Enron Case Study Summary

Enron Case Study The case of Enron is a fascinating one. United States is a country where auditing and accounting principles are so strong. How can something take place on such high level in the United States? The Enron case demonstrates the need to reform the accounting and corporate governance practices in the United States. Moreover, the Enron case made government officials to pay close attention to deregulated energy market. Some of the aspects that struck me are discussed below. One of the aspects that struck me was the vision of the top management.Enron was in the business of energy, but Kenneth Lay built management team of MBAs, not individuals specialized in gas and energy field. My view is that top management has to have a clear vision. It seemed that Kenneth Lay vision of the company was distorted. Enron transformed from an energy company into an investment company. Hence, the management team was comprised of traders and investment bankers who had very little knowledge of t he energy business. As the business model of Enron changed so did the corporate culture. The culture was â€Å"Get it done. Get it done now. Reap the rewards. The new business was the buying and selling of commodities. The employees were rewarded for business deals regardless of long-term consequences. I feel this kind of reward system is not beneficial to companies; it is very short-term view of business. Moreover, analysts were derided when they asked questions about the earnings-report. These actions points that the corporate culture was of Enron was disruptive. This raises the questions on the role of boards of directors. It seems like the boards of directors of Enron had very little knowledge about the activities of Fastow and Lay.It’s interesting that the boards of directors had so little knowledge of thing happening in the company. The takeaway from this is that boards of directors should pay close attention to the management behavior and money generating strategies. The boards of directors need to take active participation in company not only when things are bad, but also when things are good. Another aspect was the business practices of the Arthur Andersen firm. It’s shocking to see one of the most prestige firms to engage in such a big fraud. The firm played a role of not only as an auditor, but also as a consultant for Enron.The conflict of interest was sure to take place. The firm saw the opportunity to make money by hiding Enron’s financial information. Basically, the firm helped Enron to cook books. I believe that some executives of Andersen firm were driven by greed and lack of ethical sense that made them act in a fraudulent activities. Moreover, it seems that Andersen had weak internal control in terms of auditing. The practices of this firm raised questions about the accounting and auditing system of the United States. The congress was quick to repond by adopting set of reforms.For example, the Sarbanes-Oxley bill was pa ssed to reform the accounting and auditing industries. The important part of the bill was the separation of roles: the separation of consulting and audit business. Yet, another aspect was the impact on the economy, particularly the energy industry. This was interesting because it shows how Enron impacted the economy and business environment. The financing for energy companies dried up because of Enron scandal. As a result of limited financing options, many companies went bankrupt. The confidence of investors was shaken. Many investors hesitated to invest in energy corporations.I believe that the Enron incident encouraged many analysts and investors to question the financial reporting and long term money making strategies of companies. Furthermore, the professional corruption also struck me. The management used financial cleverness as a financial strategy. The recording of assets and profits that were inflated or non-existent showed professional corruption. Additionally, the involvem ent in dishonest accounting practices was just too much. Moreover, the interviews for recruitment took place in strip clubs. The whole corporate culture was somewhat corrupted.The aspect that jumped out from the case was the relentless pursuit of profits. Yes, the main goal of any business is to make profit, but social values should be kept in mind. I believe that the compensation system at Enron was also to blame. People involved in the scandal were making huge sum of money. The intriguing aspect in this case was how Fastow was able to create special purpose entities (SPE). Fastow was creating these SPEs to segregate financial activities from Enron’s balance sheet. The SPEs provided Enron a way to move debt from the balance sheet so the credit rating could remain high.The commodities swapping mechanism required high credit rating. The SPEs allowed Enron to disguise debt and loss as revenue. Enron deceived investor and creditors. Furthermore, Enron invested in other companies . Once the investments began to show losses, they were transferred to SPEs. This method allowed the sale of investment to SPEs. Hence, the sale of investment was shown as gain to Enron. Another interesting fact was that analysts didn’t raise red any flags. I am sure that many analysts recommended the buying of Enron stocks. This scandal made investors and analysts more cautious.Analysts and investors began to ask questions: 1) how does company make money? 2) Can company sustain strategy over the long term? Basically, the laws got strict and analysts were more observant. These are some of the aspects that were intriguing to me or struck me. The case of Enron will continue to be a lesson in ethics and corporate responsibility. The government agencies should not relax and should make sure that industries are regulated when it comes to reporting financial information. The incident of Arthur Andersen serves as an example for other accounting firms.

Report on Intelligence and link to Gender

In my study I am traveling to speak about intelligence: specifying the word intelligence, IQ proving and theoreticians work on intelligence, if there is any grounds linked with gender differences in intelligence. I will include possible factors that may impact gender differences in intelligence for case environmental and biological factors. The methods I will utilize to acquire grounds for this study are as follows ; I will utilize books on what theoreticians findings are on this topic, use the cyberspace and diaries. The intent of this survey is to happen out, if there are any possible differences between gender, and associating this to intelligence. Encarta dictionary definition of intelligence ‘is the ability to larn facts and accomplishments and use them ‘ . Deary ‘s ( 2001, p.17 ) definition of intelligence ‘is a really general mental capableness that, among other things, involves the ability to ground, program, work out jobs, think abstractly, comprehend complex thoughts, learn rapidly and larn from experience ‘ . Galton ‘s familial mastermind is to make with the different degrees of intelligence measured by familial factors. Galton thought that higher intelligence was being passed down to kids. Day, Macaskill, & A ; Maltby ( 2007 p.258 ) province that ‘intelligent people show the ability to react to the big scope of information gained through their senses ‘ . So the 5 senses of the human organic structure are critical such as odor, gustatory sensation, hearing, sight and touch because this will find how intelligent a individual may be, if they do non utilize their senses right, the individual will hold less intelligence than those who can for case, a individual does non cognize the difference between Sweet and salty. A babe ‘s gustatory sensation and odor buds are really good because, the babe will cognize when it is clip for dinner by utilizing their odor sense. Babies use gustatory sensation buds go od because when my brother was younger he would prefer to eat the sweet nutrient instead than the salt nutrient, it would take him longer to eat the salty nutrient, on the other manus when eating the sweet nutrient it wo n't take every bit long as the salt nutrient. Cattell ‘s mental trial is to make with mensurating a individual ‘s intelligence through hearing and weight these experiments were carried out utilizing the psychometric theoretical account. Problems with this experiment Chamorro – premuzic ( 2007, p. 67 ) examined this and suggested that ‘ therefore, most of the variables he measured were more â€Å" elemental † than â€Å" mental † , and referred to really basic cognitive procedures that are now known to be related to intelligence ‘ . From this remark you can see that the experiment he did was more on the indispensable side of things such as how good child can hear and non based on mental accomplishments such as numeracy, jo bs work outing or literacy. The IQ trial was developed by two Gallic scientists, Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon, the intent of the trial was to measure kids at school so that stupid kids or kids with behavioral troubles could have equal and appropriate instruction. IQ proving is to make with mensurating your intelligence for illustration comprehension, job resolution and concluding accomplishments. Criticisms of IQ proving are as follows they do non accurately step intelligence, and everyone has different strengths and failings in different countries of intelligence, such as person could be good at job resolution, but have a failing in concluding accomplishments and another individual could be good at concluding accomplishments and non really good on job resolution. Howard Gardner ( multiple intelligence theory ) he put together eight different intelligence trials which were Linguistic, Logical-mathematical, Spatial, Bodily-kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and Nat uralist. Criticism of the Theory like many theories environing intelligence, Gardner ‘s theory of multiple intelligences is controversial and widely criticised. In peculiar, there is uncertainty over his deficiency observed informations – many feel that the 8 ‘intelligences ‘ are merely alternate names for specific endowments or even personality types. Methodology I have used books, the cyberspace and diaries to roll up my informations. This method of researching is called secondary research. Secondary research is the usage of stuff, which has been researched by person else. The different research methods for secondary research are as follows: engineering based and instance surveies. Technology based research is to make with researching from the computing machine to acquire your information, which has a batch of benefits such as the cyberspace provides on-line libraries ; e-books, diaries and encyclopedia. The chief electronic databases I have used for my research were as follows Psycinfo, Psychology & A ; Behavioural Sciences Collection and British ED index. The cardinal read was based on, intelligence and gender differences and how the hunt found a figure of diaries, but some were irrelevant, to what I was looking for. You can download information off the Internet but make certain it is copyright free. Search engines aid you through the mass of information on the Internet two most popular hunt engines are yahoo and google etc ; besides on the cyberspace you can seek for newspaper articles. Case surveies published by other research workers can be used as secondary footing of informations. There is a batch of ways you can utilize them such as identify differences and discuss comparings. I did non utilize primary research because this is to make with transporting out your ain research. The different research methods for primary research are interviews, experiments, questionnaires and observations etc. I did n't utilize this method because I did n't hold adequate clip to make this if I did I would hold done questionnaires to acquire my findings. Literature reappraisal There has been a batch of work done on intelligence and how this is linked to gender differences. Alan Feingold ( 1988 ) examined sex differences for spelling, verbal logical thinking, numerical ability, spacial relationship and linguistic communication and many more. Another individual who studied this was Larry Hedges and Amy Nowell ( 1995 ) , who looked at reading comprehension, vocabulary, mathematics, scientific discipline and spacial ability ( which is to make with the ability to retrieve things by looking at objects and retrieving them ) . Maccoby and Jacklin ( 1974 ) suggested that work forces on norm do better on trials of spacial ability than adult females do. Supporting this ( Feingold, 1988 ; Hedges & A ; Nowell, 1995 ) who have done surveies on spacial trials have proven this hypothesis. In contrast ( Feingold, 1988 ; Hedges & A ; Nowell, 1995 ) have similarities in their experiments for illustration they both tested numeracy accomplishments and literacy accomplishments. On the other manus adult females do better on reading comprehension and vocabulary than work forces do. APA study province that ‘some verbal undertakings show significant average differences favoring females. These include synonym coevals and verbal eloquence ( e.g. calling words that start with a given missive ) , with consequence size runing from d= 0.5 to 1.2 ( Gordon & A ; Lee, 1986 ; Hines 1990 ) ‘ . Males have larger encephalons than females and encephalon size is positively correlated with intelligence. Among kids up to the age of around 14 yr the sex differences are smaller because misss mature earlier than male childs. Work done by Lubinski and Humphreys ( 1990 ) found that the criterion of divergence for males to be 7 per centum larger than for females. It has besides been hypothesised that work forces ‘s higher IQ mark may be direct effect of their larger encephalon sizes, a claim that has been backed up by consistent grounds of correlativities in the p art of.30 between encephalon size and IQ tonss ( Rushton & A ; Ackney 1996 ) . Macintosh ( 2007, p. 184 ) provinces that ‘ the critics would hold been better advised to oppugn whether one can do reasonable illations about differences in IQ between groups from grounds of their differences in the encephalon plus grounds of a within-group correlativity between encephalon size and IQ ‘ . Environmental factor impacting intelligence environmental factors play a big function in finding IQ in certain state of affairss. Malnutrition correlates with lower IQ, proposing that proper nutrition in childhood is critical for cognitive development. ( Cole, 2000:26 ) Even before kids go to school their parents will handle a male child and girl really different. Even in society throughout history this has occurred. A batch of research has gone into this ; your gender is an issue from the minute you are born. Automatically society will state how a miss will act and how a male child will act . If it is a male child, oh he ‘s like that because he ‘s a male child and boys ever take longer to hold on it. The thought that intelligence and personality are mostly inherited has of import educational deductions. Environmental factors, e.g. household experiences, upbringing and schooling play a major function. ( Chamorro-Premuzic, 2008:99 ) . Biological factor impacting intelligence are as follows encephalon size, encephalon operation and testosterone. Testosterone is to make with males endocrines these are substances that travel around the human organic structure to consequence physiological activity, such as growing and metamorphosis Maltby et Al ( 2007, p.360 ) . Consequences or findings The figure below is from Hines ( 2003 ) and shows the magnitudes of some well-known sex differences in human behavior compared to the magnitude of the sex difference in tallness. hypertext transfer protocol: //sexes.martinsewell.com/Hines2003-1-1.png This graph shows that work forces do good in 3-D rotary motion 0.8 divergence units, maths job 0.3 divergence units, maths concept 0.1 divergence units which non much because the consequence size is little. On the other manus this graph shows that verbal eloquence is low in male childs than misss because vitamin D is a negative figure, which shows -0.3 on the graph. This tabular array shows the spread in 1989 was merely 6 % but 10yrs later it had increased to 10 % . It is suggested by S. Ball ( 2008 ) that this spread is an overall statistic and non capable particular he suggests that in 2004 the divergences of this spread was merely 1 % and that in some topics boys achieve better consequences than misss therefore it is non valid to state that all male childs or all misss achieve less in Gcse degrees Discussion The of import issues that I have found are that male childs have bigger encephalon sizes than misss, which is linked to better IQ trial tonss for male childs than misss. Another issue that I found is that male childs tend to make better on spacial accomplishments ; they find mathematics and scientific discipline more interesting to larn about. But on the other manus misss to break on verbal, comprehension and vocabulary accomplishments than male childs do. The importance of this survey was to happen out ; if there were any differences between genders in intelligence besides I was interested in happening this out so I undertook my research study on this topic. During the procedure of garnering the information, it was really interesting to happen out that work forces have bigger encephalons than adult females, which gives them better IQ mark than adult females. Decisions and recommendations The intent of this survey is to happen out, if there are any possible differences between gender, and associating this to intelligence. From making my research in this field, I have found that there is non much difference between male and females and theoreticians have backed this statement up for many old ages. Neisser 1996 province that ‘most standard trials of intelligence have been constructed so that there are no overall mark differences between females and males ‘ . The chief issues that affect intelligence in gender: Boys do better on spacial trials than misss ; in contrast to this misss do better in verbal, comprehension and vocabulary accomplishments. Brain size of males is bigger than females encephalon size which consequences in work forces acquiring better IQ tonss than adult females. If I carry out this survey once more, I would do betterments to the research I have done, by making my ain research in this field to see what consequences I get from making this, I can make this by transporting out questionnaires on IQ. Another manner I could better my research is inquiring people to take the IQ trial. With these consequences I can compare them to one another, to happen out if there are any possible differences.

Harley Davidson Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Harley Davidson Report - Essay Example The customers of Harley Davidson attend events like posse rider mainly because of the attachment they have with Harley Davidson. It is quite possible that if Harley Davidson name is not attached to these events the outcome of these events might very well be decreased. Moreover, these events provide Harley Davidson an opportunity to market their products in a much more convenient and economical manner. These events put Harley Davidson closer to its customers strengthening the bond they share. Strong customer relationships are maintained and this allows new customers to be targeted as well. When the customer of Harley Davidson even share their experience with others, the prospective customers may have a positive image of the brand and they may also value the relationship that the brand has with its customers via the arrangement of such an event. So, it is recommended that they should continue sponsoring Posse Rider event as it seems a profitable investment. Answer The Posse Ride has been profitable for Harley Davidson but the true potential of the event is still to be realized. To fulfill its true potential the strategic heads need to make few alterations to it so that it becomes unavoidable to organize. A well thought out structure of the event needs to be planned. The first step could be to go back to the basics and identify what mistakes had been made in the past. A proper research work will help in the right preparation for the event. Another step they can take is to offer new deals and packages in an effort to increase the worth of the event. A good route to the coast can be selected that will allow riders to enjoy the event and trust the brand's management towards event organizing. The event may add more segments to it which could attract more audience towards it. Lastly, the promotional strategy should be designed carefully.  Ã‚  

Transnational Corporation Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Transnational Corporation - Article Example P&G is no exception .It has launched a systematic expansion strategy in such foreign markets to acquire a truly international hue. This paper addresses the issue of globalization of P&G and explores the details of the strategy adopted by P&G within the framework of an examination of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. P&G is a US company and has its main office in Cincinnati; USA.P&G is one of the largest manufacturers of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) in the world. P&G enjoys a noticeable proportion of market share in numerous product categories: beauty care (Pantene, Olay, Cover Girl), paper goods (Bounty, Charmin, Pampers), food and beverages (Folgers, Pringles, Duncan Hines), laundry and cleaning (Tide, Cascade, Dawn), and health care (Crest, Scope, Metamucil). A literature piece in the Fortune Europe edition (April 17th, 2006) reported that Procter & Gamble ( ranked number 24 in the Fortune 500 list) had as many as 22 brands in its stable with each exceeding 1$ billion in sales. P&G had acquired 5 of these brands during the course of its $61 billion acquisition of Gillette (which was acknowledged as the largest merger of the year 2005). The strength and size of P&G was conclusively certified by ACNielsen, which surveyed and found that 99% of U.S. households use one or the other P&G produc t. P& G completed the acquisition of The Gillette Company for approximately $53.43 billion on October 1, 2005. At that point of time Gillette was the leading consumer products company that had $10.48 billion of sales in its most recent pre-acquisition year ended December 31, 2004. (Annual Report 2006). Theory behind the strategy of Globalization Dunning (1981) posits that three conditions need be met concurrently in order to initiate an FDI decision. The investing organization should derive both an ownership (O) advantage and an internalization (I) advantage, as the foreign market presents a clearly calculated and reckoned locational (L) advantage. P&G has been carefully vetting all three in its strategy for globalization. Globalization has brought about intense competition for global markets amongst the major multinational companies. These companies have been looking outwards to reorient their organizational structures and strategies to capture the global markets by positioning their products strategically. A recent study of the US and European companies revealed that 75 percent were taking up the above strategic reorganization in order to stay competitive and staying competitive was considered the single most important external issue on their agenda. Past experiences have shown that poor planning further embattled by rudi mentary understanding of the cultural aspects of the global market places had ruined the huge marketing campaigns of even the multinational companies. Coke CEO stated," Coke has had to come to terms with a conflicting reality. In many parts of the world, consumers have become pickier, more

MGT230 question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MGT230 question - Assignment Example However, any motives could be considered universally defensible because people act rationally. This means that since whistle-blowing is a rational choice, then one can substantially universally defend it as a good act or choice. Thus, this is a means to an end, because Kantian theory argues that people act something because that is the rational thing to do. Whistle-blowing could be a way to solve conflict or expose the truth for the benefit of every concerned. This makes this act a means to achieving the desired end. The end, which is the output of a rational choice, would still remain universally defensible because it is part of the rational choice itself. Considering that people act on rational motives, then the rational thing to do is act on duty. Knowing that whistle-blowing is a rational choice, then doing so is acting on duty or on the basis of a good will. Thus, it is clear therefore that Kantian ethics finds whistle-blowing ethical, as far as it is acted on duty, a rational c hoice or a means to an end. 5. Is it unrealistic to imagine that there will be no sexual interaction between individuals in the workplace? Why/why not? Can a policy that prevents workmates from having an intimate relationship be morally justified? Then provide your reasoning (e,g, if you argue that it is unreasonable, you might argue that owing to long working hours, many people do not have very much time to socialize outside of their workplace and/or that when individuals work together closely, it is natural for bonds to form. If you argue that it is reasonable, provide your reasoning e.g. adults should be able to control themselves in the workplace, if they are aware of the rules, they should either comply or find alternative employment - there are plenty of other arguments for/against the premise of the question). Finally, answer the last part of the question –

WEB SITE RESEARCH PROJECT (US History) Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WEB SITE PROJECT (US History) - Research Paper Example An influential American artist during that time was Jackson Pollock. It was in the middle of the 1940s when Pollock introduced his drip method which immediately attracted the attention of the American public since it was unconventional. The drip method defied the conventional use of the easel for painting, instead, stick and stiff brushes were used by Pollock. The drip method of painting can be considered as the origin of action painting which is popularly held annually is public museums. Moreover, Pollock painted on the floor, not in the traditional upright position. Again, he was making a statement, trying to defy the traditional method practiced during his time. It can also be inferred from the presentation that Pollack achieved cult status since he was credited for changing the face of art through American methods. The website chosen is an article about Jackson Pollock. This article was chosen over other websites since it portrays and analyzes not only the works of the man but the man himself too.The article titled â€Å" Last Dance† is an art review of the works done by Pollock throughout his career. It was titled â€Å"Last Dance† since the critic sees Pollock as a graceful dancer when executing his paintings. As Haber claims â€Å"He laid it on with care, in dabs of black and skeins of intense color. He let it run off as he circled a canvas, as if it flowed from the motion of his body† ( paragraph 1 ). This article highlights Pollock’s genius in combining murals and drama as expressed by the use of Cubism, similar to that of Mexican muralists. After criticizing Pollock’s self-portrait, the critic then narrates the interesting and exciting journeys of Pollock into his life as an artist. The critic considers Pollock a rebel in expressing Abstract Art through his ( Pollock’s) extensive use of drippings that seem to be random but would converge later and produce a work of Art. In fact Haber’s critic

MGMT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

MGMT - Assignment Example I am aware that the base of power of my professor is legitimate and I only have to accept that fact. This knowledge also prompts me to submit to my professor’s demands in the hope that a reward would be given, in my case, good grades. Aside from using rational persuasion, I would also be using consultation since this shows my respect for my professor’s authority. This is the very reason why I intend to make an appointment for consultation so I can relay my case on a personal basis. After the professor agrees, I intend to resort to exchange. I would promise that I would do my best in coming up with a good paper since I was given the extension period. Soft tactics are really better than hard tactics since coercion or threat can result to conflicts especially when both sides have equal power. By using soft tactics, a person can utilize positive values and try to find ways that are creative and considerate to both parties. It must be a win-win situation for both sides. Also the party with less authority must learn to respect a higher authority. Also, a personal base of power presents the interesting personal side of the student that a professor can harness for worthwhile

Dispencing a contraceptive pills for minors without parental Research Proposal

Dispencing a contraceptive pills for minors without parental permission - Research Proposal Example Providing access to contraceptive pills has its pros and cons. It can be considered a good thing as it reduces the risk of pregnancy, however at the same time if parents do not know about their child’s activities it can be harmful to the child in the future. Taking contraceptive pills can have long term effects like hypertension and abnormalities in glucose tolerance. In my research I propose to answer question as whether parental control is necessary or not for the provision of contraceptive pills. During I research I came across several journals and articles which answer my questions. Article like ‘Adolescent Contraception’ by Rochelle A. Turetsky, M.D., Victor C. Strasburger, M.D., and ‘Fertility Effects of Abortion and Birth Control Pill Access for Minors’ by Melanie Guldi are some of the articles which talk about the different options available for contraception. These articles also discuss the laws related to confidentiality and access to contraceptive pills to minors. In my research I have used these articles and many others to help me provide strong argument for my

Medical school application essay statements Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Medical school application statements - Essay Example My job was to advocate for the organization at government hearings to increase education-related funding for neighborhoods. I also volunteered as an advisor for one of its subgroups, Entre Nuestras Familias, which is geared towards educating high school students in sexual-education and unplanned pregnancy prevention. Finally, my thesis compelled extensive reading research under the supervision of Dr.Ptak of Harvard medical school. It was founded on existing research where I proposed an alternative medication to patients who underwent Mitral valve replacement by inhibiting harmful side effects. By labeling ferromagnetic nano-particles with medication such as anti-coagulants and injecting them in to the blood stream, the drugs can be isolated within the heart by magnetic targeting and drug levels can be maintained at low levels throughout the body.  My volunteer experiences provided me the opportunity to make a difference in a few small communities and hopefully the right direction t o my future as a physician.  And my thesis equipped me with the technical and mental diligence imperative of a medical student. I chose to discuss these elements of my CV because I believe they best demonstrate my zeal for medicine, devotion to help people and dedication to improve

Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness Essay Example for Free

Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness Essay Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness has foreshadowing that adds a lot of suspense throughout the book. Conrad used foreshadowing through minor details that are not clearly stated and are to be interpreted as the book continues. The setting of the bookon a small sailing craft on a river as night fallsand Marlows comparison, by implication, of the dark heart of Africa (the Belgian Congo) and the barbarian darkness on the northern fringes of the Roman Empire, both are examples of irony and foreshadowing. In the beginning Marlow is remembering what it may have been like to be a young Roman conqueror exploring through the jungle. He would have had to deal with â€Å"†¦cold, fog, tempests, disease, exile, and death† Marlow mentions how the soldier would have had a â€Å"fascination of the abomination† . Later in the book this same fascination overcame Kurtz after his long time in the Congo, â€Å"he hates sometimes the idea of being taken away† . Even when Marlow finds Kurtz, he can’t â€Å"break the spell – the heavy mute spell of the wilderness – that seemed to draw him to its pitiless breast by the awakening of forgotten and brutal instincts† When Marlow begins to share his story about an earlier sea voyage, he shares with his fellow mates a story about how one of their captains was killed because of a fight that arose over two black hens. Fresleven, one of the men in the fight, began to beat a native because of his desire for the hen. The native’s son broke up the fight and â€Å"made a tentative jab with a spear at the white man – and of course it went quite easy between the shoulder blades† . Marlow then takes Fresleven’s job as captain of the ship, stepping into his shoes. Later on in the book when Marlow’s ship is under a light attack, his helmsman was speared through the ribs, causing him to die. Blood filled Marlow’s shoes, and he threw them overboard. This is an example of foreshadowing, because Marlow fills Fresleven’s shoes without realizing the full extent of the job. It also an example of irony, because when Fresleven, a nice white man is killed, nobody was shaken, yet when the savage was speared Marlow was full of regret. Another example of irony is that Africa is constantly being described as a dark and gloomy place in the novel, but the Europeans are the ones that actually have the dark hearts. The Africans only get violent because they want to keep their culture alive, and the Europeans are willing to throw that away as long as they earn a profit. The only reason the Europeans wanted to invade Africa was for commercial benefits, and that is dark Another example of foreshadowing is the two women knitting black wool outside the office Marlow visited before he went on his journey. The color black often appears to Marlow when he is headed for trouble.. The women were sitting outside, drawing in unsuspecting youth ready for adventure, yet unaware of the danger ahead. Later in the book when Marlow is following Kurtz into the dark, dangerous forest, he reflects that â€Å"the knitting old women with the cat obtruded herself upon my memory as a most improper person to be sitting at the other end of such an affair† . Conrad used irony and foreshadowing by describing the different scenes in a very dark tone that when looking back at them after certain events happen in the book show the way that specific narration such ,as the lady’s knitting black wool, links to the events following it.

Marketing Plan for Soft Drink Company

Marketing Plan for Soft Drink Company This report will serve as a marketing plan to introduce an innovative Orange drink by the name of Orangee in the UK market. Orangee would be a revolution in the beverage industry of UK as the proposed market plan is covering all aspects of the marketing such as the target customers, current market situation and preferences of people. This report will draft out various marketing strategies and market analysis of the competitors and prospect of the launching of this drink in the UK market. The proposed marketing strategies are strong enough to raise Orangee market size up to 1 million people and a forecasted sale of up to 5 million pounds yearly. Further, the quality of product would be of utmost importance. This will help a great deal in order to consider the product for export at a later time which will definitely shoot up the profits considerably. Export potential will be considered in Eastern Europe where there is a slump in the beverage industry. Several beverage companies in Eastern Europe have failed to address the demands of the local customers so there is a huge opportunity there to excel the drink which could be a part of our business provided the type of response we get in UK after the launch of the drink. Orangee Introduction: Orangee will be a bottled orange drink with Orange colour used as the main theme for the packaging to make it attractive and also for the promotion of the drink. The concentration of pure oranges in drink will be more than 90 percent with fractional artificial flavours and taste enhancers to make the drink more striking to the consumers. Further, the drink price will be economical and easily affordable for the majority of the people in UK. For the purpose of initial testing of the market, the introductory price of Orangee would be fractionally lower than its competitors. After the response of the market, the new price would then be introduced. With comparing it with some of the orange juice competitors like Nestle Orange juice, Tropicana Orange Juice; Orangee will prove itself as the best budget drink with high quality and low price. Target Market: Thorough market research and deep analysis is instrumental in hitting your target market with a bang. Factors such as market trends, buyers intentions, statistical demand analysis, test marketing etc are critical in determining the sale potential. Target market can be more than one and different marketing strategies need to be applied for the different target markets as according to William M. Pride (2009) a firm uses one marketing mix to reach one target market and a separate one for the other. For the case of Orangee, no specific demographic market was chosen. Instead our goal is to develop the product to be used by consumers of both genders and all ages, from infants to seniors. It is attended to be launch as a family product in order to give them an alternative for other sub-standard or expensive Orange juices. Marketing Tools and Techniques: Most of the businessmen at the initial stage of launching their product are a bit hesitant in spending lavishly on the marketing but nothing could be further from the truth. Proper product marketing is very critical and to have a defensive approach for that could almost certainly doom the product to failure. According to Sylva-Michele Sternkopf (2005: 107) majority of the companies interviewed for marketing tools stated that their increased profits reflects the importance of their marketing tools. So, this shows the importance and relevance of marketing tools for businesses to run successfully. Following are the marketing tools that will be incurred for the marketing of Orangee: Well Structured and Comprehensive Website As Orangee has a fair bit of budget as mentioned above, so nothing can be as good as a well designed website. It will be a first impression of the company and will be launched a moth before the launching of Orangee to make it popular among customers. It will be a comprehensive site covering all the aspects of the product including its competitors, price, offers etc. The expenses required to build the website would be 1000 pounds and would have 300 pounds for its maintenance each month. Brochures Brochures are yet another effective marketing tool for the purpose of the Orangee marketing. According to Scott C. Gladden (1996: 74) Brochures are the most informative marketing tool which can be used a direct hand-out or a mailer. It is a very inexpensive yet successful way of promoting the product. Brochures will be distributed in busy places like shopping malls, parks, educational institutions, tube stations etc. Newspaper Advertisements The only thing that can be better than cheap publicity is free publicity as newspaper advertisements provides just that. As nothing much the company has to do for it as the newspaper advertisements promotes the product automatically. It is also a very inexpensive marketing tool with effective outcomes. Timely and frequent promotions about Orangee price updates, special offers etc would be given in the best selling newspapers of UK. Television If the sales picks up in the introductory stage, then we can also think about promoting Orangee through television. At the time of launching the product, it can be a bit risky to invoke television for the purpose of marketing for it being the most expensive medium for marketing. Developing Orangee Branding: Branding is a single best buzzword in the marketing industry. Branding basically lays the basis for the marketing success of the product. According to Bill Chiaravalle (2006) Branding makes selling easier and develop a level of trust between the buyer and the company. Branding Philosophy: Branding is the process of changing minds. Just as products are created with hands, the brands are created with mind. For the purpose of promoting Orangee, people can be convinced by Brand awareness like Orangee is Vitamin C enriched or Having Orangee daily is a great way of strengthening body resistance etc. For the branding of Orangee, the tag line we are going to use will be OrangeE: Squeezed just the way you want. This tag line relates a lot with the product and will be used almost everywhere where the product is promoted like on the website, brochures, newspaper advertisements. Logo highlights the product branding part and so is for Orangee nevertheless. Logo of Orangee will set the overall impression of the product on the customers. A ripe orange in the partially squeezed form will be the logo for Orangee and would somehow relate with the above mentioned tagline also. Orangee Life Cycle: According to Anselmi Immonen (2008: 9) Product life cycle refers to a concept and a set of systematic phases that attempts to control the product information previously described. Product life cycle analysis of our product and other related products helps in identifying different loopholes in our product. Following are the key phases of Orangee life cycle: Growing: Material used to make fertilizers and pesticides. Fuel needed to set up the soil for planting. Watering in order to nourish the orange trees. Harvesting: Fuel to operate the harvesting equipment and delivering oranges to the processing premises. Processing: Equipment and Man-power needed to produce the orange juice. Water needed for washing and preparing orange juice. Usage of additives like sugar, taste enhancers etc Packaging: Materials and energy used for preparing Orangee juice containers and packing boxes. Distribution: Fuel required for transporting Orangee to stores. Retail: Electricity requirement in stores for refrigerating Orangee. Disposal: Fuel to transfer the wasted containers to the waste-yard or recycling place. Comparison of Orangee with Nestle Product Life Cycle: Nestle Orange juice is market pioneer and at the time of its introduction, its profits were negative. It was mainly due to the reason of its low sales and high distribution and promotion expenses. The other reason for its bad launching was its unawareness in the rural areas. But later on during the growth stage of Nestle life cycle, its profits sky rocketed by their effective promotion and formulating of new price strategies. And until now till its maturity, Nestle has sustained itself as standard orange juice providers and are a tough competitor for Orangee to compete with.

Mankinds Evil Exposed in Lord of the Flies Essay -- Lord of the Flies

Mankind's Evil Exposed in Lord of the Flies        Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite the progression of civilization and society's attempts to suppress man's darker side, moral depravity proves both indestructible and inescapable; contrary to culturally embraced views of humanistic tendencies towards goodness, each individual is susceptible to his base, innate instincts. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, seemingly innocent schoolboys evolve into bloodthirsty savages as the latent evil within them emerges. Their regression into savagery is ironically paralleled by an intensifying fear of evil, and it culminates in several brutal slays as well as a frenzied manhunt. The graphic consequence of the boys' unrestrained barbarity, emphasized by the backdrop of an external war, exigently explores mankind's potential for evil.    Dismissing the detonation of an atom bomb and the possible deaths of their parents as merely an "unusual problem" (14), the schoolboys selfishly indulge in their lush jungle environs. The overwhelming "glamour [which] spread[s] over them" (25) momentarily eclipses their awakening need for domination. At first, the boys express this necessity through the seemingly innocuous heaving of rocks and the belittling of Piggy, who is physically inferior. Had these actions occurred in the boys' English homeland, they would have been accepted as ordinary,childish behavior. However, under the guise of innocent excitement, the boys derive an unimaginably "violent pleasure" (18) from "exercising control over living things" (61).    Ominously, their craving for power is a presage for the blood that is to be shed. This blood which had initially been so "unbearable" (31) is now lusted after; it compels Jack... ...lightenment is a condemnation rather than a liberation, because the knowledge of evil will forever remain as a scar upon his mind.    Now that Ralph truly understands the "darkness of man's heart" (202), he will recognize it in all its forms and disguises, falling heir to Simon's role of the bearer of truth and condemnation. The constant possibility that he may succumb to internal evil may instill Ralph with an further sense of anxiety and despair. This torment marks "the end of [his] innocence" (202), and Ralph will never be able to return to his former state of carefree happiness. Only death, the end to each individual's experience of the human condition   the same death that liberated Simon and Piggy   can free Ralph from the enlightenment and curse of his insight. Work Cited Golding, William.   Lord of the Flies.   New York: Harcourt, 1962.

Blindness and Sight - Nothing and Blindness in King Lear :: King Lear essays

Themes of Nothing and Blindness in King Lear Many of the passages of King Lear, particularly those between the characters of Lear, Kent, the Fool, and Cordelia, all share a common theme. The theme of nothing, as well as the theme of blindness, echoes throughout the play. King Lear is in many ways about nothing. However, Kent, the Fool, and Cordelia make him more than nothing by serving faithfully, speaking bluntly, and loving unconditionally. The first occurrence of the imagery of nothing takes place between Lear and Cordelia. In this particular scene, Lear asks his three daughters to profess their love for him. When Cordelia is prompted to speak, she replies "Nothing, my Lord" (1.1.87). Here, Cordelia acknowledges that her other sisters are only putting on an act for Lear. Since she truly loves him the most, she cannot bring herself to praise him falsely. Instead, she says "I love your majesty according to my bond, no more no less" (1.1.92-93). In this short dialogue between Lear and Cordelia, the word "nothing" is said four times. What's notable is that each time it is said, it implies a different meaning. The purpose of this repetition is to show the audience its importance in the text and to make the ideas and imagery that go along with the word to be clear. By replying "nothing" when posed with the question of her love for Lear, Cordelia implies that there is nothing left to say since her sisters have already said al l that there is to be said. This particular passage, with its usage of the word "nothing" also takes on its own rhythm compared to the rest of the text. In a later passage between Lear, Kent, and the Fool, this imagery of "nothing" occurs again. In the Fool's first speech, he gives both Lear and Kent a little bit of his own brand of wisdom. To that, Kent replies, "This is nothing, Fool" (1.4.126). The Fool tells Kent "you gave me nothing for't" (1.4.128). The Fool then asks Lear "Can you make no use of nothing, nuncle?" (1.4.128) To that, Lear relies, "Why no, boy; nothing can be made out of nothing" (1.4.130). These "nothings" that occur again here all seem to have different meanings as well. Kent tells the Fool that his wisdom is nothing, since it seems on the surface to not make any sense. When Kent tells the Fool this, the Fool tells him that it was just free advise, and that he was paid nothing for it.

Moniza Alvis Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan Essay -- English Lite

Moniza Alvi's Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan Moniza Alvi was born in Lahore, in Pakistan, the daughter of a Pakistani father and an English mother. She moved to Hatfield in England when she was a few months old. She didn't revisit Pakistan until after the publication of her first book of poems, The Country over my Shoulder, from which this poem comes. The poet says: 'Presents from My Aunts... was one of the first poems I wrote - when I wrote this poem I hadn't actually been back to Pakistan. The girl in the poem would be me at about thirteen. The clothes seem to stick to her in an uncomfortable way, a bit like a kind of false skin, and she thinks things aren't straightforward for her. I found it was important to write the Pakistan poems because I was getting in touch with my background. And maybe there's a bit of a message behind the poems about something I went through, that I want to maybe open a few doors if possible.' Subject Matter What is Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan all about? * The speaker in the poem, who is of mixed race, describes the gifts of clothes and jewellery sent to her in England by her Pakistani relatives. * She is drawn to the loveliness of these things, but feels awkward wearing them. She feels more comfortable in English clothes - denim and corduroy. * She contrasts the beautiful clothes and jewellery of India with boring English cardigans/from Marks and Spencer. * She tries to remember what it was like for her family to travel to England. * Her knowledge of her birthplace, which she left as a baby, comes to her only through old photographs and newspaper reports. * She tries to imagine what that world might be like. Glossary Sa... ...n Hatfield at that time, of a mixed race background or indeed from any other race, so I felt there was a bit of a blank drawn over that. I think I had a fairly typically English 50s/60s upbringing. When I eventually went to Pakistan I certainly didn't feel that was home, I'd never felt so English. But I never feel entirely at home in England, and of course I'm not part of the Asian community at all. And it feels a bit odd sometimes that because of the group of poems that I've written about my Asian background, I sometimes tend to be identified as a black writer. I tend to think of England as being very culturally mixed now. But it's important to know where you come from, which is perhaps what I was lacking as a child. I think it's important to know what has gone into your making, even quite far back, I think it gives you a sense perhaps of richness.'

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan: The Great Teacher Essay

5 September is celebrated as TEACHER’S DAY in India. Different countries celebrate the ocassion on different dates like 11 September in Argentina, 15 October in Brazil as Teacher Appreciation Day etc. UNESCO recognises October 5 as World Teacher’s Day. Teacher’s day is a day to honour our teachers and thank them for all that they have done for us in our educational lives. Specially 5 September is the birth day of India’s 2nd President as well as great philosopher cum teacher Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. One of India’s most influential scholars of comparative religion and philosophy, Radhakrishnan built a bridge between the East and the West by showing how the philosophical systems of each tradition are comprehensible within the terms of the other. He wrote authoritative exegeses of India’s religious and philosophical literature for the English-speaking world. His academic appointments included the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Scie nce at the University of Calcutta (1921–1932) and Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics at Oxford University (1936–1952). Radhakrishnan was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India, in 1954. Among the many other honors he received were the British Knight Bachelor in 1931 and the commonwealth Order of Merit (1963), but ceased to use the title â€Å"Sir† after India attained independence. His birthday is celebrated in India as Teachers’ Day on 5 September. He was also awarded the Templeton Prize in 1975 in recognition of the fact that â€Å"his accessible writings underscored his country’s religious heritage and sought to convey a universal reality of God that embraced love and wisdom for all people†. In April 1909, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was appointed to the Department of Philosophy at the Madras Presidency College. Thereafter, in 1918, he was selected as Professor of Philosophy by the University of Mysore, where he taught at its Maharaja’s College, Mysore. By that time he had written many articles for journals of repute like The Quest, Journal of Philosophy and the International Journal of Ethics. He also completed his first book, The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore. He believed Tagore’s philosophy to be the â€Å"genuine manifestation of the Indian spirit†. His second book, The Reign of Religion in Contemporary Philosophy was published in 1920. In 1921 he was appointed as a professor in philosophy to occupy the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta. He represented the University of Calcutta at the Congress of the Universities of the British Empire in June 1926 and the  International Congress of Philosophy at Harvard University in September 1926. Another important academic event during this period was the invitation to deliver the Hibbert Lecture on the ideals of life which he delivered at Harris Manchester College, Oxford in 1929 and which was subsequently published in book form as An Idealist View of Life. In 1929 Radhakrishnan was invited to take the post vacated by Principal J. Estlin Carpenter at Harris Manchester College. This gave him the opportunity to lecture to the students of the University of Oxford on Comparative Religion. For his services to education he was knighted by George V in the June 1931 Birthday Honours, and formally invested with his honour by the Governor-General of India, the Earl of Willingdon, in April 1932. However, he ceased to use the title after Indian independence, preferring instead his academic title of ‘Doctor’. He was the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. In 1936 Radhakrishnan was named Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at the University of Oxford, and was elected a Fellow of All Souls College. In 1939 Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya invited him to succeed him as the Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). He served as its Vice-Chancellor till January 1948. When India became independent in 1947, Radhakrishnan represented India at UNESCO (1946–52) and was later Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union, from 1949 to 1952. He was also elected to the Constituent Assembly of India. Radhakrishnan was elected as the first Vice President of India in 1952. He was elected as the second President of India (1962–1967). When he became President, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, 5 September. He replied, â€Å"Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if 5 September is observed as Teachers’ Day.† Since the time we have been civilised education has become part of our life and after the parents in home our teachers in school ,colleges take care of us. They are emotionally attached to us. It is our prime duty to obey them with great gratitude. Not only one day in a year; but also in each moment we should behave gently and respect our teachers. Teachers also should follow the ideals of great teacher Radhakrishnan. A good teacher is one who is always ready to share his knowledge to his disciple with love and like a frie nd.

John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice

In his influential book A Theory of Justice, John Rawls structured his concept of society around two principles of justice that he argues were best chosen under a â€Å"veil of ignorance† (1971).Rawls maintains â€Å"that the first requires equality in the assignment of basic rights and duties, while the second holds that social and economic inequalities are just only if they result in compensating benefits for everyone, and in particular for the least advantaged members of society† (1971). His argument for the second, while not purely and purposefully classifying society as equitable and impartial, supports the idea that contribution should be proportionate to one’s ability or capability.There are a multitude of ways to interpret Rawls’s second take on the concept of justice, some agreeable and some not. He argues that in order for others to prosper, some should have less (Rawls, 1971).He also asserts the idea that in looking at the bigger picture, everyo ne in the society achieves benefits by catering to what seems like a monopoly of wealth, power and therefore, opportunity. Rawls’s justice supports the socialist idea that majority of society’s responsibilities and burdens should be carried by those who can—those who are wealthy, have power, and therefore, are more capable of managing the said responsibilities.While these may be good points to support his ideas, Rawls’s theory fails by theoretically preventing change in societies where these so-called social inequalities already exist—societies where those high up already enjoy the benefits of good living standards, while those in the lower brackets either continue or further suffer in their disadvantages. It is also faulty in the sense that the poor essentially â€Å"pick up the scraps† that the rich had left.Rawls idea that inequality can actually be just and fair leaves much to be desired. It should have been more egalitarian in the sense that both the rich and the poor would have equitable access to wealth and power. It would be difficult to guarantee justice in a society that separates those who can afford justice from those who can afford justice more.ReferencesRawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Verbal Bullying

Abstract Bullying may give particular students self-confidence, but school bullying must be stopped. Being the victim of bullying can lower a victim’s self-esteem, cause psychological problems, and have many other long term effects. This research represented ways individuals can see the short term and long term effects of being a bully or the victim. There are many demographics of bullying. Suicide and school violence is on the rise. Victims of bullies can often get severely depressed and have low self-esteem.They start thinking of how to take care of the problem themselves. The outcome can take innocent bystanders lives. School is starting for the tri state area kids. Parents are excited, kids are bummed, and teachers are preparing for the new school year. One Subject that parents and teachers have been focusing their attention on is bullying. They have got to prepare to act quickly and know when a student is bullying or being bullied. Parents and teachers are watching for si gns of their children being bullied or doing the bullying.Bullying may give particular students self-confidence, but school bullying must be stopped because being the victim of bullying can cause psychological problems, there are different types of bullying and they have many different short-term and long- term effects. According to Bullying Timeline(2008-2009), bullying is not something that has just surfaced in the past ten years, earliest categorized act of bullying behavior is dated all the way back to 1897. Dr. Dan Olweus conducted the first research on bullying in 1970.In 1978 the first book was released, â€Å"Aggression in the schools: Bullies and Whipping Boys. † Dr. Dan Olweus proposed a law against bullying in schools in 1981. In the mid-1990’s, Olweus argument led to legislation against bullying by the Swedish & Norwegian parliaments. This was the first proposal of an anti-bullying law. April 20th, 1999, was a revolution for the states, two teenage schoolbo ys, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, whom was persistently bullied, went on a shooting spree wounding twenty-three, fatally shooting thirteen, and taking their own lives.Children, parents and school officials around the country were shocked, and no one could deny the need for more pro-social and accepting school environments and a way to combat bullying among students. (The history of bullying in schools,2008-2009) The Free Online Dictionary’s definition of a bully is, â€Å"a person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people. † Bullying hasn’t really changed over the years, what has changed is the technology involved in bullying. Research and attention have become more focused on bullying since early 1970. Free Online Dictionary, 2012) The four types of bullying that are a significant focus. Verbal and physical are the most associated with bullying. Social and cyber bullying is an increasing rise, to focus more on. Verbal bully ing is the most common form of bullying. (Teenage Bullying,2009) Growing up we have all heard the saying, â€Å"sticks and stones may break my bones but words cannot hurt me. † As untrue as that saying is, name calling, rude comments, constant taunting, threats and teasing can be the breaking point for an individual. Words are painful as well as very affective on one’s life.Forgetting something that was said is not always that easy. Verbal bullying is most common among girls. It is easier to bully a girl with words than it is to physically bully a girl. Social bullying is also found typically amongst girls. (Being left out is worst form of bullying according to research,2011) Spreading rumors that are highly embarrassing, untrue, which can make the person feel ashamed about, who they are. Leaving someone out of a group or discussion on purpose, making the victim feel alone and uninvited to participate.Bullies can glare to intimidate their victim for saying something to someone else, or even being present when the bully is around. At times they give the silent treatment because they are mad or jealous of the person. (National Foundation for educational research,2011) Physical bullying appears to be the most obvious kind of bullying. Physical attacks such as: kicking, pushing, tripping, and spitting to show that they are in charge. Rude gestures like, pounding their fist to their hand resembling they will hit their victim. It is a powerful act to intimidate the weak and show who is in charge. Physical bullying is most common in young boys.They tend to use violence to demonstrate power. With the new technology cyber bullying is one of the prime methods in this day and age for a bully. Cyber bullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. Facebook, MySpace and other forms of social networks are not the only forms of cyber bullying. Surprisingly, 42 percent of kids have been bullied while online through e-ma il, texting, chat rooms, forums, and instant messaging. (Cyber bullying Statistics: Statistics and Tips, 2004) Based on 2004 i-SAFE survey of 1,500 student’s grades 4-8, â€Å"35% of kids using the internet have been threatened online.Survey showed 21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mail or other messages. While 58% of the kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. Significantly, 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online. On the other hand survey showed 53% of kids admit to having said something mean or hurtful to another person online. †(2004) (Cyber bullying Statistics: Statistics and Tips, 2004) Cyber bullying has changed how persistent bullies can be. When bullying was just at school, kids had home to go to after school and weekends.They only had to deal with bullying on the school grounds. There is no escape for victims whom are targeted at school currently. They ar e being targeted at home by internet bullying and texting. According to a research done by Stop Bullying,(2011) strangely enough there is no federal law directly addresses bullying, â€Å"in some cases, bullying overlaps with discriminatory harassment when it is based on race, national origin, color, sex, age, disability, or religion. When bullying and harassment overlap, federally-funded schools have an obligation to resolve the harassment.When the situation is not adequately resolved, the U. S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the U. S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division may be able to help. † (Federal Law, 2011) Forty-nine of the fifty states in the U. S. have approved school anti-bullying legislation. In 1999, Georgia was the first to be approved. (Georgia house bill, 2012) Montana is the only state without anti-bullying legislation. (MT-Senate bill 198, 2012) Local tri-state area anti-bullying laws are in affect. In 2007, Iow a jumped on board to create a state law and policies at schools for bullying.Wisconsin joined in 2010, with both school policies, as well as a state law, while in 2007 Illinois only has an anti-bullying law, but no school policy. (Bully Police, 2012) Oddly Illinois is ranked the 3rd most bullied state for k-12. (Top 5 States, 2011) Bullies are often mistaken as loners with low self-esteem. Bully’s naturally have an easier time making friends. It is easier to be a bully’s friend than to be bullied by him/her. A bully’s self-esteem is average or above normal. They are known to come from homes with limited supervision by parents, harsh or physical discipline at home ay have a role model with bullying engagements, and a one parent household. Children who participate in bullying often bully more than one individual. Their characteristics are often but not limited to: being impulsive, having a lack of empathy, as well as, becoming easily frustrated. They also have a t endency not to listen to authority. Generally, they do not like to follow rules. Some can look at violence in a positive way, and can often be found erratic. Kids who bully have a liking to find other friends who are bullies. Together they can become positive to violence. Children who bully, 2011) What are the signs to look for in children that are bullies? Bullying can be a sign of serious antisocial violent behavior. A victim at home can be a bully at school. Children who bully other kids are more likely to pick fights, be injured in fighting, vandalize property or steal from others, drink alcohol at an early age, smoke cigarettes, do recreational drugs, become absent from school or stop attending all together, and may carry weapons. If you ask a bully about weapons, majority own or have access to. Short term effects of being a bully are feeling the powerful use of anger.Control bullies have over other kids, and fear that was present when they are nearby. At the same time bullies are respected because it is easier to be friends with a bully then be bullied by the bully. The false happiness bullies think they are aiding by hurting others. Long term effects of being a bully. Becoming a criminal in later years of their lives, is a probability. Self- esteem and empathy never mended. Some feel they have reputations to live up to and feel they are invincible. Consequences never fear bullies in the long term effect because they do not care what happens next.For parents to recognize if their child is doing the bullying often have a strong need to dominate situations to get their own way and have the power over the household. Antisocial or criminal behavior at a young age can demonstrate that they are hanging out with the wrong kids. Children with aggressive behavior to rule a parent and not listen to what they have to say, and can become abusive toward their parents to dominate the situation and be in charge. (Children who bully, 1998-2012) Teachers are trained to w atch for signs of bullying. Children can be bullied in many ways physical, verbal, and emotional.Crick & Grotpeter (1995) discuss how there are more ways than just directly bullying; they can include indirect behaviors that cause a child to feel socially secluded. † Examples of this type of bullying could be leaving the student out of activities, spreading rumors, making him/her feel uncomfortable or scared, telling nasty stories, not allowing the person to speak to other children or be spoken to. This is also called relational aggression, which is primarily, but not exclusively associated with girls' bullying strategies â€Å"(Crick ; Grotpeter, 1995).Girls are more commonly responsible for the indirect behavior. Boys like to demonstrate their aggression and cause physical damage. In most cases, children are bullied because they are different and stick out in some way or another. Sometimes it is because one is smaller or bigger than the other kids. Age could be a factor in o ther cases. Being a specific gender, male versus female, or even a person’s sexual orientation could be a cause for bullying. A victim could be bullied because of economic status such as being rich or poor. Race, religion, beliefs and interests could be different from the bullies.There are many demographics for one to be a victim of bullying. Recognizing signs children being bullied can be more difficult than signs of your child being the bully. Children who are being victimized by bullying have one or several behaviors at home. They may come home with bruises, cuts, or other physical appearances without an explanation of how they got there. They do not want to go to school anymore or start taking a different route to and from school. Acting sad, depressed, irritable, and suddenly have temper outburst. May start to isolate themselves from others and become a loner.Schoolchildren who are bullied may suffer from different short-term effects. Anger along with frustration may bec ome collective feelings. Intention is that they want to retaliate, and have the desire for the bully to stop picking on he/she. Some frustration and anger come from not understanding why they are being the victim of bullying. Several start becoming afraid and concerned of what will occur next, and start developing anxiety. Victims from time to time can become depressed and feel it is their fault and begin to think; they hate life, hate themselves and hate existence.Low self-worth may play a part of short term bullying in which can cause illness. Some students may start to be absent from school, start to become a loner to avoid being bullied. Long term effects for the victim of being bullied are far more serious then short term effects. Severe depression is more than just a feeling of being down. Depression is a severe mood disorder in which feelings of unhappiness, along with other symptoms, can interfere with a person’s normal everyday activities for a long period of time.If severe depression is not treated swiftly, selected number of victims may get to the point of hurting themselves, thoughts of suicide, attempting suicide, or considerations or actions of hurting others. The worst case occurrence through bullying is when victims come back and retaliates the best way they feel is gratifying. Human instinct is to hurt someone who is hurting us. Making someone feel the way they have made us feel, becomes the only precedence some have. With that being said, there are school shootings and suicides on the rise.It is no longer just hurtful words, excluding someone from a group or event, giving each other silent treatment, or fist fighting. It has become a fatal concern on the rise. According to Bullying Statistics,(2009) the alarming figures are on the rise. * Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide att empts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it. Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University * A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying * 10 to 14 year old girls may be at even higher risk for suicide, according to the study above * According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying. Bullying Statistics,2009) In conclusion, being the victim of school bullying can have extreme long term effects on both the victim and the bully. Today’s technology has changed the way kids are getting bullied. Parents are watching for warning signs if their child is the victim of bullying or is the bully. There are many short-term and long-term effect s bullying can have on kids.Teachers are particularly watching interactions between kids. Some schools have created bully awareness days or weeks. School violence and suicide are on the rise, distinguishing bullying and being able to solve the problem proficiently, will be the best way to reduce an ongoing problem in the future. Preventing bulling is possible with enough contribution.

Case study: Apple iPhones – Not “Made in America”

What is meant by the globalization of human capital? Is this inevitable as firms increase their global operations? The globalization of human capital refers to the fact that employees are now spread out across the world by their employers. This including, the companies, employed, unemployed, stockholders, consumers, contractors, supply chain, firms and economies. Companies branch out because labor costs are cheaper and productivity is faster.It is inevitable if firms increase their global operations because every country has something different to offer, something new, and without the current innovation being promoted to the market, the company will start to lose its edge on competition. 2. How does this case illustrate the threats and opportunities facing global companies in developing their strategies? Cost and Human Capital is the most important consideration for Global Companies. When President Obama’s inquired about Apple brining the job back to US, it was practically not possible for Apple.The break down in the case study was that it cost a total of $179 to produce an IPhone and it retailed at $500 leaving a profit of $321. This would mean more profit for the global company. For Global company price and profit is the most important consideration to stay competitive. They can use the cheap labor in other countries to be price competitive This gave the perception that Apple did not care about its country. It also gives the perception of greed which a global company can face. 3. Comment on the Apple executive's assertion that the company's only obligation is making the best product possible.â€Å"We don't have an obligation to solve America's problems. † All though it is a harsh comment but I think it makes sense. Apple is a Global company with its offices around the world. It is in business to make money. It is not possible for Apple to solve America’s problem. Apple is just trying to be the best company out there in order to be on top with innovation and success. It is not Apple’s responsibility to solve America’s problems with employment; their responsibility is to form the best product. 4. Who are the stakeholders in this situation and what, if any, obligations do they have?There are two stakeholders in this situation and they are: the companies Apple and Foxconn as well as the Chinese government. Apple has obligations to their employees both domestic and global. They need to be mindful that a corporation is only as good as its products as well as, its image. They need to be mindful that since its headquarters are in the United States, it should do all that it can to maintain a positive image. It is also important to make sure that the products they sell are quality products while keeping the price as low as possible. Foxconn has a stake in its people and the products they export.The unfair and inhumane working conditions forced the government to step in. Foxconn also needs to be mindful of the is sues presented previously for Apple (the difference they are headquartered in China). The fact that labor violations were taking place, China’s government had an obligations to its people. They need to protect their citizens from hazardous work conditions and hold Foxconn accountable for their actions. 5. How much extra are you prepared to pay for an IPhone if assembled in the United States? Personally I feel that the IPhone is already over price as is. The fact that they make $321 of profit off each phone is ridiculous.If the phone is fully assembled in the United State I do not feel the price of the phone should increase at all. There are many products that are specifically made in America that cost the same amount as their global counterparts. Clothes are an example, all things being equal, a t-shirt made overseas cost relatively the same as a t-shirt made in the US. Why should an IPhone be any different? I feel that although the profit from each phone would be decreased, they would sell the same amount of phones if not more. 6. How much extra are you prepared to pay for an IPhone assembled in China but under better labor conditions or pay?What kind of trade-off would you make? This also deals with the question previously asked. I have not changed my stance on IPhone; however, if they were to charge more to have it assembled in China, why couldn’t or wouldn’t they just produce it in America. It would not make sense if they had to increase cost to better working conditions in another country. I believe it would be cheaper to bring some of the laborers here to the US and open a plant here. 7. To what extent do you think the negative media coverage has affected Apple’s recent decision to ask the FLA to do an assessment and the subsequent decision by Foxconn to raise some salaries?What do you think will happen now? I believe that the negative media coverage has inspired Apple to be more cautious about their corporate image. Subsequen tly, it affected their way of thinking so that they had to ask for an FLA assessment. They could ill-afford to continue to be seen in a negative light and heartless. They already stated that â€Å"They don’t have an obligation to solve America’s problems, only to make the best product possible†, after the unfair working conditions and labor violations were discovered it only added to the idea that the company was greedy and didn’t care about their employees.Foxconn took pride in being one of the country’s most effective and efficient manufacturers. It could not allow the perception that they were running a â€Å"sweat shop† in which their employees were working 60 hours a week for little pay. The employee suicides did not help company’s image. They had to raise some salaries in order to save face in the public eye. Also, both companies had to show that although mistakes happened, once they were discovered they were fixed quickly. I be lieve now that the story is out they will have many follow up inspections to insure that both companies never come under scrutiny again.

The War on Terror Has Contributed To Abuse of Human Rights Essay

The War on Terror Has Contributed To Abuse of Human Rights - Essay Example It is an intriguing topic, in addition to a debatable position whether indeed; the world is safer almost a decade after the United States and its allies declared war on terror (Merritt 2012). This paper discusses the problems that underlie the tainted image that the United States and her western allies have attained in the fight against terror. Governments around the world get accused of committing questionable atrocities to otherwise non terror squads within different countries. Countries like Egypt, Russia and Uzbekistan, got singled out in Human Rights watch groups as the worst violators of human rights to political opponents in a scheme to rid themselves of terror. The BBC report got based on a report by a Human Rights Watch Group in the United States. The United States believed that their efforts to fight terror groups became silent on human rights abuses. A complete disregard to the positives that war on terror has realized would sound myopic. The 9/11 attack in the U. S. soil was unethical and deserves all means possible to avert any other acts of such nature. Unfortunately, up to this far war on terror has not brought any more peace than before. My position regarding this topic is that this is a fascinating topic. The fact is that we are no safer than we were 10 years ago. The result of fighting against terrorism has led to abuse of human rights. This would not have been the case if America and its allies had stayed out of another war. As discussed earlier on the other assignment; this topic has to key different claims (Duffy 2008). The first claim is that the world is far much safer a decade after the United States and its allies declared war on terror. The second claim is that the war between United States and its allies led to denial of human rights especially for the people in the Middle East. According to Associate Press, Central Intelligence Agency final report: No WMD got found in Iraq. Retrieved on May 28, 2012 from, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/the internationalsecuritynews-mideast_n_africa/t/cias-final-report-no-wmd-found-iraq/#.T8MGrVIsE7A, the national and international security has been a matter of concern to different governments across the world. Since the September 11 terror attack on the United States, the United States government and its allies have launched a war for more than a decade; however, the gains made through the wars have come with a price. There have been reports by Human Rights group; that the United States and its western friends in the war against terror have committed a lot of human rights abuses. As said before, the first claim is a fallacy by itself. Hence, gets ruled out since it is invalid and has no any clear evidence to support it. Having put this position and the claimed evidence through the Scientific Method and Proving a theory steps; there are steps to which the claim and the evidence does not measure to the examination. This claim is just an assumption hence it is not applicable. This claim is, therefore, invalid. Basing on the two claims over this issue, it is more evident that the second claim is valid. The fact that the war between United States and its associates led to denial of human rights especially for the people in and around Middle East is supremely true. Grounding on the evidence from the survey it is a claim that is free from both formal and

The correlation and relationship between radical political ideology Thesis

The correlation and relationship between radical political ideology and religious devotion - Thesis Example For instance, a typical aspect of religious devotion would be â€Å"My religion consumes my entire livelihood† (Juergensmeyer 34). There are always strong claims from religion on people’s loyalty rather than the allegiance of the entire community. This is since those engaging in radical political ideology, often times, reflect on religious devotion through involvement and dedication. Therefore, it is always inevitable to separate religious commitments to conflicts that relates to political demands. In this case, it is notable that religious beliefs as well as practices have potential support for politics in several ways. The result has been the concern and attention that is given to particular needs of minority groups distinguished by their religious affiliation instead of ethnicity or gender. The accurate presentation on the massacre has attracted several debates. There have been several reports concerning the death toll. In this case, the reports reveals that the ATF agents four in total as well as eighty followers of David Koresh alongside his splinter group referred to as Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventists were also involved. The event occurred in early 1993 when the ATF attacked and besieged, the fortified compound known to the Koreshians as Mount Carmel. The aftermath was that the area was rent into total destruction (Linedecker 70). The Branch Davidian Leaders have organized the survivors in the society into religious groups. For instance, the new churches referred to as ‘The Branch’ as well as ‘The Lord Our Righteousness’. From history, a number of these leaders have made efforts to change the massacre site into a tourist destination. The destination would comprise of an amphitheater, a biblical petting zoo, a museum including the gift shop. There would also be centers housing different issues such as organic farm and the Ten Commandments. The purposes for such centers are to lessen the impact of the massacre since those

Deviance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Deviance - Essay Example The acquired historical sources were applied for life course perspective which has been a very valuable asset in modern criminology. It helps to find out whether the offenders have suffered from stigma / criminal label through an examination of four demographic events a) relocation b) matrimony c) career growth and d) death. Yes label had its own repercussions in changing the course of life of a criminal dramatically. â€Å"Deviance Is Not A Quality Of The Act The Person Commits But Rather A Consequence Of The Application By Others Of Rules And Sanctions To An Offender† (Becker, 1963: 9). Introduction It is matter of fact that the offenders upon release from the incarceration found limited opportunities for them to grab lucrative jobs. The available data does not disclose how offenders experienced their life in prisons and how other peoples around them viewed it. There is every reason to believe that the laws have chosen its own path which of course was not similar to that pat h of non criminals. Whatever study conducted so far, indicates the difficult lives of the criminals in and out side the prison. The most difficult phase in their life is the indifferent attitude of the society1. We cite here case example of law breaker Jonas Petter Wedin, who was born and brought up in a farmer’s home. His father was died of a natural death leaving behind a widow and five children with no source of income to live on. His mother and five brothers and sisters made to live on the goodwill of others. That compelled him to join the criminals to earn livelihood for him and for other family members. Discussion Deviance In sociological term, deviance is the behaviour of the offender against the acceptable norms of a society. Hence, it is the area of sociologists, psychologists and criminologists to study and find out the causes of abnormal behaviour of the offenders against the society’s norms and why they insist to follow their own rules and regulations2. Vio lation of Social Norms In fact norms, rules, regulations and expectations are the guiding principals to live in a society peacefully. Deviations of mentioned norms reflect the failure of an offender to comply with the set standards of life. They do not believe in â€Å"live and let live others†. However, social norms vary from culture to culture (e.g. in USA, one has to see eye to eye while having a word with each other whereas in Asia averting eyes is a symbol of politeness and respect. However, direct eye contact in Asia during conversation is considered rude), location to location and country to country e.g., a deviant act if committed in one culture, location or country may not necessarily be considered as abnormal attitude in other culture, location and the country3. Reactive construction We observed in day to day life that specific condition compels minority of a society to keep them aloof. We all agree on this point that killing of a human being neither permissible nor appreciable in any society, unless it specifically permitted by the government in time of war or in self defence4. Component of Social Deviant Behaviour Review of the deviant behaviour indicates three broad social segments i.e. structural, symbolic and conflict. Structural functionalism Individuals may commit crimes on account

Portfolio Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Portfolio - Term Paper Example In our mentor class, we did a number of readings which contributed to my progress as well as my knowledge of people (human beings) and emotions. The first reading that we did was that of â€Å"Human Is† by Dick Phillip. The theme behind this reading was that of kindness in human beings. One character by the name of Lester intrigued me because of his human nature and character. He was a very mean person since he preferred his career and dreams other than his wife and family. However, he turned out to be a changed person who was kind to his wife and people around him. What I liked about this reading was that I experienced the same kindness when I went to school in the US. My classmates did understand me and where I was coming from and they helped me to achieve my improved reading and writing skills. The other reading that I liked was that of Calvino, â€Å"Love Far from Home†. I connected with it since it spoke a lot about love for family when away from them. This was the same feeling that I felt when I left my family to study in the US. The third reading that intrigued me was that of Pilz (2005). The reason why I loved this reading was that it gave me comfort that the experiences and loneliness that I was having were common among international students in the US. So this made me feel like I was not alone and better days were to come for me. The fourth and fifth readings were those of Berry (1996) and Berry (2009) respectively. Both readings gave me an insight into agriculture, culture and nature in the US. For example, Berry (1996) talked about the importance of ensuring that the environment that we live in is in accordance with nature. This made me look at the US in this manner – a lot of the foods are processed and that is actually the American culture. Back at home, there are less processed foods as a lot of people do traditional farming. In addition, Berry (2009) gave an emphasis that agricultural activities should â€Å"emulate nature†. He

IRobot Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

IRobot - Article Example The Roomba Robot was a home care robot that would take care of some fundamental home care duties such as house cleaning. In addition, iRobot carried out some military duties and was used for military defense. The launch of iRobot was a success for the iRobot company, and made work easier for both home use and military use. The board of directors provides a great source of intelligence or the running hand the management of the company. The iRobot company secured a long-standing contract with the military. In order to achieve its success, iRobot has had to undertake intensive research and development and budget allot of money on its noble idea. The aim of this industry was to become the leading robotic industry in the world. This made the company grow to recruit over 500 highly qualified professionals who ensured that the company achieved its objectives. Moreover, the company made alliances with other highly qualified commercial companies such as the Boeing group, and the advanced scientific concept. The motive of these alliances was to enable the company to develop and improve upon products that was almost impossible for the company to develop by itself using its own technology. In order to achieve these high standards, the company had to have a good financial position with an excellent cash and long-term debt rate. This enabled the company to have a sustainable competitive advantage over other competitors such as Japanese’s robot developer companies. iRobot Company benefits much than other competitive companies. This is because of its resources and capabilities that have enabled the company develop. One of its main strengths is its cost advantage. The company benefits from cost advantage in that it produces robots at a lower cost than its competitors do. This is because of the high level of technology that they use with the help of other high technology companies such as Boeing and advanced scientific concept. Moreover, the

A research paper about business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

A research paper about business ethics - Essay Example Behaviors of organizational members also depend on the company’s ethics. In the present business environment business ethics has become a very important issue. Various new trends and processes are incorporated in businesses for enhancing their values. For performing business functions effectively organizations give importance on ethical behavior of its employees. This helps the organizations in avoiding various legal issues and enhancing their brand reputation. With the change in business environment, ethics of companies have experienced lots of changes. These changed ethical policies and practices facilitate the companies in holding their position in competitive business environment. In this essay new trends in business ethics will be discussed in detailed way. For explaining the new trends, traditional business policies and its issues will also be highlighted in this essay. The concept of business ethics was developed long back. Around 1970s companies started focusing on establishing various policies and principles ethics. Earlier the companies only believed in the concept on money making. They were not concerned about people, environment and society. As a result the rules and principles of the business were developed in such a way which helped them to archive the money making objectives of businesses. Earlier for enhancing the profitability and revenues most of the companies were involved in performing many immoral activities. That time ethical policies and practices were only implemented by religious organizations. Persons conducting business activities were not concerned about business ethics. The term business ethics was originated in USA (Lencioni 67). People were getting tortured in the name of business. So certain ethical policies and practices were established in business for conducting trade ethically. Traditional business ethics principles an d policies influenced the companies in developing strict

Montessori - Revise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 29750 words

Montessori - Revise - Essay Example Resource books that cover this topic are Music books and art books. 106. The purpose of the Silence Game is about being able to pay attention to details. Its methods entail the use of hand demonstration to explain something without taking. Its benefits are that it enhances the child’s attention to details during demonstrations. 113. The presentation is considered both as a concrete and abstract presentation due to the senses involved in the activity. In this regard, the use of sight in the presentation is considered as abstract while the use of the sense of touch is what qualifies the presentation as a concrete presentation. 116. Explicit directions for presenting the variations have not been included in the presentation so as to enable the child to accurately distinguish items personally and also avoid confusion of the child. 1. The implementation of literary and rhetoric events were the important milestone events in the History of written language. In this regard, rhetoric devices were the devices incorporated in language manipulation so as to transmit the authors message in an effective manner to the reader. On the other hand, literary devices were used in literature that had a basic universal role of language expression to readers as an art form. 2. The term emergent literacy refers to how children interact with book through reading and writing. It is also a gradual process that takes place from the time a child is born to the time they know how to read and write. 4. Reading area is a very sensitive area for a child and therefore it is very important to make this environment comfortable, reading area can be enhanced by Promoting images or pictures. This provides an enjoyable environment for learning. 6. It is important for a children to start public speaking early because it develops their skills, through gaining confidence in their communication . This allow the child to join public

The Help Essay Example for Free

The Help Essay How did people use non-verbals to communicate their status and identities in The Help? (e. g. : artifacts used by wealthy/poor, language tones/volume, dress codes, appearance, rituals, etc. ) The lines between black and white are clearly delineated by more than color in this film. While the socialite white women, even on routine days for mundane activities, dress in pretty pressed dresses, manicured nails, stiffly styled hair, and nice jewelry (reminds me of June Cleaver), the maids must wear identical uniforms, have severe hairstyles, and little or no jewelry. Their greatest possession is the purse they carry this seems to be of great importance, especially to Yule Mae when she is arrested. The maids are disallowed to speak in company unless it involves serving of some kind and must always address white folks with â€Å"sir†, â€Å"ma’am†, or â€Å"miss†. The maids must submit to white authority in all things (for fear of job loss or worse) and keep their voices low and calm in order to avoid tension or stress. And sassing (verbal and nonverbal) is a punishable offense as seen when Minny uses Hilly’s bathroom during the storm. Hilly could not care less about Minny’s safety in going outside during the dangerous storm, but rather is more concerned about how â€Å"clean† her toilet remains. There are many facial expressions and body postures that convey status/identity as well as artifacts. Hilly’s consistently raised chin and haughty expression mark her as quite self-important and the self-appointed leader of the socialites. Conversely, the maids (with the exception of Minny) keep their eyes down, if not their heads, hands to their sides, unless working, and maintain a social distance (more than 4 or 5 feet) from white people. Skeeter and Celia are the two white exceptions since they both accept the black women as equals and treat them with respect and kindness. Can prejudice and discrimination be expressed nonverbally? How? Provide examples from The Help when prejudice and discrimination was expressed nonverbally. One of the physical ways used in this movie to express prejudice is the use of hand gestures by Hilly. She flicks her hand in an upward motion when she orders Minny to cut a slice of pie for Mrs. Walters. The wicked facial expression indicates her hate of the black woman, especially because of her refusal to obey an order. There were several instances when Skeeter was speaking with one of the maids and one of the Junior League women caught her that they reflected their disapproval and distaste for so personal an interaction between a white and a black person. A painful expression is worn by Aibileen as she is forced to overhear Hilly’s insulting speech about the need for separate bathrooms. Not only does the hurt show on Aibileen’s face but she also hides in the hallway rather than have to be present during the conversation, as if she should be ashamed of her skin. Another example, this one involving white rejecting white, is when Celia shows up at Elizabeth’s during the bridge club luncheon. Not only do they refuse to answer the door but make a half-hearted attempt to hide from her when she comes to the window. They are giggling, covering their mouths with their fingers (as if this is a grand joke or oh, so cute), and you can overhear rude remarks about her desperation and obvious lack of social etiquette. One last example was in the grocery store at the end of the movie. Aibileen and Minny are shopping, walking down the aisle side by side with their carts. However, when a white woman approaches Aibileen it is made clear that she is to move aside and let the white woman pass, which she does with an apologetic look and hanging of her head (as if she were ashamed for having been in the way). Give me an example of someone in The Help whose nonverbal behavior was insulting, ridiculing, or demeaning to others. Which character was not insulting or demeaning to others? Explain. There are more variations of prejudice in this movie than just between races. One of the painful moments, at least for me, was when Celia Foote shows up, uninvited, to the bridge club luncheon at Elizabeths house. Pie in hand, she is hoping to make friends and finally be included in the social circle of Jackson. However, at Hilly’s urging, the entire group â€Å"hides† and is â€Å"shushed† in a poor attempt to evade Celia, who is considered an outcast because of where she came from and how she grew up (poor). Celia’s face, when she realizes what is happening, is painful to see and as she comes up out of the flower bed, her short attempt to be brave dissolves into tears. I believe where Celia came from and how she grew up gives her a greater compassion and understanding of the maids’ lives. She seems childlike in her acceptance of them and is ignorant of â€Å"proper social etiquette†. She simply takes them as they are, respects them as human beings and fellow women, and bestows care and affection generously. She is also open-minded concerning Hilly’s behavior and tries to shed a kinder light on why there is conflict between them, even after the luncheon debacle. Have you ever made a prejudgement about someone because of their nonverbals? If so, provide an example. Anyone who says they have never prejudged another person is lying. It is, unfortunately, in our nature to judge others, especially when we think we are better than they are. Most of the time we are wrong, but, once in awhile, we get it right. I was hired at The Home Depot in Kansas several years ago as a cashier. Shortly after I finished my training and was put on the register another woman, about my age, came out of training and joined me up front. She, like me, was an extrovert and seemed happy and friendly, coaxing confidences out of all of us. Particularly me, since we shared (or at least I thought we did) a common faith. It wasn’t until later that I found out she was not only cheating on a husband and using a boyfriend for free shelter and food, she was also a liar and a backstabber. She had been telling others things we had shared in confidence, with a little embellishment for good measure. My mistake was giving her credit for being a good person because of her clean appearance, she was well-dressed and accessorized, she had a winning smile and bubbly laughter, and seemed so open with her life and beliefs. She cemented these nonverbals with proclamations of sincerity and Christian values. I suffered some very embarrassing moments over my misjudgment. Have you ever had a negative nonverbal experience? Tell me about it. It was Wednesday choir practice and I was sitting with the director’s wife on the front row waiting for rehearsal to begin. Her husband was on stage arranging his music and making small talk with us. I responded to one of his quips with a â€Å"cute†, and I though humorous, quip of my own. I found out immediately that she didn’t appreciate my comment and perceived it as a â€Å"territorial dispute† (him being the territory! when she stomped on my foot with extreme force (I limped for a couple days) and growled in my face, â€Å"He’s mine! † I was stunned and I’m sure it registered on my face. However, she was unapologetic and stomped away. I was mortified since we were not the only people in the auditorium. Clearly, she communicated her anger, resentment, disgust, and an unspoken threat to keep my hands of f her property (since I didn’t like him, my thought was she’d be the only one who’d have him anyway). Explain the differences in the usage of proximity between the two cultures in the movie. While the white socialites observed white rules of space (hugging, sitting close, touching, etc, though it is stiff and emotionless) the blacks were not allowed to engage white people this way. There was a social distance maintained, unless children were involved. The maids would stand a distance of more than 4 or 5 feet away from white people and wait to be commanded. It was rather humorous to me that the white women didn’t want the maids to touch their utensils, cups, dishes, skin, toilets, etc. ut were entirely at peace with them cooking (handling food), laundering (the clothes touched by blacks then touched their bodies), and mothering the children. Even when Skeeter goes to Aibileen’s own house, Aibileen has a difficult time sitting in Skeeter’s presence (she finally ends up sitting on the arm of a chair, the furthest place away from Skeeter) and, for a time, continues to act as if she’s waiting on the white woman. As we see the intimate times in Aibi e’s house between she, Skeeter, and Minny, it becomes clear that the black people share space much more than whites do. They touch one another, hug firmly (as opposed to a light, meaningless embrace), laugh loudly, and have much more passion in life than their white employers. Define culture shock. The friendships created between Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny broke societal rules during the 1960’s in Mississippi. How did people react when the secret friendships were revealed? Did people experience culture shock? Explain. Culture shock is the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. There was an uproar, socially, about Skeeter’s relationship with the two maids. People were incensed that she would debase herself, her family, and her race in this way (by fraternizing with â€Å"the enemy†). However, as people began to read the book, I believe they were faced with the choice of what to do with this knowledge. The stories in the book revealed the truth about what happens behind the scenes to the black women that serve white families and raise white children. Many of these stories, I’m sure, were ugly, painful, and humiliating. Once everyone knows the truth, each person must choose how to deal with that truth. This creates a type of culture shock. Some, like Skeeter’s mama, chose to support her and confess fault. Others, like Stuart, openly denied the truth or validity of Skeeter’s stance and ended their relationship. Hilly is very obviously divided within herself when Aibileen asks her, â€Å"Aren’t you tired Miss Hilly? Aren’t you tired? † I think she meant tired of holding on to an outdated way of thinking, fighting the tides of change, and being such a sad, lonely, mean person. 8. How did Skeeter deal with cultural tension between both cultures? Provide an example. a. Skeeter started out the same way all the other young women did. The daughter of wealthy, respectable white families, and raised by a black nanny/maid. Upon arriving home from college, she integrates herself back into society by attending the various meeting, luncheons, and bridge club dates. However, as s he sees and hears the ugly, supremacist treatment of The Help, she begins to bite back at her friends, though small at first. The initial example of this is at bridge club when Hilly is discussing her ‘Home Health Sanitation Initiative’ and Skeeter finally busts out with, â€Å"Maybe we should build YOU a bathroom outside, Hilly! † As her incense grows, Skeeter begins to form friendships with the maids Aibileen and Minny in a hope to write a book and thereby, maybe, right a wrong. She lies about her conversation in the kitchen with Yule Mae and intentionally plays a joke on Hilly with the toilets on the lawn. These are Skeeter’s little ways of dealing with the racial situation she finds herself in. I was a bit disappointed in the indirect ways she chose to â€Å"voice† her disapproval but it was a dangerous time for black sympathizers as well as the blacks themselves. 9. Did the more powerful societal group in The Help establish the rules for communication? How? a. The power group, the white women, certainly set the rules on how, when, where, and to whom the maids could interact. Fear was the crux of their power. The maids chafed under the supreme rule of the white yet they were powerless to do anything about it or they would lose their jobs and be blacklisted. Or worse, imprisoned or killed. Because of white supremacy sentiments and Jim Crow laws, blacks could be mob-lynched (killed by hanging or dragging) for the smallest of infractions, even if they were imagined. So, the black women only voiced their feelings to one another, in private, and even then they whispered. Otherwise, they kept their heads down, did their work, and tolerated the abuse. Times have changed how we communicate with others. How can you improve your intercultural communication skills? Provide examples. a. One of the biggest obstacles to accepting and positively interacting with an other person is a closed-minded attitude. We must first be willing to accept the fact that our own way of thinking, believing, and doing things is not the only right way. So, an open-minded approach is always best when communicating with others. Another way to hone good skills is to look for ways to positively interact with others, especially those with whom you do not share a common culture. Volunteer work, random acts of kindness, being openly friendly, making eye contact, smiling, and even attempts at vocal niceties can open many avenues to deeper, more meaningful experiences.