Trends in American Pop Culture

Today in America, much of our lives is defined by popular culture. Traditions and patterns handed down from generations have been influenced by popular culture in society more today than of yesteryear. Trends are changing in regard to convenience, communication, and personal gain. In this essay, I will speak on the trends of social, political, personal, and religious. When I think of social trends, I am reminded of the new technology that exists today. Technology has change the way we communicate forcing us to stay abreast on the latest version and gadgets to remain functioning actively. Computers and cellular telephones, once accessories, but are necessities today. The Internet is a tool that has changed the way we live when shopping, paying bills, even doing research. Gone are the days of land lines and pay phones. Those gadgets are replaced by cellular phones with text messaging capabilities that allow instant messages to be received faster than voice messaging. Electronic mail, also known as e-mail, whether used personally or in the workplace, has replaced postal bulk mail in some instances. Social networking websites of Twitter, Facebook, My Space, YouTube, and eHarmony are very popular today. Users of these sites can share a personal profile, make new friends, date online, post a video and daily messages. Also, Fortune 500 companies use the internet to advertise to increase sales and business. A popular trend in politics during the 2008 Presidential Election was voter registration. Many community websites drew subscribers to register to vote. Volunteers across the country supported their candidate of choice to get the message out to vote, by going door to door, holding community rallies, and voter drives. Also, celebrity endorsement in the election became a popular trend. Many celebrities did television commercials, and group songs in support of their candidate of choice based on their belief of important values. I believe both trends will continue in future elections as they proved to be key factor in winning votes. From the aspect of personal trends in American popular culture, tattoo and body piercing are the happenings. Both genders of young adults including celebrities, athletes, and singers are following this trend of displaying visual art and design on their body. Also, young adults are influenced today with rap and pop music, urban clothing lines, team sportswear, video games, and iPods. By way of education, online universities are offering classes to earn degrees. This trend is convenient for many working adults with families. While living in the digital age, the digital/video camera is a common personal item that is used to capture memories of special events that is recorded on digital video disc (DVD) to view with family members and friends. Also, movies are now recorded on DVD, while music is recorded on compact disc (CD). Lastly, I will speak on the religious aspect of popular culture in America. The Scientology and Kabbalah religion are popular among celebrities in Hollywood. In the catholic religion, not much has changed by way of traditions. However, there are reports of priest sexually abusing alter boys, that has resulted in convictions and various lawsuits against the Vatican. This action may be called a trend, but the abuse happened years ago that is now visible on the forefront in today's society. In other religions, there are trends of many church leaders under scrutiny for using church funds for personal financial gain as they live lavish lifestyles. Some are also involved in sex scandals, committing adultery and accused of domestic violence. Some trends have spoiled us in becoming impatient for instant gratification, while forgetting the traditions handed down to us. American popular culture is exposed through the mass media every day in areas of social, political, personal, and religious. We are affixed to tuning in to hearing the latest to keep up with the happenings in American society to get us through the day, which is a trend in itself. References Wilson, J. R. , & Wilson, S. R. (2001). Mass Media, Mass Culture, (5e).

ISIS Case Study Essay

ISIS is a terrorist group that has brought much drama and fright to many of late. ISIS stands for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. They had actually begun as an al Qaeda splinter group. The aim of ISIS is to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and in Syria. It’s mainly known for killing dozens of people at a time and carrying out public executions, crucifixions and other acts. The group controls hundreds of square miles. It ignores the international borders and has a presence from Syria’s Mediterranean coast to south of Baghdad. ISIS rules by Sharia Law, the custom-based body of law based on the Koran and the religion of Islam. The leader of ISIS is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. There is not much known about him pertaining to where he is from, but he earned a doctorate in Islamic studies from a university in Baghdad. Al-Baghdadi was detained for four years in Camp Bucca, a U.S. run prison in southern Iraq. He was captured and imprisoned in 2005, which means he was released in 2009. After ISIS declared the creation of the so-called â€Å"Islamic State,† he began to go by the name Al-Khalifah Ibrahim. Now, all of his followers no longer call him by Al-Baghdadi. A big reason why Americans are becoming worried about ISIS is that ISIS currently has about 300 members/militants with U.S. passports. Washington D.C. officials fear that American ISIS fighters will travel home and use their terror training to launch horrific attacks at either a single or multiple locations in the United States. I believe this is a major problem. My view on ISIS is that we need to put a force on them and treat them as we treated al Qaeda. Yes, it may not be right to say that we should send the marines and army out to Middle East again, but it is necessary in order to keep the United States safe. ISIS’ plans are to destroy people in their way, and there are a few things stopping them from taking over the Middle East. One of the things stopping them is the United States. ISIS instilled fear on everyone in the country when they released videos of their executions on prisoners. The executions varied from chopping off heads to crucifixions. That only leads you to believe what sick-minded things they have planned if they ever want to attack the United States. I believe it is only right if we go into total protection mode. Not one person in this world wants to see another tragedy like September 11th to happen again except for the terrorist lingering around the world. ISIS has made themselves well known to the world. It has put the world on watch, and has everyone preparing themselves for protection and possibly war.

Stages of Critical Thinking

Stages of critical thinkingHow to move to the next stageObstacles to moving to the next stage EXAMPLE: The Unreflective ThinkerExamine my thinking to identify problems that affect my thinking. Deceiving myself about the effectiveness of my thinking The Challenged ThinkerFiguring out that my thinking is causing me serious problems. Realizing that my thinking is not as perfect as I believe and develop awareness of how thinking operates for good or bad. The Beginning ThinkerMaking attempts to better understand how I can take charge of and improve my thinking.Recognizing and changing the problems in my thinking to and ways to develop as a thinker. The Practicing ThinkerActively analyzing my thinking in a number of ways. Develop awareness of the need for systematic practice in thinking. The Advance ThinkerHaving significant insight to problems at the deeper levels of thought. Developing understanding for systematic practice thinking and insight to deep levels of problem in thought, consis tent recognition. The Accomplished ThinkerContinually monitoring, revising and rethinking strategies for continual improvement in my thinking.To make the highest levels of critical thinking intuitive in every part of my life. Write a 150- to 200-word explanation of your current stage of critical-thinking development and explain why you placed yourself at that stage. Format your paragraph consistent with Associate Level Writing Style Handbook guidelines. Strategies to Develop Critical Thinking Now that you identified your current stage as a critical thinker, it is necessary to adopt strategies to develop your thinking. Of the nine strategies you read about this week, choose three that you can begin to practice.Identify the strategies and describe how you can implement each strategy in your daily life. EXAMPLE Strategy: Deal with my emotions. Implementation Plan: When I am faced with a decision, I will examine the positive and negative emotions associated with my decision. This will h elp me limit the influence of my emotions on my decisions. Strategy 1: Reshaping your character Implementation Plan: When having a discussion I need to be more open minded to other ideas. I tend to assume I know better than some people and will dismiss their ideas as good before I even hear them out to make an educated decision.Strategy 2:Analyze group influence Implementation Plan: It is easy to get caught up in a group decision and have to deal with group speak (for lack of a less political term) regardless of what the situation is. Having a better stance or backbone to make the right decision against the popular decision is imperative to good critical thinking. Strategy 3: Redefine the way I see things. Implementation Plan: I see things that are always my way. I need to open up and look at it in someone’s perspective. I need to be able to see it in someone’s eyes so I know what it feels like.

Why being an active member of the ASRT is important Essay

Why being an active member of the ASRT is important - Essay Example One of the major tasks undertaken by the radiologic technologists is to ensure high quality diagnostic image. For this, they should be well trained to position the patients in the right manner so that imaging examination brings about the best possible result that is 100% accurate. The correct interpretation of the received images also necessitates specialized skills. Similarly, the radiologic technologists on the Radiation Oncology Team do have pivotal roles to play while they administer proportionate doses of radiation to the patient’s body to treat cancer or other diseases. For this, one should have specialized education and practical skills in physics, radiation safety, patient anatomy and patient care. I am sure that being an ASRT member would help me to enhance my potentialities, as there will be opportunities for me to attend advanced training programs in the areas of MRI and CT for registered technologists. It also provides challenging and rewarding opportunities to work with other allied health professionals in establishing interdisciplinary training. The job provides one to learn as well as teach something all the time. The opportunity to work using the most advanced technology under the guidance and supervision of experienced professionals in the field is an added advantage. The work under such an organization like ASRT offers one great job satisfaction as there is a significant reward when one can directly contribute to the diagnostic care of an individual who is in need of his/ her service. The vision and mission of ASRT convinces any dedicated radiologic technologists, who wants to achieve professional growth and fulfill his aspirations, of the necessity and significance of being an active member of this world reputed association. The ASRT rightly believes that by 2012, radiologic technologists all over the

Russian Literature. Mikhail Bulgakov The Master and Margarita Essay

Russian Literature. Mikhail Bulgakov The Master and Margarita - Essay Example The essay â€Å"Manuscripts don’t burn† highlights the masterpiece of one of the best writers in Russia. The novel â€Å"The Master and Margarita† by Mikhail Bulgakov is considered to be one of the most enigmatic and peculiar literary masterpieces of not only Russian, but also World Literature. Bulgakov's work contains lots of expressions that subsequently become aphorisms. Mikhail Bulgakov, knowingly, put this sacramental phrase, "Manuscripts do not burn†, into the mouth of the devil. Woland was the first who witnessed the talk between the two writers that met the standards of so-called â€Å"true Soviet writer†. They were ignorant and shallow-minded people, trying to judge the things without understanding them. Lots of Soviet writers, whose literary heritage became available only after the adjustment or the USSR collapse, did not dare to keep their masterpieces in written, thus, they tried to memorize every chapter, every line, every word carefully . Any writer should be free in expressing his or her views and opinions. It was impossible to write creatively under the conditions of the totalitarian regime, when every word, every thought was subjected to the meticulous review of the Soviet literary critics. Bulgakov knew the feeling of pain because of your literary works being doomed to nonrecognition and neglect. The Master is the author’s impersonation. Master’s most horrible nightmares are Bulgakov’s nightmares; Master’s talent is Bulgakov’s talent. Decent work will find its decent reader, for â€Å"Manuscripts don’t burn†.

Camera Movements Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Camera Movements - Research Paper Example Tilting is similar to panning only that it moves the camera vertically down to up or up to down. Just as is the case with panning, tilting requires the movement of the camera from a stationary point possibly a tripod. As such, the cameraperson simply changes the angling of the camera thereby changing the shots. Dolling is a camera movement that movements the entire camera either forward or backward by placing it on a dolly thereby creating a flowing effect on a shot. Trucking is like dolling only that it moves the camera from right to left or left to right instead of the in and out movement in dolling. Other types of camera movement include pedestal and rock focus all of which help create different feelings and shots that contribute to the composition of a scene.Coming home, The Wolf of Wall Street and Boyhood are some of the most successful Hollywood films. The creators of the three films employ different camera movement techniques in creating the actions in the films. Suspense is a significant feature in the three films that the creators strive to portray. They systematically achieve this by varying the camera movements as the in-depth analysis of the various scenes.Developed in 1978, Coming home is an American drama film. The plot in the film follows the development of conflict among three main character as a love triangle develops between them. The action pact plot has suspense as the developer strives to develop systematic conflicts that would sustain viewership to the conclusion of the film.

Perspectives of Indonesia to Become Economic Powerhouse in Asia by Essay

Perspectives of Indonesia to Become Economic Powerhouse in Asia by 2030 - Essay Example This essay offers comprehensive analysis of the current state of Indonesian economy and assess its perspectives in becoming Asian economic powerhouse by 2030. Indonesia is an independent republic in Southeast Asia. Indonesia has about 17,000 islands and a population of more than 238 million people, which forms a good foundation for its economy Notably, Indonesia has the largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 16th largest economy in the world. It is also a member of the G-20 major economies and is one of the industrialized and emerging economies in the world Economy refers to the state of a country with respect to natural resources, production, and consumption of goods and services and the supply of money. In Indonesia, the economy or financial value is different and never balances. Today, it is one of the emerging powerhouses in Asia with a large population that offers labor and market as well as a wealth of natural resources. Indeed, its population enhances labor productivity improvements, which boost its economy. Domestic consumption and productivity growth in Indonesia offers a good combination for economic growth. This makes Indonesia stand out in the world as many nations lack this fundamental combination. In fact, after China, Indonesian economy is the fastest growing economy among the G-20 members. However, there are numerous economic challenges hurting the Indonesian economy. There is a recommendation for the government continue to address these challenges with a view of attaining its economic goals. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Methodology 7 Discussion 8 Conclusion 14 References 15 Introduction Indonesia is an independent republic in Southeast Asia. Indeed, Indonesia has about 17,000 islands and a population of more than 238 million people, which forms a good foundation for its economy (Ananta et al, 2011). It is an internationally recognized nation where it ranks fourth in the most populous nations in the world and the second richest country in the world. Notably, Indonesia has the largest economy in Southeast Asia (Belford, 2010) and the 16th largest economy in the world (Oberman et al, 2012). It is also a member of the G-20 major economies in the world and is one of the industrialized and emerging economies in the world (Oberman et al, 2012). The capital city of Indonesia is Jakarta, which is an industrious city. Most assuredly, Indonesia is a very rich country with a wide range of resources, a productive community, and large population. Indeed, Indon esia has many natural resources in earth oil, spice, and agriculture (Ananta et al, 2011). In this context, economy refers to the state of a country with respect to natural resources, production, and consumption of goods and services and the supply of money. In Indonesia, the economy or financial value is different and never balances. Today, Indonesia is one of the emerging powerhouses in Asia with a large population that offers labor and market as well as a wealth of natural resources (Wie & Thee, 2012). Indeed, its population enhances labor productivity improvements, which boost its economy. Notably, the domestic consumption and productivity growth in Indonesia offers a good combination for economic growth. This makes Indonesia stand out in the world as many nations lack this fundamental combination. In addition, Indonesia’s manufacturing industry, chemical industries, automotive, agricultural, and electronic industry enjoy a robust growth thus boosting the overall economic growth of the Southeast Asia nation (Ananta et al, 2011). In fact, after China, Indonesian economy is the fastest growing economy among the G-20 members with an economic growth rate of 6.3 percent in 2012 (Oberman et al, 2012). The country equally boasts of Gross Domestic Product of about $1 trillion at 6.2 % (Asian Development Bank, 2013). Moreover, the government of Indonesia plays a major role in enhancing a market-based economy where the state owns about 141 enterprises and sets prices for various basic goods like electricity, fuel, and rice (Michigan State University, 2013). This ensures that unscrupulous investors do not destabilize the country’s economy. Indonesia participates in global trade where it sells unripe oil to big oil companies like Shell, Castro, and Hexon at competitive prices that guarantee huge returns to the nation. More so, the nation sells raw oil

Discuss.. The image of managers as rational and analytical planners, Essay

Discuss.. The image of managers as rational and analytical planners, decision makers and issuers of commands does not stand up - Essay Example They are the implementers of the operational strategies that have been set in the organization. The employees may be attached to the organization simply because they strive to earn a living out of it. The other members of the organizational community may be attached to the organization as their economic activity or as a source of some satisfaction. Besides, the nature of human being that deviates from the ideal situation does not allow them to operate collectively towards the achievement of common objective. There is a lot of diversity among the human resource. There is also need to plan the activities of an organization and make appropriate decisions at certain points in the organization. These require some kind of management, a way of passing information and coordinating the activities in the organization (Watson 2003, p4). The roles of the various employees need to be defined, there is need to supervise how the employees perform the tasks as a way of appraisal or dismissal, and th ere is a need to review the organizations objectives and evaluate the overall performance of the organization. There is a need to establish proper relation with the individuals that are outside the organization as well. ... The role of managers in an organization has received various scrutinies due to the ambiguity that exists in defining term itself. The operations in a given organization may not go on smoothly not because the top management consists of incompetent personnel but because the managers are not doing the right things. Watson (2001) thus describes management in three different aspects: management as a function, management as activities and management as a team of people (p.35). The kind of manager that Watson mentions includes both the middle manager and the senior manager. The roles of these managers are not specific and often change depending on the level of the hierarchy in which the manager falls. The different divisions that exist in given organization do not make it easy to tell the exact role of a manager. The managers themselves perceive the management role as that of leading a group of individuals or managing some kinds of property in an organization. It is thus difficult to identi fy a manager through the work that is performed. The roles also change with the changes that occur in the related sectors (Shelley, 2010, p.3). The way that the managers themselves view the management role has an influence on the overall performance of that manager (Stewart, 2002, p.39). The performance will also be affected by how other individuals perceive the role of the manager in the organization. The image that is mentioned here refers to the picture that is created in the minds of both the managers and the members of the community in an organization on the managerial roles. It refers to how the managers view their roles and how the employees and other stakeholders view the roles too. Some managers consider themselves as administrators and have very little to do with

Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sarbanes-Oxley Act - Essay Example Examples include WorldCom and Enron companies. According to section 404(a) of the Act, it is a requirement that managements of companies assess their Internal Controls effectiveness and report on the same over financial reporting. Also, Subsection (b) of the same section, calls on independent auditors to attest to the assessments done by the managements. This is regarding Internal Controls effectiveness. The opinion of the study is that it is not too much a regulation. As stipulated by the Securities and Exchange Commissions report, the enactment of section 404 of the Sarbox Act have proven too costly. The outlays are incredibly high to companies, which has led to some attempts at their reduction while upholding effectiveness like the reforms of year 2007. (sec.gov, 2009) However, the cost of implementation is far much less than the 2001-2002 business scandals cost. These are with the inclusion of Global Crossing, Tyco, WorldCom and Enron companies, which shook the confidence of investors a great deal. (Hallberg, 2008 p390) A case at hand to support the argument that, it is not too much regulation is that of the collapsed Enron Company. This is where, in October 2001, Enron company had made public their third quarter earnings report where they purported to have realized an after tax Earnings of USD 1.01 billion. On the same date of reporting, Enron had cut down equity of shareholders by USD 1.2 billion, which it claimed to be the rectification of accounting errors. In November, 2001 the company filed with the SEC Form 8-K, considering the current events. This form 8-K stipulated that Enron would like to restate their financial statements from year 1997 through 2001 June. These statements led to a shocking fall of income of USD 569 million. In the same year, 2001, Enron Company filed for bankruptcy which triggered investigations. (De Vay, 2006 p3) As said earlier, as stipulated by the Securities and Exchange

Managerial Finance Essay Example for Free

Managerial Finance Essay You have been at your job with East Coast Yachts for a week now and have decided you need to sign up for the company’s 401(k) plan. Even after your discussion with Sarah Brown, the Bledsoe Financial Services representative, you are still unsure as to which investment option you should choose. Recall that the options available to you are stock in East Coast Yachts, the Bledsoe SP 500 Index Fund, the Bledsoe Small-Cap Fund, the Bledsoe Large-Company Stock Fund, the Bledsoe Bond Fund, and the Bledsoe Money Market Fund. You have decided that you should invest in a diversified portfolio, with 70 percent of your investment in equity, 25 percent in bonds, and 5 percent in the money market fund. You have also decided to focus your equity investment on large-cap stocks, but you are debating whether to select the SP 500 Index Fund or the Large-Company Stock Fund. In thinking it over, you understand the basic difference in the two funds. One is a purely passive fund that replicates a widely followed large-cap index, the SP 500, and has low fees. The other is actively managed with the intention that the skill of the portfolio manager will result in improved performance relative to an index. Fees are higher in the latter fund. You’re just not certain on which way to go, so you ask Dan Ervin, who works in the company’s finance area, for advice. After discussing your concerns, Dan gives you some information comparing the performance of equity mutual funds and the Vanguard 500 Index Fund. The Vanguard 500 is the world’s largest equity index mutual fund. It replicates the SP 500, and its return is only negligibly different from the SP 500. Fees are very low. As a result, the Vanguard 500 is essentially identical to the Bledsoe SP 500 Index Fund offered in the 401(k) plan, but it has been in existence for much longer, so you can study its track record for over two decades. The graph below summarizes Dan’s comments by showing the percentage of equity mutual funds that outperformed the Vanguard 500 Fund over the previous ten years. So for example, from January 1977 to December 1986, almost 70 percent of equity mutual funds outperformed the Vanguard 500. Dan suggests that you study the graph and answer the following questions: 1. What implications do you draw from the graph for mutual fund investors? If I was to draw any implications from the graph for mutual fund investors it would be an expectation that the investors will outperform the market. As with any business the high performers will continue performing and the low performers will be let go. If we were looking at the level of market efficiency it would be expected that mutual funds would outperform the market. It is expected that half of all investors will outperform the market. 2. Is the graph consistent or inconsistent with market efficiency? Explain carefully. I believe that the graph shows consistency with market efficiency, but even the most efficient of markets must be willing to spend on research to outperform the market and even then many investors do not outperform the market. The graph is consistent with market efficiency because if even the highest performers are not outperforming the market, even with high financing, then as would be expected average investors will not be outperforming the market. 3. What investment decision would you make for the equity portion of your 401(k) account? Why? If I was to make an investment decision based on the equity portion of this 401K plan I would choose to invest in the SP 500 index. There should also be investments made in small cap funds as this will help diversify the portfolio. Small cap funds however are not available as an option so the SP 500 would be the best choice as an investment decision.

Social Enterprises for Community Development

Social Enterprises for Community Development Provide an account of the history of the emergence of social enterprise and community development in the U.K. Social enterprise is a social mission driven organisation which essentially trades in the goods or services for a uniquely social purpose. These social enterprises aim to achieve their objectives in not only financial but also in the social and environmental. They are profit making ventures set up to attempt to acknowledge the environmental and social need. The reason that these enterprises are unique is due to their central purpose being either social or environmental. These social enterprises are more interested in generating profit in order to further their environmental or social goals. In all industrialised countries, there is a growth in the social enterprise sector which is also known as the ‘non profit sector’ (Defourny 2001, p.1) or third sector situated in between private and public sector. These organisations are representative of the renewed expression of a civil society among an economic crisis, difficulties which are facing the welfare state and the weakening of social bonds in society. Social enterprise is considered as comprising co-operatives, mutual’s (Credit Unions) and voluntary organisations (charities and foundations). Many of these categories were founded in the last century and they play an important part in the economic landscape. Social enterprise can be traced back as far as the 1840’s in Rochdale, where the first workers’ co-operative was founded to provide affordable, quality food in a response to exploitative factory conditions. It was in the mid 1970’s when these social enterprises began to emerge into the mainstream. They had already been active in other areas and began to come to the forefront with increasing economic difficulties deepening and it was against this background that the interests in other economic organisations became strongly reactivated. It was the late 1990’s that a resurgence in social enterprise was experienced in the UK, with different traditions coming together. These organisations are strongly rooted in solid and long standing traditions as most of these organisations had already existed for more than a century and had been constantly growing. The first agency in the UK, was Social Enterprise London (SEL) which was established in 1998 between co-operative businesses and a number of co-development agencies. From this the British government in 2002 launched a unified Social Enterprise Strategy and established a Social Enterprise Unit (SEnU) to help implement it in England and Wales. From this policy development has been increasingly influenced by the organisations in the non profit sector. There are now many organisations which are classed as social enterprises, John Lewis, The Eden Project, The Big Issue and Jamie Oliver’s restaurant – Fifteen. Identify two models of good practice existent in the U.K. There are three characteristics of social enterprises as defined by Social Enterprise London: Enterprise Orientation – directly involved in producing the goods or providing services to a market, seeking to be viable trading organisations with an operating surplus Social Aims – explicit social aims such as job creation, training or the provision of local services. Ethical values are important and they are accountable to their members and the wider community for their social, environmental and economic impact Social Ownership – they are autonomous organisations with governance and ownership structures based on participation by stakeholders or by trustees. The profits are distributed as profit sharing to the stakeholders of used to benefit the community. Two such models of good practice existent in the UK are Jamie Oliver’s restaurant – Fifteen and The Big Issue. Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen was opened in London in 2002. This was inspired by Oliver and was broadcast on TV. Its name is derived from the first cohort of fifteen young people. Oliver has combined two ambitions – to open a top class restaurant and to give disadvantaged youth a chance to gain the professional training they require to set them up to be independent, inspired and to have a chance at a productive life. It is a registered charity as well as a commercial business and it a chef apprenticeship for 18 to 24 year olds. It is indeed a social enterprise offering a produce with a purpose, a high end dining experience where the best of produce is prepared by great chefs and served by professional people. Its main purpose is the empowerment of young disadvantaged people, giving them a second chance to establish themselves in the restaurant industry. With the success of the London restaurant it has also been established in Amsterdam, Cornwell and Melbourne, with their own foundation and apprenticeship schemes. The strength of the Fifteen brand as of one of the leading global social enterprises. Jamie Oliver is passionate about this issue and wants to help young adults to be able to have prospects for the future. The Big Issue exists as a social enterprise to offer homeless and vulnerably housed people a chance to earn a legitimate income. It is one of the UK’s leading social businesses, which continues to help those in need earn an legitimate income. It was launched in the UK in 1991 by Gordon Roddick and A. John Bird as a response to the amount of rough sleepers in London. The main aim behind this is to help people help themselves and the founders were determined to offer an alternative to begging. I n November 1995, The Big Issue Foundation was launched with the aim to deal with the underlying issues which cause homelessness. The founder’s definition of success is encouraging and influencing people to make life changes positively. The organisation is made up of two entities, a limited company which produces and distributes the magazine to the street vendors and a registered charity which exists to help those same vendors gain control of their lives. The vendor must prove that they are homeless or vulnerably housed, undergo an induction process and sign up to the organisations code of conduct. Asses the significance of such schemes in terms of: a) the development of social policy b) their contribution to the national economy (500 words). The development of social policy Development of social policy is influenced by our beliefs, interests and values. Social policy is the guidelines for changing, the maintenance or creation of living conditions which are conductive to human welfare. It is part of public policy which has to do with social matters. Social policy aims to improve on human welfare, and to meet the need for health, housing, education, and social security. It also refers to policies affecting the social condition under which we live. Other important areas of social policy include: health insurance, unemployment benefit, accident insurance, labour regulation etc. Policy teams are set up in some organisations to be actively involved in influencing public opinion and the decision makers at all levels to make sure that social enterprises remain high on the UK’s policy agendas. The social enterprise organisations work together to strive to improve the business environment and they identify any barriers to growth and advise both government and public bodies on practical solutions as well as develop papers etc. Social enterprises are able to contribute to the creation of a greater impartiality of economic power and a more sustainable society. The aims of these groups is to be recognised and supported for their contributions. Alongside the development of social policy, these groups also aim to raise the awareness and understanding of social enterprise among both politicians and society. They work to influence the political parties and to ensure that social enterprise is both understood and supported. Their contribution to the national economy Social enterprise organisations by using solutions to develop not for profits aims hold a distinct role in helping to create a strong, sustainable, inclusive and prosperous society. These organisations play an important role in helping to deliver to the national economy by helping to drive up competitiveness and productivity, contributing to a socially inclusive wealth create, the enablement for communities and individuals to work together to regenerate their local neighbourhoods, showing new ways of delivering public services and helping to develop active citizenship and an inclusive society. With the presence of a non profit sector, this is an indicator of a healthy economy in local and national financial measurements depending on its size. With growing numbers in the non profit sector, which are focused on the environment, education, social services etc, the non profit sector is central to the health and well being of society. The non profit sector is an excellent outlet for society’s labour and skills. Social enterprise organisations such as Fifteen or The Big Issue have been set up to give people a chance. They are increasingly taking people off the streets and redeveloping their talents into marketable entities especially in the case of Fifteen, who give underprivileged young people the opportunity to train to be the best they can and to contribute to society and the economy, instead of collecting their benefit each week and being a drain on society. The Big Issue offers those without adequate housing the opportunity to earn an income to better themselves and to make the individuals feel better about themselves. Using examples from a chosen organisation compare and contrast some of the values and principles underpinning social enterprise and community development. The Eden Project. The Eden Project was constructed in a 160 year exhausted china clay quarry near St. Austell, Cornwell and was established as one of the Landmark Millennium Projects to mark the year 2000. It is an educational charity which consists of a world class visitor attraction, a botanical garden and a unique regeneration venture. The Eden Project, like its plants are continually growing and developing. The Eden Project reports to a board who then report to the trustees, to ensure that they are meeting their charitable aims. The Project is owned by a registered charity – The Eden Trust and is operated on behalf of the Trust by Eden Project Limited, a subsidiary who wholly by the Eden Trust. The Eden Project, as an educational charity, uses exhibits, workshops, events and educational programmes to educate people to what nature gives to us and to help people learn how to look after it in return. All the monies raised by the Project are returned to the Trust to further the aims. The programmes include work with schools, colleges etc as well as any individuals who want to learn about nature. The organisation believes in learning by doing and to find positive solutions for the future. The project enforces all three of the characteristics of social enterprise as laid down by Social Enterprise London. Enterprise orientation, The Eden Project is directly involved with providing a service to the marketplace – educated individuals about nature and how to protect and nurture it. They are also producing goods, i.e. bio domes, wind turbines etc to help develop ways of saving the environment. They have explicit social aims, in that through the Project jobs have been created as well as a environmentally friendly structure. They provide educational training to those who either want or require it. The Eden Project believe in their ethical values and see them as important to all and they are accountable to their members through both their board and their trustees. The Project is also accountable to the wider community in the teaching and also the producing of produces which are helpful both to them and the wider community. The Eden Project are an autonomous organisation which has governance and ownership structures which are based on participation by the teams reporting to the board who in return report to the trustees. They exist through donations and are a major consumer of goods and services in the Cornwell area, therefore keeping the local economy striving, which in itself is a benefit to the local community. The project feel that it is important to give those who have not previously afforded it, or those with other issues a chance to experience nature. They also provide with Cornwell College an opportunity for local people to work towards a qualification. Provide an evaluation of your own learning together with evidence of transferable skills which have been used in this assignment. These should include communication, teamwork problem solving and self management. To evaluation learning which has been used in this assignment, a number of factors need to be assessed. On the approach to the assignment I had to use my communication skills in order to firstly understand what I had been asked to do within the five tasks. This communication also helped me regarding research and analysis skills on using the internet and to evaluate the data which I had sourced. Self management has also been evident in that I had to plan both the assignment and the time management so as to not get behind schedule on the issues which I had to investigate. Team work problem solving was not an issue as I can work well both within a team and on my own and it was just a matter of assigning different tasks.   References Borzaga, C., Defourney, J., (2001) The Emergence of Social Enterprise, Routledge Burch, H.A., Michaels, D.G., (1991) They Why’s of Social Policy: Perspective on Policy, Praegar Publishers Spreckly, F., (1981) Social Audit – A Management Tool for Co-operative Working, Local Livelihoods http://www.sel.org.uk/ Social Enterprise London

Social values of welfare: Hong Kong

Social values of welfare: Hong Kong Welfare is all collective interventions to meet certain needs of the individual and/or to serve the wider interests of society may now be broadly grouped intoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ categories of welfare (Titmuss, 1959). The development in the social values of welfare has always been changing throughout the centuries, particularly the 20th century. In traditional Chinese society, people used to believed that social welfare, or fuk lei, was given by kind-hearted philanthropists in society (N. Chow, 1994, p.325). In the early 20th century, the concept of social welfare was still very weak among Hong Kong people. Majority of welfare services were provided by non-government organizations before 1965 (W. S. Chow, 1993, p. 41). The situation changed after the publication of the white paper of the social welfare in 1965. Together with the rise of social worker, more people consider social welfare is part of their civil rights in the following decades. In 1997, the change in sovereignty of Hong Kong and the Asian financial crisis brought a significant impact on the social values of welfare. In the following paragraphs, I will briefly discuss the development of social welfare in Hong Kong and the corresponding social values of welfare, particularly the changes before and after 1997. As will be argued, there are both long term and short term factors that led the changes. The former would be the increasing consideration of civil rights and the latter would be the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the change in sovereignty of Hong Kong and the publication of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Review. In the early 20th century, majority of people considered welfare was given by kind-hearted philanthropists in society. As Hong Kong was a colony of Britain at that time, the colonial government put their focuses on protecting the Britishs interest, particularly the British merchants. Hence, the living environment and welfare of local Chinese were not concerned by the colonial government unless it interfere the interest of British. With this colonial background, local Chinese rationalized the concept of welfare would not be given by the colonial government. The Chinese merchants used their wealth to establish and maintain their reputations and leadership roles through acts of charity (Leung, 1996, p.3). They set up organizations and gave welfare to the locals. Among these organizations, Tung Wah Hospital was the most noteworthy charitable organization which catered the medical services and welfare needs to the locals. Apart from these organizations, churches and clans man association would also give welfare to the locals too. In the post World War II period, the situation had a slightly change. In the post war period, a large number of non-government or voluntary welfare organizations were set up in Hong Kong. It is important to note that most of these welfare organizations had their parent-bodies overseas. A typical example of these organizations would be the Hong Kong Red Cross. During this emergency period, the internationally-linked welfare organization had probably done much more than the government in meeting the welfare needs of people (N. Chow, 1994, p.324). Although the concept of welfare is given by kind-hearted philanthropists was weaken, the majority of the Chinese in Hong Kong are still unable to wipe away the traditional notions of welfare and accept the modern idea that it should be the responsibility of the state to provide the necessary social welfare services (N. Chow, 1994, p. 325). Meanwhile, a large proportion of population was refugee from mainland China (Due to the civil war in Chin a). Part of them considered Hong Kong is there temporary shelter but not their home. Hence, welfare development would not be their consideration as they expected to leave Hong Kong soon. These factors made there were only little pressure groups would fight for the rights for the locals in that period. The situation further changed after 1965. In 1965, the colonial government published the White Paper on social welfare. N.Y. Chow (1993) suggests that to be exact, the beginning of social welfare policy of Hong Kong was after the publication of the first White Paper on social welfare in 1965 (p.41). The White paper was the first government document that discusses social welfare policy in Hong Kong. It explained the welfare development and integrated the experiences from the development. Also, it gives the stands of colonial government toward social welfare policy and reasons that made the government cannot implement comprehensive social policy in Hong Kong. Although the White Paper has been blamed for lacking in-depth discussion on the blueprint of social welfare development and the foreseeable challenges, but this White paper gives a foundation for the further development of social welfare system (W. S. Chow, 1993). The concept of social welfare and government were no longer disseve ring like the past. More people started to integrate social welfare into the role of government. The most rapid change was found in the 70s. There were two major factors that led the change, the Big Bang of social policy and the rise of social worker. The Big Bang of social policy was initiated by the 25th governor of Hong Kong, Murray MacLehose. After MacLehose take office the governor in 1972, he had a strong sense of responsibility towards social welfare, under his influence, amendment of social welfare policy was necessary (W. S. Chow, 1993, p. 52). Apart from it, the increasing social problems (i.e. the riot in 1966 and 1967, Corruption) led the demand for governments involvement in social welfare further increased. These factors urged the publication of the second White Paper of social welfare in 1973. The aim of the White Paper was giving a five year plan of social welfare development and dividing the responsibility in providing social welfare between government and voluntary organizations. The aspects of social welfare in the five year plan included education, housing, m edical service, social allowance, youth services etc. The comprehensive expansion of welfare services increased the involvement of people in social welfare system. The value of welfare would not be given by the colonial government was further weakening in this period. Apart from the Big Bang of social policy, the rise of social worker also led to the significant change in social value of welfare. The rise of social worker could be traced back to the professionalization of social work and the implement of professional training at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong in the mid-1960s. In the 1960s, Fabian Socialism was the most fashionable approach taught in the social work schools of the two universities (N. Chow, 1994, p.327). Equality, freedom and fellowship are the central values of Fabian Socialism. The social work students in 60s and 70s were strongly influenced by these values. They had a strong sense of working towards a more equal and justice society. Hence, when the students became social workers in society, they would try to advocate policies that achieve to these two ideals. More people would consider welfare as a means to achieve an equal society. Meanwhile, the young social workers at that time also stres sed on civil rights. They believed that social welfare is one the important parts of civil rights. When they graduated, they would educate and advocate the public to uphold their civil rights through different social actions. As a result, under this influence, it led to the rise of the awareness of welfare system as rights enjoyed by citizen. Another significant change of social values of welfare could be found in 1997. The major factor that led to the change is the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. Before the crisis, the economy in Hong Kong was at boom. Majority of people were actively investing in property market and stock market. At that time, people emphasized on material values and short-term time horizon. Material values are the major criterion used to evaluate the worth of things and people (C.K. Wong, K. L. Chow K.Y. Wong, 2001, p.68). Meanwhile, majority of Chinese investor were looking for the maximum benefit in the shortest period of time. Topley states that many Chinese still prefer to invest in non-industrial property and trade because of the relatively quicker return of capital and profits. When investing in industry, the overwhelming desire of investors is to look for quick profits by whatever means present themselves as attractive in the short run rather than to look for opportunity for starting long-term investment. (as cited in Lau, 1982, p.70) As both of the property market and stock market were so flourished, the economic environment enabled people to achieve the above goals simultaneously. This in turn led Hong Kong became one of the wealthiest cities in Asia. The living standard in Hong Kong was one of the highest in Hong Kong history in the early mid 1990s. As most people could sustain their life in the market, they put less consideration on the welfare system. At that time, people would consider social welfare system was only for those who were in need in society, like elderly and disabled people. In other words, despite the underprivileged and the corresponding pressure group, majority in society would not care about the welfare system as they believed they could achieve self-sustentions in market. In general, social welfare development was overwhelmed by economic development at that period. But a significant change was provoked by the 1997 financial crisis. A great depression in both stock market and property market was provoked by the crisis. Lots of people were bankrupted because of the suddenly fall in the property market. Also, a massive unemployment was accompanied with the economic downturn, particularly in the financial sector. The decline in consumption led to further depression in other non-financial sector. The financial crisis brought two major impacts on the welfare system. First, it led to a significant fall in the tax income of the government. Second, more people fall into the safety net of the welfare system. In other words, it led an increase in demand for welfare services. Simultaneously, it would increase the welfare expenditure of the government. As these two factors happened at the same time, this brought heavy pressure on the financial budget of the government. At the same period, the sovereignty of Hong Kong changed back to China. One of the problems that foresee by the government is the increase in immigrants from China. In the review report of CSSA that published by the Social Welfare Department, it suggests that the increase in mainland immigrants would lead to an increase application for CSSA. It implies that the government believes that a number of mainland immigrants would rely on the welfare system for livelihood. Before the publication of the report, the government already spread this ideology through news and government press. At that time, the government disclosed different abusive cases of CSSA by the new immigrants. This made the public also be believed the new immigrants would bring pressure to Hong Kong welfare system. The economic downturn, mainland immigrants, together with the foreseeable aging population, these made the government believed a review for welfare system is necessary. As the government wanted to tighten the budget for social welfare expenditure, the publication of the review report was a means of government to the public support. This report brought a momentous impact on the social value of welfare. In particular, there were more people believed that abusive cases are common in the welfare system after the publication of the report. For example, the report suggested the level of benefits for four-person household is high. The average monthly payment for a four-person household increased in 120% from 1980s to 1990s. But the median wage of workers only increased 41%. The government suggested that this would create disincentive to work and lead to long term dependency on welfare system. According to a survey, 36.4% of respondents believed that the increasing number of CSSA cases becau se the criteria for application is too lenient (C.K. Wong, K. L. Chow K.Y. Wong, 2001, p.5). Although the way and method that government used to interpret and present the statistics had bias and hidden agenda, majority still believed that CSSA was breeding lazy people. Since CSSA has a strict income test and asset test, statistics of Suspected Fraud and Abuse was minimal. But the mass media created a negative image of CSSA recipients as they only reporting fraud and abusive cases. This, in turn, created a strong labeling effect on CSSA recipients. In a survey, 40.8% of respondents agreed that CSSA recipients are not deserved to be help (C.K. Wong, K. L. Chow K.Y. Wong, 2001, p.9). This reflected the fact that CSSA recipients were stigmatized. Apart from stigmatization of CSSA recipients, the role of welfare that interpreted by the public is also worth to discuss. Compare with giving direct welfare, people considered that self-reliance would be more appropriate. In a survey, 70.3% of respondents believed that people should satisfy their needs through self-reliance. On the other hand, only 8.6% respondents believed that people should satisfy their needs through social welfare (C.K. Wong, K. L. Chow K.Y. Wong, 2001, p.30). The development of the concept self-reliance could be explained by the Utilitarianistic Familism. Utilitarianistic Familism is social values of the Chinese people in Hong Kong (Lau, 1982). Chinese people would put the interest of family member in a higher priority over others. The bonding of the family members was strong. In addition to the extended family structure in the early mid 20th century, people would not look for help from government; rather, they would look for help from family members. As most problems could be solved without the help of government, it contributed to the development a sense of self-reliance. This concept is particularly prevailing value hold by the older generation (i.e. Those who born in the Post War Baby Boom). From the above discussion, we can see two sets of contradictory social values of welfare have developed in Hong Kong. On one hand, more people consider social welfare as their civil rights. On the other hand, people stigmatize some welfare recipients. It makes the rights of accessing welfare become alienated from the civil rights. These two contradictory values lead to different conflicts in society. Social workers, pressure groups and non-government organizations are striving for destigmatization of the welfare recipients. Lots of social actions like social demonstration and public forum are used to promote this civil rights. But at the same time, the government is attempting to marginalize the welfare recipients in order to reduce the welfare expenditure. From time to time, the government would publish the fraud and abusive case in CSSA. It seems that it wants to remind people that abusive cases are still common in welfare system. These, in turn, led to never-ending debates between the two interest groups. As seen in above discussion, it is hard to find a consensus towards the value of welfare in Hong Kong. The historical background, personal experiences and education would have a strong influence on the development of our value. But it seems that government would spread concepts and ideas that deviated from the principles of social welfare equality and equity, because its political agenda. Whether the ultimate goal of government is bring a stable and harmonious society in Hong Kong is questionable.

Innocent Religion Essay -- Religion, Moses, God

Science and technology have been regarded by many people as the Moses who leads human out of the world of ignorance to the land of knowledge and wealth. Religion, in the other respect, has unfortunately been misinterpreted as the evil Pharaoh who wants to keep human under his slavery. Some people thought the "Scientific Revolution" in the 17th century as the "Exodus" of science from the tyranny of religion. For instance, they believe that if Newton did not waste his time on the search for God, he probably would have made much more contribution to science. Dong Jin, one of the writer for Digest of Science and Technology thought Newton was "controlled by a wrong philosophy and fall into the abyss of idealism and theism"[[1] Dong Jin, Digest of Science and Technology, September 2000 ][1] and considered Newton's attempts to find evidence for 'existence of God' is "so absurd and tragic."[][1] Surprisingly, quite a number of people share Dong Jin’s unfair view of religion. In their views, Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon are also victims of religious belief. However, few of these accusations are true. In the time of "Scientific Revolution", religious belief rarely acted as it's preventer. Sometimes, religion even played a positive role in the construction of new science and philosophy. Newton is a remarkable figure in the period of scientific revolution. His discovery of general binomial expansion in 1664 and publication of the concept of Calculus in "Principia" in 1687 introduced handy mathematical tools to modern science. His light decomposition experiment with prism and ground work in Classical mechanics had greatly changed people's view of nature. His work generated a large crowd of followers known as Newtonians. His thoughts an... ...s kind of conflicts in 17th century happened very often. Natural phylosophers criticisms suppressed the work of experimental scientists. As far as I am concerned, the discrepancy between natural philosophers and experimental scientists was a heavier shackle then religion on science. Although religion had some controversy with science, like their disagreement on the issue of embryonic stem cell researches, it did not create a lot of obstacles in the time of the "Scientific Revolution". During the process of unveiling the secret of nature, science and religion will surely have some argument due to their different opinion in the interpretation of phenomena. Since the wide-spread religious belief didn't kill those great figures in the "Scientific Revolution". we should claim religion's innocence in that period and criticize it's role in a more rational and complete.

Brief History of the National Rifle Association :: NRA Guns Historical Militia Essays

Brief History of the National Rifle Association   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The National Rifle Association in its simplest form is the largest gun club in the world. The organization was founded in 1871 by former Union Army officers to encourage sport shooting in order to have a fine tuned militia in case of emergency. The Union officers believed that a well regulated militia was integral for the security of a free state. It is an organization that opposes gun control, it believes in the individual defense of the uses of firearms, and it is interested in all aspects of shooting sports.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, the organization stands with approximately 3.4 million members. Within the NRA, there are four major organs. The Institute for Legislative Action (is the lobbying arm), the political Victory Fund (which is a political action committee), the Civil Rights Legal Defense Fund (deals with scholarly research and legal developments), and the Grass Roots Division (which specializes in raising support through grass roots methods). As a membership organization, the NRA's directions is set by voting members. The direction of the policies are carried out by a 75 member board that is geographically distributed. The Board of Directors are elected by secret ballot.2 Brady Act   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Brady Act was approved by Congress in November of 1993 and was then signed into law by President Clinton later in the month. The act was originally named for anti gun lobbyist Sarah Brady, and not for former press secretary Jim Brady. It was through Jim Brady's support and the media coverage that linked his name to the act. The act requires that there be a waiting period of five state government business days at the time an individual applies to purchase a handgun from a federal firearm license. During the five day wait, the local sheriff or police chief must "make a reasonable effort" to see if the purchaser is prohibited from owning a handgun. The police official may approve the sale before the five day period only if the record check has been completed or if he believes the purchaser needs a handgun immediately to protect himself or his family.3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Presently, the Clinton administration isn't complying with the Brady Act. The act requires that within 60 months of enactment, the Attorney General must establish a national instant criminal background check system that allows federal firearms licensees to have access through some type of electronic method. The reason for the delay lies with the fact that U.S. Circuit Courts have split on whether the Brady Act violates the 10th amendment of the Constitution by allowing law enforcement agencies to conduct criminal records checks in

retail staff at the Tower of London

DecisionThe Southern Cross of our undertaking was developing a new inducements program for the retail staff at the Tower of London, to hike grosss made from the gross revenues of guidebooks, Gift Aid and of ranks to HRP. While the gross revenues and retail staff were highly satisfied with the operation of the current fiscal inducements program, it had come to the notice of the Human Resources section that the program was non agreeable to the brotherhoods ( which the staff members were members of ) . Another ground for presenting a new program, was to hike figures on gross revenues – as the Tower of London direction believed that grosss in gross revenues could be higher than what was presently being achieved. The initial procedure developed by us was simple – we started by run intoing with the HR Manager at the Tower and understanding his vision and the end product that he expected from us. His initial desire was for us to run into with other HR Directors in establishments similar to that of HRP – galleries, museum and the similar ; to derive a position from them on what sort of inducements were used in their organisations. Surprisingly, none of the other organisations had similar programs in topographic point – which left us to introduce and come up with a program that was alone in nature. The first measure in planing this inducement program – would be to place what motivates persons to execute at the Tower. Bing a sales-oriented squad, we clearly had to concentrate on doing the inducements attractive plenty to actuate employees into executing good above the. Therefore we began with speaking to employees at the Tower of London and acquiring their point of position on the changing of incentive programs. To get down with, most of the junior retail staff was really satisfied with the current inducement program that was in topographic point, except with the operation of the strategy – they complained about holds in having their inducements from HR. This aside, most staff were adamantly against any sort of alteration in this inducements system. The brotherhood representative in the Tower of London, who besides happened to be an admittances director, presented us with her positions on what the inducements programs should be like. From the point of the position of the brotherhood, she did hold that the current construction was non in maintaining with the Union ‘s positions on inducements. Given this, the director is besides one of the senior directors in-charge of the retailing staff – and was highly satisfied with the current system, and believed that it was working really good for the staff. Therefore, her solution to this was to was non to talk excessively much of the program at the Union meetings – non desiring the Union to raise concerns with the Tower of London direction about the nature of inducements that were provided. The position of the above mentioned director was besides shared by other senior directors at the Tower. They all believed that the system was all right and were non interested in conveying any drastic alterations to the wagess processes at the current minute, unless perfectly necessary. A consequent survey of the responses of all these stakeholders was so undertaken to uncover what formed the footing for our survey. We picked up on three cardinal issues upon which our solutions for a new program were based – that the staff decidedly wanted fiscal inducements and non non-financial inducements, that the supervisors needed to acquire some signifier of inducements and that the group construction could be used to a greater advantage to actuate persons. It is best to do a pick between programs instead than show merely one program and do determinations based on that. That was what prompted our determination to plan three inducement programs, all really different from each other – one based strictly on fiscal inducements, another on non-financial inducements, and eventually the 3rd one being a program which amalgamates both fiscal and non-financial inducements. To get down with, one of the obvious options was to go on with a program similar to that which the Tower of London had been following boulder clay now. The inducement program used over the last few old ages in the Tower was strictly fiscal in nature. The program included gross revenues marks for single staff members which were to be achieved in an unspecified clip period. On accomplishment of marks, staff members were awarded gift verifiers to a shop of their pick for a value of GBP 50. In line with this, the other sorts of fiscal inducements that could be offered are: a hard currency inducement, gift verifiers or even paid vacations. Keeping the Tower of London in head – this strategy is much better to run on for persons instead than on groups – it might turn out to be to expensive otherwise. Traveling on, we considered non-financial inducements a feasible option every bit good. Our suggestions for non-financial inducements can be more originative and ranged from presenting staff to repasts with the senior direction, holding bonus holiday hours to endow certifications, acknowledgment amongst equals and boxes of cocoas. The advantages of holding such a system are really evidently nest eggs for the company – these options are decidedly much cheaper and so holding a fiscal inducement strategy. These strategies are besides easier to run for groups. Finally, we strove to make a balance between the above mentioned programs – which would, most significantly satisfy all interest holders concerned. To understand and categorise the demands of persons and to place what motivates them, we used Maslow ‘s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow had said that one time the basic physiological demands have been fulfilled, persons move onto other demands which need to be fulfilled such as the demand for self-actualization, safety demands and esteem demands. Emphasis was besides put on group working and the virtues we could pull from it in planing the intercrossed inducement program. Possibly one of the restrictions of working with groups within the gross revenues squads at the Tower of London is that within the gross revenues squads at the Tower of London is that the squads are all disproportionately sized, and to further any sort of competitory spirit would intend that the squads should hold equal Numberss. One of the ways of screening through this issue could intend proportionally spliting group marks to counterbalance for unequal Numberss. Another ground for concentrating so strongly on groups in this instance was because we saw this as an ideal state of affairs to implement non-financial inducements for employees – as these inducements would be much more valid in the context of groups instead than for persons. Finally, in footings of fulfilling all the stakeholders in the inducements plan – it became obvious to us that the 3rd program – the merger of fiscal and non-financial inducements was ideal. The program involves puting single gross revenues marks for the members of the retails staff – and giving the work groups cumulative marks, over and above that, which will be rewarded by non-financial inducements. The program while all encompassing, does show a few logistical job, the chief one being disposal for Human Resources. Motivation has therefore played a really critical function in the pick of concluding recommendation for the inducement program that we made for the Tower of London to utilize. We used the constructs of intrinsic and extrinsic motive extensively to specify persons would respond to different sorts of inducements and finally what would animate optimum public presentation from employees in the given scene at the Tower. While questioning employees, another concern that had been raised was that they were non being efficaciously communicated with when incentive programs were formulated, when any kind of alterations were being made, and when faced with holds in the wagess procedure ( inducements verifiers were about 3 months behind agenda ) . We believe that for our inducement program to be successful, free-flowing channels of communicating are necessary within the Tower of London. To accomplish this, we enclosed a bill of exchange of a communicating program – basically meant for better communicating between the senior direction at the Tower of London and the junior retail and gross revenues staff. Methodolgy – pros and cons

Persuasive Memorandum Essay

Under Armour has established itself as a highly successful sports wear brand, the reason for its success is the fact that products manufactured by U.A are designed with full understanding of an athlete’s needs. The U.A’s branded store at Annapolis appears to be highly popular among sports enthusiasts as it offers them a unique opportunity to experience the entire range of U.A’s products 2 The sales associates at the Annapolis store are a highly knowledgeable team, and possess an in-depth knowledge of U.A’s extensive product line. Presently our sales associates are highly capable of assisting customers in choosing the right product for an intended purpose, however there is a need to retrain our sales team so that in addition to addressing the customers intended purpose, they can determine the customers physical condition or body type and recommend a product that ideally suits the customer. Why does U.A need to retrain its Sales Associates? No two individuals can ever be same so a product that suits one person’s body type may not necessarily suite the others body type. For instance when a customer asks for a pair running shoe, our sales associates will be capable of showing them the complete range of running shoes, and then let the customer take his pick. In order to guarantee customer satisfaction it is essential to determine the customers foot type, whether he/she has a supinator, pronator or neutral arched foot 3. This knowledge will help the sales associate to recommend a shoe that is most likely to provide optimal fit and maximize performance. In the same way other products such as inner wear need to confirm to the wearer’s physical condition in order to ensure an optimal fit and comfort, hence a retraining programme is required to develop these skills among our sales associates. Advantages of the retraining programme The retraining programme will add value to the Under Armour brand, people will begin to identify the brand as one that truly assists athletes in achieving superior performance. Customer satisfaction levels may increase, because when customers are given a product that suits both their need and their body type, there is seldom room for complaints. The retraining programme will make the sales associate more confident and help them to increase their knowledge base, and learn more about newly introduced product categories such as footwear which was launched in April 2006 4. The concept of providing high level technical assistance to buyers will serve as an addition to the company’s U.S.P’s (Unique Selling Points), this may lead to increase in company’s retail sales. Major Concerns related to the retraining programme A primary concern related to the retraining programme is that, it will effect the operations across several departments. Revision and up gradation of the existing product training programme will require collaborated effort from product design department and the training department hence this may effect normal operations of the product design department, however the advantages of the retraining programme will far outweigh minor inconveniences that shall be encountered in the process of implementing this idea. Concerns about the training programme hampering the store operations can be taken care of by dividing the sales associates into maximum number of small batches, this will ensure that sufficient staff is available at the store while each batch in turn undergoes intensive product training. It is hoped that the retraining programme will help in creation of a highly skilled sales force capable of providing the customers with a unique shopping experience.

My first day at a new school Essay

The first day if a new school is very difficult because you don’t know any one and u feel all alone. Most kids do good because they are a people person which can help because they talk to people and know were or how to get around from talking to other kids. There are also kids that don’t talk as much to other people they don’t know either because there shy .So this I how I overcame the obstacles on my first day. The most memorable first day I had was when I went to Kenny Guinn middle school. I knew no one in my home room so I sat there for a moment and the teacher began to call roll call then after that passed the kids in the class began to talk and so nothing. the teachers got their attention and explained rules and regulations. shortly after that some kid s started getting kinda loud so the teacher got their attention he sent one of the three to another class and his friend threw a paper airplane instead of the teacher doing something to punish he made a funny remark about the kid. The bell sone rang and we all got up and head off to our next class remember the first class I had was science,at first I was about the tenth student in the classroom I noticed one of my friends walked in the classroom and sat next to me . I told him how frustrated I was and he told me to â€Å"just don’t worry about it and calm down†. so after he convinced me to calm down and I began to relax. The teacher then started her lesson plan, then she explained her classroom rules and regulations shortly after that she told us what we were going to do the rest of the school year. When she had finished, the class began to talk. that was when I realized my friend that was sitting next to me, as I mentioned earlier had the next class with me. dong dong dong the bell has just rang so we headed for our next class, that next class was math. and he began to do the same as the first teacher then that class ended so we my friend and I went to lunch. The most exciting part of the hole day was the lunch period .Were I got lucky enough to meet most of my friends there that day so that was a big relief. I ate some lunch that help because the hole day I was feeling kind of sick so that helped me replenish my self, then we all started talking to one another  after a short amount of time we all got confused so then we laughed at ore selves for being so stupid. then I diced to walk over to this girl I liked after being convinced that nothing terrible can happen and it won’t be the end of the world so I did it and I then had a date to the dance thing they were having, the school was throwing it for the new year. So the day has gone smoothly and not too difficult in anyway or manner. Soon after lunch ended we/all the kids went to class then I went to my next class the same routine was used for the lesion plane for the last four class and once that was over it was a little frustrating to find my buss but then I found it just in time and when I got home I said hi to my dad and then had something to eat. And I learned if I was to ask someone I don’t know can still help me and being shy has its down falls.

Crime and Wheel Conspiracy

â€Å"Conspiracy is an agreement between or more persons to engaged jointly in an unlawful or criminal act, or an act that is innocent in itself but becomes unlawful when done by the combination of actors. † (Dictionary, 2013) There are three different types of conspiracy that can be present during a criminal situation. The first is called a Wheel Conspiracy, which involves one person as well as a group of people that participate in separate things that are considered illegal where a shared purpose is present between the people in the group. Legal, 2013) For example Rudy working for Ron who is one of the biggest bosses in charge of the drug cartel in Miami Florida was asked by Ron if he would confront one of his buyers for money that was owed to him and if the money was not present he was ordered to kill him. Rudy did what he was asked, because Rudy did this he was involved in a wheel conspiracy because he is technically considered the â€Å"middle-man†. He is the one that is doing the crime but there is an agreement between him and Ron who is in charge of the operation and he is protecting Ron by doing his dirty work. Another form of conspiracy is called â€Å"Chain Conspiracy†, this is most likely to involve some type of drug transaction and there is a series of people that are involved. (APSU, 2010) For example Eric meets with the distributor Jack to pack up a pound of cocaine and meets with John and Ed to transport it to Ron that has made an agreement with the distributor for it to e sent. If they are caught during this process this would considered a chain conspiracy because you have the distributor that is involved, the person that is packing it and the people that are transporting it all involved in this crime. Another is called â€Å"Combination Conspiracy† † occurs when the hub has very few organizers with multiple objectives and the chains vary substantially in length. † (Flax, 2005) For example th e gang MSU which is located in many areas of the United States have committed many murders. A local gang member is taken into custody because there were six dead bodies found in NYC. The investigations could not prove as to whole exactly was responsible for these crimes we just knew that MSU was responsible for the crime. This is considered a combination conspiracy because there are too many gang members that are involved and there is no clues or hints that are leading to the leaders of the gang.

Criminal Justice Career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Justice Career - Essay Example Also to be included in the paper are the following: (1) a listing of at least 3 professional associations that could support in this profession. For each association listed, provide the mission of the organization, a profile of the association’s members, membership dues, and association publications; (2) based on the state of VIRGINIA, defining one’s jurisdiction, find any related legal codes associated with the chosen profession. Provide a link to that site with a paragraph description of the types of laws contained there. Finally, (3) list any other information sources that are critical in one’s profession. For each source listed, provide a link to that source, a description of the information found there, and how that information would be used in the chosen profession. Criminal Justice Career Career Profession Chosen From among the 50 careers listed within criminal justice and law enforcement careers (Criminal Justice Profiles, 2011), an interesting and challenging option I have chosen is to become an agent for Homeland Security, the department whose primarily aim is to â€Å"to secure the nation from the many threats we face† (Dept. of Homeland Security, 2011, par. 1). As explicitly indicated in their official website, â€Å"as a Homeland Security employee, you will help secure our borders, airports, seaports and waterways; research and develop the latest security technologies; respond to natural disasters or terrorists assaults; and analyze intelligence reports† (DHS: Career Opportunities, 2011,par. 1). ... 8). This career path is equally challenging and rewarding as deemed of eminent relevance to the public and to the environment. Article from Database In an article entitled FEMA Committed to Finding Temporary Housing for Storm Survivors dated June 1, 2011, the employees under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are enjoined to help survivors of the recent storms that affected a considerable number of communities and families in Missouri, to find temporary shelter (FEMA, 2011, 1). The career chosen manifests active response and commitment to uplift the conditions of people who have been beset by various hazards, including natural disasters. The article emphasized â€Å"FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards† (FEMA, 2011, 1). List of Three Professional Associations Americ an Correctional Association (ACA) is â€Å"a multi-disciplinary organization of professionals representing all facets of corrections and criminal justice† (General Resources, n.d., par. 1). Its official website indicates that â€Å"membership is open to corrections professionals, students, retired persons, interested citizens, organizations/institutions and corporations. There are many benefits to becoming a member of ACA including a one-year subscription to our Corrections Today magazine and On the Line newsletter, a 20% discount on selected publications and correspondence courses, ACA directories and discounted rates on our Winter Conference and Summer Congress of Correction (ACA: Membership, n.d., par. 1). National Criminal Justice

Secure Computer Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Secure Computer Systems - Essay Example The press release from OCABR made it amply clear that the new amendments are to be applicable to all the big and small businesses that possess or have licensed personal information of any resident of Massachusetts (Mondaq Business Briefing, 2009). The primary purpose of these amendments is to upgrade the existing data security standards, while taking into cognizance the emerging risks to data, to bring them in consonance with the Federal Trade Commission's Safeguard Rule (Mondaq Business Briefing, 2009). This risk-based approach to data security takes into consideration the overall size and potential of a business, resources accessible to a business, the nature and the magnitude of data collected by or in the possession of a business and an appraisal of the requisite security needs to implement a worthy information security program (Mondaq Business Review, 2009). As per the OCABR, the compliance to security standards to any business is not to be standardized, but is to be accessed on the basis of the data risks inherent in a business (Mondaq Business Review, 2009). The hallmark of these statutory regulations is that they do acknowledge that the choice or application of any data security and privacy program cannot be standardized for each business (Kairab, 2004). Hence, the lawmakers are aware of the glaring reality that every business is unique so far as its needs for consumer information and data is concerned and thus the businesses should be left free to decide as to what kind of data security program and guidelines they need to put in place. Even if the governments do not interfere into the arena of data security, the consumers today are more then concerned about the sanctity of their personal data. Thus, the purpose of any statutory arrangements should be more in the nature of the guidelines and awareness drives, whose purpose should be to sensitize the individuals and businesses as to the possible threats to data and the consequences and repercussions of any instance of data theft or loss (Matsura, 2001). The thrust of any government activism ought to be on the corporate and consumer education and not regulation. Aware corporations will certainly take the appropriate steps to retain competitiveness, while well-informed consumers will naturally gravitate towards businesses that they can trust with their personal information and data. A state policing of the corporate compliance to data security is not only pragmatically impossible, but also oblivious of the essential principles governing free markets. Total Words: 525Works Cited Kairab, Sudhanshu (2004). A Practical Guide to Security Assessments. NewYork: Auerbach Publications. "Privacy and Security Alert: Analysis of Amendments to Massachusetts DataSecurity Regulations". Mondaq Business Briefing. Mondaq Ltd. 2009.Retrieved Sept. 20, 2009, from HighBeam Research: http://www .highbeam.com Matsura (2001). Security, Rights, and Liabilities in E-Commerce. Toronto: Artech House Publishers.

Explain the concepts listed below. Use your own words to explain, but Essay

Explain the concepts listed below. Use your own words to explain, but cite scholarly sources to support your statements - Essay Example Cultural competence enables patients and doctors to discuss the health concerns in a manner that is respectful and patient leading to positive health outcomes. Culture influences patients behavior and attitude to an illness, its causes, treatment and ultimately healing. Examples are in terminally ill patients e.g. cancer or diabetes. Depending on a patient’s culture, they may take it as a curse or punishment from God, witchcraft or a death sentence. A healthcare provider must therefore be aware of all the negative perceptions of the patient toward the illness and based on this, they are able to break the news to the patient. It will also aid the provider in knowing how to inform the patient about the disease until they understand. This will aid the patient in accepting treatment and also give a positive attitude towards management of the illness. Health belief can be discussed using the health belief model. It was developed by Irwin M. Rosenstock in 1966 to study the uptake of health services by patients. The original model consisted of four concepts: Perceived susceptibility (risk of getting a condition), perceived severity (seriousness of the condition, and its potential consequences), perceived barriers (adoption of the treatment and its side effects), perceived benefits (the positive consequences of adopting the treatment). Health beliefs are affected by an individual’s perception, social interactions and the consequences (Dean and Fenton, 2010). A case study would be the disease Diabetes. Many individuals believe that they can get diabetes as a result of genetic predisposal, unhealthy lifestyle or old age. There is belief that the consequences of diabetes are grave and should be avoided. There is belief that recommended eating healthy, proper exercise and regular check-ups to prevent diabetes and aid in early detection. People also identify their personal barriers

Case Study on McDonalds Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On McDonalds - Case Study Example The business model implemented has enabled the firm to consistently offer restaurant experiences that are relevant to the local customers and become part of the local communities. A swot analysis of McDonald’s is as below. McDonald has developed a very strong global grand and is highly ranked by Fortune Magazine in its category. It has also successfully portrayed itself as community oriented and socially responsible company that caters for the different cultures it serves. Strong global market presence is another key strength that is barked with the franchise business model that has made it easy to expand and manage the vast locations without much ease. The company’s location strategy also works for its business i.e. most stores are excellently located in parks, airports and Wal-Mart stores as well as other prime places. Its adherence to guidelines on safety of food and provision of nutritional information to its customers also helps in growing customer intimacy. A major weakness of McDonald’s has to do costs of doing business; it has to expend lots of money on training as a result of high staff turnover. It has also concentrated a lot on the fast foods such as burgers instead of the more healthier and organic food types. Its franchise model of operation also faces concerns to with quality as the different franchise owners may not offer the same level of quality. A concern to investors arises from the large variations in the company’s profits while its limited variation of seasonal foods impacts on customer confidence. McDonald’s therefore needs to address these weak points in order to maintain its brand recognition. Due its global position and the franchise business model the company has unique opportunity to further expand to every part of the globe. It can also grow its image by responding fast social changes and customer demands in terms of health. Its Wifi service

The power of a world view Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

The power of a world view - Essay Example The 4 horsemen are the same as the four myths as described above. Colson explains how the first horseman rails against heaven with the presumptuous question: why do bad things happen to good people He multiplies evil by denying its existence. The second horseman comes with sword and slaughter in the false hope of creating the perfect man. The third horseman sows chaos and confusion by questioning absolute morality. The fourth horseman brings excess and isolation by putting the individual over the society. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has transformed lives in ways which are beyond what can be experimentally evaluated. Only those impacted can truly understand the change in their lives. Third parties only get an external glimpse, and yet even this glimpse is glorious. Following are examples of this transformation which come out of the address of Charles Colson. Colson claims to be one who is himself transformed by Jesus Christ, this transformation being evident in his life over a period of twenty years. Jesus is credited by Colson as the reason for the excellence in his work as well as the award itself. Colson quotes the study of social scientist James Q Wilson who searched for a correlation between crime and social forces According to him, when America was rapidly industrializing in the late nineteenth century, conditions should have caused crime to increase, but it actually declined. He explained this phenomenon by crediting it to a powerful spiritual awakening that was sweeping the nation, inspiring moral revival and social renewal. This could be compared to the 1920s when affluence should have curbed crime, but it actually increased. The explanation was the wake of the theories of Darwin and Freud in this period when religion was no longer accepted universally as a good thing. Eg 3: The fall of the iron curtain. Colson describes a symbolic moment in May 1990 when a bearded monk thrust a huge crucifix into the air in the Red square and shouted above the crowd under the reviewing stand where Gorbachev and other Soviet leaders stood, "Mikhail Sergeyevich! Christ is risen!" Gorbachev turned and walked off the platform. The signal went across the continent and ultimately led to the collapse of communism. Eg 4: The Humaita prison in San Jose dos Campos Brazil. The prison mentioned above was turned over to two Christian laymen twenty years before Colson visited it. These men planned to run it on Christian principles. This they did. When Colson visited the prison he was greeted by a smiling murderer who was trusted with the keys to the prison and let Colson in. Inside Colson noted men at peace, clean living areas, inmates involved in industrious output, and walls decorated with Bible verses. Humaita's recidivism rate was 4% as compared to 75% in the rest of Brazil and the US. Colson says the reason was the realization among the inmates that Jesus died for their sins and crimes - this was symbolized by a crucifix beautifully

Film Critique on the movie Gladiator (Russell Crow) Essay

Film Critique on the movie Gladiator (Russell Crow) - Essay Example The film Gladiator was a hit at the box office fetching largely positive reviews. However, Elvis Mitchell from The New York Times did see the movie in a negative light and commented eloquently about the film as â€Å"grandiose and silly† (Mitchell, 2000). Nevertheless, the audiences and the fraternity completely disagreed with the cynical critic, and the picture won five Academy Awards at the 73rd Academy Awards including the Best Actor award for Russell Crowe in the leading role and Best Picture award, which was definitely a note of acceptance and accrediting for the entire crew and cast. Apart from captivating an adventurous life of a historical hero, for which the American audience have always shown a special fascination, the film had stolen the show for its â€Å"appealing plot, with distinctive characters, inspired acting, breathtaking cinematography, and a haunting musical score,† as Emily Albu very rightly commented in her epoch making essay â€Å"Gladiator at t he Millennium† (Albu, 2008, p. 185). ... The Final Critique: Gladiator Story Line Plot structure, narrative framework or the screenplay of a film, by whatever name it is called, mostly forms the basic ingredients enabling the success of a film. The narrative framework of a film therefore cannot be undermined at all. The film Gladiator is the brain child of David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson. The film Gladiator is conceived keeping in mind the 180 AD Rome; the film tries to admit historical personages. The presence of the historical figure such as Marcus Aurelius, who was an emperor-philosopher, and his son Commodus indicates much of the sources drawn from the history. However, it is evident that when the plot of the film Gladiator is judged on a comprehensive scale, it is inferred very easily that the film is a loose adaptation of the history and cannot be treated as a direct conversion of chronicle into drama. The plot of the film is tremendously fictional. Moreover, as the history of Rome or, on the contrar y, any ancient history bases upon the quest for power and throne, the elements of politics, romance, drama, emotion, and action become quite inherent in the stories developed keeping the ancient empires and their stories in the backdrop. The story of the Gladiator revolves around the protagonist of the story, Maximus Decimus Berilius, played by Russell Crowe. Maximus is one of the finest generals of the emperor and is the deserving candidate for the throne. Nevertheless, before the official succession, Commodus played by Joaquin Phoenix brutally murders his father and takes the position of his father and complete control over his throne ordering

An Argument for the Conviction of the West Memphis Three Essay

An Argument for the Conviction of the West Memphis Three - Essay Example There were other pieces of evidence but they stood out either because there was nothing to counter them or that they were indeed logical. The main reason why the West Memphis Three should be convicted is that Jessie Misskelley pointed out in his detailed statement that the three of them were the ones who brutally tortured and murdered the three young boys. Based on the recorded statement of Jessie Misskelley for the police, he saw Damien Echols hit Christopher Byers, and Jason Baldwin hit Stevie Branch, and that he was the one who captured Michael Moore while the latter was running (Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills 41:43). The details of the interrogation are a proof that the interrogation and Misskelley’s answers to the questions could not have been merely set up by the police beforehand. Besides, the police would not have been that lazy as to set up three young men just to have the case closed early. The aforementioned statement of Misskelley was hardly n ullified by any of the defense lawyers. Another strong evidence against the West Memphis Three, particularly against Jessie Misskelley is that he was able to identify the boys in the pictures shown by the police. Although he made a mistake with the identification of Christopher Byers, mistaking him for Michael Moore, still he was able to identify them by face. The mere fact that he could identify the victims is actually a strong proof that he had contact with them prior to the trial. One more problem to this is that Jessie did not even tell any of his lawyers or his family that he was forced by the police to make such a confession. It was merely the lawyers who said so. Arguments of the defense in favor of Jessie included his mental handicap (34:35). Nevertheless, based on the deputy’s statement, Jessie was not tortured, maligned or harmed in any way prior or during the confession (47:31). The deputy could not have been lying under oath, based on the tone of his voice, and ba sed on the fact that Jessie did not vehemently or even secretly said that he was indeed harmed. Besides, Jessie’s reactions in court, like bowing his head, are that of a guilty man. Moreover, he has not in any way told his lawyers how innocent he was or how untrue his confession was. Another argument directed against Jessie is his sexual nature (36:20). As he was talking to his girlfriend on the phone, he recalls all the times that he has had sex with her. He may be young and still sexually active and he may only have said such things because he was talking to his girlfriend, and perhaps he was only saying so because he has been deprived of sex since he was arrested. Nevertheless, showing such sexual behavior and pretending in court that he has a mental handicap somehow simply fit the picture of a maniacal killer under the guise of an innocent lunatic. The point is that he may have had a mental handicap as what his lawyers pointed out but his highly sexual nature allowed him to be a sexual criminal at the same time. One other small detail against Jessie is the statement of his stepmother which somehow shows that she possibly believes that he has done it (21:30). She does not seem to show remorse or sympathy for him even while Jessie’s father and whole family do. For a close acquaintance or a family member who believes that it is possible for one to commit a crime is actually strong evidence against him. On the other hand, the evidence against Damien Echols, as proposed by the defense, may be rather fragmented but it remains a fact that if one puts the evidence together, it definitely makes a picture of a murderer. Damien, who looks more like a man who is capable of murder without remorse, has a pentagram in his book (1:11:00), is interested in Wicca (1:14:08), associates with Aleister