PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Essay

The senior management has been advised by the legal department that the organization will need to become PCI DSS compliant before using online applications that accept credit cards and customer personal information. The management isn’t familiar with PCI DSS compliance; therefore, the management asked you to prepare a recommendation explaining PCI DSS compliance, how the organization can move through the compliance process, and the consequences of noncompliance. PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. PCI DSS originally began as five different programs: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and JCB data security programs. Each company creates an additional level of protection for card issuers by ensuring that merchants meet minimum levels of security when they store, process and transmit cardholder data. PCI DSS specifies 12 requirements for compliance, organized into six logically related groups called control objectives. Each version of PCI DSS has divided these 12 requirements into a number of sub-requirements differently, but the 12 high level requirements have not changed since the inception standard. The control objectives are Build and maintain a secure network, protect cardholder data, maintain a vulnerability management program, implement strong access control measures, regularly monitor and test networks and maintain an information security policy. The requirements for compliance are, install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect card holder data, do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters, protect stored cardholder data, encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open public networks, use and regularly update anti-virus software on all systems commonly affected by malware, develop and maintain secure systems and applications, restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know, assign a unique ID to each person with computer access, restrict physical access to card holder data, track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data, regularly test security systems and processes and maintain a p olicy that addresses information security. According to Visa, no compromised entity has yet been found to be in compliance with PCI DSS at the time of a breach. Assessments examine the compliance of merchants and services providers with the PCI DSS at a specific point in  time and frequently utilize a sampling methodology to allow compliance to be demonstrated through representative systems and processes. It is the responsibility of the merchant and service provider to achieve, demonstrate, and maintain their compliance at all times both throughout the annual validation/assessment cycle and across all system and processes in their entirely.

Banjamin Banneker Analysis

Benjamin Banneker Analysis At the turn of the 18th century, forces secreted by British colonization imposed an evident state of corruption in the United States, leaving an indelible scar upon our nation. Thomas Jefferson, who proclaimed his advocacy toward equality, seemed to stray from the intent of abolishing inequality between man. Benjamin Banneker, who validates his intellect through his evident knowledge of Jefferson’s motives, dedicates a letter in regards to questioning Thomas Jefferson’s role as Secretary of State, in a dire attempt to uphold justice in the name of his father, who suffered a life as a slave.As the letter unfolds, the author implements a critical use of rhetorical strategies that inflict a sensation of guilt upon Jefferson, portraying him as an immoral man, due to his lack of attention to civil rights. As Banneker’s letter unfolds, his selection of detail allows him to remind Jefferson of his prior imprisonment by cleverly referring to th e British Colonization of America, as â€Å"tyranny of the British Crown† (Line 2), emphasizing their imperialistic ideals.In paragraph 2, the author’s intellect of Jefferson’s proclaimed motives is evidently demonstrated as he cites his infamous passage from the Declaration of Independence, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. † (Lines 21-25) By deliberately addressing Jefferson’s own beliefs, Banneker is able to successfully inflict guilt upon Jefferson, forcing him to realize his personal immorality.As evidenced by the essay, Banneker repeatedly utilizes the term â€Å"sir† in each paragraph when addressing Jefferson. Banneker’s intention revolves around establishing a distinct sensation of ethical appeal, and accurately demonstrates Banneker’s res pect for Jefferson, despite his inner resentment. By referring to Thomas Jefferson as â€Å"sir†, Banneker decreases the harshness of his delivery, thus preventing Jefferson from deeming his proposal as immature, and actually acknowledging his claim.His strategy not only portrays him as a respectful man, but allows for smooth communication. Emotional appeal, a primary strategy instilled throughout Banneker’s notation, is first utilized in paragraph 1, in an attempt to exert guilt and eerie memories from Jefferson’s past. The author finalizes paragraph 1 by implying Thomas Jefferson’s ungratefulness to his liberation from England by stating that Thomas Jefferson is lucky to have been set free, as opposed to the circumstance several Americans are dealt.In paragraph 3, the use of Pathos is depicted when he accuses Jefferson of being merciless toward slaves, despite his downfall in his previous years. He not only blames Jefferson for the detainment of these v ulnerable and innocent slaves, but also points out his ideals and deems him as â€Å"pitiable†. (Line 30) In a fierce attempt to validate his claim concerning Jefferson’s act of fraud, Banneker uses a unique form of paradox, represented in the third paragraph of his letter.Although Thomas Jefferson was generally portrayed as a sane man, the author utilizes loaded words in order to properly depict Jefferson’s form of hypocrisy. Likewise, he initiates his argument by reciting the basic morals that Jefferson lives to defend, such as equality and advocacy against impartial distribution of rights. Moreover, the recognition is reverted, placing the blame on the issue of slavery toward the Secretary of State. The author demonstrates a steadfast tenacity toward proving Jefferson immoral, and accuses him of being a criminal. †¦that you should at the same time counteract his mercies in detaining by fraud and violence†¦my brethren under groaning captivity†¦y ou should at the same time be found guilty of that most criminal act†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lines 36-39) Jefferson’s reaction is expected to be in awe and particularly remorseful, as Banneker successfully proves Jefferson of being unlawful. Benjamin Banneker, a prodigy in astronomy, mathematics, surveys, and above all – rhetoric, instills his resentment toward Thomas Jefferson’s ignorance to the enslaved African American population.Maintaining the sole purpose of bringing justice to his father and prisoner’s pasts, Banneker utilizes strategic rhetorical strategies that are ultimately notes in order to spark action in the nation’s dwindling society. His letter is utilized not only to represent Banneker’s true opinion of Jefferson, but deliberately writes a respectful letter to Jefferson in the hopes of allowing Jefferson to acknowledge his faults. The author successfully delivers his proposal, instilling hope in our nation that change is, in fact, a possibility.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 11

Marketing - Essay Example 2003, 504). Marketing structures that play roles in the strategic planning process include formalization, specialization and centralization (Kellar, A. 2009, 389). These structures are, particularly, important in shaping the performance of an organization (Laforet, S. 2012, 163). Formalization is the degree to which working relationships and decisions are governed by standard policies, procedures and formal rules. Centralization is the locus of the authority and control of a decision within an organizational entity. In organizations that are highly centralized, only one or a few top managers hold most decision-making authorities. In decentralized firms, middle or lower level managers possess autonomy and participate in a wide range of decisions. Specialization is division of tasks and activities across positions within the system. High levels of centralization and formalization, together with low specialization levels, are likely to be associated with relatively efficient performance within marketing departments. In such departments, the top marketing managers use centralized decision-making authorities in setting a common direction for other departments while keeping overt conflicts minimal. The formal rules and procedures play a role in reutilizing activities and hold down risks and administrative costs. Therefore, higher formalization and centralization levels in the market department should positively relate to the ROI performance of low cost defender business units. Centralization, non-specialized and formalized organizations tend to be more efficient but less innovative and adaptive compared to those with the opposite structural characteristics. Despite business strategy being a general statement about how the unit chooses to compete in an industry, that unit encompasses a large number of different products, each facing a different competitive situation in different markets. There is the likelihood of existence of a considerable variation in marketing pro grams across products within similar business units (Freeman, B & Shaw L. 2009, 118). Since a business strategy fails to set a general direction of how the unit will compete, it should have an impact on the broad marketing policies cutting across products and product lines. The likelihood of a strategy being effective relies on the consistency of the marketing policies with the overall strategy, and how successful the unit is in adhering to the policies. One set of marketing policies broadly defines the nature of the products that the business offers to the market (Suder, G. 2007, 118). The policies cover a diversity of the product line, the general level of technical sophistication of the products and the target level of product quality in relation to the competitors. The prospector businesses heavily depend on the continuing development of new and unique products and the penetration of new markets as a primary competitive strategy. Hence, the adherence and policies of the prospect ive businesses which encourage the broad and technically advanced trade lines should relate

Southeast Asia's cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Southeast Asia's cultures - Essay Example Akha: Akhas are mainly found in Northern Burma, North Western Laos and Northern Thailand. They are believed to have originated in Tibet and Southern China. Their headdress is the distinguishing symbol for their tribe. They rear livestock. Hmong: With male dominated families and with distinguished styles and colors of clothing, this community is found scattered around China, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. They wander and practice shifting cultivation. Rice, corn, and vegetables are cultivated. The Shaman and the priest are very important. Lisu: They come from Southern China. Their culture is closely related to that of China. They too believe in the spirits and celebrate New Year making offering to ancestor spirits and guardian spirits. Lahu: They are spread around Laos, Burma and Thailand. They have migrated from Tibet. They practice hunting and even the name means hunter. Their men disappear into the woods for days together to hunt. They are a common family taking into consideration all the villages together. If any person is not particularly pleased with the rules of one village he just moves to another. Yao: The Yao celebrate the New Year along with the Chinese. Their language is also Chinese. They speak the Mandarin language, and some are found in the Guanxi, Yunnan and Guangdong provinces of China. In the Southeast Asia, they are found in Laos, Vietnam, Burma and Thailand. Their women are skilled at needle work. The men are silversmiths. The main religions of the countries of Southeast Asia are Buddhism, Islam and Roman Catholic Christians. There are also other religions like Animism, Protestant Christianity and Taoism. Some sections of the countries are non-religious also. In countries of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam Buddhism and its other forms like Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism forms the majority. The different Muslim sects like the

Transnational Corporations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Transnational Corporations - Essay Example The transnational corporations have large revenues and can exercise more power than the individual states across which they operate. The companies ‘command enormous financial resources, possess vast technical resources, and they have extensive global reach’ (CSIDS, n.d, p.1). It has been noted that the combined revenue of General Motors and Ford is larger than the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ward, 2003). Comparable statistics and facts apply to other giant automobile corporations in the world and the individual economy of certain countries. It then beats logic in the kind of influence that these transnational corporations can have on the regional and global economy. As such, the transnational corporations have significant market power (Ietto-Gillies, 2012). They play significant roles and they have negative and positive impacts on the local, regional, and global development issues. This paper focuses on the roles that the T NCs play in shaping the global economy and the significant impacts that have been observed from the move to go global. The domination of these large corporations in different sector of the world economy is illustrated. The impacts of the TNC Significant developments have been recorded in the foreign direct investments by the transnational corporations since the 1980s with the TNCs taking different forms (Lundan, 2011, p.640). Significant increases have also been observed in the worth of the FDIs. For instance, the total global foreign direct investment in 2002 amounted to about $651bn (CSIDS, n.d). The developed nations are the major home countries for the foreign direct investors and the countries receive much of the proceeds from the investments. Much literature is available that focus on the impacts of TNCs on the home countries (the developed nations) and the literatures conclude that the outflows in Foreign direct investments relates positively with the net productivity in the home country (Sauvant, 2008, p.229). To the developing nations, the foreign direct investments provide the largest source of external finance to the home economy (CSIDS, n.d). Nonetheless, it is still debatable as to whether the transnational corporations help in developing this underdeveloped nations or the corporations are just in pursuit of their interest and do not care about their negative impacts on the society. In as much as the organizations may be considered sources of funds to the recipient nations, it is also worthwhile to note that the organizations are out to seek profits. Efforts to have a state of balance between these two conflicting roles (a profit-seeking organization and source of funds to the recipient country) lead to mixture of negative impacts of the transnational corporations on the national and regional economies. Potential benefits of TNCs One of the positive impacts of the TNCs is that they create employment opportunities in the recipient nations (CSIDS, n .d). Availability of cheap labor is one among the factors that drive a company to go global and establish its FDIs in

Services Marketing of Ritz Carlton Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Services Marketing of Ritz Carlton - Assignment Example The standards of service offered are measured by the client or the customer’s experience. A customer or a client will look at a place where he is treated like a king of his time with all the attention from an unknown person accepting all his needs as his own and making the customer feel comfortable at the alien location. The important barriers to service are: Service is invisible that can only be felt. Service is providing experience irrespective of geography, culture, ethnicity, and traditions. Service is a global phenomenon but service providers vary with location. Thus each location has its own way of rendering the service according to the existing lifestyles of that region. Service includes effective communication irrespective of the region that creates another concern when dealing with people of a different horizon. Service providers need to adopt different pricing to brand themselves to target unique customers of different earning potential. Ambiance: A neat and tidy surrounding with pleasant fragrance creates a relaxing and welcoming ambiance in a service area whether in room, restaurant or at the lobby. A timely updating of the changing dynamic ambiance preferences will provide the repeated customer a chance to enjoy his stay Providing a new touch of experience with respect to taste, tradition, and ethnicity: A customer needs a unique experience with respect to ambiance either resembling the nativity or addressing a theme that exits a specific group.  

Technology Impact Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology Impact Paper - Essay Example New Technology Impact Technology is changing more rapidly day by day, that helps the businesses to move further. Particularly in this century many technological developments taken place and carry on happening. However, people do not desire to relinquish following it for the reason that each individual requires to be advanced as well as obtain greatest advantage by implementing it. To accomplish it, it is initiated to utilize in all the area of life. In other words, technology is turning out to be one of the basic and vital parts of life as well as made life impractical to perform anything in the absence of it. On the other hand, it started shaping people’s lives without their management moreover illustrated its enormous influence. Briefly saying, advanced technology has certain consequences in every field and step of the life particularly in business as well as daily life (Todd). Technology Impact on Business and Customer Introduced the new product to customers Technology infl uences business certainly in a lot of aspects; like that improving the way of advertisement or marketing. Primarily, the technological progresses attained during the previous few decades have enormous outcomes on business products introduction or presentation to the customers across the world. Additionally, the technology facilitates to provide effective support on previously sound sales as well as marketing strategy. One of these supports is to offer direct communication among customer along with the business. For example online shopping is one of the new technology based effective approaches of introducing new products to the customers. In this scenario, if a customer pays for something that he purchased then business earns the profits. However, if sales are not made, the corporation yet has an innovative technique of introducing new products to diverse customers. It means that company is doing its marketing through the web based platform. In case of launching new products to the customers across the countrywide the web based platform facilitates in case of collecting information as well as data regarding their customer’s shopping and purchasing behavior in an attempt to build up flourishing association with their clients. Therefore, they are able to recognize what their clients selections are and how to offer them valuable products in an attempt to maintain their loyalty and attract customers worldwide (Todd (Rampur). Ways that add value through new technology to business The new technology has offered more facilities and ways in order to offer better support to the business as well to the customers. Particularly the web based structure such as eCommerce or online business has offered lots of business advantages to the customers. Particularly in case of web based business practice a company is able to enjoy more enhanced support regarding online shopping, imbursement as well as advertisement policies. All these processes require very small number of human resources and expenditures. In addition, all of these aspects definitely lead to more enhanced support for the management of the entire business dealings and transactions (BusinessKnowledgeSource), (Kristina) and (IBM). The new technology based arrangement has as well offered the businesses a better competitive benefit. In case of new and more enhanced

Evaluation week 7 discussion 6310 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluation week 7 discussion 6310 - Assignment Example al, the best method to evaluate the learning is through demonstrations of the oral methods of drug administration to different types of patients depending on their ages, conditions and instructions from the doctor. I will divide the class into several teams of two people each and then using the simulation dummies (where I will have attached notes on each of the â€Å"patient† to be administered drug to), I will monitor and evaluate on how each team performs its instructions (based on what I have taught in class) and then grade them (Billings and Halstead, 2012). The specific method I will use to evaluate is observation. This is the best in this case since the evaluation is based on demonstration and I will be keenly observing step by step what each team is doing based on the instructions and the notes on the patients’ bedsides about the patient. I will then be recording and making remarks about the observations so that I can analyze and explain to each team about their performance in achieving the learning objectives (Oermann, 2009). For each of the learning objectives of your lesson plan, create at least two test questions (or a comparable, specific means of evaluation, such as instructions for an essay assignment) that will adequately elicit whether the learner has achieved that objective. Offer a brief justification for these test questions or other elements—for instance, explain your choice of specific action verbs, or indicate how the instructions are designed to evaluate higher learning or critical thinking. For the first objective about identifying different ways to inculcate positive attitude during the drug administration, the two questions are: is the student portraying a positive attitude when administering the drug? How is the student being able to do that? Just observing whether the student is portraying a positive attitude during drug administration is not a mere reflection that he or she has been able to inculcate positive attitude and it is

Strategic management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic management - Term Paper Example They are the leaders in investment banking, wealth management and a host of other services. The biggest change that ever took place in the history of the financial institutions was the merger with Bank One. This change primarily took place because the other banks like the Bank of America were almost ready to merge with other big banks like FleetBoston. This merger took place because the financial institutions came under increasing pressure during the time of recession. The announcement of this merger was made on 14 January 2004. The Wall Street reacted very positively because of this merger and the NASDAQ witnessed growth soon after the merger took place. This change took place because the two financial institutions wanted to downsize and cut the deadwood out. The aim was to save about $2.2 billion over three years  and it was planned to eliminate as many as 10,000 people. This again goes to show how desperate even the biggest financial institutions were at the time of recession. Mergers and acquisitions were very common and these overtures were the initial signs which showed that almost all the big financial institutions were panicking. Volatile corporate banking was the major factor on which JP Morgan primarily functioned. The investors looked less enthusiastic with the deal between Bank of America and Fleet-Boston. This deal was for a whopping $48 billion. The shares of Fleet-Boston were driven up as a result of this deal because Bank of America offered 40% premium in this deal. The shares of Bank of America however came down and the investors lost a lot of money consequently. Big mergers take place because both the companies involved in the merger want to grow at a tremendous pace but this merger was not very useful for both the financial institutions. The collapse of WORLDCOM in the year 2005 signaled trouble for JP Morgan chase, the institution had to pay a whopping sum of $2 billion. This sum was paid to the different

Would Islamic finance have prevented the current global financial Essay

Would Islamic finance have prevented the current global financial crisis Discuss - Essay Example The Islamic financial markets appears to have greater discipline and risk-sharing and conceivably can provide a solution or safeguard against the risk of financial crises.3 This research study analyzes the possibility that a world financial system modeled after Islamic financial systems may have prevented the current financial global crisis. It is concluded that some aspects of the Islamic financial markets system may have functioned to minimize the current global financial crisis, but it could not have prevented the crisis altogether. This is because some features of conventional financial systems are necessary for preserving and servicing conventional financial needs and competition, particularly the interests rates attributed to mortgages. This paper is therefore divided into four sections. The first section analyzes the causes of the financial crisis of 2008-2009. The second part of this paper analyzes the key aspects of Islamic financial markets regulations and ideologies. The s econd part of this paper also identifies and strengths and weaknesses of Islamic financial systems. The third part of this paper analyzes the feasibility of Islamic financial systems as a solution to or safeguard against financial crises. The final part of this paper offers concluding remarks and observations. Contents Abstract 2 Contents 3 Introduction 4 The Causes of the Global Financial Crisis 2008-2009

Discuss How Shakespeare Uses Language Essay Example for Free

Discuss How Shakespeare Uses Language Essay Discuss how Shakespeare uses language and dramatic techniques for character development in Act 2 Scene 2 of Measure for Measure. Shakespeare uses a variety of linguistic devices and dramatic techniques for character development from Act 2 Scene 2 to Scene 4. We see Angelo’s precise, business-like persona transform to temptation, and final cruelty whilst we see the true, confident side of Isabella as as she attempts to convince Angelo to reverse his judgement, but eventually loses her ignorant hope on the realisation of his true ‘purpose’. In Act 2 Scene 2 Shakespeare portrays Angelo as precise, intelligently dealing with the pleas of Isabella to save the life of her brother by reversing the death sentence that has been handed down to him. The scene begins with the Provost and Angelo discussing Claudio’s punishment. The Provost dares to ask Angelo if he really wants Claudio murdered, ‘All sects, all ages smack of this vice, and he to die for’t!’, and Angelo states that he does, ‘Did not I tell yea? Hast thou no order? Why dost thou ask again? ’. Shakespeare instantly uses dramatic technique of foreshadowing the conflict that is to follow through the sharp words exchanged between the two. Provost then asks what’s to be done with the woman he got pregnant, Juliet. Angelo still refuses to relent, and says that Juliet, who is in labour, should go to a more fitting place, away from everything that is going on ‘Dispose of her To some more fitter place’ Shakespeare’s lexical choice conveys his ruthless nature to the audience, in this context would mean ‘send her away’, but of course reading the text using more modern language; ‘dispose’ is an unpleasant word, especially when referring to a human being, where it seems incongruous, especially in reference to a pregnant woman, thus subtly foreshadowing the revealing of Angelo’s animalistic nature later in the scene. Angelo also calls Juliet a ‘fornicatress’, the harsh constanents of the name once again conjuring the theme that is constantly present through the play, that of appearance versus reality. Although Juliet appears from Angelo’s quick appraisal to be just a sinful person, her reality is far more complex; she is much better than most women of the time, she is not a prostitute or adulterer, rather her only fault was not securing a marriage contract before she slept with her fiancee. She is actually a woman of strength and principle, not the simple sinner that Angelo’s developing harsh, cruel character reduces her to. Isabella comes to see Angelo innocently, as shy as she appeared in her first scene at the nunnery, and begins to plead with him for Claudio’s life, ‘I have a brother is condemned to die. I do beseech you, let it be his fault, And not my brother’. Angelo is portrayed to be business-like and unrelenting, ‘Condemn the fault, and not the actor of it? Why, every fault’s condemned ere it be done’ but Lucio urges her to persist, encouraging her ‘Ay, touch him, there’s the vein’ acting as a kind of Greek chorus for the audience. She does, and calls upon Angelo’s pity, mercy, and moderation; she recognises that Angelo has the power to enforce the law in full, but impresses upon him that one must use power with moderation. Isabella’s strategy is a keen one, trying to persuade Angelo to have the same mercy for her brother that she has. Once again, the issue of mercy is urged upon Angelo, as is the theme of human weakness, which all, Isabella stresses, fall victim to. Her character is portrayed as increasingly canny, when she has to be; her argument is strong and persuasive, although it is not her argument that causes Angelo to relent, but his attraction to her. Isabella also touches upon the theme of use of power; ‘it is excellent to have a giant’s strength,’ she tells Angelo, ‘but it is tyrannous to use it as a giant’, making an allusion to ‘Jove’ to demonstrate her point even the gods, with tremendous power, know how best to use their awesome abilities. This is another lesson that Angelo’s character must learn; for although he can use the law to its full extent if he wishes, he has to learn how to temper his power with mercy and heed moderation. Comparing the characters of Angelo and Isabella, one could argue that Isabella is ‘the symbol of goodness and mercy set against a background of moral decay’. Alternatively, one could see her character as self-righteous and hypocritical, as we later discover when she values her chastity higher than her brother’s life. Isabella continues arguing with Angelo until he finally relents and tells her to come back the next day to hear his judgement. Everyone leaves, and Angelo speaks a rather striking soliloquy, apparently talking to himself ‘†¦what art thou Angelo? Dost thou desire her foully for those things that make her good? ’. Thus, through Shakespeare’s staging, we learn that Angelo admits to himself that he is in love with Isabella because of her virtue and purity. Often characters in Shakespeare’s plays have soliloquies but they do not often refer to themselves in third person and when they do, it is often a sign of madness. Perhaps Shakespeare is suggesting this as a sign for Angelo. What is certain is that he is struggling with an inward battle between what he knows he should do and what he desires to do, as his develops and starts questioning the morality of his own character. It is with great irony that Isabellas call to Angelo to mark the weaknesses in his own heart is answered by Angelos acknowledgement that he is tempted by Isabella. It is this temptation that brings from Angelo his first statement of mercy toward Claudio: ‘O, let her brother live! Thieves for their robbery have authority when judges steal themselves!’ Shakespeare shows how Angelo realises that with experience of ones own weakness comes mercy for others failings; however, he soon ignores this lesson, and falls into hypocrisy in Act 2 Scene 4. In this scene, Isabella comes back the next day as Angelo had asked, and he begins by saying that Claudio must die. Isabella begins to leave, but Angelo begins to tempt her to save her brother, by offering herself instead. Isabella ignorantly misunderstands Angelo’s subtle sexual offer, and he is forced to tell her plainly that if she sleeps with him he will let Claudio live. Angelo accuses her of hypocrisy, and they discuss the frailty of women. In terms of character development in this scene, Angelo begins in a state of agitation, pondering why he cannot pray and with a new awareness of how the appearance of things might not be true to reality. Where before Angelo was unified in his intentions and actions, he has now become internally divided, ‘O place, O form, How often does thou with thy case, thy habit, Wrench awe from fools, and tie the wiser souls to thy false seeming! Blood, thou art blood. ’- questioning the power of authority, position and outward appearance to convince even wise men that false men are virtuous. Shakespeare uses language of coercion, ‘wrench’ and ‘tie’, and apostrophe – ‘O place, O form’ to perhaps illustrate the sophisticated and baffling nature of false appearances. Shakespeare also shows how Angelo is beginning to seduce Isabella with subtle and ambiguous lexis, but moving more and more towards blunt, harsh and animalistic discourse as the scene progresses. ‘I have begun, and now I give my sensual race the rein’; Shakespeare shows how Angelo has almost been possessed by his animal side. This is perhaps emphasised by the use of horse imagery, ‘race the rein’, as well as the use of plosives and dentals ‘fit they consent to my sharp appetite’, drawing attention to his teeth and lips, reinforcing his sexual lust and passion for Isabella. When Isabella enters, however, she meekly accepts Angelo’s judgement, but as the scene progresses she continues to find her voice. As Angelo descends into sensuality, she seems to become more pious and religously extreme, almost swapping roles with Angelo. ‘Th’ impression of keen whips I’d wear as rubies, and strip myself to death’ – Shakespeare uses images of love, death and falgellation to express her disgust at the idea of submitting to Angelo. Though the sentiment is spiritual, the language and images are highly physical, suggesting that her character would resist the carnal sexuality by yielding herself to more gruesome lovers: torture and death. Her innocence is also shattered by Angelo’s crass offer – she seems shocked to find out that justice might not be as perfect as it appears. Her naivety is gradually stripped away as Angelo easily overcomes her threat to expose him, and she sees that virtue does not necessarily triumph over iniquity. Yet, she still has ignorant faith in the honour of her brother, Claudio, and trusts that he will defend her honour even at the cost of his life.

The Difficulties Single Fathers Face

The Difficulties Single Fathers Face Once a famous German caricaturist and poet Wilhelm Busch (1832 1908) said that becoming a father isnt difficult, but its very difficult to become a father. This phrase can be interpreted in different ways, but at the moment it is as topical as never before, since essential social changes and shifts state the question of parenthood for men in absolutely new light. The matter is, more and more men these days find themselves single fathers, and have to face new reality, while the society is not actually ready to accept them appropriately. This problem is attracting more and more attention of public and specialists, but still there is not enough research of the matter and fathers still essentially take pains to prove their rights: single dads remain a poorly represented group in official statistics, government programmes and communities, as Sandra Gruescu (2010, p. 19) states. The topicality of the subject and its narrow presentation in scholar studies has motivated us to focus attentio n on this problem in order to find out whether single fathers really face many problems in child fostering and their personal life and what ways out there are for them to make things better. In this way the object of out research is lone parenthood and single fatherhood of London is the main subject. To move from the first to the latter we are going to use deductive method. Apart from that, as for methodology to be applied, we shall use surveying and case study in order to get information at first hand, content-analyses in order to understand what has already been found out and what the probable holes of studies are. To provide that, we shall study local, national and partly international press, official reports and local overviews. Then we shall be able to sum up theoretical and empirical data and make conclusions on what are the modern conditions for men growing children on their own. In this way, tasks we are going to undertake are the following: to study general materials on single parenthood; single out the issue of lone fathers, especially those living in London; synthesize fragments gathered and give critical summary; involve the comments of interviewees; and finally to tally up the situation. SINGLE PARENTHOOD IN TERMS AND FIGURES In this paragraph we are to find out what is single parenthood, where it takes its roots and where results in. On the whole, as for the terms, a lone parent is one who takes care of a child (or children) all on his or her own, without participation of another parent within home. Divorce or death of the spouse are among the main reasons of growing a child alone; adoption, abuse or abandonment, and artificial insemination. A parent who takes a conscious decision to grow up a child on his own from the very beginning is also called a choice parent. All in all, as calculated in 2009, there are 1.9 million sole parents in the UK. In total they bring up about three million children. By Labour Market Review (2006), cited by Charlotte Philby (2010), each forth family is a family of one parent (among them about 8-11 % are male). Among those, 13% are under 25 years of age. Those parents who stay with the child most of the time are called primary carers, and those who just visit children are called secondary carers. By statistics, more than 90 percent of primary carers in the United Kingdom are women, and it goes without saying that all the assistance from the government, tax credits and benefits are given to them. Still, as the General National Survey has shown, more than a half of single-parented households live below the poverty line. On average, it takes about 600 pounds per year to raise a child, and about 10,500 pounds to grow a child from birth till full age. CALAMITIES TO OVERCOME Except financial, there is a great number of long-term social and psychological, physical and mental health influences on both ex-spouses and children after divorce. It may be destructive or loyal, and the strength of loss depends on the extent of intimacy between children and each of the parents, on parents characteristics like age, education level, occupation and income, on relations left between parents, on visitation rights prescribed for the secondary carer, and the circumstances children grow in on the whole (Coombs, 1991). Half-abandoned children are more like to experience behavioural problems, and Augustine Kposawa (2003) adds a schedule of main consequences: higher risks of clinical depression, greater need for formal psychiatric assistance, and higher rates of suicide among men. As any other vulnerable group, sole parents receive a kind of support from the government, from non-profit organizations and on-line resources as well. These days there are more and more forums, web-sites, social networks, blogs and professional advice services where sole parents can share their problems and look for decisions together. A good example is the Gingerbread National Charity for Single Parents. The development of such programs seems to be obvious for the first sight, but in reality the issue is not so well-defined. The matter is, there is much debate over single parenthood: on the one hand, government assistance is a normal social practice. But on the other hand, it turns out that the government itself is supporting the phenomenon which is against the society itself while sole parenthood doesnt correspond to the traditional moral values and family standards; and it seems, there can be no sound society with unsound families. Thus present British Prime Minister Mr. Cameron is rather to encourage marriages by  £150 tax breaks than take care of objectionable sole parents living under the breadline (Rowling, 2010). The police of the Tories has naturally risen a good deal of criticism: Do you not think that is discrimination against someone who pays their tax bill every month, and someone who is going to find that my friend down the road who has managed to find Mr Right gets aw ay with paying less tax than I do, just because I am raising my children by myself? (Tapsfield, 2009 p. 15). Single parents are pushed to feel second-class. But why are we now there? Through the 20th century the amount of households with single parent was rather low, but during last three decades figures began to grow rapidly. Basically, these changes have their historical, social and demographic reasons. Firstly, women began to feel more confident in their rights and freedoms, and more and more of them came to the conclusion that living on their own has more advantages than living in an unhappy wedlock. They began to receive more support from the official structures and the attitude of the society became not as reprehensible as it used to be. Fresh figures show that 57 per cent choose the single life as they say it is more rewarding, Steve Doughty (2010, p. 30) writes. Meanwhile the civilized world has been experiencing crucial shifts in gender social roles. More and more women prefer career to family and under the tension of business life more and more women are loosing their maternal instinct while paternal one on the contrary has been gaining force. FATHERS IN THE MIDDLE Now we are to sharpen our attention at a narrower group presented by sole fathers. It was investigated that more than 3 million men are classed as economically inactive, living on benefits or the black economy (Arendell, 1995 p. 112). It is also an example of social changes, but still many of men either successful or not very face obligation and will to be primary carers for their children: Active involvement in the day-to-day lives of children is no longer the exclusive domain of mothers. Fathers are being encouraged to build closer interpersonal relationships with their children. As a result, many fathers have found that being a parent is richly rewarding and they are not willing to assume the role of weekend father just because a marriage relationship has soured (Bartz and Witcher, 1978 p. 2). According to the statistics, family heads are divorced or separated fathers (8.4 per cent), never-married fathers (1.5 per cent), and widowers (0.9 per cent). In the United Kingdom there are 210,000 male sole parents (8-11 %) rising up 280,000 dependent children. In London specifically, by National Statistics (2006), there are 16,473 households headed by single males. In other words, each ninth single parent is father. Meanwhile there are 180,366 male secondary cares also identified as absent fathers. In the borough alone there are 5,710 households headed by single parents with 934 children living with their fathers (Ehrlich, 2008). SPECIFIC DIFFICULTIES FACED BY SINGLE FATHERS It goes without saying that lone fathers face generally the same problems as lone mothers, but there are some particular troubles too. First and foremost, it is already difficult to prove their right on the child, as courts traditionally favour mothers. And even if men win, their exes often dont leave them in peace, as they are more natural to be with a kid. The society has much less trust and approval for men. Nevertheless, men can be essential for developing language skills, developing awareness of rules and boundaries and being a positive male role model in the childs life (Risman, 1986 p. 96). Further on, it is considered that financial problems are less spread among men, but in fact they receive much less flexibility at their workplace and face negative attitude of supervisory. They are taken as awkward while it is not commonly for fathers to be so involved and faithful. Meanwhile is the most important thing for a child, his or her love cant be bought with money, therefore a lone father has to balance between financial obligations and emotional relations. If they go straight back to work, theyre treated like bad parents; if they dont, theyre called benefit scroungers, Jane Ahrends explains (Philby, 2010 p. 15). Moreover, it is not a secret for a father that a child needs a woman to see a female behavioural model and to provide care, but it is rather hard for a lone father to get married again: a woman is likely to avoid a man with children, as their mother is often there too; maybe, the girl doesnt like children at all or wants to have her own first and better to share all those first experiences with her husband; she doesnt want to be initially judged as a mother and she doesnt want to share her husbands attention with someone else (Miller, 2007). Yet, for sole fathers on the first place are the problems with their exes with whom, for the sake of their children, they should co-work effectively despite all misunderstanding. Then, what is even more striking, sole fathers should be ready to cope with emotional distress of children who can have low self-esteem, feel different from others and consequently have problems with socialization. Especially it is hard when a man fosters a girl. He should keep his healthy guides status and escape equality in order to keep balance. Its easy to become angry and depressed when loving and committed fathers have to prove they are just that, Peter Ehrlich (2008, p. 18) admits. THE MEANS TO WITHSTAND In fact, there are special support groups for those who bring their children alone no matter female or male. But certainly there are more women who into the bargain feel more natural and free to express their feelings and emotions. For most of men that method is not available. Versus the indifference of the officials, single fathers are now actively uniting their forces. And one of especially active representatives of this social group, William McGranaghan has recently organized a special service Dads House within the project Homes for Families and Fathers (Hoff) specially for their companions-in-arms where they can get in touch, spend time with their offspring and acquire some useful skills like cooking. By summer 2010 it has had already 1,400 active members. There are other support groups as well, e.g. the one of Pete Wrighton, where men learn to talk and to be honest. CONCLUSION So, the things are not as bad as they may seem on the face of it. However, we have found out that the topic strongly needs further consideration. The attention of employers and officials should be attracted to the issue, and social stereotypes should be discarded gradually. On the one hand, it is hard to disagree with the governmental policy intended to encourage healthy family structures which seem to be more reliable and stable. But the matter is, that is a deceptive impression to date, and, if accepted and assisted, lone fathers are able to bring up much healthier, much happier and much more perspective citizens of future, than two-parented, but unhappy and destructive families where a child receives no care but copies wrong behavioural models. These issues should be deeply learnt by family psychologists and scholars as well. All in all, single fathers problems in todays London are many, and they should be thoroughly examined by sociologists, demographers, psychologists and pedago gues. In that way they are possible to be solved and unloaded.

Soap Operas Are Regarded Media Essay

Soap Operas Are Regarded Media Essay Introduction Soap operas are often regarded as bad, poorly acted, not socially valued if not said have no aesthetic at all. Is it because most of the soap opera viewers are women? In traditional view, soap opera is perceived as less significant compare to other forms of television programme. However, this overview changed when soap opera reached high ratings and generated high revenues. It increases prominence of soap opera in television landscape and attract scholars to study this particular genre of television programme. The study of soap opera has not completed without studying its audiences. It is assumed that soap opera viewers are predominantly women. There are various theories of soap opera audience that emerge, such as uses and gratification (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Literature review The gendered audience theory discussed by Mary Ellen Brown in her book, Soap Opera and Womens Talk is the starting point of our discussion on women and soap opera. In the gendered audience theory, it is assumed that hegemonic values, in which tend to exclude non dominant perspectives, has to be deconstructed in order to study television audiences (Brown 1994, p.12). Brown (1994, p.13) assumes that the interaction between TV audiences and a text does not stop with the moment of consumption of the text. Rather, she explains that the process of meaning making exists in the tertiary text, a term used by John Fiske which refers to the conversations that people engage in about television watching, in which also used in the ethnographic research (Brown 1994, p.13). Brown asserts that soap opera gives women reactive pleasures, that is pleasures of being represented by the narrative that soap opera brought to the surface (Brown 1994, p.18). This pleasure has to do with the idea that soap opera has been facilitating women to talk with each other and expressing their ideas and feelings without being criticised (p.18). Soap opera depicts problems that women in real life are dealing with, it creates conversation between them around the text, which called the spoken text. This conversation is emerged as result of feeling unrepresented in the dominant discourse, in which women are considered as part of subordinate groups, where their positions are constructed within patriarchy system (p.23). Christine Scodari in her book, Serial Monogamy: soap opera, lifespan, and the gendered politics of fantasy discusses Stuart Halls (1980) decoding/ encoding model, in which divides the reader into preferred/ dominant, negotiated and oppositional. According to Lewis, this classic model is believed to leave a gap of readers who acknowledge the storys intent but disagrees with it (p.42). In order to fill in this gaps, Lewis creates a fourth designation, the resistive reading that is the process of questioning the idea of preferred reading by exploring the messages ambiguity they see fit (p.42). Scodari suggests to add the qualifier hegemonic or counter hegemonic into the discussion, as the emerging of interaction between soap opera fans creates collective positions of reading. She further explores this conception by discussing interaction between fans of Another World, a mid 1990s US soap opera. Scodari claims that the shows plot was becoming more similar with Days of Our Lives, that ten d to focus on catfight between the female characters, she calls this as DOOLification of soap opera (p.43). The plot tends to encourage confrontation between audiences that happens in private place such as home, or publicly in the online media. The fans reaction toward it was polarised between the preferred, hegemonic reading and the oppositional, counter hegemonic. The fans begin to name calling each other and attacking personal, in which Scodari refers this as tabloid talk (p.43). Jennifer Hayward, in her journal, Day after Tomorrow: Audience Interaction and Soap Opera Production discusses about soap opera audience have power over the show. This notion contradicts with the common perception that soap fans have been considered as passive victims, brainwashed by the shows narrative (p.97). Hayward analyse conversation between Oprah Winfrey and one of the addict soaps fans. Hayward finds that speculating what will happen to characters within the next episodes, which called the narrative game contributes to what we understood as soap pleasure (p.98). According to the conversation, Hayward assumes crucial function of soap opera as to provide communities an open lines of communication between viewers, a neutral field discussion for housewives isolated in their respective homes and nuclear families (p.99). She also adds other function of soap opera, which is to provide a forum for public to explore disruptive social issues as well as political matters. In relation to power of the audience, she contests the notion that soap opera audiences are passive victims. From her analysis of the fans letters and conversation with them, Hayward suggests that the audiences are showing active involvement with the process of fiction making (p.99). They send letters to the shows producer, convey their criticism and even giving suggestion on how the narrative should be. Hayward uses a case study of One Life to Live to show fans power. One of the characters of OLTL, left the show due to a contract dispute, the fans response by sending 45.000 letters and then it became the headlines across soap magazines. Hayward calls this activity as active fandom (p.101). Whetmore and Kielwasser on their journal, The Soap Opera Audience Speaks: A Preliminary Report discusses how the soap viewers perceive the viewing process (p.110). The complexity and multiple sub plots seem to be characteristic of soap opera, therefore it takes a while for newly viewers to be able to understand the whole narratives. The authors suggests that newly viewers of certain soap opera has to get over the hump, that is the process of understanding the historical ties that bind the characters together (p.110). This process is enabled through discussion with other more experienced viewers. Soap opera tends to withheld the solutions of problems encountered by the characters, ends each episode with questions in viewers minds. This is claimed to be one of the appeal of soap opera (Jen Hayward). This creates viewing dependency. According to Whetmore and Kielwasser, by this viewing consistency, viewers are developing different emotional payoffs. They classify these payoffs into thre e categories; immediate, short term and long term (p.111). Newly viewers usually developing immediate payoffs, because it do not require understanding of previous plot lines and are usually characterised by the completion of a single event (p.111). The example of immediate payoffs is romantic scene. Short term payoffs require viewing practice from the beginning of a single sub plot to its completion. It usually found in the mini climax of a single sub plot (p.111). Long term payoffs are mostly awaited by devoted and long time viewers. Often, it requires years of constant viewing. Barbara Stern and Cristel Russell in their journal, Vulnerable Women on Screen and at Home: Soap Opera Consumption contests positive functions of soap opera that have been described by Hayward. Stern and Russel assume that soap opera appealing for women because it provides emotional release, personal gratification, companionship and reality escapism (p.222). They claim that soap opera industry continue displaying vulnerable upper class women to put viewers in an inferior position that are constantly exposed to imaginary ways of living and improper role models. Persistent viewing practice is assumed to risk viewers an emotional harm (Jewel and Abate 2001). They claims that the soap industry repetitively convey gender stereotyping that put women in subordination (p.223). The negative effects of soap opera are claimed to give viewers parasocial attachment and vulnerability loop in social learning and behavioural modelling (p.223). Parasocial attachment is defined as viewer relationship with fictional characters in which perceived to be real people, thus able to influence viewers norms, desires and behaviours (Churchill and Moschis 1975). In long term period, this can lead to cultivation effects, that is images on television shapes viewers perception of social reality (Larson 1996, p.98). This is enabled by viewers attachment to characters they observe on a daily basis. The stronger this parasocially interaction, the more it is likely to become a source of behavioural modelling (Stern Russell 2005, p.223). In contrast with Haywards idea, Stern and Russell claim that social function of soap opera have been over expected, because it has negative implications to less educated and less affluent soap audiences. To clarify their idea, the authors discuss recent study of 900 long term soap viewers who mostly perceive that alcohol drinking looks attractive and is associated with success (Diener 1993). Behavioural modelling also become concerns especially for adolescent gi rl soap viewers. The author mention a study of teenage girl soap viewers responses to images of single mothers, found that the girls tend to trivialise the parental role of single mom as hip and enjoyable without having to work hard. Dorothy Hobson in her book, Soap Opera claims that those critics who perceive that soap opera viewers as vulnerable and likely to be fooled by the programmes have not done sufficient studies of the audience. Hobson supports what Brunsdon noted as active audiences. Those viewers consciously choose which aspects of the programmes that they interesting in and then interpret the text according to their own experiences (Hobson 2003, p.166). Soap operas are appealing to women audiences because the programmes portray problems as well as solutions that they can identify with. Viewers at home especially housewives are incorporating soap opera viewing as her daily routines and manage her domestic duties such as cooking and preparing for dinner in a way that enable them to watch prime time soap opera. In an interview she conducted to women viewers, Hobson finds that soap opera are interesting to them because of the unpredictable events that happen within the serial, unlike other genre such as n ews programmes that are most likely to show crimes (p.171). When something bad happens to soap opera characters, the dramatic effect that viewers feel is more likely as if it is happen to somebody they know. Draw from this findings, Hobson asserts that soap opera carries the message more effectively than the same discourses exposed in a news programme (p.172). Viewers also make judgement on how the characters should behave in certain circumstances, comparing with how they would react if those things happen to them in real life. Hobson asserts that watching soap opera is not a passive process, instead the pleasure of it comes from conversation with other people, sharing opinions and using it as a medium to discuss aspects of their own lives (p.175). According to interview conducted to working women in Britain, Hobson found that women are discussing soap opera within their workplace. This conversation of the narratives enables them to discuss personal matters without making anybody fe els being intruded and humiliated. Hobson calls this as bringing the private sphere into the public domain (p.179). Conversation about soap opera performs as a medium to discuss personal problems among these working women. Hobson calls this as creating a cultural space in the workplace (p.182). Conclusion

How to Write an Essay :: essays research papers fc

1. What is an essay? An organised collection of YOUR IDEAS about literary texts nicely written and professionally presented . In other words, the essay must be well structured (ie organised) and presented in a way that the reader finds easy to follow and clear: it must look tidy and not present any obstacles to the reader. It must have a clear readable interesting style. But, above all, it must consist of your ideas about literary texts. This is the centre of it: this, and this only, gets the marks. Not quotes from critics, not generalisations at second hand about literary history, not filling and padding; your thoughts, that you have had while in the act of reading specific bits of literary texts, which can be adduced in the form of quotations to back up your arguments. 2. Why write in this way? 2.1 Learning how to write professionally In the English Department you learn how to respond to literary texts. This is an interesting and worthwhile thing to do, but unless you become a teacher of English remarkably few people in later life will be interested in your thoughts about Jane Austen. What they will be interested in (I'm talking about potential employers now, but not only them) is your ability to talk, to think, and to write. This part of the course is where you learn to write: professionally. The guidelines that follow tell you how to do it, or rather how to learn to do it. They set a higher standard than is usually asked of a first year undergraduate essay in this Department. This is for the following reasons. (1) I think it's my job to offer you the best advice I can, not to tell you how to get by. (2) If you learn what these guidelines teach, you will get better marks in all the essays you do from now on until finals. You will surprise the markers with the quality of your presentations, by producing a better quality than they expect. (3) You will learn a skill, a not-very-hard-to-learn skill, that will last you for the rest of your life. 3. Collecting the material The first task is to get the material together. The material comes in two kinds: primary and secondary sources. Primary sources in this case are literary texts: the actual material that you work on. Secondary sources are works of criticism. Here is your Second Important Message:

Martin Luther King Jr. Essay -- American History

Martin Luther King Jr. On the first day of school, sophomore year, my history teacher presented me with the question of "Who is your hero?" I didn’t have a hero, and until then I hadn’t thought about the subject. Later in the year, my eyes caught a quotation from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the bulletin board which stated somewhat to this effect, "Do not merely be a thermometer that records the ideas and principles of popular opinion; but rather a thermostat that transforms the mores of society." Out of all the quotes that had been posted over the year, it was this one that caught my attention and captured my emotion. When I would read it, I felt as if something inside me had been sparked. Little did I know that this man whom I had come to know for the "I have a dream speech" and civil rights would come to be my hero. After reading "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence" while studying the civil rights movement I became intrigued in the beliefs of Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolence seemed like such a radical concept to me, yet I found myself agreeing with every point that he made. The va...

Privatization In Russia Essay -- essays research papers

For some, the privatization of Russian industry has been one of the great success stories of Russia’s painful economic transition: quick, firm and radical action was taken to shift the great bulk of Russian industry out of state hands, thereby laying the basis for a radical restructuring of enterprises and improvements in their performance. Others see privatization as a best a failure, at worst a catastrophe. Not surprisingly those opposed to the market and economic reform as a whole share this view. But many commentators who see themselves as supporters of reform find plenty in Russian privatization to criticize: the process led to the transfer of ownership to inappropriate people and as a consequence no beneficial restructuring of enterprises or the economy can be expected. While this paper will attempt to cover the three key facets of privatization: that enterprises be transferred to private ownership; that the new owners be able de jure and de facto to exercise ownership rights; and, finally and ultimately most importantly, that the new owners exercise their ownership rights in such a way as to bring about improvements in enterprise performance. The key issues to be surveyed, therefore, are: who as a result of privatization obtained ownership of Russian industrial assets, and are they appropriate owners; can new owners, particularly if they are appropriate owners, exercise their ownership rights; and has privatization led to improvements in enterprise performance? The paper will deal with privatization only within the industrial sector; thereby ignoring the highly controversial privatization’s of the last twelve months or so in the energy and utility sectors. Who are the new owners? Global data showing about 70% of GNP being produced in the private sector reflects the high levels of privatization of industrial enterprises, with the great bulk of enterprises having been privatized by mid-1994. However privatization does not necessarily mean the complete removal of the state from an equity involvement in enterprises. State ownership. The state retains shareholdings in a significant number of privatized enterprises on the basis of government decrees declaring the ‘strategic significance for national security’ of the enterprise. Shareholdings range from 20 to 51 per cent or a Golden Share (a single share giving veto rights over certain strategic iss... ...nagers does not stand up. The indications are that they knew what they were doing and judged that outside owners would eventually assert themselves. Gradually they are doing so, and gradually they are improving their ability to exercise and enforce their ownership rights. Sometimes they are doing so in ways that are no less reprehensible than the methods of the manager-owners. There are also reasons to be concerned about the long-term consequences of the sort of bank-dominated and highly integrated ownership that many of the outsiders have brought. The best that can be said at this stage is that all modern economies have at their peak a corporate sector dominated by large integrated institutions. Clearly the private sector, and thereby privatization, has to bear some responsibility for an economy in which it has a 70% share but which is unable to provide in anything like adequate proportions growth or welfare. But in this there are other factors also at work. Indeed there are some small indications, at both macro- and micro-levels, of a positive correlation between private ownership and good performance. With time that correlation could well become stronger and more evident.

Levi’s Organization Essay

Levi Strauss & Co. is a worldwide corporation organized into three geographic divisions: Levi Strauss Americas (LSA), based in the San Francisco headquarters; Levi Strauss Europe, Middle East and Africa (LSEMA), based in Brussels; and Asia Pacific Division (APD), based in Singapore. The company employs a staff of approximately 10,500 people worldwide. The core Levi’s was founded in 1873 in San Francisco, specializing in riveted denim jeans and different lines of casual and street fashion.[3] From the early 1960s through the mid-1970s, Levi Strauss experienced significant growth in its business as the more casual look of the 1960s and 1970s ushered in the â€Å"blue jeans craze† and served as a catalyst for the brand. Levi’s, under the leadership of Walter Haas Jr., Peter Haas, Ed Combs, and Mel Bacharach, expanded the firm’s clothing line by adding new fashions and models, including stone-washed jeans through the acquisition of Great Western Garment Co. (GWG), a Canadian clothing manufacturer, and introducing Permanent Press trousers under the Sta-prest name. The company experienced rapid expansion of its manufacturing capacity from 16 plants to more than 63 plants in the United States from 1964 to 1974 and 25 overseas. They used of â€Å"pay for performance† manufacturing at the sewing machine operator level up. 2004 saw a sharp decline of GWG in the face of global outsourcing, so the company was closed and the Edmonton manufacturing plant shut down.[4] The Dockers brand, launched in 1986[5] which is sold largely through department store chains, helped the company grow through the mid-1990s, as denim sales began to fade. Dockers were introduced into Europe in 1993. Levi Strauss attempted to sell the Dockers division in 2004 to relieve part of the company’s $2 billion outstanding debt.[6] Launched in 2003, Levi Strauss Signature features jeanswear and casualwear.[7] In November 2007, Levi’s released a mobile phone in co-operation with ModeLabs. Many of the phone’s cosmetic attributes are customisable at the point of purchase.

How the Internet Has Changed Social Activities and Created New Cultural Norms

The Internet Shay Billings American History 1/4/2011 ROBIN THOMAS The Internet In the 1990’s the internet has change society by reshaping it to a modern society. The internet has changed social activities and created new cultural norms. The internet brought new ways to contact people from all around the world and to bring news and information in one location. It also provided online banking, online shopping, and many more great things that provide by the internet. This also made it easier for hospitals to obtain you medical history in case of an emergency. The Internet’s impact on the political process and information transparency Previously the only way politicians could reach the public was using the media or meeting people on the street. But now the internet lets the average citizen view each politician beliefs, life style and the changes they are trying to make. It also allows the political staff to communicate faster and helps their campaign. It also cuts down on cost on use less media such a televisions, radio, or newspapers and magazines. The military has many uses for the internet such I was able to contact my husband while he was overseas and it kept us strong. The internet is good for military families because the availability to keep in contact with loved ones. In others ways it’s good for military for the GPS system for direction locations and it is easier to order supplies when needed. But the internet isn’t all good it makes it easier for children to get a hold of porn or sex offenders to get a hold of children or rape of women. There have been case of deaths , rapes and child porn because of the use of the internet. Such as the craigslist killers find people to come out be false stories and killed them. Not saying it’s the internet’s fault but it makes easier to for people to do harm to others. There is also cyber bullying that many teens are affected by today. Cyber bullying is when people use the internet, cell phones or other devices to post text or images that are intended to hurt or degrade another person. Sites like Face book, MySpace, and many others allows peoples peers to say anything, about anyone. Many believe that they are doing no harm by doing this but it has cased suicides in many young teens because of depression. Even though these site where not attended for this it still causes harm. There are site blockers to help protect the children on the internet. That can help stop for children getting into harm. There was also the Dot-com boom and bust this was caused by everything producing to mush too fast. Companies that couldn’t decide on their corporate creed were given millions of dollars and told to grow to Microsoft size by tomorrow. The internet was supposed to help the economy which in some ways it did, but in others it did not. The internet closed down many companies and family business such as video stores, news papers, and some magazine companies. As many more have gotten in debt because it easier to get a hold of a credit card or to get loans online. The internet also makes it easier for identify theft and stolen credit cards and account information. This cause more debt for our society and its really helping are economy. In conclusion the internet has pros and cons people had taken something good and found away to corrupt it. It makes it easier for people’s life today but in ways it also destroys many lives as well. There internet has also brought development of new technology such as better computers, cell phones and many more yet to come. But much of the elderly today don’t want to learn or can’t learn how to us the new technologies. But many jobs today you have to use these new technologies which lead elderly limited on what they can do. So you have to see if the pros outweigh the cons. Also what if we lose these technologies we become so dependable upon? resources Internet, impact on politics. (2008). In William A. Darity, Jr. (Ed. ), International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (pp. 107-109). Read more: http://www. investopedia. com/features/crashes/crashes8. asp#ixzz1iVLlwNL1 http://abcnews. go. com/US/ohio-craigslist-killings-mother-teen-son-innocent/story? id=15038334

Childbirth and Development Essay

1-1.2 Connections between development and learning There is a strong connection between development and learning as children need to develop certain skills in order to learn and also the motivation to learn something new can help a child develop further skills. For example, for a baby to learn to walk there needs to be a level of coordination and growth and therefore by learning to walk has improved both the child’s physical development and recognotion. Variations in the rate and sequence of development and learning All children develop at their own rates because of both genetic and environmental factors. Learning difficulties. Some children have difficulties which prevent them from learning in the same way and the causes can be medical conditions, chromosomal conditions and others are not yet understood. However, this doesnt mean that children with learning difficulties will have this problems in all areas of development. Some children will have develop some skills better than others: the ability to draw, to socialise etc. Giftedness. Some children are seen as inteligent very early. We may notice that some children tend to memorise easily and they can learn new skills very quick. This is thought to be linked with a stimulating environment and a strong „ genetic component† ( Heinemann Book). Stimulating environment and the aquisition of language. Children whom are given stimulating experiences and more opportunities are likely to develop faster. Language aquisition is strongly linked to the time children spend around adults and quality interaction. Attachment. If a child feels loevd  and safe it makes it easier to acheve their full potential. Strong relationships are the foundation for every childs development. Learning in different way. Children learn by copying from adults but also by learning from their own experiences. For todlers and babies it is actually most likely that they learn from doing rather then from being taught. The importance of play Play is an essential part of every childs development. Through play children develop skills in all ares of development. Good play helps them be happy and explore, but can also teach them about materials, social skills.† Play begins very early on in babies lives as long as they have an adult who can engage with them†. ( Heinemann book) 1-1.3 All children develop at their own rates, but some of them do because of difficultiess linked during conception, pregnancy and birth. Pre-conceptual care. Even before a baby is conceived, the quality of their parents life style can have a huge impact on their development. Future parents should think about giving up on smoking, cutting down the alcohol, taking folic acid suppliments and avoiding recreational drogs. It is also advised not to start having a family to late cause it gets harder for some women to conceive. Conception. In the moment of conception the fertilised egg will have 23 chromosomes from the father and 23 chromosomes from the mother which determine the child’s development. This mixing is actually a nature’s lottery as some medical conditions are the result of genetic combination. Pregnancy. During pregnancy the baby can be affected by the health of their mother as well as by the lifestyle. Factors that may affect the child are stress, diet and alcohol. The first 12 weeks of pregnancy are when the „foetus is most vulnerable and during this time the foetus becomes recongnisably human†.( Heinemann Book) Substance abuse. The effects of drugs can be devesting for the baby especially in the first 12 weeks but even after. All pregnant women are advised not to take any drugs unless advised to do so by a doctor. Alcohol. Alcohol can enter a babies blood streem and can have serious effects. A special condition known as Foetal Alcohol  Syndrome affect children’s cognitive development including their concentration. Infections. Some infections such as food poisoning, rubella, or sexual transmitted diseases can put the unborn at risk. Maternal health. Maternal diet. The baby needs nutrients for his/hers well-being so the diet of the mother plays an important part throughout the pregnancy. Diet is particularly important during the first 12 weeks when the lack of mineral called folic acid can cause spina bifida. Overall women dont need a special diet when they are pregnant but they need to have a balanced one. They sould also avoid eating certain foods such as unpaasteurised cheese, soft cheese and Brie, blue cheesee which can contain the bacteria listeria which can cause miscarriage, premature delivery or severe illness in a new born baby. This can also be found in some pate and smoked fish., raw or partially cooked eggs, raw and undercooked meat. Birth. Assisted birth. Most women give birth vaginally but sometimes a Caesarean section is given. A Caesarean may be planned or may have to be carried out at short notice if there are difficulties when giving birth. Birth trauma. The main danger for babies during birth is the lack of oxygen but this is relatively rare and most babies are born safely. Prematurity and multiple births. A baby’s development can be affected if they are born before the full term of pregnancy. Full term is considered to be between 38 and 42 weeks. Some babies may be premature as a result of medical intervention or mothers may go spontaaneusly into labour.survival rates for premature babies has increased as a result of technology and advances in medical understanding.the extend to which development is affected variesand is linked to how early the child is born. The last few weeks are vital for the baby as they gain weight during that period and the baby’s oragns and nervous system matures. Babies born between 35 to 38 weeks are usually mature enough to feed and breath and so long term development is not affected but babies who are born much earlier will need significant medical support in order to survive and are usually place in the incubator that is designed to keep the baby warm and safe from infection. Premature babies are at higher risk of developing hearing or sight problems and also learning  difficulties . 1-1.4 Current research The latest research into the development and learning of babies and young children centres on the brains structure and function. Now it came to light that early stimulation are vital to the child’s healthy development of the brain. Along with stimulation it also seems that sufficient sleep and a healthy diet makes a difference in allowing connection to be made. The scientific discipline that looks at the brain development is known as neuroscience. This is a relatively new area of research and has been helped by the technology of brain scans. Brain development begins well before birth. Special brain cells are called neurons and are formed between tenth and twentieth week. These cells are very important as they will eventually join together to allow the brain to fubction normally. Babies who enjoy and are stimulated and enjoy a rich environment of sensations and movement shoud develop strong and dense synapses ( „ network of connections which enable neurons to transmit electrical impulses, so passing information from one part of the brain to another† Heinemann Book) that will cope with prunning. On the other hand babies who are deprived of stimulation and language may lose out as prunning seems to take away synapses that are not used and it is now clear that these cannot be replaced later. As a result of all the research there is a strong emphasis on the early yeaars sector on creating an enabling and stimulating environament and providing good sensory opportunities for babies and toddlers.

World Religions Paper

World Religion Paper (Rough Draft) By: Allison Workman The religion that I have chosen for my report is Wicca. Wicca is the religion of Witchcraft also referred to as the Craft. There are many myths that are associated with the Wiccan religion. Witches do not perform ride brooms and they are not â€Å"bad or scary† people. In fact most witches are normal people we come in contact with every day. I have learned many interesting facts in my weeks researching this religion. At this time my site visit and interview have not been completed due to family medical problems with my source. However, the interview and site visit are both scheduled for April 3, 2011 I will attempt to submit a summary of those by mid week next week for review. Compare and Contrast Wicca and Christianity are actually quite similar in many ways. However, there are vast differences in the beliefs of the parties as well. Both Christianity and Wicca have a symbol that is prominent within the religion. Christians have the cross that represents the death of Jesus to wash away the sins of mankind. Wicca’s symbol is the pentagram. Despite the reports to the contrary the pentagram is not the symbol of a Satanist; in fact Satan does not even exist in the Wiccan culture. The pentagram is the symbol of the four elements (water, air, fire, earth) and the sprit which draws them all together. Both religions have groups that worship together. Christians call these congregations and they usually meet in a Church. When a group of witches gather to worship the group is referred to as a Coven and they generally practice outdoors though not always. Some Covens will gather at the home of the High Priestess to worship. Meeting places will differ from Coven to Coven. Many of the Ethical and Social views of these religions are similar as well. The Wiccan Rede is â€Å"If it harms none, do what you will†. Christians generally try to live by the Golden Rule. â€Å"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you†. These two phrases have a similar meaning. Both religions believe that women and men are equal in value as human beings. Both religions also accept women in secular leadership roles. All Wiccan religious groups believe that women should hold religious leadership roles as well; some denominations of the Christian faiths are accepting of this, but others still believe that men should be the religious leader of the family/church. The number of differences between these two groups is much larger that the similarities. One of the most notable is that Christianity is a monotheistic religion and Wicca is a polytheistic religion. While Christians worship God. The Wiccans worship the God and Goddess simultaneously. The Wiccan religion is all about balabance so the worship of the God and the Goddess signifies the balance, though the primary focus to a witch is the goddess. Witches accept homosexuality completely where Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin. Christians worship every Sunday and Witches worship on the 13 full moons of the years and also perform rituals on the Sabbats.

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Literature Review - Essay Example One main factor of traffic congestion is the increase in number of the new vehicles. One way of solving this kind of the problem is to come up with a system that will be able to monitor the situation of the roads as they analyze the image of the traffic situation and conveys information about the impending congestion the send signals to the traffic police. Harriet, Poku & Anin, 2013 on the other hand argues that effects of the traffic congestion are numerous; on the economic downside it causes tear ad wear of various parts of the vehicles necessitating continuous replacements. In addition there would be a question of not arriving at the work place in time making the business persons to cope with image of incompetency or in some case there is loss of business opportunities. All these problems would in turn cause social implications like being emotionally stressed up and in some cases it culminates from the road bullying incidences. In relation to environmental issues, traffic congesti on elevates matters as it causes a lot of air pollutions resulting from emission of the carbon dioxide. For the emergency situations, blocked lanes have a lot of consequences for those people who require immediate attentions where life could have been saved. Therefore efforts to solve the problems of the traffic congestion would also help to solve other inherent and other related problems at the same time. This will immediately be encoded and transmit the image through the worldwide interoperability of microwave access to the control room of the traffic police this will help to design a very good model to assist the police in doing their work. Transaction costs are relatively higher for international trade than for the transactions that are taking place domestically mainly because of the traffic congestions that are caused by custom related

Bullying in Early Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bullying in Early Education - Essay Example ave equal strength or power to the bully† (Berthold & Hoover, 2000; Olweus, 1996; Solberg, Olweus & Enderson, 2007; Sourander, Holstela, Helenius & Piha, 2000). Aggression was clearly defined in Lee’s research on the relationship of aggression and bullying to social preference as a â€Å"behavior that is intended to harm someone either physically or psychologically (Berkowitz, 1993), manifests itself in a wide variety of acts† (Lee, 2009, 323). Despite differences in definitions, bullying still manifests an aggressively vicious behavior expressed either indirectly or directly by a repeated tormenting towards a victim with obviously less strength and power to defend oneself from his aggressor aimed to harm him or her physically or psychologically. III. The role of gender in bullying Diverse research literatures examined the role of gender in increased susceptibility in bullying. There are actually two sides to be examined: (1) does gender play a significant part in assuming the role of the aggressor? In this issue, one would like to assess and evaluate if indeed boys are the instigator of bullying. If so, what forms of bullying do they usually perform? On the other hand, does it necessarily follow that girls are always the victims of bullying? What other perspectives in bullying give credence to gender differences as relevant correlates of bullying? The study conducted by Carbone-Lopez, et.al. (2010) reveal that gender differences have significant impact on bullying and victimization. However, it was necessary to qualify the direct form of bullying versus the indirect form. The direct form involves behavior that aims to physically harm the victim through any of the following means: hitting, kicking, pushing (Carbone-Lopez, et.al, 2010, 333) and fighting, flicking,... Bullying in Early Education Parents of bullies were observed to resort to unjustifiable physical punishment instigated by mood swings and flares. Due to the fact that bullies have never learned the value of sharing or cooperation, getting along with others is not an ultimate priority. In this regard, the objective of the research is to determine if gender affects the way children respond to bullying in terms of the response or action taken against bullying and how young children, in general, deal with it. II. Differences in Definition of Bullying Bullying has been described by Marees & Petermann (2010) as â€Å"a specific for or aggressive behavior, namely the systematic humiliation, harassment and/or torment of certain children by their peers: (178). Taylor (2003), on the other hand, who studied primary school bullying and the issue of gender differences, defined bullying as â€Å"a subcategory of aggressive behavior; but a particularly vicious kind of aggressive behavior since it is directed, often repeated ly, towards a particular victim who is unable to defend himself or herself effectively†. The impact of gender on the response of children to bullying can still be further investigated to ensure that possible findings would shed light on the diversity of gender and the way they perceive bullying as either a threat to be directly addressed or ignored. There could be other reactions or responses that were not evidently investigated, or reported especially for the age group targeted for the project.

Human Brain and Computer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Brain and Computer - Essay Example Possibly, it can be said that the brain is better at doing some specific jobs and the computer is good at doing other jobs. This paper is intended to analyze the benefits and limitations of the metaphor "the brain is often compared to a computer" which is commonly used by many. Before getting into the details it is important to understand why such a comparison was made. Theoretically the brain is a machine just as the heart and kidney. It can be said that the brain is a computer (processor) with neural connections, programmed responses, and a data bank. It has sensors in the body that input information into the computer. It has an output to devices that perform actions, and the brain communicates with these devices through electrical and chemical channels. The comparison of the brain and the computer is a metaphor. In general metaphors are just used to help us better understand things. Or in other words metaphors are used to convey the idea that one thing is similar to another thing. They are useful for helping us understand things, such as mind/body interaction. Metaphors do not mean that both the things compared are one and the same neither is one thing is a substitute for the other. Since several processes in the brain are similar to the computer, it is commonly compared with each other. For instance, both brain and computers use electrical signals to transmit information. Both have a memory which tends to grow over time. With proper instructions given, both brain and computers can learn. Both work based on the energy present. Brain and computers are able to think logically and do math. There are also differences between brain and the computers. For instance, brain uses chemicals such as calcium and sodium to transmit information where as the computer uses electricity. Electrical signals generated in the brain travels much slower when compared to computers. A computer uses switches that are either on or off and works on the binary system, where as the brains do not have such a system. Memory of the brain generally grows by stronger synaptic connections but in a computer it is only possible by adding additional memory chips. The brain needs essential nutrients such as oxygen and sugar for working where as the computer only require electricity or a battery to keep working (faculty.washington.edu, N.D.). Though till date the technology had not grown to replace the brain with a computer, there have been several advantages with the development of this technology. For instance, today it is possible to use computer inputs as substitutes for other sensory inputs, and for outputs to limbs or devices to create movement of neurologically damaged limbs, control the environment by sensing the brain's electrical impulses, and even create limited forms of sight. Besides, great steps are being made in bionics, including artificial hearts that work for longer periods. In recent years study is under progress for replacements for muscle made from specialized ceramic or polymer materials that contract like muscles, which can be triggered by a computer. With this trend of advancement in technology, perhaps one day we could also replace computers with brain (Cole, 2003). A person can do many things which a computer cannot even attempt to do it. A brain beyond doubt has one thing that a computer doesn't and this is a major difference. A brain communicates with itself and the body

Cultural Stereotypes as Reflected in Literature Essay

Cultural Stereotypes as Reflected in Literature - Essay Example In the same way as the concept of stereotyping had been introduced in the first paragraph, stereotyping is defined as â€Å"making generalizations or assumptions about the characteristics of all members of a group based on an image (often wrong) about what people in that group are like,† (Burger and Els 105). Certain observed qualities have been used to describe a certain group of objects or people and that is stereotyping. It is possible that a person had just seen some people wearing glasses study very hard and that person might generalize that all people are nerds. In reality, that is not the case as people may get blurry eyes due to aging, computer eye strain and other eye diseases. In such practice, a person or people are placed in certain categories using certain criteria like a color of the skin, nationality, religion, ethnic race and even gender and sexual orientation (Cook and Cusack 10). In using categories to group people with the prevailing image, discrimination is inevitable. In line with discrimination come prejudices and pains. As discrimination becomes rampant because of stereotyping, the treatment balance among people have been subjected to several stresses and strains as people are judged for qualities that do not make up their whole selves. People are judged for skin color like black, discriminated for their sexual orientation like being gay, offended for being immigrants, punished for practicing their religious rituals, and hurt for on-going wars where peace is not an option (Kruhm and Wirths 1).

Creditworthiness assessment as a way of minimising credit risk Dissertation

Creditworthiness assessment as a way of minimising credit risk - Dissertation Example Introduction Financial firms or investors experience various kinds of risks, out of which the most important is the credit risk. Although the market participants commonly consider the â€Å"credit risk† as one dimensional however there actually are three dimensions f credit risk, namely: credit-default, credit-spread, and down-grade credit risks. Credit default risk is the one in which the issuer will be unable to fulfill the terms of the obligation according to the regular payments of interest as well as the actual loan (Fabozzi, Moorad and Steven, 2003). This type of credit risk includes counterparty risk in a derivative transaction or trade in which the counterparty is unable to meet its obligation. In order to measure the credit default risk, investors generally depend upon credit rating that is a formal perspective of a company functioning as a rating agency for the credit default risk experienced due to investing in a certain issue of debt securities. The nationally appr oved or known rating agencies are Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service, and Fitch Ratings. Credit spread risk is defined as underperformance or loss of some issue(s) as result of a rise in the credit spread that refers to the compensation desired by the investors so as to recognize an issue’s or issuer’s credit default risk. ... Downgrade risk refers to the risk in which an issuer or issue gets degraded that cause an increase in the credit spread desired by the market. Thus, downgrade risk is associated with the credit spread risk. Some times the potential of an issuer to earn interest and principal payments undermines greatly and surprisingly due to an unpredicted event. This could be any types of peculiar events that are related to an industry or the corporation, such as a natural or industrial accident, a takeover or a corporate restructuring, a regulatory change, or a corporate fraud. This category of risk is generally referred as an event risk and will compel the rating agencies to downgrade the issuer (Fabozzi, Moorad and Steven, 2003). 1.1. Factors Involved in the Assessment of Credit Default Risk The most evident and significant measure to avoid credit risk is to examine the creditworthiness of the borrower. In carrying out such an assessment, credit analysts investigate or measure the factors that i nfluence the business risk of a borrower. These factors are generalized in to four basic categories, which are: the quality of the borrower, the potential of the borrower to fulfill the debt obligation, the seniority level and the security provided in a bankruptcy proceeding, and the constrains applied on the borrower. The quality of the borrower, in the case of a corporation, includes the assessment of the business strategies and management policies of the firm. Being more specific, a credit analyst will examine the strategic plan, the financial philosophy, and the accounting control systems of the corporation in relation to the use of debt (Fabozzi, 2009). The potential of the borrower to fulfill its obligations starts with the assessment of the financial

Midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Midterm - Essay Example To this end, the paper will critically examine the concept of philosophy and what it actually means in the general sense. From there, the Indian philosophy will be examined in-depth. This will involve the critical review of elements and aspects of Indian thought and what really matters to the Indian people in terms of philosophy. Afterwards, the paper will examine traditional Greek philosophy, which forms the basis of Western philosophical thought. This will lead to a comparison between the Greek and Indian philosophical ethos. This discussion will make way for an introduction of Chinese philosophical worldview. This will involve the reconciling of Chinese philosophy and Indian philosophy as the Eastern or Oriental school of philosophical thought and the assessment of their differences. The discussion will also compare how the two philosophies differ from each other. In order to analyze and evaluate the core concepts and ideas of this study, there is the need to make meaning of the world "philosophy". This will provide an answer to the central features and concepts in the discussion to be undertaken. There are various definitions of philosophy that can be used to describe the concept. Philosophy can be viewed as the fundamentals related to the study of human thought and a conception of things around human beings. In other words, philosophy is about how to provide a documentation and definition of various ideas and principles that describe things that exist and things that happens around people in the