Convergence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Convergence - Essay Example The Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP is the most significant convergence service that is expected. It had been forecasted to generate $196 billion in 2007and by 2008, 20% of U.S. homes are expected to have VoIP telephones. Over $1 trillion in revenues through 2010 may be generated by aggregate VoIP revenue between now and 2010 alone. From a wide variety of business and consumer Internet Protocol appliances, convergence may also generate new revenue which includes next generation digital music players, home entertainment systems, home video phones as well as enterprise collaboration system. By 2010 the value of this market was forecasted to be worth almost $90 billion, over the next five years cumulate value will be $360 billion. Through 2010, other emerging products and services which would generate sizeable revenues include the following: enterprise collaboration software ($60 billion); Internet Protocol Television (IPTV, $55 billion); mobile phone content ($50 billion); network games ($35 billion); online music ($20 billion)."2 For the past decade, convergence wherein voice, video as well as data communications are supported by a single network has been an important future direction. As more legacy communications infrastructure is upgraded to integrated internet protocol (IP) equipment it will continuously give importance to future direction. Networking is simplified through network convergence, wherein instead of two three or more, it creates one infrastructure to operate and manage. All sorts of interactive as well as real-time multimedia applications and processes could conceivably be supported by converged network. When network convergence was first being proposed through Internet Protocol technology, about 10 years ago, it was a different age for communications and it was a time when in separate network universes, voice and data existed. Moreover, it was segregated by infrastructure which was designed to avoid interference. Internet Protocol eventually became the building block for singular pathway for all forms of network communications. For the past decade, network convergence has focused on voice-data integration in telephony through Internet Protocol technology. IP telephony session was held last week and a group of approximately 30 IT professionals including technical representatives from IBM Canada Ltd. As well as Cisco Systems Canada Co. assembled in order to discuss the driving business values of the technology. The discussion was focused initially on the most popular and proven of application of network convergence which eventually led to examining greater value of consolidating busi ness networks into one.3 In the near term, the health region has a need for a revamped telephony strategy in order to replace its aging as well as costly equipment and services. However, over time, there is a plan to address a wide range of communications challenges. At an "end of life" condition within five years, the health region has a large number of single-purpose propriety networks. During his presentation, Mr. Beaurivage, states that "Converging these single-purpose networks onto one IP-based platform offers unique integration possibilities."4

Banking finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Banking finance - Essay Example /books.google.com/books?id=Qs38vbHHOtUC&pg=PA128&dq=banking+and+emerging+markets+and+financial+crisis&hl=en&ei=EOiRTO-CMI_eOMHfuYsH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=banking%20and%20emerging%20markets%20and%20financial%20crisis&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=yozQAazKzKIC&pg=PA213&dq=banking+and+emerging+markets+and+financial+crisis&hl=en&ei=keiRTL-oGsKlOLO6vP8G&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=banking%20and%20emerging%20markets%20and%20financial%20crisis&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=5AVUxdfrYoYC&pg=PA92&dq=banking+and+emerging+markets+and+financial+crisis&hl=en&ei=keiRTL-oGsKlOLO6vP8G&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=banking%20and%20emerging%20markets%20and%20financial%20crisis&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=Zjqh5AH1VAUC&pg=PA75&dq=banking+and+emerging+markets+and+financial+crisis&hl=en&ei=3-iRTKWGOcLfOJSY6N0H&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAjgU#v=onepage&q=banking%20and%20emerging%20markets%20and%20financial%20crisis&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=J7axGThpaQcC&pg=PA151&dq=banking+and+emerging+markets+and+financial+crisis&hl=en&ei=3-iRTKWGOcLfOJSY6N0H&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBDgU#v=onepage&q=banking%20and%20emerging%20markets%20and%20financial%20crisis&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=O99_n-1hLGgC&pg=PA212&dq=banking+and+emerging+markets+and+financial+crisis&hl=en&ei=LumRTOmuLo2AOK_xyIYI&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAzge#v=onepage&q=banking%20and%20emerging%20markets%20and%20financial%20crisis&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=Y5nFJXzfsZ4C&pg=PA98&dq=banking+and+emerging+markets+and+financial+crisis&hl=en&ei=XumRTMS8NYzyOYTjoOIH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDIQ6AEwATgo#v=onepage&q=banking%20and%20emerging%20markets%20and%20financial%20crisis&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=NUsoeeI7O8sC&pg=PA199&dq=banking

Triggers of Energy Conflicts

Triggers of Energy Conflicts Title of Essay: Energy Conflicts are inevitable As the global prices for finite energy resources steadily increase, a proliferation of energy projects have sprung up in all regions across the world. Many of these high profile projects, most notably fracking in the U.S.A and Great Britain, have largely been the result of governmental plans for domestic economic development, with an end goal of â€Å"consolidating particular political agendas† (,). Other projects have focused primarily on bringing more renewable and suatainable resource solutions into play in regions where no previous exploitation had taken place. Such _ has noted that as the number of energy developments have increased, so too have â€Å"accompanying conflicts†, which are more often than not excaberated by external political, social and, of course, environmental factors. These conflicts quite often vary in their dynamics, however an underlying feature seems to be an inherent flaw in governance regarding the management of energy companies. Conflicts both at local and national levels have revolved around an array of issues, ranging from deep rooted opposition to the location of such energy projects to the very proceeses involved in harnessing particular resources. In less developed countries such as Latin America and India, the marginalisation of certain societal groups is strikingly apparent. However, as stated by Lustig (2011), â€Å"the last decade saw some improvements in terms of reducing the rising trend in inequalitythat could be traced back partly to improved education levels and increased transfers to the poor† (). Energy conflicts consistently relate back to these aforementioned social and political influences and can generally be divided into three major geographical categories: local, regional and national. All of these categories have implications on a geopolitical scale. For example oil projects is frequently used as a tool for building political alliances across borders. Sometimes conflicts, which are decades old, may re-ignite and therefore it is not always new investments within the energy sector that give rise to conflicts. On a national level, the exact distribution of energy revenues among institutions and/or economic groups fuel significant disputes. Local level disputes oftentimes offer up unique and insightful case studies on environmental conflicts. The reason being that, although these local conflicts unfold in the actual geographic sites of energy developments, the have been known to have national consequences if not dealt with in an appropiate manner. More importantly, these local conflicts tend to highlight existing failures within states, such as historic economic inequalities and weak insitutional frameworks. Unless addressed in a timely manner, these conflicts have pe rsistently presented awkward challenges for governmental energy policies and have even threatened the stability of some governments. Triggers of Conflict: A primary reason why environmental conflicts can be regarded as inevitable is due to the sheer mulitude of triggers that can ignite disputes. Oftentimes, these triggers are provoked simutaneously, which can pose difficulties in producing strategies for conflict resolution or mitigation. The foremost trigger to energy conflicts appears to be the level of opposition to a certain project. Such_ claims that this particular trigger is the most intricate of all, mainly due to the fact that the level of opposition with regard to energy developments frequently range from an absolute rejection to a total acceptance. In the case of fracking in Balcombe, opposition to the energy operations of the drilling company Cuadrilla was based solely on the negative environmental and social effects linked to fracking. On the other hand, approval on the pro-fracking side was spurred on by the prospects of econmic benefits and the creation of employment. However, as other energy conflicts, there exists move ments that occur in between the two extremities of approval and rejection. These frequently take the form of negotiations between the two opposing sides. Non-governmental organisations such as Greenpeace and the World Resources Institute are recent examples that have radicalised their direct actions across the world, while still gaining traction as negotiators for environmental issues. These, combined with non-homogenous views within the community vis-à  -vis the energy development on their lands, have often resulted in protracted conflicts. The level and nature of involvement of international non-governmental organizations in the conflict. International NGOs not only have grown in power and sophistication over the last twenty years but, because of their strong environmental focus, they have become particularly active in the Amazon. They have played a fundamental role in supporting communities in their negotiations with companies and governments. However, they have also at times be en accused of contributing to the escalation of conflicts through the imposition of agendas that did not fully represent the demands of local communities. Historical greivances, coupled with prior attempts at energy developments in an area or region, contributes significantly as an enerfy conflict trigger, especially in places that have experienced social or even enviromental damage as a result of such projects. In attempts to prevent history from repeating itself in cases Old grievances, or the history of previous energy projects in the area. In areas with a history of social or environmental damage from previous energy projects, local inhabitants tend to be more active in opposing similar new developments for fear of a recurrence of past negative externalities. Communities affected by old projects also tend to be more radicalized. The best example is widespread opposition to new dams, which builds upon the deep scars left by similar projects in the past. The Chixoy Dam in Guatemala, built in the 1970 to 1980s, entailed the forced displacement of more than 3,445 people, mostly indigenous, with no viable resettlement plan. That project also included allegations that the forced relocation included human rights violations by the then-military government. Another example is the legendary Yaciretà ¡ hydroelectric power plant built between Argentina and Paraguay in the 1970s; it displaced as many as 50,000 people. The environmental and social standards of the company involved in the energy projects. In the past decade, Latin America has seen a proliferation of both small oil companies and large national oil companies (NOCs), some of which have shown less stringent social and environmental safeguards relative to the big majors. Many of these junior companies are not publicly listed; this leaves them less concerned about their image and less subject to shareholder pressure to perform as well as the largest corporations do. Furthermore, they generally operate under more restricted budgets than their larger counterparts and the contractual span of their oil projects is much shorter, meaning that they may not have the time, the resources, or the interest in engaging in long-term relations with the local populations. The degree to which companies and governments comply with agreements reached with local communities. A government or a company’s failure to comply with a previous commitment with a community leaves locals feeling betrayed and is very often a source of conflict. Trust is eroded and difficult to rebuild. Communities often protest the breach of contract with force or violence. The extent of law enforcement. A brewing source of conflict is the improper enforcement of national laws or international conventions to which the country is a signatory. National laws may be either overlooked or not properly applied. Typical examples of this are oil projects developed in protected national parks, with full disregard for the laws that shield these socially and/or environmentally sensitive areas. At the same time, an overabundance of overlapping laws sometimes creates confusion as to their application, leaving them practically inoperative. These situations, combined with governments’ failure to comply with international legal standards—such as those imposed by the ILO 169 Convention and the U.N. Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (see box on page 5)—could lead populations affected by the energy developments to resort to violence as they seek answers to their problems. Indigenous communities often accuse governments of infringement of their right to free prior and informed consent, as granted by those international agreements. Very often, consultations are conducted after the license has been granted to the private energy operator and it is too late to object. Adding to the tensions is the slow pace of the legal system, which can take decades to settle a case, as illustrated by the lawsuit against Chevron that started in Ecuador 17 years ago and has still to be resolved. The availability of institutional mechanisms to mediate conflicts. More often than not, countries lack well-functioning institutions with the capacity to effectively mediate conflicts. An exception is the Peruvian Ombudsman Office, an organization with an unusually high level of legitimacy among all the stakeholders and with proven success in de-escalating conflicts. Local NGOs have also participated in mediating conflicts but usually with lower success rates. With all these triggers in mind, a so called elephant in the room still exists in relation to energy conflicts and that is the potential for economic and social disadvantages, which often leads to a political exclusion of sorts. This is more prominent in developing countries, whereby local communities are presented with the enormous task of bartering with global energy companies such as Shell and Chevron for healthcare and educational funding. These services, expected to normally be provided for by the government, is largely basic. Negogiating with energy companies therefore become the only method available to these communities in order to improve their living standards, or at the very least, gain access to basic state services. However the realistic results of such interactions are very seldom perceived as fair and as such, conflicts detroriate at local, regiona and national levels. Such_ has noted that unless these local conflicts are â€Å"addressed with the seriousness and depth they deserve†, then the ability of local communities to mobilise at national levels could be a major cause for concern for government stability. One need only look as far back as 2009, when the city of Bagua in Peru experienced violent conflicts between police and indigenous tribes, as a result of their oppostion to American resource exploitation in the Amzaon itself. This essay identified five triggers of energy conflicts as well as three major types of conflicts within this sector. The national and regional conflicts often receive the most attention from the public and from the media, however it is within local conflicts that the potential to reach national importance exists, unless the conflict is addressed properly. This paper identified four types of energy related conflicts in Latin America: geopolitical and border conflicts at a regional level; revenue conflicts at a national level; and local conflicts that carry the potential to reach national importance unless properly addressed. Geopolitical and border conflicts normally receive the most attention from the general public and the media. However, revenue and local conflicts carry a greater risk of destabilizing the region because they build on largely unresolved inequalities, weak governance, and increasing radicalization of the indigenous movement. Energy project expansion is necessary for economic growth in Latin America, where installed hydroelectric capacity remains very low and large oil and gas reserves await development. However, these infrastructure needs also constitute a tremendous risk factor as most of the still-untapped oil and water sources are in environmentally and socially sensitive areas. These social and environmental frag ilities, combined with a dire economic reality and historical marginalization of the communities affected by the energy developments, result in gradually increasing conflictive situations. Unless addressed rapidly and properly, these conflicts could pose important challenges to Latin America’s political stability and to the region’s economic growth prospects.

The Beard Makes the Man :: Ancient Greece Greek Essays

The Beard Makes the Man For the ancient Athenians, the beard was a common sign of manhood. The coming of a beard signaled a male’s transition from boyhood into manhood. Men who lost their beards did not suffer loss of political rights or loss of privileges, but they were mocked and shamed. The beard, not height or body shape, interestingly, was considered the initial marker of manhood in the plays of Aristophanes. A beard is an easily recognizable and observable, and the lack or presence of a beard is easily changed for the stage by covering the actor’s beard with a mask or giving him a fake beard. The beard was clearly a particularly meaningful secondary characteristic for the Greeks. For the ancient Greeks, the beard was incredibly closely tied to the idea of manhood. In some cases, the word for beard could even be interchanged with the word for man. Men grow hair on their faces, women do not, but a man’s facial hair is easily removed by shaving. For this culture, the removal of the beard was a removal of a crucial element of manhood. Without a beard, a man was woman-like, despite any other characteristics that might distinguish him as a man. To become like a woman, a man merely had to remove his beard, but to become like a man, a woman had to disguise herself in many more ways. The beard, as a cultural way to distinguish men, is based on the biological phenomenon that males begin to grow hair on their faces during puberty. Despite seemingly being an easy way to separate men from women and children, the presence of a beard is not an all or none situation. A pubescent male will not go to bed bare-cheeked and wake up the next morning with a full beard. Puberty is a gradual process occurring over many years, and some men may never grow a completely full beard, even in maturity. As today, some women of ancient Athens must have themselves been quite hairy around the hair line, jaw, and upper lip. The beard is not as clear a man/boy or man/woman differentiation as it may initially seem. The beard is not a completely clear physical or biological trait, but it was clearly a significant characteristic for the ancient Athenians. In Aristophanes’s play Women at the Thesmophoria, the kinsman of Euripides tries to pass for a woman by shaving his beard and singeing his pubic hair.

World Cultures Midterm: Confucius Analects

Confucius' program of study envisions some kind of political or social service. The study he encourages has two aspects: intellectual development and character building, in an effort to make an ideal role model that he calls the junzi. Construct a career path for Confucius' junzi indicating his proper roles in society. The path of the Confucian Junzi is interminable and strenuous. It is a life only for the hard working and self-reflective. â€Å"The sage and the man of perfect virtue;—how dare I rank myself with them? It may simply be said of me, that I strive to be one such without satiety†(7. 3); even the teacher of the ways of the Junzi knows that the path being a Junzi is never ending and that he has much more to learn. Confucius encourages his students to devote their lives to social and public service. He strives to develop his students intellectually and morally; to attain the wisdom and the virtue of a Junzi through practice of proper social conduct and exercise of traditional rituals. A person plays many roles in a lifetime and for every role comes different authorities and responsibilities. The main roles of a Confucian Junzi’s life are that of a student, son, and a attendant to the state/society.The first job of a Junzi is to be a filial son. The Junzi should attend to his elders, respect his parents wishes and earnestly follow the way path of his father: â€Å" If the son for three years does not alter from the way of his father, he may be called filial†(4. 20). If he possesses the position as the head of the family, the Junzi should regulate his home through example of virtue and benevolence. Family organization is the basis for the structure of the state and the government—one who cannot preside over a family is a poor leader and cannot regulate a country.A Junzi need not come for a wealthy home or a family of noble decent; Confucius did not discriminate between those rich or poor—he took all those willing to learn and work as his student. The Junzi works to intellectually grow with the experiences he has gained and has a never-ending appetite for knowledge. â€Å"When a man is not in the habit of saying—‘ what shall I think of this? What shall I think of this? ’ I can indeed do nothing with him†(15. 15). He should form questions and insights to everyday occurrences and not avoid what he does not know or is afraid of.A student is to gain knowledge not only from his studies but also from occurrences and people around him. He will use his learnings to service the state and will not venture to make profit or seek immediate gain. Honor and nobility should be gained through merit and virtue and not through bloodline. As an attendant to the state, the Junzi will rise to a position in court (either through recommendation for his good moral conduct or through proving himself worthy through civil servant exams) and be loyal to his country and ruler. The scholar trai ned for public duty, seeing threatening danger, is prepared to sacrifice his life. When the opportunity of gain is present to him, he thinks of righteousness†(19. 1). The Junzi will continue to cultivate himself morally and intellectually—to set apart what is right and wrong and to act as a role model. He tries to bring out the admirable qualities in other men and aid them in becoming a superior man. If the Junzi’s services are no long needed at court, he will then devote his life to teaching students the virtue of a righteous man.He will greet others with benevolence and preach the rule of reciprocity: â€Å"what you do not want done to yourself do not do to others†(15. 23). â€Å"The master said, of Tsze-Ch’an that he had four characteristics of the superior man;—in his conduct of himself, he was humble; in serving his superiors, he was respectful; in nourishing the people, he was kind; in ordering the people, he was just†(5. 15). Wh ether the Junzi is student, a court official/ faithful subject to the country or a filial son, becoming a superior man is a lifelong progression that never stops.

Medical Marijuana Essay

Marijuana is a very prominent and controversial issue in society today. Although many slanderous claims have been made about cannabis in recent history, the truths are slowly starting to resurface. Unfortunately, these truths are under heavy criticism due to the stereotypical view of what people view as the typical â€Å"pot smoker.† This skewed perception of a lazy and unmotivated American is the result of over seventy years of propaganda and misinformation spread by private interests who relied on illegal cannabis illegal from their own personal gains. As a marijuana consumer and a current medical marijuana patient, I strongly believe that marijuana should be legalized for all users. Currently in the United States today, marijuana is prohibited by federal law and has been a topic of controversial debate since the start of the prohibition. There are several, important reasons for the legalization of marijuana, including research concerning these issues are beneficial in understanding both sides of the debate. The result of abolishing our country’s marijuana prohibition by supporting legalization will stimulate the economy, to show the medical properties, and lower the crime rate. The legalization of marijuana has both positive and negative outcomes; although, the benefits of legalization outweigh the risks of the negative impacts. Marijuana is a natural plant with psycho-active properties that is commonly used by Americans as a recreational drug. Additionally, marijuana has been used for medical purpose for thousands of years. Records show that â€Å"A native of central Asia, cannabis may have been cultivated as much as ten thousand years go. It was certainly cultivated in China by 4000 B.C. and Turkestan by 3000 B.C.† (Grinspoon 3). Furthermore, from 1900 to 1940, marijuana, including opium and cocaine were considered part of everyday drugs. As time went on, the U.S. cracked down on crack and opium, eventually outlawing them, nut continued to be very â€Å"loose† with the use of marijuana. Eventually, as time continued to roll on, the use of marijuana became â€Å"frowned upon.†For instance, marijuana was made illegal and the U.S. govern ment became very strict with cannabis laws. This began around the 80’s and then started to become increasingly worse. Then, around the late 90’s and early 2000’s, scientific studies started to produce jaw-dropping results. Scientists started to discover that marijuana can significantly help people that have become ill. Medical marijuana has been tested to help people with cataracts, cancer and severe depression just to name a few (Zeese). States wanted to only make medical marijuana legal so it may help sick people, but the government did not want any form of marijuana legal. The law that was known throughout the United States was any form of marijuana was illegal. But now with this new discovery, doctors in states across the country wanted legalization of marijuana. The first state to allow the use of medical marijuana was California in 1996 (Zeese). The only distribution of medical; marijuana though is through the recommendation of a certified doctor. Other states began to follow in the footsteps of California such as Arizona and Colorado. One thing led to the next and now there is up to fourteen states that have legalized the distribution of marijuana medically, with many more to come. These states allowed the use of medical marijuana to help people with anxiety and certain types of cancer. But the U.S. federal government has tried to prevent patients from obtaining cannabis and threatened physicians who prescribe it with criminal prosecution or loss of their license to practice medicine. But yet, the growing support for medical marijuana has grown massively in numbers over the past twenty years. Furthermore, the United States has worked its economy into a financial crisis over the years and needs to start coming up with some plans to balance out the debt. The citizens of the United States are almost equally divided on the decision of legalization, but when examining the facts, there are many outstanding benefits that would arise as a direct result of legalization. A benefit of legalizing marijuana includes providing the government with leverage to this problem. Marijuana is currently against federal laws yet medical marijuana complies with several state laws. Every year, the government is obligated to spend money directly related to the cost of enforcing marijuana laws. Marijuana is a cash crop and can be used for clothes, paper, medical substances, along with many other uses. The legalization of marijuana would provide the government and our country with control over a huge cash crop that can be easily cultivated to our climate. In addition to exporting hemp and marijuana to accumulate more funds, the government would be able to tax the plant very similarly to alcohol or tobacco. If this were the case, it is estimated ‘according to the calculations here, legalization would reduce government expenditure by $5.3 billion at the state and local level and by $2.4 billion at the federal level.† (Miron18). These figures generated in the article the Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition reinforce that the calculated values of getting rid of the expenditure caused by marijuana offenders along with the taxation of the substance would be a substantial revision to our economy. Moreover, using marijuana for medicinal purpose is not a recent discovery. In fact, written references to use medical marijuana date back nearly 5,000 years. Western medicine embraced marijuana’s medical properties in the mid-1800s, and by the beginning of the 20th century, physicians had published more than 100 papers in the Western medical literature recommending its wide for a variety of disorders. These disorders include pain relief, nausea, glaucoma, and movement disorders. It is also used as a powerful appetite stimulant which helps patients that had HIV/AIDS or cancer patients going through chemotherapy. Today, thousands of patients â€Å"like me â€Å"are able to use marijuana as an effective method of treatment for their ailments. This is possible because fourteen state governments across the country have acknowledged cannabis’ effective healing properties and legalized its consumption for medicinal purposes with the consent of a licensed physician. However, these patients are at the mercy of the federal government. On the other hand, opponents of medical marijuana or just marijuana itself have given many reasons for why it should not be legalized. One of the main reasons they argue is that Marijuana smoke contains known carcinogens and produces dependency in users. In many studies, it has shown that it does have some harm, such as the harms associated with smoking. But the National Academy of Science affirmed that â€Å"marijuana’s short term medical benefits outweigh any smoking-related harm for some patients. Though marijuana has been proven to be damaging to the lungs more than tobacco a study in 2006 found no evidence that marijuana smokers had higher rates of lung cancer. The FDA has tested the effectiveness of marijuana and has found that the cannabinoids are helpful in treating pain associated with chemotherapy, postoperative recovery, and spinal cord injury, as well as neuropathic pain, which is often experienced by patients with metastatic cancer, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. There is also no evidence shown that patients who use marijuana become addicted. Through the opposing side argues this, they show no evidence in supporting this claim, which therefore, the claim is invalid. There are many pharmaceutical drugs used for treatment and they are addictive, yet it’s legal. Also carcinogens can have a negative effect, but there are many things in society, such as tobacco, that contains harmful toxins, yet it’s still legal. To say marijuana should remain illegal because it is addictive, is irrelevant because these items are still present in society today and are harmful to the human body, but still they remain legal. In addition, a huge controversial subject on marijuana legalization movement is the topic of criminal activity as a result of the plant’s legalization. Oppositionists in favor of keeping marijuana illegal argue that crime rates will spike to unheard of levels if marijuana is legalized. Advocates believe that the result of legalizing marijuana will result in the opposite. The legalization of marijuana will result in the opposite. The legalization of marijuana would create adverse effects on criminal activity levels. For example, the level of criminal offenders on marijuana will drop to zero. This would directly result on lower levels of crime as a whole due to the no longer existing costs associated with decriminalization. The end result of this would be no longer filling prisons and jails with marijuana offenders. Another key issue on this point is whether or not organizations involved in cultivating, selling, or smuggling will strengthen to overcome the government control on marijuana. This is a hypothetical situation which more realistically would result in drug organizations holding power of more serious drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamines, or heroin. Drug trafficking organization control most of the power associated with these drugs already. The governmental control of marijuana would not strengthen drug organizations or gangs as no one would be able to compete against them. Authors from the Elliot school of International Affairs/Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission states that â€Å"a retail markup between 20% and 50%, and state-level tax of 25$ per ounce, the price of legalized marijuana in California would likely be between $60 and $75 per ounce†¦ legal marijuana regulated by the government would be roughly the same price as its Mexican competitor and between 23.6 times as potent† (Miron 28). The advantage would be largely held by the government if it was made readily available for public consumer use due to the convenience, price, and quality of the marijuana. In conclusion, the United States as a whole is in need of new more effective policies to stimulate more economic growth, provide more advanced healthcare, and lower the nation’s criminal activity rate. As it stands today, marijuana is against the law and counteracts the advancement and prosperity of the United States. Through the research has been shown that marijuana has a large potential to become a solution and wiser decision to thee ongoing issues. Some of the top issues in the debates when arguing either side of marijuana prohibition and legalization were analyzed to effectively prove the benefits of legalization over prohibition. The legalization of marijuana has been analyzed to be effective addition to the federals laws set by the United States. Many of the different reasons that the opposing side has given are irrelevant and can be easily proven by the evidence given by the proponents. The DEA has let millions of patients suffer miserably for many years because they refuse to give them the proper care. Research has already proven that it has medicinal values and it shouldn’t be withheld from the patients any longer than it already has.

Three Programs To Listen And Analysis Essays - Free Essays

Three Programs To Listen And Analysis Essays - Free Essays Three Programs To Listen And Analysis For this project, I chose to pick three programs to listen to on PeachState Radio, station 88.1 on the FM dial. The programs were Classical24, which aired Monday through Thursday from 12am-5am; Jazz AfterHours which aired from 12am-5am on Fridays and Saturdays; and CarTalk which aired Saturdays from 10am-11am. I chose these programsbecause I thought it would give me an insight on a good variety of theprograms played on national public radio. Classic 24 played an arrayof selections ranging from Mozart and Beethoven to Haydn and Chopin. Jazz After Hours featured names common to me like John Coltrane andRosemary Clooney, but also many others whose music that I foundquite enjoyable. Still, the program I liked the most and chose to writeabout was Car Talk. Car Talk airs weekly on the National Public Radio. Its a call-inradio show that allows listeners to ask questions about problems withtheir car. Brothers Click and Clack Tappet help the people solve theirtroubles in a comical, yet helpfu l way. The brothers always seem topoke fun at their callers, making them feel somewhat stupid, yetalways bounce back with an answer to the problem. The episode Ipicked to discuss aired February 20, 1999. The first caller to the program was Doris, who had a 1988 PontiacSunbird that was running hot. She complained that at a time whiledriving, the temperature went way up. She said that she went to hermechanic and he said he was too busy and would help her tomorrow. Click and Clack commented that if she was having a heart attack,would the doctor ask her to come back the next day? They told hernot to go back to a mechanic that puts you off. The most probablesolution, they said, was simply to change the thermostat and to makesure that the electric cooling fan was working. Another caller, Ann, who owned a 1994 Mercury Villager wasconcerned with whether or not her van was able to make across-country trip while pulling a pop-up trailer. Click and Clack saidthat it probably would not. They sa id she should drive it out to PikesPeak, let the kids push it off, and go buy a Yukon to pull the camper. Of course they were only kidding and told the caller that she shouldhave the engine and transmission properly serviced and that it wouldbe fine. The last one I want to talk about was the funniest to me. A womancalled in about clutch problems on a 1989 Volkswagon. She said thatshe had been through five clutches and the car only had 85,000 mileson it. She said that she had taken the car back to the dealership forrepairs, and each time they could not figure out the problem. Themechanics said that the teeth on the flywheels kept breaking and thepressure plate was splitting in half. Click and Clack asked questions totry to find a solution but the results were negative. They called her awacko woman driver and said the only thing wrong with her car wasthat she needed to learn to drive properly. Car Talk was a very informative and humorous program. I did notexpect to get a laugh out of it, but to my surprise I did. It can reallyhelp solve those troublesome car problems. Car Talk was a really coolshow and if I ever am riding along at ten in the morning on aSaturday, I would definitely listen to it again.

Structure of a Descriptive Essay

Structure of a Descriptive Essay The descriptive essay can be arranged in one of many organization patterns, and you will soon find that one style is best for your particular topic. Some effective organization patterns for a descriptive essay are spatial, which is best used when you are describing a location; chronological organization, which is best used when you are describing an event; and functional organization, which is best used when you are describing how a device or process works. Start with a Mind Dump Before you can begin writing your essay or deciding upon an organizational pattern, you should put everything you know about your subject on a piece of paper in a mind dump. In this first stage of information gathering, you should not worry about organizing your information. To start out, simply write down every item, characteristic, or feature that you can think of, allowing your thoughts to flow onto the paper. Note: A giant sticky note is a fun tool for mind dumping. Once your paper is filled with bits of information, you can use a simple numbering system to begin identifying topics and subtopics. Simply look over your items and â€Å"clump† them together in logical groups. Your groups will become major topics that you address in body paragraphs. Come Up with an Overall Impression The next step is to read over your information to come up with one major impression that you get from it all. Ponder the information for a few moments and see if you can boil it all down to one thought. Sound difficult? This list below shows three imaginary topics (in bold) followed by examples of a few thoughts that might be generated about each topic. You will see that the thoughts lead to an overall impression (in italics). 1. Your City Zoo - The animals were arranged by continents. Each area featured interesting plants and flowers from the continents. There were beautiful murals painted everywhere. Impression: the visual elements make this a more interesting zoo. Structure: Since a zoo is a place, the best structure for the city zoo essay is likely to be spatial. As a writer, you would begin with an introductory paragraph that ends with a thesis statement based on your impression. A sample thesis state would be While the animals were fascinating, the visual elements made this zoo most interesting. You could write your essay as a walking tour, visiting (describing) one area at a time.Each area would be described in your body paragraphs.You would use descriptive language to convey the striking visual elements of each area. 2. A Birthday Party - The birthday boy cried when we sang to him. He was too young to know what was happening. The cake was too sweet. The sun was hot. Impression: this party was a disaster! Structure: Since this is an event in time, the best structure would likely be chronological. Your introductory paragraph would build up to the conclusion (your impression) that this party was not a success!Each disastrous event would be described in individual body paragraphs. 3. Making a Cake from Scratch - I learned what sifting was, and it was messy. Creaming butter and sugar takes time. It’s hard to pick slippery egg shell bits out of flour. We really take box mixes for granted! Structure: The best structure would be functional. You would build up to the (surprising) complexity of making a cake from scratch.Body paragraphs would address the difficulty you encountered at each turn. End with a Conclusion Every essay requires a good conclusion to tie things up and make a tidy and complete package. In your concluding paragraph for a descriptive essay, you should summarize your main points and explain your overall impression or thesis in new words.

Female Criminal Profiles - A - Z List

Female Criminal Profiles - A - Z List Brenda Andrew​Classification:  Murderer /  MariticideAndrew is on death row in Oklahoma after being convicted of killing her husband for insurance money. Susan Sadie May Glutz AtkinsClassification:  Murderer / TortureSusan Sadie Atkins is a former member of the Charles Manson family. She swore before a Grand Jury, that under the direction of Charlie Manson, she stabbed actress Sharon Tate. Velma Margie BarfieldClassification: Serial Killer /  Parricide /  MariticideVelma Barfield was dubbed Death Row Granny but she was anything but nurturing. Addicted to drugs, first, she would steal money from family members, then kill them to hide her thievery. Suzanne BassoClassification:  Murderer / Kidnapping / TortureBasso kidnapped a 59-year old retarded man and brutally beat him with various items resulting in his death. Kenisha BerryClassification: Murderer / InfanticideOn November 29, 1998, Berry put duct tape across the mouth of her 4-day-old baby boy, put him into a plastic bag and left his body in a dumpster. He suffocated to death. Linda CartyClassification: Murderer / KidnappingCarty hogtied a woman who had a three-day-old baby, taped a bag over her head and suffocated her. Lynette Alice Squeaky FrommeClassification:  Attempted AssassinationLynette Squeaky Fromme became the voice of the cult leader, Charlie Manson when he was sent to prison. She also pointed a gun at President Ford, for which she is now serving a life sentence. Cathy Lynn HendersonClassification: Murderer / KidnappingHenderson was convicted of the abduction and murder of a 3-month-old baby boy she was babysitting. Brittany HolbergClassification: Murderer /  Robbery / ProstitutionHolberg robbed and murdered an 80-year-old man, striking him with a hammer and stabbing him nearly 60 times. Karla HomolkaClassification: Serial Killer /  Rape / Torture /  FratricideHomolka, one of Canadas most horrific female convicts, has been released from prison after serving a 12-year sentence for her involvement in drugging, raping, torturing and killing young girls over a decade ago. The dead teens included her own young sister who she was offered to her boyfriend as a gift. Stacey LannertClassification: Murderer /  ParricideOn July 4, 1990, Stacey Ann Lannert, age 18, shot and killed her father, Tom Lannert, as he lay sleeping in the familys St. John, Missouri, home. In her statement to the police, Stacey claimed that her father had sexually abused her. She was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Angela McAnultyClassification: Murderer /  Prolicide / TortureAngela McAnulty pleaded guilty to the torture, starvation, and murder of her 14-year-old daughter. Kimberly McCarthyClassification: Murderer  McCarthy stabbed a 70-year-old woman repeatedly resulting in her death. Blanche MooreClassification: Serial Killer Moore had a bad habit of poisoning the men in her life with arsenic. She is currently on death row for killing a boyfriend. Frances Elaine NewtonClassification: Murderer /  FamilicideNewton shot and killed her husband, her seven-year-old son and her 21-month-old daughter for insurance money. Darci PierceClassification:  Murderer /  Fetus TheftDarcie Pierce lied to her family and friend about being pregnant. When it came time for her to have her pretend baby, she murdered a pregnant woman and took her unborn child. Darlie RoutierClassification: Murderer /  Prolicide Darlie  Routier sits on death row in Texas for the murder of her children. Many questions have come up since her trial. Was she railroaded? You decide. Felecia ScottClassification:  Murderer /  Fetus TheftFelecia Scott thought having a baby with her new boyfriend would help seal the relationship, but she couldnt get pregnant. Her solution? Murder a pregnant woman and steal her baby. Erica SheppardClassification:  Murderer /  RobberySheppard wanted her victims car, so she slashed her throat with a knife five times and beat her with a statue. Christina S. WaltersClassification:  Murderer / Gang RelatedAs part of a gang-initiation, Walters randomly selected three teenage girls and shot them. Two of the girls died, one survived. Andrea YatesClassification: Homicide   /  Prolicide A profile of Andrea Yates, her life, her marriage to Rusty Yates, and the tragic events that led up to her drowning her five children.

Is the U.S. Winning the Drug War in Latin America Research Paper - 1

Is the U.S. Winning the Drug War in Latin America - Research Paper Example CON: No, the US is not winning the drug war in Latin America 1. Latin American nations are moving towards drug legalization 2. Drugs have become important in balancing international trade in Peru by earning the nation a huge foreign income 3. US anti-drug operations in some nations like Guatemala and Mexico are accused of victimization in their war on drugs 4. Venezuelan government is aiding drug traffickers by making the nation a key launching pad for US and Europe-bound cocaine 5. Latin America has marked a huge rise in coca production over the past few years despite the US efforts of discouraging its production Amidst the narcotics decriminalizing calls by some leading Latin American leaders, Janet Napolitano, the US Homeland Security Secretary defended the drug war strategy of the US. In her tour of Central America and Mexico to strengthen the security cooperation with the nations, Napolitano claimed that the US would continue assisting the Latin American efforts of going after t he regional producers and traffickers of drugs despite persistent drug-related violence.1 She claims that drug war has not failed but is rather a continuous effort of keeping the regional population from addiction to the dangerous drugs. Felipe Calderon, the Mexican President, supports the war and his target is the leading kingpins, capturing and/or killing several key cartel figures with the help of the US. The two nations are also united in the search for Joaquin Guzman, after he escaped in 2001 from prison.2 Alvaro Uribe, Columbia’s President, started meeting the other regional nations’ leaders on 4 August 2009 in support of the US anti-drug campaign. During the trip, Uribe’s aim was attempting to appease the other leaders from Latin America’s concerns regarding a deal that he expected to sign to allow the United States to relocate its recommendable drug-interdiction flight activities to Colombia following the dismissal of such operations from Ecuador. The plan could raise the number of the American troops within Colombia to facilitate war on drugs.3 This effort by President Uribe shows that the US war on drugs has impact on the Latin American countries and this support implies the war is not that badly off. The nation is under so much international pressure as the international community assumes that the US should deal with the whole situation with finality. This pressure may in turn make the US appear as if it is doing so little in this drugs war, which is not entirely the case.4 However, most Latin American nations consider this war as an overwhelming failure. Jose de Cordoba argues that drug violence has spiraled beyond control in Mexico with a commission headed by 3 former heads of Latin American states blasting the war on drug as a failed effort, which is pushing the societies in Latin America to their breaking point.5 Consequently, the first Latin American Conference attendees favored decriminalization of possession of dru gs for personal use.6 Moreover, the attendees claimed that legislative reforms were underway to facilitate smaller sentences are given to the small traffickers, and set up policies, which minimize harm via encouraging the addicts to seek help from the health system. Such a hemispheric summit could spark open revolt against US-led drug war. Actually, Latin Americans are determined to gain their independence from the ‘disastrous’ US anti-drug policy.7 In an article dated 7 August 2009, Romulo Pizarro, Peru’s drug czar, estimates that the earnings of the foreign

Business ethic for leaders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business ethic for leaders - Essay Example Customers have a high tendency of trusting companies and businesses that are value-based. Business ethics help create harmony between businesses and the outside world. Based on the above underpinning evidence it is justified to say that business ethics play a significant role in the success of companies and businesses. Models of management business ethics Moral management This model assumes the role of leadership whenever ethical conflicts occur in an organization. Its purpose is implement ethical behavior for the overall success of a business or organization. It adheres to the high standards of ethical behavior. Immoral management This model does not have any ethical principles; in fact, it opposes any form of ethical behavior portrayed by businesses or companies. It grabs any available opportunity that may benefit a corporate. Amoral management This model is grouped into unintentional and intentional management. Unintentional management pays little or no ethical considerations in b usinesses or companies, while intentional management does not pay any attention to ethical behavior. Amoral management gives managers the mandate to control their businesses or companies. This model gives a provision for the implementation of ethics if manager approve such ethics. Factors that organization should consider when creating their business ethics Communication There should be open communication with both the employees and members of management. This help promotes confidence, trust, and comfort amongst all involved parties in an organization or business. Open communication is essential for discussion of any issues that are related to the code of ethics (Businessburrito 1). A team to oversee the process of creating and adherence business ethics A company or business should appoint a team designed strictly to monitor ethical actions of all its employees. The team should have specific procedures to determine incidences of unethical behaviors amongst workers. It should also a separate procedure that outline the type of discipline that unethical workers should face. Vision Companies and businesses should have clearly explained visions before embarking on creating codes of ethics for their organizations. A company’s vision should have a full detail of all aspects of ethical rules. It plays a key role in determining the overall success and implementation of business ethics in any company. Levels of business ethics Individual level- this level looks at the behavior of all individuals in an organization or business. A person’s behavior may be determined by his or her personality, environment or peer. Business ethics at this level are of immense importance since they help harmonize all individuals in an organization (Businessburrito 1). Failure to implement business ethics at this level may have dramatic negative effect on the success of a company or business. Corporate level-this level helps companies and businesses to be extremely careful when conducting and implementing their business strategies. These companies and business ought to ensure that their behavior is in line with the individual corporate entities in both public and private sectors. Macro level- this level outlines the role of businesses in their association with the entire society. A company’s strategies should aim at delivering remarkable benefits to a society in an ethical manner. Its activities should be in

An analysis of the Ebola Virus (Ebola Hemorragic Fever) its ongoing Essay

An analysis of the Ebola Virus (Ebola Hemorragic Fever) its ongoing epidemiology, and ongoing prevention and control of this BSL - Essay Example The continued outbreak of Ebola in Africa has drawn worldwide attention because of its explosive emergence, high mortality, nosocomial secondary transmission, and ecological mystery. The worst outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and killed 250 out of 315 who contracted it, while one of the latest outbreaks, lasting through February of 2009, had a 47% mortality rate, killing 15 of the 32 infected (CDC). Safety measures recommended to avoid the contraction of the Ebola virus include the use of personal protective equipment (PPE, including masks, gloves, gowns, and goggles) and, infection control measures including isolation, and complete sterilization of equipment. There is little research at this time regarding control of the infection since there is absence of significant knowledge about Ebola’s ecology. Thus, Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is perhaps the most virulent virus known to mankind. Background In central Africa, the Ebola virus w as found to be the cause of a hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate in the mid-1970s and reemerged there in the mid-1990s (Waigmann, 2003, p. 6). In 1976, epidemics of hemorrhagic disease with very high mortality, up to 90%, broke out simultaneously in a remote area of Northern Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, (DRC) and Southern Sudan (Zuckerman, 2009, p. 755). The outbreaks in these areas were found to be due to two separate but antigenically related filovirus strains, distinct from Marburg virus. After some tests, these viruses were grouped under the name Ebola virus, after a river in Zaire (Zuckerman, 2009, p. 755). Among 318 probable cases, 280 died, a mortality rate of 80% (Zuckerman, 2009, p. 759). A smaller Ebola outbreak occurred in Sudan in 1979 with 34 patients and 22 deaths. There were outbreaks in 1989, when a shipment of monkeys with Ebola virus was imported from the Philippines by a commercial biological supply company in the United States. The 1 989 outbreak was focused in Reston, Virginia, and was thus called Ebola Reston strain. Hundreds of monkeys were killed in 1989 Ebola Reston outbreak to avoid spread of infection to humans. Animal handlers showed signs of infections, but not clinical manifestation. Because of this, it was believed that Philippine monkey strain of Ebola was less virulent for man. In 1992, there was a small monkey outbreak in Italy, and a single case of a Swiss technologist who did an autopsy on a chimpanzee in the Tai forest area of the Ivory Coast. In the early part of May 1995, health authorities noticed a cluster of Ebola cases in Kikwit Hospital, in Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of the cases resulted from close contact with patients and aerosol transmission, the mechanism by which Ebola virus is spread from a reservoir to a human being by means of aerosols (Ebola virus suspensions in air) and usually enters through the respiratory tract. The outbreak was controlled by limiting contact transmi ssions. In June 1995, 315 cases were detected and 77%, or 244, of these died (Evans, 1997, p. 140). In early 1996, an isolated outbreak occurred in Gabon with 37 cases and 21 deaths (Evans, 1997, p. 140). At the same time, a limited monkey outbreak occurred

Analyzing Criteria on Online Reporting Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyzing Criteria on Online Reporting - Article Example On the other hand, the website (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304898704577482650368103084.html) has employed the art of short sentences that nail the case to the bone (Maher, 2012). In other words, website information is easy and quick for understanding than other media forms in information dissemination. Furthermore, the avoidance of what people said in unlike in the latter website is an indication of a narrative writing technique that appeals to a mass readership. On that note, if compared to print media, there are some differences. For instance, the reportage of the sex abuse case in local papers delved into the smaller details of the case that did not feature in the online articles in the aforementioned websites. In conclusion, this means that information included in the websites are not always comprehensive as compared to print media (Craig, 2010). Alternatively, I think websites enhance a story with its visual information such as the websites described above. Additionally, the hyperlinks they provide give an element of human touch because of its visual

Diversity in organization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Diversity in organization - Research Paper Example Hence proper management of diverse workforce is acutely necessary for the organizations. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 The evolving concept of diversity 4 Multiculturalism 5 Benefits of diversity in workforce for for-profit business organizations 6 Challenges faced by the organization due to diverse workforce 6 Conclusion 7 References 8 Introduction The world is changing rapidly and the concept of diversity has become a truism in current times (Rosado, 2006). Change in the view of the world is more vividly visible since the onset of the twenty-first century. At present diversity has been acknowledged in social and business layers, which include variety in labor force, civil rights of the human being, their property right and living and working conditions of the people. In the different industrialized countries across the globe, instances of demographically diversified labor force are increasing. In many countries gender relations are changing swiftly and the ef fect of this change is visible in the business sphere. With rapid globalization, the number of emigrant workers is increasing and recent trend shows that immigration is taking place into the developed countries of the world (Dumont, Spielvogel & Widmaier, 2010). The structure of labor population is also changing with the aging population in the developed countries, due to which the labor intensive organizations are facing higher diversity in their workforce. Increased diversification within workgroups or labor force has to be dealt sincerely through efficient diversity management. Such changes cast potentially important impact on group performance within organizations. According to Bleijenbergh, Peters and Poutsma (2010) diversity management in an organization further encourages the organization to attain their strategic goals. It allows inclusion of diverse employee categories and provides scope to the organization to allow individual development of its employees. Diversity managem ent in business supports creation and retention â€Å"of equal opportunities† (Bleijenbergh, Peters & Poutsma, 2010, p. 414). In the long term it helps to create a sustainable employment situation and leads to profitable business. The evolving concept of diversity The needs of this century pose the demand for a mass of citizens â€Å"that is culturally sensitive and internationally focused, with an orientation toward the future rather than the past† (Rosado, 2006, p. 1). Recent research works reveal that diversity management has come through over the years. There has been a gradual change in the purpose of diversity management from the ‘purpose of exclusion’ to the ‘purpose of inclusion’. In the beginning of the twenty-first century there was no definite established pattern or model for the organizations to follow while dealing with diversity related to physical, biological and social or cultural differences. Any behavior or attitude that belo nged to outside of the ‘norm’ prevalent in the particular society were identified as diversity and were dealt with the policy of â€Å"exclusion and control† (Rosado, 2006, p. 4). With the passage of time, particularly in the profit oriented corporate firms, organizational policy of dealing with diversity has changed; today in order to realize the maximum potential

Discussing the Improvement in Perfomance and Possitive Influences on Essay

Discussing the Improvement in Perfomance and Possitive Influences on Individuals in a Working Environment - Essay Example The report will also highlight various leading forces that may improve the performance of the individuals who are working as a team. The discussion of the letter subject will help us understand how Microsoft can apply those suggestions in its own professional environment, which is necessarily a team-based. -------------------------------------------------- Introduction: The quality of work in a business environment is becoming the foremost concern in industries all over the world, which was not true until 1959 (Herzberg 1995). Considering the motivation of work, top priority is given to the worker satisfaction instead of achievement that is gained through the work qualitatively done. Improvement of worker satisfaction deals with the enhancement and development of human relations between the humans working together in an organization. Two main issues have been faced by the organizational management - in lieu of the aforementioned statements – that run side by side. While the in dustries are now struggling to resolve the unfathomable hygiene problems of evading the interpersonal dissatisfaction in working environment; they have neglected the other essential concern of workers’ motivation for training and quality production, which leads to even more dire consequences in terms of job dissatisfaction and health issues. In regard to these two important issues, Frederick Herzberg proposed a theory known as Two-Factor Theory or Motivation-Hygiene Theory, in 1995 that will logically respond to the above two problems collectively to provide a harmonic and synchronized solution that will keep the interpersonal relation at its best as well as provide the organizations qualitative work, and will ensure the employees to stay health and keep job satisfaction for a longer period of time. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory: According to this theory, people in a working environment are influenced through two factors, i.e. motivation factors, e.g. satisfaction and p sychological growth, and hygiene factors, e.g. dissatisfaction. The theory was established based on the investigations done by Herzberg on 200 engineers and accountants in the USA. Hygiene factors ensure the avoidance of the employees being dissatisfied with the job and working environment. These factors do not relate to the motivational aims but still without them the dissatisfaction is not avoided. Some of the most common yet essential and avoidable hygiene factors are as follows: working conditions, status, salary, quality of supervision, job security, company profile, interpersonal relations, and company’s administrative policies. Motivation factors on the other hand relate to the motivation of employees to make their performance better and let them achieve higher aims. Internal generators within employees are the actual cause of these factors. Some of the typical motivation factors are as follows: achievement, growth, recognition for achievement, interest in job, task re sponsibility, and recognition for the achievement. The combination of both the leading factors of theory leads to four underlying scenarios which differ from each other in terms of achieving the objects a business management official is seeking among his employees. The four scenarios will now be discussed under each of the two sections given below. One of the next two sections will strictly speak of the positive influences on the motivational enhancement of employees of Microsoft.

Diversity in organization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Diversity in organization - Research Paper Example Hence proper management of diverse workforce is acutely necessary for the organizations. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 The evolving concept of diversity 4 Multiculturalism 5 Benefits of diversity in workforce for for-profit business organizations 6 Challenges faced by the organization due to diverse workforce 6 Conclusion 7 References 8 Introduction The world is changing rapidly and the concept of diversity has become a truism in current times (Rosado, 2006). Change in the view of the world is more vividly visible since the onset of the twenty-first century. At present diversity has been acknowledged in social and business layers, which include variety in labor force, civil rights of the human being, their property right and living and working conditions of the people. In the different industrialized countries across the globe, instances of demographically diversified labor force are increasing. In many countries gender relations are changing swiftly and the ef fect of this change is visible in the business sphere. With rapid globalization, the number of emigrant workers is increasing and recent trend shows that immigration is taking place into the developed countries of the world (Dumont, Spielvogel & Widmaier, 2010). The structure of labor population is also changing with the aging population in the developed countries, due to which the labor intensive organizations are facing higher diversity in their workforce. Increased diversification within workgroups or labor force has to be dealt sincerely through efficient diversity management. Such changes cast potentially important impact on group performance within organizations. According to Bleijenbergh, Peters and Poutsma (2010) diversity management in an organization further encourages the organization to attain their strategic goals. It allows inclusion of diverse employee categories and provides scope to the organization to allow individual development of its employees. Diversity managem ent in business supports creation and retention â€Å"of equal opportunities† (Bleijenbergh, Peters & Poutsma, 2010, p. 414). In the long term it helps to create a sustainable employment situation and leads to profitable business. The evolving concept of diversity The needs of this century pose the demand for a mass of citizens â€Å"that is culturally sensitive and internationally focused, with an orientation toward the future rather than the past† (Rosado, 2006, p. 1). Recent research works reveal that diversity management has come through over the years. There has been a gradual change in the purpose of diversity management from the ‘purpose of exclusion’ to the ‘purpose of inclusion’. In the beginning of the twenty-first century there was no definite established pattern or model for the organizations to follow while dealing with diversity related to physical, biological and social or cultural differences. Any behavior or attitude that belo nged to outside of the ‘norm’ prevalent in the particular society were identified as diversity and were dealt with the policy of â€Å"exclusion and control† (Rosado, 2006, p. 4). With the passage of time, particularly in the profit oriented corporate firms, organizational policy of dealing with diversity has changed; today in order to realize the maximum potential

Masks and Disguise Essay Example for Free

Masks and Disguise Essay In William Golding’s novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ and Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ masks and disguises are used to serve different purposes. Both texts use masks and disguise to allow characters to behave in ways that they usually would not or could not. For example, in Lord of the Flies, the boys go from being civilised to becoming savage. This is evident when it says â€Å"the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self consciousness†. The fact that the mask is â€Å"a thing on its own† shows that the boys, Jack in particular, feel as if they are not responsible for their actions because of the mask. This is supported by the quote â€Å"The mask compelled them.† It also suggests that the boys have become completely different people after wearing the mask. The word â€Å"hid† suggests that the boys are also protected from the repercussions of their violent actions because the mask creates anonymity. At the masquerade ball in Romeo and Juliet, people are able to speak openly to each other as their true identities are hidden beneath their masks. This is evident when Capulet says â€Å"I have seen the say/ That I have worn a visor, and could tell/ A whispering tale in a fair lady’s ear.† This shows that Capulet was able to charm a lady with his stories with the aid of his mask. The word â€Å"whispering† suggests that Capulet’s action was something that had to be done with secrecy and that the mask allowed him to speak openly with the â€Å"fair lady†. Romeo, hidden beneath his mask, is also able to charm Juliet. This is shown when Juliet says â€Å"My only love sprung from my only hate! / Too early seen unknown, and known too late!† The word â€Å"unknown† reinforces the fact that people are anonymous beneath masks and are able to do things they usually wouldn’t. It also shows that Juliet fell in love with Romeo because she did not know his true identity. Also, if Romeo did not wear a mask, he would not have been able to meet Juliet, so the plot would not be able to move forward to reveal their â€Å"death-mark’d love†. During the time in which Romeo and Juliet is set, people often had masked parties as cultural occasions or for celebrations, â€Å"†¦the nuptial of Luciento†¦ and then we masked†. However, in Lord of the Files, masks are used to represent the removal of culture and the dehumanisation of the boys. This is shown in the quote â€Å"The forest near them burst into uproar. Demoniac figures†¦ rushed out howling†¦ stark naked†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This shocks the reader as the boys go from completely civilised children to savages. The word â€Å"uproar† makes it sound as if there is chaos on the island. The word â€Å"demoniac† shows that Jack and the boys have become the embodiment of evil, unlike their former selves. The word â€Å"howling† makes the boys sound more like animals than humans. It may also suggest that the boys have freed their inner beasts and that wearing a mask makes it easier for their inner beasts to come out. The fact that they are â€Å"stark naked† shows that they are not civilised anymore and have become ‘less British’. The boys are also hidden behind masks when they brutally kill Simon and behave like savages. The masks used during Simon’s death protect the boys from punishment as their identities are hidden so no-one can be held accountable. This makes the reader feel upset because Simon gets no justice. Golding may have included this to show that all humans have the potential to become uncivilised and evil, and to show that civility is what contains a person’s inner beast.

The Responsibilities Of Organisations Operating Globally Business Essay

The Responsibilities Of Organisations Operating Globally Business Essay Over the past few years, the rate of growth of businesses in a region has been faster than the rate of growth of output round the world as a whole. Almost all countries in the world are becoming ever more integrated with the world economy. This process is called globalisation. Globalisation could mean for example that: most of the cloths we buy are made abroad; a country buys financial and legal services from other country etc Globalisation has many effects upon businesses/organisation throughout the world. The impact of globalisation has not been evenly spread. Some businesses have witnesses dramatic changes because of globalisation of the organisation. This report explains the knowledge of issues Arik Air is facing in operating in global context and review of the issues currently impacting on its businesses. Arik air is an Airline company situated in Nigeria need to acquire another airline in United Kingdom whish proposed to be called Arik Air UK and be a global organisation 1.1 ANALYSES OF THE KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ORGANISATIONS WORKING IN DIFFERENT SECTORS, INDUSTRIES AND CONTEXTS There are different types of organisation which consist of sole trader, partnership, private public partnership and limited company. Sole trader; this is a business solely formed by one person and owned by single person with one or more workers. This type of business can also be classified as small scale business. The merits of sole trader are; Independent -the owner will have total control of the business. Little capital -to establish sole trading it cost less the owner did not need huge money, also sole trader need small loan that can be obtain from bank, relatives and friends . Sole owner of profit-the profit belong to the sole trader, he does not share with anybody. Business affairs are private- it will be difficult for the competitors to know how much the sole traders earned because sole trader keeps all the affairs of the business private. The demerits of sole traders are; Unlimited liability. It sometimes difficult to get loan from banks because of the nature of the business. Lack of continuity if the owner dies Partnership is when two or more people come together to form a business, most partnerships are between two or twenty members. Deed of partnership is set up by the partnership this contain the followings Formation that will be use to share profit or loss incur during the business. Amount of money to be contributed by each partner to start the business. The power of votes will be determined by the proportion of capital provided by each partners. This is rules to be follows when taking in new partners. Blue print of how the partnership will be dissolve. Disadvantages of partnership are; Workload on one partner will cause dispute among the partners. Different direction of business from partners can cause disagreement. Corporation -is a distinct legal entity that has been form through registration process, this is a body that have legal right to enter into contractor or get loan from financial institution, it can sue and sued, recruit workers and pay taxes. The business is different from the owner, corporation is limited liability dividend. The shareholders are not liable for the company liquidation. Limited company An organisation which is liable to investor or subscribers. The investor are limited to their investment or guaranteed to the company which the profit is share, its finances in the business different to his personal money. Private company limited-when the company is liquidated they agreed to pay certain amount to bailout the company. Private unlimited company- during the liquidation of the company the shareholders and board of directors are solely liable payment of debt owed. Public limited company- the company traded publicly on stock market such as London stock exchange, Nigeria stock exchange etc. Public sector organisation -this is an organisation owned by the government, Federal, state and local government, there aims and objective is to provide social amenities for the public in terms of services e g, provision of public transport, health, research non profit making all the money made are rechanneled into the society. Non profit organisation- this is an organisation that is established for charity all the profit make is channel back to the business to pursue the aims and objective of the organisation. They generate money through donation from government and public. They are exempted in tax or tax deduction. Global Context- international transaction between two organisations from two different companies, global context is a term used to collectively describe all commercial activities of private and government globally in terms of sales, investment, logistics and transportation. 1.2 ASSESSMENT OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF ORGANISATIONS OPERATING GLOBALLY. The multinational organisation face a lot of challenges, the company have to acquire power to like money, connections to go into foreign land challenges that will fit in a global business context. Three environmental factors that the company have to put into considerations are; Political economy-this is the policies made by the government of the acquisition country for the new establishment also international business law must be look critically before venture into it. The resource and marketing- the market and resources of the country and host of their new business, the strength of the business in the country. Competition- There will be competition among the local business of the host country, the local business will give them a lot of threat because the people have already used to their local product, and meanwhile the company have to make sure that their service is unique to be accepted by the buyer in the host country. Localizing strategies-The organisation have to know how to respond to the geographical opportunity and threats because the culture different also the competitors threat must be addressed with the local organisation. Sales and marketing strategy- must be considered because of the geographical different. Supply chain- is another factor because its different from one country to another. Different in legal system-there different legal system, labour laws and distribution, production strategy must be considered when going into global business because it varies from one country to other. International trade is a trade between two or more country, most private organisation call multinational undertake such transaction for profit making while government do the business for profit to increase their gross domestic product GDP or for political reasons, and this can be in terms of producing goods and services. The services may include finance banking insurance, construction etc. Organisational responsibility may be explained based on the following heading: Shareholders shareholders are investors of funds into the business, so they expect average financial returns; there will be interest on their money which will come in form of dividend. They can also be part of policy making in the organisation. Customer -they are like king in the whole issue, without the customers there will be no products. So, the organisation must responsible in providing good value for the money they spent interims of durability of the product or services given to them. Employee-the employees must be treat beyond the contract signed with them, treat them like they are part of the business. They must be given adequate training in new skill and technologies to be able to render an international standard of services and product to the customers. Community the organisation must be friendly to the people in the community in which they operate. Environment -they must conduct an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for new operation also they must not pollute the environment with hazard or dangerous toxic waste that can affect water agriculture, health of the people in the country. Ethical issue the ethical issue is very important in business they should pursue the ethics for the development of their organisation statues and long term survival; they should behave as customers, suppliers, competitors and the environment general. 1.3 STRATEGY EMPLOYED BY ORGANISATIONS OPERATING GLOBALLY IS; Political the political scene in another country must be embraced to facilitate better trade between the governments of other country in the world; a business agreement must be signed between the organisation and the organisation in other country. Economy the organisation must be ready to integrate the economy policy of another country their product or services attract lot of investor in other part of the world. Social the organisation will recruit workers from other country that they are doing business with and pay them good wages also support the community by providing CSR (corporate social responsibility) by providing scholarships etc. Technology -the world is boom in terms of technology uses for some times ,the use of technology like internet will help global organisation in transacting their business fast to provide better and fast services. Legal-the government policy of the other country must be recognised because the policy is used to protect the international trade against bringing of fake or outdated products or providing substandard services. Environmental- the global organisation assist in providing sustainable project ,like tree planting also caution in terms of amount of waste released to the landfill they should also help in recycling of some product and help in campaigning for good environment. Analyse how the performance of national economy impact on the activities of business organisation using Airlines as a case study. SWOT analysis is concerned in determining the performance of business vis-a-vis it competitors. It is widely accepted way of performing such an analysis, other methods can produce similar (or better) results. SWOT links the knowledge of the present bases of competition with market scenarios. The result of swot is shown SWOT table below, which is a concise statement of the situation in which the firm or business organisation finds itself. An example of a SWOT table for a no-frills airline. Strength Opportunities Weaknesses Threats Airports used are better than those used by the other no- frills airlines Strong business demand for cheap air fares Airport used are worse than those used by the big carriers The further entry of subsidiaries of the big carriers Management skills Strong leisure demand for cheap air fares Reputation for punctuality Higher airport charges Lower cost than established airlines The interest Cash flows Ease of booking flights Many secondary airport underused No safely record yet established Better than average employee relations Poorer than average customer service The characteristics of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and the associated analysis are described and the difficulties in carrying out a formal analysis are expected. Many leader-managers find it useful to encapsulate the position of their organisation in a concise statement of its strengths and weakness vis-a-vis competition and the opportunities and threat that it faces in its environment. They do this by constructing a SWOT table. A SWOT TABLE provides a useful spring board for their identification of strategy, since it identifies the weaknesses that need to be strengthened, the strength that can be used for competitive advantage, the opportunities that can be used to the organisations advantage, and the threats that it needs to guard against. The impact of global factors on UK business organisation. Businesses are affected by an external environment as much as they are affected by the competitors. Global factors influencing business are legal, political, social, technological and economic. Understanding of these factors is important while developing a business strategy. a. Social factors These factors are related to changes in social structures. These factors provide insights into behaviour, tastes, and lifestyles patterns of a population. Buying patterns are greatly influenced by the changes in the structure of the population, and in consumer lifestyles. Age, gender, etc all determine the buying patterns and understanding of such changes is critical for developing strategies which are in line with the market situations. In a global environment it is important that business strategies are designed keeping in mind the social and cultural differences that vary from Uk to other countries. Consumer religion, language, lifestyle patterns are all important information for successful business management. b. Legal factors These factors that influence business strategies are related to changes in government laws and regulations. For a successful business operation it is important that the businesses consider the legal issues involved in a particular situation and should have the capability to anticipate ways in which changes in laws will affect the way they must behave. Laws keep changing over a period of time. From the point of view of business it is important that they are aware of these changes in the areas of consumer protection legislation, environmental legislation, health safety and employment law, etc. c. Economic factors These factors involve changes in the global economy. A rise in living standards would ultimately imply an increase in demand for products thereby, providing greater opportunities for businesses to make profits. An economy witnesses fluctuations in economic activities. This would imply that in case of a rise in economic activity the demand of the product will increase and hence the price will increase. In case of reduction in demand the prices will go down. Business strategies should be developed keeping in mind these fluctuations. Other economic changes that affect business include changes in the interest rate, wage rates, and the rate of inflation. In case of low interest rates and increase in demand Businesses will be encouraged to expand and take risks. d. Political factors This refers to the changes in government and government policies. Political factors greatly influence the operation of business in the United Kingdom. This has gained significant importance of late. For example: companies and businesses operating in the UK have to adopt directives and regulations created by the UK. The political arena has a huge influence upon the regulation of businesses, and the spending power of consumers and other businesses. Business must consider the stability of the political environment, governments policy on the economy etc e. Technological factors These factors greatly influence business strategies as they provide opportunities for businesses to adopt new innovations, and inventions. This helps the business to reduce costs and develop new products. With the advent of modern communication technologies, technological factors have gained great impetus in the business arena. . Huge volumes of information can be securely shared by means of databases thereby enabling vast cost reductions, and improvements in service. Organisations need to consider the latest relevant technological advancements for their business and to stay competitive. Technology helps business to gain competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. While designing the business strategies firms must consider if use of technology will allow the firm to manufacture products and services at a lower cost. Firms can select new modes of distributions with the help of technology. It has become easier for companies to communicate wi th their customer in any part of the world. . Domestic markets -is the goods and service producing in a country within a year. The of National statistics make us understand that survey of business which will include the activities of the airline operating within the United Kingdom. the uk economy became shrank toward the end of 2012,it goes down by 0.3% in the last three months according to the official GDP figures released, the short fall was not in Air industry alone but due to drop in mining and quarrying by ONS. This affect many stores, manufacturers and some financial institutions that force banks to closed down as a result of this many people lost their jobs, many consumers cut their spending even tourist that used the Air bus reduced due to cut. Global market- is the process when the products and services of a country or an industry is been operating in many countries. The global markets helps the industries to move higher in business.Uk British airways is example of British carrier .British airways sometime in November merge with some airline in other country. the merger make the British airline to become a recognised and the world third largest airline in the world and increased in terms of Revenue among other airline in competitive market globally. Government policies-this is the law that the Uk government put in place to meet the criteria in global market world, this are done both locally and internationally to protect the business world. They are as follows; Security-internet scam has been checked by spending more money on IT professionals to track any business fraud on line. Also terrorist this also very important recently UK government send some troop of army to Mali to combat the terrorist network that may be treat to international business in future. Air traffic policies-the UK government present a comprehensive and very big whitepaper on air traffic from 180mppa 476 by 2030, to satisfy future request, also new runway, terminals and improved on the management operation. Tax- recently the UK government took a severe measure against tax Evasion both locally and internationally, government spend millions of pounds on watchdog to checkmate the activities of companies through HM revenue and customs. e.g. Google ,Amazons ,star bucks coffee company recently penalised.(metro-Monday 17dec 2012) Bilateral relationship Health and Safety Environmental policies-this policies is to control noise in the air by the airlines, also government appraise climate change impact. Trade block- this is barrier to trade between two more countries, a group of countries within a geographical region may decide not to allow other country to import some goods to their region, some that are not from their country examples are EU and non EU members.EU is created to have single market for their goods, services and labours they also created trade block among the non EU .discriminatory trade policy. Technology in the past 20years technology has made a huge impact on globalisation, it has fastrack the growth seen in global business examples are Email, internet and mobile phones. Internet has made it possible for quick internal and external communication which made it to be the most important marketing tool in global business .meanwhile using mobile phone to communicate around the world which is faster and not expensive, this also avoid individual moving up and down while travelling. Technology not only helps global business in terms of growth but also help the global organisation to be more effective in their business activities. CONCLUTION Registration procedure for investors is very easy in united kingdom ,it allow investors design the internal company rules as long as you have right to invest under its legislature law ,the corporate or company law of united kingdom is welcome development because they have the laws that protect the right of shareholders to independently trade their shares.

Book Review of Primo Levis Survival in Auschwitz Essay -- European Hi

Book Review of Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz World War II was a war that took many lives from civilians that deserved to have a life of their own. They were ordinary people who were victims from a horrible and lengthy war that brought out the worst in some people. In Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz, Levi gives a detailed account of his life in a concentration camp. Primo Levi was a young Italian chemist who was only twenty-four years old when he was captured by the Nazis in 1943. He spent two long and torturous years at Auschwitz before the Russian army freed the remaining prisoners of the camp. He tells about life inside the camp and how tough it was to be held like an animal for so long. He says they were treated as inhumanly as possible while many others in the camp would end up dying from either starvation or being killed. They had to do work that was very strenuous while they had no energy and had to sleep in quarters that resembled packed rat cages. With all of this, Levi describes the complex social system tha t develops and what it takes to survive. The soc...

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1. For each question below indicate True (T) or False (F) a. The binomial distribution is a possible model for a continuous variable: F b. In any normal distribution 95% of the probability lies within two standard deviations of the mean: T c. For a Poisson(m=4) distribution the variance is 2: F d. For any exponential distribution, the mean is greater than the median: T e. The Poisson is a good approximation to binomial when n is large and p is small. T (2+2+2+2+2=10 points) 2. Given that the area under the standard normal curve, to the left of –2.3 is .0107, what is the area under the normal curve to the right of 2.3? (show work) DTDP ____0.0107____________ value (8 points) 3. Suppose you flip a fair coin 7 times, let X be the possible number of heads. Find the following probabilities (in each case show work below): (i) P(X = 0) =___(.5)7______________ (ii) P(X = 1) = __7*.5*.56_________ (value) (value) (iii) Probability of at least 2 heads: Prob. Statement: _P(X > 2)__ value __1-(.5)7-7*(.5)7___ (5+5+7+5=22 points) 4. You are the safety inspector at some parts manufacturing plant. Safety at the plant is a concern; it is known that on an average there are 5 accidents per week. Assuming that the number of accidents in any week follows a Poisson distribution with mean 5, what's the probability that in 2 weeks there will be only one accident? Let X be the number of accidents in 2 weeks. ______P(X=1)________________ __10*e-10__________ Prob. Statement value (show work: Hint: what's the distribution of X?) X~Poisson(mean=2*5=10) (8+7=15 points) 5. The scores on a test are normally distributed with a mean of 80 and a standard deviation of 5. The score distribution is shown in figure 1 below. Answer the following questions. Let X denote the variable score. (a) Refer to the blue shaded area in figure 1. This is the probability of: __P(X < 70)______________ (just write the probability statement). (b) Find the value of probability in part (a) (show work) _P(Z

Mortgage

The American consumer has now gotten himself into trouble by simply living beyond his means. This is nothing new in America as only 2% of those who are set to retire at age 65, have enough in their savings and investments to have the same standard of living that they once knew when they were younger. (Saft 2007 pg. C3) Credit card debt is skyrocketing and people can see no light at the end of the tunnel except for filing bankruptcy. What has been in the news recently and has shown how careless the American consumer can be is the number of foreclosures from supreme mortgages have gone through the roof and is to the degree that the fall out will likely result, and has already resulted in, effecting other sectors in the United States economy. There has been reported some relief as the Federal Reserve, on September 18th, announced that interest rates would be cut. This is only a short term resolution and the  ¼ % that it will likely be cut, will not bring enough relief to the millions of Americans who bought a more expensive home than they could afford. (Stempel, 2007) The predatory practices of lenders across the country have added to this as well. Sub prime mortgages deal with mortgages that were given to people with less than perfect credit scores who do not have to show to the same extent, financial proof that they can afford to pay the loan that they are applying for in order to buy their dream house. The fall out has occurred and will continue to occur as millions of people are in danger of losing their homes. The existence of the sub prime mortgage is important to note as well. Even at a conservative interest rate, a 30 year fixed mortgage, a lender will make on average, close to $200,000 on a $100,000 loan. (Rudd, 2007) Those that have the money to lend, will make a great deal of money in their return. The demand is high for homes as it is an important aspect of the American dream to own a home. However, many Americans suffer from poor credit scores as a result of past bills which had not been paid or past loans which had not been honored. As a result, this hurts the individual’s credit score; the most important piece of information that will help a lender to decide if giving a loan to the individual will constitute a risk to the lender. The lender is in the business of lending money and does not want to be in the necessary position to repossess one’s home. An individual with a low credit score and who was not able to prove that they had the necessary income to support their monthly mortgage payment, was denied the loan. This was for the protection of the lender as well as the borrorrer. These were the self imposed rules with the lending industry followed. Now, things have changed. There is so much money to be made in the lending market when good loans are made, that lenders are now playing on the lust that Americans have to own a home. This is not a lust to just own a home, but rather to own the largest and grandest home possible. The individual will not correctly study his budget to see the amount of a mortgage which he would afford and thinks with his heart and not his wallet. Also, the existence adjustable rate mortgages of ARMS; mortgages which are advantageous to the individual when the interest rate is low but which will rise, sometimes exponentially when the Federal Reserve raises the interest rate in order to stabilize the economy. In recent months, the interest rate has increased and therefore, mortgages which commanded an $800 a month payment, can now easily exceed $1100, depending on the initial interest rate which the individual was able to secure. (Seiders 2007 pg. 3) As a result, those individuals who have figured too closely, their budget and never really were in the position to buy a $200,000 home, default on their loan. Two missed payments and the foreclosure process begins. Full payment of the missed months, along with interest and penalty rates is what is needed for the individual to become up to date on his loan. For millions of people this decade, that has never come to fruition and not only are their homes lost, their credit is ruined for the next 7-10 years to such an extent that even the most predatory lender would shy away from giving that individual a loan in the immediate future. Needless to say, this effects those individuals who have no lost their homes, to a dizzying degree. However, there are other effects to the different sectors of the economy and the employees of these branches of the American work force who themselves, are not having a problem paying their mortgage and who though that they would never personally be effected from the sub prime mortgage if they were only smart enough to stay away from such predatory lenders. Such is not the case as so much of our economy is interchangeable and depends upon the success of the other. The fallout from the sub prime mortgage details such interdependence. One way in which the fallout from the sub prime market has affected the economy is in the stock market. There have been a number of very large companies which had either been forced to lay off thousands of workers, or have simply filed for bankruptcy. On June 20, 2007, Merrill Lynch seized more than $800 million in assets from two famous hedge funds that were previously involved in sub prime loans. (Saft, 2007 pg 4)   Now, these funds are worthless on paper and their assets have now been depleted. American Home Mortgage Investment Corporation announced that it had suffered a billion dollar loss and that a proposed $4.9 billion deal with Radian Group, would no longer come to fruition. (* Myers, 2007) Also, just last month, Countrywide, the largest American lender, accounted that it was being forced to cut 12,000 jobs from its payroll as a result of the sub prime mortgage fall out. It was reported that a staggering 19% of the total number of loans fell under the sub prime category. (Myers, 2007) It should therefore be no surprise to Countrywide, as well as those who follow the mortgage industry, when they hear of such steep job cuts. This was one of the hardest blows to the American economy and effects the economy in three main areas. The first effect is the fact that 12,000 people lost their jobs. Some individuals, for example, John Bryne, had been employed at Countrywide for over twenty years and now has lost a job and many companies will see him as too old to be hired. â€Å"I do not know what I am going to do. I was planning to retire with Countrywide. I will try to start over and on my own. However, I do not know if I will be able to find people who I can trust to repay their loan. It is a tough situation.† (Saft, 2007 pg.4) 12,000 people, along with the others who worked for lenders who are now out of business, have suffered the same fate. This is the result of individuals who have taken out a loan that they never should have had in the first place. When a mortgage is foreclosed upon, it is not only the individual who losses. The lender looses tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, on the life of the loan. Also, lenders who have what the Federal Reserve regards as too many defaulted loans, and that lender can be shut down and find themselves out of business. Another negative aspect to the loss of 12,000 jobs from Countrywide, as well as the other lost jobs in the lending institution is the effect that it has on the stock market. The stock market and the study of it is a very complex thing. Many times, a business can meet its quarter estimates and enjoy a steady profit; its P/E ratio is superior to others in that field and yet their stock price continues to struggle and millions of dollars in investor’s money, is lost. All of the above mentioned factors are important factors in deciding if this is a stock which one should invest in. However, the Dow, NASDAQ and S &P are indexes which, to some degree, is based upon speculation and perception. On July 19, 2007 the Dow hit a record high of 14,000. By August 15th, the Dow had fallen below 13,000 and as a result, billions of dollars was lost. (wwwcbsmarketwatch.com) Such a decrease has happened before but such is rare. â€Å"The current losses in the stock market cannot be considered a self imposed correction. It is a direct result from the mortgage crisis.† (Rudd, 2007) The news of the sub prime mortgage meltdown has resulted in the average investor taking out millions of dollars of his own money. When there is an extended period of high levels of selling, this will lead to a bear market in which an extended bear market will often times lead to a recession. The current American economy is not there yet and the news that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates will stem the tide of such things coming to reality. However, such negative news only hurts the economy as a whole and the major indexes can expect to take a major hit in the short as well as long term. This results in a depletion of billions of dollars of individuals’ hard earned money. A third way in which the sub prime mortgage fall out effects people who themselves are not in danger of defaulting on their loan, is the ways in which foreclosures affect the property values of the homes within a neighborhood. For many individuals, their home will be the most expensive investment that they will ever make in their lifetime. When home owners feel that their property values are decreasing, often times, this will increase the rapidity in which they will seek to move. A decrease of 10% or even 5%   in the individual’s property value is often times, enough of a stimuli to incite the individual to move. Those who cannot move or who cannot find a buyer for their homes, are stuck with the loss. How does this happen? There are many factors which appraisers take into effect when deciding a home’s value. One of the important factors is the % of vacant ( foreclosed)   homes in the neighborhood. Prospective new home buyers will be steered away from such neighborhoods as it is a sign of an economically depressed neighborhood and the possibility of their own home’s value increasing, is minimal. An average American will move at least 3 times in their life. That means, that there is a 66% chance that their home will be seen and used as an investment as well as a home in which to live. A home bought at $100,000 with even the remotest possibility of one day being valued at less than the purchase price, is often times enough of a reason not to buy that home and to generally steer clear of that neighborhood entirely or to rent for a longer period of time. This last aspect is detrimental to the city as the loss of property taxes hits the budget hard and impedes the services which the city is able to provide. The effect that the sub prime mortgage fall out has is mental as well as monetary. Many potential home buyers, those with superior credit, are simply postponing any purchases and is prompted to simply wait out the storm. â€Å"Showings are down, contracts written are down and sellers are just as backed away as buyers are. This from Lou Barnes, a partner in mortgage banking   with Boulder West Financial in Bouler, Colorado. Barnes continues to comment: â€Å"I think the psychological damage is worse than the financial damage which is already bad enough. Even for buyers who have plenty of cash can easily afford higher mortgage rates, the sudden change in the financing environment reduces the desire to buy a house unless you really have to.† (Donn 2007 pg. 3) This idea goes back to the concept that a home purchase is seen as an investment as much as a domicile. The self imposed prevention of potential buyers who have superior credit scores to buy homes, hurts the local economy and the businesses in the area. The negative effects of the housing fall out are intertwined, one depending upon the other. Another way the sub prime mortgage affects the economy is in the fallout. Sub prime mortgages, in a utopian world, would give individuals a second change at improving their credit scores and disallowing their credit mistakes of the past, from preventing them from one day buying a house. Many times, credit problems occur when an individual is in college. Generally, the maturity needed to fully appreciate the concepts of long term results to their immediate actions are void in their mindset. Money is tight and credit cards are readily available. As a result, many credit cards are charged to their limit until eventually the bill goes to collections and is reported to the credit bureau. Hopefully, that individual, upon graduating from college and being removed from the situation for a couple of years, matures to the degree that such occurrences would never again happen. However, without the existence of a sub prime mortgage, that individual would not be allowed to buy a home for years; until his or her credit score was improved to the new guidelines of a 660 FICO score from a previous 620 guideline. (Saft, 2007 pg. 2) Those who bought their home at the beginning of the year and who had less than perfect credit with incomes on the brink of the cut off point for their mortgage, could not have bought a home any later. The same young couple who goes to buy a house six months from now when the new guidelines are put in place in order to help avoid another fall out, will be forced to rent for another year or two before they can receive clearance for a loan. One of the most lasting as well as immediate effects upon the mortgage industry and those who depend upon it, are the lending practices. Economist Mark Doms states: â€Å"The sharp rise in delinquency rates on sub prime residential mortgages has raised concerns about credit underwriting practices and economic distress among borrowers and has drawn the attention of policy makers at the Fed and elsewhere.† (Doms 2007 pg. 3) This observation can equate to an effect upon possibly millions of Americans who were planning to buy a home in the next calendar year. This, as Mark Doms states, will have lasting effects. â€Å"Two of the potential channels through which house price appreciation may affect the sub prime delinquency rate that we suggest, are the incentive to protect home equity associated with recent appreciation in house prices on the demand for housing.† (Donn, 2007 pg. 3) Such observations will most likely come to fruition in the immediate future as it will be observed that the complete fall out from the sub prime mortgage crisis is yet to be fully realized. John Moutlon, former CEO of American   Mortgage Group stated the situation the best when he said: â€Å"It feels like this is just the tip of the iceberg and no one knows how it will shake out. We are trying to anticipate guideline changes.† (Myers, 2007) These are the real effects of the sub prime mortgage fallout; in the ways that it affects the average American man and woman. As an example, the story of two families highlights the real results of the mortgage meltdown. The real story of the sub prime mortgage is the effect that it has on the economy when these loans, on a wide scale, default and millions of individuals are affected. The Laird Family in Central Illinois was a new couple just starting out. Both parents worked but had modest jobs as the job market was not very strong in their area. The father, John was 25 and the mother Marie, was 23. They had a two year old child and were renting for the past 3 years together. Both had credit scores near 600 and their mortgage from a home that they were wanting to buy, would constitute 30% of their total monthly income. The price of the home was $140,000 with a $673 monthly mortgage payment. (Berry, 2007 pg C4) Their credit scores was not high and as a result, they were forced to pay a higher interest rate. However, they were sure that such a payment could be reached. They bought their home in May of 2007, just weeks before the mortgage meltdown. â€Å"I cant believe the timing. I am so fortunate. We both have poor credit scores and I doubt that we’d be able to secure a mortgage that was not sub prime† (Berry 2007 pg. C4) states John Laird. Their story was an American success story. However, those who came after John and who found themselves in similar situations, were not so lucky. In Oakland, California where the median home price is more than $400,000, homes are hard come by for those who are not very rich and who either have great credit or can put down a sizable down payment. This was not the case for Hector Esperanza. He earned a nice living at the age of 30 but the time when he first came to America as a legal citizen, were not so smooth. He ran up one unpaid bill after another and routinely had bill collectors calling him. In the last 3 years, he cleaned up his act and remained current on all of his bills. He then wants to buy a house for what is in comparison, a low purchase price of $228,000. His credit score was 615; right on the cusp of the old requirements but now, as a result of the mortgage meltdown in which lenders are now very nervous to approve such high risk loans, Hector was denied. His monthly payments would only constitute 25% of his monthly income. However, with the advent of stricter lending policies, Hector was seen as too much of a high risk. The sad state of affairs is that Hector is no longer the exception. The housing market is revolved around timing. No where has this become truer than in today’s current housing market. However, â€Å"prospective buyers are not interested in the appreciation in value that their homes could bring. Now, they are only wanting the chance to buy a home at all.† (Stempel, 2007) As a result, there have come from this current situation, some real and sobering numbers which affect millions of people. When viewing these statistics, it would behoove the lending industry to realize that this equates into many individuals who are severely affected. The forecast for the 2007 Housing market is bearish at best. It is expected that: there will be a decrease of 23% in single family home purchases. 22% decrease in the number of new homes being built and 44% of building companies reporting that their business has been affected in an adverse way and that 78% of the largest building companies have bee affected by the sub prime mortgage meltdown.   13% decline in the real Residential Fixed investment as well as a modest slippage in the real value of residential remodeling. (Christie, 2007) However, the full brunt of the sub prime mortgage meltdown, sadly, is yet to be realized. The worst may be on its way The current sub prime mortgage crisis is an example of how the few can ruin it for the many. Not everyone who has less than perfect credit would become a risk when buying a home. Everyone makes mistakes and those who have credit scores that are on the brink of the cut off, should be given the opportunity to own their own home. However, when lenders give $200,000 mortgage loans to individuals who have credit scores less than 550 and who clearly cannot afford the monthly payments, it ruins the entire housing market and hurts the potential and legitimate home buyers from owning a small piece of the American dream. Those people are now forced to rent. Less money is going to the city through taxes and a higher level of frustration is prevalent among millions of potential, first time home buyers who simply came to the table a few months too late. The sub prime market is relatively new and barely even existed just ten short years ago. The existence of the sub prime mortgage is a testament to the financial beliefs of the average American. Immediate gratification is what is popular and in buying the largest house, not because such extravagance is really needed but as a show of status is the motivation behind such purchases. The median home price in San Francisco is a staggering $1.1 million. (Donn 2007)   The buyers of these home can be divided up into two distinct groups;   those who can easily afford such prices and those who will go bankrupt in the attempt to do so. For the latter group, up until recently, have had no problem finding lenders who are hungry for their business. The fall out has come and personal responsibility, both for the individual as well as the lender has finally come full circle and forced the members of Congress, the construction industry, real estate agents and prospective buyers have been forced to take notice. As it was stated earlier, many feel as though this is the tip of the iceberg and future problems are only around the corner. The fact that the Federal reserve on September 19th, 2007, announced that they were going to cut interest rates provides some solace to the current mortgage crisis. Only time will tell if it will be too little and too late and what permanent changes will come out of this crisis in responsible lending practices. WORKS CITED Berry, J Predatory Loan Practice Lead to Mortgage Fallout. Chicago Tribune Business September 1, 2007 Christie, Les Subprime Blame Game www.cnnmoney.com Aired April 20, 2007 Doan, Mark. Home Prices and Subprime Mortgage Delinquencies. The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco www.frbsf.org Downloaded September 18, 2007 Myers, J Subprime and Shockwaves Bloomberg TV Aired July 19, 2007 Robb, G. Fraud in Subprime Loans www.cbsmarketwatch.com Retrieved September 17, 2007 Saft, J. Subprime Mortgage rap tars Good Consumers, Economy.   www.reuters.com Downloaded September 17, 2007 Seiders, D. Fed   Surveys Subprime Mortgage Effects. www.nbnnews.com/eyeonecon/issues/2007 Downloaded September 15, 2007 Stempel, J. Countrywide Plunges on Downgrade. Bankrupcy feared. Reuters August 15, 2007    Fed Cuts Interest Rate http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/962665.php?contentType=4&contentId=931793 Downloaded Septe Mortgage Though experts recognize that the mortgage relief bill is not thorough, recognize that it remains the best latest attempt to address the current housing crisis facing the nation. A crisis that has continued to dominate the United States presidential debates as well as make it increasingly difficult for the homeowners to repay their loans. To understand the depth of the crisis and the latest efforts to correct the situation, it is important to look at what mortgagee is and how it operates. Mortgage is simply the use of ones property to be security to a house loan. A mortgage transfers the legal rights of ownership to the pledged property to the lender in case the payments are not made as per the agreed terms. Such a loan is made in the understanding that the security shall revert back to the owner once the terms of have been fulfilled. To most people, mortgage is associated with real estates. It is a contract that involves a number of legal participants among them landowners who is referred to as the mortgagee and the borrower who is the mortgagor. Another term that comes into play in the mention of mortgage is foreclosure. Foreclosure simply refers to a situation where a lender terminates the contract after the failure of the mortgagor to stand by the agreement terms. This is usually in the direction of a court order. In foreclosure, a bank or any other financial institution that extends credit facilities repossesses a property if the homeowner is unable to comply with mortgage requirements (Carmen & Rogoff 12). Currently there exists a subprime mortgage crisis in the United States. This is a crisis that can be evidenced by a liquidity problem existing in banks after a high default rate in mortgages leading to foreclosures. The current mortgage crisis is seen to have largely been caused by subprime lending which simply is the act of advancing loans to individuals whose creditworthiness is uncertain or wanting due to a low income. It is this subprime lending that contributed to the bulk of the total foreclosures in 2007, over 43%,despite the fact subprime lending were only 6.8% of all lending in that year (Stokes & Mechem). The current economic recession in the united state has tarnished Bush’s presidency with most tracing a link to the hefty spending in the war. Bush insists that the slump is a s result of the mortgage crisis. That aside, he has received immense criticism for how he has handled the crisis and for not coming up with any concrete plans to ease the situation. He is also accused of standing by the big corporations instead of helping the low income group deeply embroiled in the crisis. This is a result of his stand in opposing the mortgage relief bill, a bill that has recorded considerable gains in the house. Though the bill has its flaws, it is seen as a reprieve to millions of homeowners who continually face the risk of foreclosure. The mortgage relief bill is aimed at providing tax reprieve to homebuilders. The local governments will be funded to rehabilitate deserted homes. Those that oppose the bill claim it is wrong spirited and will set a bad precedence of forcing â€Å"one neighbor to pay for the mistakes of another† (Anderson) Bush is opposed to the bill referring to it as a â€Å"bail out†. Some Republicans see it as forcing the 95% of homeowners that did it right to pay for the 5% that got it wrong. It is important to note though that the bill will pave way for a possible road to recovery and will go along way in preventing a further economic slump. Economists warn that if the situation is not arrested in time, it would degenerate to the worst debacle for the housing and the banking industries. It is apparent that the nation is reeling from the effect of a mortgage crisis that has been caused by increase in foreclosures as a result of subprime lending. Though the government is yet to come up with a comprehensive plan to arrest the situation, the mortgage relief act is seen as a step towards the right direction and might go a long way in easing the pressure off the homeowners and builders through a tax break. Works Cited Aleis Stokes &  John Mechem. Delinquencies and Foreclosures Increase in Latest MBA National Delinquency Survey. Mortgage Bankers Association, 12/6/2007. Retrieved on 13th May 2008 from http://www.mbaa.org/NewsandMedia/PressCenter/58758.htm Scott Anderson. Bush administration opposes Democrats' mortgage relief bill. CNN.com Edition. Sat April 26, 2008. Retrieved on 13th May 2008 from http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/26/house.mortgage/ Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff . Is the 2007 U.S. Sub-Prime Financial Crisis So Different? An International Historical Comparison.. Analysis of Harvard economists. February 5, 2008, 12 ; ;