Tougher Dui Laws And Better Technology - 1331 Words

Tougher DUI laws and better Technology Could Be Both Good and Bad Let’s drink and drive so we can crash and kill innocent people. Driving while under the influence of alcohol is called drunk driving (DUI), which is against the law. The National Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) estimates that almost 40% of traffic deaths caused by accidents in the United States are caused by drunk drivers. Some people think that there should be tougher penalties for repeaters of DUI and we should have zero tolerance for drinking and driving. Others believe that tougher laws are not needed. Some people feel like the social drinkers are being punished more than the drunk drivers who keep getting DUI’s (ProQuest Staff). This paper will examine the pros, cons, and my viewpoint on whether tougher DUI laws and/or technology should be enacted. For starters, many argue that tougher penalties or better technology will stop people from drinking while driving. To begin with, technology can help reduce the amount of drunk driving accidents. Firstly David Strickland, National Highway Safety Administration, argues that human error creates 90% of all crashes. Secondly, the NHSA adds that insurance companies and car makers are working on a technology that will keep drunk drivers’ cars from starting. Finally, Jerry Hirsch of the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety states that 10,000 people were killed last year in alcohol-related incidents. That’s almost one-third of all traffic accidents dueShow MoreRelatedMandatory Dui Laws And / Or Technology Should Be Enacted1320 Words   |  6 PagesDriving while under the influence of alcohol is called drunk driving (DUI), which is against the law. The National Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) estimates that almost 40% of traffic deaths caused by accidents in the United States are caused by drunk drivers. Some people think that there should be tougher penalties for repeaters of DUI and we should have zero tolerance for drinking and driving. Others believe that tougher laws are not needed. Some people feel like the social drinkers are being

Bossini Research Free Essays

string(37) " trend looks similar to the revenue\." Company background Bossini International Holdings Limited is an investment holding company which engages in retail, distribution, and wholesale of garments. The investment holding company together with its subsidiaries (â€Å"Bossini†) group carries casual wear products for a wide spread age range from ladies’, men’s, teenagers’, kids’ and babies’ wear products. Bossini was listed in Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 1993 with a stock code of 592. We will write a custom essay sample on Bossini Research or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was found in 1987 and launched its first retail outlet in 1987 and it expands its distribution network both locally and internationally in the past two decades. Currently, its distribution network contains more than 1,470 stores, approximate 65% of them are self managed stores and 35% of them are franchised stores, covering 36 countries and regions worldwide. With headquarter in Hong Kong, its market covers all over the world. Nevertheless, its core market is the Asia pacific region including Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. Its largest flagship store is situated in Mong kok, Hong Kong. Milestone 1987:1st retail outlet opened in Hong Kong 1998:Launched franchising operation 1993:Listed in Hong Kong Stock Exchange 1st retail outlet opened in Mainland China 004:Launched a new product line, â€Å"Bossinistyle†, in Mainland China Present:Over 1470 stores around the world Branding Bossini’s brand value is â€Å"be happy† and it helps promote a positive and optimistic life attitude. The brand color is green and it represents a spirit of growth. Through the colorful products and outstanding customer se rvices, Bossini successfully cultivate a comfortable and feel like home shopping environment. There are mainly five product lines, â€Å"Bossini†, â€Å"Bossinistyle†, â€Å"Bossini ladies†, â€Å"Bossini kids† and â€Å"Yb† and the major ones are â€Å"Bossini† and â€Å"Bossinistyle†. Business Overview Major markets: The major markets for Bossini are Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore and they are in an order from the highest revenue contribution that covers over 98% of total revenue. The Hong Kong and Singapore markets contribute approximate 55% and 9% of the group’s total revenue respectively and they are quite stable. On the other hand, the Mainland China market keeps contributing more from 2008 to 2011 and it is increased from 19% (2008) to 25% (2011) that represents a 10% average yearly growth. For Taiwan market, the contribution decreases gradually from 14% (2008) to 11% (2011). The revenue contribution can be determined by various factors such as geographic economic performance diversity, geographic brand popularity, and resource allocation, opening more stores can bring in more sales. Therefore, we need to have other analysis to help investigate the cause the revenue contribution up and down. Presently, Hong Kong is still Bossini’s primary market and the major revenue contributor; however, the Mainland China market will be the key growth driver in the long run. Number of shops: The speed of opening new stores in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore is stable except the Mainland China. From 2008 to 2011, the direct managed stores has been jumped from 304 (2008) to 456 (2011). This represents a 14. 5% average yearly growth. It is one of the reasons to explain why the revenue contribution from the Mainland China keeps increasing. On the other, although the number of franchised stores also has a significant increase, from 391 (2008) to 521 (2011), the revenue from these stores is trivial comparing to the total revenue. Net sales per square feet: Even though Bossini has opened lots of stores in the Mainland China, the net sales per square feet in 2011 (HK$1,340/sq feet) is still lower than HK$1,500/sq feet in 2008. It implies that even more stores can bring in more sales to the group, but the marginal benefit is diminishing. The sales growth in the Mainland China cannot catch up the speed of opening new stores. There are many reasons to cause this happen and one of the reasons is some stores are competing each others. That means that geographic area might have too many Bossini stores. However, the management still needs to open more stores due to fierce competition by other brands. If Bossini slows its pace to expand, it might lose its business and the net sales per square feet is even worse. Nevertheless, the net sales per square feet in the Hong Kong market performed extraordinary well and it rises from HK$5,700 per square feet (2008) to HK$11,000 (2011). It is very important since Hong Kong is the one the cities with highest rental cost in the world and a strong sales per square feet can help reduce the pressure of high rental cost. Retail businesses are strongly affected by rental cost. Besides experiencing an upturn from the economic recovery, Bossini has adopted different business strategies focusing on branding and marketing initiatives. One of the best strategies is adopted is the co-branded licensing program. For example, Bossini teamed up with MM’s, classic cartoon figure and TV show character to launch limited edition items and which can add value to Bossini’s products and boost up both its revenue and profit margin tremendously. These campaigns can also strengthen Bossini’s â€Å"be happy† brand value and enhance overall brand awareness. Financial summary Income statement: The Bossini’s gross profit increased 14% from HK$1,190 million in 2010 to HK$1,354 million in 2011 but the gross margin dropped a little from 52% in 2010 to 51% in 2011. It is slightly lower than the last year owing to the expansion for franchise businesses since the profit margin of them are usually low. From 2008 to 2010, the revenue is quite stable, approximate HK$2,290 million per year on average, and it boosts up in 2011 to HK$2,640 million. Due to global recession starting in late 2008, Bossini was doing quite well to maintain its revenue at HK$2. 3 billion and the honor is given to the right move to develop the Mainland China Market. China is one of the few countries that were being hit by the financial crisis the least and thus Bossini experienced a stable growth and strong domestic consumption in the Mainland China. When we take a look of the gross profit, its trend looks similar to the revenue. You read "Bossini Research" in category "Free Research Paper Samples" Nevertheless, when we take a look of the operating profit, it fluctuates more volatile during 2008 to 2011 comparing to revenue and gross profit because the selling distribution cost and administrative expense are relatively fixed and usually it is hard to be cut even the revenue and gross profit drop. Overall, the revenue, gross profit and operating profit are extraordinary improved in 2011 due to the economy recovery in Asia pacific region. Balance sheet: Bossini’s current asset weights heavily on the total assets. Cash and cash equivalents, inventory and debtors and bill receivable all together represent 90% of the current assets. The level of cash and cash equivalents represents over 80% of the net current assets (i. e. current asset – current liability) which reflects that Bossini has a strong cash position and it does not has any short term liquidity issue. In general, Bossini is a financially healthy company. However, the high level of stock level makes me concern. The average yearly growth from 2008 to 2011 is 21. 5%. As we have discussed before, the revenue is quite stable from 2008 to 2010 and it is not a very good signal that the inventory level is kept rising. The inventory turnover day is 36 days in 2008 and is 57 days in 2011. In another word, it needs almost two months to clear all its stock on hand. Usually, apparel and fashion industry faced with short product life cycles and cannot afford such a long inventory turnover day. Such a high level of inventory might be caused by enormous product variety to meet different geographic preference. SWOT Strengths Overall business – Bossini is innovative and keen to adopt different business strategies on brand building and marketing initiatives such as adopting the co-branded licensing program. Financial – Bossini has a solid liquidity background that reserves enough resource for it to keep expanding the potential market in the Mainland China. Also, the robust improvement of sales per square feet in Hong Kong market helps reduce the pressure of expensive rental cost. Weakness Overall business – Not every product line is successful under Bossini. It has been expanding pragmatically its â€Å"Bossini† stores while consolidating its â€Å"Bossinistyle† stores as a revamp in the Mainland China market. It opened 72 more â€Å"Bossini† stores but 34 closed â€Å"Bossinistyle† stores in 2011. The operating loss in the Mainland China market was attributable to the â€Å"Bossinistyle† stores consolidation. Financial – an increasing inventory turnover day signals that Bossini is producing more than they can be sold. The product life cycle for apparel is usually short and such a long turnover day will bring it to be an expense finally. Also, a lower operating margin, i. e. 4 to 5%, gives no buffer to the company during economic downturn. Opportunities The co-brand licensing program in Hong Kong market is successful. As the Mainland China market is going to be more and more important to Bossini, the management can adopt something similar as well. Together with the government policies to stimulate domestic consumption in the Mainland China, a successful business strategy can improve sales per square feet. Bossini can enjoy the result of revenue and profit growth even though with slower pace of opening new stores which help restrain operating expense. In the long run, as income in the Mainland China is expected to rise further, the average spending by consumers on retail products is also expected to continue the upward trend. Threats External – The global economy is facing uncertainties by the new European debt crisis and our major markets are expected to experience a slowdown. Internal – Bossini needs to launch a fashionable touch in style that fit different geographic preference. The failure of â€Å"Bossinistyle† in the Mainland Market reveals that Bossini did not target at the Chinese customers well. Financial performance Liquidity Ratio Liquidity ratio reveals a company’s short-term solvency. Current ratio and Acid-Test ratio are commonly used. Current ratio is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities. Its main purpose to measure whether a company has enough resources to pay its debts over the next 12 months. Even though Bossini’s current ratios is kept decreasing year to year, but it is still higher than 2. It means every dollar the company owes in the short term has two dollars worth short term assets that is available to convert into cash to meet creditor’s demands. Acid-Test ratio is to measure whether a company can pay all its current liabilities if they are due immediately. The formula is similar to current ratio except it only considers those current assets that can be quickly converted to cash (i. e. exclude inventory and prepaid expense). Bossini’s acid test ratio is always higher than 1 means it is able to meet current obligations only using liquid assets). Acid test ratio is lower than current ratio since inventory and prepaid expense are excluded. But still, Bossini is considered to have a good financial strength in short term because both these ratios are higher than one. Activity Ratio Activity ratio measures a company’s asset management efficiency. Inventory turnover and Accounts Receivable turnover are commonly used. Inventory turnover measures the number of times inventory is sold during a year. The inventory turnover is kept decreasing year to year reflects that inventory is more and more difficult to be sold. In 2011, 6. 4 means that Bossini sold its inventory approximate 6 times during the year or it needed approximate 2 months to sell its inventory. Accounts Receivable turnover measures the ability to collect cash from credit customers. In this case, the account receivable turnover is not an important indicator since the average accounts receivable contributes less than 10% of total current asset and only a very small amount of credit sales will be involved. It is common for retail business. Solvency Ratio Solvency ratio measures a company’s ability to pay long term liabilities. The most common solvency ratio is Debt ratio. Debt ratio is calculated by dividing total liabilities by total assets. Its main purpose to show the proportion of a company’s assets which are financed through debt. In general, Bossini’s debt ratio is less than 0. which means most of its assets are financed through equity. It is a highly liquid company and it is financially healthy even creditors demand repayment of debt. However, this advantage is diminishing from 2008 to 2011. It is mainly due to Bossini has a short term borrowing of HKD78M starting in 2009 and gradually raised to HKD128M in 2011. Profitability Ratio Prof itability ratio measures a company’s overall efficiency and performance. Return on Sales, Return on Assets and Return on Equity are the popular profitability ratio. Return on Sales shows the percentage of each dollar of sales that a company can turn into income. It is calculated by dividing net income by net sales. Bossini only enjoys a low return sales which is common for low end products retail business; however, it has been increased from 2. 7% in 2008 to 4. 9% in 2011 reflects it has strived to improve its profitability strength over 80% during these years. Return on Assets shows how profitable a company’s assets are in generating revenue. It is calculated by dividing net income plus interest expense by average total assets. An uptrend of Return on Assets reveals that it requires less and less investments to generate the same revenue which is good for Bossini. Lastly, Return on Common Equity shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate revenue. It is calculated by dividing net income net off with preferred dividends by average common equity. Bossini’s sustainable growth, in Return on Common Equity (except in 2009 due to worldwide financial crisis) indicates the management maintains Bossini as a high growth company. Market Analysis ratios Market Analysis ratio is a good indicator for stock valuation. Price/Earning ratio and Dividend yield are widely used. Price/Earning ratio (â€Å"P/E ratio†) reflects a price the market is willing to pay for a share relative to its annual earning. P/E is calculated by dividing market price per share by earnings per share. A high P/E ratio does not mean it is more expensive, it just means that investors are willing to pay more for each dollar of earning compared to one with a lower P/E ratio. There are many factors that investors are willing to pay this premium such as fast growing, unique business model, market sentiment, and many others. For Bossini, the market price per share is pretty stable throughout these years and the high P/E ratio in 2009 is due to the extraordinary low earnings per share caused by worldwide financial crisis. Dividend yield measures the percentage of annual dividend return comparing to a stock’s market value. It is calculated by dividing dividend per share by market price per share. Bossini’s investors can expect to receive more cash dividends in the future from the increasing dividend yield pattern. However, investors have to beware that the dividend yield might be dropped even they receive the same amount of cash dividend because of the market price per share increase. Either way, investors will be appreciated. How to cite Bossini Research, Essays

Marketing Communications Brands - Experiences and Participation

Question: Discuss about the Marketing Communications for Brands, Experiences and Participation? Answer: Analysis Dan Colby makes an interesting comparison between a number of theories in physics to the act of marketing. These comparisons were connected through the similarities of the actions in both the theories of physics and the process of marketing. Newtons law Dan used this law to define that the magnitude of a brand determines the amount of force required to change its positioning in the market. The bigger the brand, the more the customers and followers. The positioning of a large brand is more rooted in a large number of followers and it actually takes a lot of effort to change that image of the brand (Scott, 2015). Heisenbergs uncertainty principle This principle in the world of physics defines that the measurement of an object can never be accurate and will change its state. Dan compared this to the marketing activity of observing the customers behavior not being able to measure them accurately. Dan accurately stated that the act of close observations will, in fact, change the normal behavior of the customers present in the market (Hollensen, 2015). The scientific method Dan utilized this principle to define the effects of a small negative remark on the strong and rooted good image of the brand. This, in fact, makes perfect sense according to the past instances of brands losing their long-present credibility and image due to small negative remarks and incidents. Second law of thermodynamics The comparison of the increasing entropy of the systems, clearly states the fact that the image of a brand is distributed or dispersed at a high rate in the current societies. This, in turn, requires the management of the organizations to have effective strategies to tackle this rapid dispersion of the brand image (Fill, 2016). References Fill, C., Turnbull, S. L. (2016). Marketing Communications: Brands, Experiences And Participation. Hollensen, S. (2015). Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Scott, D. M. (2015). The new rules of marketing and PR: How to use social media, online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, and viral marketing to reach buyers directly. John Wiley Sons.

The Defeat Of Napoleon In Russia Essays - Russia, French Emperors

The Defeat of Napoleon in Russia The Campaign of 1812 should have been a another crusade for Napoleon, but he now faced 2 new policies that he had never faced before, the severe Russian winter and the notorious scorched-earth policy. On June 23, 1812 Napoleon's Grande Armee, over 500,000 men strong, poured over the Russian border. An equal amount of Russian forces awaited them. The result of the campaign was a surprise. Two authors, General carl von Clausewitz and Brett James, show similarities in reasons why Napoleon had lost this campaign to Russia. Napoleon believed that after a few quick victorious battles, he could convince Alexander to return to the Continental System. He also decided that if he occupied Moscow, the Russian government would crumple and ask for peace. " A single blow delivered at the heart of the Russian Empire, at Moscow the Great, at Moscow the Holy, will ineztly put this whole blind, apathetic mass at my mercy." pg 6, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia. This was his belief he expressed in March 1812. However, when Napoleon eventually took over Moscow, the Tsar still did not surrender. Napoleon, sent a message to the Tsar, demanding a immediate surrender. However, the Tsar could not surrender because if he did, he would be assassinated by the nobles. Clausewitz replies by saying, " Napoleon was unable to grasp the fact that Alexander would not, could not negotiate. The Tsar knew well that he would be disposed and assassinated if he tried so." pg 256, The Campaign of 1812 in Russia. General Clausewitz said, "Napoleon believed if he defeated the Russian Army and occupied Moscow, the Russian leadership will fall apart and the government would call for peace." pg 253, The Campaign of 1812 in Russia Brett James also agreed that Napoleon's occupation had no result. " The occupation of Napoleon in Moscow did not have a effect on the government." pg 13, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia With his battle plan set, Napoleon prepared his troops for the attack on Russia. But, Napoleon did not consider the fierce Russian winter which awaited him. According to Ludwig Wilhelm Gottlob Schlosser, a onlooker, he described the army by saying, "The French, down to the lowliest drummer were very fastidious. These poor French devils were not satisfied with less than soup, meat and vegetables, roast, and salad for their midday meal, and there was no sign of their famous frugality. They were completely devoid of the coming winter." pg 13, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia Napoleon was even warned by General Rapp about the extremities of the oncoming winter in Russia. "The natives say we shall have a severe winter," Napoleon retorted scornfully, " Bah! You and your natives! We shall see how fine it is." pg 147, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia Napoleon should have heeded Rapp's words. As the Grand Armee marched toward Moscow, many horses and men were lost in the freezing snow, and for those who remained, their morale and effectiveness was at the nadir. General Clausewitz states his point by saying, " With more precaution and better regulations as to subsistence, with more careful consideration of his marches, which would have prevented the unnecessary and enormous accumulation of masses on one and the same road, he would have preserved his army in a more effective condition." pg 255, The Campaign of 1812 in Russia Brett James also shared the same opinion, " Napoleon appeared to have made no effort to discover the facts in Russia, or prepare his troops for it." pg 140, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia. As Napoleon and his army was making their way to Moscow, they encountered typhus, colds, and dysentery. Even the mighty Napoleon had caught a mild case of the flu. However, his soldiers had received the brunt of the attack. Captain Thomas- Joesph Aubry relives this ordeal, " After this the typhus made appalling inroads in our ranks. We were fourty-three officers in our ward. All of them died, one after the other, and delirious from this dreadful disease, most of them singing, some in Latin, others in German, others again in Italian - and singing psalms, canticles, or the mass." pg 210,

How Freelance Indexers Help Your Book Succeed

How Freelance Indexers Help Your Book Succeed Can Non-Fiction Authors Create Their Own Indexes? Maria Sosnowski has been a freelance indexer for over ten years. In this article, she explains that hiring an indexer to create a professional index is something that many authors neglect:  they either don’t think about an index at all, or they decide that the book doesn’t really need an index. This is a mistake that could cost you access to entire markets.Libraries, Bookstores, and Amazon SalesDo you want your book to sell more easily? A good index is an important feature that librarians will look out for. Some libraries won’t consider purchasing non-fiction books without an index. Readers will often head to the back matter first and browse the index first to see what the book is about; those who want to look up something will go straight to the index. Without indexes, books are seen as less polished, which lowers the chance that a library system will select it for purchase.The same thing is true with bookstores. Buyers will skim the index to see if certain to pics are covered in the book. If they can’t see what they are looking for, they will move on to another title on the shelf. The lack of an index can result in a lack of sales.When you sell your book on Amazon, the Look Inside feature allows buyers to check out sample pages from your book, read the table of contents, and browse the index. A missing index is a missed opportunity to convince someone that your book is exactly what they’re looking for. A missing index is a missed opportunity to tell someone your book is what they’re looking for. And how would you like to optimize your online listing for searches? You can add â€Å"tags† with keywords and phrases to make it easier for Amazon to target the right audience, which will naturally increase book sales. While you can certainly try to create your own tags, an index will naturally contain most of these keywords and phrases. It’s an easy and effective hack! A search function can’t separate the wheat from the chaff. It can’t distinguish between an in-depth discussion and a passing mention of a term. It doesn’t capture synonyms where multiple words are used for the same concept. It doesn’t capture homographs where they same word has different meanings. It doesn’t consider context, either, so it would treat a discussion about Abraham Lincoln just the same as a sentence that uses Lincoln’s term in office to mark the timeline for the real topic.Adding value to your bookSearching provides too many hits, while not providing enough quality hits. There is no analysis in a search. Professional indexers analyze the text as they read, create a structured index with multiple access points into the material in the form of cross-references, and use subheadings to break down the page ranges about a particular topic. They can group related information and concepts together, even when varying terminology is used. Just as important, they will leave out extraneous information, casual mentions of a topic that lack any depth, duplicative material, and other things that would frustrate a reader who’s trying to learn more about your topic. In short, professional indexers raise the value of the book.To find out more about Maria Sosnowski and the other top freelance indexers, head to the Reedsy Marketplace and get a free quote today.If you have any experience about indexing to share, or questions to ask Maria, just drop a message in the comments below.

Analysis of Computerisation at Pizza Hut Essay Sample

In the economic sciences of industrial society. the intent of the cybernation of the workplace is to replace labour with machines. thereby cut downing the unit cost of production while increasing both productiveness and efficiency. Alternatively of engaging 20 workers to carry through one undertaking. an employer can merely purchase one machine to make the same undertaking faster and more expeditiously ; less resources are invested while much more end product is generated. In general theory. the debut of engineering into the workplace spurs economic growing and prosperity. ensuing in the creative activity of more and better occupations. higher rewards and an increased criterion of life. However. when looking at specific informations and analysis. it becomes evident that each degree of worker is clearly affected by the cybernation of the workplace. Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is one of the flagship trade names of Yum! Restaurant Int. which besides has subordinate concerns and celebrated trade names like KFC. Taco Bell. A A ; W and Long John Silver’s under one trade name umbrella. It is the world’s largest pizza concatenation more than 13. 000 eating houses across 97 states. Pizza Hut increases his operations in last five old ages. In India. Pizza Hut has 143 eating houses across 34 metropoliss. including Delhi. Mumbai. Banglore. Chennai. Kolkata. Pune and Hyderabad. Great gustatory sensation and quality. assortment of pizzas and hallmark dining experience have made it possible for the company to for double-digit growing and scale up its presence to its current size. With a 27 per cent market portion of the eating-out market and over 70. 000 footsteps per twenty-four hours across the state Pizza Hut started its concern from India in 1996. and opened its first eating house in Bangalore. Pizza Hut maintained important growing and acquires a maximal portion of pizza market and sustained growing rate of above 40 per cent per annum. Pizza Hut operates through 95 mercantile establishments across 24 metropoliss in India which gave employment about 5000 people by the terminal of 2009. When come ining the delivery-segment of the pizza industry. Pizza Hut opted to utilize a computerized Customer Answering Service that would field all the calls from a peculiar country and so electronically send orders to the closest delivery-only units. Frankincense clients would merely hold to name one figure and non hold to speak to single bringing unit directors. Pizza Hut believed that this system would cut down the costs needed for keeping separate workers who would reply the phone at each unit. However. this system had several jobs in its initial installing such as orders being assorted up and other inefficiencies. As a consequence. Pizza Hut’s repute was damaged as consumers lost forbearance and religion in the company ; this allowed Domino’s. Pizza Hut’s chief rival to increase its market portion.

Relationship between social media networks and the concept of home Essay

Relationship between social media networks and the concept of home - Essay Example You must also include any SMN pages that you discuss as part of your essay submission. Introduction Home refers to the region, state or place that an individual properly belongs, as well as where he or she finds refuge, satisfaction and rest (Morley 2000, p. 10). It is not normally fixed in space despite the fact that it can be located somewhere. This is attributed to the fact that one person can grow up in one place and decide to settle in another area to start his own family. In both cases, he can call the place he grew up as him, and at the same time call his new place home. In this regard, home can be said to represent an individual’s organisation of space over a period of time (Moores 2005, p. 18). Other scholars have argued that home goes beyond physical space. In this regard, they imply that home is characterized by rhetorical territory (Cannon 2012, p. 45). That is, peoples’ character is said to be at home when they are at ease with people who surround them or s hare life together. This calls for the capability to be understood by others without difficulties, and following other people’s instructions and reasoning without lengthy explanations. On the other hand, it is said that an individual’s rhetorical identity is considered finished when the people who surrounds him does not understand the explanations he gives for his actions, the enthusiasm displayed or the criticism made (McIntyre, Williams, & McHugh 2006, p. 36). In this scenario, one can be said to have lost touch and is facing ‘un-homely’ situations. Home involves speaking without providing background information (Bachelard 1994, p. 25). Additionally, a lot can be understood from a few words; thus, no footnotes needed when passing out information. Home also gives people a feeling of security, comfort, family, intimacy, comfort and privacy (Nyman 2009, p. 227). Therefore, going home can mean returning to a firm position that one knows, is accustomed to, fe els safe, and his emotional relationships are at extremely intense. From all these we can ascertain that every human being needs to have something that he or she can hold on to and call home (Gay, Redman, & Evans 2000, p. 113). Home is an essential component of human life necessary for an individual to function properly in the society (Chapman & Hockey 1999, p. 58). This is attributed to the fact that home gives people an opportunity to develop, and mold themselves into the people they want to be in life. Therefore, an unstable and poorly managed home can affect an individual’s upbringing and make him an irresponsible person in the society (Spencer & Pahl 2006, p. 35). Home and Social Media Networks Several social media networks are related to the concept of home. Social networking refers to grouping of people into definite groups such as neighborhood subdivision or small rural communities (Boyd & Ellison 2007, p. 230). In as much as social networking can be in conducted in p erson, it is extremely popular online. This is attributed to the fact that there are several people in the internet who are out to gather and share experiences and information, as well as meet new people (Wetherell & Mohanty 2011, p. 120). Websites are commonly used in social networking, and the most commonly used social media websites include; Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Friendster, just to mention but a few. In this paper, I would focus on Facebook since it is the most

Why to get out of the Navy after 10 years of service Essay

Why to get out of the Navy after 10 years of service - Essay Example ed performance of duty until a service member is approved for length of service retirement creates a rebuttable presumption that a service member’s medical conditions have not caused premature career termination. In that situation, the PEB finds these members to be PFit. A finding of PFit means that the evidence presented to achieving retirement eligibility. Members found to be PFit have the same rights within the DES as those found Fit. While members found PFit are not eligible for disability retirement, they are still eligible for retirement under other provisions of law, as well as for evaluation by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs for disability compensation. In this paper we would be discussing on the ground taken by U.S on the separation of naval officers in the past and the reasons for the same. A service member is unfit to continue naval service when one or more physical and/or mental disabilities prevent him or her from reasonably performing the duties of his or her office, grade, rank, or rating. The PEB makes the decision on Fitness by balancing the extent of a member’s disability, as shown through objective medical and performance evidence, against the requirements and duties that the member may reasonably be expected to perform in his or her office, grade, rank, or rating. Typical medical evidence used by the PEB includes a narrative summary written by the Medical Evaluation Board (MEB), history and treatment of the injury or illness, referrals to doctors and sick call, and type and frequency of medication. Performance evidence includes non-medical assessments from the member’s command, personnel records, promotions, awards, and adverse personnel actions. In the period between the Spanish-American War and the U.S. entry into the war in Europe in 1917, new sources of Army officers were experimented with and expanded, federal authority over the militia was extended, and an Army reserve officer corps was established. The Navy formally

Hamlets downfall stems from his inability to revenge Essay Example for Free

Hamlets downfall stems from his inability to revenge Essay Hamlets downfall stems from his inability to revenge. How is this fore grounded in the early parts of the play, breaking from the traditional conventions of an Elizabethan revenge tragedy? It can be said that Hamlets procrastination and inability to act result in his eventual demise. Shakespeare forewarns the audience of Hamlets flaws throughout the play, in his soliloquies and also through the exploration of the Elizabethan revenge tragedy. During the Elizabethan period, it was commonplace to write within the genre of the revenge tragedy. This particular genre was extremely popular with the public due to the themes it embodied. Namely restoring order through punishing vice and gaining personal retribution. Other features often included treason, incest and the appearance of a ghost. Hamlets belief in the occult and fear of damnation embodies the feelings of people at the time, The spirit I have seen may be a devil, and the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape perhaps out of my weakness and my melancholy abuses me to damn me. Hamlet is unusual in that it is set in Denmark, a protestant country. When examining vice and human failings, Shakespeare and other writers often set their plays in catholic countries. The reason for this being that the examination of vice in Hamlet would not appear to be critical of the English court and also his ethical dilemmas would strike more of a chord with his audience. One such issue that is thought about by many people is suicide. Hamlets early mention of this prepares the reader for his eventual downfall. At the beginning of the play Hamlet expresses his wishes to die Oh that this too too solid flesh would thaw, and resolve itself into a dew. The use of solid simply expresses his wish to just melt and disappear into nothingness. Some texts however, replace solid with sullied, giving the quotation a slightly more interesting meaning, perhaps referring to the incest occurring between his mother and his uncle, a subject on which he must not make his opinions known. It also implies that he is also talking of the corruption in his own flesh. Some interpretations of the play suggest that Hamlet has a possible Oedipus complex (sexual obsession with his mother); this is further highlighted in his later comments about incestuous sheets, although this probably just refers to his mothers relationship with his uncle. Incest was a popular vice in the Jacobean genre, as it is regarded to be a mortal sin, specifically when involving a mother and her son. It is clear however that Hamlet does wish to kill himself, although he realises that God is against suicide as it is also a mortal sin, That the everlasting had not fixd his cannon gainst self slaughter. His religious beliefs also conflict with his need to revenge as the church also teaches that revenge is wrong under all circumstances. This conflicts with the Elizabethan revenge tragedy, which usually address the dynamics rather than the moral side of revenge. Hamlets role changes throughout the play; in the opening act, Hamlet plays the malcontent. He is still in mourning for the death of his father, almost a juxtaposition to the celebration around him due to his mothers wedding. The burden of revenge and the corruption around him leads to his supposed madness, brought on by his inability to cope with the pressure, he comments earlier in the play that he is no Hercules. It is likely that Hamlet uses the disguise of madness to speak the truth, as it excuses him from the consequences of what he says. An example of this is Hamlet talking to Polonius about his mistreatment of his daughter, You are a fishmonger [pimp], as Polonius uses his daughter to get to Hamlet. Hamlet does not wish to be used in this way by the ghost, who may be an evil spirit, and so damn his soul, the main reason perhaps for his procrastination. Shakespeare uses soliloquies to share Hamlets innermost thoughts with the audience, who sympathise with his various predicaments. These speeches establish Hamlets is more of a scholar than a man of action like his father; he realises this and admits that he is no Hercules. Without the encouragement of the ghost to revenge it is doubtful that Hamlet would have ever killed Claudius. He has sworn to suffer stoically, and hold his tongue. Even when he is sure that the ghost speaks truth, he will not kill the king while he prays for fear that Claudius will escape hell, a villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. In this sense Hamlet is very much an opposite of Laertes, who wishes to revenge his fathers death. Unlike Hamlet, he is not afraid of being damned for the act of revenge I dare damnation. Laertes is more of a traditional Jacobean revenger as he uses the stereotypical images and words of the hero to cut his throat I th church, and is an obvious opposite to Hamlet. It is ironic that Hamlet is incapable of acting on his filial obligation of his fathers most foul and unnatural murder when he would rid Denmark of corruption by doing so, but Laertes is prepared to revenge the murder of his corrupt father. It is debatable whether it is Hamlets procrastination that leads to his eventual death, as at the beginning of the play he threatens Horatio with his sword unhand me gentlemen, by heaven Ill make a ghost of him that lets me! It could be suggested that Hamlets eventual death is due to his disobedience of the ghosts orders, taint not thy mind, an almost impossible order as Hamlet is exposed to corruption firstly from his uncle, Claudius, the instigator of corruption, also through the accidental murder of Polonius, his doomed relationship with Ophelia and his immoral thoughts of his mother, Hamlet gradually becomes corrupted. Calderwood comments, Hamlets solution for the moment is to take refuge in the cleft between action and inaction. He does not act but instead plays mad, which cuts his behaviour off from the world of pragmatic affairs in which action and inaction have no meaning. Hamlet, after Claudius death would have become king, but through revenging he becomes part of the problem It is a massy wheel. to whose huge spokes ten thousand lesser things are mortisd.. When it falls, each petty consequence, attends the boistrous ruin. Hamlets death provides a fresh start for Denmark. He may not have perhaps made a balanced king, especially due to his outbursts of madness, thus he would be unbeneficial to the kingdom. This is expressed in the play when Rosencrantz says: The cease of majesty dies not alone, but like a gulf doth draw whats near it with it. It is perhaps due to this reason that Hamlet must die, in order to fully restore order in Denmark. The breaking of the traditional revenge tragedy makes Hamlet so much more appealing to its readers, as it is not confined to the question of how to revenge. It answers questions to which everyone is prone to debate (do we take arms against our problems or suffer stoically? ), hence its popularity. Shakespeare alerts us to Hamlets various failings through soliloquies with the audience in which we hear his innermost thoughts. Hamlets eventual death is due to a combination of emotional stress an inability to act, and his desire to always do the right thing, causing him to slip into a world where he doesnt have to act, but also to wastes valuable time. Hamlet is tainted by the corrupt, a reason in the end for why he must die.

What Do Children Owe Their Parents? Essay -- Sociology, Family, Parent

Every child who has been placed on this earth was made by the choice of their parents, who were given the opportunity to procreate. As children grow up and become adults, their parents become elderly and are unable to take care of themselves. Grown children don’t owe their parents anything, but to have a relationship of honoring their parents with love and respect. Parents are role models who are the important key elements in a child’s development. Your parents were there to give you life, to take care of you and to teach you what is right from wrong. â€Å"I will maintain that parents’ voluntary sacrifices, rather than creating â€Å"debts† to be repaid,† tend to create love or â€Å"friendship† (English 720). Depending how parents treat the child either in a negative or positive way, will determine how the Grown child will treat their elderly parents when they get older. â€Å"The duties of grown children are those of friends and result from love between them and their parents, rather than being things owed in repayment for parents’ earlier sacrifices (English 720). Your parents did you a favor in giving you life and putting you on this earth. This favor they did for you creates your debt. Not a debt to society, but to your parents. A debt is owing something or someone back from which you borrowed or used their services. A child does not owe their parents anything because they never asked to put in this world in Brotherson 2 the first place. As a child grows up to be an adult, they learn from their upbringing and have a chance to be better adults later on in life through introspection. Your parents made sacrifices to have you and to raise you. As an adult it should be a responsibility and a duty to take care of your parents. â€Å" What do grown... ...sed my graduation. prom, and birthdays. In my heart I am glad that she made me because she could’ve aborted me. After all of this I realize that my father was right about my mother. What I noticed is that her anger that is inside her everyday is mostly from my father and what she regrets is not being a mother to me. Today I don’t keep in any form of contact with her. I want her to decision to affect her for the rest of her life. I can’t be in her life if she doesn’t want me in her life. Brotherson 6 Through your parents mistakes you can be better parents in the future to your children. You can do this by being there for your child and making them be responsible adults in the future. Children owe it to themselves to build a life for themselves. Children owe it to themselves to find happiness in life and they owe it to themselves to make the right choices.

Seat Belt

Wearing your Seat Belt Everybody makes choices every day. It could be something basic like what colour of suit should you wear, or something major like should I put on a seat belt. I hold the opinion that all of these choices have an impact on our lives. I hope all of you who are listening to this speech today make the bigger choice of wearing your seatbelts in your day-to-day travelling. The rate of deaths has been on the rise, and this has concerned me. This has made me do some research on wearing selt belt. Therefore, I have credible material and information on this topic.I Chose this topic because I have lost a couple of family memeber in car accident and some of them wasnt wearing a selt belt. the most recent accident that injury my secend cousin happened on December 11, 2012. She had gotten in a agrument with her family early that day, so she decided she would go drive and calm down. so she got into her car , when she got in the car she didnt put her selt belt on, she just bega n to drive. she was so upset that she start to speed alittle. well the day before it had rain and the ground still had water on it. while she was speed on the wet road her lost control of her car and the car flip. s the car was flip she was injected for the car and she landed on the ground hard. the impact of the ground it broke a couple of ribs and injury her spine. she underwent major sugery that day. she have to learn how to walk, learn how to fully use her hand, learn how to sit up straight without her brace all over again. she had wear her seat belt then she wouldnt have been hurt to much. this is why wearing selt belt is impormant. I believe that everybody who is a driver, any passenger and everybody whose means of transport is a vehicle should and is supposed to put on a seatbelt.When you are driving or even riding in a vehicle, putting on your seat belt will bring down your chance of death or serious injury, in case of a major accident. I will first talk to you about a predi cament that has dramatic consequences but could be handled very easily. Then I will deliberate on a fixable solution to aid in bringing down this predicament. Finally, I will tell you how you can handle the problem on a personal level. The use of seat belts is often the difference between life and death in the event of a car accident.It may take an extra second to buckle up, but that simple measure often has invaluable benefits–the most important being that it could save your life. Let us first begin by discussing about some of the repercussions of not putting on your seat belt. Not belting up can consequently lead to death or fatal injuries. Too many unnecessary deaths occur each year for the elementary reason—people just do not put on their seat belts. According to an article in the Lincoln Journal Star in August 2002, Nebraska highway loss of lives is the most in the last 21 years claiming more than 150 lives.In 2002, about five people lost their life for not puttin g on seat belts. People make unjustifiable excuses like; I am a good driver for not wearing seatbelts. This is one of the many excuses Now that, I have stated the repercussions of not putting on your seat belt, I would like to state the solutions to these issues. There is only one major solution to the problem; put on your seat belt. This resolution could be achieved via several ways. The first intervention was in 1966, when Congress passed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.The next thing is to get the federal government to make motorists put on belts by making laws calling upon it. Here are some benefit for wearing seat belts in everyday situation, accident situation and for all ages. For Everyday situation, While driving normally at an average speed, the use of a seat belt provides the added benefit of security and peace of mind. When sudden stops occur, the seat belt reduces the chance of whiplash, which occurs when the body is jerked forward and back too quickly, straining the neck. or Accident Situation, In the event that an accident occurs, a seat belt truly plays a crucial role in preventing a person from crashing headfirst into the windshield or being completely thrown through the windshield upon impact. Both of these scenarios are often fatal. and for all ages, The use of seat belts provides a significant benefit for toddlers. Car seats for children are not always secure. Securing car seats with seat belts lets parents rest assured that their children are protected in transit. In conclusion, putting on your seat belt will bring down the jeopardy of bodily injury.Seat belts are very essential to motorists and passengers of a vehicle. If you get involved in a tragic accident, wearing your seat belt will diminish your possibility of death or critical injury, whether you are a driver or passenger. Next time you ride in a vehicle, be warned that repercussions are you will be in tragic crash at least sometime in your life, seat belts almost triples the possibility of hold on in a tragic crash. Please spend those important three seconds of your time and buckle up your seat belt

Golf Logix Case Analysis

Group 3 THE GAME OF GOLF †¢ †¢ †¢ Invented in Scotland in 15 th Century Brought to the United States in late 19 th Century Clubs used to hit small hard balls into a cup on each of the 18 different holes on the golf course The players use a club to drive the ball onto the fairway. Starting point on each hole is from tee box Players drive the ball with the use of a club onto the fairway, hit an approach shot onto the green, and putt the ball into the cup Holes: range in length from over 100 to 500 yards or more †¢ Par 3, par 4 or par 5 †¢ 18 holes par was 72Along way hazards – ponds, sand traps, and high grass Swing: called â€Å"stroke†, counted towards the players total score Lowest score wins TYPES OF CLUBS Woods Club Driver †¢ 200-300 yards Iron Club 3-iron 7-iron †¢ 120-150 yards Wedges Pitching wedge †¢ 120 yards or less Putter 5-wood 9-iron Sand wedge Typically 14 different types of clubs are used CRITICAL ELEMENTS TO ACHIEVI NG LOW SCORE ? Hit the ball straight so as to avoid the various hazards around the course ? Advance the ball in desired direction ? Distance to target ?How far player could hit the ball with each golf club? ? Ability to putt the ball well Golf market: †¢ 2000: 26. 7 million Americans played 586 million round of golf (on 17,000 courses) †¢ 200,000-400,000 new golfers a year. The prototypical golfer was still male over 40 years old with an income over 70,000. The golfer: segmented in 3 different ways 1. frequency of play: 25% considered â€Å"avid† played 25 rounds or more per year. 50% considered â€Å"core† played 8-24 rounds per years. The remainder were considered â€Å"occasional† golfers. 2. xpertise: typically measured by a golfer handicap (historical average of how many strokes a golfer took, relative to par, for an entire round) 3. type of courses â€Å"public vs. private: 80% of golfers played on public courses Expenses: 1999, golfers spent ov er 22 billion, 50% of this were by avid golfers. †¢ Golf clubs was the single largest expense aside from the courses fees, 1,000 for a high-quality set of clubs, 2,000 or more for some top of the line sets (depending on how many times golfer played, good set could last anywhere from 5-20 years) Golf courses: as of 2000, there was around 17,000 golf courses in the U.S. Golf courses Number of courses 7,000 4,000 2,000 4,000 Charging fees Average of rounds per course/year Municipal and lower-end public high-end public courses resort courses private courses charging 20-50 per round 40,000 50-100 per round 30,000 100-200 a range 20,00-100,000 and annual 20,000-25,000 membership fee of 5,000-10,000 ? May afternoon, 2002 – all 6 employees of GolfLogix held conference in Scotsdale, Arizona ? $2 million in investments ? Purpose of meeting – to discuss merits and demerits of direct-to-consumer version of the Distance Only xCaddie ?Thinking ? Outsource production ? Market di rectly to players under GolfLogix name ? Likely retail for $300 ? Diane DiCioccio, Chief Marketing Officer – disagreed ? Jeff Saltz, CEO – agreed COMPANY STARTUP ? The GolfLogix concept came about in 1998 ? During a round of Golf between Todd Kuta and Scott Lambrecht ? Basis of problem – judging the distance to the green and choosing the right club for that distance ? Solution to problem – GPS device ? Permission – USGA (United States Golf Association) ? Founded in May 1999 ? $2 million spending – executive alaries, facilities rental, development of xCaddie software, and GlofLogix website GOLFLOGIX Product Leasing: Difficult initially First 4 months of 2002, they had leased 15 systems Additional courses requested a 30-day trial Marketting TV infomercials Internet Mass merchandiser’s Consumer Electronic Firms Golf Outlet Stores Walmart Best Buy COMPANY STARTUP (CONTD. ) ? Future operating expenses – $50,000 to $75,000 per month for at least 3 years ? Selling xCaddie till date – Pete Charleston and Saltz ? Future selling to Distributors ? First – Steve Goodwin ? 1500 per month for Distance Only ? $2000 per month for entire system ? Recent leases suggest 20-30% distributor markup GPS TECHNOLOGY Objective: GolfLogix use of GPS technology to aid golfers Use of customized handheld GPS receiver called â€Å"xCaddie† Manufactured by Garmin International †¢Provides the distance to the green to which the golfer was hitting †¢Accuracy designed to be within two yards and being sold by Garmin to GolfLogix for about $200 per unit Golfer will be able to determine which golf †¢Records golfer’s progress around the course. lub to use to reach the distance provided Recording the beginning and ending of every shot and club used to make that shot by the xCaddie Information can be downloaded Information forwarded to Website to retain the records so that golfer can track progress over time †¢Provide the golfer with statistics that will improve the accuracy of the shots GPS TECHNOLOGY GPS originally developed by the U. S. Department of Defense to help determine the position of military troops, ships, vehicles, and missiles Consisted of 24 satellites, the system could pinpoint a GPS receiver anywhere on the globe with an accuracy of several feet to several yardsLocation determined by â€Å"triangulation† which involved simultaneously measuring the distance and direction of the GPS receiver from four or more of the satellites GPS gradually became available to civilians free of charge in 1980 By 2000 estimated 1 million GPS receivers per year were being manufactured for commercial use in devices ranging from on-board map systems for cars (OnStar System) to marine navigation systems to handheld devices for hikers and campers GOLFLOGIX SYSTEMS GOLFLOGIX SYSTEMS COMPLETE SYSTEM ? ? More time consuming in terms of use.Involved the use of three key items; Xcad die device, GolfLogix touch screen kiosk connected to the internet and a high quality printer. The system needed to know the locations and dimensions of the tee boxes, fairways, greens and any hazards on the course. Involved a detailed aerial photograph of the course and 3 people taking 20-30 GPS location reading for each of the 18 holes. This took about 4 hours. Xcaddie unit ? ? ? A technician located at a GolfLogix office would then combine these data’s and produce a digital map with precise GPS coordinates for the entire course Lambrecht estimated time to map a complete system to be 20 man hours.The kiosk and printer had a combined cost of about $5000. The GolfLogix webiste maintenance cost was estimated to be $100,000 per annum. Kiosk connect ed to internet High quality printer ? ? ? DEVICE FEATURES AND OPERATION Complete System Distance Only System ? ? Xcaddie Kiosk High quality printer More explaining on the part of the pro shop employee, about 5 minutes. Golfer needed to register his name and email using the touch screen kiosk. ? Has a scrolling feature no more complex than that of a cellular phone. ? ?As the distance type, Xcaddie determined distance to the green Golfer would select the appropriate club on the Xcaddie device and press enter which would give a location reading for the golf ball. Golfer stows away Xcaddie device and proceeded to hit the ball as he normally would. Upon finishing his round, the golfer would connect his Xcaddie via a cable to the kiosk and received a three-page full color printout of his round. A golfer could track his progress overtime through the information forwarded to a dedicated website (golflogix. com). ? The player would scroll to the hole that he was laying and the device would give exact yardage to the green. ? ? ? A pro shop employee could adequately explain how the device worked in about 2 minutes to first time players. ? LOW TECH DISTANCE SOLUTIONS ? Yardage markers – were unreliable the farther a way the golfer was from the center of the fairway ? Sprinkler heads – golfers still needed to pace off distances between their ball and the nearest sprinkler ? Yardage booklets – limited availability to resort and high end public courses ? Range finders – illegal under the rules of USGA and not accepted by erious golfers. High Tech Distance Solutions Cart mounted systems ProShot, ProLink, UpLink. Systems were expensive to outfit. More than $250000 to outfit 80 golf carts. PDA based systems – SkyGolf GPS, Golf GPS. GPS adapters came in a form of attachments to PDA systems, at additional cost. PERFORMANCE TRACKING SOLUTIONS Booklets for manual recording and PDA software; both proved to be tedious, time consuming and distracting USGA handicap system was predominantly used to track scores, but provided no account for performance factors. THANK YOU†¦

Word Choice Viscous vs. Vicious

Word Choice Viscous vs. Vicious Word Choice: Viscous vs. Vicious â€Å"Viscous† and â€Å"vicious† are both adjectives. They’re also close enough in spelling that it’s easy to get them mixed up when you see them written down. However, these terms have very different meanings, so check out our guide below to find out how they should be used. Viscous (Thick and Sticky) We use â€Å"viscous† to describe something that is thick and sticky. For instance: The mixture was too viscous to stir. Honey is a viscous foodstuff produced by bees. A â€Å"viscous† liquid is typically something that doesn’t flow smoothly. You can see this for yourself if you look at how quickly honey or molasses flow down an incline compared to water. The thickness of a liquid is known as its â€Å"viscosity† (e.g., water has low viscosity compared to honey). Vicious (Violent or Cruel) Most of the time, â€Å"vicious† means â€Å"violent,† â€Å"fierce,† or â€Å"cruel.† For example: The vicious dog snarled when it saw the cat. They began a vicious assault on the enemy fort at dawn. Sometimes, however, we can also use â€Å"vicious† to mean â€Å"painful† or â€Å"intense†: I’ve had a vicious headache all day. Even here, though, â€Å"vicious† implies that something is harmful or negative. We see this negativity again in the phrase â€Å"vicious circle.† This describes a process where two problems cause or reinforce one another, making it difficult to escape or solve either one. For example, imagine you have a toothache but you are scared to go to the dentist. Putting off going may make the condition worse, requiring a more painful treatment, which could make going to the dentist even more scary, etc. This cycle makes each problem worse, so it is a â€Å"vicious† circle. The Vicious Cycle of Dental Fear would also make a great name for a black metal band.(Image: 18961065RP/wikimedia) Summary: Viscous or Vicious? Although these terms look similar, they have very different meanings: Something is viscous if it is thick and sticky, like honey or molasses. To be vicious is usually to be cruel, violent, or dangerously aggressive. You may also need to be wary of spellcheckers with these terms. If you type â€Å"vicous† by accident, for example, Microsoft Word will suggest both â€Å"viscous† and â€Å"vicious† as corrections. You therefore need to be careful about which term you pick from the list when correcting typos! To make doubly sure your writing is error free, though, you can always ask a proofreader.

Tax Return Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Tax Return Position Paper - Essay Example Question One Issued by the government’s administrative, judicial and legislative branches through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Treasury Department and Congress, primary tax law sources bear more statutory authority than the secondary sources. The most significant primary sources include the Internal Revenue Code, public laws and income tax treaties (Lederman & Mazza, 2009). Then there are treasury regulations; revenue procedures; revenue rulings; announcements and notices published by the IRS; legislative history; and legal judgment on tax affairs. Treasury regulations usually remain in the form of proposed, temporary or non-codified tax statutes, until they are certified as final or reliance regulations. The IRS also supplements such sources by making actions and decisions, audit technique guides and the internal revenue manual accessible by the public (Ellen, 2012). Developed by the IRS, these initiatives support the fundamental Internal Revenue Code through taxpa yer assistance services such as the Frequently Asked Questions feature, forms on federal tax instructions and IRS publications. References made to decisions arrived at by tax courts are also considerably detailed sources that bear interpretations specific to taxpayers. Question Two Though not of equal statutory weight as the primary sources, secondary sources of tax law bear their own significance in the way they offer a comprehensive starting point to research. They are usually in the form of publications, books and articles written by tax professionals, scholars and legal analysts (Lederman & Mazza, 2009). These sources mainly occur as newsletter, textbooks, articles appearing in legal periodicals, treatises and reports on tax law published by institutions that offer commercial services in tax research. These secondary sources mainly find, scrutinize, clarify and interpret what the primary sources have provided. Question Three Substantial authority entails the recognized standards frequently used for the defense of a tax preparer in the possible event of negligence and understatement. As per the provisions of IRC 1.6694-2, a tax preparer is required to support such tax positions as prepared with the sources he used (Don, 2008). The sources are evaluated basing on their authority, where the primary sources bear the most authority. If the tax preparer is found to have relied on and used substantial authority in arriving at the position presented for the returns, a possible penalty is waived. The intended objective of substantial authority is to determine that most primary sources of tax law support the preparer’s position. The constituents of substantive authority include the Internal Revenue Code, statutory provisions, tax treaties, committee reports, and the Treasury Department’s official position on treaties. Question Four The IRS, which operates under the Treasury Department as an administrative body, has the key role of processing tax return s and examining them for deficiencies. It also issues Revenue Rulings, Notices and Revenue Procedures, which are administrative decisions explaining specific taxpayer issues or the precise manner in which items must be treated. The IRS also the mandate to alter rulings or regulations and, in such a case, courts hearing future cases will encounter new questions. On the

Whom can art offend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Whom can art offend - Essay Example in Germany had confiscated the art space in the country, by terming such art as â€Å"degenerate† and thus establishing policies that would restrict the use of modern art in Germany1. This art exhibition was organized by Adolf Ziegler, and it was attended by over three million people, who were involved in viewing different artwork exhibitions. Despite this exhibition being a response to the restriction of the application of modern art in Germany, the exhibition was able to meet its objective of popularizing the modern art that Germany was prohibiting. In this respect, art can be offensive to some part of the society, based on the content of artwork that is being displayed, which the society might consider to be offensive, or to be against the acceptable social moral values2. Thus, while the Degenerate Art Exhibition could have been offensive to the German government and some of the German population that was opposed to the modern art principles, the Islamic world has been offe nded by several art applications throughout the modern history. The Islam world has considered some form of art, both print and visual, as offensive to the ideals and values that the Muslims holds dear. "The Innocence of Mohammed" is one of such films that was developed and aired in America, directed by Sam Bacile, which then became highly controversial due to its anti-Prophet Muhammad d and anti-Islam sentiments and contents3. The release of the film caused the Islamic world to protest against its allowed viewership, considering that the film was ridiculing the very fundamental Muslim principles that the religion regards critical. In response to the release of the film in 2012, protests sparked in different Muslim nations, such as Egypt, Syria and Libya, where the protesters were involved in â€Å"burning the USA flag and also attacking the USA diplomats† to those countries4. The protests were far more violent in Libya, where the protesters burnt down the USA consulate in the country and also

Commonplace Book Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Commonplace Book Assignment - Essay Example They start businesses to get profits According to Baordman & Sandomir â€Å" profit motive is the universal irresistible force that theoretically not only drives the market but all of us ..† People choose industries where they can charge fees on their services and prices for their goods. To my surprise, no one got rich by working for someone else. These wealthy businesspersons constantly tell how they quit their jobs and established business that turned their fortunes. This means that the profit motive or the wealth maximization goal motivated them to go on their own and they have ripped the benefits of their efforts. They have chosen to spend their time and money in investing to get returns. The providers of capital to any company are called shareholders. For them to provide capital then they have to get returns for taking that risk. The management of these companies has to ensure that they generate profits to keep shareholders happy â€Å"thousands of executives and managers work for shareholders profits†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Boardman & Sandormir). This profit-making motive ensures that the management has a sense of direction and focus on one goal instead of having a variety of goals. It imposes discipline on top management levels without this it would result in them awarding themselves lavish holidays and salary packages without regard for the investors. Personally, I have thought of the numerous businesses I would establish in a bid to get profits such include investing in the real estate business or a nightclub. Investing a large sum of money for anyone would require returns in future. This is the main motivation for businesses such as restaurants, retail stores, and insurance companies among others. If these organizations were not making profits then they could close down due to lack of funds. Profit motive means owning something for yourself since the income or the profit comes from the business units

Comprhensive Examination - Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 12000 words

Comprhensive Examination - Psychology - Essay Example One of the most vital discoveries that must be made concerns the expectations that a couple has for their marriage and whether or not those expectations are realistic or based on suppositions that are not based on true examples of experience. It will also be relevant to the work to understand the way in which spouses create a perceptual filter in order to maintain a certain level of regard for one another. As the investigation into the concepts of romance is undertaken, creating an overview of the methods in which these concepts have been studied by other researchers will provide a framework within which to continue the research for The Anatomy of Romance In a discourse about adolescent relationships, Lucia F. O’Sullivan, Mariah Mantson Cheng, Kathleen Mullen Harris, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn (2007) discuss the way in which adolescents connect to one another and form relationships. These experiences are the precursors to a future relationship and way in which these bonds will form. The study used a sub-sample of the participants from the Wave 2 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health which consisted of a population of 8,438 respondents from the ages of 18-21. The use of logistic regression allowed a comparison of proportions as ordinary least square regression was used to create an analysis of mean sequential ranking that quantified each event. The data was created from answers from fifteen social, romantic, and sexual events which were relevant to a recent romantic relationship (p. 100). According to the study, in adolescent experiences, social and romantic experiences were more prevalent than sexual experiences. The relating of events were proportionately similar between males and females. However, ethnic diversity appears to show relevant differences in sexual experiences. Asian and Hispanic youths revealed a lower prevalence of sexual events than African American or Caucasian, while African American were the

Samuel Clarkes Cosmological Argument

Samuel Clarkes Cosmological Argument In this essay I will show that while Clarke makes a strong claim that our experience establishes the existence of chains of dependent beings, and that the chain must be (a) caused by an aprioi cause or be an aspect of an infinite continuation of contingent beings which begins with a necessary/independent being; the argument does not justify the possibility of an independent, contingent deity that caused the universe. This conclusion will be supported by a string of critiques and a discussion of the arguments objections. The Argument Philosopher Samuel Clarke put forth a modern formulation of the cosmological argument taking a slightly different path than Aquinass famous cosmological argument. But like Aquinas, Clarke adopts the premise that all beings that we encounter must have causes. Contrary to Aquinas, Clarke differentiates between contingent and necessary beings. The contrast he draws is such that if a being owes its existence to a cause then it is dependent; otherwise it is independent. Our experience shows us that there are chains of dependent beings, but, as Clarke points out, they must either (1) be caused by a necessary being or (2) be an aspect of an infinite continuation of contingent beings which, as Clarke explains, either begins with a necessary/independent being or is part of an infinite series which exhausts the possible logical origins for any continuation of beings. According to the above argument, if all continuations of contingent beings must be infinite or start with a necessary being, then Clarke, simply, is able to falsify infinte continuations and hence demonstrate the existence of an independant being. He calls the concept of infinite continuations absurd, as he follows another route to argue for a necessary being. Clarke points out that the series, as a whole, of dependent beings requires an explanation. Since every individual entity of the series is contingent, the entire series taken as a single entity is contingent. Suppose, Clarke further explains, we take the set of dependent beings as part of a long series where each entity is depends on some previous entity for existence. Then the whole series contingent. But the series cannot be contingent on something outside the set of contingent beings. Thus, Clarke argues, there must exist an independant being to cause the series. Criticisms and Objections The existence of an entity can be explained in three ways: (1) It may be explained by another being, (2) it might be explained by itself, or (3) it may be explained by nothing. Now, the first two cases are accounted for in Clarkes argument. Part (1) is a dependent being. Part (2) is an independent being. But part (3) is not accounted for in Clarkes argument. This point is not sufficent to prove the soundness of the argument. Because it is possible that every existent entity depends on another in an infinte continuation of contingent beings. If this is true, every member of the series is accounted for and to explain the existence of the series, we must suppose an independent being. This leads to the conclusion that Clarkes argument is only as good as his premise every being requires a cause. Whether we accept that premise or not is a controversial topic. One could say that the premise is doubtful and not obvious at all. Also, one may argue that the premise is just an assumption that people make, this cannot be taken as a truth. This leads to the premise being questionable and then, by extension, so is the argument. If, according to Clarke, there is cause for every existence, then one could object that what is the cause of the independent, contingent deity? Another objection to the argument could be that, necessary existence has no meaning. If there were a necessarily existent being, it could be possible that the universe itself is that necessarily existent, independent, being, removing any need for a contingent deity as cause of the universe. Why is it not possible that the universe exists and always will from an infinite series of expansions, such as the big bang, and contractions? Even if we suppose that there is an independent, contingent, being, the cosmological argument is lacking of all properties that humans attribute to the first cause of any religion. Clarkes argument would be stronger if he ascribed the characteristics of our portrayal of God (all-good, all-knowing, all-powerful, etc) to his independent being. Also, an infinite chain of objects, each caused by the prior object, does not require any explanation; the chain is explained by the conjoined explanation of its parts. Say we observe a continual stream of vehicles on a street and we are capable of explaining why each vehicle in the stream was there. The first vehicle bound towards work; the second vehicles destination is the mall, and so forth. It does not make sense to ask why there is a stream of vehicles on the street at all. Explaining each individual part of the stream suffices to explain the whole stream.2 Conclusion In sum, Clarkes modern formulation of the cosmological argument proves to be as strong as his principal premise all beings must have causes; and the acceptance of such a premise is arguable. The argument fails to stand up against the stream of objections and criticisms. Clarke does not sufficiently justify his claim that a collection of dependent beings is itself independent in his argument. William Rowe tried to strengthen and clarify Clarkes account by explaining the role of principal of sufficient reason in the argument, but concludes that the cosmological argument is only as strong as the principal of sufficient reason. Thus, the status of the argument remains uncertain.

Masculinity, Femininity and Simone Benmussa’s Singular Life of Albert N

Masculinity, Femininity and Simone Benmussa’s Singular Life of Albert Nobbs The semiotics of traditional theatrical form reinforce an oppressive patriarchal system. The physical body becomes the catalyst by which gender is assigned and expected. This emphasis on the body is amplified in the theater. Simone Benmussa’s play The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs, adapted from the short story by George Moore, deals with issues of femininity and masculinity and how these are portrayed within the theater as well as how theater is formed by the traditional patriarchal gaze. This play also deals with issues of class and how class status is intrinsically tied to gender, gender performance and sexuality. Through the example of this play it is seen that a form of theater which creates and maintains the woman as subject rather than object (as Sue-Ellen Case proposes) cannot be truly realized until the performative nature and many issues inherent in masculinity are acknowledged and processed. Here also is an excellent case study of how the politics of the theater are deeply rooted in body politics and gender essentialism. All of these factors contribute to the play’s overall complexity in matters surrounding and pertaining to the performative nature of masculinity and the manner in which masculinities are brought forth on stage and how that differs from femininity on stage. One of the central themes of theatrical form is identity and the catalyst by which identity is formed is the body. In using the body as the site of formation of individual identity, women are â€Å"uniquely identified with their anatomy† and specifically the parts of their anatomy that differ from that of men (Callaghan 30). Because women are thus defined by their relation ... ... femininity and female masculinity are brought under scrutiny. Works Cited: Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble. New York, Routledge. 1990 Callaghan, Dympna. Shakespeare Without Women: Representing Gender and Race on the Renaissance Stage. New York, Routledge. 2000 Case, Sue-Ellen. Towards a New Poetics. from Feminism and Theater. New York, Methuen. 1988 Gardiner, Judith Kegan. Introduction. from Masculinity Studies & Feminist Theory. (also ed.) New York, Columbia University Press. 2002 Halberstam, Judith. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. from Masculinity Studies & Feminist Theory. ed Judith Kegan Gardiner. New York, Columbia University Press. 2002 Hopkins, Patrick D. Gender Treachery: Homophobia, Masculinity, and Threatened Identities. Kano, Ayako. Acting Like A Woman in Modern Japan: Theater, Gender, and Nationalism. New York, Palgrave. 2001

Legal Underpinnings of Business Law Essay

The key to limiting liability exposure is to realize where your company might be vulnerable. It is important to be able to recognize possible situations that make a company vulnerable. Knowing all possible significant aspects of any liability associated to the type of business an owner wants to participate in is vital. A business owner should always understand and have working knowledge of all laws that apply to your business to prevent liabilities. Personal Business Venture My future personal business venture would a clothing line for curvy women. As a curvy woman, it is very difficult to find non-geometric, non-tent like, flower patterned, ugly business and casual clothing. The best business organizational form for this business would be an LLC. LLC’s are easy to set up. Chose a business name that incorporates LLC, file an article of organization, create an operating agreement, obtain licenses and permits, hire employees, and finally open the doors. I would have variety of partners from textiles, designers, clothing producers, managers, and finally marketing specialists. The personal liability exposure would be minimal. With an LLC if I messed up the partners would not be responsible. The consequences are not as bad is if I was in a corporation. The LLC is more flexible. The positives are less record keeping and more profit sharing. The state would have some say into my company so I would have to keep up with guidance regularly. The negative of this company is that once a member leaves, the entire company must complete their duties and responsibilities and then dissolve. Another down fall is that self-employment tax contributions towards Medicare and Social Security. â€Å"The net income of the LLC is subject to this tax. The federal government does not recognize LLC as a business entity for taxation purposes, all LLCs must file as a corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship tax return. Certain LLCs are automatically classified and taxed as a corporation by federal tax law. †

The Making of a Great Place to Work – the Story of Marriott International

The making of a Great Place to Work ® – the story of Marriott International A friend was narrating his story of an experience at the Ritz – Carlton hotel. He was suffering from a sore throat and decided to take his mother’s advice and called room service asking for a glass of hot milk mixed with a spoon of turmeric. Three years later after checking into the same hotel, he promptly receives a phone call from the room service, â€Å"Sir, would you like your favorite hot milk with turmeric! Much as he hated drinking hot milk with turmeric, my friend was impressed by the memory of the hotel’s staff. The Ritz-Carlton is one of the many brands of Marriott International. â€Å"Take care of the associates, and they'll take good care of the guests, and the guests will come back. † This was what J Willard Marriott said many decades ago. The founder of Marriott has since been vindicated many times over. Today, Marriott International has nearly 2,900 lodging properties located in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. Between now and the end of the year it will add another 100 properties to take the tally to 3000 properties. Marriott International, Inc. , is a leading lodging company. Its heritage can be traced to a root beer stand opened in Washington, D. C. , in 1927 by J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott. Today, the company manages and franchises hotels and resorts under the Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Bulgari, The Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, and Fairfield Inn brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, The RitzCarlton Club, Grand Residences by Marriott, and Horizons brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; operates conference centers; and manages golf courses. Marriott consistently makes it to Fortune’s Best Employer’s List. And it is number 5 amongst the Top 25 Great Places to Work ® in India. Visit a Marriott property and you will sense the enthusiasm and energy of their Associates (They call their employees Associates). I decided to visit their Juhu property and talk to a few employees to find out what makes this hotel an employer of choice. Here’s what I found. 1. A strong Brand Marriott International does not own the hotels it operates. It owns the brands and runs the management. In this sense it is a true professional services firm. A lot of people can construct a world class property; it takes a Marriott management team to make it a world class hotel. â€Å"When I was working with a rival chain, I kept on wondering, if Marriott can do it, why can’t we,† confided a senior manager. â€Å"When I decided to shift from Delhi to Mumbai, I had a colleague who used to work in Marriott in Mumbai. She almost forced me to come for an interview at Marriott,† shared the current head of Training.  ©Great Place to work ® Institute,India 2. True Empowerment Empowerment is the cornerstone of â€Å"the Marriott way. Marriott has numerous examples of how their Associates feel empowered. Employees decide when to give a fruit basket or other complimentary items to guests. There is a high degree of pride in the unique relationships they form with their guests. One example quoted was how an Associate in a restaurant offered the most expensive bottle of champagne to an unhappy guest- as a complimentary gift! Such examples are applauded and recognised. In the employee website, as well as, the company website you will find a number of stories of exemplary behaviour of Associates. . Guarantee of fair treatment Marriott employees feel empowered because they know that fair treatment is a cornerstone of the Organisation’s philosophy. This is what J W Marriott, Jr, current Chairman and CEO has to say, â€Å"I want our Associates to know that there really is a guy named Marriott who cares about them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bill, as he is affectionately called, makes sure these are not empty words. Each manager has to give an undertaking of fair treatment. There is a process of escalation of employee grievances (Speak Out process), right up to him. Indeed, as the current HR Manager found out, getting a call from Bill’s office to enquire about an employee grievance is not surprising. Considering that Marriott employs over 150,000 employees globally, this is a strong example of the emphasis placed on fair treatment. And for employees too shy to write to Bill, there is always the option of anonymously calling up the Integrity hotline, a 24 by 7 toll free number. As one employee commented, â€Å"A very unique thing in this place is the work culture. I think all Associates are treated equally. At an individual level there are differences but no one turns their back when someone actually needs help. † 4. Communication If fairness ensures that employees are not penalised for doing the right thing, communication processes are what ensures that employees know what the right thing is. This is what Bill Marriott says in his blog (http://www. blogs. marriott. com), â€Å"Many years ago, Marriott did something revolutionary at the time for hotels. We not only began asking guests about their stays, what they liked and didn't like, but we also took that information and created databases and tracking mechanisms so we knew how each hotel was doing. Marriott is the only hotel I know of which has a daily newspaper, called the Daily Packet. The Daily Packet is a communication tool which comprises of the Hospitality Basic of the Day, Events for the day, Daily Birthdays, Special guest recognition of associate efforts, HR eye opener for the day, Daily occupancy rate, etc.  ©Great P lace to work ® Institute,India So the chances are the Associate who offered the bottle of champagne to the customer, did it with the full knowledge of how well the business is doing, and whether she can afford to spend that much on service recovery. An important part of the communication process is the performance communication. Every quarter the GM addresses the associates and shares the Balance Score Card which comprises of the Revenue, Guest Satisfaction Survey results, Turnover rate, Audit Scores etc. The winners for departmental and individual recognitions schemes are awarded during this Quarterly Associates Meeting. This is followed by the department head along with the line manager conducting a quarterly performance review with the Associates. This is to give the Associate feedback and an overview of the last quarter and set his goals and action plan/development for the next quarter. 5. The Marriott way I cannot end an article on Marriott without emphasising their 12 rules of success. Like any other great Organisation (Remember J&J’s Credo), Marriott has defined its 12 rules of success as under: 1. Continually challenge your team to do better. 2. Take good care of your employees and they'll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back. 3. Celebrate your people's success, not your own. . Know what you're good at and mine those competencies for all you're worth. 5. Do it and do it now. Err on the side of taking action. 6. Communicate. Listen to your customers, associates and competitors. 7. See and be seen. Get out of your office, walk around, make yourself visible and accessible. 8. Success is in the details. 9. It's more important to hire people with the right qualities than with specific exper ience. 10. Customer needs may vary, but their bias for quality never does. 11. Eliminate the cause of a mistake. Don't just clean it up. 12. View every problem as an opportunity to grow. The above rules are supported by 20 Basics – basic behaviours that exemplify the above rules. Marriott’s brand beliefs can be summarised in one line as their spirit to serve- their Associates, Customers and Community. In line with the above Marriott have awards for Community Service and Diversity. Do not be surprised if you see hundreds of Marriott employees (joined by enthusiastic guests) descending on Juhu beach to clean it up. They did precisely that. Just as they took care of 26 school kids and many others during Mumbai floods. Great Place to work ® Institute,India I recall visiting a friend of mine in the HR department of a reputed five star hotel in the beginning of my career. The HR department was in the basement. My friend took me to the staff canteen, a dimly lit place where we were served some beaten rice (Poha) from an Aluminium Container, in a steel plate. I was amazed to see the difference between the basement and the other floors. Times have changed. The HR department in Marriott is at the same level as the Reception. And the basement is no less. For Marriott the â€Å"Heart of the Organisation† is as important as the â€Å"Front of the Organisation†. As you walk through the â€Å"Associate Corridor† which is designed to make you proud to be in Marriott, and enter the Associate canteen, you can’t help exclaiming,† Are all restaurants in this hotel as good as the Associate canteen?! † ____________________________________________________________ ____________ The author is CEO of The Great Place to Work ® Institute, India. He can be reached at [email  protected] in Views expressed are personal.  ©Great Place to work ® Institute,India

Behavioral Science in the Armed Forces

Behavioral Science in the Armed Forces Military sociology is the sociological study of the military. It examines issues such as military recruiting, race and gender representation in the military, combat, military families, military social organization, war and peace, and the military as welfare. Military sociology is a relatively minor subfield within the field of sociology. There are few universities that offer courses on military sociology, and only a handful of academic professionals that conduct research and/or write about military sociology. In recent years, most of the studies that can be classified as military sociology have been done by private research institutes or in military agencies, such as the Rand Corporation, the Brookings Institute, the Human Resources Research Organization, the Army Research Institute, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Furthermore, the research teams that conduct these studies are generally interdisciplinary, with researchers from sociology, psychology, political science, economics, and business. This by no means implies that military sociology is a small field. The military is the largest single government agency in the U.S. and the issues addressed surrounding it can have important ramifications for both military policy and the development of sociology as a discipline. The Basis of Service One of the most significant issues in military sociology in the U.S. post-World War II is the shift from drafting to voluntary service. This was a huge change and one whose impact at the time was unknown. Sociologists were and still are interested in how this change affected society, who the individuals were who entered the military voluntarily and why, and whether this change affected the representativeness of the military (for example, are there more uneducated minorities who enter voluntarily than were selected in the draft)? Social Representation and Access Social representation refers to the degree to which the military represents the population from which it has been drawn. Sociologists are interested in who is being represented, why the misrepresentations exist, and how representativeness has changed throughout history. For example, in the Vietnam War era, some civil rights leaders alleged that African Americans were overrepresented in the armed forces and therefore accounted for an unfair amount of casualties. Gender representation also developed as a major concern during the women’s rights movement, generating major policy changes concerning the participation of women in the military. In more recent years, when President Bill Clinton overturned the military ban on gays and lesbians, sexual orientation became the focus of major military policy debate for the first time. This topic has come into the spotlight once again after President Barack Obama repealed the Don’t ask, don’t tell policy so that gays and lesbia ns can now serve openly in the military. Sociology of Combat The study of the sociology of combat deals with the social processes involved in combat units. For example, researchers often study unit cohesion and morale, leader-troop relations, and motivation for combat. Family Issues The proportion of military personnel who are married has increased greatly over the past fifty years, which means there are also more families and family concerns represented in the military. Sociologists are interested in looking at family policy issues, such as the role and rights of military spouses and the issue of child-care when single-parent military members are deployed. Sociologists are also interested in military benefits related to families, like housing improvements, medical insurance, overseas schools, and child care, and how they impact both the families and the larger society. The Military as Welfare Some people argue that one of the military’s roles is to provide the opportunity for occupational and educational advancement to the less advantaged in society. Sociologists are interested in looking at this role of the military, who takes advantage of the opportunities, and whether the training and experience of the military offer any advantages compared to civilian experiences. Social Organization The organization of the military has changed in many ways over the past several decades – from the draft to voluntary enlistment, from combat-intensive jobs to technical and support jobs, and from leadership to rational management. Some people argue that the military is changing from an institution legitimized by normative values to an occupation legitimized by a market orientation. Sociologists are interested in studying these organizational changes and how they impact both those in the military and the rest of society. War and Peace For some, the military is immediately associated with war, and sociologists are certainly interested in examining different aspects of war. For example, what are the consequences of war for societal change? What are the sociological impacts of war, both at home and abroad? How does war lead to policy changes and shape the peace of a nation?

Management at SOL

Management at SOL Overview SOL is a cleaning service based in Finland. It can be described as one of the high-technology companies in the world. It was founded in 1992 by Joronen. SOL offers security services, cleaning services, domestic services, and facility services. The supervisors together with the employees make their own budget and other plans for the company.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Management at SOL specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Their activities have been computerized to make their work easier and they can work anywhere using their laptops and phones. This paper will discuss management functions in relation to SOL, describe it as an â€Å"old workplace† and also give an analysis of its efficiencies and effectiveness. Functions of Management There is no business that does not have a manager, be it a salon, a petrol station, cleaning service and the list is endless. All managers in all forms of businesses perf orm similar functions, which are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. All these functions are important and organization cannot perform properly if any of them is missing. The foremost function is planning; a manager has the responsibility of determining an organizations goals and devising ways of achieving them (Erven, 2009). When we look at SOL, this is quite evident since the 135 supervisors have been vested with the power to open up new studios in areas of their choice as long as they will be profitable to the business. Each supervisor preside over 50 cleaners and they work together. They work with targets which are normally set beyond the normal operations but they have to be realistic and achievable. The second component of management is organizing; managers have the responsibility of organizing personnel as well as the companies’ resources. They have to know the exact number of employees required for a particular shift and equip them with the required skills (Pakhare, 2010). SOL managers/supervisors have been able to achieve this as their employees have to go through the seven modules of training that normally take 28 months before they can be allowed to work for the company. On top of the normal training, SOL employees are enlightened on time management, customer care skills, and budgeting. There is a difference between leading and managing. The work of manager is to manage employees and ensure that tasks are completed in a timely manner. On the other hand, it is the duty of employees to follow the orders of the manager simply because he is the one in-charge.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A leader is a person who is able to motivate employees in achieving the company’s goals. In most cases, the manager acts as the leader. At SOL, the supervisors acts as both managers and leaders; they allocate duties to thei r employees and at the same time motivate them through involving them in the decision making process where they discuss their targets and ways of achieving them. Managers have a responsibility of monitoring the company’s performance to ensure that the objectives are met. They should always make sure that cost does not exceed the company’s performance (Pakhare, 2010). SOL as an â€Å"old workplace† I would evaluate SOL as an old workplace that has been upgraded to meet the current customer needs. It is a high technology company that has evolved over along period of time to become what it is today. At the time when it was launched (1992), it was just an ordinary company. However, it has taken another angle to prove that, cleaning is not an inferior career but a career like any other. Joronen has dedicated her life to her company to make it what it is today. She used her intelligence and knowledge to transform what was formally known as an illiterate person’ s work to a professional work. SOL Company uses high technology and advanced equipment in its operation. It has been able to attract both local and international customers due to its efficient services. At SOL, there is no discrimination and employees can clean all sorts of mess ranging from the hospitals, vegetable stores, executive offices, and the list is endless. Joronen is a good manager who understands customers needs and looks for ways of satisfying them through training her employees. She understands that, an unhappy customer can lead to a decline in performance since she is likely to tell about ten people. SOL innovativeness is facilitated by the use of decentralized structures where supervisors are allowed to experiment new services. An effective procedure is followed in order to establish new and attractive ideas for the success of the company. SOL’s superior marketing strategy complements its mission statement and has seen its services being well positioned in the market. The company’s reputable brand name is a source of competitive advantage as it lures customer traffic. SOL’s low cost strategy offers are also an effective marketing tool.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Management at SOL specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In order to enhance its uniqueness and competitive advantage, SOL has reconfigured its value chain through horizontal and vertical integration (Daft, 2009). It has developed a core competency in its patented software technology, which not only provides an efficient link between the company’s value creating activities, but also boosts business efficiency through speedy transactions and fulfilment services with reduced margin of error. SOL’s Efficiency and Effectiveness SOL efficiency roots from it’s compete Human resources who ensure growth and development through innovation and creativity. It is headed by competent supervis ors. Its human resources can be described using the following: Human resources is composed of talented personnel Upon appointment they go through a training process Workforce planning-organization of staff Team empowerment nurtures a culture of innovation. Skills management fits in with frugality value. Employees are motivated to think and act like owners Utilizing independent contractors and temporary personnel tallies with seasonality of business Strong leadership is the cornerstone of any organisation’s success and SOL is no different. Supervisors’ direct involvement in the day to day running of the company, particularly the organisation of teams, fosters an informal top management style, which promotes upward feedback and effective deployment of human resources according to proficiency. SOL has realised a high turnover growth which offsets its low profit margins and enables sustainability of the cooperation’s price-based competitive advantage. In addition to reinvestment of margins, SOL has achieved differentiation through its services as well as imperfect mobility of its brand name, which is inimitable. Hence, SOL enjoys market dominance and first mover advantages through technological innovations (Brewer, 2010). From its initial existence, it has developed its strategy through; Market Penetration, Consolidation, service development, Market development and related diversification. It has therefore capitalised on its core competencies through vertical integration, horizontal, and geographical diversification. In line with its marketing strategy, SOL uses products that are environmental friendly with the aim of conserving the natural resources. The employees understand their ethical responsibility to the community and they always aim at satisfying their customers as well as being environmental friendly (SOL website, 2009). The internal expansion focused on improved services for existing customers and new markets. This has generated (a dditional) value into SOL’s existing business thus increased competitive advantage. Reference List Brewer, D. (2010). Management efficiency effectiveness and economy Web.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Daft, R.L. (2009). Organization Theory and Design. Cengage Learning, Wiley and Sons. Erven, B. L. (2009). The five functions of management. Ohio State University Extension Web. Pakhare, J. (2010). Management Concepts- The four functions of management Web. SOL website (2009). Sunny SOL at your service Web.