Established Strategy for Leadership Essay

Leadership, as defined in the book Leadership Challenge (1995), is a set of practices that is observable and learnable. It is not something mystifying and sublime by which common and ordinary people cannot understand. If a person is bestowed with an opportunity for feedback and practice, and has the desire to lead and to make a difference, he can considerably develop his abilities to do so (Kouzes and Posner 1995: iv) and be a leader. On the contrary, strategy is a plan of action which results from the intended and determined to achieve a specific goal (Farlex 2009). There are a lot of known leaders in the world because they make a change and a difference. They are pioneers for a certain movement that, for instance, bring peace and freedom in their land. Or sometimes, they are the reasons why their company has been saved from bankruptcy or collapsed. There may be a myriad of well-known people in the realm of leadership and yet, anyone, even in their own little ways can be a leader and can definitely be called as leader. One of the leaders whom I know is the vice-president of a women’s organization. She is a scholar and a consistent honor student since her freshman in college. She may not be that famous in the whole university but she does exist. The organization where she belongs is already out of number and their President has not showed up since she is not currently enrolled thus she does not have the privilege to rule and to take a lead in the organization. Definitely, being the vice president in the roster of officers means that she has to carry out all the responsibilities of the president. Presently, the organization is composed of ten members: seven of them are members of the Executive Committee, where faction exists due to political reasons and belief. Being the vice-president, who needs not be biased with the existing division in the group, how did she manage to merge the faction, to increase the number of their members and to carry out all their organizational activities with a limited number of cooperating people? Being in the position, she has the power to lead the members. In order to comprehend the nature of leadership, one must understand the essence of power, because leadership is a special form of power (Burns 1978:12). The way she exercises her power as a vice-president as well as a president has something to do with her motives and resources—her goal for the organization and for her members. According to Burns, motives and resources are two vital factors of leadership for they are interrelated. If a person lacks motive, the resource diminishes. If one lacks resource, motive becomes idle. Thus, lacking either one, power subsides and disintegrates (1978: 12). On the other hand, the faction in the group has something to do with politics, the essence and exercise of power. If the past leaders of the organization have used their power for self-interest and dominance in the group, the current vice-president is different. She just manages and organizes meetings, as well as ideas. But those ideas, for example, for a certain activity that needs to be carried out, come from the members of the group. Everyone is entitled to speak out and to share their thoughts. There might be a division in the proposed ideas, but definitely, those propositions that are not chosen, are still in line for possible alternatives if the chosen proposal has not worked out. On the contrary, the decision-making in the organization is put into action by means of votes and quorum. Everyone is entitled to cooperate. If there are oppositions, those oppositions will be heard. The demands with her as the leader of the group may seem high, but she has achieved to manage all the predicaments because in everything she does, she is driven by her motivation to uplift the organization. Her enthusiasm with her work and responsibility has spread among its members that definitely help in the cooperation; the faction in the group has disintegrated, and thus, the recruitment of members has been done. Definitely, the members have increased its number. Furthermore, whoever the next leader that will be elected, she is certainly been defied to do her best and to rule for her members and for the organization, not for her self-interest and fulfillment, but for the group. List of References: Burns, J. (1978) Leadership. New York: Harper Torchbooks. Farlex (2009) The Free Dictionary. [online] available from http://www. thefreedictionary. com/strategy. Kousez J. and Posner, B. (1995) An Instructor’s Guide to the Leadership Challenge. New York: Jossey-Bass Publisher.

Assess How The Language Of Teenagers Has Changed Over Time Essay

The language of teenagers has changed radically over time, the use of slang and clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s are now commonly used in everyday English Language, in particular amongst teenagers. For this essay I visited a local high school to gain evidence of how teenagers express themselves and converse with peers and adults, including adults in authority. I also observed an anger management session and listened to the language used in this setting and also at break times. The findings of these observations are on a tape recording enclosed. The language of teenagers is greatly affected by television and pop music and this contributes to the change in modern day English and the phrases and slang that teenagers use, for example in the high school I visited the teenage boys used a lot of phrases and words that are used in rap music, a boy referred to his friends as ‘homies’ rather that ‘mates’ of ‘pals’ the word ‘homies’ is used a lot within American rap music. This shows how teenagers are influenced and how these kinds of words become popular amongst teenagers. Swearing is also part of modern day language and is very common and has increased hugely over the years, swearing is now socially accepted amongst teenagers and their peers, swearing has always been frowned upon in the English Language but has increased drastically through the past ten years. The change in language is obvious amongst teenagers and adults, most of the teenagers in the school I visited said that they would never swear at parents and teachers and it is disrespectful, although they would not be as concerned about swearing at someone the same age as them as it is not offensive anymore to their generation. This is because when the teenager’s parents and teachers were growing up, swearing was seen as very offensive and a sign of disrespect. Case studies I asked a 15-year-old girl to find the five euphemisms that she would use for the following: (a) to die, (b) to urinate (c) to be a drunk (d) to say hello to a friend. I also asked a 15-year-old boy to do the same exercise, these are my findings: Chloe – To die: to pass away, to kick the bucket, to be no longer with us, to have slipped away, to have ‘kiffed’ it. To urinate: to go for a wee, to do a number one, to have a piss, to wet the daisies, to relieve myself. To be drunk: pissed, bladdered, wasted, trollyed, out of it. To say Hello to a friend: alright, hi, hiya. Lee – To die: to kiff it, kick the bucket, passed away, to have gone to the pearly gates, passed onto the other side. To urinate: to have a piss, to have a slash, to drain the main vain, to go the bog, to shake the snake. To be drunk: wasted, bladdered, pissed, out of if, wankered. To say hello to a friend: alright mate, alright, how do, hi, or a head nod with no speech. The findings show that gender influences teenagers speech slightly the girls language is slightly more polite than the boys and the boy used a lot of slang when referring to the above words and phrases, the most obvious ones were the words used when the male teenager refers to passing urine as ‘shake the snake, and drain the main vain’ these sayings caused much amusement to Lees male and female peers. The teenagers are showing how they contribute to new meanings for words and linguistic change. Euphemisms are one of the most fertile sources of new meanings, things that were thought to be to nasty to talk about directly were given polite but roundabout expressions. An example of this is when indoor plumbing was first installed into houses in the eighteenth century the room were first called water closet, this was soon abbreviated to W.C and then replaced by toilet, which had previously meant ‘dressing table’. These words are still seen as crude by many people and other euphemisms have came into force such as toilet, bathroom. The teenagers regularly referred to the toilet as the ‘loo’ and ‘bog’. Sex is another area where euphemisms flourish amongst teenagers, in the nineteenth century Jane Austin wrote in her novel ‘they had no intercourse but what the commonest civility required’ , Jane Austin would of not of expected the effect that this sentence would have on the modern day reader, in her time the word ‘intercourse’ meant ‘dealings between people’. In the twentieth century the phrase ‘sexual intercourse arrived this was used as a delicate way to refer to ‘sex’. This has now been shortened to intercourse, and this sexual sense is now so common that the teenagers in the school I visited found it impossible to use the word ‘intercourse’ in any other sense. They also have their own words for sexual intercourse these words are not seen as offensive and are common in teenagers language. This shows how teenagers influence the change in word meanings and euphemisms in society. The teenagers in the school I visited also use a lot of clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s which, again is another sign of language change in today’s society, adults are also guilty of using clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s in modern day English, which is were the Influence could of came from for the teenagers to use clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s in their everday language, some of the most popular clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s I heard amongst the teenagers were ‘ at the end of the day’, ‘I hear what your saying’ and ‘basically’. The most common one was ‘you know what I mean’ Another chacteristic of teenage language is rising intonation at the end of a sentence. This has long been noticed as a characteristic feature of Australian English, and is also favoured by some speakers of American English and is very popular within the language of teenagers, this was something that I noticed whilst speaking to the majority of the class. To me as a listener, a sentence ending on a rise sounds like a question – as if the speaker is saying ‘She comes from Sydney?’, rather than making a declarative statement. But in the last ten years or so, the popularity of Australian soap operas among British teenagers has led to the widespread adoption of this feature among younger people in the UK. It is too early to say whether this is short-term or whether rising intonation will become standard practice for a significant number of British speakers and the teenagers will make it more popular the more they use it. The increasing popularity of the rising intonation can be traced back to a specific event: the arrival in the UK of Australian programmes like Neighbours and Home and Away. Teenagers are big fans of these type of soap operas mean exposure to repeated instances of this feature has had measurable effects on the linguistic behaviour of quite large numbers of British speakers of all ages. Music such as rapping also influences teenagers and many adopt this way of speech some of these words appear below with the translations taken from a book of slang words: Bluh – slurred pronunciation of â€Å"Blood†, meaning homie or friend. Bredren – meaning mate, or one’s audience. It derives from the Jamaican ragga scene, not the German. Buggin – Acting weird or upset. Same as acting bug. Herb – spliff, bud, dodo, doja, ganja, weed, etc. Wack – Awful, cheap, stupid, weak, etc. Rarely spelled whack. Only preceded by â€Å"wiggedy† by the tragically ancient. Murk – Murder. Also leave, as in â€Å"I’m finna murk. Peace.† Punk – Coward or arsehole (not in the anatomical sense). Bling – excessively showy or expensive jewellery, cars, etc. From the supposed â€Å"sound† made by light bouncing off diamonds. Its first known usage was in The Silvertones’ â€Å"Bling Bling Christmas†. (Fo) shizzle, my nizzle – â€Å"(For) sure, my nigger†, or alternatively, â€Å"yes, dear†. -izzle is a standard suffix. So shizzle could also mean â€Å"shit† (meaning good), shoes, shirt or shed. (Slang a bluffers guide.1999.pg22) Wigga – a white nigger, a wannabe. This way of speaking seems very common nowadays, but I suspect if we were to listen to teenagers from London we would hear a lot more of these words as London’s rap scene is a lot more popular than that of the North West. David Crystal says â€Å"It’s very recent, this new rhythm that comes from rapping,† Until recently, people have spoken in the rhythms of Shakespeare: ‘tum te tum te tum’. But this new hip-hop accent is ‘rat tat tat tat tat’. It’s more common than Received Pronunciation these days. Hardly anyone speaks traditional RP any more – maybe one or two per cent.† (The language revolution pg22) As the language of teenagers changes there will be many linguistic changes and different features introduced over time, as teenagers are very impressionable it is easy to see why these changes spread so quickly. Bibligraphy The language revolution. 2002. David Crystal(Cambridge: Polity Press), Flappers to rappers- American youth slang-.Tom Dalzell (Merriam-Webster / Springfield, Massachusetts. 1996.) Socialinguistics : Nikolas Coupland and Adam Jaworski. Palgrave (1997)

Business Analysis Of MGM

Business Analysis Of MGM MGM Grand one of the world’s leading and most respected hotel and gaming companies, owns and operates 24 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has investments in four other properties in Nevada, New Jersey, Illinois and the United Kingdom. As it implies in the mission statement below, in all their resorts their main aim is to provide high quality customer service in every facility around the world in order to enhance shareholder value and sustainability. â€Å"Our mission is to deliver our winning combination of quality entertainment, luxurious facilities and exceptional customer service to every corner of the world in order to enhance shareholder value and to sustain employee, customer and community relationships.† In addition, MGM Resorts International with 16 resorts and 165 restaurants supports responsible gaming and has implemented the American Gaming Association’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming at its gaming properties. Assess ing Growth Opportunities MGM Grand is considering to gain more market share with its current products using a market penetration strategy. For this reason, each product (resort) is diversified to meet the needs of the different market segments. MGM Grand diversifies its hotels mainly by pricing strategies, and level of luxury. Market Positioning of Resorts Bellagio with its glamorous appearance and appealing nature is positioned as one of the most high end hotels in Vegas. Following that, Aria is growing its position in the international market with high sales in convention bookings. Aria expresses its significant difference with its contemporary architecture whereas Bellagio stands out with its AAA Five Diamond Award ® winning casino. The third strong player of MGM Grand, Vdara provides a non-gaming, smoke-free environment. Mandalay Bay points out itself as â€Å"Untamed Luxury† whereas Mirage follows the slogan â€Å"Vegas Starts Here†. MGM Grand, on the other hand is â€Å"Maximum Vegas†. 4Ps of Marketing Product MGM Resort International has 12 hotels on Las Vegas Strip and operates 7 more hotels in US and other locations. Bellagio, Aria serving the needs of the high end visitors, New York, New York, Monte Carlo, Luxor, Excalibur, Circus Circus MGM Grand , on the other hand are serving the needs of the diversified market with its diversified accommodation range. Vdara, Signature at MGM, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay are boutique hotels designed for satisfying special needs of its visitors. The Hotel at Mandalay Bay is mainly designed for business travelers as well as pleasure seekers. City Center with its luxury shops is positioned as â€Å"one of the world premiere shopping destination† attracting all visitors of Las Vegas. MGM Grand Detroit serving luxury in the center of entertainment in the city mainly attracts high end customers with its high end positioning. Brand name is an important key factor in MGM Grand’s marketin g strategy therefore establishes different brand names and implies different pricing strategies to each product in its portfolio. Pricing For MGM Grand pricing is a key variable in differentiating the variety of the quality and thus prices demanded from customers. Bellagio is the high end product with the highest pricing model followed by Aria. However MGM GRAND, Excalibur, Circus Circus, New York New York and others are effected by seasonal pricing, special discounts and special packages.

IRC 1031 Property Exchange Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

IRC 1031 Property Exchange - Research Paper Example Following that you have basically done a replacement to evade the tax burden. The property at hand is involving one state which is California. These means that this will just be treated as just deferral not a major one. Following that there is an investor willing to buy the building at a price of $850,000 then this shows that there will be a gain. The decision to buy a house via cooperative shares is a tricky decision that needs a lot of research to avoid losses which maybe associated. You are required therefore to fill a form by the Franchise tax board (FTB). â€Å"Form FTB 3840 must be filled for the year in which the exchange was completed and for each successive year until the California source deferred gain is noted.† (Federal laws, section 1031). The initial cost as per your report was $500,000, the depreciation deduction total $120,000 which attracts a corporate tax of 30% (California tax rates). This means that the net present value is $380,000 ($500,000-$120,000). Corporation tax will be charged. Generally the average is 30%. The charged amount is only to the corporation which will. Your two shares of $42,000 m. Stock in trade or other property held primarily for sale shall not tax excepted (IRS report Sec 1031, 2014). Secondly, other property and flip taxes will be charged (Jay Romano, 1995). For instance in real estate, taxes are part of the expenses in San Diego. It varies between different states in America. Under California state law (Prop 13) Real property is reassessed only when there is a change of ownership. In our case the investor will attract an insurance tax rate of 1% plus any bonds, fees or special charges. There is an acquisition of asset too by you meaning that a tax rate shall be charged (California state law, Prop 13. Fiscal year begins July 1 and April 10 is the deadline for the second payment as per the law. These are important vital dates you need to

FIN Unit 4 DB SA FWP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

FIN Unit 4 DB SA FWP - Essay Example Not only do the institution helps you to borrow capital, but also working with you to plan for the future as well as assure potential customers of the businesss steadiness and trustworthiness (Deshpande, 2004). Some banks offer incentives to keep a certain amount deposited besides others offer services to make the most of your profits, it might be wise to think through a bank that can offer those services (Deshpande, 2004). Certain institutions can even assist you collect financial information in your industry internationally. Or else, you would be wise to enlist a liberated financial advisor to identify your needs before choosing a global bank. Majority of those categories of banks provides the best tax rates which is less than the standard United States banks. Additionally, the interest rate charged on (for instance the Euro dollar deposits) depends on the bank’s lending rate, because the interest a bank earns on loans regulates its willingness as well as ability to pay interest on deposits, and finally on rates of return accessible on United States money market instruments (Massey, 2004). There is a wide range of investments policies capitalize on rewards not offered outside of an Investor’s home country. More frequently than not, there are no scarcities of money-markets as well as bond funds provided by banks out of the United States (Massey, 2004). The rewards of banking outside the U.S. also encourage a better investment atmosphere that appeals clients. An extra contribution to banking that way is the confidentiality that your money is safe (Stewart, 2011). However, the structured rules allow disclosures to prevent occurrence of money laundering and other unlawful activities. The Governments tend to be less harsh when regulating securities denominated in foreign currencies, since the bonds’ purchasers are generally more and most

The War in Vietnam Dramatically Affected American Foreign Policy Essay

The War in Vietnam Dramatically Affected American Foreign Policy - Essay Example The War in Vietnam Dramatically Affected American Foreign Policy There was a significant increase of the focus on American foreign policy by the then president Lyndon Johnson after the conflict in Vietnam (Gallagher, 1). However, there were issues regarding statistics depicting that there were cases of racial discrimination; the foreign policy in America has undergone significant changes for a period leading to a reflection on their national interests. In fact, these changes were experienced after new revolutionary war, whereby America’s principal national interest was aimed at maintenance of independence from various countries in Europe. For instance, America has developed a significant foreign policy, which is supported by the Atlantic Ocean and typified through Monroe Doctrine. This foreign policy focuses on imposing constraints on European attempts to further colonization of the western hemisphere. Apparently, in America, formulation of these policy focuses on avoiding entanglement with other countries, thereby concentrating on developm ent of a nation covered the continent. These foreign policies have played a significant role in facilitating the process of industrialization, which focused on the foreign markets and colonies. Moreover, America managed to attain a minor level of imperial power by the end of twentieth century through war with territories such as Spain for Cuba, and with Philippines taking over Hawaii. (Mehmet, 1). On the other hand, the World War 1 involved Americans concerning European issues, though after the war, there was a form of isolation; for instance, Americans turned down the idea of joining the League of Nations, though it turned inward once again. Numerous issues and functions are taken by the foreign policy in America; for example, it focuses on establishment and maintenance of diplomatic relationships with other counties and international institutions such as United Nations (Mehmet, 1). The foreign policy has contributed in the process of maintaining peace, whereby America is able to work with their allies in a way that faci lities regional and international security. On the other hand, there are wide ranges of international economic issue that entail international trade and business that are affected by a change in foreign policy. Foreign policy has facilities involvement in issue such as aid and disaster relief, whereby American takes significant role of leadership these and other issue such as negotiation of treaties and maintaining peace. Therefore, America has taken an important function that involves seeking ways to address international economic and environmental issues. There are three branches involved formulation and implementation of foreign policy in America; in fact, these branches collaborate with necessary governmental institutions and agencies. On the other hand, this process involves the president and executives branches with the ultimate role of formulating and implementing

Taoism Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Taoism Religion - Essay Example It does not matter whatever religion exists as long as the person becomes a good being to himself and to others. Basically, religions do not only teach morals but also focus on way of life. Rituals are being conducted to help the faithful improve themselves fully as a religious leader assists the religious members in their struggle to be good. The main focus of the paper is the religion Taoism. Taoism came from China as the country had a long history of formation. Taoism became an important part of the history of China though the origin of Taoism is hard to distinguish as it came from complicated roots and Chinese religions mixed as interactions happened. Other religions in China are Confucianism, Buddhism and popular religion. These religions flourished and interact with one another and cultural and traditional mixtures occur resulting to the Chinese religion. Taoism in particular cannot be distinguished easily as it encompasses almost everything about life. Its existence can be com pared to water that composes all bodies of water and even clouds and rain. The discovery of the ultimate purpose is not the same for everybody as pathways are different in that religion as the prominent quality is compared to water that never flows in the same way again. ... Taoism can also be analyzed based on its etymology. The religion comes from the word tao which means road or path as the same term was also used by non-Taoist people. Tao became prominent in Chinese philosophy as their beliefs tend to shape a method or technique and norms of conduct. The term tao first appeared as a philosophical word in the book Analects of the Confucians. They consider tao as the method of behavior for both individual and nation as they pertain to the term as a principle. For the Taoists, the term is not just a principle, it is substance in actuality. Chuang Tzu gave an explanation on the tao and belief of Taoists. According to him, tao is not a substance or a thing only but tao is the sum total of all existence including wastes as a questioner clarified his claim. The main concern of Taoism is the balance of forces which is constant and inseparable that the human mind cannot comprehend its existence. The belief states that humans are indivisible and parts of the o neness as the age of humanity is the same as the age of the sky and earth. As tao is considered as both method and entity, the question arose regarding the purpose of the method. The positive action has no basis in tao. In terms of morals, tao advocates relativity as right and wrong can pertain to the same object depending on the point-of-view. The advice for Taoist practitioners tends to be selfless and let the natural course maneuver the lives of the faithful. They follow the rhythms of nature and environment. Such characteristic of Taoism is called contemplative Taoism which is complemented by the so-called purposive Taoism. As the contemplative Taoism allows calmness for the practitioner, the purposive

A Study On Cigarette Smoking Among The Teen Population Math Problem

A Study On Cigarette Smoking Among The Teen Population - Math Problem Example Popular movie actors, and actresses, who are often admired by teen’s present smoking as part of the rebellion for teens smoking is being â€Å"cool† or â€Å"popular†. Smoking is a dangerous habit, and teenagers are not aware of what they are getting theirselves into when they first start out smoking. With this in mind, I based my project on making a study on teen and cigarette smoking. I am concerned about what I have read and heared about the deaths , illnesses, and health problems associated with tobacco use. Teen smoking rates have inceased in recent years and many teens start smoking each day. I want to make a study on cigarette smoking among teenagers to assess the incidence of cigarette smoking among the teen population and to provide information that will be beneficial in developing â€Å"awareness programs to reduce cigarette smoking among teenagers.† I will also discover through my surveys if teens decide to continue to smoke or to quit and the n umber of teens who smoke. Research Plan : Teenagers in particular are prone to peer pressure and the image to look â€Å"cool† and try new things and be acceptable in their own crowd or circle of friends. There is a big concern for teens getting addicted with nicotine through cigarette use. I want to increase the awareness for teen smoking and its health problems that may be caused in their future. I plan to ask a group of teenagers if they are smokers and discover the age they started . I will also ask teenagers about the number of their families and friends who smoke and the factors which led them to smoking. Aim of the Study : To create more awareness of teen smoking and its effects and to discourage and prevent teenagers from starting to smoke. Try to encourage teenagers to stop smoking if they have already begun. To identify key behavioral triggers which influence teens to start smoking. To provide solutions for the cause of teenage smoking. To organize the data and info rmation collected and make it into useful graphs. To make recommendations and conclusions based on the survey. Methods of data collection : I used questionnaries to collect data regarding teen smoking to know at what age do teens start smoking and also the correlation of teen smoking with gender and other influences. My study is on Middle School students (ages 12-14 yrs), High School students , (ages 15-18 yrs), and those in Universities (ages 18-19 ) in Bahrain. I chose to use this method because my research is targeting the teen population. My survey gave me an observation on how teenagers think of trying out smoking at an early age. I believe that people are more truthful in filling up their questionnaires regarding controversial issues like teen smoking, due to the fact that their responses are anonymous. The survey will be performed with questions that ask the teenagers about the following independent variables: Gender – the hypothesis is that boys will most likely take up smoking than girls and will continue to smoke later on in life. Family and Friends – the hypothesis is that teens who have more family members or circle of friends that smoke will more likely start smoking and continue the smoking habits. I have also researched through the internet, books , different articles, statistics , and observations about teen smoking. I have made charts and graphs to illustrate the

Careers in Lodging and Foo and Beverage Industries Essay

Careers in Lodging and Foo and Beverage Industries - Essay Example Lodging includes resorts and hotels while food and beverages includes restaurants and catering services. There are numerous career opportunities that one can pursue in these two fields. The industry continues to grow and expand with time while opening up newer job opportunities. Many people with a passion and desire to offer exemplary services to customers often find very rewarding job opportunities in the hospitality industry. The Various Types of Management Careers The lodging industry for instance is one of the biggest employers in hospitality. There are several career paths that one can take including general hotel management, housekeeping, human resource management, sales and marketing positions, customer service supervision, finance and accounting and information technology among others (Altinay & Paraskevas, 2008). The general manager overseas the overall functions of the lodging and all other managers are answerable to him. The human resource manager is responsible for hiring , maintain and managing the employees of a lodging facility to ensure they have good working conditions and that they are motivated to service their customers and clients. The housekeeping manager maintains the records of visitors coming to the lodging facility. The sales and marketing manager on the other hand is changed with the responsibility of promoting the lodging facility and its services to target customers (Altinay & Paraskevas, 2008). Finance managers help in maintain the financial records while information technology managers help to maintain the information, technology and communication equipment. The size and type of a particular lodging facility determines the level of education, skills and experience needed for one to be hired in a management position. A big lodging facility in the US with a good reputation and a chain of rooms across the country may require one to have at least five years’ experience and a bachelor’s degree in order to get in to managem ent. A smaller facility may require a year’s experience and at least a higher diploma for one to be able to join the management team. Salaries for managers in the lodging industry are generally very attractive. Mangers can earn between $28,000 and $150,500 per annum while the general manager of the lodging facility may earn up to $200,000(Altinay & Paraskevas, 2008). The food and beverage industry is another field of hospitality, which provides employment opportunities to a majority of individuals across the globe. One can be employed in restaurants, hotels, or catering operations which provide many career paths that can led to managerial positions (Altinay & Paraskevas, 2008). Some of common managerial positions in the food and beverage industry include food and beverage directors, restaurant managers, bar managers, kitchen managers, catering supervisors, and mangers of hotel properties. Mangers of large casinos and hotels as well as directors of food and beverage have the h ighest salaries, which may be up to $150, 000 per year while other managers earn between $30,000 and $100,000 per year. Comparison between the General Manager Positions A general manager’s position in both lodging, food and beverage industries is an executive position with the occupant overseeing the day-to-day activities as well as the sales and marke

Measurement of People Equity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Measurement of People Equity - Essay Example It has been viewed that the business organizations intend to invest substantial amount for managing human capital for the purpose of investing their valuable resources wisely. The different business organizations generally focus upon the aforesaid constituents of people equity in order to increase their operational standards as well as business performance by a significant level. In relation to assess people equity, a survey is often regarded to be a better tool for measuring people equity. This is due to the reasons that a survey is generally cost-effective to acquire information from the respondents relating to people equity and most importantly it facilitates to distinguish between high and low performances. Moreover, the tool of survey not only estimates the elements of people equity but also its drivers along with enablers. Additionally, one of the major advantages of using a survey tool in order to measure people equity is that it swiftly captures all the three valuable constit uents of people equity which ultimately assists the organizations to successfully measure their people equity. Conversely, there also lay certain significant drawbacks while using a survey tool to measure the constituents of people equity. The drawbacks include inflexibility, difficulty for the respondents to recall valuable information against any sort of controversial questions, probable chances of vagueness and misconceptions (Schiemann, n.d.). Determination of Employee Perception The aspect of employee perception is primarily considered to be an imperative feature which tends to make vast difference in maintaining the workplace quality. On the basis of the responses to the questionnaire relating to people equity, whether the â€Å"perception is reality† can be determined by taking into concern certain valuable conditions. In this similar context, whether the â€Å"perception is reality† can easily be determined if the personnel of a particular organization bear the appropriate behavior with the strategies of the organization and if the staff possess the talents as well as necessary information as well as resources to implement the organizational strategies. Moreover, whether the â€Å"perception is reality† can also be determined if the employees of the organization bear superior level of commitment along with involvement in completing their respective job tasks. There lie certain effective practices in order to handle employee perception when the concerns of the employees are not believed to be valid. In order to handle employee perception, the organizations should direct or administer their working personnel to possess the accurate behavior aligned with organizational strategies. Moreover, the organizations can handle the perception of the employees by providing effective training along with valuable information to the employees for the purpose of executing business strategies. In order to assure the concerns of the employees, the or ganizations might provide the disconfirming evidence that by not directing the employees to possess exact behavior aligned with organizational strategies, the organizations cannot invest their valuable resources wisely in relation to people equity (Mardiana, 2012). Priority of the Actions Relating to Public Equity In relation to people equity, the highest priority actions include the introduction as well as the development of human resource (HR) systems and formation of innovative technological advancements. Moreover, the other priority actions include organizing a sound organizational structure and effective leadership. These particular actions need to be executed by the business organization in order to diminish significant gaps in alignment and engagement of the employees. Moreover, apart from diminishing

The Specialist Creed Essay Example for Free

The Specialist Creed Essay No one gets away with more than I. I am a non Non-Commissioned Officer, a beast of burden. As a junior enlisted soldier I realize that I am a member of an under appreciated, much chastised group of soldiers which is known as the ribcage, or perhaps pancreas, of the Army. I am proud of myself and my fellow Specialists and will continue to bitch, whine and sham until the absolute last second regardless of the mission at hand. I will use my grade and position to avoid responsibility, accountability and any sense of presence of mind. Ignorance is my watchword. My two best excuses will always be on the tip of my tongue I didnt know, and It wasnt me. I will strive to remain invisible and unavailable for details. Never ever volunteer for anything is my rallying cry. I am aware of my role as a SPC and if you need me for anything, Ill be on appointment. I know the other soldiers, and I will always refer to them by their first name or in some cases derogatory nickname. On weekends, or days off I will consistently drink myself into oblivion, and I will never answer my phone. I understand that for a person in my hierarchal position, rewards are going to be few and far between, and punishment will always be swift and severe. Officers of my unit will have maximum time to accomplish their duties, because I will be accomplishing them for them. I will kiss up to their face and badmouth them behind their back, just like everyone else. I will be loyal to those with home I serve, provided theres something in it for me. I am the last bastion of common sense that stands between me and the Army philosophy of Work Harder, Not Smarter. My voice is a tool and my complaints are a weapon that I wield with unmatched skill and finesse. I will not forget, nor will I allow my comrades to forget, Specialist is the greatest rank in the Army and rank has its privileges.

Impact of Globalization on International Security

Impact of Globalization on International Security In order to better discuss the question at hand we must first discuss briefly what globalization is? Globalization as a term has been widely spread during the last two decades, even though it is not a very precise or agreed term. We can say that globalization is a process where different societies, cultures and economies have integrated more and more in a global network via trade, communication and transportation. The term includes economic globalization, i.e. the integration of national or regional economies into the international economy through trade, financial flows, the proliferation of technology, migration etc. Globalization refers also to the international circulation of ideas, languages and culture. It is a process being driven by a combination of factors like economic factors, political factors, technological, social and cultural factors.  [1]   We must understand the fact that globalization and its components are not spread equally, nor do them influent the same throughout the world. For example many African states are much less globalized than European states and in terms of components, for example financial globalization is much more diffused than migration. A concrete example where components of globalization are not spread equally would be China where economical and technological globalization is much more present than liberal ideas. According to Habermas nation states are more and more under pressure both on functional and on normative grounds. They are increasingly unable to handle the intensity and volume of flows of people, capital, information, and problems that cross their borders. He argues that nowadays it is more difficult for nation states to maintain political sovereignty and that the dynamic of democratization is leading to a new transnational and global form of governance.  [2]   Despite Habermases deduction of where it leads, the fact stands that in a globalized world states cannot solve problems in a unilateral way. In security terms states cannot tackle their own security threats efficiently, which leads to the need for states to cooperate in order to manage the threats that result from globalization. Globalization affects in two major ways issues of security in one way it diminishes their threat (positive way) and in the other it increases them (negative way). There are a whole range of security threats from the more traditional, such as interstate and intrastate wars, economic collapse, arms proliferation, refugee crises, infectious diseases, insurgencies, genocides and ethnic cleansing, to relatively more new threats like climate change, oil depletion, nuclear weapons, drug and human trafficking, population trends, terrorism and cyber war.  [3]   Globalization has had a positive impact or a more restrictive effect in security issues like interstate and intrastate wars, genocides, ethnic cleansing, and prohibition of further proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). We have noticed that since the end of the cold war armed and military conflicts have diminished in number, time and space. With globalization is less convenient to make war and is more difficult for them to spread since it is very likely for measures to be taken from the UN and NATO to confine these conflicts and arrive to solutions as soon as possible. In todays globalised world there is more security provided from international organizations; trade and spreading of democracy makes it less likely to go to war, also the possession of WMD makes states more hesitating.  [4]  If we see the trend there are more efforts to confine conflicts, for example Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Ivory Coast and now Libya (although this remains highly debatable); nuclear weapons have decreased in number and continue to decrease although more countries now posses them.  [5]   There is also the other side of the medal where globalization has increased the level of some security threats like migration, terrorism, infectious diseases, oil depletion and climate change. With the development of technology, trade, communication and transportation it is more difficult to prevent and solve problems like migration, terrorism, infectious diseases and financial crisis from passing states borders. Also in the highly globalised world that we live in today climate change has become a major problem one that requires enhanced cooperation in the international level but that withholds many complexities. Globalization has brought more welfare which in turn has helped increase the global population and the speed at which resources are consumed, and now we face the threat of depletion of a major resource like oil. All of the security threats mentioned above require more cooperation in the international level to find some stable solutions. Through globalization problems like or ganized crimes which used to be primarily domestic problems now are internationalized.  [6]   Despite the effect that globalization has on security issues we must emphasize the fact that not all states are affected the same, i.e. maximizing the gains while lowering the risks. For example more developed states can cope better and are much less vulnerable to risks of globalization than are developing countries. Nevertheless, globalization in general reduces the ability of states to act successfully in a unilateral way and to respond to security threats. This increases the necessity for states to cooperate and manage the threats that result from globalization. Globalization also means that seemingly weak actors like individuals (terrorists) or small and isolated problems like viruses can have a disproportionate influence on international security. Furthermore states have different vulnerabilities meaning that their propensity to cooperate in the international arena will vary according to their vulnerabilities and interests.  [7]   Even between rich and powerful countries we can notice differences in the ways they deal with global security threats. The USA for example often behaves unilaterally when dealing with security challenges caused or aggravated by globalization. A different behavior is seen on other important actors such as member states of the European Union. EU member states try to find effective multilateral solutions to the same problems that USA tries to tackle on its own. With the Lisbon treaty and the changes in CFSP, EU has enhanced its capabilities and its efforts to tackle these problems in a more cooperative way. We must say that EU tackles better in a multilateral way nontraditional security threats like migration, climate change, economic issues, drugs and human trafficking.  [8]   Moreover globalization has considerable effect on the study of international security and how we perceive threats. While it is fairly easy to find countless books and articles that deal with hard power and military related topics in international security; we notice a decline in attention concerning the analysis and study of nontraditional security threats like migration, infectious disease and economic crisis. For example researchers of the less traditional international security issues like economic crisis, climate change and public health take for granted the idea that internal behavior in domestic policies can have a thespian influence on specific international problems. For these researchers globalization only intensifies trends that have perpetually been present among us, to them it displays merely a change of degree rather than type. It is quite different for analysts who analyze more traditional security issues relating hard power, war and the use military force, to them glob alization challenges their orthodox, state centric presumption about how security issues are determined and followed. Globalization affects the study of international security for example by how traditional state centric views of war and military security issues are challenged in the way globalization alleviate threats by non state actors like organized crime, insurgencies and terrorism.  [9]   We can say that globalization has increased the persistence of a more liberal approach to the study of international security while realism is playing a more subtle role. More focus is being placed on the individual rather than states. In this case analysts and/or policy shapers of US which focus on hard power and military power will be ineffective and perhaps counterproductive since other actors whose cooperation is necessary to solve security issues will refuse to comply. Globalization has not only changed the way the study of international security is approached but also the role of major powers in these issues.  [10]   Word count Q1: 1490 The human security agenda: discuss content and meaning, and the possible consequences of adopting this framework for security analysis! Human security is a new concept developed after the cold war and it is used today by various actors and factors in international relations like states and governments, international organizations (IO) and nongovernmental organizations (NGO). It is a concept that comes as result of successful attempts to broaden the traditional concept of security. The human security agenda includes traditional and nontraditional security issues such as war, economic security, arms proliferation, refugees and migration, public health security, insurgencies, genocides and ethnic cleansing, environmental protection, nuclear weapons, drug and human trafficking, terrorism, food crisis etc. Shortly put it means a broad definition of security where the focus is on the individual level as opposed to the more traditional focus on the international or domestic/national level, i.e. the states system or states.  [11]   Human security is a very interesting concept, one that even though stands to some extent in conflict with the state centric concept of security that we are used to, governments have used it to shape foreign and security policy. Another interesting fact is that it did not come from researchers or analysts but it came from politics; it was first used in the Human Development Report of United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 1994. Since then the concept has taken a broad use by UN, NGOs and it has become a cornerstone of policy for important states like Switzerland, Canada and Japan. 14 states have formalized the concept in a multilateral setting within the Human Security Network, and they meet annually at the foreign minister level since 1999 to follow an analogous human security agenda on many security issues.  [12]   The content of human security agenda can be divided in two major components, freedom from fear and freedom from want. The first is linked closely to the activities of the human security network and it means to take way the threat or the use of violence and force from the life of the population. There are many successes examples from following the objectives of freedom from fear policy such as the creation and promotion of the ICC the International Criminal Court, the Ottawa Convention (to ban anti-personnel landmines), and the action to restraint the proliferation of light weapons and the misuse of small arms. The second (freedom from want) is based upon the original formulation of the UNDP and it is about securing what is considered as basic human needs in terms of food, health, economy, environmental and social security. This was included on the very famous 2003 final report of the UN Commission on Human Security. The report points to ten ways how to improve human security on a glo bal scale focusing not only in situations of conflict but as well on issues related to access to education, access to health care, fair trade, patent rights, and basic freedoms.  [13]   The human security agenda with its both divisions of freedom from fear and freedom from want its quite complex and withholds contested consequences if it is going to be adopted as a framework for security analysis, which seems to be the desire of many individuals, NGOs, some IOs, and even some states. Of course if adopted not both divisions have the same consequences, for example freedom from fear is a much more narrow view of human security and is much more coherent. While freedom from want is so broad that includes issues that present no real threat to human security. It seems that as a result from this human security includes nearly everything that can be considered a threat to peoples wellbeing. Here lies the potential risk that if everything that impacts negatively peoples well being is marked as a security threat, than security will lose its meaning. If this happens than security instead of being a term that helps prioritizing problems and being at the focus of policy makers an d analysts than it will be counter-productive. The concept will have no utility; it wont easy the process of prioritizing problems or help make policies more coherent. There must be some priorities, global equity, universal education or fair patent rights cannot rival international security issues like terrorism, wars, pandemic disease etc. We must understand that securitizing everything it wont help the problems disappear it will only narrow our tools to deal with them.  [14]   It is understandable that expanding so much the human security agenda it becomes nearly impossible to find all the resources to deal properly with the presented problems. What has already happened and is probable to continue to happen is that major stakeholders will discuss the issues in international bodies and promise more than they can deliver. Examples can be given by observing objectives like poverty eradication throughout the world, part of the human security agenda, where many powerful countries have failed consistently to provide what they pledge during UN funding campaigns. Mr. Smith suggests that: the international community must be very careful about confusing the provision of international security no matter how unfairly it may be defined with the pursuit of development/humanitarian goals.  [15]   As mentioned in the beginning the human security agenda shifts the object of security from states to people. It categorizes human security threats in 7 general categories: personal, community, environmental, economic, food, health and political security. To be more specific the novel formulation stipulates human security firstly as safety from chronic threats disease, hunger and repression and secondly it takes the meaning of protection from harmful disruption in daily life patterns being it in home or working environment. It also asserts that such threats can exist in all levels of development and national income. We notice an effort to change the concept of security from the realist and cold war definitions and obsession with arms and territorial security to a peoples security and a sustainable human development.  [16]   Despite the attempts to shift security from states to individuals the human security agenda is being developed within the framework of the UN system meaning that states member of the UN and their governments are charged with fulfilling these policies. Perhaps the human security enthusiasts forget that the traditional state centric view of the international security system already includes some basic human needs. Meaning that issues like food, health, education and individual security which are part of the human security agenda are also part of states agenda even though in some states these are issues that take a lot of attention and in others they lack the adequate commitment. Believing that this is generally the case than perhaps in order to solve or to soften such issues more attention should be focused on good government both in developed and developing countries. Perhaps this could be a better approach than adding more extremely difficult goals to an already very crowded internat ional agenda. If we take a quick look at the world we will see that it is filled will failed, weak or ineffective states and governments. If we take into account this fact than we notice that human security is very much related to the state security system itself.  [17]   Furthermore since we dont have a world government and that is very likely that we wont have one in the foreseeable future the duty of providing human security primarily falls under states and secondly under IOs. If we do not have an authority or authorities to insure protection from fear and want human security wont be achieved. Since states are so important for human security, and for them to provide it, it is necessary that they themselves be secured, than states should deal primarily with threats directed to them. That is why as long as there will be more important or urgent threats, human security agenda will have a lower priority in the international security agenda. I agree with Smiths suggestion that: we should simply revert back to the terminology of human rights and human/international development and promote those goals accordingly rather than re-package and devalue them in the form of potential security threats to the richer, and more powerful, developed world.  [18]   Word count Q2: 1437

The Social Conflict Theory Sociology Essay

The Social Conflict Theory Sociology Essay Sociologists believe that there is four different ways of social conflict. Most sociologists will use the theoretical or perspective approach to help research. There are a multitude of approaches that are used by sociologist but, the mainly stick to three types of theories. The first would be the structural functional theory, then the social conflict theory, and finally the symbolic interaction theory. Within these three approaches are several more ways to gain research (Conflict Theories, 2011). The social conflict theory tries to show that society creates conflict due to the inequalities that are present in everyday life. Most sociologists will use the macro level orientation theory simply because it takes society as a whole and shows how it shapes our lives. It uses terms like inequality, power, authority, competition, and exploitation (Conflict Theories, 2011). Some of the examples that would be used in the social conflict theory are authority. Authority takes into account the family, patriarchy, race and ethnicity hierarchies of authority. In inequality there is family, health, and property. Inequality looks at how people are treated and how are perceived by others. Then there is competition which; can be anything from education, religion, to who will move over when you pass someone on the street. Competition is ingrained in all of us from the time we are born until the time we die (Conflict Theories, 2011). The power and exploitation can go hand in hand. The people that are in power or come to power got that way by exploiting citizens along the way. Power, if not kept in check, will make the honest of men corrupt. Once the corruption sets in they will use that power to exploit people along the way to gain more power (Conflict Theories, 2011). Karl Marx believed there two groups of people in society, the wealthy and the poor. He studied what would happen if one group decided to up rise against the other. He looks to see what would happen and what roles the people involved would take. Once the sides are chosen and the revolt has begun, Marx will study the inner workings of the dominate class to see how they retain their status after the conflict has ended (Conflict Theories, 2011). Social conflict can be either used for good or bad. Take any uprising against the local government. In Somalia the people have been fighting their government for equality and fairness. The government themselves are fighting its own people to keep the control or power. All across time there is human uprising against those in power. The earlier battles were fought for land, the later battles are fought for greed, power, and wealth. Some examples of bad social conflict are the recent increase in school shootings, bombings, and over all violence that is plaguing the country today. Unfortunately the innocent by stander is usually the one getting hurt or killed. This is not just limited to the United States; it is all across the globe. Those that are in power want more power and wealth to control those who are less fortunate. So, the social conflict theory is about those in power wanting to stay in power and those not in powers wanting to gain power. Throughout time there have been many battles waged in the desire to gain power. It all began with Karl Marx and has evolved over time to incorporate many other theories about crime and what causes it. There is also the realistic theory; this theory is about ones group gain, due to another groups loss. This can be brought on by limited resources, this can lead to conflict. This can lead to more friction within each group when they compete for resources. This theory is a social psychological theory thought to explain prejudice (Conflict Theories, 2011). An example for this would be immigration. With all the bombings, terrorist attacks, and violence from one ethnic group or religious group. With the recent Boston bombings, this will lead to a negative reaction to all immigrants of Muslim decent. It doesnt matter if they are of Middle Eastern decent, people will see just the color of their skin and automatically lump them into one category, terrorist. This theory can be traced back through history. It can be seen with the British and Native Americans, Whites and blacks, Japanese and American, and recently middle eastern and Americans. Most of these conflicts have happened over one ethnicity doesnt like what the other one believes, whether it is religion, politics, or moral standings. Muzafer Sherif did the famous study called Robbers Cave in 1954. He basically took two groups of teenage boys, put them in a camp, and had them compete against each other. He had 22 boys in the study, all middle class white boys. These boys all came from similar backgrounds and upbringing. He randomly assigned them to a group (McLeod, 2008). In the first week of the experiment, the two groups bonded with each other. The boys chose group names and stenciled them on their clothing and a flag. They bonded over hiking, swimming, and hanging out. This created and attachment that bonded the boys together (McLeod, 2008). In the second week he challenged the boys to competitions against the other group. He used activities like, baseball, tug-of-war and other games. The winning group would receive a trophy at the end of the competition. He also included individual prizes to create competition against the other group and within the groups (McLeod, 2008). The boys became physically, verbally, and mentally abusive towards each other. They burned each others flags, tore up sleeping areas, and had to be physically restrained by the researchers. This study showed that it doesnt matter where you come from, you can turn to prejudice (McLeod, 2008). Then there is the Game Theory which states investigates the strategic behavior of decision makers who are aware that their decisions affect one another (Skekel, 2013). The gaming theory believed that people interacted with each other similar to a game. This was done by strategic moves, winners and losers, rewards and punishments, or profits and cost. It was the first model used to describe how the human population interacts (Game Theory An Overview, 2013). So, with this theory you will have players, strategies, and consequences just like in a game. There are many types of games like zero-sum game, non-zero sum game, simultaneous move games, sequential move games, one-shot games, and repeated games. These games are used to study the gaming theory (Game Theory An Overview, 2013). A popular gaming theory is the prisoners dilemma. The prisoners dilemma shows why two individuals might not agree, even if it appears that it is best to agree (Game Theory An Overview, 2013). They use two people who have committed a crime and pit one against the other. The sentencing is done by how the criminals talk, or not talk. If one partner talks, they get sentenced and the other set free. If they both remain quiet they get a short sentence, if they both talk they both get a moderate sentence. They never reveal what the prisoners chose to do (Game Theory An Overview, 2013).

Avoiding the Unavoidable Essay -- Comparative, Poe, Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe are often thought to have different themes in their writing, but in reality, they have extremely similar themes. In Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" and Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," one theme is incredibly prominent. Death is unavoidable, and when one tries to escape death, one will always find it hiding around another corner. Death can be evaded by hiding behind a barrier or attempting to conquer it, but one will always fail and have a limited time before it catches up. Hiding behind a barrier, be it physical or emotional, has always been the first line of defense in evading death. In "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment," Widow Wycherly, Colonel Killigrew, Mr. Medbourne, and Mr. Gascoigne hide from their old age and impending death by drinking the water from the Fountain of Youth: "Age, with its miserable train of cares and sorrows and diseases, was remembered only as the trouble of a dream, from which they had joyously awoke" (Hawthorne 9). The four comrades all took refuge in a corner of their minds, and saw each other in their own distorted reality. They bury themselves ever more deeper in this alternate dimension of youth. " 'We are younger- but we are still too old! Quick- give us more!' " (Hawthorne 7). Once presented with another defense against impending death, they do all they can to include it in their arsenal. In "The Masque of the Red Death", Prince Prospero shares the same feeling of invincibility. He locks himself and his comrades in his castellated abbey, in hopes that the Red Death will not reach them: "When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, a... ...ince Prospero take himself out, he condemned all those that were locked away with him: "And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall" (Poe 7). All one-thousand of his subjects that he had kept with him in his abbey were subjected to the same punishment. While both the four friends and Prince Prospero had different initial outcomes after their first failed attempt to avoid death, they share a common final outcome. Whether one looks at the evidence presented about avoiding death by hiding behind barriers, or by attempting to conquer death, one can clearly see that evading death is impossible, and will always lead to failure. No matter how hard one tries, one cannot escape death. Before attempting to escape death, one should ponder about how gifted one is to receive one lifetime.

Understanding Alzheimers Disease :: Alzheimers Disease Essays

Understanding Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disease that destroys mental and physical functioning in human beings, and invariably leads to death. It is the fourth leading cause of adult death in the United States. Alzheimer's creates emotional and financial catastrophe for many American families every year. Fortunately, a large amount of progress is being made to combat Alzheimer's disease every year. To fully be able to comprehend and combat Alzheimer's disease, one must know what it does to the brain, the part of the human body it most greatly affects. Many Alzheimer's disease sufferers had their brains examined. A large number of differences were present when comparing the normal brain to the Alzheimer's brain. There was a loss of nerve cells from the Cerebral Cortex in the Alzheimer's victim. Approxiately ten percent of the neurons in this region were lost. But a ten percent loss is relatively minor, and cannot account for the severe impairment suffered by Alzheimer's victims. Neurofibrillary Tangles are also found in the brains of Alzheimer's victims. They are found within the cell bodies of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, and take on the structure of a paired helix. Other diseases that have "paired helixes" include Parkinson's disease, Down's Syndrome, and Dementia Pugilistica. Scientists are not sure how the paired helixes are related in these very different diseases. Neuritic Plaques are patches of clumped material lying outside the bodies of nerve cells in the brain. They are mainly found in the cerebral cortex, but have also been seen in other areas of the brain. At the core of each of these plaques is a substance called amyloid, an abnormal protein not usually found in the brain. This amyloid core is surrounded by cast off fragments of dead or dying nerve cells. The cell fragments include dying mitochondria, presynaptic terminals, and paired helical filaments identical to those that are neurofibrillary tangles. Many neuropathologists think that these plaques are basically clusters of degenerating nerve cells. But they are still not sure of how and why these fragments clustered together. Congophilic Angiopathy is the technical name that neuropathologists have given to an abnormality found in the walls of blood vessels in the brains of victims of Alzheimer's disease. These abnormal patches are similar to the neuritic plaques that develop in Alzheimer's disease, in that amyloid has been found within the blood-vessel walls wherever the patches occur. Another name for these patches is cerebrovascular amyloid,

marketing Essay -- essays research papers

Race and Racism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Race and racism have been around since mankind made its first steps on the planet and it has brought upon violence, submissiveness, cruelty, and sexism into the world. A great representation of these themes and issues was brought by LeRoi Jones, who wrote â€Å"The Dutchman†. The play itself is a great representation of the relationships of races in America during the 60’s and can even been connected to today’s society. The Dutchman mainly focuses on the black-white relationship but can also be drawn to other cultures and races. I, myself, can also relate to what LeRoi Jones wrote in one way or another. Being a different culture and not being accepted was the first faà §ade of America that I got to experience and even though things have changed for me, I do have resentful feelings because some things just do not seem to change. LeRoi Jones made that clear because he wrote a play that can be related to events that are still happening today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Dutchman is a fast paced play that makes an amazing transition from scene one to scene two. After doing some reading online, it has been said that the play actually resembles the version of the Adam and Eve story, where a white, insane, smart, and seducing woman prepares to kill a naà ¯ve black man. Clay and Lula are the main characters on the train and they engage in an intriguing and mind twisting display of word play. The play wants to steer the audience into a revolutionary thought process by proposing the idea of not being afraid, oppressed, and fighting back. The audience or readers feel stupid through the first act because Lula plays mind games and tries to bait Clay. LeRoi Jones did this on purpose because he wanted the audience to feel suspicious and stupid. He succeeds in this because Lula throws so much at the reader in act one that it’s almost impossible to even comprehend what she is saying. Clay is a twenty-year-old black man. Clay is a typical bourgeois black male and he seems to be very predictable that Lola is actually able to tell his history just by the way he acts and dresses. Clay is at first attracted to Lula who begins to flirt with him and invites herself to the party. But Clay is rather shocked by Lula because she is violent and racist. Even as she is behaving like that, he tries to keep his composure and maintain a certain ... ...se this play to educate others just by having someone else read this. I read this and did not understand the meaning first but this does apply to today’s society. LeRoi Jones wants underrepresented groups to be heard, especially when being pressured to conform or change by the dominant culture. I think America is great. It has given me an opportunity to start a new life after leaving the war in Bosnia. I did not know of many things that have happened here. The irony of it all is the cornerstone of the American history is freedom and equality. Yet, it’s so hard to think of everyone as equals. I just have a hard time grasping why things can not change. I come from Europe and things there are different. Yes, there is a lot of fighting, especially in my area of the world, but people appreciate each other more than they do here in America. It will be a long time before America changes but its going to be a long journey simply because there are still ignorant people out there who will pass that ignorance on to their future generations. In my opinion, America should not be called a nation yet because it’s not even united on a level that is more important than anything else in the world.

Lakota Woman Review

Lakota Woman mary crow dog The book, Lakota Woman, written by Mary Crow Dog, gave the reader a personal view of the feelings shared by most Indians living in the United States during this present day. The book dealt with the time period of Crow Dog’s life along with some references to past events. Crow Dog attempted to explain the hostility felt towards the white men in the United States by the surviving Indian population. She used her own life as an example in many instances to give the reader a personal perspective.The main point in writing this book was to present the reader with the Indian viewpoint on how they were treated and what the effects of that treatment has done to their people over the years. From the beginning of the book it becomes evident that not all Indians are the same. Mary Crow Dogs grandparents grew up during a time when the United States was trying to â€Å"civilize† the Indians by forcing them to abandon their customs in favor of a Christian lif estyle.Most Indians took offence to that proposition, but some did not. Crow Dog’s grandmother was one of the Indians who would have been termed as a successful convert. She adopted the Christian faith and was raising her grandchildren to accept Jesus in their lives. Crow Dog admitted the Jesus part sounded good, it was the beatings at the hands of the nuns and the awful food served to them at the boarding school that tainted their views of Christianity. Indians who accepted the white man’s ways were called half bloods.Crow Dog said, â€Å"The general rule is that whoever thinks, sings, acts, and speaks Indian is a skin, a full-blood, and whoever acts and thinks like a white man is a half-blood or breed, no matter how Indian he looks. † (49) This division among their own people often created hostility and sometimes led to violence. Another problem was the rage felt inside of the warriors who were having their lifestyle taken from them. These were men who were us ed to hunting for their food which in turn gave them a feeling of pride. Being held on a reservation took their spirit and crushed it.It led to heavy drinking among a large amount of the male Indian population which sometimes led to violence against women. Crow Dog suggested that these men were acting out because they could not hunt and perform their duties as Indian males. The book spoke about the different religious ceremonies and the spirituality exemplified by the Indian people. The use of the pipe along with the Willow tree tobacco, the various dances performed, and the infusion of religion in every aspect of the Indians life showed the reader how important religion is to the Indian people.Because of that knowledge, it was appalling to read how Leonard Crow Dog’s religious rights were violated and mocked in prison. The basic right of being able to freely practice a religion was denied to Crow Dog while incarcerated. The AIM, or American Indian Movement, was formed in ord er to bring to light the hardships faced by the Indians living in the United States and took a huge part in the Wounded Knee incident. Crow Dog was a member of that organization and married Leonard who was one of the group’s leaders. Power is a theme that is seen throughout the book in various forms.Crow Dog spoke of the power felt during certain Indian customs such as smoking the peace pipe or performing the Ghost Dance. Another form of power was seen when the doctors at the hospital took Crow Dog’s sisters baby and killed it. As if that was not enough, her sister was sterilized so she could not have any more Indian children. Crow Dog made sure that would not happen to her own child who was born at Wounded Knee. The show of force by the military at Wounded Knee was another example of the power exerted by the white men on the Indians.The fabricated charges brought against Leonard Crow Dog which resulted in his incarceration showed the power the government held and was willing to use against the Indians. The Indian women show their own version of power by making it their duty to procreate in order to replace the population of warriors who were lost defending the cause. Another theme running through the book is anger. Not surprisingly, Crow Dog and a good majority of her people felt that something was taken from them without their permission.Because they harbor those feelings, they believe it is ok to do things like steal from stores owned by white people. They justify their actions because they feel they are getting their revenge against the white people who stole from them. Taking Wounded Knee over and performing the Ghost Dance was a way to show the white man that they were not going to be taken advantage of any longer. They were not going to let the white men stop them from performing their sacred ceremonies and change their way of life.The Indians took their anger against the white man and used it as fuel. Crow Dog spoke of the hardships she h ad to deal with living as Leonard Crow Dogs wife. Initially she was not interested in Leonard Crow Dog, but years later she found herself married to him and acting as his main support line during his incarceration. When Leonard was released from prison she described how they had to become reacquainted with each other. Life was extremely challenging for Mary Crow Dog but she stood by her husband’s side and provided the support he needed.After being released, Mary Crow Dog would follow Leonard to various places around the country where his help was needed to bring recognition to a person or groups issue. Her life was dedicated to Leonard and together they both fought for what they believed in. For Mary Crow Dog, her life as an Indian became complete when she took part in the Ghost Dance ceremony. Crow Dog was pierced in the traditional way and experienced the visions that her ancestors had for hundreds of years. She felt that she was finally a full blooded Indian after the cere mony which symbolized that her transition was complete.The author, Mary Crow Dog, is an Indian who has experienced the hardships of life living as an Indian under the conditions the United States Government has mandated for the Indian people. She gave the account of her life and co-authored the book along with Richard Erdoes. Crow Dog has also written Ohitika Woman, while Erdoes has written several books including Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, The Sun Dance People, The Rain Dance People, The Pueblo Indians, and Crying for a Dream. Erdoes used Crow Dogs firsthand account as the basis for writing this book.The authors accomplished their goal of bringing the reader into the world of the Indians and presenting the difficulties they faced and had overcome over the years at the hands of the United States Government. I enjoyed the book. I felt that it informed the reader of the various problems the Indians have faced over the years and how some of those problems are still being dealt with. It showed the mistreatment of the Indians by the United States Government. It brought the reader into the world of the Indian and made you understand why their harbor resentment and hostility along with mistrust for white people and the government.I think this book is important for anyone who is looking to get an inside look into the bruised feelings of Indians and the reasons behind those feelings. The book provided an overview of what tribe life is like and did not hide the negatives like the drinking problems and abuse of women. Anybody who is looking for knowledge into the feelings of Indians will benefit greatly from this book. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Mary Crow Dog and Richard Erdoes, Lakota Woman, (New York, N. Y. , Harper Perennial 1990)

The Un Amor Decision

I have considered the whole situation your company are in and have prepared a recommendation for you based on the information of the market. There are three options in this situation. First of all, you keep distributing only beers brewed by Enhances-Busch Inbox. Second, you transfer your core item from the A-B Ellen beers to Un Amour tequila. Lastly, you distribute beers and tequila simultaneously. The first option is rather risky. As you see, the declining of the beer market is not only by the economic downturn, but also by change of consumer tastes.So, whatever meaner you introduce to your company, it might be hard to rebound this trend. The second option may sound good because the relationship between you and A-B Company is changing gradually. Also, Missouri and some of Missouri companies are becoming hostile to A-B Ellen. However, it cannot be a good solution. That's because you can lose a stable background for your company. The competition in the tequila market has not finished yet. If you change your main item from beer to tequila or other liquor, it is possible for your company to face difficulties in the near future.So, y recommendation is to deal with both items-beer and tequila. By this method, you can expand your item portfolio and target markets. You can distribute beers to the low-price market and tequila to the middle or high price market. You can promote each market with the other item. For example, if the customers buy expensive tequila, you can give some beers to the customers as a promotion. Also, you can advertise that your company can handle diverse items in various markets. You will have a chance to expand your customer range. By this way, you can hedge risk and boost the profit.

Arsa

Spiegel Online Economics Edgar Atukeren MBA SBS (Swiss Business School) Alex Rau, Daria Revanchenkova, Arsa Grgurevic Table of Content: 1 Background 2 Assignment 3 Interactive Classified Advertising in Germany 4 Choosing the right segments 5 Business Idea and Concept 6 Competition 7 Financial Projections 8 The Problem 9 Possible Solutions 10 Conclusion 11 Recommendations and Lesson Learned Background Spiegel Online is one of the leading news Web sites in Germany and other German speaking countries, as Austria and Switzerland.It is a part of a Spiegel Group, publisher of several print products in addition to Der Spiegel and producer of the Spiegel TV Magazine. The Spiegel Group was also active in television film production. It took first steps toward internationalization by English-language editions of Spiegel special and the monthly publication of magazines in Hungary and Poland. In 2005 the Spiegel Group had more than 1,400 employees. Total revenues of the Spiegel Group were approxi mately around 322 million euro, of which Spiegel Online contributed 15 million euro. 0% of revenues resulted from online advertising, making this the most important source of income for Spiegel Online. The webpage is covering various topics as politics, business, panorama, arts, science, education, entertainment, sports, and travel. Spiegel is also a major contributor to the Hamburg Media School. It organized as a public-private partnership and offers MBA in Media Management, film, and journalism. In their second year, MBA students typically engaged in consulting projects with major media companies. Assignment This year the students must research on 2 questions: ) Were there any chances for an economically successful entry into the market for interactive classifieds? 2) What would the business model look like in detail? They had only 2 restrictions: anything in the adult segment was seen as inappropriate and the budget will be limited. The student team split their analysis into four steps: * Research of market volume and growth * Analyses of possible competitors * Selection of lucrative niches * Development of adequate concepts Interactive Classified Advertising in Germany The interactive advertising in Germany is based on offering space for classified ads for other companies.There are approximately 20,500 Web sites, which are doing that and they generate around 4 percent of all online revenues. Online services had gradually replaced newspapers and magazines in the classifieds segment. There are 3 most important interactive segments nowadays: * Automotive (which cover 1/3 of all customers looking for a car) * Real estate (200 billion euro are generated per year) * Job advertisement (30% of jobs are found online) Choosing the right segments Spiegel Online is following a brand new strategy: horizontal integration into a new market (interactive ads). The company decided to expand and cover new arket, which can generate additional revenue for the company. As autom otive, real estate, and jobs interactive segments are already dominated by large competitors, Spiegel Online needs to interfere in the industry, by carefully choosing the segments, which are the most profitable ones. So it decided to concentrate on high quality standards and products that matched the image of Spiegel and chose high-quality cars, high- paying jobs and art objects. Spiegel Online Art Platform The team prepared a full business plan on each of the three market segments. The automotive and job segments seemed to be generally profitable and growing.Art, on the other hand, promised to be an interesting niche that had not yet been covered by any well-known company. Competition Most Web sites were positioned in the upper price segment. Serve as a marketing and sales tool for high-value objects. In the lower price segment, Web sites are mostly created by amateurs and hobby artists. These Web sites did not attract large audiences. The online art market had received some attent ion from investors and media companies (Example Burda-photo gallery Lumas). Opportunity for Spiegel online is to create platform in the middle and lower price segment.Business Idea and Concept The concept consisted of two integrated parts for the Spiegel online users interested in the arts: a selling platform and a community platform. Art platform Core to the Spiegel Online art platform was the sales platform. The sales platform homepage would lead to all art objects up for sale. A search engine would allow sorting objects by price, style, size, artist†¦ Navigation menu would allow quick access to additional site functions. The home page would also include a voting area. Community The Virtual Art Gallery could be customized, like MySpace. Users can create their own profiles.The profile included a virtual walk-through to gallery. Artist and galleries could use the Virtual Art Gallery as a marketing tool. Target group The Spiegel Online art platform addressed two target groups: f irst, people interested in art, and second, artist and galleries. Consumer benefits For buyers: low-risk playing field, moderate prices, high transparency, users don’t need specialized knowledge. For sellers: Low entry barriers, low sellers fees, attractive for young unknown artists. Benefits for Spiegel online Monetary: New revenues by commissions, insertion fees, and shop sales. Non-monetary: Parent brand, high-quality image.

Change Speech

Today I am here to talk to you about change, and a few different texts that have challenged my thinking and broadened my understanding of change. Change, we have all experienced it change at one stage of our life, for the better or maybe even for the worse. But change is a normal part of our life’s, and we have to deal with it the best we can. After studying these texts, Raw by Scott Monk, Andrew Denton’s interview with Aron Ralston, and the short storey the Final Game by Olivia Coleman. My understanding of change has broadened and i am now much more aware of people’s experiences and how they have overcome and dealt with change. Aron Ralston was a young mountaineer. While he was on a mountaineering trip through Blue John Canyon in Utah in April 2003, a boulder crushed his right arm, pinning it against the cliff wall. Aron did not inform anyone of his trip, so he knew that nobody would be searching for him. He spent five days slowly sipping his only small amount of water left, while trying to dislodge his arm. Assuming that he would die, he ran out of water and began to drink his own urine. He video tapped his last goodbyes to his family and friends with a little camcorder he had in his backpack. Aron, so sure that he would die now, carved his name and date of death into the cliff face. After surviving the fifth day, he decided that there was only one way out of here alive. He was forced to amputate his own arm. Using the chalkstone as a vice he managed to snap both bones in his arm. Then using a dull two dollar pocket knife he began to slice through the skin in his arm. Using a pair of pliers to twist and snap his tendon, it was a miracle he didn’t pass out from the pain and blood loss. Once free Aron had to make a 65foot rappel down a sheer drop, then hike seven miles out of the canyon in the hot midday sun to reach his car. After surviving all those odds, he was told he had a bone infection and only had a fifty – fifty percent chance to live. Luckily Aron survived the infection and made a full recovery and lives on with a prosthetic arm. Aron has gone on to design many attachments for not only his arm, but other handicapped people as well. ‘Between a Rock and a hard place’ was the book that Aron published to tell his story and share his experience with others. Aron has shown us that a extremely negative situation can change your life for the positive, and it has certainly changed his life. We see this during his interview on the show Enough Rope with Andrew Denton that his personality has changed; he has a greater sense of patience and has come to appreciate his friends and family more. Even with just one arm Aron says that he has a greater ability to tackle everyday situations and problems, because he knows that he can overcome anything that life throws at him. In another text Raw by Scott Monk, shows us that different people relate to change in different ways. Two characters in particular, Brett Dalton and Josh Collins. Josh is a young man that is open to change and we see this when he says â€Å"Sam doesn’t order me to do anything, He’s my friend, I live on his farm, I do what he says†. Sam is the owner of The Farm, and institute were troubled boys go to seek help in straightening out there life. Brett was sent to The Farm after committing several crimes against the law. There’s one problem though, Brett doesn’t want anything to do with The Farm, he doesn’t want to do what he’s told, he doesn’t care what anyone thinks, and he just doesn’t want to change. To make things worse he feels trapped and alienated from the other boys, and doesn’t fit in. Sam, the owner of the farm, puts up with Brett’s ‘shit’ for as long as he can. He knows that he can change Brett, and won’t give up until he does. Fortunately for Brett, the farm slowly changes his personality to a more positive and caring young man. He begins to fit in with most of the boys, but there will always be one or two that don’t like the way he acts. After some time on the farm Brett seemed to have turned his life around. But it was no happy ending for Brett, as the cops found him after someone dobbed him in for trespassing. Brett was going back to a jail thinking that all this was just a waste of time, but it wasn’t. He still had his friends that he’s made, and the lessons that he had learned along the way. Brett was given the chance to start again, a fresh start to do things right from the beginning. He had changed his own life, something he thought he could never do. Change doesn’t always have to be a positive thing, as shown in the short story by Olivia Coleman called The Final Game. The Final Game is a story about a young man that has a love for football and is very good at it. He is only ever referred to as ‘He’. The author has used this technique to show that ‘he’ can refer to any young man his age. Although he is extremely good at what he does, a serious knee injury is holding him back. Finding it hard to make friends and get selected for the top footy teams, he always things quite negatively about himself. To make things worse, he has a dream to one day couch a footy team, but his parents are only holding him back from this dream. We see this when his dad says â€Å"sorry mate we can’t afford it, you’re stuck here† and â€Å"that’s for wankers, decent blokes stay on the land†. This only creates more negative feelings within him. Until one night he couldn’t take it anymore and took off in his dads Ute. Speeding down the dark road, he lost control of the vehicle. He found himself dangling upside down from the seatbelt, he could feel his legs, and at that moment he realised that his life had changed forever. These three texts have challenged my thinking and broadened my understanding of change. They each show change from a different perspective. From Aron Ralston retelling his story of survival to â€Å"The Final Game† which showed that change might not always turn out positive. I hoped that you all learnt something from these texts, because I sure have. And I hoped you enjoyed my speech on change.

Journal abstract Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal abstract - Assignment Example Data in this research was collected through interviews with the preschool mentors. The preschool mentors interviewed revealed that there are two fundamental perspectives that depict how special children can be provided the necessary educational support with. According to their first perspective, the interviewees said that nothing unique is done for the special children requiring support by the preschool mentors, in comparison to the opinion that special children require and acquire increased assistance from concerned staff in the daily preschool activities. The second of the two perspectives requires the preschool mentors to personally identify the particular education based support with respect to two basic themes, namely the direct and the indirect educational support. This research is of great significance to the preschool education and academic nurturing of children. The findings of this research are equally applicable on theory and practice. Through their study, the researchers have made a big contribution to the present body of understanding and knowledge apropos the special educational support which the needy children require in their preschool age. References: Sandberg, A., Norling, M., and Lillvist, A. (2009). Teachers' view of educational support to children in need of special support. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education. 1(2): 102-116.

Three Personality Traits of Sagittarius Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Three Personality Traits of Sagittarius - Essay Example These characteristics are often highlighted as the personality traits of an individual. The date that I was born on was the 22nd of November. This date of birth falls into the zodiac sign Sagittarius (November 22 -December 21). The zodiac sign Sagittarius has symbolized an archer. After having gone through the properties associated with my astrological sign, I found that some traits matched those that I believe that I have them. For instance: being optimistic, possessing good communication skills and ambitious nature were just a few of them. The similarities between my personality traits and the properties of my zodiac sign are helpful, in my point of view, because they help me to know myself better and to set my future goals and my job targets accordingly. I find myself to be highly optimistic about matters relevant to every field of life. Whether it is a matter of serious concern or is an everyday matter, my friends tell me that I happen to remain optimistic throughout thick and thin. It was just a few days back that two of my neighbors were fighting over a trivial misunderstanding. When I tried to mediate the situation and get both of them at even terms each one of them started accusing me instead. I was able to keep my mind sane and even though they had turned their guns towards me I tried my best not to think negatively of them. It eventually was this optimistic approach towards the matter only that helped me get out of the unwanted argument in an unhurt manner. The fact that this trait of my personality was similar to the traits portrayed under my zodiac sign Sagittarius became known to me only after I read about it prior to this assignment. It was interesting to get to know that the planet that governs the sign Sagittarius is Ju piter. This planet is thought to have enlightening and optimistic properties combined with honesty.

Peter Singer - Famine Affluence, And Morality Assignment

Peter Singer - Famine Affluence, And Morality - Assignment Example That first principle is that death and suffering as result of the shortage of shelter, food, and medical attention are bad. The other principle is that if it is in our power and ability to put to an end these bad things and suffering of the people from occurring, without sacrificing anything of equivalent moral significance, then we ought to honorably do it, as stated by. All these arguments put forward by Singer were to encourage most of the affluent countries to give more of their resources to the unfortunate that they are doing. This would help a great deal in dealing with some of the calamities such as famine and disaster. One of the counter-arguments presented by is the example of the drowning child, as it is only one person who can help out in that instance. In the case of disaster relief, there is a multitude of people who can help out. Replies to this by claiming that it does not matter morally to the question, how many people could help out, what matters is the ability of individuals to take up the moral obligation responsibility. Failure of anyone to act in a disastrous situation would be the failure of all. Thinking that others could help out, does not in any way, lessen the responsibility. If one person takes on the responsibility, the obligation of the others people lapse. One of the counter arguments is the example given about the child. The child is in need of help and what ponders is whether the child is the responsibility of the people around or other people around the globe? This is an indication of how the poor people around the globe are spatially distant and far away. Leaving the child without any help could lead to it drowning; however, in many scenarios donating to the relief agencies could help in the preventions of deaths occurring in the future.