Monday, September 30, 2019

Identity Research Paper Essay

Malcolm Rivers from the movie â€Å"Identity† has been diagnosed as a mentally ill patient with Dissociative Identity Disorder. This disorder is basically another name for a multiple personality disorder. The disorder is usually caused by severe trauma, emotional or physical, that causes people to create â€Å"multiple personalities† so that they can deal with certain situations. They usually have the inability to recall important information and have blackouts. Lastly, they have confusion of personal identity for an assumption of a new identity. The patient, Malcolm Rivers has committed several vicious murders and is waiting for execution. There is a journal that Rivers has explaining why he really committed the murders of all these people at a motel. His psychiatrist, Doctor Malick, tries to explain to the Judge who wants to have Rivers executed that he wasn’t responsible for the murders. The argument Dr. Malick made for it not being Malcolm Rivers fault is that it was one of his personalities because in his journal he has written down personal and private thoughts of several different people, which is a symptom of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Doctor Malick took Malcolm Rivers in front of the Judge and started questioning him to prove that he has multiple personalities. When he was questioning him though, he wasn’t Malcolm Rivers; he was â€Å"Ed†, the limo driver from the motel that everyone was getting murdered at. â€Å"Ed† keeps having these blackouts and this one blackout led him into the courtroom with Malick and the judge. â€Å"Ed† tells them what was happening at the motel and how it was bizarre that everyone was getting murdered and bodies were disappearing. In response to Malcolm Rivers or â€Å"Ed’s† story, Malick tells â€Å"Ed† about how he is really Malcolm Rivers. Rivers’ traumatic childhood has a strong effect on him, which made his personality fracture into different personalities. He remembers his mom as being â€Å"promiscuous† depending on whom she brought home he may also have been beaten as a child, and the disorder is caused by both mental and physical trauma. â€Å"Ed† found this really confusing, so Malick gave him a mirror that way he realized that he was just another personality. Malick also made another assumption that â€Å"Ed† and all the other people at the motel had the same birthdays. He told â€Å"Ed† that one of his fellow personalities is the one responsible for the murders, so once that personality dies, Malcolm Rivers won’t have to executed because he will be harmless. â€Å"Ed† thought that he finally identified the personality responsible for all of the murders. When he tried to kill it, both the personality and â€Å"Ed† die at the motel. Malick convinced the judge that the homicide identity is dead and Rivers should be harmless. Rivers was let off the execution and put into a mental asylum. Little did he know he actually killed the wrong personality, it was really Timmy, a little boy, the murdered everyone and set up their deaths. In Rivers’ head it showed Timmy was the one always watching the deaths of everyone, but he was so quiet no one suspected him. Timmy’s personality eventually dominated Rivers body and strangles Malick that crashes the truck going to the mental asylum. There are both positive and negative messages the movie gives the public about people with this disorder. One negative message it can give off is the impression that people with this disorder are dangerous murders, not all people with multiple personalities are dangerous or destructive. There are actually only a few cases that people with multiple personalities have criminal behavior. Another negative message is that it shows criminals can get away with a crime and be let off an execution if you have multiple personalities, a criminal does not get out of it that easily, they need to go through a long process of multiple professional physicians to prove they are criminally insane. Lastly, the personality ended up dominating Malcolm Rivers body in the end, so it can give off the idea to the public that this disorder can not be cured when it can. There are also positive messages that the movie gives off to the public that watches it. For one, it successfully shows the symptoms of a person with dissociative identity disorder. It can also give people a good idea that if they suspect someone they know has this disorder; you should get them to keep a diary to get down their personal thoughts so you can tell if they have it. Lastly, it shows that having a traumatic childhood can affect a person. That is a positive message because it can make people want to be better parents to their children after seeing what a bad childhood can do to someone. The journal article on dissociative identity disorder shows the four dominant approaches to understanding the disorder: childhood trauma and media influences. The posttraumatic model of dissociative identity disorder shows that the disorder is a defensive response that results naturally from continuous and tremendous childhood trauma, particularly from physical and sexual abuse. Children experiencing this trauma dissociate their distressing experiences and repress the memories of those experiences. This section of the article relates to the movie because his mom was â€Å"promiscuous†, so Malcolm most likely wanted to repress the memories from that time of his life. Another approach to understanding why people have this disorder would be media influences. There was an increased in the number of reported causes of dissociative identity disorder shown when the growth of popular books and movies about patients with multiple personalities. The movie itself did not have any media influences that made Malcolm Rivers have multiple personalities. However, the movie can give off a negative reaction to the public watching it because there might be more cases of dissociative identity disorder. In conclusion, Malcolm Rivers should be diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder from all the symptoms he has shown in the movie. The movie â€Å"Identity† is a great movie to watch, if someone wanted to learn more about the disorder or see an example of how a person diagnosed with dissociative identity acts. The journal article was also a good source because it backed-up one of the main causes of the disorder in the movie. Over all, the movie sends a good message to the public viewing it because the viewer can learn a lot about what causes the disorder, the symptoms of it, and they can be entertained at the same time. Traub, C. M. (2009). Defending a diagnostic pariah: validating the categorisation of Dissociative Identity Disorder. South African Journal of Psychology, 39(3), 347-356. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Cusack, J. (Actor). (2003). Identity [Motion picture]. USA: Sony Pictures. Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2008). Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World (Seven ed., pp. 1-630). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Helping The Homeless Essay

Do you know how many people there are in the world with no home or money? There are millions and millions of homeless people in the world, and I want to help put a stop to it. I feel strongly about this because i grew up in Thailand when i was younger and seeing all these homeless people really impacted my life and how i thought about people. The three best ways that people can help the homeless are to help build shelters so that they are safe at night, to donate food so they don’t go hungry and die, and to donate money so that they can afford food and clothes. There are several ways to help the homeless, one is to help the organizations, that help to homeless, is to donate money to them so they can keep helping the homeless. Or actually go with the organization and build the shelter with them. Maybe, in your opinion, this isn’t the best way to help. But I think donating food for the homeless is the most important thing you can do. Donating food to the homeless is impor tant because it makes so that they don’t go hungry and die. It is one of the most important things you can do, because without food they don’t get nutrition and won’t be able to grow, mentally or physically. And if people don’t have enough food, the will starve, and eventually die. When i lived in Thailand, every time my family and I went to McDonalds, Burger King, or any other fast food restaurant we would buy an extra meal for a 12 year old kid that sat at the same light post every day for 2 years. And every time we gave him food, he would be so happy. It just made me feel amazing being able to make someone, living the life that they did, feel so happy. And i know my parents and siblings felt the same way. And i know that anyone else who helps the homeless will also get the same feeling. But you don’t have to only donate in person, there are hundreds of organizations who help the homeless, poor, neglected members of our society. And in my opinion every one has to do what they can to help. Something that Kyle Tyrrel said â€Å"Seeing a homeless person begging out in the cold, steam escaping their mouths as they ask for money, touches something primal within me. They are alive in the same way I am.† What he is saying in thais is that they breath, just like you breath. They need to eat, just like you need to eat. And they are people, just like you. Donating money to homeless people is important because it makes so that they can afford food and cloths. This is important  because some people wear the same cloths and never have money for new ones. When i was younger and I lived in Thailand I put money in donation boxes or gave to homeless people themselves whenever my family and I went to the Mall or to get dinner. I would do this all the time because i felt bad for people, especially children, who did not have the privileges that i had growing up. And i felt bad for people who were born into that life. Yes some of the homeless have to give all their earnings to someone who has pretty much ‘enslaved’ them, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help in other ways. When i did this i learned how good it felt to help people survive. Because even at a young age i learned that every dollar helps. And this is a really important lesson for our generation, some people just don’t understand what it’s like to be â€Å"The other half† of the world. Donating money is not only good for the people you are donating it to, but it helps you become a better person, and teaches you kindness, and makes other respect your more as an individual. Building homes and/or shelters for homeless people is important because it helps to increase their safety. This is really important, not many people realize that over a billion people have no real home at night. One way that i helped increase the safety of a homeless family was When I was 8 years old in Sweden and my momâ €™s friend in Thailand was helping out this family whose dad had run away when their daughter was born with a sickness and we flew over to help that family and build a house for them. It increased their safety and the mother could leave her 14 year old daughter, who couldn’t walk, at home alone while she got medicine and food. Even though there might be other ways to help homeless people survive and be happy, I think that this is one of the best. And while helping the family and building their new home i learned how good it felt to help others and i learned how â€Å"The other half lived† at a young age which influenced how i think today. This is important for people to learn at a young age because it teaches them not to be greedy and to be happy for what they have. There are lots of different ways to help the homeless, here is another way to help with the building of shelters. Join one of the many, many organizations that build homes for the homeless. Habitat for humanity for example. At my school there is a ‘Habitat for Humanity’ Club. Everyone in it is doing their part, Other people should do their part too. There are millions and millions of less privileged people out there with no food, money or home. And the three  best ways to help them are to donate food, Give the money, And to build them shelters. Homelessness is a huge problem in the world. And i think everyone should do their part and help decrease homelessness. You can donate a few dollars, or build your own homeless shelter, anything and everything helps.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Bartleby The Scrivener A Strange Rlationship

Essay, Research Paper The Webster # 8217 ; s New World Dictionary defines # 8220 ; folie a deux # 8221 ; as # 8220 ; A status in which symptoms of a mental upset, such as false beliefs or thoughts, occur at the same time in two persons who portion a stopping point relationship or association. # 8221 ; ( 231 ) In Melville # 8217 ; s # 8220 ; Bartleby, the Scrivener # 8221 ; this construct of co-occuring distinctive feature, or compulsion is demonstrated rather vividly throughout three different phases. The first, Bartleby # 8217 ; s firm preoccupation with his employment, followed by his determination to make no work whatsoever, and eventually Bartleby # 8217 ; s finding to carry through nil at all, non even partaking of the basic maps required to prolong life. During each of these stages, Bartleby # 8217 ; s actions are met with limited attempts on the portion of the narrating attorney, who endeavors to # 8216 ; aid # 8217 ; his uneven employee. It is this interaction which poses the inquiry of how much duty a homo should hold for his or her fellow adult male. Bartleby # 8217 ; s focal point base on ballss through three chief phases before his decease, the first of which is his compulsion with executing a individual action to the exclusion of everything else. Initially, Bartleby works twenty-four hours and dark, # 8220 ; as if famished for something to copy. # 8221 ; ( Melville paragraph 18 ) His end, it seems, is to single-mindedly to carry through every bit much copying as is humanly possible. The first few efforts on the portion of the storyteller to state Bartleby to make something else, no affair how moderate the undertaking, are met with the simple refusal, # 8220 ; I # 8217 ; d prefer non to. # 8221 ; ( Melville paragraph 21 ) The storyteller moderately chooses non to penalize this insubordination because of both the quality, and the measure of Bartleby # 8217 ; s regular work. After a series of petitions from the storyteller that all terminal in disobedience, Bartleby shifts his focal point from the intensive copying of paperss to merely making nil at all. This, of class, is a sort of compulsion that is non acceptable in the modern work force, and can non practicably be tolerated by the storyteller. As the agent of penalty, the storyteller is at this point stuck with doing the determination to either sympathize with Bartleby, or lose his professional reputati on. In a concluding effort to unclutter his scruples, the attorney suggestions both alternate employment options, and impermanent lodging agreements. Once once more, all attempts on the portion of the storyteller to offer echt aid are rebuffed, and the storyteller at last â€Å"proposes to take his offices next week†¦.† ( Melville paragraph173 ) In this move he attempts to free himself of the nuisance that Bartleby has become. The concluding phase in Bartleby # 8217 ; s life begins when the character is shipped off to prison. When he is placed in parturiency, Bartleby takes his former inactive life to the following extreme. Despite the excess attention supplied by the storyteller # 8217 ; s money, Bartleby is found, starved to decease, # 8220 ; queerly huddled at the base of the wall, his articulatio genuss drawn up, and lying on his side, his caput touching the cold rocks # 8230 ; . # 8221 ; ( Melville paragraph 245 ) While the storyteller # 8217 ; s restricted efforts could be viewed as a echt attempt to demo compassion to Bartleby, as the storyteller most likely assured himself, they were for the most portion half hearted efforts offered, unhappily, excessively tardily. Throughout the narrative, when Bartleby refuses to proofread his work, or simply stands for hours on terminal looking blankly at the brick wall, the storyteller does nil except seek statements from his other employees that Bartleby # 8217 ; s behaviour is neither normal, nor even tolerable. The storyteller takes no effectual action, but alternatively participates in a few long-winded conversations and so moves his office in an attempt to avoid the job wholly. The interplay between the two chief characters of Bartleby and the storyteller serves to exemplify the point that one # 8217 ; s single duty to one # 8217 ; s equals can non be undertaken lightly or merely when convenient. The three phases of Bartleby # 8217 ; s curious behaviour are matched by the storyteller # 8217 ; s assorted tepid offers of aid, which in regular society would be besides regarded as selfish, bizarre indulgences, and chiefly function to pacify the attorney # 8217 ; s scruples. The thought of # 8220 ; folie a deux # 8221 ; is good displayed within the oddnesss of these two work forces, and provides a alone position from which to understand Melville # 8217 ; s authoritative short narrative.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Asset Classes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Asset Classes - Essay Example One of the major asset classes of OXT is stock. For the last 52 weeks, the company has recorded a daily average of 1.2 K shares in the UK market. Even though the company has displayed a downward trend on the 50 day moving average, the 20 day moving average depicts a financial strength of the company. One of the major concerns of the company management is the 200 SMA that stands at 18.47, thus creating a lot of resistance from the investors. According to the performance of Coca-Cola on the 9th of August, 2012, the company shares closed at 79.24 USD, indicating a decrease of 0.4%. On August 9, 2012, 4.79 million shares were traded, which indicates an increment of 23.89% as compared to 2011. As compared to OXT, which shows a downward movement of its stock prices, Coca-Cola stock prices depict a significant increment. Money market is an additional asset class of OXT. Currently, the company market capitalization stands at 1 while shares in issue are 5.43 million. The company profit margin is 500% while turnover per share stands at 0.001 (Oxford Technology Venture Capital Trust: Fundamentals, 2012). On the other hand, Coca-Cola market capitalization stands at 178.39 billion. The company shares outstanding 2.25 billion, thus attracting many investors. Based on its high profitability and large investment portfolio, Coca-Cola’s earning per share (EPS) stands at 3.78 USD. According to the financial report provided by the company in the month of July 2012, an average of 6.16 million shares has been sold. Asset classification of Oxford Technology Venture Capital Trust PLC and other similar mutual funds is significant in that it helps the investors to determine the type of investment that fits their needs. It is important to note that due to the recent economic downturn, the current investment environment has been faced with challenges based on low level of employment, which was experienced in many

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Business Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

Business Planning - Essay Example The restaurant gained importance in the fast food industry as people preferred the chicken more than hamburgers. The diversification of the market encouraged the restaurant chain to introduce more items in the market that is prepared with the special recipes of 11 herbs and spices (KFC, 2015a). The recipes are regarded as trade secret of the restaurant chain. The large portion of the fried chicken are usually served in card board buckets, which is the main attraction of the franchise (KFC, 2015a). The business idea slowly became famous as the customers preferred the products over all fast food items in the market. Hence, the business idea is successful because of the recipes and the change that is brought in the taste bud of the individuals around the globe. From the beginning of the business till its success, the entrepreneur has to encounter a number of challenges, which was both threat and beneficial for him. Nevertheless, it is significant to mention that challenges assisted the business to progress its performance. In its initial phase of operation, the restaurant has to encounter several issues in different parts of the world. The company has however overcome the challenges, which has given them the strength for building a successful venture. There are few successful entrepreneurs in the market as all of them cannot overcome tough situations and are incompetent to run a business properly. The restaurant chain has experienced a lot of issues in world fast food market. Few examples are provided henceforth to depict the issues encountered by the restaurant chain in the industry. The Health Wyze Report has published that KFC is the worst restaurant chain in the industry as the workers are affected by the harmful canola oil fumes, while preparing the recipes (Corriher, 2014). This is from the employee perspective; however with respect to the customers, the report depicted that it is the unhealthiest place to consume fast food. The unhealthy

The Mona Lisa Biography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Mona Lisa Biography - Essay Example Leonardo da Vinci started working on the on the portrait in 1503 through1506 but kept the portrait until he passed away in 1519. Since then, the portrait has gone round so many people, and presently resides in the Louvre Museum in Paris (Henry and Dana, 49). Da Vinci, an Italian, was an artist who lived during the renaissance period, and was also involved in mathematics, engineering and music among other disciplines. He painted various other pictures apart from the Mona Lisa. It is alleged that he worked on this painting until the time of his death in 1519. The painting was not acclaimed as a masterpiece immediately; it took about 300 years to be recognized outside Italy, the country of origin. In the painting, da Vinci has applied new and innovative techniques at the same time; among the techniques was sfumato and chiaroscuro. Using these techniques, Mona Lisa’s skin appears as if glowing from the oil layers. The anonymity in the portrait lies in the figure behind it, the background and the smile, that many state as iconic. The portrait was transferred to King Francois I after the death of Leonardo da Vinci. The King was an art lover who had collections in his room in the Palace of Fontainebleau. The room was eventually converted into a gallery. Afterwards the portrait was taken to Palace of Versailles, and later taken by King Napoleon for hanging in his bedroom in the Tuileries Palace. The Kings of France considered the Mona Lisa as a prized possession and the portrait was moved through various royal residences over time. In 1793, the Mona Lisa was taken to the Louvre in Paris, as part of the royal art collection. The painting has since had a lot of interesting escapades that have left me fascinated. In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen by three men, Vincenzo Perugia and two others. The men gracefully removed the glass casing that was protecting the painting and tucked the painting in a blanket before leaving the

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

WEEK 2 DISCUSSION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WEEK 2 DISCUSSION - Essay Example There were several statistically significant findings depicted in the results. The most significant was that 82% of the respondents agreed that workload was a major cause of stress in workplaces. This finding was consistent with findings from a previous study by Topper. Ongori and Joseph, (2008) found out that occupational stress had several effects on the employees and was one of the major causes of employee’s turnover. Moreover, the study findings showed there are several stressors in organizations that require addressing. Some of the stressors identified include increased workload, insecurity regarding the future, inadequate resources in the work places, organizational conflicts, and the poor communication methods used in some work places. The results were quite mixed with those from previous studies. The researchers attempted to establish the credibility of the findings by repeatedly comparing them with those from previous studies regarding stressors in work places (Ongori & Joseph, 2008). The authors presented the hypothesis of the study, which was that there are occupational stressors that reduce the productivity of workers (Ongori & Joseph, 2008). The hypothesis was inferred and not clearly stated. However, the research findings supported the hypothesis since the sources, effects, symptoms, and interventions of occupational stress were identified. Although the study made use of random sampling, it could also have been conducted through online self-administered surveys. This would have resulted in a higher number of respondents and the sample would have been homogeneous since it would include respondents from private as well as public institutions. The results were analyzed using quantitative method or the statistical package for social science (SPSS) method. However, analysis using mixed method could have been another appropriate method. It would have allowed the researchers to analyze the stressors more adequately.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Facquier Gas Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Facquier Gas Company - Case Study Example On top of that an additional 10 miles had to be planned for the following year. Murphy was tasked with the supply of gas distribution materials like pipes, meters, and fittings and basically all the materials required to make the project a success. The vice-president of the organization was in charge of supply, designing and construction organizations. While having lunch at the company cafeteria in January, Murphy overheard the Mr. Clive Byers (construction project manager) talking of a new Fauquier Gas Company project. The company had to start construction of a new 3.5 miles gas line in June and it had to be ready by September. For the project to be completed at the expected time, murphy requested Byers to furnish him with the purchase request so he could tender the same to the mills that would be able to accommodate his schedule. However, Byers told him he had to first get Sam Law (design engineer) to complete pipe specification after which Pat Wilson (construction project engineer) approval would give the green light for the start of the project. Only then would Byers send Murphy the purchase request. This consequently required consultation for the project to be completed in time. The specifications of the pipe that Pat Wilson gave Murphy were a diameter of the pipe being 24 inches with a wall thickness of 0.75 inches with a length of 57 feet. Previously, the pipe used to have wall thickness used to be 3/8 inches while the length was 40 feet plus or minus 5 feet. The new specifications were intended to reduce the stringiness by having a thickness of  ¾ inches thickness while increase in length to 57 foot would reduce welding cost. Wilson had to decide on the wrapper to use on the pipe by making economic considerations. Previously, Fauquier contracted two companies which used coal and pry-tech and were located in Philadelphia and Atlanta respectively. What worried Mr. Murphy the most is that by April 14th; he had not received the

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Opportunity Cost of College Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Opportunity Cost of College - Case Study Example Suppose you are paying $6,000 this year for in-state tuition, fees, and books at a public college (paying out-of-state rates would add another $6,000 to that, and attending a private college would add about $15,000). The opportunity cost of paying for tuition, fees, and books is what you and your family could otherwise have purchased with that money. How about room and board? Expenses for room and board are not necessarily an opportunity cost because, even if you were not attending college, you would still need to live somewhere and eat something, though these could cost more in college. Likewise, whether or not you attended college, you would still buy goods such as CDs, clothes, and toiletries, and services such as laundry, haircuts, and DVD rentals. Your spending for such products is not an opportunity cost of attending college but the personal cost that arises regardless of what you do. So for simplicity, assume that room, board, and personal expenses are the same whether or not you attend college. The forgone earnings of $10,000 plus the $6,000 for tuition, fees, and books yield an opportunity cost of $16,000 this year for a student paying in-state rates at a public college. Opportunity cost jumps to about $22,000 for students paying out-of-state rates and to about $31,000 for those at private colleges. Scholarships, but not loans, would reduce your opportunity cost (why not loans?). This analysis assumes that other things remain constant. But if in your view, attending college is more of a pain than you expected your next best alternative to be, then the opportunity cost of attending college is even higher. In other words, if you are one of those people who find college difficult, often boring, and in most ways more unpleasant than a full-time job, then the cost in money terms understates your opportunity cost.  

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Design of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems Essay Example for Free

Design of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems Essay Storage Tanks are the tanks in which flammable and combustible liquids are stored. The storage tanks should be constructed of steel in case they are constructed above grounds. The non-combustible substance can be used for the construction if it is used to store a combustible liquid. The material used for the construction must be that helps the tank to be protected against the fire. In one of the storage tank fires broke out at the island of Palau Merimau, Singapore and the fire started catching tankage containing petroleum, motor gasoline and diesel product. Despite the size of fire and adverse logistics, fire fighting efforts were successful in controlling the fire. This require operational and design engineering considerations, proper fire fighting strategy, prefire and emergency response plans, fire water management and fixed/semifixed system. A permanent water supply, of sufficient volume, duration, pressure, required to properly operate the fire fighting equipment shall be made available as soon as combustible materials accumulate and in the same way underground waters are to be provided, installed and made available for use as early as possible at the place of fire. In case were fixed water protection system is not installed with the tank with flammable or combustible liquids the floating roof to cover on liquid which helps to protect the fire to be broke out. Most fires in this design of tank burn only at the seal and are usually easily extinguished. Tanks with floating roofs are not likely to be involved in serious fires. This is because there is far less liquid surface is exposed to the fire. When storage tanks are not equipped with fixed fire protection then it must contain a stable liquid storage at a pressure 17kPa (gauge). The tanks containing flammable liquids should be normally kept closed for protection of unless the tank is venting. Where drainage facilities are provided to drain water from dike areas, efforts should be made to prevent flammable liquids from entering into any natural resources as it constitute fire hazard. REFERENCE Referred to sites:1. http://www. ofm. gov. on. ca/english/Publications/Guidelines/part4/4commen5. asp SECTION 4. 3 TANK STORAGE Subsection 4. 3. 1. Design, Construction and Use of Storage Tanks 2. http://www. osha. gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/subpartf. html Fire Protection and Prevention DEFINITIONS APPLICABLE TO THIS SUBPART Â §1926. 155 3. http://www. ofm. gov. on. ca/english/Publications/Guidelines/part4/4commen5. asp SECTION 4. 3 TANK STORAGE Dated 4th August 2007

Friday, September 20, 2019

Analysis Of The Shangri La Group Tourism Essay

Analysis Of The Shangri La Group Tourism Essay Internal Organizational Analysis and the competitive advantage the group may or may not have in establishing a presence in London A schematic representation of the SWOT (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities threats) will be used to match the key external and internal factors. The following SWOT would provide us with a comprehensive organizational resource analysis of the Shangri La group alongside providing us with the competitive advantage the group would enjoy. Strengths Weaknesses Situated at a premier location in London as has been evident in their properties throughout the world (Grayson Hodges, 2004). Legendary Asian Hospitality the classic Asian Flavor having a Chinese parent company gives them an edge over all the others in terms of having the Asian culture part of their corporate culture and thus a unique position (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson, 2009). 40 hotels worldwide thus a broad base to share experiences and put learned lessons from around the world to good use (Robbins DeCenzo, 2007). Pre identified target segment of business and leisure travelers with an eye for class and culture (Robbins DeCenzo, 2007). Service approach of hospitality and flexibility embedded in corporate culture and marketing activities (Walker, Walker, Mullins Boyd, 2010). Sound financial backing. First interaction with Western culture was Sydney no other experiences as yet in the West Marked difference in Sydney and Londons Culture An effective and efficient management style played a major role in Shangri La Sydneys success. The brand is not that well recognized outside the Asian and now also Sydneys market. Opportunities S-O strategies W-O strategies London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games. New planned tourist attractions like International Dome in London. Trend of using price promotions. Comparatively lower value of Pound sterling Growing emphasis of the local government on promoting tourism. Growth of London as a financial sector a conference and business destination. Establish in London (S1,S2, O1,O2,O4,O5,O6,) Extensive integrated marketing communication efforts. (W1,W4,O1,O5,O6) Make use of opportunities in the West (W1, W5). Threats S-T strategies W-T strategies Recent trends show that luxury hotels have grown at a rapid pace in London. The competition in the near future will be cut-throat and intensive as more and more rooms will be added to the industry. The presence of much more powerful brands in the luxury sector of the London hospitality industry Substantial increase in branded budget hotels around 13% last year Uncertainty created by terrorist activities. Aggressive investments in the sector by other Asian Middle Eastern investors. High barriers of entry Niche Marketing and maintain that niche (S2,T1,T2) Premium, Image Based pricing (S2,S5,T3,T5) Based on the above analysis and the secondary research, Shangri Las competitive advantage lies in its classic Asian Flavor and the ability to maintain a customer-centric approach which forms the basis of their corporate culture, thus also reducing the need for standardization of processes. The core values of the training are: respect, courtesy, sincerity, helpfulness and humility and the training modules focus on the groups mission of delighting customers each and every time (Honeycutt, Ford Simintiras, 2003). Not confined to training programs, Shangri-La Care is a living culture within the group, strongly supported by top management and continuously cascaded through the organization. Both these are bound to help Shangri La carve out a unique niche for itself in the London market. The only threat being the fact that other Asian and Middle Eastern players are also venturing into the hospitality industry. Whether those who are positioned based on their Asian ethnicity are able to bring out the same flavor in their culture remains to be seen! 2. An external analysis of the potential competitors and customers in London London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained. -Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan The past 20 years has seen an overall increase in the total number of visitors to London, despite any temporary downfalls seen intermittently in the short-term. Overseas visitor numbers have increased from 9.6m in 1990 to around 14.9m (estimated) in 2006 (Hooley, Saunders, Piercy Nicolaud, 2008). Domestic visitor numbers to London have also grown over the long-term from 6.9m in 1990 to an estimated 11.8m in 2006. Domestic numbers however have seen the largest fluctuations (compared to overseas visitors) in the short-term, resulting in a slight downward trend in total visitors to London since 2002. This has been influenced by the increasing popularity and accessibility of many countries and growing competition from other major European cities (due in part to the ascension of no-frills airlines) (Flourish Oswald, 2006). The overall London market has been buffeted by a number of issues since 2001, including terror events, SARS and the outbreak of Foot and Mouth. However, a recovery in demand (particularly for international visitors) is evident and the London bombings in July have proved only a temporary setback. Improved room yields have supported investment in new hotel rooms in London, increasingly away from central London to the western and eastern parts of the city. The dispersal of accommodation represents opportunities for businesses outside of Central London, but also provides challenges for coordinating visitor infrastructure including transport and information services (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe Lowe, 2002). There has been strong growth in the budget sector of the market and this has provided visitors to London with a greater choice of accommodation. Moves to standardize the quality ratings for hotels will hopefully also provide visitors with greater information and certainty regarding their accommodation experience. Looking forward, tourism is expected to continue to grow (as forecast to 2016 in the 2002 PwC report and extended in this report to 2026) and when considered in combination with the additional impact of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games (whose influence was not included in the PwC report), and the planned development of major tourism facilities, such as the International Convention Centre, it can be seen that substantial additional demand for accommodation on an on-going basis could be generated (Young, Weiss Stewart, 2006). New accommodation is planned to meet future demand, closing the gap between the current room stock and the demand forecast in 2016 as reported by PwC, and the hotel market is upbeat about Londons prospects. Demographic change looking forward, tourism is expected to continue to grow (as forecast to 2016 in the 2002 PwC report and extended in this report to 2026) and when considered in combination with the additional impact of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games (whose influence was not included in the PwC report), and the planned development of major tourism facilities, such as the International Convention Centre, it can be seen that substantial additional demand for accommodation on an on-going basis could be generated. is expected to provide a market opportunity for the provision of accommodation to the accessible accommodation market, although evidence suggests that London is not servicing this market as well as other destinations, which provides challenges for the future (Greater London Authority, 2006). As one of the main tourist destinations in the world and with the 2012 Olympic Games on the horizon, London is set to be at the forefront of a recovery in the UK, and indeed European, hotel markets. Price promotions and the low value of sterling during the year allowed London to remain a popular tourist destination, with leisure tourism particular from Europe, offsetting the fall in corporate bookings, which had continued from 2008 (Smith, Berry Pulford, 1999). These would-be buyers have been attracted by the depreciation of the British Pound against the US Dollar and the Euro. Initial signs of a slowdown in the reduction of values, indicating that the bottom of the market has been reached also makes purchasing attractive to high net worth individuals and sovereign wealth funds. The lure of the Olympics is continuing to draw operators and developers into the capital, which is predicted to experience a 12% increase in new rooms (13,300) by 2012. With its high barriers of entry London continues to be an extremely competitive market place but one, as the recovery gathers momentum, that will remain a target for the majority of hotel investors, developers and operators with their eye on long-term gains (Murphy, Maguiness, Pescott, Wislang, Ma Wang, 2005). Worldwide, the majority of international tourist trips in 2004 were for the purpose of leisure and holidays (52%) with only16% being for business travel. The rise in the number of people (both international and domestic visitors) to London has been relatively modest since 2000, with the number of visits only now returning to the high point reached at the Millennium. However, over the long term there has been a steady increase in visitors to London. Nights stayed in London by international visitors have risen on average by 3.1% each year since 1993 (compared to 1.6% each year for the UK as a whole (Greater London Authority, 2006). In 2004, 33% of overseas tourist trips to London were for holiday, 27% were for business and 28% were for the purpose of visiting family and friends (IPS 2004, 2005 Growth has been particularly strong in 2004 and 2005, with growth of over 14% in 2004 and estimated growth of 6% in 2005. However, growth was relatively modest in the early part of the 2000s with a number of circumstances (such as low cost airlines, exchange rates, terror events) reducing overall tourist arrivals, impacting on both overseas and domestic tourists. The events of September 11th had a similar effect on tourism, with the number of visits only returning to their 2000 high point in 2004 (Robbins DeCenzo, 2007). The London bombings in July 2005 had only a short term impact on overseas visitor numbers with visitor numbers rebounding in the latter part of 2005.7 It should be noted that the PwC report produced in 2002 did not include the short-term downward trends noted above since these trends were only just in the cycle at this point (Greater London Authority, 2006). Domestic visitors to London have also increased dramatically, given the one of a kind millennium celebrations; the opening of several new and attractive tourist attractions. Until recently there has not been a proper understanding within central or local government of the importance of business tourism or its contribution to the local and national economies. One business tourist is worth at least three times the amount of one leisure tourist in employment and economic terms and business tourism is worth  £3.2bn to London, making the business tourism sector an important area for London to invest in. London, being a metropolis destination always had immense potential as a business destination (Hooley, Saunders, Piercy Nicolaud, 2008). Understanding that potential, the government and the hospitality industry has finally started taking steps in this regard. Currently the city lacks facilities that would allow maximum exploitation of the citys potential but work has started on those lines. An international chain has just initiated Duchess Rooms in order to attract the businesswoman of today especially the Middle Eastern market (Honeycutt, Ford Simintiras, 2003). However, there remains a great deal of work that the city administration can undertake in a bid to rejuvenate the citys illustrious image. London caters to a wide variety of visitor specific accommodation needs. The only exception is the apparent lack of accessible accommodation for disabled visitors. Visit London estimates that serviced accommodation (including hotels, bed breakfast establishments and guesthouses) accounts for around 76% of all bedrooms (with the remainder comprising self-catering, hostels and university accommodation) (Jensen, 2008). The budget hotel market growth and the increasing investment in up market hotels has led to a polarization in supply and gradual erosion of the three-star serviced hotels previously provided by Thistle and Marriott amongst others. It is possible that a situation could occur in the short to medium term where hotel grading and quality/service provision at the budget end of the market, could become blurred to some buyers (Guffey Loewy, 2010). With the near saturation of roadside and motorway sites, greater flexibility will need to be shown by both planners and developers if this demand is to be satisfied. For example some solutions may include the alteration or refurbishment of redundant buildings into hotels, rather than completely new build, as well as the development of sites around the M25 corridor and other key transport corridors. The continued growth of London s financial sector will mean more developments geared to this market and the meetings/ business tourism market generally. This is likely to include larger developments with leisure facilities, more bedrooms, but also with more flexible meeting facilities and (subject to planning), apartments, apart hotels, or even hotels with apartments located very close by that can enjoy the hotel s facilities ( e.g. Capital, St James and Ritz Hotels) (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson, 2009). 3. An analysis of Possible Segmentation strategies that the Shangri La could adopt This refers to the process of choosing ones target market. It needs to be clarified at the onset that marketing targeting is not synonymous with market segmentation. Segmentation is actually the prelude to target market selection. One of the most significant advantages of effective target marketing is that it improves the efficacy of all the four Ps of marketing (Aaker, Kumar, Day Leone, 2010). The use of segmentation, as a tool to distinguish the entire market into stratas is a useful process. Firms can then decide which segment they are targeting and focus their efforts and energies towards that segment in order to achieve the highest return on investment (Robbins DeCenzo, 2007). Positioning, on the other hand, is a concept introduced in Positioning a Positioning a battle for your mind. According to the authors Positioning is what you do to mind of the prospect. Meaning it is how the customer perceives your product or what you are in the eyes of the beholder! Thus it is imperative that each brand is Positioned in a particular class or segment (Al Ries Trout, 1993). Given the turn of the millennium and the growth witnessed in travel, each segment in the tourism industry has set its goals on increasing its share of the pie thus trying to appear most attractive to the target audience. In this case, marketing communication helps differentiate similar accommodations and travel hot spots in terms of making their spot appear the most attractive (Arbuckle, 2000). But also in this case, it becomes essential that the target segment for the integrated marketing communication is identified beforehand. It is essential that marketers ensure that the destination is not competing with a competitor with greater edge; secondly, that the destinations position is not vague in the customers mind and lastly that the destination has no image or probably a negative image in the eyes of the customer. (Lovelock, 1991). The hospitality industry based on the diverse nature of its offerings also witnesses a variety of positioning strategies. The meeting place for sun worshipers, is the positioning statement of Cancun, Mexico. However, positioning can vary greatly. Fisher Island has positioned itself as where people who run things can stop running. It all depends on the creativity of the positioning team (Bergh Ketchen, 2009). An interesting positioning statement is that of Ritz-Carlton Hotels Group; it says After a day of competition, you deserve a hotel that has none. The degree to which marketing teams strive to be unique determines the extent to which a positioning statement is distinctive and appealing. By developing a creative campaign, an operator can market the fact that many Japanese visitors have been to the Grand Canyon, and were impressed by its awe-inspiring presence. This may include testimonials from previous visitors or tour operators example to illustrate this feeling who can make a direct appeal to the target market.   However, since the feeling of awe is an intangible construct, positioning statements must show a tangible (Young, Weiss Stewart, 2006). There are many ways of communicating to the audience the position you want your brand to occupy in the customers mind. They might include a creative campaign; a testimonial by celebs or by previous visitors etc, but it is necessary to be able to convey the inspiration and the other intangibles associated with the brand. The London hotel market could be segmented into several groups namely, bed breakfast, inns, hotels (five star, four star etc,), country hotels, motor lodge hotel, town house hotel, youth groups to name the broadest categories. The composition of branded hotels and luxury outlets in London has soared to around 13% of the total supply in the capital, with chains such as Whitbread, Premier Travel Inn, Travelodge, IHG s Express by Holiday Inn, Accor, Ibis, Choice, Comfort Inn and Quality Hotels increasing their exposure (Blaxter, Hughes Tight, 2006). This growth in the budget hotel market throughout all parts of the capital, as elsewhere, has been the key trend in this industry over the last decade. In London, particularly, it has to some extent, replaced the traditional three-star hotels which were more in evidence in previous decades. The cost of building a three-star establishment, with its higher specifications, service and food requirement is generally considered to be prohibitiv e in London. The gradual erosion of the mid-market three-star brands in London has possibly contributed to accusations that the capital is expensive and does not provide value- for money , Given that budget hotels have only been so evident in recent years and that central London prices are (like most major cities) high, this is unsurprising (Easteryby-Smith, Thorpe Lowe, 2002). However, as we will see later, both Paris and Geneva recorded higher average room rates than London in 2005. It is perhaps the perception of expensive that has to be addressed. In the central sub-region, it is still difficult to find cheap accommodation, unlike say Paris or Amsterdam and it is unrealistic to expect budget hotel developers to invest in the more expensive areas of the central sub-region, such as Westminster or Kensington and Chelsea, to any great extent. The dynamics of hotel demand and this industrys development and operation economics will mean that future up market hotel development will continue to be more viable centrally. The international business visitor and high spending US, Arab and Japanese leisure tourists for example, will still choose to be In this context it should be recognized that a branded budget hotel, with limited service may still be awarded a two star grading, the same as a quality inn in the regions with good service, but limited facilities (Gre ater London Authority, 2006). Hotels in London are concentrated in the central area, but are increasingly being distributed more evenly across London, located where the main attractions, retail and restaurants are located. The luxury sector is amongst the fastest growing sectors in London there are reports that as many as four thousand additional rooms can be operational in the next five years (Greater London Authority, 2006). The industry is set to become increasingly dependent on exotic marketing and luring of customers and tourists that arrive in London each year. It will require a survival of the fittest strategy from all major players to see through the competition. Thistle is the largest provider of hotels and hotel bedrooms in London. The company has some 5,969 bedrooms, which equates to 6.4% of the total London supply of serviced accommodation. Hilton follows closely with 4,662 bedrooms (Greater London Authority, 2006). Both these groups operate in the upper tier category. The Inter-Continental Group operates across the tiers with its 5-star hotel in Park Lane, 4-star Holiday Inns and the budget brand Express by Holiday Inn. Accor, with its range of brands, provides bedrooms in each category, from the 5-star Sofitel to the 4-star Novotel, 3-star Ibis and budget Formula. The main branded hotels comprise 12% of the total number of serviced establishments and 38% of the number of bedrooms in serviced accommodation. The identified branded hotels are most dominant in the high-end of the market, comprising over half of all 4 and 5 star establishments in London (Greater London Authority, 2006). The above mentioned names also will be Shangri La Londons main competitors. However, the difference between niche marketing and direct competition will prevail in this scenario. It is necessary for Shangri La to ensure that it is able to position itself well, with respect to its competitors (Etzel, Walker, Walker Stanton, 2007). The international business visitor and high spending US, Arab and Japanese leisure tourists are the main segments that Shangri La will target. As per the Greater London Authority carried out under the London government, he conference and incentive travel industry has evolved over the past few decades into a mature business sector. It is increasingly clear that businesses and associations cannot function effectively without face-to-face meetings. Over the ten years to 2004, there was a 50% increase in all business trips (with 27% of overseas visitors travelling on businesses to the UK in 2004) exceeding the overall tourism growth rate (Gilgeous Chambers, 2001). On a global scale, 16% of International tourist arrivals worldwide were for the purpose of business in 2004. For Shangri La, the discerning business and leisure travelers are the prime focus. The majority of the customers for Shangri La should hail from this segment and thus should be targeted using appropriate and relevant strategies (Young, Weiss Stewart, 2006). The positioning of Shangri La for the assigned market segments in London will be truly psychological image based positioning aiming to create a unique position in the consumers mind on the basis of the classic Asian Flavor visible prominently in the corporate culture of the organization and in the nature of the hospitality services provided.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

A Rose for Emily By William Faulkner :: essays research papers

The story’s opening lines announce the funeral of Miss Emily, to be held in her home—not in a church—and the reasons for the entire town’s attending-the men out of respect for a Southern lady, the women to snoop inside her house. Her death symbolizes the passing of a genteel way of life, which is replaced by a new generation’s crass way of doing things. The narrator’s description of the Grierson house reinforces the disparity between the past and the present: Once a place of splendor, now modern encroachments—gas pumps and cotton wagons—obliterate most of the neighborhood and leave untouched only Miss Emily’s house, with its â€Å"stubborn and coquettish decay.† This clash between the past and the present is evidenced by the different approaches that each generation takes concerning Miss Emily’s taxes. In the past, Colonel Sartoris had remitted them for her, believing it uncivilized to remind a Southern woman to pay taxes, which Miss Emily does not do after her father dies. But the next generation, with its more modern ideas, holds her responsible for them. Miss Emily, however, returns the tax notice that the new aldermen send to her; when the young men call upon her, she vanquishes them, saying, â€Å"I have no taxes in Jefferson† and â€Å"See Colonel Sartoris,† who has been dead for at least ten years. One of the most striking contrasts presented in this first section entails the narrator’s portrayal of Miss Emily’s physical appearance and her house. Descriptive phrases include terms that add to the gothic quality of the story: She is dressed in black and leans on a cane; her â€Å"skeleton† is small; and she looks â€Å"bloated,† with a â€Å"pallid hue.† But Faulkner doesn’t say outright that she looks much like a dead person, for it is only in retrospect that we realize that the dead-looking Miss Emily has been sleeping with the very dead Homer Barron. Miss Emily’s decaying appearance matches not only the rotting exterior of the house, but the interior as well. For example, the crayon, pastel, picture mentioned prior to the narrator’s description of Miss Emily is supported by a â€Å"tarnished† stand, and Miss Emily supports herself by leaning on the â€Å"tarnished† handle of her cane.

Examining Pascals Argument for God Essay -- Religion Pascal

There have been many responses to Pascal’s proposition. British humorist Terry Pratchett cleverly summed it up in one of his books with a story of a philosopher who said, â€Å"Possibly the gods exist, and possibly they do not. So why not believe in them in any case? If it's all true you'll go to a lovely place when you die, and if it isn't then you've lost nothing, right? (Pratchett 51)† To the average person, it seems as though there are two choices of religion; to believe in God or not to believe in God. Pascal’s theory is that it is better to believe in God, even without reason, because in so believing, you lose nothing, whereas if you do not believe, you stand to lose significantly. On the surface, this wager seems to make an adequate amount of sense, but upon further examination, the argument begins to break down. Pascal states, â€Å"According to reason, you can defend neither of the propositions. (Pascal 444)† He does not think that reason is sufficient to prove God’s existence, nor is there solid evidence one way or the other. â€Å"There is an infinite chaos which separates us, (Pascal 444)† Pascal says, meaning that if there is a God, humans cannot comprehend Him or His actions. This is to say, even if God exists, humans could not possibly know enough about Him to prove His existence by proof or reason. This, Pascal says, is why the wager is necessary; we cannot know if He exists, we must decide to either believe or disbelieve based on logic. Pascal says that the choice is between several sets of human qualities or characteristics: the true vs. the good, reason vs. will, knowledge vs. happiness, and error vs. misery. He theorizes that the believer who turns out to be correct in his belief will have true good, agreement with rea... ... of belief that have been created around the deity by humans. Even if there is a God and belief in Him is founded, there is no way to know if He will or will not bestow rewards upon His followers. Pascal’s theory would make sense if it were based on anything other than religion. Theology depends more on personal motivations than a desire for some unknown reward that may or may not exist. Pascal seems to be merely covering his own ass with this wager, telling himself that he is believing in anticipation of his eventual reward. This is not a satisfactory justification for believing in a God for which one has no evidence. Works Cited Pascal, Blaise. â€Å"The Wager.† Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings. William L. Rowe and William J. Wainwright, ed. Harcourt Brace, Orlando, FL. 1973. Pratchett, Terry. Hogfather. Harper Prism, London, England. 1996. Examining Pascal's Argument for God Essay -- Religion Pascal There have been many responses to Pascal’s proposition. British humorist Terry Pratchett cleverly summed it up in one of his books with a story of a philosopher who said, â€Å"Possibly the gods exist, and possibly they do not. So why not believe in them in any case? If it's all true you'll go to a lovely place when you die, and if it isn't then you've lost nothing, right? (Pratchett 51)† To the average person, it seems as though there are two choices of religion; to believe in God or not to believe in God. Pascal’s theory is that it is better to believe in God, even without reason, because in so believing, you lose nothing, whereas if you do not believe, you stand to lose significantly. On the surface, this wager seems to make an adequate amount of sense, but upon further examination, the argument begins to break down. Pascal states, â€Å"According to reason, you can defend neither of the propositions. (Pascal 444)† He does not think that reason is sufficient to prove God’s existence, nor is there solid evidence one way or the other. â€Å"There is an infinite chaos which separates us, (Pascal 444)† Pascal says, meaning that if there is a God, humans cannot comprehend Him or His actions. This is to say, even if God exists, humans could not possibly know enough about Him to prove His existence by proof or reason. This, Pascal says, is why the wager is necessary; we cannot know if He exists, we must decide to either believe or disbelieve based on logic. Pascal says that the choice is between several sets of human qualities or characteristics: the true vs. the good, reason vs. will, knowledge vs. happiness, and error vs. misery. He theorizes that the believer who turns out to be correct in his belief will have true good, agreement with rea... ... of belief that have been created around the deity by humans. Even if there is a God and belief in Him is founded, there is no way to know if He will or will not bestow rewards upon His followers. Pascal’s theory would make sense if it were based on anything other than religion. Theology depends more on personal motivations than a desire for some unknown reward that may or may not exist. Pascal seems to be merely covering his own ass with this wager, telling himself that he is believing in anticipation of his eventual reward. This is not a satisfactory justification for believing in a God for which one has no evidence. Works Cited Pascal, Blaise. â€Å"The Wager.† Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings. William L. Rowe and William J. Wainwright, ed. Harcourt Brace, Orlando, FL. 1973. Pratchett, Terry. Hogfather. Harper Prism, London, England. 1996.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Analysis of the Chase Scene in Blade Runner Essays -- Film, Movies

The chase scene is a key part of the film as it influences the viewer's overall opinion of the main character, "Roy". Throughout the film "Roy" is interpreted as the "villain" and "Deckard" seen as the "hero". However this scene creates sympathy for "Roy" and portrays him as a saviour figure. Ridley Scott, the director, does this using a range of technical, cultural and symbolic codes. These are the semiotic codes this essay will explore. Technical codes are the use of technical techniques used to create a certain atmosphere, mood or feeling. For example a Blue Filter is used to set a melancholy feel putting forward the image of "Roy" having "the blues". Cultural codes are themes or techniques used in media that are linked in some way to: religion, culture, events in history or previously published books and films (media). An example would be Ridley Scott's use of neon signs (TDK), behind "Roy" at the end of the chase scene. This suggests links with Tokyo, a main focal point for manufacturing goods. Symbolic codes use words, objects and images to represent a certain emotion or idea. In this case their main purpose is to provoke sympathy. An example would be "Roy's" black Nazi style coat symbolising/portraying him as an evil character. To begin the scene, the mood is set by a blue filter. This is a technical code: provoking the emotion of sadness. This effect creates sympathy for "Roy" because the atmosphere is dismal and melancholy. Likewise the establishing shot is in soft focus, another technical code creating a gentle, calm mood, which contrasts with the violence later to come. These two techniques toget... ...s meanwhile show he feels yet again as a human does and hence the viewer relates to "Roy" and therefore empathises with him. Finally he dies and a dove flies away out of his hands, representing peace and "Roy's" soul. But does "Roy" have a soul? This is one of the many rhetorical questions the viewer is left to think about. It is not a spoken question, it is an open-ended sign, there is no limit the audiences' interpretation; it is a mere guide to their emotional response. To conclude I think the piece is extremely successful in making the viewer feel sympathy for "Roy" through each semiotic code. The issues raised about "Roy" through these leave the viewer in suspense with unanswered questions like: Was "Roy" programmed to have emotional responses? What are his rights? Maybe he was man made. But aren't we all?

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Police Today Essay

Police officers are around to keep us safe and are viewed as individuals who not only follow the law but ensure that others do the same. Though this is the usual case, not always do our police officers practice these ideas. Problems amongst the police force have been around since prohibition and are only increasing in our dangerous and corrupted society. Corruption, on-the-job dangers, and the use of deadly force are all issues facing the police departments today. Since the days of prohibition, corruption amongst officers has been a problem. Back when bootleggers were on the rise, officers were paid off to keep quiet about the consumption of alcohol. In today’s society Police crimes consist of beating innocent citizens, protecting drug dealers, accepting bribes, and murder. Often time’s big cities experience this through the protection of street gangs and drug dealers. It seems the tradition of paying officers off for illegal activity hasn’t yet dissipated in our modern times; in fact, it appears it’s gotten worse. The old pattern of payoffs by the mob to top cops has changed to local police officers being bought off by drug dealers and street gangs. So now instead of just the select few cops being bought, the city police who might have actually been trusted before are being controlled by criminals as well. Everyday police officers experience crime first-hand, and their jobs can potentially be extremely dangerous. This year, twice as many police officers have been killed in the line of duty than last year. Easier accessibility to firearms, weapons, and the growing amount of illegal narcotics on our streets play a big role in the perils of the criminal justice field. Illegal narcotics link directly to violent crime. Gangs, prostitutes and other illegal activities being disregarded by corrupt officers also have something to do with the toils and hazards that confront an officer who is committed to their job. Another factor is our juveniles, who are becoming more violent and willing to do wrong th an ever before. With the rest of our world being such a treacherous place, and with drugs and trafficking appearing easier and more prosperous than education and a career, it’s no shock that so many kids are pursuing that lifestyle than ever before. Police officers have to handle these threatening activities on a day to day basis. When there’s so much corruption in the force, it’s difficult for anyone, even the most committed; to make an impact on the crimes, especially in big populated cities. Every day in the United States, police officers face challenges that may cause them to resort to deadly force. Under these circumstances, officers are forced to use what they know or have learned during training to come to a reasonable conclusion of what to do next. Their decision may at the time seem like it is a necessary one; however, an officer must understand the repercussions of his or her actions. Deadly force is a serious item of interest in the community. Citizens like to jump to insane conclusions, such as: hate crimes or racism. Conclusions like these can scar an officer’s reputation no matter what the verdict in a court of law. This can make malice family members and friends of the victim, and essentially mar the police force as a whole. The Department of Homeland Security helps to secure our borders, airports, seaports and waterways; research and develop the latest security technologies; respond to natural disasters or terrorists assaults; and analyzes intelligence reports. The Department of Homeland Security is above state and local police and tells them what to do and when to do it. They are the brains behind everything states do. The federal government and the DHS interact with each other to develop new technology, stop and prevent terrorism, and secure borders. The DHS could improve relationships with the local and state police by involving them more in the decision making, seeing as how they know the area they are policing better than the higher ups who are elsewhere involved. Police officers, as necessary to our safety and well-being as they may be, have many flaws. Corruption, on the job dangers, and deadly force are just a few of the contributing problems of our law enforcement. Never will these dangers completely reside but with a rise in police patrol and less corruption amongst the force, our police system could be stronger than ever.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Constitutional Law Paper

Constitutional Law Paper BY ctndoee_272 Constitutional Law Mid Term Paper It is evident that over the past few years, American Democracy has been loosing its power. The causes toward this effect are many. Some amongst the many are decreased political participation and the minimum quality of functioning of government. Before understanding that these are some of the effects that has caused the waning in American Democracy one must understand what Democracy is and its measures as well. Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state.It is equal access to power where the people are the supreme source of that power. There are rights, laws, and policies that reflect the will of the people, consent of the governed, and popular sovereignty. Amongst the government, there are 6 basic principles within the democracy. They are Popular Sovereignty, Rule of Law, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Judicial Review, and Federalism. The U. S C onstitution is built upon these basic principles. It is logical that by having these 6 principles to abide by, the U. S Democracy would have the highest ranking hen it comes to measures of Democracy.It would make sense that American Democracy would have a high rank in the following categories: Electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation, and political culture; but, in reality it isn't that way. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIIJ), the United States has a world rank of 19 as opposed to Norway who has a ranking of 1 . The Democracy Index developed by the Ell-J shows that the U. S is has the lowest ranking for political participation. This is one of the factors that are causing our government to lose power.This political issue is caused by the voting requirements set. Under California law, you must meet several requirements in order to be able to vote in state and local elections. You must be a U. S. citizen, and a resident of California, who is eighteen years of age or older, or who will be eighteen years or older on the date of the next election. Additionally, you must not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction. Finally, you must not have been found to be mentally incompetent by a court. With these voting requirements set, we are limiting the amount of people who can vote and participate in elections.Democracy, as a system of governance, is supposed to allow extensive representation and inclusiveness of as many people and views as possible to feed into the functioning of a fair and Just society. â€Å"Limitations to the amount of people who can vote, voter apathy, disenfranchisement, parties not representing people, and voter intimidation are all reasons for a low voter turnout† . The common criticism leveled at those who do not vote seems to be to blame them or being apathetic and irresponsible, noting that â€Å"with rights come responsibilities. There is often some tr uth to this, but not only are those other reasons for not voting lost in the assumption of apathy, but voting itself isn't the only important task for an electorate. Being able to make informed decisions is also important. In a local voting survey conducted by the class the question that followed if the person was eligible to vo e † Then why don't you vote? † was asked t . I was discovered that the reason many people do not vote is because they are not informed correctly or there is the bservation that the leading parties are not that different from each other and they do not offer much said to the voter.The media not being much help or being biased sometimes also make it harder for the electorate to make an intellectual decision. In addition, the other percent of the people surveyed responded that they have little or no time to vote. A solution to this political issue is to make voting easier and more convenient. With this said, establishing no excuse absentee ballots w ould introduce an early voting system that would allow thousands of voters to vote at their onvenience. Currently, registered voters can only obtain absentee ballots if they are unable to be in the polling place on Election Day due to illness, travel or religious reasons.By doing away with these restrictions, registered voters could apply for the ballots and vote without having to fgure out when or how to get to their polling place. As our world has been more fast-paced and as California residents are busier trying to hold on to their Jobs in this difficult economy, our voting system needs to catch up. If voting is made easier, more people will vote increasing our political articipation. The Democracy Index provided by the Ell-J also shows that the United States has a score of 7. 5 in functioning of government.This data ultimately corresponds to the score the U. S has in political participation. The United States, as a form of democracy utilizing the â€Å"First Past the Post†(FPTP or FPP) system and gerrymandering results in a government, would ultimately yield a relatively moderate two party system. Additionally, the United States Government doesnt function according to the will of the people. The United States Government as a representative government means that the representatives in its political office represent the people but function based on their own beliefs and opinions.Thirdly, the average person has no direct impact on who the president is. â€Å"That Privilege falls to the Electoral College, under the 23rd amendment of the constitution. â€Å"00Ultimately, this government â€Å"of the people, by the people, for the people†, fails to truly recognize the power and worth of those on the outskirts of society, those who can't fend for themselves, those who don't conform to he status quo, those who are not well off or better, and those who â€Å"fail to contribute† to society.Again, attempting to increase the voting rate will ass ist our ranking score for the functioning of government, as it will be more accurate toward what the people want. Over the past few years, American Democracy has been loosing its power. One of the main causes is that there is not enough political participation amongst its citizens. ‘As their responsibility our government has to find a way to facilitate the voting process for electorates and that way increasing our political participation that ill then establish a more democratic functioning of government.The best action to revitalizing democracy in the United States is to change the voting system itself – the method that determines how we cast our votes for candidates and how the winners are decided. Our current winner-take-all voting system is one of the least representative and least democratic of all forms of elections. Adopting a better voting system could go along ways toward enhancing the political power of average citizens, and this would help to blunt the influe nce of private economic power.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Is evil really the nature of mankind Essay

Is evil really the nature of mankind? Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Man is assumed to have morals. Morality can be defined as the ability to come up with ruled and adhere to them to the letter coupled with the ability to discern right from wrong. This raises the question whether man does wrong on purpose. Is man born evil in nature? People will go to great lengths just to fulfill their personal desires even if it goes against all morality. This essay seeks to show the depravity of man as epitomized in the allegory Young Goodman Brown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The allegorical tale was set in the Puritan setting of the early 17th century. The writer sought to expose human depravity through the main character. Human beings hide behind masks to cover up their tracks. In modern day society people engage in all sorts of activities and use their positions, family legacy and upbringing as cover up. Goodman is a symbolic representation of this. He embarks on a journey to the witches’ meeting while he proclaims an upbringing that condemns such acts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The choice of diction, characters and colloquial expressions such as Faith and Young Goodman explicitly exemplify the paradoxical nature of man. During the setting of the novel, the Salem trials in which witches were executed were taking place. Man engages in practices that are biblically and morally evil. The minister, Deacon Gooking and Goody Cloyse are all involved in the cult. This exposes man’s folly evil nature since even those who are perceived as the righteous in society engage in questionable practices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story explicitly exposes follies in society. It is also a means in which the writer sympathizes with the beliefs and society in the Puritan religion. The church elders in the community take part in witchcraft. The story is arguably one of the best since it ridicules as well as exposes the evil nature of man. References Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Library, 1996. Source document

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Plato, Greek Art and Censorship Essay

It is imperative that we begin the illustration of Plato’s pursuit for censorship with the definition of his times, the context by which his beliefs on music and poetry were formulated.   Greece during Hellenic times was distinctively marked by a superior regard to the polis or the city-state. With what the civil wars wrought to its citizens, the Greeks developed a strong inclination towards the attainment of what they believed to be the kallipolis or the ideal state, one that is marked by justice, order and harmony, and will do everything in its power to preserve it. The general concession of its superiority justified acts which would have been highly condemnable in the present times. Acts like infanticide and common life are surely not to arouse the approval of the many. One of the necessary steps that Plato strongly advocated for the attainment of the idea state, was the censorship of the arts, music and poetry alike. In summary he claims that the polis needed to constrain its arts, to mitigate its negative influences and curb the dangerous effect of its mimeric nature if they were to avoid the disruption of the state, more like its demise considering how pervasive arts was during the Hellenic period. Plato’s definition of censorship came in the form of 1) the prohibition of music that was intrinsically bad, and 2) the sanctioning of tales that were weaved from a state of madness, thereby promoting false virtues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On Music – It was a general belief during those times that there existed some form of music that was intrinsically bad or an aberration to the natural harmony of the universe. These were the songs whose words upheld false virtues and songs whose musical tones were derived from the improper order of interval. There in the sequencing of its notes lay a palpable sense of disharmony and discordance which mathematicians and philosophers went to great lengths to prove.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is to be said too that the soul is part of a force called Harmonia – a force that brings to union all elements of the universe, good and bad. The soul acts like a sponge, is its modern rhetoric equivalent, absorbing the discordance of the notes and sending the soul to a confused state as it cannot adequately grasps the things it acquires (Republic 78). The faculties of the physical body become misguided and the resulting man is one who is corrupt and unable to discern what is just from not. Hence, guardians, producers and rulers were considered susceptible to music’s negative influences and must be then censored by the polis if it were to protect man’s virtues. Rhythm and harmony penetrate the inner part of the soul and that gracelessness, bad rhythm and disharmony are akin to bad words and character (Republic III)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This was perhaps the first attempt to advance the concept of the subliminal meaning. The Doctrine of Ethos – music’s ability to form one’s character – still remains on solid ground after centuries. I find sense in what these early philosophers claim. How else do we explain the anarchic proclivities of Rock Music and Rap’s inclination towards street violence despite shifts in paradigm of the many generations that have passed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On Poetry – Here Plato refers to drama, tragedies and words of a song without the musical notes.   Unlike the subliminal effect of some music, poetry has a more direct and invasive effect to one’s character.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Plato’s Theory of Forms states that Nature is an imperfect representation of the ideal and perfect reality of Forms; that man ought to take actions that will bring him closer to the reality of Forms. If poetry represents that which is already imperfect, the resulting work ushers man away from the light and further into the shadows. Without the light, man now becomes a slave to the shadows he continuously imitates.   Moreover, when exposed to poetic illusions man naturally takes on what he sees and starts to assume the character of the poetic subject, in whole or in parts. This mimeric nature, Plato says, is dangerous as this will distract man from achieving his highest state of being.   It is better to stick to one craft and be good at it than to acquire all trades but be good at none. Guardians must be prohibited to learn the trade of the poets. This is   to ensure that his optimum self is achieved.   Otherwise he starts to neglect his duties to the state.   Also, the process of producing poetry sends the artist in a temporal state of divine inspiration or madness, simply that he loses all sense of rationality, he weaves one that is not according to Reason’s dictates but that of his many passions, ignorance and possibly appetites albeit the poetic charm. Anything that is far from Reason is necessarily deemed unhealthy for the kallipolis. Clearly the Hellenic times were defined by their end goals. Plato and others saw censorship, along with many state policies, as a justified means to their end. The present times, however, see a completely different paradigm. People have long shown the world that the morality of the means is just as considerable as the end itself. Censorship to a substantial part of the world is unacceptable. Now, it’s all about rights to freedom of speech and expression. When New Zealand Broadcasting Standards Authority decides to cut off offensive language from the radio, immediately journalists are tagging it as discrimination. In US alone how many controversial lawsuits, to include a high school valedictorian as complainant, have been filed because people have been forbidden to make religious references. Plato would have been shocked, even enraged at this underlying idea of the Individual catching up with the State; or the state policies being subservient to Individual Rights. He would have thought it a narrow insight and I completely agree.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All this talk on Rights and Freedom of Expression is based on the faulty assumption that 1) everyone is capable of responsible and sensible expressions, and 2) everyone is capable of judicious interpretations of these expressions. When truth of the matter is that when people make tirade speeches against a group , they almost always fail to consider the sensibilities of whose who are being attacked. One’s unguarded   expression becomes another one’s discrimination. To compound things, people are impressionable. Plato was correct when he said that man naturally adopts the things he sees and hears no matter how unjust and far from virtues. Man doesn’t generally step back and take a moment to carefully weigh what he perceives. To those who can, notice that they don’t go out of their way to educate the public. These educated minds have become an elite preferring apathy. This is what turns expressions into social disturbances. Sooner or later when more people start to believe, these expressions become acceptable truths. Eventually they become imbibed as values. With the advent of the digital age, things are even escalated. The cyberspace contains practically all sorts of information, educated, trash, pornographic and otherwise, which can be accessed by anyone even those who are not in the right minds to discern right from wrong. Censorship, contrary to what people believe as a tyrannical act against freedom, is simply responsible regulation. It is to ensure that information is accessed   by the right audience and that the propensity of these expressions to stir and rouse disturbances is curbed. This time it is to preserve not the State but the Society with the Individual at its core and Values at stake. Each processes information or whatever elements one picks up from the cosmos in various ways and degrees. What misguided minds process as motivation for unjust ways may be an educated mind’s trigger for higher knowledge. But if takes only one out of a thousand and perhaps millions of minds to have his virtues corrupted because of unregulated information, that for me, and should so for the progressively liberal states, provide more than enough justification for censorship.   It is a rational step to reduce freedom’s excesses especially in a time where the universe presents wider, freer and borderless ways by which man can inflict harm to another, even to himself. Works Cited Plato. â€Å"The Republic†, translated by Benjamin Jowett,

Friday, September 13, 2019

Life, change, and stress. Holmes, T.H., and Rahe, R.H.(1967). The Essay

Life, change, and stress. Holmes, T.H., and Rahe, R.H.(1967). The social readjustment rating scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11, 213-218 - Essay Example A list of life events commonly viewed as stressful was rated by subject based on the amount of stress they think it produced. Stress was described as a change from one’s stable state, so raters may interpret it as either positive or negative, as long as it produced a degree of adaptation, change or coping. This scale was named Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS). This scale was used by many researches to link life stress with the probability or existence of illness in a person. However, such psychosomatic illnesses were argued to also be caused by other factors such as one’s experience with a stressful event, coping skills, the strength of one’s physiological system, how one deals with an illness when it occurs, Sudden, negative events that an individual has no control of were found out to be more predictive of illness than positive controllable life changes. The SRRS has helped in many researches to determine this finding. However, this common-sensical result has put the SRRS in question as to its reliability and validity in predicting illness from stress. One criticism is that it does not take into account a person’s interpretation of a particular event. An example may be one’s interpretation of retirement. Person A may view it as a loss of a career, or being put ‘on the shelf’, while Person B may view it as the ultimate highlight of a fulfilling career because it spells the end of a lifetime of hard work. To rectify this, some researchers suggest that the SRRS would be more accurate if it would allow an individual to rate the event on some measure of severity in accordance to his own interpretation. Cohen, Kamarck and Mermelstein developed such a scale and call ed it the Perceived Stress Scale. Nevertheless, many studies still rely on the SRRS in studies with stress. The authors claim that the balance of negative and

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Human Resources Management of Kwik-Fit Financial Services Term Paper

Human Resources Management of Kwik-Fit Financial Services - Term Paper Example The call center contacted the highly probable people in the list and sold the insurance policies and other financial services to these people. This model was successful initially and continued to improve until the time when the company was taken over by Ford. Though the value of the company went up when this was again subsequently taken over by another venture capital group, there was no change in the downward trend that has started. This has arisen primarily because, the call centers are human-centric and a dissatisfied and unhappy staff does not augur well for the company. The number of people who work in the company for a longer stint slowly comes down as the company started to lose ground. The company was on the verge of growth. As a matter of fact, the company was one of the call centers established in the region and had about 850 employees on its rolls. The employees found themselves de-motivated due to a number of take-overs that has been happening in the company and a number of grievances that were not given a hearing. The annual staff turnover in the company was at around 52% and a vacancy rate that was well over 21%. Naturally, with such large turnover and vacancy rates the company had started doing badly and the company was financially falling down2. The business model of the company was simple. The probable leads list come from their own company Kwik-Fit Auto center from which the best of the probe are picked up and they are followed up from the call center. The large scale vacancy and the large turnover of the staff both compounded the problem at the call center and started to bring the company down to the red. The human resource turn over in the company happens because of large scale unhappiness over the working of the company and the people do not fancy working in the company anymore. Of course, the pay does matter. But it is more often the working methods and the environment that compounds the issue and accelerates human turnovers in the company.  

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

What Effect did the 442nd Battalion Have on the Allied Success in Research Paper

What Effect did the 442nd Battalion Have on the Allied Success in World War II and America - Research Paper Example They went through injustices whereby their business and homes were taken away from them and bank accounts frozen forcing them into an economic and financial crisis. In addition, most Japanese-American religious and political leaders were illegally arrested and wrongfully detained while their whereabouts were kept secret. In 1942 during the Second World War American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a directive that required most of the Japanese-Americans to be confined in isolated camps where they guarded and denied their rights and freedoms until after the war. However despite the injustices and prejudices that the Japanese-American citizens went through, they are credited for the major role they played in the Second World War. This paper therefore explores the impact the Japanese-American soldiers especially the 442nd Battalion had on the Allied success in the Second World War and America. Introduction The 442nd Battalion was a United States Army that was mainly composed of the Japanese-American soldiers who fought in Europe especially in Italy, Germany and France during the Second World War. ... Pearl Harbor Attack The Japanese bombing of the U.S Army base at Pearl Harbor that brought America into the War. Even though the attack was viewed as a stunning tactical victory to Japan, the attack resulted in an eventual victory for United States after the Second World War. The attack was a remarkable military success, brightly executed by the Japanese that caused eight American war ships to capsize. The Japanese attack on the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor changed everything. A county that was originally diverse with tensions became unified with the aim to wage war against its global especially on Japan that had planned the bombing attack at Pearl Harbor. The nature of the attack followed by revelation of the injustices committed to the Americans of Japanese descent aggravated the situation. Internment of Japanese-Americans Soon after the Japanese bombing on the United States Army base at the Pearl Harbor all Japanese-American citizens were viewed as a threat to the security of Uni ted States. In February 1942, as a way of trying to revenge on the attack and beef up security following the bombing, the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the War Department to set up military bases in the western region of the country where all American citizens of Japanese descent especially men were rounded up and confined so as to be monitored of any suspicious acts. Following the directive from the president, more than 110,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans living in the United States were detained in isolated camps where they were restricted from leaving and their rights and freedoms violated. In the camps the

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Writing assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Writing assignment - Research Paper Example It has often been said that the best way to end up with the worst people in your firm or business is to announce that the firm is laying off people. This ensures that the best people make an exit for the door and as Pfeffer points out, many firms rehire them simply because they cannot afford to lose those people. This is the morale factor. However, there are other factors as well which include the effect on a firm’s profitability (not profits) and its attitude towards its customers (particularly for service sector companies). All these factors make laying off people not that much of an attractive proposition and as Pfeffer points out, there might be other ways to beat the downturn apart from laying off people. Given the fact that the article was written in 2010 (at the peak of the Great Recession), there are some points in the article and Pfeffer’s recommendations that can be implemented by the firms and businesses. However, this is not to say that the entire set of recommendations are realistic when one takes into account the fact that many firms, in order to simply survive in the current economic climate need to cut jobs. The reason for downsizing becoming attractive is that the share of the service sector in the overall economy has gone up drastically in the last few decades. Since the service sector primarily relies on people and the costs of payroll and perks are the major chunk of the overall costs, there is indeed a case to be made for layoffs. Though as Pfeffer says when people are our main assets, why lose them. The point here is that one needs to take a nuanced approach towards Pfeffer’s recommendations and take those among them that make business sense. Without re sorting to emotional factors, Pfeffer has convincingly shown that layoffs do not make business sense as well. Maybe it is time for firms to look at financial optimization

Monday, September 9, 2019

The new york times, The Bes tLaws Money Can Buy July 12, 2010 Essay

The new york times, The Bes tLaws Money Can Buy July 12, 2010 - Essay Example The Private Equity council, which has eight partners, has paid Capitol Tax $ 30000 per month for keeping the taxes of its members low. Considering the amount spent by other firms on the same issue, the total amount spent for a favourable carried-interest tax i.e. the 20% fee that fund managers get from the fund's profits, may be $15 million. With lobbying, the law makers agreed to a compromise on carried- interest tax. That is, part of the earnings will be taxed at the regular rate and another part at a lower capital-gains rate (Brill). The new proposals are made effective from 2011 meaning additional tax savings worth $2 million for clients. The intention of the reformers has been to make the Americas’ wealthiest pay taxes the same graduated income-tax rate that ordinary persons do (Brill). But the opposite happened. Financial-regulatory-reform bill To reconcile differences over the financial reform bill between the Senate and the House of Representatives, two week- long conf erence committee was convened and the proceedings were telecasted to make the process transparent. But the real action happened in the night after the televised sessions are over. In public, the two sides made offers and acceptance which were fixed earlier behind closed doors (Brill). 2000 lobbyists are registered in 2010 to lobby for the financial industry. They watch proceedings of the conference live and perform surgical strikes (Brill). Volcker Rule The Volcker rule prohibits banks from putting their own money into risky ventures such as private-equity or real estate deals (Brill). It is aimed to prevent another financial crisis. Bankers do not like such rules. So their lobbyists tried to insert some provisions that would allow some percentage of funds to go into high-risk deals, delay the rule's implementation or exempt some big players (Brill). Two lobbyists tried to influence the Volcker rule. The argument of one lobbyist is that the government is giving tax credits for encou raging green energy investments. As banks making consistent profits have large tax liabilities, they can make use of tax credit. Hooper of Capitol tax tried to get the same benefit for members of the American Wind Energy Association. According to Hooper, lobbyists work with legislators and staff to avoid unintended consequences of well-intended proposals (Brill) The lobbyists were able to get exception for most mutual fund companies and allowed banks to manage their funds. Banks can make investments up to 3% of their capital. Banks were allowed to define their capital. Those who got exception on the basis of energy deals won a provision tucked into a paragraph on page 670 that, depending on how the implementation rules get written, might allow exceptions for investments in small or start-up businesses that "promote the public welfare (Brill)." Originally, the House Bill consisted of 1615 pages. The Senate version consisted of 165 pages. The final Bill, however, consisted of 2319 pag es. On every page, dozens of phrases were added which have diverse interpretations. Variations in language imply millions in profit. The more complex bills are becoming, it becomes easier to manipulate. President Obama, does not permit lobbyist to function in his office. The 1914 law establishing the Federal Trade Commission was eight pages (Brill). The 1935 Social Security Act, which also included unemployment compensation, child-welfare services and a complex allotment to