Events form the history which have been influenced by the tax policy Essay

Events form the history which have been influenced by the tax policy issue - Essay Example The paper tells that in current modern environment, the world is moving towards 5th generation. People always want to live in safe and healthy environment. The safe and healthy environment only possible when the all the internal systems of a country in controlled in effective manner. For this purposes, governments of different countries have made quality tax rules to run the internal systems in efficient manner. The people pay the money in the form of taxes to governments and governments spend this money to rum the system of their country. There are many interesting events in the history that which have been influenced by the tax policy issue. An example of this can be seen in the case of Lady, Godiva. According to the popular legend, Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets of Coventry to protest against her husband oppressive tax system. She also appealed against her husband. Another recent example can be seen in the case of Tea party movement in the United States. The Tea Party movement is a political movement in America that is generally recognized as conventional and libertarian party. This Political movement is also supported by the political candidates. The main goals of this movement are to encourage the government to reduce capital spending and level of heavy taxes. Tea party movement also enforces the government to reduce the tax rate. The voters of Tea party movement think that excessive high taxes are a burden on the citizens of US. Tea party movement refers that the high taxes are the way of legalized robbery. There are two more events form the history is discussed in this essay. The first event is the American evolution and the second event is American civil war. These both events have been influenced by the tax policy issue. These events have been discussed in detail. The first part of the event contains description of the event. At the second part, The Relevance of the event to tax policy has been discussed. Last part contains the personal eva luation that I assessed from these events. American Revolution Description of the American Revolution American Revolution is one of the major events in history that make material influences on the tax policies. Generally, American Revolution was referred to a fight between Britain and America. According to history, the main reason of the American Resolution is the system of taxes that Britain imposed on American colonies. Britain imposed the taxation on approval of the parliament. They did not represent these taxes in the parliament. On the other hand, colonials did not want to pay taxes on their routine import and exports. Some of the biggest merchants also denied paying taxes on their trading. In 1607, these colonies were isolated form its mother country due to the French and Indian war1. The kind sates that, the colonies have ability to take care of their own matters. He argued that the colonials have the rights to settle their own external and internal disputes. In this mean tim e British are busy in foreign wars and they did not understand the complexity of this matter. At the end of these wars the British imposed taxes on colonies to restore them in previous state. Colonials denied following the new tax system because they thought that it is the violation of their natural rights. They do not have any liability to pay these taxes. They also state argued that these taxes are to pay off the cost of the wars between England and France. There are also other reasons of American Revolution but taxes are those were imposed to pay off the cost of wars acted as the oil on the flame. The people of the colonies did not want to pay taxes without a proper representation. American colonies always wanted to live as an independent nation. For this purpose, they had set

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Business Law - Essay Example This also helps to provide a clear indication about the intention or willingness of acceptance of certain rules and regulations by both the parties through a mutual understanding. If any misinterpretation occurs within the agreement then it might hamper both the parties resulting in uncertainty and misinterpretation of the law3. In addition to agreement, capacity is also the other significant element of a contract. It is referred as the capability of both the parties to come into a legally requisite contract. Other than this, intention of both the parties also offers a considerable role in the contract. This part mainly describes the key purposes of both the parties present within the contract5. Formalities are another considerable component of a contract which mainly describes that a contract may be created either in written or in oral form. Besides, the written form is more efficient as it helps to reduce the activities of frauds5. This can be reduced only when both the parties wit hin a contract are mutually in accord with one–another leading to concurrence of will. ... All the above constituents are equally important for making a contract legitimate and breach of one of these factors may result in a void agreement5. Application of the Law to the Case The case study presented in the assignment does not follow all the elements of a contract in an effective way. The case study mainly highlights a contract of selling a refurbished bicycle within Australia and so it needs to conform to various rules and regulations of Australian Contract Law. It was a transpiring business understanding between a university student named Peter and owner of ‘tourbikes’, Sally. Both the parties were well capable to enter into a mutual agreement. Besides, the intention of both the parties was entirely different from one another. The purpose of Peter was to purchase a bicycle in order to retain the part-time job as a courier, which might prove highly beneficial for him to pay for the fees of his university. In addition, the main consideration of Peter was that h e wished to purchase a bicycle within an amount of AU$5000. He desired to purchase a bicycle model named as Cadel Evans ‘GF’ only to fulfill his inclinations whereas Sally’s key perception was to sell off the bicycle at any cost. On the other hand, the intention of Sally was to sell the bike in order to pay off the amount taken as a credit. In the provided scenario, a proper offer as well as acceptance was not made from either of the interested parties i.e. Peter or Burt. Moreover, there was no proper agreement reached between the interested parties and the seller Sally. Sally also did not make a proper communication to Peter before delivering the bike to his house, which depicts certain lack of consideration on behalf of Sally as Peter did

Work of leadership

Work of leadership LEADERSHIP INTRODUCTION Leadership is defined as a process of influencing people to accomplish the mission, inspiring their commitment, and improving the organisation ( www.mindef.gov.sg 4/12/09 ). As defined leadership is a continuous process it is a chain of influencing and achieving. Moreover leadership is basically depends on the behavior of a leader, it means the way leader handles the group it can be charismatic leadership where followers are truly depend on the leader with high vision, participative leadership where followers are allowed to take part in group discussions and they participate in the final decision, directive leadership where leader is strict with his rules and give directions, supportive leadership where leader consider followers problems and grievances or reward and punishment leadership where reward or punishment is given on the basis of final task results. ( www.legacee.com 4/12/09 ) In this assignment the main objective is to come up with my own leadership style and to show how effective it is in terms of handling change. Also the important aspect of this assignment is to show the factors which help the change to get the tag of effective change. SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP The leadership style I use to follow is Supportive leadership because according to me the followers are as important as task. The goals can only be achieve with the help of followers if followers are facing any problem either in their personal life or under organization roof the affect of that problem can be clearly measured from their task results. Moreover I use self made theory in my leadership which is Get addict an achieve , according to this a person can achieve any thing but the conditions is that the person must be addicted to it. If followers are facing any grievances they can not be addicted towards achievement. Supportive leader in my way does not only mean handling grievances of followers but I call myself supportive leader because I plan my tactics towards achieving a goal according to the followers ability and skills moreover according to their willingness and motivation towards work. Supportive leadership is It leads people: It doesnt drive them. It involves them: It d oesnt coerce them. It never loses sight of the most important principle governing any project involving human beings: namely, that people are more important than things, ( Kriyananda, www.crystalclarity.com 4/12/09 ). Supportive leadership is working along with followers guiding them helping them instead of working ahead of them. Human beings are most important aspect of this type of leadership. According to me this leadership can be done effectively if leaders treat followers as one who work with him rather work for him. Being the basket ball captain for two consecutive years I applied my leadership style and maintained a team. My basket ball team called Descent Killerz was one of the most conflicted team. Being the youngest in the team I learned a lot about my team members , the team was on loosing streak and the main problem of the team was conflicts between team members. The coach of the team had tried all his best efforts to improve the team and reduce the conflicts but he was failed. I was youngest in the team and new member as well, my friendly nature helped me making friendship with all of the players of my team. My understanding ability made me the favourite in the team members, ignoring my problem of unable to make dunks, the team let me play for them. Sooner I was appointed as a captain of the team only because of my supportive nature and supportive leadership behavior. I was the one who solved the conflicts of the team as every player was frank with me and use to share his problem which helped me to understand the main problem of conflicts which was a poor formation. Players were playing in a poo r formation which was disturbing them, some of the times defenders were used in attack which was uncomfortable for the players. I had a talk about this with my coach and he changed the formation according to the abilities of the players which eliminated the conflicts between the team players and I achieved a team with decency and named it Descent Killerz. My style of leadership i.e. supportive leadership was proved efficient at that time. And according to me this type of leadership behavior always come up with efficiency in achieving the goals. TYPES OF SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS Showing concern for followers need : A supportive leader should concern the needs of followers and then try to fulfil them for increasing the efficiency of the followers. Being considerate and understanding : Understanding the problems of followers and them try to eliminate them makes the supportive leadership in action. Showing trust and respect : As supportive leader works with followers so the main responsibility of such leader is to respect his followers and trust them. (Â   www.skagitwatershed.org 4/12/09 ) Being friendly informative, and encouraging : Supportive leader should be friendly with his followers and try to provide as information as he can to make the employees efficient and most importantly he should always encourage his followers towards achievement of goals. Being sympathetic to others problems : Supportive leaders should be sympathetic toward the problems of followers if they are not serious towards the problems of their followers they will not share their problems with the leader then. Helping followers develop abilities and careers : Supportive leaders are the one who help the followers to improve their abilities and advise them toward a good career. SITUATIONAL FACTORS THAT ENHANCES SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP FOLLOWERS CHARACTERISTICS : Ø Low self confidence Ø Low self esteem Ø Insecurity Ø Expectations that leader will be supportive Ø High growth need TASK CHARACTERISTICS Ø Dissatisfying Ø Stressful Ø Highly structured Ø Requires creativity Ø Requires learning ORGANIZATIONAL GROUP CHARACTERISTICS Ø External conflict Ø Newly formed group Ø Cohesive group with shared beliefs in leader Ø Formal plans, goals procedures Ø Mission emphasizing human services Ø Authoritarian superior SITUATIONAL FACTORS THAT NEUTRALIZE SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP Ø Dogmatic Followers Ø Large Size of Group Ø High Level Job Ø Broad Task Scope FACTORS OF MANAGING CHANGE IN AN ORGANIZATION : The factors that contribute to effectiveness of leadership in relation to managing change in an organization are as follow : Followers support : if a change is supported by the followers it makes an easy task for a leader to manage that change. For example if change is less absenteeism and followers are supporting this change by reducing their number of leaves. Followers understanding : one of the most important thing is understanding . If followers are understanding the change it becomes easy for followers to follow the change. Moreover an understandable change becomes more easy for a leader to manage. Followers trust : followers who trust their leaders will always trust any change made by their leader. As an organization is made on trust between people it is one of the most important thing. As trust-able leaders are always welcome by followers so does their changes Situation : the situational factor can help a leader to manage a change easily as the change always depends on the situation it is arrived on. For example if employees were feeling a hectic schedule and them leader come up with change in timings and breaking the schedule with certain breaks, this type of change depends on the situation. Rules : if a change comes as a rule of company it becomes too easy for a leader to manage it as it is compulsory to follow it. For example if company comes as change in rules for not allowing smoking in premises it becomes compulsory to be follow by followers without an argue. Acceptance : If change is accepted by the followers it is easy to manage it. For example if the change is in timings of lunch and followers accept it then there is no need to worry about managing that change by a leader. Expectations : if the change is according to the expectations of the employees then there is no need to manage that change. For examples staff was demanding 15 days vacations in the time of Christmas and new year and company agrees on it then their will be no need to mange such a change. Superiors support : if the change created by a leader is supported by its superior then it become less hectic for leader to manage it. But if superiors are against the change then it is difficult for leader to mange it. For example if leader says that every body should be their in office by 8.30 in the morning and its superior comes at 10 am it becomes difficult for him to handle. Feedback : the most important aspect of managing is feedback as it comes as a report card to the manager for his performance and if the result is not good it indicates that there is need for better management. CONCLUSION In conclusion it can be said that how effective is the supportive leadership is. Supportive leadership not only help followers to work efficiently but it also provides bundles of knowledge to the leader as supportive leadership behavior helps leader to interact with each and every of his follower. Supportive leadership can be used mostly but it can be non-effective where the number of followers are many, as a leader can not create personal relations with huge number of followers. In the assignment I shared my own personal experience with this type of leadership and for me this leadership behavior was a huge success.

An experiment to investigate whether concentration of acid has an :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

An experiment to investigate whether concentration of acid has an effect on the reaction rate of the reaction between Calcium Carbonate and Hydrochloric Acid. 1. The key factor I plan to investigate and what I will do to make my experiment a fair test The factor that I plan to investigate is whether the concentration of acid (the acid being HCl) has any effect on the rate of reaction between Calcium carbonate and Hydrochloric acid. I will vary the concentration and calculate rate of reaction, and calculate the effect of the factor by measuring the amount of gas given of during the reaction, and finding out how much gas is given of every 15 seconds. I will collect the gas by bubbling it into a gas collection tube in a water bath. I will use five different concentrations 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, and 40% acid. I will mix acid with water to get the desired concentration, and for each experiment I will keep the volume of the acid and water combined at 50 ml. For example in order to 80% concentration I will mix 40 ml of acid, and 10 ml of water. For each different concentration I will conduct 3 identical experiments, and collect my results every 15 seconds. I will then average out the three different results for one particular time and produce one result. I will collect 8 results per an experiment. I will repeat any measurements that don't appear to follow the general trend. Also to make sure that results are accurate I will use a 100 ml measuring tube with marking for every 1 cm3. I will measure the liquid in a test tube with 1 cm3 marking. I will conduct my experiment in the laboratory. The equation for this experiment is: CaCo3 + 2HCL CaCL2 + H2O + CO2 The variables I plan to control 1. Surface area: The surface area of each marble chip should be kept relatively the same because due to collision theory if more surface area is available the number of particles of solid reactant available for collision will increase. Therefore more collisions can occur, and it is likely there will be more collisions with sufficient energy to successfully lead to a reaction. I might not be able to keep the surface area of my marble chips exactly the same but I will attempt to keep it as similar as possible. 2.Volume of liquid: I will keep the amount of liquid at 50 ml, because if I don't keep the amount of liquid constant I will change the amount of acid in contact with the marble chips, because if there is more HCL

Ethical issues in international business Essay

Many of the ethical issues and dilemmas in international business are rooted in the fact that political systems, law, economic development, and culture vary significantly from Nation to nation. Consequently, what is considered normal practice in one nation may be considered unethical in others. Because they work for an institution that transcends National borders and cultures, managers in a multinational firm need to be particularly sensitive to these differences and able to choose the ethical action in those circumstances where variation across societies creates the potential for ethical problems. In the international business setting, the most common ethical issues involve employment practices, Human rights, environmental regulations, corruption, and the moral obligation of multinational Corporations. EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES As we saw in the opening case, ethical issues may be associated with employment practices in other nations. When work conditions in a host nation are clearly inferior to those in a multinational’s home nation, what standards should be applied? Those of the home nation, those of the host nation, or something in between? While few would suggest that pay and work conditions should be the same across nations, how much divergence is acceptable? For example, while 12-hour workdays, extremely low pay, and a failure to protect workers against toxic chemicals may be common in some developing nations, does this mean that it is OK for a multinational to tolerate such working conditions in its subsidiaries there, or to condone it by using local subcontractors? HUMAN RIGHTS Beyond employment issues, questions of human rights can arise in international business. Basic human rights still are not respected in many nations. Rights that we take for granted in developed nations, such as freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, freedom from political repression, and so on, are by no means universally accepted. One of the most obvious examples was South Africa during the days of white rule and apartheid, which did not end until 1994. Among other things, the apartheid system denied basic political rights to the majority nonwhite population of South Africa, mandated segregation between whites and nonwhites, reserved certain occupations exclusively for whites, and prohibited blacks from being placed in positions where they would manage whites. Despite the odious nature of this system, Western businesses operated in South Africa. By the 1980s, however, many questioned the ethics of doing so. They argued that inward investment by foreign multinationals, by boosting the South African economy, supported the repressive apartheid regime. MORAL OBLIGATIONS Multinational corporations have power that comes from their control over resources and their ability to move production from country to country. Although that power is constrained not only by laws and regulations, but also by the discipline of the market and the competitive process, it is nevertheless substantial. Some moral philosophers argue that with power comes the social responsibility for multinationals to give something back to the societies that enable them to prosper and grow. The concept of social responsibility refers to the idea that businesspeople should consider the social consequences of economic actions when making business decisions, and that there should be a presumption in favor of decisions that have both good economic and social consequences. In its purest form, social responsibility can be supported for its own sake simply because it is the right way for a business to behave. Advocates of this approach argue that businesses, particularly large successful businesses, need to recognize their noblesse oblige and give something back to the societies that have made their success possible. Noblesse oblige is a French term that refers to honorable and benevolent behavior considered the responsibility of people of high (noble) birth. In a business setting, it is taken to mean benevolent behavior that is the responsibility of successful enterprises. This has long been recognized by many businesspeople, resulting in a substantial and venerable history of corporate giving to society and in businesses making social investments designed to enhance the welfare of the communities in which they operate. EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES †¢Work conditions: hot weather – around toxic chemicals – number of hours and pay salaries in developing countries. †¢HUMAN RIGHTS †¢Freedom is not universally accepted. South Africa white rule until 1994 – investment in China – Nigeria and Shell ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION †¢The emission of pollutants, the dumping of toxic chemicals †¢Amoral management might move production to a developing nation precisely because costly pollution controls are not required. †¢No one owns the atmosphere or the oceans, but polluting both, no matter where the pollution originates, harms all CORRUPTION †¢Economic advantages by making payments to corrupted government officials. †¢$12.5 million payment to Japanese agents and government officials †¢MORAL OBLIGATIONS †¢BP, one of oil companies, has made â€Å"social investments† in Algeria, the desert town of Salah. it built two desalination plants to provide drinking water for the local †¢Ethical Dilemmas †¢In a poor nation, a 12-yearold girl works in a factory. Philosophical Approaches to Ethics STRAW MEN –The Friedman Doctrine –Cultural Relativism –The Righteous Moralist –The Naive Immoralist Asserts that if a manager of a multinational sees that firms from other nations are not following ethical norms in a host nation, that manager should not either UTILITARIAN AND KANTIAN ETHICS Utilitarian approaches to ethics: the moral worth of actions or practices is determined by their consequences. Utilitarianism is committed to the maximization of good and the minimization of harm. Kantian ethics are based on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724–1804). Kantian ethics hold that people should be treated as ends and never purely as means to the ends of others. People are not instruments, like a machine. People have dignity and need to be respected as such Ethical Dilemmas The ethical obligations of a multinational corporation toward employment conditions, human rights, corruption, environmental pollution, and the use of power are not always clear cut. There may be no agreement about accepted ethical principles. From an international business perspective, some argue that what is ethical depends upon one’s cultural perspective.18 In the United States, it is considered acceptable to execute murderers, but in many cultures this is not acceptable—execution is viewed as an affront to human dignity and the death penalty is outlawed. Many Americans find this attitude very strange, but many Europeans find the American approach barbaric. For a more business-oriented example, consider the practice of â€Å"gift giving† between the parties to a business negotiation. While this is considered right and proper behavior in many Asian cultures, some Westerners view the practice as a form of bribery, and therefore unethical, particularly if the gifts are substantial. Bribery in International Business Transnational bribery consists in offering or giving of money, valuable goods or other benefits as favors, promises or advantages to foreign government’s official for procuring that official do or omit any action addressed to influence on economic or business transaction which has relationship with his public function.† Most countries have in their domestic law stipulation that it is an offence to bribe their own public officials. Notwithstanding, only in the Interamerican Convention Against Corruption, in 1996, and in the OECD Convention, in 1997, did nations assume the commitment to punish bribery of foreign officials. The point here is that until recently, it was against the law to bribe people in your own country, but there was nothing in Canadian law to make it illegal to bribe someone in another country – the only thing that stops you from bribing someone else in another country is the bad publicity you may receive if you are caught, and the media find out. Why do we care about bribery – is it not a â€Å"victimless crime† – actually, there are severe consequences. â€Å"In the early 1990s, scandals involving extortion and bribery were a significant factor in toppling governments in many parts of the world. This situation, if allowed to continue, could undermine the most promising development of the post Cold-war era, i.e., the spread of democratic governments and of market economies worldwide.† Ethical Dilemmas and Social Responsibility There are a number of examples we can look at to discuss ethical topics in International Business management – we will consider the case of †¢a mining company in the Sudan †¢an engineering firm in Lesotho †¢Being in a leadership position, as mining and exploration grows worldwide, has put companies in an economically advantageous situation. This success in mining has helped economies, but the increasingly risky and challenging locations in which mining companies operate, create situations which necessarily include dealing with contentious ethical issues. Ethics, as effected by the Environment The circumstances which effect Ethical considerations in the new millennium are circumstances caused by drastic changes in the; †¢Competitive environment which is causing companies to make decisions in a global context and resulting in actions which sometimes negatively effect their employees or customers †¢Political environment (regional, national and international) and the consequent laws and regulations that are established †¢Social-Cultural environment which has been influenced by immigration patterns worldwide and a continued movement of populations from rural to urban areas †¢Technological environment which has effected communications regionally and globally and also effected the work environment and productivity †¢Economic environment which sees currency fluctuations and international NGO’s like the IMF and World Bank playing a more significant role in national and regional economies. †¢Stress to maintain corporate economic competitiveness also influences corporate objectives and has consequences for consumer priorities. Approaches to Social Responsibility A number of textbooks and websites discuss Social Responsibility, in the context of how companies are behaving ethically, in terms of Four general approaches †¢Obstructionist Stance †¢Defensive Stance †¢Accommodative Stance †¢Proactive Stance †¢Obstructionist Stance oWhen a company places barriers to customers complaining about ethical situations, or makes it difficult for ethical circumstances to be resolved. Companies typically do this by requiring customers to fill out forms, or have certain versions of receipts or go through particular processes. Of they can make it difficult to get action from a complaint by taking to long to reply, or having no specific information on how to complain, or to whom. †¢Defensive Stance oWhen a company avoids blame, or says â€Å"it wasn’t our fault†, or tries to make the customer belief nothing can be done at all. Sometimes managers insist their job is to make money for the company and anything that takes away from that objectives is not important. Companies are also defensive when they say â€Å"we are obeying the law† to the exact letter, and not taking into account â€Å"fairness† or being compassionate† – some recent examples include situations where travel agencies and airlines go bankrupt and leave vacationing people stranded overseas. †¢Accommodative Stance oFirms who not only meet the standards expected, but go further, often receive the reward of repeat customer purchases and good PR which helps in branding in a competitive environment. Some examples include companies allowing customers to exchange items for products that are not exactly the same, but similar, or allowing customers to return items for warranty even if they do not have the original receipt. †¢Proactive Stance oWhen companies reach out to customers to tell them, in advance, some information they need – such as letting a customer know a warranty period may expire several weeks in advance, or that a product will soon be withdrawn so they have the option to buy spare parts. Preface to 1999 Edition of ICC Rules of Contract. ICC is extremely pleased to note that the â€Å"1996 revisions to the ICC rules were punished; substantial progress has been made in addressing extortion and bribery in international business transactions. Most importantly the OECD, â€Å"Convention in Combating bribery of foreign public officials â€Å"(hereafter called the OECD Convention.)Was signed by 34 countries in Paris in Dec 17, 1997 and entered into force on Feb 1999. The OECD has established a monitoring programming to assure effective and consistent implementation and enforcement of the convention. The monitoring programme also concerns the compliance with the â€Å"revised OECD Recommendations†, which among other subjects, urges the OECD member countries to disallow tax deductibility of bribes to foreign public officials. International price fixing Diamonds DeBeers, a giant South African diamond supplier, which has vertical and horizontal monopoly over much of the diamond mining and diamond distribution industry, has agreed to 1/4 of a billion dollars ($250 M) to settle an outstanding lawsuit in the U.S. Many years ago, DeBeers was sued by American jewellery retailers, manufactures, and other people in the business, who claimed that DeBeers had been guilty of fixing prices – thus artificially inflating the price of diamonds and diamond jewellery. DeBeers did not settle this giant lawsuit – instead, they avoided it by refusing to do direct business in the U.S. Now that the U.S. diamond market has become very large (55% of global retail sales), DeBeers wants into the U.S. again and in order to do that they agreed to settle this old lawsuit. The U.S. judge reviewing the case approved the conditions based on DeBeers agreeing to comply with U.S. anti-trust laws. This lawsuit settlement follows an action in 2004 in which DeBeers pleaded guilty to fixing prices of industrial diamonds and agreed to a $10 M USD fine International Company and Ethics The issue of business ethics is engaging companies more and more – both domestically and internationally. This trend is accentuated by high-profile examples of breaches of accepted standards of ethical behavior. For example, the recent Enron case where inadequate checks and balances within the firm enabled unethical behavior to occur, a development made easier by the failure of the external auditor to fulfill its role properly. Assumptions about ethics and business are influenced inevitably by fundamental beliefs about the role of business in society. On the one hand, there are those who believe that the sole social responsibility of business is to generate profit. For some proponents of this view, profit generation itself takes on a moral dimension whereas others see profits as the key to wealth generation – the main way of addressing social issues (Davies, 1997, p. 88). On the other hand, others believe that the role of business is much broader than that of profit generation and that all those who are affected by the way a company operates – shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, the local community, future generations (especially in relation to environmental issues) – have a legitimate interest and stake in the way a company conducts itself. Levi Strauss is one of the world’s largest brand-name clothes manufacturers and also one of the first international companies to adopt a corporate code of conduct to apply to all contractors who manufacture and finish its products and to aid selection of which countries in which to operate (DeGeorge, 1993, p. 118). The Code of Conduct has two parts. 1. Business partner terms of engagement: Levi Strauss uses these to select business partners that follow workplace standards and practices consistent with its policies and to help identify potential problems. In addition to meeting acceptable general ethical standards, complying with all legal requirements and sharing Levi Strauss’s commitment to the environment and community involvement, Levi Strauss’s business partners must adhere to the following employment guidelines: †¢Wages and benefits: business partners must comply with any applicable law and the prevailing manufacturing and finishing industry practices. †¢Working hours: partners must respect local legal limits on working hours and preference will be given to those who operate less than a 60-hour working week. Levi Strauss will not use partners that regularly require workers to work in excess of 60 hours. Employees should also have at least one day off per week. †¢Child labor: use of child labor is not permissible in any of the facilities of the business partner. Workers must not be below 15 years of age or below the compulsory school age. †¢Disciplinary practices: Levi Strauss will not use business partners who use corporal punishment or other forms of physical or mental coercion. †¢Prison/forced labor: no prison or forced labor is to be used by business †¢Discrimination: while respecting cultural differences, Levi Strauss believes workers should be employed on the basis of their ability to do their job †¢Health and safety: Levi Strauss undertakes to use business partners who provide a safe and healthy working environment and, where appropriate residential facilities 2. Country assessment guidelines: these are used to address broad issues beyond the control of individual business and are intended to help Levi Strauss assess the degree to which its global reputation and success may be exposed to unreasonable risk. It was an adverse country assessment that caused Levi Strauss to cease its engagement in China in the early 1990s, largely on human rights grounds – a decision that has subsequently been reversed. In particular, the company assesses whether: †¢the brand image will be adversely affected by the perception or image of a country among customers; †¢the health and safety of employees and their families will be exposed to unreasonable risk; †¢the human rights environment prevents the company from conducting business activities in a manner consistent with the global guidelines and other company policies; †¢the legal system prevents the company from adequately protecting trademarks, investments or other commercial Interests; Levi Strauss is the example of the company that successfully combines doing business and following ethical practices. The political, economic and social environment protects the company’s commercial interests and brand corporate image.

Opening Chapter of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck displays contrast between Leonie, is a giant of a man ‘a huge man', ponderous in his walk and has the mind of a young child. Therefore, is dramatically effective as it leaves the reader uncertain about the situation as we think what do these different characters have In common, why are they together, are they up to something? The reader soon discovers that they have a very close bond. This Is because they both share the same dream of owning their own ranch, after many hard working years, moving from ranch o ranch, living in complete poverty and working for next to nothing they finally try to achieve this life long dream.At the end of the beginning chapter Leonie pleads with George to tell him over and over again about their dream ranch, when Lenis main task will be the rabbits. Again Steinbeck shows how immature Leonie is, I think George and Leonie have a bond which represent father and son. George being the father not very patient always telling Leonie off and L eonie very childlike keeps rebelling. Steinbeck emphasis his writing skills by revealing a Blvd description of the place and atmosphere ‘A few miles south, On the sandy bank under the trees, shade climbed up the hills towards the top'.This type of writing method is effective because it's so detailed that it becomes vivid and lifelike in our imagination, so that we feel like we have become involved in story, we the reader feel connected to the novel. In the opening chapter, Steinbeck immediately introduces the idea of isolation and loneliness and the idea of the men living temporary worker lives, with no real direction. Steinbeck cleverly uses the setting to convey these ideas. The path George and Leonie are walking on is described as ‘A path beaten hard by boys'. Beaten hard by tramps who came wearily down from the highway In the evening to Jungle, up near water' and ‘an ash pile made by many fires'. Not only do these quotes describe the setting, they also give us a detailed description of the men's tragic, Isolated lives as well. I en mall themes touting ten story Is loneliness, tons Is an Inevitable Tact AT Tie that not even the strongest can avoid. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck illustrates the loneliness of California ranch life in the early sass's.Throughout the story, the reader discovers the many sources of solitude, primarily being discrimination and prejudice, resulting in loneliness and isolation. One of the most important things that are really needed is a friend. Without friends, people would suffer from loneliness and solitude. The characters in this novel are intrigued yet envious of the special friendship shared by George and Leonie because they do not have that in their life. However the theme in chapter 1 is about animal imagery. Tending the rabbits represents all the ideology of the free and happy spirit to Leonie.He doesn't consciously understand the totality of his dream, because by wanting to tend the rabbi ts he is really expressing his want to make something of himself and live simply, ‘off the fatty the Ian'. If asked, George would go on and on about settling down with a wife and raising a family on his own little farm, Leonie would simply say he wanted to tend the rabbits. This is dramatic effective because the reader assume that its going to be very difficult for George as he has to stay with Leonie, but also makes the reader wait in excitement for the next chapter to see how the main characters will survive.If the reader were to analyses the story in a more detailed way they would soon discover that the rabbit is the symbol of all that he desires, and the particular characteristic, which is endemic to rabbits, is their softness of fur. When Leonie touches something soft he is that much closer to discovering his dream. So, he is reluctant to halt any act, which allows him to caress something soft. Any force that comes between him and his ‘dream' is at great risk, cause Leonie is dangerous when angry ‘don't get to tend the rabbits! ‘ Suddenly his anger arose. ‘God damn you,' he cried.Unknown to Leonie, the mice may have had a dream Just like him. Though most mice probably would not have dreamt about owning their own land, a dream may have still existed. Maybe the mice would have wanted to live some place safe from people. Dreaming of a place in which a mouse could eat all the time not having to search for food, Leonie may have killed them. This harsh reality is exactly the same as what had happened to Leonie. It is unable to be disproved that what George had done to Leonie in his time of weakness was not the same as what Leonie had done to the mice in their time of helplessness.Possibly, that was how the mice wanted to die though, happy picturing their dreams in their heads. On the other hand, one is not to be sure that these mice did not die in excruciating pain, paralyzed by the touch of this enormous creature. However these po or creatures died, they were unable to live the rest of their lives. Overall , ten TLS chanter Is aromatic as It concentrates more on ten ascription AT ten atmosphere, this creates uncertainty for the reader as we do not know what is going to happen.I believe the author has displayed little information on each particular character so the reader believes that the novel is ambiguous. The reader's imagination starts to take over and consider what and who are George and Leonie. Already the audiences have become Judgmental about the main characters this highlights the writers skills towards the physical appearance of the George and Leonie, which may persuade the audience to have a specific view on the characters.

Take A Wife, Make Sure Shes White Professor Ramos Blog

Take A Wife, Make Sure Shes White When you finally take a wife, make sure she’s white, my father told me. Go to college, become a professional, take a wife, and make sure she’s white. Even though my mother had been white and she still ran off with the ranch hand. The one whose Spanish was better than his English even though he’d lived in America since before I was born. My father raised me by himself in a small Texas town where there was nothing to do except ride horses, go to church, or study. And our horses didn’t trust me much. They whinnied and whined every time I tried to fit them with the brown saddle I’d gotten for Christmas. It was sleek, smooth, and shone brilliantly after being oiled and conditioned, but it didn’t get much use aside from being admired. Instead, I spent Sunday mornings in church and the rest of the week I would study. I needed to go to college, become a professional, take a wife, and make sure she was white. Moving into my dorm at university, I mistook my roommate for one of the movers. Back home, my father taught me that America was the land of opportunity. Opportunity for Mexicans to come, not pay taxes, and use up all our resources. And yet, all of our ranch hands were Mexican because he could pay them so little and work them as hard as the horses. My father must have also seen opportunity. My roommate corrected me, helped me build my bed anyway, and then I helped him unbox his things into drawers. He didn’t have a lot of things, so it went by quickly. We walked down to a cafe nearby and drank lemonade to cool down. I told him how hard I worked to get here. â€Å"That’s nice,† he said, â€Å"but I probably worked harder.† ~ I had been teaching for many years before you walked into my classroom, your dark skin and dark eyes that immediately drew me to you. You were different than those before you. Your skin the color of freshly oiled leather and smelling sweet as a flower. But just as one must let a dog come to you, otherwise it becomes all frightened eyes and snapping teeth, I waited. Finally, you approached me half way through the school year for extra credit. It wasn’t extra credit you wanted, was it, Clemencia? I took you under my wing, I showed you what could be possible when you saw yourself the way I did. You were my Malinalli, my Malinche and you loved it. Do you remember? How much you loved being tangled together in my white sheets, your brown skin glowing more and more the harder I kissed you? I kissed you like you’d never been kissed and I loved you like you’d never been loved. A girl your age didn’t know love, what it meant or how it felt. Someone had to teach you. And wasn’t I was your teacher? ~ I was married when you and I met. We were married in a church, said our vows under the watchful eyes of God, and signed our prenuptial agreement under the watchful eyes of our lawyers. It was just a precaution, because I loved her. Did I? I loved parts of her. She was as pale as the milk from her father’s dairy farm and her hands were soft with pink-painted nails that never chipped. She was a porcelain doll and she was mine.   But I did not like to touch her like I touch you for fear of her breaking. You, my Malinalli, I was never afraid of breaking. Not you, who would call my home at ungodly hours of the night and my wife next to me would answer. Excuse me, honey, it’s for you. And I put the phone to my ear and you were just laughing like that was the funniest thing you’d ever heard. I couldn’t break you, I realized, because you were already broken. ~ And now you see, that’s why I had to marry her and not you. Because she understood the importance of image just like my father did. I was up for a position on the school board. â€Å"What would they say,† I asked of you, â€Å"If I had a young, wild brown girl for a wife?† You said nothing. You must have known I was right. You said nothing as you took me in your arms, held me close enough I could hear your heartbeat, and drew me in deeper under your spell. I was trapped under your spell that day, too. That day my son was born. I’d gotten the call, your wife is at the hospital. She’s going into labor early. It was shocking for everybody, but inconvenient for me. I didn’t want that child, she did. You did. And now they both think they can interrupt my day? They wanted me to come running, but stayed here, with you. You were the only one I’d loved amongst the others before you and the few after. It was you, only you. ~ My surprise when I saw you at the museum. She was with me, but you were the most beautiful work of art in that whole exhibit. Even the students with you watched with admiration while you spoke to them about one of the photographs. Briefly, I wondered which among them you’d taken into your bed to teach the way I taught you. I knew it was a bad idea, but I needed to speak to you. Not even the strongest of conquistadors could resist the allure of your golden skin. Greedy bastard, I was, but some men really can have it all, only if they’re willing to take it and make it theirs. â€Å"This is Megan,† I said as my hand rested on the small of her back. She was all skin and bone and some plastic. Nothing like you at all, my Malinalli. ~ I invited you over that week she was gone. She took the boy to her family’s for Christmas and a part of me hoped she would never come back. What a gift that would be! But she would and that’s why it would be best if we made this the last time. Surely you understood? You’d told me to give her a baby so I wouldn’t be tempted to leave her. But this day, I told you about my responsibilities as superintendent, as father, as husband. I could never marry you then. I could never now. Still, we spent one of the holiest days of the year together. Oh God, you cried out, but it was me, not God, picking you apart, putting you back together, and watching you sleep after. I suspect it was that last night together when you’d vandalized Megan’s things. Am I right? The gummy candy? She was finding them for two weeks after, victim to such a childish prank. I bought her new things because a red lipstick is easy to replace, blood red, rose red, ruby. But you vandalized her life, as well. You left your mark on her and she was never happy again after that. Even after the last gummy bear was found, she was afraid there was always one more lurking, where she couldn’t see it just yet. ~ When you asked me, son, if you could go to your friend’s house, I knew. Right away, I knew. You were in high school, you said your band was getting together to practice. You lied. I didn’t even have to ask her to know that’s where you were. It was no coincidence I sent you that school, knowing the art program would catch your eye, just like she caught my eye all those years ago. I gave her her job. I gave her my love. I gave her you. Your mother needn’t know. She’s happiest living her life wrapped in ignorance like it’s that silky Italian robe she loves so much. She loves her things, you most of all. So I won’t tell her. ~ Sometimes, I lie awake at 2 a.m. and wonder if we can’t see God because he’s afraid of us. He looks down upon the Earth, upon the streets we roam, upon the sheets we lie in. And he sees what he created and is afraid. Or maybe, he’s proud of us that we can leave so deep an imprint that others can stand at the edge, look too closely, and fall in.

Piscilla, Queen of the Desert musical response essays

Piscilla, Queen of the Desert musical response essays This film represents freedom and inner growth through hitting the road and bonding with peers. For these three queens, the road offers a temporary, yet easy, way out of their everyday lives. Older and wiser Bernadette, middle-aged Mitzi, and young Felicia, ignorant to society outside the city life. Music director, Anthony Walker, did a nice job. Several of the songs reinforced the feelings of freedom as well as a journey into a new sense of life that runs throughout the film. The music is whats most memorable, perhaps second only to the costumes. The film has been criticized for being called a musical, as the queens are lip-synching to non-original songs, but it uses song and dance through its entirety. References are made to, "Les Girls," the 1957 film about three showgirls reminiscing upon their traveling days. It was a musical comedy directed by George Cukor, himself gay, and one of the actors name is Mitzi Gaynor, Hugo Weavings stage name in Priscilla. Some of the musical numbers and costumes have definitely inspired scenes in "Priscilla" and even some of the plot points are familiar. Terrence Stamp's character references it when he appeared to have been in the stage version of "Les Girls" during his youth. In both films, music is the method the three ladies, or drag queens, earn a living and enjoy life. Interestingly enough, Les Girls, was also criticized for being considered a musical due to the music being all staged and seen through flashbacks of the performers. In the Village Peoples Go West, the lyrics start the trios voyage with a sense of both togetherness and adventure. The chorus talks about starting a new life, finding oneself, together with friends. Its the perfect song to start a road trip with. In Charlenes Ive never Been To Me, the statement repeatedly made throughout the song is, I ran out of places and frien...

Business Plan Of Castle Family Restaurant

Business Plan Of Castle Family Restaurant This is the business plan of Castles Family Restaurant located in the north California. It has the eight branches in different location. Total 340 employees are working in the restaurant. There is part time as well as full time employees working in it so the need for recruitment and hiring on continual basis required by restaurant. The manager operations and HR manager Jay Morgan need to face the problem related to HRM related to visit in all branches on weekly basis, managing the large number of employees of different branches, managing their payroll system, scheduling and their queries with out delay of time and in cost effective way. HR consultant is hired to coop with all these HR issues of the restaurant. The business plan includes different HR reforms in order to problem resolution. HRIS is considered the key towards the accomplishment of restaurant goals and to meet the HR requirements. Different types of HRIS are identified and the important types of HRIS that fit on the sce nario and can help to resolve the HR issues at is facing by Restaurant is analyzed and methodology of its proper implementation is suggested. Comparison of different types shows that restaurant needs to implement the payroll and employee self support management software in order to coop with daily basis HR issues. Ascentis software Vendor Company is recommended in order to install the successful implementation of HRIS in the restaurant in order to meet the HR needs of the company and provide the successful implementation of solution to the HR manager of restaurant. Introduction The paper is related to the business plan of Castle family restaurant, which is the restaurant situated in the North California. It is the family owned restaurant and it has multiple branches in different locations. The business plan represent the document summarize the Castle family restaurant current business operations related to HR functionality of restaurant’s manager Jay Morgan who is the operati on manager of his branch and carry out the Hr functions of other multiplication branches. I as the HR consultant of Jay Morgan is required to present the business plan to identified the HR problems that currently restaurant is facing, important HRM system need to be installed in order to meet the HR requirement of the company, comparison of different HR techniques in order to identify the best technique for the restaurant and sought out the current issues related to HR functions of Castle’ family Restaurant. The most important thing here is the implementation of information system to effectively carry out the HR activities of the restaurant. Company Review Castle’s Family Restaurant is basically medium sized company. It is a family owned restaurant. Total Eight branches are there located in different location naming Dunsmuir Avenue, Eureka, Parkview Redding-Shasta County, and Yreka-Siskiyou County. Castle’s Family Restaurant is providing services to the larger n umbers of customers. The restaurant carries out their working in different areas and integrates the system of food chain and employees through its manager Jay Morgan who has performed dual responsibilities, one is the responsibility of operation manager and the other one is HR manager. Morgan has to closely manage the HR operations of various branches of restaurant with close consideration and integration of employees working in different branches. Almost 340 employees are working in the restaurant with 40 % of employees are full time weather the remaining are part time employees. The need for the part time is increasing so the recruitment and hiring of part time employees is the issue on regular basis. In the reality the tasks to manage the HR functions of various branches without the implementation of technological advance system is difficult and to some extend impossible to perform in effective manner.

Service in the restaurant industry Research Paper

Service in the restaurant industry - Research Paper Example This essay examines service in the restaurant industry through the consideration of a variety of inputs. As noted above the restaurant experience begins as soon as an individual walks into the restaurant, as such it is highly important for a restaurant to consider service from these very early stages. For most restaurants this begins with having a successful host or hostess. There are a number of considerations that go into successful service within this portion of the house. As restaurant service is contingent on being prompt effective efficiency behind the scenes must also be considered. Still, in terms of immediate impressions it is necessary for the host or hostess to have a clean-cut appearance and demeanor. Oftentimes restaurants will search for hostesses with a particular-look or attitude as it immediately signals to the customer the culture and attitude they will be treated with throughout their visit. Additionally there are a variety of other means by which the host or hostess can contribute to overriding service. One of the central aspects of the hostess job is greeting the c ustomer directly. By engaging directly with the customer when they walk into the restaurant the host enacts a connection that should be carried through until the customers finish their meal and exit the restaurant. After greeting the customer it is essential they discern their needs and inform them if there is going to be a potential wait; in the case there is no wait the host or hostess must bring the customer promptly to their table. While such considerations constitute the most outward elements of service, as noted earlier it is also the host’s responsibility to ensure that things behind the scenes are taken care of. Perhaps most central to his or her role in these regards is keeping in contact with each server’s stations. In the restaurant industry each server is

Mission and Personal Values in Building a Career Research Paper

Mission and Personal Values in Building a Career - Research Paper Example Developing a personal career vision statement is never easy. However, it is a must for any individual to formulate or develop his/her own because without this, an individual is just driving aimlessly and without any final destination. This career vision statement will then serve as a guide and motivation to what future he/she wants to achieve and fulfil (Green, 1999). Actually, there are several ways or steps to create a vision statement and it’s up to an individual which one he/she wants to model his/her own statement framework. Because what really matters is that this statement could able to give career and life purpose; set a clear expression of future career; and it provides focus and direction as well as inspiration and motivation (Jones, 1998). According to Cranford (2011), a certified Career Coach, he proposed four basic steps or procedures in creating/formulating/ developing a career vision statement. And these include the following: step ahead, look away, see the step s forward, and put it on paper. Creating a vision is not easy, and it takes a lot of effort and time. It cannot be done or accomplished overnight. Hence, one must take time to reflect and envision what he/she really want to be or to attain and fulfil in the future. And this can be made possible if he/she will provide enough time for himself/herself to think, internalize and understand his/her inner self in order to identify and know his /her own strengths, weaknesses and personalities, which will determine the career he/she wanted to pursue.  

Behaviorists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Behaviorists - Essay Example According to Guthrie such change could be achieved if a person is determined to replace the old behavior with something new instead. This could be achieved employing his suggested methods to include the threshold means, exhaustion, and incompatible response approach. Guthrie’s idea of threshold adjustment states that behavior of a person can change if the stimulus is weak or could be tolerated. For instance, people who smoke may not be elicited to puff a cigarette if he can indulge reducing the number of sticks a day until eventually he would endure not to smoke. The threshold method is further reinforced through sidetracking. This is avoiding the cues that may compel undesirable behavior (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009) such as avoiding friends who smoke. Another helpful strategy is adopting the exhaustion mechanism which suggests repetition of the habit until the person feels the anguish of fatigue. An example would be to let the person smoke until he coughs or get sick. Such reac tion to smoking habit enables him to ultimately give up the habit. Equally important strategy is the use of incompatible response. Allowing the person to chew gum helps forge the link between the habit to smoke and the relief from smoking. Despite the proposed methods above, habits are hard to break. This is attributed to the familiar neural pathways involved.

HIV drug treatment in South Africa Literature review

HIV drug treatment in South Africa - Literature review Example It also highlights the side effects of these drugs and mention ways of making the HIV drug treatment as safe as possible. HIV is an important health concern as about a million of people are infected annually by this pandemic. Africa is disproportionately bearing the weight of HIV/AIDS epidemic. The population of Africa forms 11 percent of the world’s total population and about 67 percent of the people infected by HIV are living in Africa. About 22.4 million population of Africa is infected by HIV virus and about 1.9 million new HIV cases were reported in the year 2008. About 10 million African children lost their parent because of HIV, in the last year. The countries located in the north of Africa have the lower prevalence HIV rate. However according to statistics South Africa is the worst HIV affected part of this continent. About 10 percent of the population of Zambia, Swaziland, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana and Zimbabwe, is affected by HIV virus. In the sub- Saharan part of Africa the HIV patients acquire half of the beds present at any hospitals. Health care professionals have been highly affected by this pandemic. In the years 1990-2005 about 17 percent of the health work force was lost because of this killer virus. In response to this major health risk a number of initiatives have been taken to educate the population of Africa, in order to reduce the potential risk of HIV. In 2013, a special report was issued by UNAINDS. According to this report the number of people receiving anti-retroviral treatment in the current year is seven times more than the patient receiving treatment five years back. Education is the main source by the help of which develop Africa fight against HIV/AIDS. There are several institutions that offer training to the individuals to eliminate the misconception about HIV this help them to make informed decision related to their health. There are several programs being offered in Africa one of which is â€Å"sensitization

Housing Market Post and Pre Recession Lab Report

Housing Market Post and Pre Recession - Lab Report Example As a result, this recession lasted for four quarters. Finally, the last recession that occurred, took place not so long ago. It started in the 4th quarter of 2007 and lasted until the 2nd quarter of 2009. As can be verified from Figure 1 below, all these recessions by definition are identified with bar markers in periods that have followed such declines in GDP for three consecutive quarters. An important point to note here is that the length of the recessions has increased over time. The first and second recessions in the duration lasted for two quarters, the third lasted for four quarters and the recent recession has lasted for seven consecutive quarters. The cyclical pattern of real GDP is also evident from Figure 1. In the initial period, right after the recession, the percentage change of GDP rose sharply until the 1st quarter of 1984 and then stabilized and expressed some volatility and then started falling in the last quarter of 1989. The decline continued and became a recessio n lasting for two quarters. The ensuing climb was volatile, but the trend was positive until GDP growth reached a peak of 10.25% in the 2nd quarter of 2002. It started declining sharply there on and this drop became the 4 quarter long recession of 2001. There was a volatile and slow but steady climb until the last quarter of 2006 whereon the GDP growth rate started plummeting and this marked the onset of the latest recession. The decline in the rate of growth of GDP was most substantial during this latest recession. Figure 1: Movement of GDP The first indicator of the housing market that will be considered is the real average housing price. These are presented in Figure 2 along with the markers for recessions. The movements of the housing prices exhibit very strong cyclical behaviour. Further, taking a closer look reveals that the trends almost mirror those of the real GDP growth, although the volatility is substantially lower. The movements of the housing prices on average are smoo ther, though the beginnings and the endings of the cyclical rises and falls coincide with those of the real GDP growth in general. Figure 2: Movement of average real house prices Next we turn to Figure 3 which presents the movements of month’s supply of houses for the period under consideration. From the graph we see that month’s supply of houses falls in periods during or immediately following a recession. This is in contrast to housing prices which we saw follow the pattern of real GDP growth and, thus, slow down before the onset of the recession and start rising during recoveries. Figure 3: Movements in month's supply of housing Specifically, from Figure 3 we find out that month’s supply has gone down following all recessions in general. Following the recession of 1982, housing supply has reflected as slight decline in overall trend, although it has hovered around an average. The decline is more pronounced in the aftermath of the next recession. There was a s ubstantial decline in this phase and the declining trend continued onto the third recession. It picked up around early 2005 and sharply rose reflecting the housing bubble and reached its peak in the middle of the fourth recession. Another point worth noting from the graph is that the series has exhibited significant volatility and the latter seems to reflect a lagged reaction to it in the GDP series. The final indicator we look upon in this discussion is the dynamics of

Organization Review of Nature Conservancy of Canada (values, ethics, Assignment

Organization Review of Nature Conservancy of Canada (values, ethics, codes of conduct,description of latest activities, impact o - Assignment Example For some decades, private industries, government or non-government organizations are becoming involved in environmental activities. All these organizations strive towards moulding human activities in alignment with environmental issues. Currently there are thousands of non-government organizations (NGOs) that work with the objective of protecting the natural environment. The power and scope of some such organizations are so large that their budgets more often exceed the national budgets of many countries on environmental issues. Some best known organizations are Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Chipko Movement, Conservation International etc (Wapner, 2). Natural Conservancy of Canada The organization selected for this paper is Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). It is a Canadian non-profit charitable environmental organization. It was established in November 1962 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. The mission of the organization is to protect the areas of natural diversity including land, water, plants, animals, ecosystems and landscapes for the young and future generations. The organization initiates and innovates strategies and technologies to conserve the natural heritage of Canada. The website of this organization is http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/ . The biological diversity of this planet is getting reduced at an alarming rate. This is a matter of grave concern as it threatens the quality of human life and risks the lives of future generations. The activities of NCC are â€Å"guided by the belief that society will be judged by what it creates in the present and what it conserves for the future† (â€Å"Missions and Values†). The NCC secures lands through purchase or donations and then preserves these properties for the long term. The organization procures land either through direct purchase from the private landowners like corporate and individuals, or through donations from private landowners. NCC also enters into cons ervation agreement with landowners. According to this agreement the landowners agrees to avoid doing any such activities that would be harmful to the ecological value of the land. NCC has a panel of conservation science professionals whose purpose is to formulate and execute plans and strategies for the long term protection, management and restoration of natural resources of Canada. NCC also contributes to environmental education on environmental evaluation, management concepts or proposals. NCC follows a four step procedure for conservation process. Firstly, they set priorities by identifying the land area to conserve, or by identifying species and habitats whose life and health need to be protected. Secondly, the organization develops strategies to protect and conserve the species and habitats. Thirdly, they apply these strategies either alone or with cooperation from partners. Fourthly, they assess the result of their actions. They supervise the efficiency of their strategies, an d assess whether the species and habitats are well protected and their overall health is improved (â€Å"The Conservation Process†). The NCC shares and applies various values while working across Canada. The NCC has the advantage of procuring the best available scientific consultancies regarding conservation and protection. They work in a

Housing Market Post and Pre Recession Lab Report

Housing Market Post and Pre Recession - Lab Report Example As a result, this recession lasted for four quarters. Finally, the last recession that occurred, took place not so long ago. It started in the 4th quarter of 2007 and lasted until the 2nd quarter of 2009. As can be verified from Figure 1 below, all these recessions by definition are identified with bar markers in periods that have followed such declines in GDP for three consecutive quarters. An important point to note here is that the length of the recessions has increased over time. The first and second recessions in the duration lasted for two quarters, the third lasted for four quarters and the recent recession has lasted for seven consecutive quarters. The cyclical pattern of real GDP is also evident from Figure 1. In the initial period, right after the recession, the percentage change of GDP rose sharply until the 1st quarter of 1984 and then stabilized and expressed some volatility and then started falling in the last quarter of 1989. The decline continued and became a recessio n lasting for two quarters. The ensuing climb was volatile, but the trend was positive until GDP growth reached a peak of 10.25% in the 2nd quarter of 2002. It started declining sharply there on and this drop became the 4 quarter long recession of 2001. There was a volatile and slow but steady climb until the last quarter of 2006 whereon the GDP growth rate started plummeting and this marked the onset of the latest recession. The decline in the rate of growth of GDP was most substantial during this latest recession. Figure 1: Movement of GDP The first indicator of the housing market that will be considered is the real average housing price. These are presented in Figure 2 along with the markers for recessions. The movements of the housing prices exhibit very strong cyclical behaviour. Further, taking a closer look reveals that the trends almost mirror those of the real GDP growth, although the volatility is substantially lower. The movements of the housing prices on average are smoo ther, though the beginnings and the endings of the cyclical rises and falls coincide with those of the real GDP growth in general. Figure 2: Movement of average real house prices Next we turn to Figure 3 which presents the movements of month’s supply of houses for the period under consideration. From the graph we see that month’s supply of houses falls in periods during or immediately following a recession. This is in contrast to housing prices which we saw follow the pattern of real GDP growth and, thus, slow down before the onset of the recession and start rising during recoveries. Figure 3: Movements in month's supply of housing Specifically, from Figure 3 we find out that month’s supply has gone down following all recessions in general. Following the recession of 1982, housing supply has reflected as slight decline in overall trend, although it has hovered around an average. The decline is more pronounced in the aftermath of the next recession. There was a s ubstantial decline in this phase and the declining trend continued onto the third recession. It picked up around early 2005 and sharply rose reflecting the housing bubble and reached its peak in the middle of the fourth recession. Another point worth noting from the graph is that the series has exhibited significant volatility and the latter seems to reflect a lagged reaction to it in the GDP series. The final indicator we look upon in this discussion is the dynamics of

Virus and Malware Protection Essay Example for Free

Virus and Malware Protection Essay With the dawn of the 21st century, reliance on computers and computer systems to run various facets of human life has increased. Nowadays, everything from airline reservations to newspaper publishing is either computerized or employs some version of technology in order to operate. While the basic premise of technology making it easier for people still applies, man’s dependence on it has also opened up a whole new set of problems not present before the advent of computer technology. Computers are basically composed of two parts: hardware and software. The physical properties of a computer, such as the monitor, keyboard, central processing unit (CPU), and so on are the hardware. The software on the other hand, is what essentially makes the computer run. Among these are operating systems (OS), anti-virus programs and graphics editing tools, among others. While hardware failures can do much to damage a system’s infrastructure, software failures can be even more destructive. Whether it’s ordinary information (such as word documents of a party invitation or pictures of your last group’s outing), or sensitive (such as credit card details, usernames and password, etc. ), a loss of software functionality or security can do much to harm the user or users involved. A computer virus is a program or software that, like its biological namesake, can replicate and infect a system without the knowledge or permission of the user. Because of the technological advances today that link millions of computers together over the Internet, or other networks, it has become much easier to spread computer viruses around. Malware, on the other hand, is the general term for any computer program that is specifically designed to penetrate or damage a computer system without the user’s permission. It includes viruses, spyware, adware, worms and Trojan horses, among others. Because of the amount of damage malware in general can cause to a system, a plethora of anti-virus systems have since been released in order to repel such intrusions. It should be noted however, that not all of them are as effective as they seem to be. NOD32 2. 7 versus McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008 Comparing the NOD32 anti-virus system with McAfee’s VirusScan Plus is relatively easy. Based on a multitude of independent studies and tests, NOD32 defeats McAfee in terms of virus protection hands down. Using ZDNet as a point of reference for the two, NOD32 is one of the most effective programs today at detecting and removing computer viruses, and is also one of the fastest and lightest (in terms of program size) ever. The only disadvantage to what might have been the perfect anti-virus is its graphical user interface (GUI), which is for average computer users, at the minimum. Users who have tried NOD32 in the past will attest to the lack of user-friendliness of its interface, though the bottom line would be that whatever it lacks for in graphical design it makes up for with the power of its scanning engine. McAfee’s VirusScan Plus offers more options than NOD32, and its GUI is much more user-friendly, though its overall effectiveness at doing what it’s supposed to be doing in the first place (detecting viruses) falls short of expectations. Furthermore, reviews indicate that the product continues to offer poor technical support, lacks regular updates, and is only half as good as other anti-virus programs in performance tests. As a saving grace though, its GUI is very easy to learn even for beginners, and scans use relatively little system memory allowing one to do other things while letting the virus scan run quietly in the background. Given the choice to select one of the two based on my needs, I would still go for NOD32 anytime, as the only prohibitive factor for it is its GUI, which I can understand pretty well anyway. I have always found the immense power of its scanning engine to be a very useful and compelling argument for me to remain with NOD32 as compared to going for other anti-virus programs which may be easy not only on the eyes but on computer viruses too. Online Scan Programs I decided to subject my computer system to one of the more well-known online scan utilities, namely Trend Micro’s HouseCall online virus scanner. A number of vulnerabilities were revealed, and it was only a matter of minutes before these were quickly patched and secured, thus keeping my system safe and virus-spyware-adware free once more. Spyware and Adware Menaces Spyware is defined as software that secretly gathers information about the user without his knowledge while transmitting it to a third and unauthorized party. Adware, on the other hand, is usually harmless and simply integrates advertisements and promotions into software. In order to test my computer’s vulnerability to both, I downloaded and installed Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware 6 and Spybot’s Search and Destroy. The installation process for both was easy enough, though in the end I preferred the user interface of Ad-Aware as compared to SAD. Once they were both installed and updated, I wasted no time running a complete system scan on my personal computer and was quite surprised to see a good number of adware, as well as a smattering of spyware, lurking within my system. After the cleaning process, I did another scan and this time both programs negatively reported any spyware or adware left. Overall, both programs did a pretty good job and perhaps the only reason why I would pick Lavasoft’s product over Spybot’s is the more appealing GUI of the former over the latter. I can definitely say that this is certainly not the first time my computer has been infected with various types of malware despite my best efforts to keep them out using a combination of anti-virus and anti-spyware/adware programs. Nevertheless, my carelessness before has cost me my fair share of computer slowdowns and lost data, thus I can only advocate to other computer users out there to stay vigilant and secure with their data and systems by always having updated protective computer software.

History of Colonization

History of Colonization Revolts in French ruled countries as opposed to Britain ruled countries To understand the causes of consequences, it becomes binding to have an idea of the background before the matter in dwelled into as a larger picture. The scramble for Africa started at the end of nineteenth century. European powers wanted to establish separate dominances over varied parts of the continent. After the initial hindrance of the geographical location was taken care of, each European power had vested interest in particular areas. Thus, they redrew the boundaries and the structure of the countries in the continent was revised to an immeasurable extent. The already existing political institutions were not concentrated upon. It led to forced partitions and mergers of a majority of the African countries. The traditional groups and monarchies were forced to break down and share their territory with literally new people. Thus multiple independent groups with each having their own history, culture, language and tradition were now belonging to one territory which would be ruled by one or more powers. Each ruling power was only looking for their own benefit. After a mass re division of the land, some parts were traded between the ruling countries to satisfy their own goals. Any kind of resistance by the native Africans was severely oppressed and made to die down by various Treaty and Conquest tactics. Although the colonial rule was expected to go on for over a period of more than 100 years, the ruling powers lacked sufficient man power to take over administration, governance over the economic growth. Indirect rule was favored with African authorities and thus emerged a new class if intermediaries whose job was to make sure that the government orders were fully executed. The pattern of economic activity started changing with commercial agriculture at a good pace. The countries started fair exports of these commodities as well as minerals. In certain parts of the continent, a given holding of a territory was declared as White Land. The literacy and primary education introduced throughout Africa by the Christian Missionaries led to the elites espousing nationalist ambitions. But it didn’t result in anything at this point as the African countries had nothing among them which would or could hold them together against the colonizing powers. Africans were residing in mere geographical boundaries. With the second World War, the game changed in Africa. All the new infrastructural developments and the rapid increase in agricultural production as well as the manufacture of other items that took place were to ensure the sustainability of the ruling European nations in the war. When the African troops were deputed for war, they learnt to a great deal about the freedom movements and struggles in the other parts of the world. When the war came to an end, just like the rest of the world, there was a lot of restlessness and frustration in Africa. Those who had served in the army were hoping to be rewarded by some share in the government of their country. The standard of living by then was in complete shambles. No proper housing facilities, high prices, no jobs and the problems continued. In order to provide some relief which would benefit their own interest, the colonial powers carved a way to include some of the African people in the political game. But gradually, some African thinkers started to believe in the idea of ‘self-government’ and demanded the same from the colonial power ruling that particular country. When this freedom was granted, the upcoming African political leaders were not trained and capable enough to run a country. Thus policies and decisions were not suitable for the development which led to increased corruption. Although no one really campaigned for independence, the political aspirations were centered on securing for the African population the same rights and privileges as those enjoyed by the fellow metropolitan people of the colonial power. But gradually, the march towards independence started in Africa. Like in any revolution, there were revolts across countries, against the governments. But there was a very obvious difference between the type and intensity of revolts in countries ruled by Britain and those ruled by the French. This is more of a comparative understanding rather than an analytical one. Here on, there is a sincere effort been made of following a timeline. When the continent of Africa was being divided by lines pre decided by the colonial invaders, some territories were swapped to satisfy their purposes. The British were primarily interested maintaining secure communication lines to India which led to initial interest in Egypt and South Africa. Then they intended to establish a Cape-Cairo railway. The control of Nile was also viewed as a strategic and commercial advantage. France had two motivations for its colonisation. Firstly, it wanted to establish markets, strategic bases for the French military and trading fleets around the world. Secondly, it wanted to exploit the natural resources and cheap labour of the colonies. Britain traded parts of northern Nigeria with France for fishing rights. France exchanged parts of Cameroon with Germany in return for German recognition of the French protectorate over Morocco. At the end of all the exchanges, the French claimed 3.75 million square miles while the British claimed 2 million square mil es. Early African reaction to European intrusion into Africa in the late 19th century was not uniform. A few groups that had suffered from long-term warfare or slave raiding (such as in parts of East Africa) gave an uncertain welcome to European presence in their regions in hope that there would be peace. Other groups strongly resisted the coming of European political control. However, many people had no initial reaction to colonialism. This was because the early year’s colonialism had little impact on the lives of many rural African peoples. This situation changed as the impact of colonialism became more widespread and intense in the middle decades of the 20th century. Until after the Second World War almost all the Africans living in the colonies of France were not citizens of France. Rather, they were French Subjects, lacking rights before the law, property ownership rights, rights to travel, dissent, or vote. Until after the Second World War almost all the Africans living in the colonies of France were not citizens of France. Rather, they were French Subjects, lacking rights before the law, property ownership rights, rights to travel, dissent, or vote. But post WW2, France started regarding their colonies not as separate territories but as a part of ‘La Plus Grande France’ But Britain’s strategy of pacifying all the nationalist ideas was different. They started by introducing new constituencies, providing for elections for a handful of members of the legislative councils. In the 1950’s, violence broke out in Algeria as France refused to grant Independence. The Algerian war started with the insurrection organised by the National Liberation Front (FLN), on November 1st, 1954, and lasted until 1962 when Algeria became independent. During those eight years one million Algerians died. In 1954 there were 200,000 Algerians living in France. Of those 150,000 were working, the majority in the building or steel industries. Slowly but surely the FLN began to organise Algerians in France. It was Algerians in France that were to finance the war. Tunisia and Morocco were granted independence and the rest 14 territories that France had under its wing, remained loyal to them. In British West Africa, everyone who was politically conscious was deemed to be a nationalist. On the other hand in French West Africa, there are Catholics and anti- clericals, Communists and Gaullists, Socialists, Syndicalist and Existentialists. LÃ ©opold SÃ ©dar Senghor was the first President of Senegal and the first African to be elected as a member of the French Academy. He wanted to not just stay in the French Union but the French Republic. Thus, he advocated political federation rather than independence between France and Africa. Post World War 2, the French Government bore a considerable amount of the administrative costs and provided subsidies for export crops. Until 1958, majority of the public investment and a sizeable amount of annual running costs plus vast sums of infrastructure were financed by France. When a new constitution was being drafted in the French ruled countries, except for Guinea, all other countries voted for a Franco-African community. But this did not last long and the African rulers demanded greater control. France then reached the conclusion that all territories under them would have to be launched as independent states. Meanwhile, in all the Britain ruled countries, the violence had been reaching a boiling point forcing England to jettison all long term plans of independence. Throughout the period of colonization, the French, no doubt ruthless colonisers, seem to have been more willing to consider the people of Africa a part of their culture and nation rather than believing in the principle of the ruler and the ruled upon as followed by Britain to a large extent. The French also wanted to see the fruits of their anti-slavery efforts in West Africa. Assimilation was one ideological basis of the French colonial policy. In contrast with British imperial policy, the French taught their subjects that, by adopting French language and culture, they could eventually become French. The famous Four Communes in Senegal can be seen as proof of this. And probably the only proof of the same. Here Africans were, in theory, afforded all the rights of French citizens. The French Assimilation concept was based on the idea of expanding French culture to the colonies outside of France in the 19th and 20th century. Natives of these colonies were considered French citizens as long as the culture and customs were adopted. This also meant they would have the rights and duties of French citizens. The French appeared to understand fully, even at an early stage, that assimilation of West Africans under tier control was not in the offing. Both the cost of implementing such a program and the tenacity of the indigenous populations prevented full-scale assimilation. Instead, the French sought to control the West African populations. By contrast, in the British colonies the approach was the opposite: they used local power holders rather than installing a whole new administration. Each system aimed to benefit the colonizers. The French were rather harsh in their administration and their attempts to increase their economic footholds, utilizing such means as forced labor and imprisonment to maintain and expand their interests. One of the most important aspects of the French colonization of West Africa was the requirement placed on the colony to pay its own way as a colony. The French administration sought to increase productivity and extract valuable resources. They fostered production of groundnuts and cotton where appropriate conditions were present and imposed taxation as a means of inducing participation in the cash economy. Where crops could not be grown, they encouraged migration to wage- earning areas. The French colonial encounter in West Africa was driven by commercial interests and, perhaps to a lesser degree, a civilizing mission. The political administration and the economic interests were fairly uniform throughout the colonial period. Little was done to improve the lives of West Africans, although attempts were made to provide minimal health and educational services. Whereas in the British areas of West Africa some portion of the economic gain accrued to an African middle class, no such dynami c occurred in the French context. Bibliography https://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m7b/activity4.php http://www.historytoday.com/martin-evans/french-resistance-and-algerian-war http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-resistance.html http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=2920 file:///C:/Users/hp/Documents/africa/List%20of%20French%20possessions%20and%20colonies%20-%20Wikipedia,%20the%20free%20encyclopedia.htm file:///C:/Users/hp/Documents/africa/French%20West%20Africa%20-%20Wikipedia,%20the%20free%20encyclopedia.htm file:///C:/Users/hp/Documents/africa/Scramble%20for%20Africa%20-%20Wikipedia,%20the%20free%20encyclopedia.htm http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-17_u-504_t-1362_c-5244/qld/sose/colonisation-resources-power-and-exploration/colonisation-history/france http://www.africa.upenn.edu/K-12/French_16178.html -Shalmali Ghaisas

The Fab Four :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

The Fab Four In high school I had four teachers that were very important to my success. High school was a good time for me with all my sports, music activities, and Student Council, but it was also very tough. I didn't have many friends. Also, I worried so much about school and "getting the grade", that I often felt very stressed. I also went through a period of a couple years when I was pretty depressed. These four teachers helped me through my difficult times mostly by just being there to listen. I also loved their classes, but I think that more than anything they influenced me because I liked them as people and knew they believed in me. I truly believe that if a student likes a teacher, feels a connection with them, and can develop a relationship, they will be much more interested in the material and will care more and do better. The first two of these teachers, Mr. Oftedahl and Mr. Vepraskas (Mr. O and Mr. V), were my band and choir directors. What amazing people! I love music and often times use music as a form of escape or healing in the rough times. Mr. O and Mr. V were always there to listen to me and offer what comfort they could. I could talk to them as real people, on an adult level. They didn't treat me as a kid with just kid problems. They were very sincere when talking to me and were also very talented musicians. Even though they were my teachers, I know I can talk to them and that they are more than my teachers - they are my friends. Their friendship and open door was what I needed most at that time in my life. The other two high school teachers who were influential were helpful in the same ways as Mr. O and Mr. V, always willing to listen, but they were more. Because of these two teachers, I not only knew that I wanted to teach, but they helped me realize what I wanted to teach. Señorita Brown was my Spanish teacher my freshman and sophomore years. I fell in love with Spanish when I started taking it in 7th grade with the dream of someday traveling to Spain. Señorita Brown helped me to realize that not only did I love Spanish, but that I was gifted in the language and could help others.

A Look at Intellectual Property Piracy In Taiwan :: Intellectual Property Piracy Taiwan Essays

A Look at Intellectual Property Piracy In Taiwan Intro: Current Piracy Situation In Asia, Intellectual property piracy is rampant. Much attention has been directed at this issue and progress has been made in almost all Asian countries. Among them, Taiwan has been singled out as one of the worst offenders in the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) violation.[1] The following statistics shows that the piracy rate in Taiwan is not very high compared to Korea and China. (More recent data is unavailable when I checked BSA.) Table 1. Piracy rates --------------------------------------------------------- Country 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Korea 75% 76% 70% 67% 64% U.S. 31% 26% 27% 27% 25% Japan 66% 55% 41% 32% 31% Taiwan 72% 70% 66% 63% 50% China 97% 96% 96% 96% 95% Total World 49% 46% 43% 40% 38% --------------------------------------------------------- Source: Business Software Alliance (BSA) --------------------------------------------------------- Why is Piracy so Rampant Why, then, is Taiwan considered a major offender for the last three years and counting? First, Taiwan has a monopoly on CD manufacturing and is renowned for its hardware manufacturing. Spend some time researching about blank CDs and you will find that most of them are manufactured in Taiwan.

Who Has Impacted Your Life the Most

There are certain people, when we asked them about who impact your life's, they usually mentioned their parents. However, my parents gave me the gift of life. They taught me how to talk and walk. They are always here for me when I need something. I cannot live without their advice. My parents are perfect examples of gave me the chance to have good education and better life. First, my father is my guidance with everything I had done. I cannot waived his advise to me. I always find him in the position where I need him. For example, my decision of studying in the United State or studying in Saudi Arabia.He encourage me to go to the United State because as professor working in the university. He told me that teaching in America better for you. Even thought he is teaching on university in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, he gave me the chance to choose whether I want to study in Saudi Arabia or America. Lastly, I chose to study in the U. S, and he was with me for the lest monument of supporting me and giving me advice until I arrived to the U. S. Second, my mother is the best mother in the world because she gave the impassible thing that no body can give me, is the gift of live.She always help me with whatever I need. She never forces me to do anything that I do not like to do. She wanted for me to have the best education in my entire life. She also supported me and gave me advice to my trip to the U. S. I remember she told me that â€Å"nobody was born to know† because I was afraid of learning English. And who will be the life with different culture. In this situation, she said to me you are going to harmony with other people there and do not be afraid, the life is easy.