Impact of Labour Unrest for Business (Production) Essay

Impact of Labour Unrest for Business (Production) - Essay Example Labor unrests are generally organized and strike actions carried out by labor unions in the case of the failure of solving such labor disputes. The employees and the overall workforce alter the normal production routine process, thus impacting the shareholders of the production business; the key reason for these unrests is the workers articulating for the increase in wages and labor rights (Silver, 2003). The impacts of labor unrests on a production firm or a business can be discussed as follows. Lower Production levels Labor unrests have a significant impact on the businesses dealing with production, as they lead to lower production levels. Strikes by workers affect greatly the production levels, because most of the production businesses do not have production schedules where one day stock is taken as surplus. Thus labor unrests can lead to the drastic decrease in the production volumes, which can impact the key wholesalers and retailers negatively, as the business production is a c ountrywide supplier (Silver, 2003). Shift in consumer demand Labor in the production business causes shifts in the demand of consumers, notably in the case of strikes. Typically, most of the manufacturing companies keep a significant volume of inventory in their warehouses purposely, as a precaution against labor unrests, which can only represent not more than a month inventory. This production schedule approach ensures that companies continue with their normal production and supply operations for some time after the unrests, thus providing a period for solving the labor dispute without much effect on their business operations (Silver, 2003). In the case of the dispute taking long to be resolved, consumers may wait for the return of the normal operations or shift to the available competitors. Overlap impacts Labor unrests of higher degree of magnitude such as nationwide strike have a direct as well as an indirect impact on the related markets. Such labor unrests are characterized by work stoppage in the production manufacturing company, and this has a great impact on its major outlets and other stakeholders that have frequent transactions with the company. Labor unrests can lead to a standstill of operations in its markets. Companies operating as providers of complimentary services to the production company are the highly affected, because its services or commodities will loose it major market share due to the slowdown of operations at the production company’s plants. This situation may lead to these stakeholders’ decision to go to other markets and the suppliers’ decision to go to the market outlets (Silver, 2003). Loss of revenue and profits Labor unrests cause slowdown and, at times, standstill in the operations at the manufacturing plants. These standstills and slowdowns have an impact of reducing the volume of sales. Lower volume of sales translates into lower revenue realized from them, leading to lower profitability as compared with the period of labor stability (Silver, 2003). This impact is commonly expected to extend to the major outlets, as the level of supply will go down and the company is a nationwide distributor. In this case the company will go at a loss, since the overhead fixed cost will remain the same, straining the less realized revenue and the profits. Impact on employee performance An

Conservation of Races Essay Example for Free

Conservation of Races Essay The United States of America, since its commencement, has been a â€Å"melting pot† of different nationalities. While the term melting pot sounds forthcoming, this is not the case in reality. Many times cultures collide due their differences in ideology, culture, and geographical proximity. Such culture clashes have marked the history of the United States. Race is usually thought of in the physical sense with difference in skin color, hair, facial features, and language. Although race usually follows along physical lines, it is much more far reaching and extends into the social and cultural beliefs. In the past, the dominant trend was to keep these beliefs separate, consequently increasing the feeling of racial unity and racism in society. History has shown us that man has used segregation as a method of not only keeping the peace, but also of keeping the purity of a race in tact. In 1897, an address to the Negro Academy entitled â€Å"The Conservation of Races,† W. E. B. Dubois states: â€Å"The question, then which we must seriously consider is this: What is the real meaning of Race; what has, in the past, been the law of race development, and what lessons has the past history of race development to teach the rising Negro people? I thought the caliber of Dubois’ intelligence and boldness to ask the question was compelling. Throughout this essay I will explore and illustrate how Dubois comes to answer the questions, which he asked his audience. I found it easier to dissect the complex question into three separate questions. First I will illustrate how Dubois defines race. Then I will pinpoint where the basis of the law of race development is formulated. Finally, he answers the question; what can lessons of past history of race development teach the rising Negro? W. E. B Dubois writes that he believes that the conservation of races is the cornerstone of keeping the Negro race pure and intact. Thus, for him, race preservation is not backed only with racial motives, but to help society better itself as a whole. The history of the world is outlined by the histories’ of different groups and races. He states, â€Å"If it be true the history of the world is the history, not of individuals, but of groups, not of nations, but of races, and he who ignores or seeks to override the race idea in human history ignores and overrides the central thought of history (pg.142). In The Conservation of Races Dubois stresses the importance of surveying the whole question of race. He criticizes a biological account of race. He claims that such an account is inadequate because it fails to explain both the wide variety of physical traits within a race and the physical likenesses shared by all humans. For example he states, â€Å"Many criteria of race differences have in the past been proposed, as color, hair, cranial measurements and language. And manifestly in each of these respects differ widely (pg 142)†. Instead, Du Bois proposes a definition of race based on sociohistorical criteria that emphasized cultural and political loyalty. He defines race as: a vast family of human beings, generally of common blood and language, always of common history, traditions and impulses, who are both voluntarily and involuntarily striving together for the accomplishment of certain more or less vividly conceived ideals of life (pg. 142). I would have to agree with Dubois that race is a combination of language, traditions, color, impulses, common blood and ideals of life. This is extremely evident in the anatomy of the world. You can have people who are physically, spiritually, politically, socially, etc. very different be members of the same race. â€Å"Although the wonderful developments of human history teach that the grosser physical differences of color, hair and bone go but a short way towards explaining the different roles which groups of men has played in Human Progress, yet there are differences- subtle, delicate, and elusive, though they may be which have silently but definitely separated men into groups† (pg 142). Here Du Bois suggest an ideal of the law of race development. He further adds, â€Å"At all times, however, they have divided human beings into races, which, while they perhaps transcend scientific definition nerveless, are clearly defined to the eye of the Historian and Sociologist† (pg. 142). I think and maybe Du Bois would agree that the idea of race is an outdated, invalid scientific concept used to categorize individuals and validate who is superior or inferior. As discussed in class I don‘t think racism will ever cease to exist, because the ideal of race is far too prevalent from individuals of all sizes, shapes, and colors. And focusing on the illusion of race will never solve the problem of racism. The only way to stop racism is to end the classification of individuals based on meaningless physical characteristics as a whole and celebrate diversity. Finally, he answers the third part to his complex what can the lessons of past laws of racial development teach rising Negro people. By answering this question he attempts to motivate African Americans to create a recognizable culture and make a difference in the world. He believed that African Americans had potential. He thought that in order eliminate the problems African Americans were facing the focus must first be on boosting the African American culture. He states, As such, it is our duty to conserve our physical powers, our intellectual endowments, our spiritual ideals; as a race we must strive by race organization, by race solidarity, by race unity to the realization of the broader humanity which freely recognizes differences in men, but sternly deprecates inequality in their opportunities of development† (pg. 145). Dubois also saw the need for one main intellectual entity, a Negro Academy. Dubois eloquently stated, â€Å" for all these products of the Negro mind, which we may call a Negro Academy. Not only is all this necessary for positive advancements, it is absolutely imperative for negative defense† (pg. 145). He also notes that the African race has not yet been able to share its message. He sates, â€Å"For the development of Negro genius, of Negro literature and art, of Negro spirit Negroes inspired by the vast ideal, can work out in its fullness the great message of humanity† (pg. 144). In closing, races embody within themselves the answers modern society’s problems. However, a better description of the status of the Negro message would be a work in progress.

A Review of Job Satisfaction, the Influencing Factors and Consequences

A Review of Job Satisfaction, the Influencing Factors and Consequences of Job Satisfaction Introduction Job satisfaction has been gaining attention from both researchers and managers, especially due to the contemporary proliferation of the idea recognising the significance of people in terms of achieving competitive advantage and sustainability in organisations. The purpose of the essay is to review factors influencing job satisfaction and consequences attributing to job satisfaction after reviewing some understanding of the meaning of the term and the reasons why job satisfaction is widely studied. Literature Review ï  ¬ The meaning of job satisfaction and the attractiveness for studies It is relevant that the meaning of job satisfaction is reviewed. Job satisfaction can be simply defined as the level at which employees have a positive feeling to their jobs (Agho et al. 1993, p. 1007). Another definition by spector (1997, p. 2) emphasises that the term â€Å"job satisfaction† should include both positive and negative sides (Spector, 1997, p. 2). In this case, the term â€Å"job satisfaction† explicitly points out that the job satisfaction is a continuum with entirely satisfied and not satisfied at all at the two extremes. Importantly, job satisfaction can be the outcome of the employees’ general perception of the job as a whole or specific feeling towards different aspects of the job. And the overall job satisfaction cannot be regarded as the result of calculation of satisfaction levels concerning different aspects of the jobs Among different job attitudes elements, job satisfaction is of outstanding importance and even viewed as the central element (Saari & Judge, 2004, p. 396). As other elements of attitudes, the nature of job satisf... ...atisfaction and individual performance’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 712-721 Saari, L. M. & Judge, T. A. 2004, ‘Employee attitudes and job satisfaction’, Human Resource Management, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 395-407 Seashore, S. E. & Taber, T. D. 1975, ‘Job satisfaction and their correlates’, American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 333-368 Spector, P. E. 1997, Job satisfaction: application, assessment, causes and consequences, Sage Publications, Inc, California Spencer, D. G. & Steers, R. M. 1981, ‘Performance as a moderator of the job satisfaction-turnover relationship’, Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 511-514 Tett, R. P. & Meyer, J. P. 1993, ‘Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention, and turnover: path analyses based on meta-analytic findings’, Personnel Psychology, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 259-293

I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group Essay

Through work to bring materials from women’s studies into the rest of the curriculum, I have often noticed men’s unwillingness to grant that they are overprivileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged. They may say they will work to women’s statues, in the society, the university, or the curriculum, but they can’t or won’t support the idea of lessening men’s. Denials that amount to taboos surround the subject of advantages that men gain from women’s disadvantages. These denials protect male privilege from being fully acknowledged, lessened, or ended. Thinking through unacknowledged male privilege as a phenomenon, I realized that, since hierarchies in our society are interlocking, there was most likely a phenomenon of while privilege that was similarly denied and protected. As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage. I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege. So I have begun in an untutored way to ask what it is like to have white privilege. I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was â€Å"meant† to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools , and blank checks. Describing white privilege makes one newly accountable. As we in women’s studies work to reveal male privilege and ask men to give up some of their power, so one who writes about having white privilege must ask, â€Å"having described it, what will I do to lessen or end it?† After I realized the extent to which men work from a base of unacknowledged privilege, I understood that much of their oppressiveness was unconscious. Then I remembered the frequent charges from women of color that white women whom they encounter are oppressive. I began to understand why we are just seen as oppressive, even when we don’t see ourselves that way. I began to count the ways in which I enjoy unearned skin privilege and have been conditioned into oblivion about its existence. My schooling gave me no training in seeing myself as an oppressor, as an unfairly advantaged person, or as a participant in a damaged culture. I was taught to see myself as an individual whose moral state depended on her individual moral will. My schooling followed the pattern my colleague Elizabeth Minnich has pointed out: whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work that will allow â€Å"them† to be more like â€Å"us.†

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 23

23. Brat in the Paper Aisle MAKEDA She stood under the eave of a post office that looked out on the Safeway parking lot, watching the old man with the dogs pounding at the door. Well, that would make seven. She knew she should wait for the others, but what fun was there in that. A lean black guy let the old man and his dogs into the store, then locked the door behind him. She moved to the side of the building, then along the front behind a long train of shopping carts, where she could look through the windows without being seen herself. They were spread out, each working an aisle to himself. She really should call for the others. Neither would be that far away, but she did so little on her own anymore. She examined the window. Thick Plexiglas, she wasn't going through that. She could kick the door down, of course, but then they would run and there'd be chasing and if any got away Rolf would pout with disapproval for months. Not that she wasn't beyond pouting herself. She once awakened to find Bella and Rolf merged together in mist without her and refused to take solid form for a year except to feed. That was how they began each night, merged in mist form, still inside their titanium chamber, experiencing every corner of each other's consciousness, every memory, every emotion, every want, every fear-complete knowing, complete intimacy. After an hour or so, they would assume their solid forms, then leave the chamber and feed, or watch a video of a sunrise or sunset. That was it! Mist. She would go into the store by stealth. Except for the one with the dogs, they were all young men, weren't they? She knew she could hold the rapt attention of a young man. She'd take each one, drain him without the others even knowing what happened, then share the experience with Rolf and Bella tomorrow night. It was always fun to bring something new and dangerous to their night. She wouldn't be able to wear her special suit, or take any of the weapons, but it was just as well. She couldn't leave bodies. Seven. She'd be as full as a tick, ready to pop. She checked that none of them was by the door, hid her weapons under the shopping carts, then lay down and oozed out of the Kevlar bodysuit, across the sidewalk, and under the door. Rock and roll was blasting out of the PA system, filling the store with a relentless chainsaw rhythm guitar that drowned all other sound. She swirled around the registers, then started to make her way across the aisles. The first two were empty, then in the third, the old man was sitting all by himself on a milk crate. Scented candles were lit up and down either side of the aisle, as if someone had laid out a landing strip. She could sense the others around her, but her perceptions weren't as sharp in mist form and the odor and heat from the candles made it nearly impossible to tell how far away they were. Their heartbeats and breathing were lost in the music, but there was blood in the air. All over in the air. She floated up to the ceiling, where she could see over the tops of the shelf gondolas. There were two of them working on the other side of the store, bobbing in time to the music. Rolf would have wafted back out the door and called the others, and Bella would have drawn an elaborate plan to stalk them, one at a time, and pick them off when they were alone, but that was exactly why she wasn't going to do either of those things. As she pulled herself into solid form she felt a horrible wrenching in her chest, like her heart caving in on itself. Not a physical pain, but a sudden absence. One of the others was suddenly not there. Rolf. Just not there. She stood there in front of the old man, naked, shaking, trying to bring herself back to the hunt. â€Å"Don't scream,† she said. THE EMPEROR He didn't like that the men were locked in the walk-in cooler, and he didn't like that the Animals had tied him up, rubbed liver and steaks all over him, and set him on a milk box, but he had done his duty to his city. He had alerted the only people who would listen to the presence of the black ship, told them what the strange faux-Hawaiian had said about the old vampires coming for them, and he could have some peace of mind in that. They didn't have to duct tape his hands so tightly, and tape his ankles to the milk box. They could have just asked. Ah, youth. She materialized about twelve feet in front of him, nude, nubile, and athletic, so black she might have been made of polished ironwood, yet the death-pallor made her lips appear lavender. Her hair was trimmed close to her scalp, her eyes appeared to be gold, but he couldn't tell for sure. She shivered for a moment, as if a current was being applied to her body. He watched her muscles tensing and relaxing, rippling under her skin in waves. Then she stopped shaking and opened her eyes. â€Å"Don't scream,† she said. Blood tears formed in the corners of her eyes. â€Å"Oh my, if you aren't lovely,† said the Emperor. She smiled and he saw fangs there, and he suddenly felt as if he might wet himself. She moved a few steps closer to him. â€Å"Are those steaks on your shoulders?† she said. â€Å"Yes. There's liver in my pockets as well.† She cocked her head as if listening. â€Å"Where are the others?† â€Å"I don't know,† he said. Her hand shot out and in an instant her fingers were wrapped in his beard and she was pulling his head back, not yanking, but pulling with an irresistible strength, as if he'd been hitched to a power winch. â€Å"Where are they?† He could feel his vertebrae cracking, feel her raking her fangs over his neck. Then the sound of a high-pressure gas burst and she wasn't there, and there was a length of heavy nylon line in the space where her face had been. â€Å"Down!† came Lash's voice, as he, Troy Lee, Jeff, and Drew all rolled out of the shelves where they had been hiding behind rows of toilet paper and paper towels. The vampire woman's head was pinned to a bale of paper towels with the stainless-steel spear from Barry's spear gun. She screeched like a wildcat and pulled herself away and leapt at Drew, who was leveling a Super Soaker. Lash yanked the spear gun and the nylon line whipped her around. Jeff and Troy Lee opened garden sprayers on her from the front, while Drew unloaded the Super Soaker from the back. She screeched and writhed in the streams, but her flesh was coming off in great slimy chunks, as if she were wax and had been dropped into a foundry furnace. It was all over in ten seconds, and every item for twenty feet in either direction had been knocked off the shelves, the Emperor was on his back, unable to right himself, and the ancient vampire was a puddle of red goo that still bubbled as it broke down. â€Å"What do you know,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Grandma's tea worked.† Lash nodded and threw the spear gun to the floor with a clank. â€Å"Clint! Clean up on aisle four!† JODY Because she never liked going to the gym, Jody decided to stake out the Raven from the roof of an office building next door instead of on the Bay Club. The fact that she'd been able to leap from brick balcony to brick balcony until she was on the roof, six floors up, proved what she had always maintained, at least when she was alive: working out is narcissistic bullshit. She almost wished that the girls she'd worked with at the Transamerica Building could see her now-all of them stuffing themselves into Spandex and nylon after work and heading to the Bay Club or 24 Hour Fitness in hope of meeting someone who wasn't a creep and, in the case of the Bay Club members, someone who was rich. She imagined them saying, â€Å"Do you want to come with us? We can get you a guest pass. Mohitos afterward?† â€Å"No thanks,† she'd say. â€Å"I'm going to go bench-press an Audi a couple of sets, grab the satchel with the three-hundred grand I stashed on a roof up the street, and go back to my loft and fuck my immortal boyfriend until dawn.† Okay, that wasn't really what she was going to do, but she for goddamn sure was not going to the gym and getting all sweaty so she could meet guys. She didn't even want to be on the roof of the gym, knowing that there was unprotected fitness going on below. She could see the Raven across the Embarcadero, and the Rasta kid was doing nautical stuff with different instruments. At least she thought he was doing nautical stuff. He could have just been dicking around with expensive equipment. None of the vampires was there. There were lights coming from a few of the ports below the cockpit, but she didn't see any movement. The sense of immediacy that had driven her here had evaporated somewhat. She thought about calling Tommy, but didn't have any idea what his new cell phone number might be. She used Abby's phone and dialed Foo's number, but it went to voice mail, which she didn't see as a good sign. If the other two vampires were out of the ship, and she had to wait for them to return, she'd never get a shot at them from this far away. If they didn't come back until dawn, she'd be caught outside at sunrise. There was a warehouse by the pier, perhaps that roof. And she'd set herself a time limit. If they didn't show by a half-hour before sunup, she'd head back to the loft. Even at a slow, human jog she'd make it in plenty of time. She'd have to sneak down the back of the building, though. You didn't want people to see you jumping two or three stories at a time. She understood why the vampires had to keep their secret, she really did, but not at the expense of them killing her friends. â€Å"Good view?† A woman's voice came from behind her. Jody rolled and whipped around, pulling Foo's UV laser from the waistband of her jeans. She didn't have on the sun-glasses so she pointed the laser at the figure coming across the roof toward her, closed her eyes, turned away, then fired. The laser buzzed out a blue beam that lasted two seconds, then started making a high-pitched whining sound as it recharged its capacitor. â€Å"Oh, very nice,† came the voice. It was definitely a woman, amazing figure, wearing a skin-tight black suit, a black mask, and sunglasses, and carrying some sort of weapon. She looked like a superhero. Jody was on her feet, in a crouch. The laser thing was still charging, but maybe it would fire a weaker blast, give her time to move. â€Å"Nah, nah, nah.† The woman raised her weapon, and fired. A stuttering stream of pellets peppered Jody's arm and she lost hold of the laser. Jody felt as if her arm were on fire. She looked to see ten tiny holes, each smoking, with a clear liquid, not blood running out of it. The woman whipped off her hood and sunglasses, but kept the weapon trained on Jody. She was stunning, a pale, Mediterranean beauty with waist-length hair like black silk and almost impossibly large eyes. â€Å"That light thing is sweet, but you should get one of these,† she said. â€Å"It's basically just a pellet gun modified to fire chemical pellets, but the chemical, there's the magic.† â€Å"It burns like hell,† Jody said. â€Å"Yes, it does. And I could cut you in half with this before you could get to me. That's the problem with light weapons, they don't have range and it doesn't take much to stop them. Like this suit, for instance. I mean, this thing has a UV light on it, but that's just to keep you from turning to mist. Can you do that, fledgling?† â€Å"That's what Elijah called me,† Jody said. â€Å"That's what he called all of us in our day.† Jody tried to figure out how to get to the woman. She knew she could move impossibly fast for a human, but this was another vampire, a very old vampire. She had once squared off against Elijah thinking all things were equal among vampires and he'd nearly ended her. As if she was reading Jody's thoughts the vampire fired her weapon and Jody felt her other arm light up with pain from shoulder to elbow. â€Å"Ouch. Fuck. You bitch!† â€Å"Bella, not bitch. And what were you going to do to me, fledgling? Do you have any idea what you've done? We have been together hundreds of years. You ended pieces of history. You took parts of me.† She fired again and Jody's right leg gave way. â€Å"What do you mean, pieces?† â€Å"You don't know what it is to merge with another being then? With a lover? We were lovers, Rolf, Makeda, and me, for hundreds of years, and now they are gone.† â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about.† â€Å"Both are gone, I could feel it. Funny, I didn't know I was always aware of their presence until they were gone. Not an hour ago. I'm alone now. I should let you live if only because we've lost two. There are fewer than a hundred of us, fledgling, and you might have been one of us.† â€Å"I didn't know,† Jody said. â€Å"I don't even care anymore. Maybe I'll just kill you and lie down and wait for the sun to come up. I'll never even know what happened.† â€Å"Trust me, that's not as painless as you think it is,† Jody said. â€Å"Don't!† said Bella. She raised her weapon again but this time, when the little UV light came on, Jody pushed off with her good leg, did a high backflip, and fell six stories to the courtyard below. She expected to feel bone-crushing pain, hear the crackle of vertebrae, maybe even the crunch of her skull, but instead she felt warm water envelop her. She had landed in the Bay Club's pool, which meant she must have launched herself a good forty feet away from the roof. Her predator mind, the one that had risen to tell her that the City was hers, now kicked in, assessing survival. She was under water, that was good. The pellet weapon wouldn't penetrate the water more than a foot before losing it's effectiveness. Plus, the pool water was flushing out whatever heinous chemical had been burning her. She felt herself healing, even as she hovered at the bottom of the pool. She could stay there indefinitely without breathing if necessary. The bad news was that Bella was still up there, and as soon as Jody left the water, the good news would end. It was very unlikely she could take the older vampire hand-to-hand, even if she could get past the pellet weapon, but she could run. Even if she was no faster than Bella, she knew this neighborhood. She'd worked here for years, and she wasn't three blocks from Okata's dismal little apartment. She dug in her jacket pocket and found Abby's phone. It was a weatherized model and the screen was still showing the time. Still four hours until sunup, and that was a guess. She had to cut it extremely close, but if she could bolt away from the Raven with just enough time to find shelter herself, but not enough time for Bella, she just might get away. And maybe in the meantime, Rivera and Cavuto would call out a S.W.A.T. team to storm the black ship. Or the Animals would blow it up, like they had Elijah's yacht. Maybe Bella would dive into the water after her, although losing the high ground would take away a distinct advantage. Maybe one of the people in the apartments above would look down and think there was a body in the pool, and she could make her escape when the EMTs came to rescue her. That's it. She assumed the yoga posture called â€Å"down-floating corpse† and waited, listening for any disturbance that might indicate she had company in the pool, and concentrated on her wound healing. Maybe if she healed enough she could go to mist and sneak out that way. She hadn't moved a lot in mist form, nor had she ever changed under water and she wasn't sure she could, but it might be worth a try. A shadow fell across the bottom of the pool, cast by the mercury lights above, and she flipped over to see Bella moving catlike at the edge of the pool. Then again, maybe not. CHET He'd watched them slaughter all of his fellow vampire cats and instead of running, as would have been his feline instinct, he tracked the killers, which was behavior born entirely of his human side. The three sides of his nature were in constant conflict. Even now, his cat side hated water, and wanted to flee, but his human side felt hate rising and wanted to attack. The vampire side told him to remain hidden, to approach in stealth, as mist, but his cat side told him to pounce, rip her throat out with claw and fang. It occurred to him, as he watched from the roof of the Bay Club as she paced around the pool in her skin-tight black suit, that water or no water, revenge or no revenge, he was going to hump the bejezus out of her before any other action took place. There was part tomcat in all of his natures. He'd started his pack by mating with any female in heat, then they turned males, and so on. And he continued his undead romp through the alleys and backyards of San Francisco, but as he grew larger, and the human part of him manifested, he was just too big to finish the deed. If he fed on them, they went to dust before he got to hump them, and if humped them, they didn't survive for him to feed on them, and he'd humped a bunch of cats to death before he figured that out. It turned out, size did matter. But here was the perfect solution. Moving strong and sexy, just the right size-he could lock his jaws on her neck and have at it, then drink her blood or bite her head off as the whim hit him, and all the time that horrible weapon would be pointed away from him. He went to mist and oozed down the side of the building in a stream that blended with the night fog creeping in off the Bay. JODY Jody just happened to be looking up at Bella's watery silhouette against the mercury light when she saw another shape appear behind Bella, leap on her back, and pull her away from the edge of the pool. Jody was not going to sit around checking references, whatever that thing was, it was an ally. She came out of the water like a rocket, and in two steps she leapt to the top of the twelve-foot security fence and looked back. Something had pulled Bella around and now had her face-down on the pavement and appeared to be humping the bejezus out of her. Jody knew she shouldn't, but she paused. Big kitty ears, big kitty tail, big kitty sinking his fangs into the back of Bella's neck. Kitty was as big as Bella, maybe a little bigger. Chet. Bad kitty, Jody thought. Bella shrieked, then launched herself backward with her arms, lifting both of them into the air, where they did a half-backflip and landed on the concrete with Chet's back as the point of impact. He let go with his jaws and Bella spun around and let loose with the pellet weapon. Chet yowled and jerked on the ground. Bella strafed his neck, which dissolved instantly into a mass of goo. He stopped moving. Jody had seen enough. She leapt off the fence to the sidewalk and took off into the financial district, taking a right at the next corner, then a left, going as fast as her legs would carry her-to hell with someone seeing. She tried to go to mist, but couldn't. Either the fear or her injuries were stopping her. She could hear Bella's footsteps behind her, a block away, now less than a block. What was the range of that pellet weapon anyway? Left on Broadway, left on Battery, right on Pacific, footsteps on her ass, now left on Sansome, next left, she heard the pellet gun sputter and she felt her right leg go out from under her. She rolled and tried to come up but the gun sputtered again and her left leg was gone. She rolled over onto her back, pushed away, scooting on her butt. The gun spat and her left elbow stopped working. â€Å"Fuck, how much ammo does that thing have?† â€Å"More than I'll need to turn you to soup,† Bella said. â€Å"Oh look, no swimming pool.† â€Å"Shame, I guess you won't get to enjoy another kitty fuck.† The gun spat. Jody's right arm folded behind her with a splash of pain. Bella ran her nails over her breast. â€Å"Didn't happen. This suit will stop light, even small-caliber firearms-â€Å" But evidently not blades, Jody thought. Because she was a vampire, and things happened more slowly to her predator eyes, she saw the blade come over Bella's shoulder, enter her body at her left trapezius, and zip across her chest and her kitty-dick-proof suit to exit just under her right arm. Bella's head and right arm slid right, her left arm and the rest of her body fell left. She had a rather surprised expression on her face that stayed there, even as her mouth continued to work soundlessly, as if she really, desperately wanted to finish that last sentence. â€Å"Hello,† Okata said. Jody looked past the swordsman to the sign on the corner that read: JACKSON STREET.

Defendants breif on negligence essays

Defendants breif on negligence essays Plaintiffs Brief on Negligence v. ) IN THE MOCK TRIAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA PLAINTIFF ESTATE OF DORIS DAYLIGHT The court should compensate Mrs. Daylights Estate for: 2. Mrs. Daylights unborn child becoming HIV positive, 3. The foreseeable result of the plaintiffs alleged actions, her inevitable premature death 4. Pain and suffering, which she will endue in the brief period before her death and her childs death and 5. Exemplary damages awarded to discourage this type of alleged negligence. The tort of negligence is doing or failing to do something, which involves conduct, which falls below the standard regarded as normal or desirable by the community . The elements which must be proven before a defendant can be found liable for negligence are: 1. The defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care, 2. The defendant breached this duty of care, and 3. This breach of the duty of care caused the plaintiffs injury. The first element of negligence is that the defendant owed a duty of reasonable care to the plaintiff. Reasonable care must be taken to avoid acts or omissions which can be reasonably foreseen to injure your neighbour . Clearly Doris is Eggleheads neighbour as she is someone who is likely to be affected by any of the doctors acts or omissions due to her relationship with Rock Hard. Dr Egglehead owes a very high standard of care to his patients concerning their health. The health and welfare of a patient is a doctors paramount duty, higher even than his duty to maintain confidentiality . It is clear from the facts of this case that Dr Egglehead owed a high duty of care to Rock Hard and Doris Daylight and that Doris Daylights infection can be directly linked to the defendants blatant breach of this duty. The plaintiff is within the class of persons who were at risk of foreseeable injury if the defendant failed to properly coun...

The Role of the Psychologist in Family Law Custody Battles

The Role of the Psychologist in Family Law Custody Battles Free Online Research Papers With divorce rates ever rising in Canada issues surrounding parenting after divorce are becoming more and more prevalent. As it stands 31% of marriages in Canada are ending in divorce. Of the 31% of marriages that end in divorce an even smaller portion end up in litigation. (Schuller Ogloff, 2002, p. 393) As a legal assistant in a family law office I see many of the most complex family custody disputes and many instances where the Court appoints a Psychologist to assist in the Judge’s decision. Does having an expert third party involved in custody and access decisions offer the Judge a different perspective or simply reinforce what he or she already knows? Review of research on the Psychologist’s role in custody and access disputes demonstrates that the Psychologist does play an integral part in assisting families caught in litigation in forming a parenting plan that is in the best interest of the child or children of the marriage (Covell, 1999; Emery, Laumann-Billings, Waldron, Sbarra Dillon, 2001; Sorenson, Golman, Sheeber, Albanese, Ward, Williamson, McDanal, 1997). The use of a third party expert in litigation is not a new concept and should be more widely used when it comes to family law. Research indicates there to be greater satisfaction in families that go through litigation compared to those who go through mediation and greater satisfaction yet when families have an independent third party to assist in developing a parenting regime (Covell, 1999; Emery et al., 2001; Sorenson et al., 1997). Summary of Research The Law When examining family law matters we must understand the law as set out in the Family Law Act which came into effect on October 1, 2005 (Alberta Court Family Justice, 2005). The Family Law Act is intended to focus on the needs of child or children of the relationship and to put those needs first, it is also intended to streamline the Court process by encouraging the resolution of issues through mediation (Alberta Court Family Justice, 2005). Under the Family Law Act the word â€Å"parenting† has replaced the words â€Å"custody and access,† this is intended to reflect that parenting is still the responsibility of both parents regardless of the breakdown of their relationship. Parents are to continue to share guardianship of their child or children after their separation until they agree on a parenting plan or the Court orders otherwise. The Court reserves the right to intervene where necessary and appropriate (Alberta Court Family Justice, 2005). Practice Note 7 allows for the Alberta Courts to appoint a Psychologist to a family law case for either an Assessment or Intervention. The Psychologist is referred to as an independent parenting expert and is appointed when in family matters there is no resolution possible and the Court needs an objective professional opinion to assist in looking out for the best interests of the child or children involved, the Court may also appoint an independent parenting expert to expedite and facilitate a resolution of specific issues that are better resolved in a non-adversarial fashion (Alberta Court Family Justice, 2005). When an Assessment is used in matters of child custody the independent parenting expert will examine both parent and child and provide his recommendations with respect to which parenting arrangement is in the best interest of each child. The expert will take into consideration the results of psychological testing, the mental health of the individuals being examined as well as any issues identified by the Courts as set out in the Assessment Order. The parenting expert may provide his or her input into the parameters of the Assessment and whether or not an Intervention may be more appropriate (Alberta Court Family Justice, 2005). Similar to an Assessment, for an Intervention an independent parenting expert will usually make his recommendation to the Court as to what he feels is appropriate for that particular case. There are several forms of Intervention, which include, but are not limited to, counseling, therapy, educational sessions such as Parenting After Separation, evaluation and recommendations. The expert may determine a parenting plan that is agreeable to all parties involved or he may terminate the Intervention if he feels it is not going to be useful (Alberta Court Family Justice, 2005). Research Covell (1999) argues that the existing system used in custody decisions is not really in the best interest of the child. In examining the current Canadian system she examines both cases with Psychologists involved and cases without. Covell indicates that the child’s best interests are best represented when a Parenting Plan is put to use. The underlying assumptions associated with having a Parenting Plan approach are as follows: parents enter the divorce process with little understanding of the impact it will have on themselves as well as their children; parents become self-absorbed during the divorce process and forget the best interests of their children; there will be future conflict between the parents; and that it is in the best interest of the child to have both parents involved in the parenting process. The assumptions as set out above are true to most custody cases and therefore a Parenting Plan tends to offer a long-term solution to custody arrangements, which in turn more often offers greater stability to the child or children involved. Emery et al. (2001) examines follow-up data obtained twelve years after either mediation or litigation in custody disputes. In this study litigation was not broken down into cases in which a Psychologist was involved and cases in which one was not. Mediation was provided through a court appointed mediator, not a Psychologist. In contrasting litigation to mediation Emery et al. found similar to Covell that those who went through litigation were able to stick to a parenting plan over a greater period of time offering more stability to the child or children of the relationship. Those who went through litigation found that there was more satisfaction amongst each parent resulting in less post-decision conflict. Sorenson et al. (1997) examines a study of sixty families involved in contested custody cases in the State of Florida. Of the sixty families studied the most common custody arrangement involved granting one parent primary residency. They found that there was almost equal distribution of judges granting primary residency mothers and fathers; however, judges were more likely to grant primary residency to fathers when a Psychologist was involved. Without the involvement of a Psychologist it was noted that the judge would most often go with the State’s presumption of shared custody based on the child’s interests. Overall the research supports and emphasizes that there is greater satisfaction with the use of the expert testimony from a Psychologist in assisting the Courts in custody decisions. Faust and Ziskin (1988) are skeptics when it comes to forensic psychology and its relevance in law. They claim that the instability of method and theory inhibits the accumulation of scientific knowledge. Faust and Ziskin offer several arguments against the use of expert testimonies in the courtroom. Studies they reviewed show that clinicians’ error rate exceeded their accuracy rate. Also in research reviewed clinicians generally are not experienced in the forensic role because they are more familiar with the role of helping patients. Faust and Ziskin feel that the clinician’s tendency to empathize with people will cloud the Court’s decision. Lastly, they believe that clinicians tend to overvalue supportive evidence and undervalue counterevidence, which leads to the presumption of abnormality when it might not be there. Overall, Faust and Ziskin believe that the expert’s testimony will reflect personal biases and can mislead the Courts. Analysis and Critique The research cited above is a small portion of the research that exists in the area of forensic psychology specifically family law. While Covell, Emery et al. and Sorenson et al. investigate the Psychologist’s role in custody decisions based on the satisfaction of the parties involved after the litigation process, Faust and Ziskin examine the process itself looking at the clinician’s role as opposed to the outcome. Both methods of research although different have a consistent theme. It seems that bias exists throughout the legal system and when one adds an expert third party it adds the possibility of greater bias. When comparing the research of Covell, Emery et al. and Sorenson et al. it is evident that structure increases satisfaction as well a stability in the outcome of custody cases. Covell offered mainly suggestion of the best approach to psychology in family law stemming from her research of the child’s best interest that in some regards is a bit of a stretch from the data used. Emery et al. and Sorenson et al. relied on surveys from longitudinal studies post-custody decision, the groups were between thirty-five and sixty all randomly selected which reduces researcher bias but increases variables. Suggestions for Future Research With the amount of variables that exist in family law it would be ideal to have a study longitudinally examining families who have gone through the litigation process for custody arrangements comparing the outcomes of cases using a Psychologist and those that do not. The families would need to be of similar socioeconomic status, have the same number of children and have parents who reside in the same city. Also, for consistency, it could be useful to ensure that families studied have similar family structure post-divorce i.e. having step-parents/siblings etc. A longitudinal study allows us to understand what truly works and what does not in terms of child custody arrangements over a long period of time. Although somewhat unrealistic, it would all be interesting and informative to do a comparison of a Judge’s decision for custody in comparison to a Psychologist’s recommendations when given the same case and track the discrepancies between the two using several cases and several Judges and Psychologists in the same area. This would allow not only for the Psychologists and Judges to be compared but it would give insight into the discrepancies that exist within each profession. Opinion When reaching a custody agreement between parents is impossible litigation is the best option. Litigation offers a structured environment to resolve family law conflict. In a litigated case, when there are expressed concerns about emotional or psychological problems that adversely effect parenting abilities or the childrens emotional well-being, or when the parties’ conflicts have become such that their hostility impedes any progress towards settlement, the services of a psychologist will be called upon by the Court to assist the decision-making process. The goal of the Court appointed Psychologist is to provide recommendations and input that can provide a basis for informed settlement discussions on residency and parenting plans that meet the individual needs of the family involved in the litigation. The structure of the Family Law Act incorporating Practice Note 7 creates a system where there is less inter-parental conflict and likely to be more meaningful involvement of both parents in the child’s life through an agreed to Court Ordered parenting plan. Through litigation using a psychologist it results in less re-litigation and therefore less disruption to the child’s well being (Covell, 1999). Conclusion Although it is difficult to track and research the role of the Psychologist in family law custody matters the research reviewed in this paper indicates that there is little negative to come from having an expert independant third party assist the Courts decision. Faust and Ziskin (1988) do identify that each party brings their own biases into the puzzle but the other research examined herein acknowledges the same and concludes that despite the potential bias, greater good comes from the Psychologists involvement. Whether a Psychologist appointed by the Court uses an intervention or assessment style to report to the Court he provides support to both the parents and child or children involved in what can be a very emotional experience. In addition to providing support to the family the Psychologist can assist both the parents and the Court to identify the best interests of the child which is the focus of the Family Law Act. References Alberta Court Family Justice. (2005). Alberta’s family law act: an overview. Retrieved November 11, 2006, from albertacourts.ab.ca/cs/familyjustice/ FLA Overview.pdf Covell, K. (1999). Promoting parenting plans: a new role for the psychologist as expert in custody disputes. Expert Evidence 7,113-126. Emery, R., Laumann-Billings, L., Waldron, M., Sbarra, D., and Dillon, P. (2001). Child custody mediation and litgation: custody, contact and coparenting 12 years after initial dispute resolution. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,69 (2), 323-332 Faust, D., Ziskin, J. (1988). The expert witness in psychology and psychiatry. Science, 241, 31-35. Schuller, R., Ogloff, J. (Eds). (2002). Introduction to psychology and the law Canadian perspectives. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Sorenson, E., Golman, J., Sheeber, L., Albanese, I., Ward, M., Williamson, L and McDanal, C. (1997). Judges reliance on psychological, sociological and legal variables in contested custody decisions. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage 27(1/2), 1-25. Research Papers on The Role of the Psychologist in Family Law Custody BattlesThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThree Concepts of PsychodynamicQuebec and CanadaComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoStandardized Testing19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Should You Guess on the ACT 5 Guessing Strategies

Should You Guess on the ACT 5 Guessing Strategies SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Because the ACT has no penalty for guessing, you should always guess on the ACT if you don’t know the answer.After all, leaving a question blank and guessing are functionally the same. This article will focus less on the technical aspects of whether it’s beneficial to guess on the ACT and more on strategies for guessing that might lead you to the right answer. After reading this guide, you should be able to score some additional lucky points on the ACT! Strategy 1: Eliminate Answer Choices Before Guessing The number one rule of guessing on the ACT is try to minimize your guessing. The first thing you should do when you come across a question that (at least partially) stumps you is to use the process of elimination.The more choices you can cross off, the better your chances of getting the question right will be. Don’t guess blindly just because you think you don’t know the answer; rather, read all the answer choices. Sometimes a question that seems difficult will be less so after you review the options you are given.When it comes down to it, the ACT only tests basic academic skills. Even if a question appears to ask about an unfamiliar subject, you might be able to solve it using simple logic. If you can only find one answer choice that's clearly incorrect, you'll still have a better shot at guessing the right answerfrom the remaining three choices, so don't be afraid- go for it! Strategy 2: Pick a Guessing Letter Before the Test What if you really, really can’t eliminate any answers?On these ACT questions, it's best to pick the same letter answer choice every time.In truth, you have a higher likelihood of getting questions right by guessing the same letter every time than by skipping around. But why? The reason is twofold.For one, using a guessing letter saves you time and ensures a random guess. If you've already decided you're going to go with a certain letter regardless of the question, you can preserve randomness and count on the law of averages to give you around one question correct out of every four guesses. If you skip around with your guesses, you're probably not guessing randomly, which means you're more likely to fall prey to the ACT's traps. The test will try to trick you with answer choices that seem more likely to be correct at first glance but are purposely placed there to ensnare unwitting students. If you don't pick a guessing letter beforehand, you're more likely to fall prey to these appealing but incorrect answers by making a guess that's not truly random. Pick one A through D letter (A, B, C, or D) and one F through J letter (F, G, H, or J) at random before the ACT,and stick to it for allofyour guesses.You can also plan to guess those letters on questions for which you've eliminated one or more answer choices (provided the guessing letters don't correspond with the choices you've already eliminated). BUBBLESSSS! The bubbles! Your bubbles. That you should always fill in on the ACT. (Please tell me you've all seen Finding Nemo.) Strategy 3: Move On and Guess Later Many students make the mistake of lingering on questions they don’t know, causing them to lose time that would be better spent on easier questions.If you really don’t know the correct answer, don’t waste your time dwelling on the question. But what's considered "wasting your time"? The ACT has pretty narrow time constraints. Here's a chart with an overview of the time limits on each section of the test: ACT Section Total Time # of Questions Time per Question English 45 minutes 75 36 seconds Math 60 minutes 60 60 seconds Reading 35 minutes 40 53 seconds Science 35 minutes 40 53 seconds On English, you get around 36 secondsto answer each question, so you should be able to figure out a strategy within the first 10 seconds or you need to skip it. By contrast, with Math,you get a minute on average for each question. If you haven't figured out a strategy to answer a question in the first 30 seconds of looking at it, move on to the next one. Reading and Science each give you around 53 seconds to answer each question, so for both sections 20 seconds or less per question is a good rule of thumb. Most of the time, you won't have to time yourself to realize when you're momentarily stumped. If you've read a question thoroughly and still feel unsure about how to solve it, skip it for now. At the end, you can come back to all the questions you skipped and see whether you're able to eliminate any answer choices before guessing. Overall, you really shouldn't be afraid of guessing on the ACT.I know all you perfectionists out there will be biting your nails at the possibility of guessing incorrectly (high school me certainly would be!). But don't sweat it.There’s nothing more you can do in that moment on the test to ensure that you choose the correct answer.If you get it wrong, you won’t lose points anyway! Strategy 4: Check Your Bubbles Before the Section Ends Another important point to emphasize is that you should always recheck your answer sheetthe last minute of a section to make sure all the bubbles are filled in. As I have said, no penalty for guessing means lots and lots of bubbling. Start training yourself to make dark marks in small circles, my friends, because you're going to want to fill in every bubble in sight on the ACT (not really every bubble ... I got carried away). Seriously, though, there's no reason to ever leave an ACT question blank! Don't cheat yourself by forgetting to answer a question you previously skipped in a section. For every four bubbles you leave blank, you miss out on one potential extra point on average, which can sometimes raise your score by a whole composite point. Most other students will be doing this, too. If you don't, you are essentially putting yourself at a disadvantage! Strategy 5: Plan by Considering Your Target ACT Score If you know your target ACT score, you can use this goal to help yourself feel a little more comfortable about guessing (or push yourself to find a solution to a question you're having trouble with). Here's an example of an official ACT scoring chart. This chart indicates how raw ACT scores (i.e., the number of questions you answered correctly on a section) generally convert into final scaled scores in the 1-36 range(I say "generally" asthese scores translate differently on each ACT): You can use this chart to figure out what your raw score needs to be in order to arrive at your target scaled score for a particular ACT section. Then, you'll know how many questions you can afford to answer incorrectly in each section. This is an easy way to take the stress out of guessing. If you already feel confident on enough ACT questions to reach your target score, the questions you aren't sure about are just potential bonus points. Also, if you find yourself guessing a lot on ACT practice testsand it's preventing you from reaching your target score, make sure youmark every question you guessed on (even if you got it right). This way, you can come back to it later and work on understanding the correct answer. Summary: The Best ACT Guessing Strategies To sum up, guessing on the ACT can be extremely beneficial. There are no point penalties on the test, so any (wrong) guesses you make won't count against you. Once again, here are the five ACT guessing strategies covered above: Always guess on the ACT! Fill in every bubble. There's no penalty, so just go for it. Eliminate wrong answers- always try to get rid of as many answer choices as possible before making your guess. Pick guessing letters(one for A, B, C, and D; and one for F, G, H, and J) before you take the ACT to use as your go-tos for blind guessing. Don’t spend too much time on questions that stump you. Be aware of your target ACT score when guessing so you have a clearer idea as to how many questions you can afford to get wrong. Good luck! What's Next? Want to practice these guessing strategies?Downloadthese free official ACT practice testsand our picks for the best ACT prep books to get started! Check out our article on how to get a 36 on ACT Reading,where we discuss in more detail how to eliminate wrong answer choices for this tricky section. You should alsotake a look at the best way to review your mistakes on the ACT.Hopefully you are doing some practice tests before you take the actual exam so you can target your weaknesses and avoid having to guess too much! Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Can We Prove the Existence of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Can We Prove the Existence of God - Essay Example Someone properly planned our bodies and then did his best in order to realize this plan. This someone is God. I am Christian and believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior. However, it is not the only reason why I am sure that everything on the Planet is created by God. I am not the only person who has this point of view. There are also numerous arguments that will prove the existence of God. For instance, cosmos is a magnificent result of someone’s thorough work. It is not just a theory; this point of view was proved by one of the medieval philosophers – Saint Thomas Aquinas. This philosopher gave birth to cosmological arguments that prove the existence of God. It turns out that people only need to look deeper at the world around them, especially at cosmos. This will help them to see themselves the arguments that prove the existence of God. Aquinas managed to prove that reason and faith are closely connected with each other. Thus, he suggested several arguments to prove that everything was created by God. All of them are based on one major idea. It is the one form contingency. Saint Thomas Aquinas applied this argument to demonstrate that everything in the world is dependent upon something. Nothing can exist separately. The world looks like some properly planned interdependent system of various elements that need each other. Moreover, the universe that is the major field of all those elements lacks some ultimate reality for its existence. This reality can be only God. There are three different variants of the above-mentioned argument (causality, motion, contingency), but the meaning is the same – the structure of the universe proves the existence of God. Another medieval thinker – Saint Anselm – suggested the ontological argument for God’s existence. It also proves the existence of God. The major thought given by the thinker concerning the above-mentioned argument is that in general the existence is not â€Å"necessary† but â€Å"contingent†. According to Saint Anselm’s point of view the whole universe is â€Å"contingent†; it is not necessary to exist. The only one who is necessary is God. Although, this point of view is highly debatable; it still is a good way to prove that God is an essential part of human life. He exists, He created people and He is necessary for normal life. From my perspective, this explanation included by Chaffee in his book is one of the best ways to explain that God exists (Chaffee, 335). There are three more arguments proving that God exists. They are the following ones: 1) the argument from design, 2) the first cause argument and 3) the moral argument. The first one is frequently called â€Å"the teleological argument†. The major point of this argument is based on the thought that universe is ordered. Everything in the universe is done so that the earth has life. If at least something was changed, there would be no life in the whole world. So, God kept in mind a proper order for the universe when he was creating people, planets and all other things that are around us. The first cause argument is closely connected with the existence of the universe. The latter began to exist much time ago. However, nothing can appear from nothing. Someone created the universe. Moreover, nobody except God is able to do that. Only He can create such huge and serious things as the universe as he has neither end nor beginning and it is not difficult for him

Exotica and feminisim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Exotica and feminisim - Essay Example All the feminist authors and activists are of the view that such type of films showing women mere in supporting roles, as well as exhibiting their body parts as sign of men’s entertainment, are not only humiliating, but also prove the women folk as the lesser creatures or worthless stratum of society, which contain inferior status than men. Before embarking upon the above-described film in details, it would be appropriate to define feminist perspective: Social groups have not only been divided into different classes in respect of socio-economic status and different occupations and professions, but also distribution of the individuals of a society is based on age, ethnicity, race, region, religion and gender too. Social inequalities are found in all fields of life and in all the institutions and organizations existing in a society. In this pretext the Feminist perspective theory came into existence. The idea of division of labor on the basis of gender gave birth to feminism. It was a strong voice against the inequalities between men and women in respect of social status, division of power as well as work and gender discrimination. â€Å"Feminism is†, Macionis submits, â€Å"the advocacy of social equality for women and men, in opposition to patriarchy and sexism. The first wave of feminism in the United States-began in the 1840s as women opposed to slavery drew parallels between the suppression of African Americans and the o ppression of women.† (2007:353) The theory aimed at seeking equal status for women in every field of human life, where no one could treat them as inferior community on the basis of gender discrimination. The theorists who brought the significance of women’s participation in the social construction programs to the limelight were declared as rebels in the beginning, and then liberals and Marxists subsequently. With the passage of

Golden Age of Hollywood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Golden Age of Hollywood - Essay Example Katharine Hepburn was born in May 12, 1907, growing up in Hartford environs, Connecticut in a loving family, she attended her primary education at the Kingswood-Oxford School located in Hartford and later she attended college at Bryn Mawr. She in history and philosophy in the year and it is here she knew and later married Ludlow Ogden Smith, Katharine’s acting interest developed from college by participating in plays. Immediately after graduating, the next day she travelled to Baltimore where she met a producer, Eddie Knopf who cast her to play in various local routine productions. This marked as her start in professional acting and by 1928; she began to be known in Broadway in the plays like â€Å"These Days.† During this period, Katharine appeared in several plays but she developed a reputation of arguing with directors and was therefore, dismissed from several productions (Edwards 125).  Ã‚  Katharine’s success in the studio system came in 1932 when she play ed Amazon princess in a lead role in the play â€Å"The Warrior’s Husband.† George Cukor a director from Radio-Keith-Orpheum pictures was excited on how she played this role and decided to give her first role in a movie. She accepted to work with him and demanded a high salary in the film â€Å"A Bill of Divorcement† where Katharine’s performance was highly praised. She worked with Cukor in many other movies and therefore, raising to stardom. In 1933, Katharine won her first Oscar.... That same year she had an astounding performance as Jo in the successful screen adaptation of â€Å"Little Women.† Further, she had her second Oscar nomination in 1935 after appearing in the film â€Å"Alice Adams† and she became a rising star (Edwards 177). However, after her success, Katharine had a series of box-office failures threatening her career. The films â€Å"Spitfire,† and â€Å"Break of Hearts† in 1934 failed in box office while in 1935 â€Å"Sylvia Scarlett† did not do well. Further, â€Å"Mary of Scotland† in 1936 and â€Å"Quality Street† made in 1937 failed to succeed. It is was disappointing that even the film â€Å"Bringing Up Baby† created in 1938 that paired Katharine with the star Cary Grant as a comedy was not appreciated by the public although today it is honored as a comedy classic. In 1938, Katharine failures continued as she was voted â€Å"Box Office Poison† in 1938, which was largely because o f her reputation of failing to follow the behavior expected of super stars. She often refused to put on makeup, she wore trousers at the time when they were not fashionable for women, she did not want to give autographs or pose for photographs, and refused to talk to reporters (Edwards 224). Katharine fought to bring back her career success and she left Hollywood to find a stage project. She accepted an offer to star in Philip Barry’s play â€Å"The Philadelphia Story† that highlighted a character incorporating humor, aggression, nervousness, and vulnerability. She financed part of the play together with Howard Hughes and bought the film rights that were used in its creation. The play came out in 1940, it was an immediate success going for two fruitful tours, and Katharine

Individual Design report -Technology Integration Coursework

Individual Design report -Technology Integration - Coursework Example The artefact itself will be the size of an average human torso, which will be placed on a square platform and will be encased in a glass box of about six feet height and three feet width on all sides. Glass panels on all sides will be electric blue in colour and embedded with LED lightning streaks panelled on the sides and back, which can play different patterns of lightning on predetermined intervals or through sensor detection as people pass by and on-off switch will be controlled both through pre-programmed computer system within the platform of the artefact. The front side will be plain glass with no embellishments to afford a clear view. The female form will be rendered in very light cream colour to allow better transparency. The artefact will be facing the sidewalk or road so that it receives maximum view. The female has a cigarette packet in her left hand and a lighted cigarette between the fingers of her right hand. Every time she brings the cigarette to her mouth and takes a drag, the tip will glow and her lungs will be displayed. As she takes out the cigarette from her mouth and brings the hand down, her lungs will darken and the light will fade out. An audio will play, â€Å"Puffing out Your Lungs?† and simultaneously the lightning streaks will illuminate, playing different patterns on all sides and, at the same time, the words of the audio will appear on the front panel. Once the entire series of action is completed, it will repeat only when a passerby approaches within the radius of five metres, or again at a predetermined interval as per the computer programme. When placed on busy roadsides and other areas in future, the artefact will cater for appropriate changes depending on the locations where these will be placed and will also introduce sensors and other appropriate systems for vehicles passing by. During the intervals between the actions, the system will play some mild music. Evaluation: The main objective of this project is to attract the attention of the public to the health hazards of behaviours such as smoking. The glasswork of the design and the lighting effects are intended for attracting and engaging the public who are the audience for this campaign. LED embedding in glass panels is a rather recently developed technology that has immense potential in attracting attention. The technology involves the use of a â€Å"sustainable active glass system,† which can diffuse an array of vibrant colour lights emanating from LEDs and can be operated through electronic programming (LED in Glass 2011:2). The following diagram will illustrate the system: (LED in Glass 2011) This system allows the emission of light from several multicoloured LED strips through glass edges and the light gets â€Å"refracted out of the front and back† (2). The same technology will be used for the burning tip of the cigarette, which will be triggered on the movement of the arm. This technology offers immense possibility of alig ning a wide range of design, colour and light features into glass and can be highly appealing to the audience, especially during night times. The lightning streaks will be in deep orange colour that will enable visibility from distance and also catch the immediate attraction of public. The system will operate through electronic programming of a suitable type that is user friendly and cost effective. In addition, technologies such as cloud computing will be used for enabling easy access and operational efficiency of the

How are the causes of the french revolution portrayed through the Essay

How are the causes of the french revolution portrayed through the visual arts - Essay Example Popular violence defined the French Revolution whose slogan was Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Violent turmoil, which included the trial and execution of the king, warfare involving every major European power, vast bloodshed and repression during the Reign of Terror marked these changes. Napoleonic Wars, two separate restorations of the monarchy, and two additional revolutions are the subsequent events that one can trace to the Revolution as modern France took shape. Many causes brought about the French Revolution one major cause being the disputes between the different types of social classes in French society. The social structure of France was divided among three groups that included the First Estate, the Second Estate and the Third Estate. Each of these social groups had different types of people who presented the different views of the people within their structure. The Church or the Clergy was the First Estate, which during the ancient regime was equal in terms of its economic, social and spiritual power. Being the first estate, the church owned approximately 10 per cent of all the land in France. It paid no taxes but collected a tax on income or a tithe to support church activities such as running schools and caring for the poor. Of the entire clergy in France, about one-third of them served as parish priests who usually lived a hardworking life. They lived in luxury in Versailles, Paris and other major cities in France. Having approximat ely 1 to 2 per cent of the population, this Estate was the minority of the people in France. However, there were many poor clergymen in this Estate, and they too were going to support the Revolution. The Second Estate in French life was the nobility who made up less than 2 percent of the population and enjoyed extensive rights and privileges. Like the First Estate, they hardly paid any taxes but they taxed the peasantry. Nobles were generally the

Principles and Practices of Effective Leadership - Mod 2 Essay

Principles and Practices of Effective Leadership - Mod 2 - Essay Example To this end, the article recognizes the central role that will be played by emotional and cultural intelligence in developing such leaders (Hanna, 2012). There are also additional characteristics that are required for developing successful global leaders. To this end, intellectual understanding that is reflective of the global business context is one key characteristic. It refers to the ability to understand the complexities involved while conducting business globally (Hanna, 2012). The skill to overcome dominant thinking entails the capacity to appreciate the intercultural empathy and have a desire to learn about other cultures. A global leader should also have the desire for cross border partnering with teams in other countries. This skill demonstrates executive maturity in appreciating the value from other foreign and like minded corporations (Hanna, 2012). The author also states that the ability to develop and nurture local and global perspectives is a pertinent skill acquired through living and experiencing different parts of the world. The global leader also needs to have a sense of self assurance and self awareness in relation to their sense of purpose and values. Finally, the author asserts the important skill of developing internal and external networks. This aids in shifting management from a vertical perspective to horizontal collaboration. The article proposes that the global leadership qualities are developed through living in a culturally and linguistically different country. The article by Myron Curry delves into the factors that make a good leader and how an individual can develop into a good leader. To this end, the author states communication as one of the factors that establish a good leadership. The art of effective communication enables a leader to accurately articulate thoughts and ideas to employees (Curry). Evidently, the

How are the causes of the french revolution portrayed through the Essay

How are the causes of the french revolution portrayed through the visual arts - Essay Example Popular violence defined the French Revolution whose slogan was Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Violent turmoil, which included the trial and execution of the king, warfare involving every major European power, vast bloodshed and repression during the Reign of Terror marked these changes. Napoleonic Wars, two separate restorations of the monarchy, and two additional revolutions are the subsequent events that one can trace to the Revolution as modern France took shape. Many causes brought about the French Revolution one major cause being the disputes between the different types of social classes in French society. The social structure of France was divided among three groups that included the First Estate, the Second Estate and the Third Estate. Each of these social groups had different types of people who presented the different views of the people within their structure. The Church or the Clergy was the First Estate, which during the ancient regime was equal in terms of its economic, social and spiritual power. Being the first estate, the church owned approximately 10 per cent of all the land in France. It paid no taxes but collected a tax on income or a tithe to support church activities such as running schools and caring for the poor. Of the entire clergy in France, about one-third of them served as parish priests who usually lived a hardworking life. They lived in luxury in Versailles, Paris and other major cities in France. Having approximat ely 1 to 2 per cent of the population, this Estate was the minority of the people in France. However, there were many poor clergymen in this Estate, and they too were going to support the Revolution. The Second Estate in French life was the nobility who made up less than 2 percent of the population and enjoyed extensive rights and privileges. Like the First Estate, they hardly paid any taxes but they taxed the peasantry. Nobles were generally the

Summarize the political, economic, and social developments from 1763 Essay

Summarize the political, economic, and social developments from 1763 to 1775 that led to the war between the American colonies and England - Essay Example The annihilation of the Stamp Act and unpopular taxes in 1765-1766 have improved the relations between American provinces and Britain but the American agents have felt that they are able to claim greater economic and political independence in creating and controlling the inner market. When William Pitt became the head of administration the tensions decreased to some extend in summer 1766, especially taking into account his Declaratory Act in which the American colonies were granted freedom in terms of inner taxation. Business and politics in England during the 18th century was based on the personal relations, such bonds as amity and marriage were of high importance in developing the trading community. For example, the religious beliefs tied men in economic ventures - Quakers dealt only with co-religionists. The Currency Act of 1764 was introduced by the Board of Trade and it was less severe than intended by the commission. Unlike the Act of 1751 which established the rules for bills, the new Act of 1764 was more a compromise among the merchants, agents and commissioners of trade. Such bill of credit was beneficial for the colonies because the money was already retiring and in the years 1766-1768 the amount of cash circulating was continuously decreasing. When the French and Indian wars were at the concluding stage, the protection of American colonies was perceived as the major task - the British government has sent 10,000 troops to North America in order to defend the new territories1. It has led to the constitutional disputes. The Grenville ministry realised that the price for protection was too high - the debt increased while the participation of American troops in colony protection was minimal. As the result, the colonial assemblies had devoted all their efforts to limit the agent's freedom of action and challenged their political authority in America. The arrival of the British troops caused the constitutional and political debates about the rights and freedoms of colonies. The Mutiny Acts were regularly passed as the part of the Revolutionary Settlement of 1688 while when there was an attempt to extend these acts to America, the questions regarding the personal freedoms of individual and the questionable power of Parliament in colonies were raised. Moreover, the troops had no permanent facilities and the local population was expected to support them with food and housing, however, in many colonies the civil authorities refused to provide any services to the British troops. In addition, very little was done to reduce the three-pence duty - the tax the Americans believed was prohibitive and slowed down the development of the Northern colonies. The ministry did not accept this analysis and passed the duty into practice, as the result, many of the officials executing this law were seized and imprisoned by the local authorities. Weakness of the British Administration During the winter 1765-1766 the British colonial policies were influenced the most both by the colonial agents and British merchants2. The Stamp Act was annihilated, the taxes on imports were reduced and the trade laws became less strict. Even though these changes seem to be not important and small, they became the beginning of separation from the motherland - Britain. The American Whigs have boycotted the British goods and managed to put

Models of Care Essay Example for Free

Models of Care Essay The purpose of this essay is to provide a review of the models which are Chronic Care Model and Patient-Centered Medical Home Model. Also to provide how both achieve quality and safety and add as much information on how both models benefit in providing care to the patients. In comparison and contrast between Chronic Care Model and Patient-Centered Medical Home Model, it is pertinent to know that Chronic is a condition which â€Å"requires ongoing adjustments by the affected person and interactions with the health care system† (Improving Chronic Illness Care, 2006-2011) and is related to the Chronic Care Model which initiates an improved an system between the organization, the community and the level of care. Patient-Centered Medical Home Model however is allocating care that is â€Å"timely access to medical services, enhanced communication between patients and their health care team, coordination and continuity of care, and an intensive focus on quality and safety† (Improving Chronic Illness Care, 2006-2011). Both models provide changes, however, the chronic care relates to patients with an illness where as patient-centered is to provide a improved relationship between the patients and the medical team and to create a transformation of communication and performance as well as provides â€Å"quality improvement approach that promotes a partnership between child, the family and the physician care team† (American College of Physicians, 2011). In the United States, having a model of care has been beneficial because â€Å"treatment of acute condition† (Patient-Centered Medical Home, 2007) has been provided. Along with the Chronic Care Model, an extended support of that model, which is the patient centered, is being implemented to include care â€Å"to include proactive management of the health care needs of all patients† (Patient-Centered Medical Home, 2007) and not just those patients suffering from chronic illness results. Having this new model will also provide a higher quality of care, be cost effective and ensure an improvement to a healthier patient population. The key elements that are beneficial to achieve quality and safety goals are â€Å"a personal physician, a physician-directed team, whole person orientation, coordinated, integrated care, emphasis on quality and safety, enhanced access, and appropriate payment structure† (Patient- Centered Medical Home, 2007). Having these elements is pertinent for both models, however a difference is that the patient- centered medical home model does not require that patients â€Å"get permission from a primary care doctor to see a specialist† (Patient-Centered Medical Home, 2007) however they are required to have a promising relationship with their primary physicians who can advise on what kind of special care is in need and what specialist can advise them in the best medical care and with the best decisions. In conclusion, a structure on lower cost is pertinent to providing the right model for the system. Achieving a prosperous medical outcome in the end requires a cost budget that will benefit not only the Health care organization but the patients as well. Another benefit for patients is to implement a low cost strategy that will allow patients to receive medical treatment and also pay out cost that meets the individual’s budget. Creating an income chart would also be a way to know what a patient can afford to pay. Reference American College of Physicians (2011) Joint principles of a patient. Retrieved February 16, 2011 from http://www.acponline.org/pressroom/pcmh.htm Improving Chronic Illness Care (2006-2011) Patient-Centered Medical Home. Retrieved February 16, 2011 http://www.improvingchroniccare.org/index.php?p=Patient-Centered_Medical_Homes=224 Patient-Centered Medical Home (2007) BCBSM provider group Incentive program patient-centered medical home overall plan. Retrieved February 16, 2011 from http://www.bcbsm.com/pdf/PC-MH_overall_plan.pdf

psychoanalysis of frankenstein Essay -- essays research papers fc

Essay 2 Psychoanalysis is the method of psychological therapy originated by Sigmund Freud in which free association, dream interpretation, and analysis of resistance and transference are used to explore repressed or unconscious impulses, anxieties, and internal conflicts (â€Å"Psychoanalysis†). This transfers to analyzing writing in order to obtain a meaning behind the text. There are two types of people who read stories and articles. The first type attempts to understand the plot or topic while the second type reads to understand the meaning behind the text. Baldick is the second type who analyzes everything. Since his article, â€Å"Allure, Authority and Psychoanalysis† discusses the meaning behind everything that happens in Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein† we can also examine â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas† in the same manner. â€Å"Allure, Authority, and Psychoanalysis† discusses the unconscious wishes, effects, conflicts, anxieties, and fantasies within â€Å"Frankenstein.† The absence of strong female characters in â€Å"Frankenstein† suggests the idea of Victor’s desire to create life without the female. This desire possibly stems from Victor’s attempt to compensate for the lack of a penis or, similarly, from the fear of female sexuality. Victor’s strong desire for maternal love is transferred to Elizabeth, the orphan taken into the Frankenstein family. This idea is then reincarnated in the form of a monster which leads to the conclusion that Mary Shelley felt like an abandoned child who is reflected in the rage of the monster. After reading the article by Baldick, I immediately thought of Ursula K. Le Guin’s â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.† I was forced to read the story again having an open mind and the idea that everything has an alternative meaning. After doing so, I realized that it contains the same concept of abandonment and anger. In order to keep everything in Omelas prime and perfect one person has to be sacrificed. One child is kept in a broom closet in exchange for the splendor and happiness of Omelas. The people of Omelas know what is in the broom closet and, â€Å"they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children†¦depend wholly on this child’s abominable misery† (Le Guin 216). Possibly Le Guin was an abandoned child who’s family was happy to see her in misery. This could le... ...ned in a boating accident. Abandonment seems to link her life together with the deaths of three children, her mother, her husband, and the suicide of her half-sister (Cliff Notes 2-3). The critical analysis of â€Å"Frankenstein† in Baldick’s article allowed a similar examination of â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.† In the end I think it is safe to say that science fiction writing contains some of the authors own experiences whether directly or indirectly. Alternatively, science fiction stories can say something about the reader and that LeGuin wants the reader to look into their own fears of abandonment. Works Cited Baldick, C. "Making Monstrous - 'Frankenstein', Criticism, Theory - Botting,F." Review Of English Studies 45 (1994): 90-99. Coghill, Jeff. â€Å"CliffsNotes Frankenstein† New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, Inc. 2001. â€Å"Dictionary.com† 2 March 2005 < http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q= psychoanalysis> Le Guin, Ursula. â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas† Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Twentieth Century. Ed. Orson Scott Card. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2001. 212-217. Shelley, Mary. â€Å"Frankenstein† New York: Bantam Dell, 1981.

Challenger :: essays research papers

January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger the 25th space shuttle mission, was set to be launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at, 11:38am. Originally the launch was scheduled for January 22, at 3:43pm but had been set back several times due to bad weather. Hopes ran high the anticipation for the lift off was tremendous. This was to be one of the greatest missions ever. It would be a first for many things. The most publicized was that it would be the first time a schoolteacher was allowed to travel in space. The crew was picked and they were anxiously awaiting the countdown. On board the space shuttle that fateful day was.. Crew of the Challenger Michael J. Smith (Pilot) Francis R. Scobee (Commander) Judith A. Resnik (Mission Specialist 1) Ellison S. Onizuka (Mission Specialist 2) Ronald E. McNair (Mission Specialist 3) Gregory B. Jarvis (Payload Specialist 1) Sharon Christa McAuliffe (Payload Specialist 2) 3,2,1..Lift off..The 10th flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the twenty-fifth space shuttle mission, the Challenger had been launched from Pad 39B at 11:38am EST. Hopes ran high as many were lined outside to watch the Challenger being launched, the lift-off was being watched live on television for those who couldn't make it to the Kennedy Space Center. As the Challenger climbed higher and higher something that wasn't expected occurred. Seventy-three seconds after lift-off the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all 7 crewmembers. The United States was devastated. Many people thought this would be one of the greatest missions ever. So what really happened? Many factors contributed to the explosion of the space shuttle. The temperature was 36Â °F at the launching site. After the Solid Rocket Boosters a.k.a. SRB was ignited a thundering noise was heard. Pictures and video showed black smoke coming from the bottom field joint of the right Solid Rocket Booster. That suggested that an O ring was being burned. At 58.8 seconds after lift-off a small flame could be seen on the SRB with enhanced film a few seconds later it could be seen without enhanced film. More time passed by the flame grew bigger and the SRB was beginning to rotate freely and in less than 2 seconds the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. The Challenger was at a height of 46,000 feet when it exploded.

Compare and Contrast “University” and “Warren Pryor” Essay

Why is education important to society? Would one be able to read without a successful teacher teaching one how to read? Education is a key that holds the ability to open many doors – doors which open into vast rooms of knowledge, love, experience, discovery, and dreams. Education is an essential to human living and a fulfilling life, but what happens when the path one takes is not the choice that one personally wants? In â€Å"University†, written by Leona Gom, and â€Å"Warren Pryor†, written by Alden Nowlan, the poems present both negative and positive effects of education on society. The good intentions of the parents result in an awkward distance between them and their children. In â€Å"Warren Pryor,† the parents â€Å"marveled how [Warren] [wears] a milk-white shirt on work days† as this not something a farmers working on the fields would wear. His privilege to wear clean shirts and jeans on Sunday makes them believe he is different socio-economically. To think for them to be close again would just be awkward. Similarly, in â€Å"University,† the parents claim to the children that† [they] are changed, too good for [the parents] now,† showing belief in that they do not fit in with their children anymore. Since the parents believe their kids are too good them, they do not think they should anymore. In both stories, close families of parents and children grow distant from each other because of a barrier of education and social status. It can already be seen that contrary to popular belief, education does not necessarily bring happiness. The protagonist in â€Å"Warren Pryor is described as â€Å"hard and serious† (12-13) because he feels â€Å"like a young bear trapped in a cage† unable to do what he desires. He felt as if he owed it to his parents to become what his parents want him to become. In â€Å"University,† the parents are unsatisfied as â€Å"something they wished for (has) gone wrong.† Originally, they thought education would only make the children happier as they would not need to endure the same hardships, but did not foresee that this also creates distance which leads to unhappiness. Secondly, the characters possess different views regarding the effects of education. In â€Å"University†, the protagonist believes that he has become more educated compared to his parents, while in â€Å"Warren Pryor†, the protagonist feels as if education has degraded him. Warren Pryor describes himself as a â€Å"young bear inside his teller’s cage†. His job as a bank teller restricts him from what he really wishes to do; he wants to assist his parents on the farm. In contrast, the protagonist of â€Å"University† feels that â€Å"the day [he] left, [he] began to believe it. [His] knowledge fits [his] hands like a manicure too expensive to soil with the fact of these farms†. The protagonist describes how farm life is now inferior to his educated mind. However, education also affects the parents of the protagonists. When the parents of Warren witnessed him in his new job, â€Å"they blushed with pride. They marveled†¦ He was saved from their thistle-strewn farm and its red dirt†. Warren’s parents were completely overwhelmed with joy at their son’s success in life, but were unaware of the fact that Warren was actually unsatisfied with his current lifestyle. The parents are not as concerned if Warren becomes distant from them due to the sacrifices that they have made to give Warren education. In contrast, the protagonist’s parents in â€Å"University† are aware that their child has grown distant from the family. Their child is now at the â€Å"corners of family gatherings†¦ You are different [the parents] say, you are changed, too good for us now†. The parents fear that education has rendered their child a stranger now. The characters have different views and effects on society, and create an awkward distance between the parents and their son. Society foreshadows the prosperity of a person’s job depending on the education received. The protagonists’ parents had high hopes for their child, and when that hope has been achieved. Only would the parents feel success in raising a son better than themselves, not knowing that their son has an opinion of otherwise. â€Å"University†, written by Leona Gom, and â€Å"Warren Pryor†, written by Alden Nowlan, both show the positive and negative effects of education in modern day situations.

A report on two options for David Mackenzie & Co

David Mackenzie’s case is that of a typical entrepreneur started and family run business that experiences success and outgrows its existing set-up. Hitherto, Mackenzie thrived on one-off contracts and other local businesses, and his two other companies ran more or less the way it did before he acquired them.All three diverse companies have done financially well, but problems arise when David Mackenzie tries to integrate the operations of these three diverse companies to secure a wider range of orders. The problems relate to the diverse structures and problem of co-ordination among between, hindering the implementation of projects in a smooth and seamless manner.The options mulled by David Mackenzie is first, float a group of companies in the stock exchange, and second merge the three companies into one company. Both these options have their advantages and disadvantages.Advantages and disadvantages of floating the companies in the stock exchangeThe major advantage of floating t he Mackenzie group of companies in the stock exchange, which entails converting the hitherto private limited company into a public limited company (plc), is the ability to raise funds and capital through the sale of securities.The company would be able to sell their shares in the market, and secure large loans easily. Although Mackenzie does not have cash-flow problems at present, it might need infusion of finance as it expands and secures more large overseas orders. Mackenzie could purchase Clyde Electric Ltd only because the company lacked sufficient capital to sustain its growth, and there is every chance that the situation can repeat itself. Mackenzie does not seem to have huge cash reserves to finance possible expansions through internal accruals.Another advantage of listing the company in the stock exchange is infusion of professional corporate governance that Mackenzie group of companies hitherto lacked. Most of Mackenzie’s existing orders were possibly on the basis on personal efforts and one-off relationships, and highly centralized on the David Mackenzie.As the company grows and secures more international and large orders such a structure would not only fail to appeal to large institutional clients, but also fail to sustain the enhanced requirements such as professional decision-making, autonomy, responsibility and the likes.In the present set up all operations would most likely come to a standstill and the company might even fold up in David Mackenzie is not able to involve himself in the active running of the company for a length of time for any reason.A listed company becomes an independent entity and the board of directors would run the company even in the absence of the Managing Director. An added advantage of listing the company in the stock exchange is better visibility for the company, which in turn might lead to more orders. An increase in share prices would also add to the wealth of the shareholders, which would include David Mackenz ie.Floating the David Mackenzie group of companies in the stock exchange has its set of disadvantages also. In the present set up, Mackenzie is under no obligation to disclose financial information. A public listed company would have to publish its financial statements on a regular basis, and this can lure in competition to Mackenzie’s lucrative market.The need to disclose financial records and other compliance policies requires certified public accountants, and entails a lot of bureaucratic paperwork.The time, money and effort spend on such activities could be better spend on marketing and operations if the company is not made public. Share values tend to reflect the current financial gains, and most public listed companies thereby tend to take decisions that lead to short-term gains even at the cost of long-term interests. The Mackenzie group of companies may also fall into this trap once it goes public.In the initial stages of floating a public listed company, David Macken zie is likely to retain a huge majority of shares. As the requirement for cash to fund expansions and large scale operations increases, he might be tempted to sell more of his shares in the open market. This raises the possibility of a hostile takeover, or another party who has purchased a large number of shares from interfering and trying to influence the operations and decision making of the company.The advantages and disadvantages of merging the three companies into a single entityThe second option before David Mackenzie is to merge the three companies into one single entity. The main advantage of such a merger is removing duplication in works and efforts. At present, each of the three companies has their own marketing, human resource and finance departments, and the administrative functions and expenses duplicate.A merger could avoid such duplications and not only result in significant savings, but also increase efficiency and better coordination. A single marketing department t hat takes care of the three units, for instance means that the complaints regarding customers having to contact two or three separate marketing departments for a single project would cease.The marketing department would be able to tap into clients in a more effective manner, without duplicating efforts and providing a wider range of service and commitments. An integrated accounts department would likewise solve the issue of duplicate or missing invoices, and lead to better financial control and analysis of profitability of each project.The merger would likely result in the retrenchment of some redundant staff, but this also gives an opportunity to cut down on low-performers, and redeploy performers in a better manner.Another major advantage of mergers is the ability of these three companies to pool in their resources in the form of client database, office space, infrastructure and the like, all of which would facilitate growth.Mergers however come with their own disadvantages. Altho ugh there would be savings on fixed costs, a merged monolith is likely to have a higher per unit operational cost compared to the per unit operating cost of three separate entities.This will not be a cause for concern when times are good and there are plenty of orders, but when economic times go bad and orders diminish, this will have a negative effect and the higher unit cost could make the organization uncompetitive.The merger would also make it difficult to hive off a unit if, in future the unit becomes non-profitable and cuts into the profitability of the entire organization. Three different entities ensure that failure, mismanagement or shortcomings of one unit would not have a significant impact on the other two units. Merger will ensure that activities of one unit would have a significant on the other two units.The administrative act of effecting a merger is relatively easy. The main challenge in the case of the Mackenzie group of companies would relate to integrating the thr ee diverse companies, with three different modes of operations and internal systems.Another challenge is ensuing integration and co-ordinations of the operations of the three diverse units. While a merger would reduce duplication, unless the operational activities re-orient towards the three different sub-units of the new company working towards a common goal, the redundancies and delays in commissioning are likely to persist.