of view. USA: Wayne State University Press, 1974.Print Gunderson, Jessica. Romanticism. Minnesota: Creative Education, 2008. Print Oerlemans, Onno. Romanticism and the Materiality of Nature. London: University of Toronto Press. Inc, 2002. Print â€Å"Romanticism.† Online Encyclopedia 2007. Microsoft Encarta, Microsoft Corporation, n. d. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. United States of America: Dover Publications, Inc, 1994Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Shelley, Percy Bysshe. The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Volume 2. BiblioBazzar, LLC, 2000. Print Travers, Martin. European Literature from Romanticism to Postmodernism: A Reader in Aesthetic. New York NY, 2001. Pront Wordsworth, William. The Major Works. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc, 2000. 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Economic Responsible Citizenship

Economic Responsible Citizenship Introduction In their book, Economic Sense Economics: What Everyone should know About Wealth and Prosperity, Gwartney, Stroup, Lee and Ferrarini (2010) shed light on economic principles that are critical to the national and individual economic progress.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Economic Responsible Citizenship specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They provide a lucid and concrete overview of the need for a better understanding of simple macro-economic and individual economic principles which are an essential ingredient in economic prosperity. The bottom-line of this book is essentially the creation of a financial and economic literacy among nations and their citizens. In particular, this book provides an in-depth analysis and enlightened discussion on clear thoughts about economic prosperity. This essay provides a personal understanding of the basic principles of micro and macro-economic aspects as discussed by Gw artney, Stroup, Lee and Ferrarini (2010). The aim of this essay is to enable the individual to become a responsible citizen who actively participates in revenue generating activities to ensure wealth creation and economic prosperity is attained. Economic principles and responsible citizenship Individuals have an obligation of participating in different actions that ensure the betterment of their own lives, and the entire society at large. To achieve this, they should participate in activities which promote the personal and societal well-being. In many developing and developed nations across the world, individuals are demonstrating their citizenship responsibilities through democratic processes with a view of guaranteeing their personal and societal rights. According to Logan and Molotch (2007), a responsible citizen takes part in a democratic process as a civic duty. This is to ensure a better understanding of political, economic, and other environmental systems that have a direct i mpact on the improvement of individual, communal welfare, and prosperity of the nation.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Responsible citizens should be able to understand how their exercising of political and democratic rights has an impact on resource allocation, which determines their personal prosperity and welfare. A responsible citizen cares about the creation of wealth at an individual, firm, or national level. This can only be achieved through a clear conceptualization of how the government and political processes protect both individual and property rights. At this point, Gwartney, Stroup, Lee and Ferrarini (2010) urge individuals to understand that political processes will not always ensure consistent allocation of resources, but market allocation of economic resources will ensure economic progress. Individuals should realize that politics is merely a socia l structure alternative, but not a remedy that provides solutions to challenges affecting the individual or society. In their argument based on the market allocation of resources; Gwartney, Stroup, Lee and Ferrarini (2010) opine that free markets allow individuals to engage voluntarily in mutual agreements, acquire more information about varied market choices, and allow them to have diverse representations. These factors empower them to create wealth rather than relying on political choices. A thoughtful consideration of government economic policies such as subsidies, trade, taxes, and government expenditure should be evaluated critically by all citizens (Gwartney, Stroup, Lee Ferrarini, 2010). Responsible individuals should be alert and vigil about these policies taking note of their impact on social and private life. These policies have a far reaching consequence on citizens who are taxpayers; hence under-scores the significance of acquiring the right knowledge about these polici es. For instance, an economically responsible citizen should be able to know that government costs are not only limited to taxes, but rather the consequences of such economic policies on the private sector, use of resources, and price distortions. Gwartney, Stroup, Lee and Ferrarini (2010) illustrate the consequences of increased federal expenditure since the 1960s, which has resulted in budget deficits and has increased the national debt.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Economic Responsible Citizenship specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Gwartney, Stroup, Lee and Ferrarini (2010) argue that governments to a large extent slow down the rate of economic progress when they seek to reward some individuals at the expense of the nation for political reasons. The efficient acquisition of wealth by individuals and economic progress relies on the production and exchange of goods and services at a value, to generate income. This enhances the wealth of the society at large rather than plundering, which benefits a few individuals at the expense of the majority. The promotion of productive activities through the protection offered by the government on property rights and elimination of favors is believed to positively trigger economic prosperity. The primary objective of responsible citizenship should be to bring benefits to the society at large as opposed to targeting specific interest groups. The economy and money are important tools that require the right knowledge and understanding in order to eliminate poverty, as well as create sustainable development. One of the major impediments to wealth creation and economic prosperity is poverty. Gwartney, Stroup, Lee and Ferrarini (2010) note that over-reliance on transfer payments and subsidies from the government has not had a positive impact on the reduction of poverty levels in the last seven decades they have been in existence, in the United States. They hold that transfers are a burden to taxpayers, and long-term objectives are eroded due to competition for the transfers. To reduce poverty and ensure economic prosperity, as well as the creation of wealth; Gwartney, Stroup, Lee and Ferrarini (2010) propose that the youth should obtain a minimum education qualification (high school), avoid child-bearing before marriage, and continue working before they secure a full-time job. Gwartney, Stroup, Lee and Ferrarini (2010) criticize the central planning of resources by the federal government as being retrogressive to economic progress. Central planning is prone to political lobbying that eventually wastes resources hence prohibiting economic development. They argue that this is a disincentive to private investors wishing to engage in productive activities. Responsible citizenship calls for the devolvement of central planning and allocation of resources so as to encourage individuals to exploit their property rights productively hence creating wealth. Additionally, decentralization of the government planning and encouraging a competitive free economy, allows the market channels to discipline producers, and consumer to be more accountable to ensure future efficiency.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Only productive projects that generate income thrive in such an economic situation. In a nut-shell, the introduction of competition in the public sector will go a long way in ensuring that private firms play on an equal platform with government agencies. This will definitely guarantee economic progress. According to Gwartney, Stroup, Lee and Ferrarini (2010), there is a greater need to synchronize political processes and sound economic policies. They suggest that new rules should be in place to bring together and ensure that interest groups, politicians, and bureaucrats work in harmony to ensure economic prosperity. Going back to the constitutional beginnings which enshrined the protection of property rights, limited government involvement, equality, and federalism are cited as major milestones in ensuring economic prosperity of all individuals in the United States. Conclusion The authors of this book provide an informative guide to understanding the basics of economic principles at the national level, and how they affect personal finances. The significance of economic literacy is brought out clearly in the book to help individuals make decisions on economic issues such as savings, consumption, and investment among many other personal economic issues. Democracy, politics, and government to a large extent are cited as some of the factors derailing economic progress and wealth creation. The elimination of these inefficiencies created by government and political systems, as well as knowledge and understanding of simple economic principles by individuals will go a long way in ensuring economic prosperity. References Gwartney, J. D., Stroup, R. L., Lee, D. R., Ferrarini, T. H. (2010). Common sense economics: what everyone should know about wealth and prosperity. New York: Macmillan. Logan, J. R., Molotch, H. L. (2007). Urban fortunes: The political economy of place. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Social Interaction of Those with Genius IQs Essay

Social Interaction of Those with Genius IQs - Essay Example In the course of the research, varying and opposing definitions of genius were arrived at. The term genius was at first referred to as a "man endowed with superior faculties" referring to some popular figures as the famous author and lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson, Albert Einstein, Immanuel Kant, Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci and many others. It was also referred to as a quality, "that everyone possessed, an animating spirit that represented one's character and interests as much as one's ability". Through time, there were changes in the understanding of the term and was then associated with "one's natural ability or talent, and eventually with the special ability of a few". (Benet, 2005) In some other references as in the article of David Every, he insinuated to link genius to insanity, and gave a definition "an abnormal IQ, to the point where the person is 1.5 times as "logical" as the average person, or basically testing beyond the 98th percentile (3rd or 4th deviation)". (2006) Genius was also linked to psychoticism as some form of madness, "associated with an above-average level of psychological disturbance, though in combination with high general intelligence". (Brand, n.d.) However, in the more recent century, when the interests shifted to psychometric methods of assessment, the term genius became associated with the quantitative concept "Intelligence Quotient or IQ". Intelligence Quotient Intelligence Quotient or IQ is "the ratio of an individual's estimated mental age and chronological age multiplied by 100". Alfred Binet, a French psychologist developed the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale in 1905 that measured the intelligence quotient. The initial IQ classification geared a scale of, IQ -140 and over as genius or near genius, 120-140 as very superior intelligence, 110-120 as superior intelligence, 90-110 as normal or average intelligence, 80-90 as dullness, 70-80 as borderline deficiency, 50-69 as moron, 20-49 as imbecile and below 20 as idiot. The classification changed in 1997 by the David Welcher - the Adult Intelligence Scale, which classified IQ -130 and above as very superior, 120-129 as superior, 110-119 as high average, 90-109 as average, 80-89 as low average, 70-79 as borderline and 69 and below as extremely low. Welcher's terminologies used were noticeably more considerate and humane and avoided type casting. The term genius was not used anymore. (Benet, C lassification n.d.) Intelligence and Genius The conflicting issue is that studies did not show clear relationship with IQ and the popular meaning of genius. It was noted that IQs of popular personalities were approximated in the above 130 or genius level. But the concept used is that of popularity. The word genius was derived from the Latin word, "gignere" which meant to beget or to produce. The reference to genius is one's ability to create something, which, the IQ tests did not measure. Albert Einstein was, according to sources, not an achiever as a child. The development of his speech was delayed and he dropped out of his early school years. He was also report to have failed in the college admission test in Zurich. But Einstein was recognized

Discussion question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discussion question - Assignment Example Meanwhile, mothers who smoked during pregnancy harmed not only themselves but the fetus in their womb. The harm is really brought about by the substance nicotine that causes the decrease of the flow of blood into the uterus, preventing the normal development of the placenta, and results in reduced fetal weight gain (Berk 111). As such, pregnant mothers should avoid a smoking lifestyle or second-hand smoking from the environment. Finally, exposure to radiation is another factor that hinders fetal development (Berk 113). In particular, medical xrays should be avoided at all costs during pregnancy. If it cannot be avoided, then shields for abdominal xrays should be requested. It also important that as children grow up a stress-free environment at home is maintained or a combination of these harmful environmental factors can result to psychological imbalances characterized by low self-esteem and emotional instability. Unfortunately, a decrease in the amount of blood in mothers during delivery can result to their baby going through anoxia or the lack of oxygen (Anslow; Bracci et al. as cited in Berk 139). Ten percent of these babies develop cerebral palsy or brain damage and end up walking, speaking, or moving unsteadily. Others even have mental retardation. The good news is that children with cerebral palsy are now given holistic treatments to help them function fully in their every day lives. They receive physical therapy, occupational therapy, and special education that ultimately helps them to develop to the fullest of their physical, emotional, and mental capabilities. Another birth issue that affects the development of children is premature delivery (Berk 140). Babies who have been born weeks before they can fully develop have certain difficulties. In specific, those who have been delivered six weeks in advance typically suffer from respiratory distress syndrome. To