Wednesday, November 27, 2019

How would you feel essays

How would you feel essays A wound becomes a scar that goes away or stays forever; of course, this depends on how deep the wound is. Scars that are permanent are usually unpleasant to see and cause embarrassment. Though scars usually occur on the skin they can also make their mark on the heart. Scars to the heart are not made physically but emotionally. It is said that these types of scars are permanent if not deadly due to their cause. I found that out one day while I was taking full advantage of recess and was worried only of getting tagged. Nothing could have bothered me on that cool October morning and nothing could have warned me of the horrific event that would change my life forever. In that half hour of recess I knew I was a regular kid like everyone else and I knew that my friends liked me for whom I was. It had never occurred to me that someone might dislike me or even hate me for who I was. At the age of six, I was still ignorant of the many wounds life had to offer and especiall y those that would scar forever. There I was playing with my friends Mark, John, Mathew, Kenny and Lloyd. We were desperately running away from Kenny because we had just thrown him into the BFI dumpster. He had a revolting smell and was trying to contaminate us with his stench by trying to touch us. The teachers found out and decided to end recess early. Like in any of these situations, we were lined up and asked how this was done and who did it. Well Mark and Lloyd confessed their sin and were taken away. During this time I bent down to tie my shoe. (If I knew what was going to happen at that moment I would have never tied my shoe.) Hey Jacob, I heard my name called out and looked up to see who called. SPLAT!!!! I felt the slimy cold texture of the spit run down my cheek. We dont like you because youre brown! Yeah, your ugly! SMACK!! Like if the spitting a ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement

Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement By Mark Nichol The agreement in number between subjects and verbs is often straightforward, but exceptions abound. Here are some readers’ questions about subject-verb agreement, and my responses and explanations. 1. Which verb form is correct singular or plural when using an optional plural: â€Å"The attached form(s) is provided for you to list the accounts you wish to establish† or â€Å"The attached form(s) are provided for you to list the accounts you wish to establish†? There’s no standard I know of, nor any easy solution that comes to mind, for noun-verb agreement in this case. This solution, for example, is logical but awkward: â€Å"The attached form(s) is/are provided for you to list the accounts you wish to establish.† This revision is better but still unsatisfactory: â€Å"The attached form (or forms) is provided for you to list the accounts you wish to establish.† But here’s an end run around the obstacle: â€Å"Please use the attached form(s) to list the accounts you wish to establish.† 2. I’m in the scientific field and have repeatedly run into writing something like â€Å"ten liters of water† and then asking myself whether it is correct to continue with a singular or a plural verb. I’m not sure whether the verb refers to liters or to water. The context should make clear whether the verb refers to the unit of measurement or to the substance measured; generally, in scientific content, it will be the substance. For example, in â€Å"Ten liters of water is/are left in the tank,† the quantity (not the number of units of a given quantity) is important. The tank contains water, not liters, so â€Å"Ten liters of water is left in the tank† is correct. However, consider whether an active construction (for example, â€Å"The tank now contains ten liters of water†) is more effective. 3. Why is it correct to write â€Å"There is only Tom and John there†? This is a case of an expletive sentence, one beginning with an expletive, or a filler word, such as there, which is not the subject. The subject of this sentence is â€Å"Tom and John,† but the context of the sentence is that a set of people is at a given location, so â€Å"Tom and John† is a single entity. However, for clarity, Tom and John should be considered separate entities: â€Å"There are only Tom and John there.† Better yet, revise the sentence to â€Å"Only Tom and John are there.† (The original sentence you posed is likely to be used in spontaneous conversation, but in writing, unless you’re conveying casual dialogue, I advise using the careful revision.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesBody Parts as Tools of MeasurementGrammar Review #1: Particles and Phrasal Verbs

Thursday, November 21, 2019

MBA Essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MBA Essays - Essay Example I proposed a plan to Greenline, an environmental NGO that I deal with awareness campaigns. The plan was to clean the sandy beach using shovels and placing sponges to prevent oil in the sea from returning onto the sand. I coordinated with Greenline’s VP to secure the sponges and shovels, and contacted the Red Cross and schools’ community service groups to help. With more than 50 volunteers, we were able to clean 5 km of Beirut shoreline. As the news spread, more people joined arms, cleaning additional 15 km of shoreline. â€Å"You will not inherit anything, only education.† This was my father’s often-repeated phrase. My siblings and I faced limited prospects due to our family’s financial situation and even dimmer prospects while in countries like Lebanon. The only way forward was through a top-notch education, which I had benefited from via a merit scholarship. I wanted to maximize my siblings’ chances of following my path. My youngest sister, Rula, had demonstrated high academic potential although the best education available at the American University of Beirut was beyond my parent’s financial capabilities. My sister however succeeded in her admission and I decided to finance her education. The decision meant many things at a personal level; it meant selling my car, and reducing the outings and other expenditures that are appropriate for man in his mid-twenties. Career wise, it meant taking up overtime and delaying my postgraduate plans for a year. Rula’s motivation and hard work paid off. She is soon to graduate from AUB before joining a private equity firm in Qatar. I know her life and surroundings will be changed for the better and I hope in some ways that I passed our father’s legacy to her. I was hired amongst a team of four by Etisalat, the national telecom operator in the United Arab Emirates, to propose the next generation Information, Communication, & Technology (ICT) policy

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Choose one topic in the attachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Choose one topic in the attachment - Essay Example The saying on regret mentioned above is the best way to sum up or describe the plot and story of this movie. In this movie, every person is related or their story is linked and connected with the other person. Therefore, every scene and story of every individual in the movie consists of complex situations which get along very well with each other. "Magnolia" is a film of sadness and loss, of lifelong bitterness, of children harmed and adults destroying themselves. (Magnolia Movie Review & Film Summary (1999) | Roger Ebert) It is said that Magnolia is not one of those movies which could be understood by every viewer. Even when Magnolia was released worldwide in 1999, there were many viewers and those who reviewed the movie, their responses were quite conventional regarding it. They believe that it is a representation of emotional vulnerability. Therefore, due to these reasons, this movie can be looked through various aspects, perspectives, and prism as it includes a religious world an d dimension. After releasing the first trailer of this movie, it demonstrates that the movie about love which is either lost, gained, given, or withheld according to different situations. Basically, the religious aspect which is given in this movie shows the action of trapping the conflicted sinners and miscreants due to their wrongdoings in past relationships of reprobating. As it is clearly shown that this movie does not really have a plot but it conveys a very strong message as well as some great views and points. As this movie is about the lives and doings of 9 to 11 individuals, it is really hard to have a specific plot on which a movie had to be directed but the least a good movie can do is to motivate and spread out a strong message to its viewers. Not only the movie brings forward the shortcomings and fear but also sexual and emotional abuse. It is said that the people and viewers who call this movie exemplary are â€Å"actively dodging the social gravity, the psychological resonance, and the emotional poignancy of the conflicts mined in the film’s sensitive writing and talented ensemble acting. Most of the Magnolia’s characters have hit a crisis point at the start of the story. (Lane, 2) Anderson’s (the director) only philosophy was that bigger is better which was proven right with the help of this movie. However there are certain points in the movie where the director has shown inability to create a good film. It would be one thing if Magnolia offered multiple points of view, but Anderson is really only concerned with his own: a heavy-handed, self-pitying indictment of bad parenting and its sorry effects. Anderson expands his timeworn theme with a motif about chance and destiny (MAGNOLIA) As this movie is basically based on 9 to 11 people’s lives who are faced with regrets, his biggest failure in this movie is technical failing. As from every person to the stories and scenes, everything is linked and correlated. Therefore , switching the stories and making right decision at the right time is a difficult task. Therefore, the narration and writing of this movie is very complex. He has not perfected it yet that the way he crosscuts and switches from one scene to another which eventually is not the match of temporal relationships. For instance, there was a scene where a couple breaks up at one second, and the next moment the whole movie is switched Stanley who was the genius boy, deciding to put a stop at playing the tawdry game show. Even

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Enron And The Decision Making Factor Essay Example for Free

Enron And The Decision Making Factor Essay Introduction – Students, analysts and critics of modern business practice will always consider the colossal Enron collapse as an important text book case about how a lot of different things inside the company can trigger a nearly overnight downfall of a once prestigious company. If there was any Cinderella story in the world of blue chip trading and high portfolio business, Enron was the ultimate opposite, if not the witch herself who was killed by her own lethal potion. The Enron collapse resulted in the formulating of many different opinions pointing to the many different possible reasons why Enron – with all the promise and potential that it has a few years before it went south – made the nosedive that made it one of the worst disasters in the history of trade, commerce and business. There is no doubt that most of the opinions that surfaced explaining the reason why such an eventuality befell Enron placed the blame on the wrong things that the top management echelon did for the company; they are after all the one which is responsible for the present and the future of Enron. Critics looking at the Enron debacle scrutinized what happened leading to the collapse using many different perspectives and considering many different factors, both in the professional capability of the company’s leaders as well as the impact of the surrounding factors beyond Enron’s control. One of the most important facets in the debate regarding the fall of Enron is decision making. Evidently, a lot of wrong decisions were made, with one every wrong decision acting as a building block that eventually became an insurmountable wall of consequences all borne out of wrong or faulty decision making processes that yielded results that did the company more harm than good. Indeed, the decision making linchpins significant to the establishment of the case that the Enron collapse was due in some extent to the decision making aspect of the leadership strata of the company can be identified easily as it is scattered throughout the timeline of Enron’s very near and not so distant past leading to the eventual fall of the company that hid behind the facade of the building the ugliness created by the qualities of its leaders that caused the chaos that burned down Enron down to meager, worthless ashes. This paper will pick the significant moments wherein the decision making capabilities and abilities of its top management leaders were at play and use these moments to establish the ethical and other considerations coming to play during the analysis of the decision making efforts of the leaders and why the outcome of such exercises led to the fall of Enron and not towards the company’s betterment, which is the main task of the company’s top executives. The paper will utilize these occasions to stress its argument regarding the role of effective, ethical and sound decision making of top executives leading to either the success or bankruptcy of companies, in this case that of Enron, and discuss key aspects of this line of thought. The paper will not criminalize the actions of the executives of Enron; rather, it will infuse inputs from other professionals regarding important aspects in the discussion of corporate decision making (ethics, result-orientation, etc). Background – Various angles have already been explored by many different individuals every time the topic of analysis is Enron and its collapse. Because of this, the paper is moving to focus on an aspect that is focused more on Kenneth Lay and the rest of his top executive clique’s personal characteristic that could have played an important role in the outcome of Enron’s operation. Decision making is both a personal characteristic as it is a professional credential, even an asset. Some people are being paid handsome amounts of money for their ability to transform decision making moments into an opportunity that provides a positive result and expected outcome for the company. Ehringer (1995) puts it simply: The ability to make good decisions is the defining quality of our lives (Ehringer, 1995, p. 1). When Lay, Skilling, Fastow and other Enron bosses were placed in their respective positions, they were expected to exercise a high level of intuitiveness, business acumen and professional foresight so that every decision making opportunity is met with the company’s best interest long term and short term in mind. They were where they were because those who placed them there believed that they can make decisions to which the company can benefit from. When Enron collapse, many people and organizations criticized the questioned the decision making capabilities of the top executives – was the collapse an effect of the result of the decision that they made? Was the decision made putting the benefit of the company and the employees first, or are the decisions shaped so that it benefited them first? How bad was the breach in the ethical considerations that a professional should take every time he or she makes a decision that puts the future of the company on the line? These are just some of the questions that may also be present in the minds of those who followed the Enron case. Sure there were varying degrees of deception and fraudulent acts from the part of many select individuals who sinned against Enron and its employees, but these cases would have been minimized or even averted altogether if the important decision making privileges was limited to a select few, or if the future-altering decision making capability is disseminated largely among a huge group of people that can provide a check and balance system for Enron. Roberts (2004) explained that if it is possible for others to make the decisions for a unit, then new options arise to design the decision-making process as well as the incentive schemes to get better performance on both dimensions. For example, the design might specify that a decision about a project arising in one unit that affects another would be implemented if and only if both units agree to it, (Roberts, 2004, p. 51). Enron is an energy trading firm which was performing well in the early part of its existence. By the start of the 21st century, the problems that the bosses were trying to hide from the public and from the employees started to stank. Soon, events unfolded like dominoes falling one after the other as a consequence of information spilling out into the public’s attention. Before 2004, the public already had a clear idea about how Enron bosses were supposedly the one responsible for the defrauding of the employees and their company shares and other benefits, as well as the one responsible for the bankruptcy of Enron. One by one, key company officials stepped out of the light and implicated a new name, which will in turn implicate a much bigger name, until the dragnet sent out to see who was accountable for the fraudulent acts in Enron caught its top bosses, including Lay, Skilling and Fastow. Many individuals faced criminal charges, and many more simply went home not just jobless but are robbed of lifetime investments which Enron bosses manipulated and soon lost because of the wrong decisions they made on how to run the company and make it prosper and grow. Examples of how Enron management made wrong decisions during decision making moments abound in the history of the company. Take for example what happened in 1987 instead of declaring the $190 million loss the company experienced, they concealed it instead, leading to criminal charges. This habit of Enron for opting to conceal losses instead of declaring it became a dangerous vice; when Fastow was aboard Enron, the same outlook affected the decision making of Enron, leading to increase in pile of cases wherein Enron through its top management consciously made actions that defraud the employees and the public. There was also the case of poor public relations by Enron which fanned the flames of panic that removed any possible opportunity for Enron to remedy the financial situation without creating hysteria that saw many stockholders selling their stocks due to the continued falling of the stock value of Enron. Statement of Problem – The most important decision that Enron’s executives faced was not the decision on whether or not to publicly announce about the bankruptcy; in fact, there was no decision making factor during that instance since the predicament of the company has already been decided regardless of what the top executives might have opted for: they were flat out broke and the public needs to know about this, that was the situation. The true decision making moment for Enron’s bosses was the time when they were deciding what the best option to take is with regards to the financial aspect of the company, including taxes, earnings and financial loses. It was a matter of facing a decision making task that provided the Enron bosses with two options – to do the right thing, or to opt for something that is morally and ethically inappropriate. The decision reached in this particular decision making instance was laced with the hope that the option they took would be free from serious repercussions and give them enough time to fix it all up again. Unfortunately for Enron, things did not work out as planned, and the criminal liability of the Enron bosses stemmed from the fact that they decided to do something which they consciously knew was detrimental to the welfare of the Enron company and its employees. During that particular instance, Lay could have opted to do the right thing and faced the consequences by coming clean, he may have a more sympathetic public to support him in whatever efforts he may wish to undertake to revive Enron, and not be faced with the collapsing stock value since those who can sell theirs sell it in a frantic phase to rid themselves of the stock of the company which is nearing imminent bankruptcy. This showed how the people do not give second chances to those who squander their decision making privileges by making decisions bereft of the consideration of the good of the greater many. Decision making John Hintze (2006), in his discussion about making smart decisions during decision making, used the case of the Enron collapse to open his discussion and establish the fact that problems are something that is foreseen, something that happened nonetheless owing to bad decision making. Hintze wrote, should we have seen 9/11 coming? What about the Enron collapse? The Signs were there; people pointed them out, but the appropriate steps were not taken by those in a position to do something. Why is this? Politics? Greed? Those certainly contributed, but there was something else at work here, too: A failure of common sense in decision making (Hintze, 2006, p. 123). Enron: Bad decision making Nothing can prove more about how bad the decision making went inside Enron camp more convincingly than the fact the company transformed from prosperous to poor overnight. This was the general characteristic of Enron through the traits shown by its leaders that reflect the Enron personality. There were earlier discussions in the paper about snippets on instances pointing to Enrons penchant for making bad decision or for going to the resolving of a problem utilizing an option that is more questionable. Fox (2004) explained that Enron believed that its expansion into international projects were positive initiatives simply because they put the company in more potential markets. In truth, Enron made bad business decisions that werent supported by the deals economics. The bad business decisions piled up, stretching from India to Brazil, pressuring the company to do something about its finances’ (Fox, 2004,p. 307). At least at this point, Fox is not pointing at the unethical aspect of the Enron decision making machinery, just the fact that they made decisions that were bad for the future of the company, but not to the extent of deliberately sabotaging the company or putting the company in danger with all known risk for personal gain. For Fox, it was a bad call plain and simple. But the matter of the fact is that not everyone sees it the way Fox does, and there are those who believe that there were ethical breaches in the decision making in Enron among its top bosses. The (absence of) Leaders in decision-making – Decision making in retrospective is one of the common line of thinking used when investigating events that led to growth or debacle. It is because decision making played an important part in shaping the future of the company; it is here where the foundation, or lack of it, was created via the decisions the bosses made or failed to make. To trace the problems or mark significant actions resulting from decision making which eventually resulted to either the success or failure of the company, it is not only the decision making events that are looked back to; the persons that made them were also put under the microscope, and among the qualities scrutinized is their decision making ability and their other characteristics that affect their decision making attitude and behavior. Professionals debate about the idea of a good decision, a bad decision, good intentions and bad intentions and how the good and bad effect that comes into play afterwards account for the overall accountability of a person wielding the power to make decisions that will have a tremendous impact on the future of the company, something which happened in Enron via Lay, Skilling, Fastow and the rest of the top figures of the company. Acuff (2004) explains that ‘if they make a decision that might not have been the decision I would have made, and they come and talk to me about it, we look at it and discuss it. There are a lot of different ways to skin the horse. I don’t go saying my idea is the only one that will get you where you want to go. I hold people accountable for good decision-making. If a bad outcome results from a bad decision thats a problem. But if a bad outcome results from a reasonable decision, then thats business, and it could happen to anyone (Acuff, 2004, p. 87). This was the predicament of those who are trying to evaluate the decision making actions of Enron top executives did they make decisions, even bad decisions with the sake of the company in mind, and gambled with their careers because they know that if their plans and actions go well, it is extremely beneficial for the company, in a very Machiavellian approach towards getting things done regardless of the means by which th ey did it, or were they just plain guilty of fraudulent actions? People who are burdened by the decision that impacts a lot of people is not always amenable to taking the high and moral grounds, that is why the adage about the end justifying the means, about getting things done at what ever cost, about delivering against the odds became popular because of people like the Enron bosses who (probably) acted upon their decision making duties by risking what can be a popularly bad decision. Indeed, it may be easy or even convenient for most people adversely affected by the Enron collapse to attribute the colossal corporate debacle to the top management figures of the company by criticizing their decisions as well as their faculty for sound decision making. While it is true that Enron’s top executives are responsible for the collapse of the company, it is not that easy to measure the level of ethical decision making attributes of Enron’s top brass. Goethals et al (2004) pointed out that â€Å"the complexity associated with ethical decision making and behavior, especially as it applies to leadership and the workplace, makes the construct extremely difficult to research†, adding that â€Å"Measuring an individual’s level of ethical decision making is challenging, particularly because the measurement instruments that are available have problems with priming and social-desirability effects; that is, questionnaires or other similar modes of data collection cue respondents to give answers that they believe are socially acceptable rather than answers that truly reflect their own actions or opinions (Goethals et. al. , 2004, p. 461). † Proof of which is the fact that all of these executives in question are career corporate leaders even before they joined Enron; their credentials played an important role regarding their selection for a corporate position as high as theirs. Because of this, as well as the factors that affect the credibility of the ability for identification of the real public pulse regarding the persons involved in the issue, ethical decision making levels of the persons involved is hard to ascertain, making claims for questionable ethical decision making consideration of the people lose important ground and stand on insufficient set of stable legs for proof and justification. Still, there are those who believe that the level of ethics that influences the decision making capabilities of the Enron bosses are without a doubt questionable, and this includes Mimi Swartz and Sherron Watkins who was quoted in the book edited by Kathy Fitzpatrick and Carolyn B. Bronstein. In the article, it mentions about how Swartz and Watkins â€Å"blame Ken Lay, former CEO of Enron, and other company executives for privileging greed and arrogance over ethical business decisions† (Fitzpatrick and Bronstein, 2006, p. 79), the gist of the published work co-authored by the two individuals. Nalebuff and Ayres (2006) wrote that the problem often arises because people ignore the costs and benefits that their decisions have on other people. We call this approach Why dont you feel my pain? The more technical term for these effects is externalities. Decision makers who ignore externalities are bound to make bad decisions (Nalebuff and Ayres, 2006, p. 67). This explanation greatly tarnishes the ethical value of the decision making ethics of Enron bosses because it shows that they are prone or inclined to make decisions even if the result of such decisions lead to negative effects that other people will experience. Niskanen (2005) believes that Lay, one of the top bosses of Enron, â€Å"should be judged on the basis of his personal actions, directions to subordinates, or the actions of subordinates that he implicitly condoned by knowing about it without attempting to correct not on the basis of what he should have known† (Niskanen, 2005, p. 6). Lays condoning of actions is a result of a personal and professional decision that he made or failed to make and because of that, Niskanen believes that Lay is answerable for any criminal charges that would result from that particular action (or inaction). Watkins was thinking of the company and its employees and their future and hers as well, when she made the decision to let her superiors, particularly Lay, know about the possible accounting problems and the making public of the current and real financial and trade status of the company. This clearly illustrates the difference in ethics when it comes to decision making. Decision making, ethics and public perception Decision making in business is not merely a power or a privilege that one can use at will without thinking of the consequences that might happen should the decision resulted into something that is considered as adversely negative and detrimental to the welfare of the employees, their jobs and the company they work for. Those who are provided with such amenity to go along with their job description should consider that it is also their responsibility to make sure that their employees and subordinates do not think that they are squandering away their decision making privilege and everything that goes along with it. This was the prevailing attitude or outlook of the Enron employees especially nearing the imminent collapse of the company. The absence of ethical consideration resulted to the losing of the credibility of the bosses of Enron because they were not careful with how they undertake their decision making tasks. While bankruptcy is something that is very difficult to accept and impacts greatly in the lives of the employees especially the rank and file blue collar workers, there is a sense of adding insult to injury during occasions wherein the employees are starting to realize that all of the unfortunate things that happen in the company and in their careers are all a result of the faulty, incompetent and unethical decision making of the top management echelon and not because the company was helpless in the onslaught of a devastating economic problem, like how companies closed down during the Great Depression despite the efforts of American businessmen to keep the different industries alive and breathing. During the collapse of Enron, the US is experiencing a very stable economy far from that which characterized US economy during the Great Depression, and is shielded securely from the impact of whatever it was that was happening in the global economic and business landscape, and so during the Enron collapse, the collective finger was pointing an accusing index digit to Enron bosses and majority of the cause of their indignation originates from the sloppy decision making capabilities of Enron bosses who lost their credibility the moment they lost Enron. Brazelton and Ammons (2002) wrote in the book they co-wrote: â€Å"The Ethics Resource Center conducted a survey in 2000 in which it learned that 43 percent of respondents believed that their supervisors are generally poor examples of honest managers, and the same number were pressured to compromise their own integrity or that of their organization during decision making. The survey also identified a strong connection between employees perceptions of their supervisors and their own ethical behavior (Brazelton and Ammons, 2002, p. 388). † Enron decision making: the two-pronged factors It can be pointed out that one of the problems that happened to Enron is the ineffective of decision making among top executives first, their top executives failed to make correct decisions when they are required to do so, and second, Enron was not fully complimented with a set of professionals which could have contributed to the decision making process, and in the process provided the possibility of infusing new or different ideas that could have altered the outcome of the decision making process. Fitzpatrick and Bronstein (2006) did not look exclusively on Enrons bosses and the decisions they made in the management of Enron and the companys money and asset, rather, the two editors focused on the absence of a key top management personnel and took the presence of such a void as a sign that Enron is not even prioritizing the welfare of the company and its employees. The book Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy, which includes the Enron case as one of the important case studies to point out the importance of the role of public relations, explains that perhaps the governance of these companies was such that they did not care about their publics, and did not want the advice of senior-level public relations officer playing an active or dominant role in organizational decision making (Fitzpatrick and Bronstein, 2006, pg 179). Conclusion – Niskanen (2005) summed up the Enron case on its characteristic of thriving in bad decisions made by its corporate leaders by saying in the book that the most important lesson from the Enron collapse, however, is that Enron failed because of a combination of bad business decisions, not because its accounts were misleading adding that the major business decisions that most contributed to its collapse were a series of bad investments, most of which were in the traditional asset-rich industries; the failure to reconcile two quite different business models; and the decision to focus management objectives on reported revenues and earning rather than on the present value of future cash flows (Niskanen, 2005, p. 6). Are they poor in decision making, or was the decision making adversely affected by other concerns and priorities outside of Enron that the results of the decision made for Enron looks like those who made the call did not even think about how this course of action will affect Enron? There are no sufficient proofs to point that the case was the latter; for a company that became seventh all in all in the Fortune 500 at least once, it is unthinkable how there will be conscious efforts to sink the company by making wrong decisions, deliberately or not. The point of the paper is not the assertion of the guild of Skilling, Lay or even Fastow, it’s the establishing of the point that decision making, when not handled properly, can turn even the most profitable company into a nose-diving wreck in a short period of time, that decision making plays an important role in how a person defines his or her life and how he or she leads a company and that because of these factors, no one should have an excuse why decision making was taken lightly and without much thought or care. All the people can see is a group of people who made wrong decisions several times, the resulting web and how they got trapped in that web, that is assuming that there was no malice or hidden agenda that the bosses perpetrated in lieu of Enron’s collapse. In the end, only Lay (now deceased) and the elite circle of the Enron executive clique will be the ones who would really know about the truth regarding ethics and the decision making in Enron leading to the collapse of the company. Many would ask, and some would presume, the reasons as well as the level of guilt of these leaders when it comes to breaching the ethical requirements needed when undertaking decision making for a company. Regardless, the decisions they made created far reaching ripples and altered the lives of many individuals who invested not just their time, strength and lifes savings into the company but as well as their but as well as their faith and trust, which are not in shattered pieces because of the bad decisions that Enron executives made. Crawford (2006) further elaborated on the pointed by explaining that bad decisions by a major company, however, cause major disruptions for all of the companys stakeholders’. He pointed at the case of Enron as one of his examples, saying that ‘the Enron disaster, as one example, certainly had devastating impacts on the lives of most of Enron employees (including the middle managers and professionals who invested in the company-sponsored Enron 401[K] plans) and also caused suffering for many individual investors who purchased Enron stock on the open market. Thousands of other Enron stakeholders, including Enrons suppliers and customers, also suffered, (Crawford, 2006, p. 26). Indeed, Enron’s decision making had a hand in how the company turned out to be.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Societys Indifference in Out, Out- by Robert Frost :: Out, Out- Robert Frost

Society's Indifference in Out, Out- by Robert Frost In what society do we live in today, where a women can be raped and killed, and the crime is thought to be common place? In "Out, Out-", Robert Frost almost satirizes society's indifference at a child's death. In lines 3-6, Frost sets the scenery of the poem by describing "sweet-scented stuff", the scenery of beautiful mountains and a beautiful sunset. He begins it in a traditional transcendentalist fashion where nature seems perfect and nothing could ever go wrong. All of a sudden Frost makes a rapid shift to describing the snarling and the rattling of the saw as if mimicking an evil snake waiting to attack. With the line "And nothing happened: day was all but done.", Frost quickly reverts to his peaceful tone; a tone which creates doubts in the picture he is painting and begins to foreshadow the upcoming tragedy. In line 19, the first traces of society's indolence towards death appear as the boy does not scream at the pain; instead, he puts forth a "rueful laugh". The irony continues when the boy holds up his hand "in appeal", as if anything can be done for his hand. He then pleads with his sister to disallow the removal of his hand. This whole section is very graphic and the boy's pleas for help serve to darken the mood even more from the once "sweet-scented stuff" of the first six lines. Frost makes his final point very clear in the last two lines where the boy finally dies and his family, as well as society, decides to return to their affairs. The boy can no longer saw the wood and is therefore no longer useful, "no more to build on there." Frost is being quite cold in the end of the poem as he hits you hard with the reality that Society's Indifference in Out, Out- by Robert Frost :: Out, Out- Robert Frost Society's Indifference in Out, Out- by Robert Frost In what society do we live in today, where a women can be raped and killed, and the crime is thought to be common place? In "Out, Out-", Robert Frost almost satirizes society's indifference at a child's death. In lines 3-6, Frost sets the scenery of the poem by describing "sweet-scented stuff", the scenery of beautiful mountains and a beautiful sunset. He begins it in a traditional transcendentalist fashion where nature seems perfect and nothing could ever go wrong. All of a sudden Frost makes a rapid shift to describing the snarling and the rattling of the saw as if mimicking an evil snake waiting to attack. With the line "And nothing happened: day was all but done.", Frost quickly reverts to his peaceful tone; a tone which creates doubts in the picture he is painting and begins to foreshadow the upcoming tragedy. In line 19, the first traces of society's indolence towards death appear as the boy does not scream at the pain; instead, he puts forth a "rueful laugh". The irony continues when the boy holds up his hand "in appeal", as if anything can be done for his hand. He then pleads with his sister to disallow the removal of his hand. This whole section is very graphic and the boy's pleas for help serve to darken the mood even more from the once "sweet-scented stuff" of the first six lines. Frost makes his final point very clear in the last two lines where the boy finally dies and his family, as well as society, decides to return to their affairs. The boy can no longer saw the wood and is therefore no longer useful, "no more to build on there." Frost is being quite cold in the end of the poem as he hits you hard with the reality that

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Factors Affecting the Standard of Living Residents in Brgy. Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar

Our country is an ideal area for economic growth. Its mild climate, rich natural resources, and fertile soil suited for plant growth are some of many reasons to justify why our country could be developed economically. It is to be noted; however that increase production means economic growth and a way to raise the living standard of families. As economic growth improves the average citizen’s standard of living a smaller portion of the population tends to fall below the absolute poverty standard.Society can eliminate absolute poverty through a combination of economic growth and transform of many citizens with more than adequate income to the poor. Every residents in the Philippines would like to raise its living standard an exactly that of its community fact, every political bigwig aims to improve his home towns above all other. Most of the people find a way to become successful to have greater income more than enough for their daily subsistence or that would suffice their needs . Those, improve the living standard of the residents. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMGenerally, this study attempted to determine some factors affecting the standard of living residents in Brgy. Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar. Specifically, this study will answer the following queries. 1. What is the socio-demographic profile of the residents in Brgy. Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar in terms of: Age Sex Civil Status Highest Educational Attainment Monthly Income 2. Are the following factors affects the standard of living of the residents in Brgy. Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar? Ideal household size Total family income (annually) Numbers of family members in school Types of household 3.What are those factors that directly affects and indirectly affects the standard of living of the residents in Brgy. Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar? 4. What is the standard of living of the residents in Brgy. Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar in terms of: Food expenditures Clothing expenditures App liances and utilities Housing expenditures Recreation and transportation Health and education expenditures 5. What recommendation do the respondents advanced in order to uplift their standard of living? OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY Specifically, this study aimed to: 1. Determine the socio-demographic profile of the residents in Brgy.Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar in terms of: Age Sex Civil Status Highest Educational Attainment Monthly Income 2. Determine the following factors that affects the standard of living of the residents in Brgy. Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar. Ideal household size Total family income (annually) Numbers of family members in school Types of household 3. Determine the factors that directly affects and indirectly affects the standard of living of the residents in Brgy. Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar. 4. Determine the standard of living of the residents in Brgy. Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar in terms of: Food expendituresClothing expenditures Appliances a nd utilities Housing expenditures Recreation and transportation Health and education expenditures 5. Determine recommendation do the respondents advanced in order to uplift their standard of living. SCOPE AND LIMITATION This study is limited to the residents in Barangay Cawayan, Catarman, Northern Samar. The researchers shall base their analysis on the response of the respondents in the questionnaire designed for the purpose of this study. Likewise this is united to the indicators such as: food expenditures, clothing expenditures, utilities, housing expenditures and education.The house hold size, family income, number of family member in school, type of household, employment status of head of the family and nature of work are also considered. The researchers limits their knowledge on the expenses and knowledge in conducting the research. IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY This study attempted to gather data that can be a basis for improving the standard of living of the residents in Brgy. Cawa yan, Catarman, Northern Samar. The result of this study will be useful to Barangay Officials in elevating the living standard of every residents in the said Barangay through the factors that affect them.It will also serve as reference for students who intend to do a research on other economical problem of this said locality. The findings of this study will also help the community to become aware of living standard of every Filipino residents in order to develop their community especially that of Filipino residents residing in the rural areas. DEFINITION OF TERMS 1) AGE – the entire period of life or existence, as of a person, thing, nation, etc. 2) SEX – either of two divisions, male and female, by which organisms are distinguished with reference to the reproductive functions. ) CIVIL STATUS – it refers to the respondents whether they are single, married, separated, widow or widower. 4) MONTHLY INCOME – it refers to the amount of money received by all mem bers of the family every month and which serves as a common fund to buy the needs and wants of the family. 5) TYPES OF HOUSEHOLD – determine to as whether the respondents live in their own home or they live with their parents even they have own family. 6) STANDARD OF LIVING – refers to a living status in terms of indicators considered in the study.7) FOOD – it refers to a solids substance eaten for nourishment of the respondents. ) CLOTHING – it refers to a wearing apparel of respondents to cover their human body. 9) APPLIANCES – it refers to the things owned by the family which adorn their houses and are used by the family members for their comfort and convenience. 10) UTILITIES – fitness for some desirable practical purpose, serviceableness; that which is necessary. 11) HOUSE MAINTENANCE – it refers to any dwelling place of a family. 12) RECREATION – it refers to the activities of the family for refreshment and relaxation. 13 ) TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES – it refers to any mode of transportation used by the family ingoing to work or school.4) HEALTH – it refers to the body condition the respondents whether they are strong or weak. 15) EDUCATIONAL EXPENDITURES – it refers to a training by which a respondents learn how to use or develop their mental, physical and moral power. 16) EXPENDITURES – total expenses of a family for their daily needs. 17) NUCLEAR TYPE OF FAMILY – family members composed of father, mother, children living in their own home. 18) EXTENDED TYPE OF FAMILY – family members living together with their parents, even if they have own family. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Research LiteratureStandard of living usually refers to the economic level achieved by an individual, family or nation. It may be measured by the value of the goods and services produces or used by the individual, family, or nation in a given period of time. Another interpr etation of standard living is based on the goals that the people have enough material things for comfort and happiness, they achieved their standard of living. Standard of living is determined by the social status a person has and the goods and services he can buy. Wealthy people are secured with comfort and accorded with highest esteem by other people.Changes in prices can affect standard of living of families normally declines. On the other hand, when prices down with all other things remaining the same, people standard of living normally raises. But the letter statement does not anymore happen now a day. The relative poverty standard is the standard of living below which a certain percentage of population falls if we choose the percentage to be 10%, the relative poverty standard would be the income of the family at the tenth percentile of the income distribution. One of the problems of family is poverty. Poverty is a vicious cycle.If the parents are poor, the children will likely be poor also. Poor parents cannot provide their children with good condition or education that will raise them up from poverty. Another is they cannot give their children good food, hence they are sickly and have poor energy level which keep them away from school. Consequently, they slim chances to have a good saying job when they mature. According to Gordon and Dawson, standard of living in rural areas 30 percent below the standard of living in the cities, yet one of every five farmers lives below the poverty line. Development is the concern of everyone.It places a crucial role in every country. It is considered a progressive and dynamic process. Any country, which has attained development, has abundant material resources to meet her need. Educate people are more aware of the impact of the government on their lives and more attention to politics. They have more information about politics and undertake wide range of political activities. The status, goods and services they enjoy by the people largely determine their standard of living. On the other hand, the standard of living of the people depends upon there income.People who are wealthy are secured with comfort and accorded with highest prestige. Changes in the prices affect the living standard of segment of the population especially that of the worker or a person with fixed income. Family size also affect poverty. The absolute poverty standard raises with family size but not necessarily with earning capacity. The high standard of living, the lower the population that a given area can support. In many of the world, the standard of living is also low that large population can exist in small of land. In areas of high living standard, the resources can support only a spa use population.Although the poor earn but a small fraction of natural income, they have made great strides in absolute living standards. Real wages have rises steadily over the last century; manufacturing workers today earn real wages 10 times what their great grandfather got. Few socialist or communist today doubt that capitalist has been a mighty engine for increasing the real wages of poor as well as rich. A country may be conceived as one in which the collective objectives is to maximize the total welfare this rather than economic power of other forms of it, like military and political influence.The most living, that is the quantity of good and services available for consumption. Local Literature Electrification raises not only the level of consumption but also the will to economize because higher standard of living (consumption), brought about by household electricity, are necessarily accompanied by an increase in the income of the family (through more production), either through self-employment causing the electricity industry, or through employment in power-using industries.The people having a minimum of subsistence standard of living have an income adequate to provide for their necessities under normal conditions , but they cannot spare any part of their income for social necessities. They cannot afford medical care, and in case of emergency like sickness they have to depend on free clinic or dispensaries. They can manage to exist without any assistance, buy they can count on no savings to depend upon when the bread winner of the family is unemployed. They are always exercise careful economy in their expenditures. Pp. 668The families having the comfort standard of living may be described as those who can afford to provide not only for a sufficient amount of the necessities but also for cultural wants. They can send their children to college, they can afford to set aside part for their income for recreation and travel, and they can participate in the conventional activities in their community. The small land owner, most of members of the professional class and small business men enjoy this standard. Many of them can drive a car and can afford to join to a club. All demands of a respectable sc ale of living can be satisfied.The members constitute the upper middle class in the country. At the poverty level, people are unable to provide sufficient quantity of the necessities for an independent existence even with the most careful expenditure of available income. Their income is entirely inadequate to provide for the upkeep of the family. The people of this class have to be aided most of the time in one way or another. Their food is much simple, they could not afford to clothe themselves decently, and they live in a nip shacks in an over crowded houses where privacy is impossible.They literally live to have a mouth existence. The constitute the bulk of those who appeal to charitable organizations for help, if they are not actually living on beggary. Pp. 667 Standard of living are products of society. Many of the goods they consume are considered essential in maintaining personal and social well-being, because our neighbours and whole community are using them to do many thing s because it is appropriate and natural for us to work with them. If it is customary in a town to send children to school, parents in that community exerted effort sending their children to school.Our attitude toward many things is being imposed upon by society, our choices are controlled by the society of which we are part of. Living standard are constantly undergoing a process of change. There is scarcity in nation that does not experience changes in its standard of living. The standard of living of some people changes in its standard of living. The standard of living of some people changes much more slowly than that of others, depending on the effort of certain dynamic for use that bring about reorganization of social economics values and lead them to scrutinize of life.It is scarcity necessary to point out that the different standards of living in the Philippines have not been immune from innovation and new concepts and attitudes of what constitutes individual and social welfare since the Spanish time. Pp. 671 It is difficult for the poor to maintain life of dignity. They have not been fortunate enough to find an employment that will enable them to provide education. Because of lack of education and the right connection, a poor person finds it difficult to work for a job. If ever he finds one, it is usually a low paying job.Standard of living is determined by the social status a person has and the goods and services he can buy. Wealthy people are secured with comfort and accorded with highest esteem by other people. Changes in prices can affect standard of living. When prices go up without corresponding increase in income, the standard of living of the people normally decline. On the other hand when prices go down with all other things remaining the same, people standard of living normally rises. But the latter statement does not anymore happen now a days. Poverty is a vicious cycle.If the parents are poor, the children will likely be poor also. Poor paren ts cannot provide their children with good education that will raise them up from poverty. Another is they cannot give their children with good food, hence they are sickly and have poor energy level which keep away from school. Consequently, they end up unschooled. As such they have slim chances to have a good paying job when they mature. According to Sorio, as cited by Bicol, (1998) the standard of living of the people is largely determined by the status, goods and services they enjoy.On the other hand, the goods and services status people enjoy depend upon their income. People who are wealthy secure the most comfort and are accorded with the highest prestige. In addition to the family’s income the cost of living and the house, the family residents should not be considered. Limpoco, )1989) stated that material possession is an indicator of the level of living. Malaki, B. et. Al, (1998) claimed that in the discipline of economy. Largely family size may be a good source of inc ome.This is, however, placed in tandem with all other attitudes which may contribute to the realization of a livable standard of living. Ubaldo, et. Al. , (1998) found out that most of the farmers, the respondents of his study belong to the income of P49, 912. 00 per annum as which for low the poverty level. Ronquillo, et, al. , (1989), stated that the higher the standard of living in a given area can support. In an area of high standard of living, the resources can support only sparse population. Development is the concern of every one.It places a crucial role in every country. It is considered a progressive and dynamic process. Any country, which has attained development, has abundant material resources to meet her needs educated people are more aware of the political activities. The status, goods and services they enjoyed by the people largely determine their standard of living. On the other hand, the standard of living of the people depends upon their income. People who are weal thy are secured with comfort and accorded with the highest prestige.Changes in the prices affect the living standard of segment of the population, especially, that of the worker or a person with fixed income. The higher standard of living, the lower the population that a given area can support. In many of the world, the standard of living is also low that large population can exist on small of land. In areas of high living standard, the resources can support only a spares population. The most important cause of poverty among individuals is poverty itself. One who come from a poor family generally turns out to be poor himself and this likely to be true to his children.This is vicious cycle of poverty. The poor has a lesser opportunity for a better life because he moves around an environment where everybody seems to be perennially needing support and assistance from others. The poor are generally more prone to illness; hence absenteeism at work is rampant thereby lowering their earnin g capacity. Poor health results in lower energy level, lower productivity and shorter lives. The goods services and social status that people enjoy depend upon their income. In like manner, the goods and services and social status largely determine their standard of living.People relatively enjoy a high standard of living. They are not very much affected when there is an increase in the cost of living because their income does not generally fluctuate if the changes in prices occur. For a worker or a person who depends on fix income, affects his standard of living. In sparsely populated countries, the people living standard is relatively higher than in over populated countries. This is so because the resources of a given country can sufficiently support an ideal number of population.If the population growth out poses production growth, there would be an imbalance of distribution of wealth. According to Ronquillo, et. al. , (1989) the standard of living is high in a country which has enough resources to support its population. Tussing, (1987) claims that children whose parents are poor and have been deprived of good pre-natal care; thereby likely have less IQ, lower energy level, higher absenteeism at school and shorter lives. They will likely be poor when they grow up and have less chance to enjoy a high standard of living. Foreign LiteratureThe fantastic magnitude of the increases in both labor production and output for capita since, say, 1800 is best appreciated by contrasting it with the dismal average record of many previous centuries. In Europe, after a long decline. Living standards had been increasing intermittently since the eleventh century – the century in which William the Conqueror acquired England. Yet, it is estimated that even by the time of the American civil war neighbour labor productivity nor GNP per capita had yet re attained the levels that had been achieved in ancient Rome – about 16 centuries earlier!Thus, on the average, pr oductivity and GNP per capita did not grow at all over 1600 years. Even for those wealthy enough to buy them, the number of important new consumer goods innovated in those 16 centuries was remarkably small. Firearms, glass windowpanes eyeglass, mechanical clocks, tobacco, and printed books constitute almost the entire list of major new consumer products invented between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the nineteenth century.Indeed, some significant amenities notably elaborated bathing facilities efficient home heating devices, had disappeared since the fall of Rome. Family size is usually related to living standard. Bigger family size results in a lower living standard, while smaller family size leads to the improvement of living standard. This happens, however, only when other factors that affect living standard are held constant. According to Gordon and Dawson (1984), standard of living in rural areas are 30 percent below the standard of living in the cities, let one out of every five percent lives below the poverty line.According to Henderson and Poole (1991), the family size also, affects poverty line. The absolute poverty standard rises with family size, but earning capacity does not. There is also an association between large families and low education level. Parents with a little formal education are not likely to get jobs that pay well enough to support many children. Hence, many are likely to be poor. Even though family size and race can put people at the risk of poverty. Over all, the primary determinants of poverty is whether the household works.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Impact of New Deal on Maerican Government and Society Essay

FDR’s New Deal changed the face of American government. Never before and no one since has implemented so many government programs and agencies. FDR’s New Deal helped the US get out of the Great Depression. The new deal expanded the federal government’s power like never before and was designed to help Americans who were suffering. FDRs new deal can be broken down into two categories: The first New Deal and the Second New Deal When FDR took office, he and his advisors did not have an exact plan or initial philosophy drawn up, but rather, they made it up as they went along. They were willing to do anything and everything to help bring the country out of the great depression, especially through the work of capitalism. To get his plan rolling, the first thing FDR needed to do was to restore confidence in the American people and get them on his side. He did so he went on the radio many times out of the year and told them what he was working on and what he had done that week which became known as â€Å"fireside chats. † The first thing FDR did in the first new deal was restore faith in financial institutions, and more so in capitalism. One thing FDR tries to do is have the public confident in banking system so that people would invest and could later have a healthy stock market. Immediately, he declared a bank holiday, and all banks had to close for a number of days. While the banks were closed, he sent in teams of financial investigators to determine which banks were viable and which were deemed unreliable. If deemed unviable, it could not reopen until it fixed its problems. Next, FDR created the SEC. The SEC was created to regulate the stock market, so the faulty trading that caused the crash could not occur again. The SEC also required companies who traded stock to make their financial books made public, and was ultimately designed to get people to invest in stock market again. Later, FDR created the FDIC. The FDIC was a government agency that was to ensure bank deposits as long as the bank met certain criteria. These 3 are careful steps of the gov’t working within the established system and basically put gov’t regulation in place to make sure the economy worked correctly. The second entity in the first new deal was an attempt to end the economic downturn. To do this, FDR needed to create jobs and help the economic markets. First, FDR created the NRA. The NRA set up a voluntary committee consisting of workers, business owners, and gov’t officials for every industry in the country. These committees would discuss production limits (which FDR believed overproduction was the cause of the GD), minimum prices, and wages. This did not work well because it was voluntary and businesses would usually break their part of the agreement. Next, FDR created AAA. This set up a government agency to pay farmers to produce less. FDR believed crop prices fell due to overproduction and that the AAA would solve this in two ways: 1, farmers would produce less therefore increasing crop prices and 2: by giving farmers much needed cash in return for not producing. Lastly, FDR created the TVA. This government agency created jobs by going into valleys to build hydroelectric dams that not only stop flooding, but create electricity. The AAA and TVA are considered very bold moves by the president because it allowed gov’t to interfere with private industry, and can even be argued as socialism. The last thing FDR wanted to do with the first new deal was provide direct relief to individuals. First, FDR gave states federal grants to buy food for those who needed it. Second, he created the CCC. This government agency gave men whose parents were unemployed jobs in the federal park/forest system. This program paid men around 30$ a month, of which 25$ would go to their parents, but it also clothed and fed them. This agency created jobs by having these men plant trees, build roads, trails, and bridges. Even though we did not need these things, the government was basically saying they would be the employer of last resort if the private sector was not supplying jobs. Third, FDR created FHA. This government agency was created to ensure home loans, so banks would again give out to potential home buyers. This was important because it put an influx of capital into the system. The characteristic of these three agencies was that the gov’t is beginning to say that everyone should have basic standards of living and that if they are ot there, the gov’t will be able to provide them, and even goes much further later on. After the first new deal, FDR received criticism from both from the left and the right political spectrums. Those on the right would say that the New Deal was â€Å"gov’t expansion gone crazy† and a radical departure from the past. They would also argue that it was dangerous gov’t intervention putting US on path of socialism. The Supreme Court, which was very conservative at the time, saw this as a dangerous expansion of federal government power and struck down the AAA and NRA as unconstitutional. FDR got most criticism from right from a popular radio speaker named Charles Coughlin who believed the GD/New deal was part of a Jewish conspiracy. On the left side of the spectrum, one would say that the New Deal did very little and not enough. FDR was criticized by the left primarily by Huey Long. He claimed wealthy Americans controlled all wealth and the only way to fix that was to give it back to common people. It was by far the most radical offer, and although Long was murdered, FDR believed left critique could still resonate and created the second new deal. Because of these criticisms, FDR unrolls the second new deal to answer those on the left. The second new deal had all the same goals as the first, but was much more radical. First, he created the REA. This government agency loaned to local communities that did not have electricity so that they could create their own power companies and run electricity to those who didn’t have it because private companies were only willing to supply to heavily populated areas. Here, the government is saying they will help provide a basis of living. Next, FDR created the WPA. This program was designed to put people to work since the private sector was not providing any jobs. It created construction jobs, employed painters to decorate buildings, hired actors and writers to put on play, etc. Third, FDR created the largest program of the new deal–social security. It was divided into 3 categories: retirement (which took a portion of your paycheck and saved it), unemployment (which gave you a check for the first 6 months unemployed), and money for single mothers. The characteristic of SS was that it insured basic standards of living. Lastly, FDR created the NLRB, which forever changed the ov’ts relationship with unions. It made unions legal and made it illegal to fire someone for being in a union. The new deal was the largest expansion of government in history and had three basic characteristics: new role of organized labor, government ensuring basic standards, and government intervention in the economy. However, it did not end the Great depression. Despite this, it made the great depression tolerable, restored middle class belief in capitalism, put in place a â€Å"safety system† for capitalism that essentially made capitalism work better (sec, nrwb), and we continue to live with many of these programs today.

Friday, November 8, 2019

The Ambiguity of Afraid

The Ambiguity of Afraid The Ambiguity of Afraid The Ambiguity of Afraid By Maeve Maddox Jacqueline writes: I have a question about a †¦particular phrase, which can be read in two different ways†¦:I am afraid I am unable to meet your requirements. According to Jacqueline, the statement was interpreted by its recipient to mean the that the writer was taking the polite way to say they wanted to get out of their obligations, when in fact the writer wished to express the fear of something that this person did not want to have happen (meaning they were afraid that this was so, but did not want it to be the case) and also to convey a implicit request for help (please help me to overcome this fear.)    Jacqueline concludes that Had the statement been communicated orally†¦the meaning would have been communicated with inflection of the voice and other non verbal means. It is true that oral communication is aided by facial expression and inflection that does not exist in written expression. And it is true that the word afraid can be used with more than one meaning. The sentence in the question, for example can be construed to mean I am unable to meet your requirements (therefore, I wont be working with you). or Im uncertain as to whether or not I will be able to meet your requirements (so, tell me more). Either way, orally or in writing, if the person with whom the sentence originated was looking for a job, the thought should have been expressed more directly. Afraid is an adjective that comes from a verb, afray, meaning to frighten. Afraid derives from the past participle form. Until the late 16th century, Im afraid meant Im frightened. In the late 16th century, Im afraid came to mean I regret to say or I suspect, without any connotation of fear. Its ironic that, in a situation such as Jacqueline describes, if the speaker or writer actually has a sense of fear or misgiving, it is probably better to choose an expression other than Im afraid. I fear, or Im worried that might express the thought more clearly. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Useful Stock Phrases for Your Business EmailsThe Possessive ApostropheHow to Write a Proposal

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

What You Need to Know About the Executive Assessment

What You Need to Know About the Executive Assessment The Executive Assessment (EA) is a standardized exam developed by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the organization behind the GMAT. The exam is designed to help business school admissions committees assess the readiness and skills of experienced business professionals who are applying to an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program. Who Should Take the Executive Assessment? If you are applying to an MBA program of any kind, including an EMBA program, you will almost certainly have to submit standardized test scores as part of the admissions process. Most business school applicants take either the GMAT or GRE to demonstrate their readiness for business school. Not every business school accepts GRE scores, so the GMAT is taken more often. The GMAT and GRE both test your analytical writing, reasoning, and quantitative abilities. The Executive Assessment tests some of those same skills and is meant to replace the GMAT or GRE. In other words, if you are applying to an EMBA program, you can take the Executive Assessment instead of the GMAT or GRE. How Business Schools Use the Executive Assessment Business school admission committees assess your standardized test scores to get a better understanding of your quantitative, reasoning, and communication skills. They want to see if you have the capacity to understand the information being presented to you in a graduate business program. They also want to make sure that you will be able to contribute something to the class discussions and assignments. When they compare your test score to the scores of candidates who are already in the program and scores of other candidates who are applying to the program, they can see where you stand in comparison to your peers. Although test scores arent the only deciding factor in the business school application process, they are important. Getting a test score that is somewhere in the score range for other candidates will only increase your chances of getting accepted to a graduate level business program. The GMAC reports that while most business schools use Executive Assessment scores to assess your readiness for an academic business program, there are some schools that also use your score to help you succeed in the program. For example, a school may determine that you need additional quantitative preparation and recommend a refresher course prior to starting certain courses within the program. Test Structure and Content The Executive Assessment is a 90-minute, computer-adaptive test. There are 40 questions on the test. Questions are split into three sections: integrated reasoning, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning. Youll have 30 minutes to complete each section. There are no breaks. Heres what you should expect on each section of the test: The integrated reasoning section has 12 questions. The question types that youll encounter on this section of the test include multi-source reasoning, graphics interpretation, two-part analysis, and table analysis. To answer the questions, youll have to use your logic and reasoning skills to evaluate information that is presented to you through a graph, table, diagram, chart, or passage of text. The verbal reasoning section consists of 14 questions. Question types include critical reasoning, sentence correction, and reading comprehension. To answer the questions, youll have to read a passage and then answer questions that test your understanding of the text, your ability to evaluate an argument, or your knowledge of grammar in written English. The quantitative reasoning section has 14 questions. Youll encounter just two different types of questions: data sufficiency and problem-solving. Youll need some knowledge of basic arithmetic (fractions, decimals, percents, roots, etc.) and alg ebra (expressions, equations, inequalities, functions, etc.) to answer these questions, but not much more than you would need to know to pass a freshman algebra class in high school. In some cases, youll be asked to solve a math problem; in others, youll be asked to evaluate the information provided in the question to determine if there is enough data to answer the question. Pros and Cons of the Executive Assessment The biggest advantage of the Executive Assessment is that it is specifically designed to test the skills that you have already acquired in your professional career. So unlike the GMAT and GRE, the Executive Assessment does not require you to take a prep course or engage in other forms of expensive, time-consuming preparation. As a mid-career professional, you should already have the knowledge you need to answer the questions on the Executive Assessment. Another plus is that there is no  analytical writing assessment like there is on the GMAT and GRE, so if writing under a tight deadline is difficult for you, youll have one less thing to worry about. There are drawbacks to the Executive Assessment. First off, it costs a little bit more than the GRE and the GMAT. It can also be a challenging test if you don’t have the required knowledge, if you need a math refresher, or if you arent familiar with the test structure. But the biggest drawback is that it is only accepted by a limited number of schools - so taking the Executive Assessment might not fulfill the standardized test score requirements for the school you are applying to. Business Schools That Accept the Executive Assessment The Executive Assessment was first administered in 2016. It is a relatively new exam, so it is not accepted by every business school. Right now, only a handful of  top business schools are using it. However, the GMAC hopes to make the Executive Assessment the norm for EMBA admissions, so it is likely that more and more schools will begin to use the Executive Assessment as time goes by. Before making the decision to take the Executive Assessment instead of the GMAT or GRE, you should check the admissions requirements for your target EMBA program to see what types of test scores are accepted. Some of the  schools that accept Executive Assessment scores from EMBA applicants include: China European International Business School (CEIBS)Columbia Business SchoolDarden School of BusinessIESE Business SchoolINSEADLondon Business SchoolThe University of Chicago Booth School of BusinessThe University of Hong KongUCLA Anderson

Sunday, November 3, 2019

GPS and Telecommunications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

GPS and Telecommunications - Essay Example GPS is a system composed of 24 satellites rotating around at 12,000 feet. The system allows the user to determine the location of something in precise manner. A GPS system can achieve precision within 5 meters. When it was invented in 1978 the system was utilized for military applications. Three satellites allow the creation of 2D images, but when four satellites interlock the user can achieve 3D images (8garnin, 2009). The best attribute that of GPS technology is that its users do not have to pay a penny to gain access to the technology. The fact that GPS is an open source allowed companies to exploit the technology to gain profits. GPS has changed the lives of people around the world. Mobile technology is segment in the communication industry that has benefit a lot. GPS receptor system used to be, but a days a cellular telephone can be converted automatically into a GPS device that allows a person to exactly where he is even if the person is in moving vehicle. A lot of new vehicles come with a GPS as standard feature which allows the driver lo look road maps in and determine the best route to get to the desired location. The map guiding gaps application also applies to mobile phone. The gaps communication capabilities have change the way companies do business. The retail giant Wal-Mart utilizes gps derived application such as radio frequency identification (RFID) in order to determine the location of items. Wal-Mart has the capability to determine the movement of valuable inventory while it is in transit and once it arrives at warehouses it allows the company to eliminate wastage in its supply chain function. Since their costs are lower the company is able to pass those savings on the customer. This example shows how improved communication systems application benefits a large group of people. Another way gps is helping people around the world is by its utilization in agricultural projects. Ground –based weather, plant stage

Friday, November 1, 2019

Article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Article review - Essay Example Possible outcomes of the trend Stevens, Kitterlin and Tanner (14) found out that students in hospitality prefer learning by doing. As such, academic institutions offering hospitality programs would use such findings to align their curricula in line with the preferred mode of learning among the students so as to remain competitive and relevant in the market. They could provide equipment and teaching aids that propagate practical learning. Theoretical component of learning could be minimized and practical learning be incorporated more including practical internships. Students could seek to enroll in institutions geared towards practical teaching with the aim of excelling academically. Similarly, relevant authorities could seek to streamline the education system with regard to hospitality and formulate rules and regulations promoting practical skills more. Effect of the trend on the industry Aligning the teaching mode to the kinesthetic learning style of the students in hospitality woul d ensure that institutions offering hospitality programs produce practically equipped students ready for the market. These students would have gained much knowledge while learning because the mode of delivery would have been aligned with their understanding environment. More so, this adaptation would see more students enroll for hospitality programs and increase the number of successful completion of the courses being offered. The increase in supply of students could see the cost of hospitality courses decrease. This could trickle down to provide abundant supply of human resource in hospitality. On the other hand, there could be an increase in institutions offering hospitality courses to take advantage of the increased demand due to an increase in interest among prospective students. This could cause rogue institutions coming up which could eventually result in poorly equipped students. Furthermore, the influx in hospitality labor could eventually cause lack of interest in the cours e as with high supply of labor, the lower the compensation package the market would be willing to offer. Stevens, Kitterlin and Tanner (14) also note that kinesthetic learners tend to rush and pay less attention to detail. Therefore, in as much as institutions would adopt mechanisms to propagate practical learning, measures should be put in place to ensure that the quality of education does not get compromised. My position I agree with the findings of this research study. As a student, I have a preferred way of learning which if provided, then, learning becomes interesting and understanding increases. Instructors who provide such an environment have gained acceptance among their students which eventually causes improved academic performance. Practical approach, particularly in hospitality programs provides an opportunity to interact with real-life practice and therefore enhance learning. A lot of theoretical studies make little sense to students without practical application. Even w ith this knowledge, gender sensitive studies should be conducted in other institutions to solidify the findings of this study. Learning experience With the vision of furthering my studies in hospitality, I would consider institutions that offer adequate practical activities in its hospitality programs if I am to excel academically. Stevens, Kitterl