Reading Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading Assignment - Essay Example The case of California Marinas illustrates that global warming has other ill effects to the environment and that it has economic consequence not only in terms of loss of lives and properties but also on the income foregone when it ruins the basis of basis which in this case, drying waters in the Marina dock which turns potential customers away. Drying the waters due to dry spell also has other consequences that harm business. It also threatens our food security such as in the case of Castro Valley in California where the agriculture sector also suffered from the dry spell. Time will come that if we will not change our ways to begin taking care of our environment, storms will not only become stronger but will also ruin our business and destroy our crops that we will no longer have source of income nor food to eat. Since the inception of the Drought Monitor in 2000, the entire state of California has recently experienced the three worst stages of drought. This level of drought is the highest stage affecting entire state California. It used to be unthinkable but it is happening now. Unlike in Castro Valley where the drought dried up the waters of its Marina dock turning customers away and in some areas harming its agriculture, the experience of San Diego and San Clemente are more deadly. These areas experienced seven wildfires where raze of fire was so huge that their smoke plumes can be seen by satellite and radar. These wild fires are caused by hot, dry conditions where the dry vegetation acts like a fuel for the fires. Coupled with gusty winds, these wildfires can spread the fire to other areas that could kill people and destroy properties. The destructive effective of global warming are taking its toll in many unusual ways. It no longer manifests in terms of storms and hurricanes, but also in rising seas. In many areas, it causes long droughts that cause water basins to dry up harming people’s livelihood. It also threatens our food security

Once Were Warriors Essay Example for Free

Once Were Warriors Essay â€Å"Forget the big players in the world; it is the people in the margins of our society whose stories are most compelling. † To what extent do you agree with this statement? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more text(s) you have studied. The Heke family that feature in the ground-breaking New Zealand film from 1994, ‘Once were warriors’ directed by Lee Tamahori are clearly a family living on the margins of society. They live in a state house next to a busy and noisy motorway in South Auckland, New Zealand. Their story is undoubtedly a compelling one: an abusive husband with a love of beer drinking and parties who gains respect from the use of his fists at the local pub; a long-suffering wife who has somehow managed to hold the family together through an obviously tumultuous 18 year marriage; a disillusioned older son who flees the dysfunctional household to join a gang; a pubescent daughter who is the de-facto mother of the family; another son who has gotten in with the wrong crowd and is committing petty theft and two younger children, Polly and Huata. Director Lee Tamahori uses a range of camera and sound techniques, dialogue and compelling themes to teach us about the dangers of excessive alcoholism and moving away from our ancestral connections. Jake ‘the muss’ Heke is a compelling protagonist. After being laid off from his job, he uses his redundancy money to bring home seafood for his family. We are initially positioned to see him as a loving and caring family man, that is until his wife Beth discovers he has been laid off and sees her dreams of buying their own home go out the window. Jake is a man of excuses who sees the dole as being â€Å"only 15 bucks a week less than my wages† and bursts into a tirade of abuse when his wife Beth resists his sexual advances after discovering the truth. Jake also excuses his own propensity for violence when he says, â€Å"Look when I get like that, get out of my way, but you’ve got to get all lippy on me. Sure I’ve a temper, but who hasn’t? † It is apparent that Jake has an inferiority complex dating right back to his courting days of Beth saying â€Å"I was never bloody good enough† and that he descends from a â€Å"long line of slaves† unlike Beth who originates from more upper-class Maori roots. What this highlights is that domestic violence, while inexcusable can often have its origin in insecurities from years beforehand. This is why men in particular need to seek help when they are struggling with issues instead of resorting to excessive bing-drinking to numb emotional pain. Jake’s wife, Beth is also on the margins of society as we see her struggling to raise her family amidst all the physical and verbal abuse around her. Gradually the low angle shots of Beth become more prominent as her courage to stand up to her abusive husband increases as also seen in her dialogue. I won’t have any more of these parties or your bloody ugly mongrel mates coming over. † Tragically, Beth’s surge in power in response to Jake’s failure to take the family to see Boogie in the Boy’s home comes too late, as unbeknownst to her, Uncle Bully has raped her daughter, Grace sending her into a downward spiral which culminates in her suicide. Beth’s cou rage in standing up to Jake and restoring the family without him is compelling. It must have inspired many women across New Zealand and indeed the world to leave behind dysfunctional and violent domestic set-ups. The fabulous low-key lighting and low angle shot of Beth at the end as she calmly informs Jake that ‘from now on I make the decisions for my family’ is inspirational and reminds us of the ‘mana, pride and spirit’ that many Maori have. She finally goes ‘home’ to her Maori ancestral roots as well as literally home to restore her devastated family in the wake of Jake’s departure. Perhaps the most compelling story of hope in the film is that of younger son, Boogie who is ‘sent into welfare’ after the state decides his family can no longer control him after his mother, Beth fails to accompany him to a court hearing (due to suffering a beating and rape at the hands of Jake) as a result of a string of petty crimes. Boogie finally gets the tough love he needs from Maori man, Bennett a distinguished tane who teaches Boogie to use ‘his taiaha on the inside,’ instead of on the outside. Boogie learns that true mana is found by using your mind and developing the inner-strength and resolve to solve problems instead of resorting to violence. Bennett, initially called a ‘black bastard’ by Boogie despite being Maori trains Boogie to reconnect with his maori tikanga and culture which effectively clears up Boogie’s confusion about his Maori identity and that this can be a source of pride. This shows that with the appropriate guidance, initially wayward youth can have a chance to redeem themselves, although this is a job parents and to a lesser extent teachers need to be doing. State foster homes should only be a last resort. In conclusion, ‘Once Were Warriors’ left an indelible mark on the psyche of many New Zealanders with its brutal violence and depiction of problems such as binge-drinking and poverty that previously were swept under the carpet. Only by examining characters on the margins of society can we truly learn how easy it is to get there ourselves if we do not value our families, our education or seek help when we are struggling with issues from our past. The story of the Heke family is a compelling one and a story we would do well to consider seriously.

Dress Code :: essays research papers

Dress code has been the biggest topic between the Board officials and parents. There have been many decisions and arguments that were worked out by administration and local school, often at the request of parents. There should be a dress code for students for several reasons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many public schools today are making dangerous decisions and these decisions may end up saving someone's life. The decisions are about school uniforms and dress codes. Public schools are beginning to open their eyes to the real world and see what their students are wearing and what the clothes are about. Some schools have banned any clothes with inappropriate symbols or sayings. Baggy wear is very dangerous. Schools are now even taking away the privilege of those clothes for the reason that weapons and other dangerous, illegal items may be smuggled in under loose pants, hats, shirts and jackets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cost of maintaining a stylish wardrobe can be expensive. Many families have more important things to spend their money on than the image of school children. The dress code may be a way to keep the costs of school down for those families. In some schools, there has even been fighting or stealing based on expensive sneakers or jewelry. There are many clothes in fashion for boys and girls which are not appropriate for school dress. Good taste and common sense should dictate parental and student choice of school clothes. The school will determine what is not appropriate dress, even if it conforms to current fashion. Also, school dress should not be viewed as a daily fashion show.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this essay I had many compelling reason why there should be dress codes for students. I think that schools should have dress codes because it they can help people

Define the Key Terms Essay

Application: Generally, a function on any kind of computer or electronic device that is useful to the user, which can give the user a reason to want to own and use the device. More specifically, software that performs some useful function for a user. Computer network: A combination of many components that work together so that many different devices can communicate. Computer networking: The gerund form of the term computer network. Email: Electronic mail. An application in which the user can type text and attach other files to create the electronic equivalent of a postal letter, and send the email to another person using his or her email address. Enterprise network: A network owned and operated by a company, with that company being somewhat larger than typical, generally (but not exactly) with more than 1000 employees. HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol, The protocol  used by web browsers and web servers to define the format of URLs (web addresses) and the messages used to exchange web objects. Internet/the Internet: The global network formed by interconnecting most of the networks on the planet, with each home and company network connecting to an Internet service provider (ISP), which in turn connects to other ISPs. Link: A generic term for any network cable or wireless communications path between two devices over which bits can be transmitted. Node: A generic term for any networking device that sits on the end of links, for the purpose of both connecting links to create physical paths and to make decisions about how to forward data through the network. Protocol: A set of rules that different devices and/or software must follow so that the network works correctly. Video frame: A grid of pixel locations of a chosen width by height that contains the lights/colors to be shown in a video at a single point in time. Voice call: A more modern term for a telephone call that does not use the word telephone, instead emphasizing the fact that the traffic that flows between the endpoints is voice. Web address: Text that identifies details about one object in a network so that a client can request that object from a server. An informal term for URL. Web browser: Literally, software controlled directly by a user that requests web pages from a web server, and after receiving a page, displays the web page in a window. More generally, this term refers to both the software and the hardware on which it executes. Web page: In a web browser, all the text, images, video, and sound that fill the window of the browser when the user opens a link to some web address. Web server: Literally, software that stores web pages and web objects, listens for requests for those pages, and sends the contents of those pages/objects to clients. More generally, this term refers to both the software and the hardware on which it executes.

Growing Up In a Large Family

Family, being the most basic unit of society is where the values of an individual are shaped. That is ideal of course and varies from widely from culture to culture.   In developed countries the family is mostly composed of the mother, father and the child. The number of children also varies from 1-3. That is called the nuclear family wherein a home includes no other relatives other than the first degree. However when it comes to developing countries where family ties are valued down to the farthest line such as cousins, uncles and grandparents, a family can be as large as seven to 12 people of more. In countries where the Islam religion is dominant and where the law allows for concubines, a family can be a very large. There are many advantages when it comes to growing up in a large family. For one, it is more lively and there are a lot of people who can help each other just in case the parents are busy. In cases where there are many children, as long as the parents are able to give equal love, care and financial support to each child then the family can be a host to a well rounded child. This is because even at a young age he is trained to mingle with a large crowd and build close ties with the others. The child therefore, grows to be an emotionally stable child and is well endowed with love and care. Brotherhood and sisterhood can also be cultivated in the mind of the child since he has a lot of siblings to take care of and play with. He will learn values such as teamwork and camaraderie at a young age. In addition to that, if the parents are loving enough and are effective in their parenting, the children will value sharing and fairness.  In cases where the grandparents and other relatives live with the family, then there would be a lot of adults to take care of the children and minimizing or compensating the love and attention that the parents can’t give to their child. In a nutshell, growing up in a large family can be very beneficial for the emotional status of the child.      

How To Manage Difficult Employees Management Essays

How To Manage Difficult Employees Management Essays How To Manage Difficult Employees Management Essay How To Manage Difficult Employees Management Essay The terminal of this concluding sum-up is to reexamine grounds from the intelligence shows that how to pull off trouble employee. Therefore director have to pull offing their organisation more proper direction. Manager play a different leading based on the employee background and besides the behaviours in order the subsidiaries able adapting and follow to finish the undertaking and heightening organisation public presentation. It is really of import for director to understand of pull offing the organisation to avoid any failure undertaking happen. In literature review journal 1 how can director cut down the employee purpose to discontinue . Most of the impact is the stressors on emphasis reactions, occupation satisfactions committedness to the organisation. To cut down the purpose to discontinue directors have to sharply supervise their work loads besides that besides have to supervise the relationships between subsidiaries and supervisors in order to cut down emphasis. In literature reappraisal Journal-2 All alteration? Directors experience of organisational alteration in theory and pattern it is focuses the utile of organisational alteration theory for direction pattern. Furthermore it suggest that to implement the new institutional theory. Therefore directors have to apprehension of the context within organisational alteration occurs and the drivers of alteration. So they understanding and motivate themselves, besides to actuate others to collaborate in alteration procedures. It is helpful were theories which enabled the m to alter state of affairss in which they found themselves. Therefore it is of import that the organisational change their theory and the pattern in their organisation. In add-on, understanding pull offing organisation will assisting the director able to pull off their organisation and accomplish effectivity end. Besides that besides can assist employee understanding the managerial signifiers may impact otherwise within the organisations. However, director besides have to play a suited functions in an organisation which can be different in organisation civilization. By holding cognition of pull offing the organisation can assist leader as good. Therefore understanding pull offing organisation is really of import. Main body- Literature reappraisal Journal -1 How can directors cut down employee purpose to discontinue? This reports is based on Lucy Firth and David J.Mellor, Kathleen A. Moore and Claud Loquet. To look into the variables that may be analytical of purposes to go forth a occupation, and prove a theoretical account that includes interceding variable. The mediating variable include emotional support from supervisor and self-pride that will impact the stressors on emphasis reactions, occupation satisfactions committedness to the organisation purpose to discontinue. To cut down the purpose to discontinue directors have to sharply supervise their work loads besides that besides have to supervise the relationships between subsidiaries and supervisors in order to cut down manage emphasis. Nevertheless, directors besides monitor both the external and internal beginnings of occupation satisfaction available to employee. Based on the study there are few ground that employee purpose to discontinue are the experience of job-related to emphasize, the scope of factors that lead to job-related emphasis and deficiency of committedness to the organisation. The facet of emphasis facing by Stressors can be measured by function ambiguity, function struggle, work overload and work household struggle. Besides the impact of occupation stressors on purpose to discontinue utilizing the dispositional factors are locus of control, self-esteem and perceptual experiences of supervisor support. However, occupation dissatisfaction are chiefly the influence that purpose to discontinue. It is because deficiency of committedness to the organisation and feelings of emphasis, which in the current theoretical account are influenced by occupation stressors. However, director who concerned about the impact purpose to discontinue they may hold some control. In certain occupation stressors they confronting work overload, occupation ambiguity which are the factors that cause the concatenation of psychological that will take to intention to discontinue can be adjusted. Management may cut down emphasis of employee and increase occupation satisfaction and committedness to the organisation and given the extrinsic beginnings of occupation satisfaction available to employees by supervisor subsidiaries relationships and proctor work loads. Journal-2 All alteration? Directors experience of organisational alteration in theory and pattern. This paper is based on Jane Andrew, Helen Cameron and Margaret Harris. The intent of this diary is to concentrate the utile of organisational alteration theory for direction pattern. In this paper find that the elaborateness of pull offing alteration in pattern that will reflect certain organisational environments and civilizations. In this diary to practicing directors are likely to be suggests that to implement new institutional theory. Besides that they besides discuss how director experience organisational alteration and how they use alteration theory in their pattern. Furthermore they besides consider about the development of organisational alteration theory and sense of future taking on organisational alteration. The directors use accomplishments and cognition to establish the most utile were those that enabled them to do sense of the organisational alteration after they experienced. Whereas the survey participants referred to the demand to advance ownership of alteration schemes and many of them described now how advancing a multi-agency attack to organisational alteration direction, they encourage synergistic working and thereby improved the services provided. So, directors chiefly have to apprehension of the context within organisational alteration occurs and the drivers of alteration. They can utilize understanding to actuate themselves and besides to actuate others to collaborate in alteration procedures. It is helpful were theories which enabled them to alter state of affairss in which they found themselves. Furthermore in this survey besides provide some arrows for future research and theory development on organisational alteration. From the point of position of practicing directors, it seems that what is needed is in-between scope theory which provides accounts of the context within which they themselves every bit good as their organisations have to work. This sort of theory helps directors to do sense of their functions and motivates them to implement alteration. They are besides looking for theory which builds on their practical experiences chance are being lost it seems for research workers to supervise how alteration is implemented in pattern in organisations. Introduction The current issues that I read through online the Star Newspaper. The intelligence was on Tuesday January 8,2013 said that director has a job which is hard to pull off their employees. In the instance said that the endowment can be find in the section but the job is whether it is blessing or expletive. The director will pass their clip on program talent plan model, undertakings and preparation to do them related to their company. But at the same clip they forget a really of import key component which is to making good in their implement on developing to their subordinated. It is besides because that all the clip Human resources section merely will engaging the right campaigners who has the high acting and potency. At the same clip can given the foremans of endowment. Unfortunately finally the director will recognize that the high public presentation campaigner they are hard in to work with. Based on the research conducted by profiles international with over 700 peoples of directors said that there is a 25 % of endowments in their company was hard to work with. The study besides revealed that 78 % of the directors did non cognize how to pull off these employees efficaciously and 68 % of the director did non understand the behaviour of these endowments. The issue is the subordinated who besides thought himself as a endowment ever think that he are above the remainder including their superior as such he do it indicate in order everyone acknowledges him as the smartest in the company. Besides that he thought he is a endowment and he believe that he entitles to some privileges such as shorter working hours, long hr of interruption and will excused from the deadening everyday undertakings and inquire for everyone in the squad. In this instance, what director suggest to make is make non digest bad in squad. If his attitudes start impacting the squad, so can talk to him yet non-condescending or accusatory mode. Manager besides advise to in private and publically without seting him on the base to denote his accomplishments and appreciate him. On the other custodies, a lady who are wallpaper endowment is seeking difficult to work for the organisation and she maintain the position quo that neer taking any on big undertaking as because she do non desire any justice negatively about her. Yet she hope she can softly affect her foreman without work together with her co-worker. She tried her best non to make better than their co-worker and trust her foreman will detect all these thing. Unfortunately, at some point she tries excessively difficult and suppressed her thrust for challenges and excellence that first qualified her to be in the plan. In this instance director can move as a transformational leading. Manager can praise her more in forepart of the squad. Besides that director can proactive and organize a outlook to her. Furthermore create a learning chance and motivate work for towards the end. In a nutshell it is really of import for director to understand of pull offing organisation in term of their employee behaviour, organisation civilizations and so on. Recommendation Based on the inquiry director have to understand of pull offing organisations. So, it is really of import that director need to understand the organisation it is because director have to pass the working clip in the organisations. It make sense of the workplace that director have to making internal environment work together with their employee to carry through their ends. It Is besides because different states have different civilization in the organisation. Organizational civilization is an of import construct and it will impact on organisational alteration plan when an organisation presenting major reforms and that need different or new civilization. Therefore Understanding of organisational civilization and cultural types will besides understand of pull offing the organisation. Besides that besides can assist employee understanding the managerial signifiers may impact otherwise within the organisations. So the director have to understand the functions they are play as. Furthermore through apprehension of pull offing organisation, director have to understand how to play a function to be leader as good. Leader is who steering others and taking is capableness of steering and act uponing or animating others. The leading theory such as transformational leading. Transformational leading is a leading manner that lead to the impact of their follower. It can be defined as the leader service as a function theoretical account of their followings. Which mean that the transformational leaders respect, addition trust and esteem from their followings. They have 4 different constituent of transformational leadings there are rational stimulation, Individualized consideration, inspirational motive and idealised influence. Whereas transactional leading besides known as managerial leading. These peoples who are motivates by wagess and penalty. Which mean that the employees public presentation good so will have some wagess, if they perform ill they will be punished in some manner by their superior. They are focal points on the function of supervising and public presentation. In short Transactional leading is based in A ; Acirc ; eventuality while wages or penalty is contingent upon public presentation. Decision Based on the recommendation, we know that it is really of import for director to hold understand of pull offing an organisation. However, director besides have to play a suited functions in an organisation which can be different in organisation civilization. By making this director can to take their subsidiaries the right manner to accomplish their end together. In a nutshell, leading is of import, implement alteration the organisational civilization can maintain their subordinated focused, and pull off the alteration efficaciously. By making this director can guarantee the organisation alteration in appropriate resources that provided and can do certain that the undertaking is actively driven. Transactional leading and transformational leading have pattern their ain leading manner, both of this leaderships manner as reciprocally sole.

Tappan Brothers, Abolitionist Philanthropists

Tappan Brothers, Abolitionist Philanthropists The Tappan brothers were a pair of wealthy New York City businessmen who used their fortunes to assist the abolitionist movement from the 1830s through the 1850s. The philanthropic efforts of Arthur and Lewis Tappan were instrumental in the founding of the American Anti-Slavery Society as well as other reform movements and educational endeavors. The brothers became prominent enough that a mob sacked Lewiss house in lower Manhattan during the abolitionist riots of July 1834. And a year later a mob in Charleston, South Carolina, burned Arthur in effigy because he had financed a program to mail abolitionist pamphlets from New York City to the South. The brothers remained undaunted, and continued to assist the anti-slavery movement. They set an example that others followed, such as the Secret Six, the men who secretly funded the abolitionist fanatic John Brown before his fateful raid on Harpers Ferry. Business Background of the Tappan Brothers The Tappan brothers were born in Northampton, Massachusetts, into a family of 11 children. Arthur was born in 1786, and Lewis was born in 1788. Their father was a goldsmith and merchant and  their mother was deeply religious. Both Arthur and Lewis showed early aptitude in business and became merchants operating in Boston as well as Canada. Arthur Tappan was operating a successful business in Canada until the War of 1812, when he relocated to New York City. He became very successful as a merchant in silks and other goods, and garnered a reputation as a very honest and ethical businessman. Lewis Tappan was successful working for a dry goods importing firm in Boston during the 1820s, and considered opening his own business. However, he decided to move to New York and join his brothers business. Working together, the two brothers became even more successful, and the profits they made in the silk trade and other enterprises allowed them to pursue philanthropic interests. The American Anti-Slavery Society Inspired by the British Anti-Slavery Society, Arthur Tappan helped to found the American Anti-Slavery Society and served as its first president from 1833 to 1840. During his leadership the society became prominent for publishing a large number of abolitionist pamphlets and almanacs. The printed material from the society, which was produced in a modern printing facility on Nassau Street in New York City, showed a fairly sophisticated approach to influencing public opinion. The organizations pamphlets and broadsides often carried woodcut illustrations of the mistreatment of slaves, making them easily understandable to people, most importantly slaves, who could not read. Resentment Toward the Tappan Brothers Arthur and Lewis Tappan occupied a peculiar position, as they were very successful in New York Citys business community. Yet the businessmen of the city were often aligned with the slave states, as much of the American economy before the Civil War depended on the trade in products produced by slaves, primarily cotton and sugar. Denunciations of the Tappan brothers became commonplace in the early 1830s. And in 1834, during days of mayhem that became known as the Abolitionist Riots, the house of Lewis Tappan was attacked by a mob. Lewis and his family had already fled, but most of their furniture was piled up in the middle of the street and burned. During the Anti-Slavery Societys pamphlet campaign of 1835 the Tappan brothers were widely denounced by pro-slavery advocates in the South. A mob seized abolitionist pamphlets in Charleston, South Carolina, in July 1835 and burned them in a huge bonfire. And an effigy of Arthur Tappan was hoisted high and set on fire, along with an effigy of abolitionist editor William Lloyd Garrison. Legacy of the Tappan Brothers Throughout the 1840s the Tappan brothers continued to help the abolitionist cause, though Arthur slowly withdrew from active involvement. By the 1850s there was less need for their involvement and financial support. Thanks in large part to the  publication of Uncle Toms Cabin,  Ã‚  abolitionist thought was delivered into American living rooms. The formation of the Republican Party, which was created to oppose the spread of slavery to new territories, brought the anti-slavery point of view into the mainstream of American electoral politics. Arthur Tappan died on July 23, 1865. He had lived to see the end of slavery in America. His brother Lewis wrote a biography of Arthur which was published in 1870. Not long after, Arthur suffered a stroke which left him incapacitated. He died at his home in Brooklyn, New York, on June 21, 1873.

A Cultural History of the Zoot Suit

A Cultural History of the Zoot Suit In the 1944 Tom and Jerry short The Zoot Cat- only the thirteenth cartoon ever made starring that famous duo- Toms would-be girlfriend lays it on him straight:  Boy, are you corny!  You act like a square at the fair, a goon from  Saskatoon.  You come on like a broken arm.  Youre a sad apple, a long hair, a cornhusker.  In other words, you dont send me! The sad cat goes out and buys himself some new duds from Smiling Sam, the Zoot Suit Man, prompting his wide-eyed gal pal to do a one-eighty.  Youre really a sharp character! A mellow little fellow. Now you collar my jive! Around the same time on the American scene- but, culturally speaking, light-years away- a young Malcom X, then known as Detroit Red, also sang the praises of the Zoot Suit, a killer-diller coat with a drape shape, reet-pleats, and shoulders padded like a lunatics cell. (Apparently, people in the 1940s liked to rhyme more than they do today.) In his widely read autobiography, Malcolm X describes his first Zoot Suit almost in religious terms: Sky-blue pants thirty inches in the knee and angle narrowed down to twelve inches at the bottom, and a long coat that pinched my waist and flared out below my knees... hat angled, knees drawn close together, feet wide apart, both index fingers jabbed toward the floor. (We wont even mention Cesar Chavez, the famous Mexican-American labor activist who wore Zoot Suits as a teen.) What was it about Zoot Suits that united such disparate cultural icons as Malcom X, Cesar Chavez, and  Tom and Jerry? The origins of the Zoot Suit, characterized by its wide lapels, padded shoulders, and baggy pants tapering down to narrow cuffs- and usually accessorized with a feathered hat and a dangling pocket watch- are shrouded in mystery, but the style seems to have coalesced in Harlem nightclubs in the mid-1930s and then worked its way out into the wider urban culture. Essentially, Zoot Suits were the pre-war equivalent of the sagging, low-hipped pants sported by some African-American youths in the 1990s or the huge Afro hairstyles popular in the 1970s. Fashion choices can be a powerful statement, especially if youre denied more mainstream modes of expression because of your race or economic status. Zoot Suits Move Into the Mainstream By the time they  were referenced by Tom and Jerry, Zoot Suits were well-ensconced in mainstream culture; you can bet that the studio execs at MGM would never have green-lighted  this cartoon if the style were still restricted to Harlem nightclubs. The apostles of Zoot, you might say, were early 1940s jazz musicians like Cab Calloway who played in front of white and black audiences and were emulated in their dress by youths of all races, though not necessarily their elders. (Before and during World War II, jazz was the dominant cultural musical idiom in the U.S., much like hip-hop still is today, albeit in vastly mutated form.) At this point, you may be wondering from whence the zoot in Zoot Suit derives. Most likely, it was yet another token of the vogue for rhyming in wartime America; zoot simply seems to have been  a jazzy repetition of suit. The young people who donned Zoot Suits as a mild form of rebellion surely enjoyed mystifying their parents with their snappy language and the strange names they assigned to household objects, the same way kids who spend all day texting like to throw out random, impenetrable acronyms. Zoot Suits Get Political: The Zoot Suit Riots In late 1930s Los Angeles, no ethnic group adopted Zoot Suits with more enthusiasm than Mexican-American teenagers, some of them low-level gang members known as pachucos. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, however, the U.S. government instituted strict wartime rationing of wool and other textiles meaning Zoot Suits, with their wide lapels and copious folds, were technically off-limits. Even still, many Angelenos- not only Mexican-Americans- continued to wear their old Zoot Suits, and obtained new ones from the black market. Around the same time, L.A. was convulsed by the Sleepy Lagoon trial, in which nine Mexican-American pachucos were accused of murdering an innocent civilian (also Mexican). In the summer of 1943, these explosive circumstances detonated when a group of white servicemen stationed in Los Angeles viciously attacked random pachucos (and other ethnic minorities) wearing Zoot Suits in the so-called Zoot Suit Riots. Ostensibly, the aggressors were incensed by the waste of fabric entailed by Zoot Suits, as well as the flaunting of rationing laws by the youths wearing them. The anti-Mexican feeling stirred up by the Sleepy Lagoon trial, combined with the unabashed racism of small-town soldiers stationed in a big city, were more likely explanations. Amusingly, after the smoke had cleared, a California state senator alleged that the riots had been instigated by Nazi spies trying to estrange the U.S. from its Latin American allies! The Afterlife of the Zoot Suit In the U.S., no fashion trend ever goes truly extinct- even if there are no more 1920s flappers sporting bangs and curls or pachucos dressed in Zoot Suits, these fads have been preserved in novels, newsreels, magazines, and are occasionally resurrected as fashion statements (either seriously or ironically). The Cherry Poppin Daddies landed their only Billboard hit in 1997 with the song Zoot Suit Riot, and in 1975, Zoot Suit was a cut from The Whos ambitious rock opera Quadrophenia. In 1979, a play called Zoot Suit- based on the Sleepy Lagoon murder case and the Zoot Suit Riots- lasted for 41 performances on Broadway. Whats more, the outlandish garb sported by inner-city pimps in countless exploitation movies is based on the Zoot Suit. And, of course, you can always watch The Zoot Cat on YouTube, not to mention various electrifying performances by Cab Calloway in full Zoot Suit regalia.

Supply Chain Management-A Case of AmerTac Inc Term Paper

Supply Chain Management-A Case of AmerTac Inc - Term Paper Example According to Blackwell, companies sustain competitive advantages via information flow management which is significant principle of supply chain as a system. There are three important flows within supply chain, information flow, material flow and flow of finance or capital. Similarly, as per Cooper and Lambert’s assessment, effective supply chain means integrated supply chain as integration is core element required in supply chain management system (Baihaqi & Beaumont, 2005, pp. 2). Collaboration and relationship are further essentials of supply chain. If there is not strong collaboration or relationship within supply chain partners (suppliers, manufacturers and distributors), it is impossible to sustain the entire system of SCM (Baihaqi & Beaumont, 2005). Critical Evaluation of a Supply Chain CaseCompany Overview AmerTac is one of the renowned companies in consumer electronics, based in New Jersey since 1937 (Bloomberg, 2013). The company offers wide range of products includin g decorative hardware, lighting fixtures, night lighting fixtures, in-house lighting and plant accessories. Moreover, it offers ceramics, mirrors, and accent lighting fixtures to meet the diversified need of customers. Being a well known company AmerTac distributes its products to almost all popular retailers including Wal-Mart, Lowe’s and The Home Depot (AmerTac, 2013). This gets possible by company’s wide ranging supply chain network which is channelized to all most all local pick points. (Baihaqi & Beaumont, 2005).

Cover letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Cover letter - Essay Example I have also learnt communication skills which have not only improved my pronunciation but also enhanced my good command in speaking English. I took English 105 as a unit in the university and one of the objectives required is to be able to attain good writing skills. The course entails the use of four topics in learning English, which include; Media review, Observation, Contact zone and banking of concept education. An improvement of overall quality of work entails summary that is not only clear and precise but also give an overview or try to analyze a wider point of what the topic elaborates. This skill was enhanced through a review of a movie about Chinese history especially about the last Emperor. The movie shows how the last king Pu Yi could not rule the empire as forerunners did and ended up lonely in the Forbidden City. The review of this story enabled me to test my recollection ability of what I watched and how easy I can remember an event that occurred. It also enabled me to be creative on writing a story. The major corrections done here mostly were on punctuations, sentences construction, and general flow of ideas to make the story flow chronologically. Observation is a skill that is of greater importance to a writer or student. An essay written about the Miami children’s hospital describes how the observer was involved in noting the behavior of patient’s parent, nurse and the child who was a patient. The writer describes the scenario as it is. This skill of describing a behavior requires detailed analysis of specific event without generalization. The details described make it provable by the presenter. My third essay was majored on contact with the situation or community around this enabled understanding of myself in relation to the community I interacted with an exemplary way of revealing yourself is by writing of how you became aware of something, how to gain a way of new world and a new

Thematic Function Style in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window Essay

Thematic Function Style in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window - Essay Example Important Patterns the Plot On the surface the plot of the film seems rather simple: just a single set and a handful of characters, but upon close observation we realize that just by means of editing Alfred Hitchcock puts life in the plot, makes it suspenseful and attention-grabbing. Fawell (5) in his books suggests that Hitchcock believed that everyone was involved in something physical and nasty behind closed doors†. This belief can be assumed as a basis for creating Rear Window, where Hitchcock portrays the concept of voyeurism trough the central character of his film. But he applies the voyeurism concept in a positive manner by projecting parallel concepts of human loneliness and need for empathy. The opening scene shows a broken camera with a picture of an airplane taken at very close range. The protagonist, Jeffries is seated in a chair with his foot in a cast. In order to kill his boredom, Jeffries develops the habit of observing his neighbors through his rear window. He allocates nicknames to these people and observes their intimate lives through an impersonal distance. There are significant elements of voyeurism in his observations as he watches the ballerina dancing seductively in her underwear, a couple which sleeps on the balcony, a newly-married couple engaged in an intimate embrace that keeps pulling down the blinds, a pianist who is trying to woo women with his music, a spinster who is looking for love in the oddest of ways and an unhappy salesman who is frequently quarrelling with his wife. Hitchcock uses the technique â€Å"point-of-view† which enables the viewer to look at the entire film through Jeffries’s perspective. Through Rear Window Hitchcock uses voyeurism that results in a positive outcome as Jeffries through is odd interest in neighbors solves a murder mystery, saves his own life and salvages his relationship with Lisa. Towards the beginning of the film, Jeffries’s nurse Stella says â€Å"we’ve beco me a nation of peeping toms†, this is the central theme around which the plot of the film revolves. According to Fawell, Hitchcock blows up the single set from the window into a view of thirty-one city apartments that appear to be like an elaborate doll-house (4). The very concept of using an apartment building instead of neighboring houses contributes immensely to voyeurism. This is so because in case of a house with a rear window the other visible window could be of one neighboring house, which would have to be the killer’s then there would not be any significance of other characters. The very concept of voyeurism stands out when Jeffries observes the intimate lives of various characters residing in apartments of the opposite building, not just the killer’s. Hence although the protagonist in the film is firmly seated in one place, we are able to see multiple views through his eyes—or the eyes of the camera. This Hitchcock has executed to perfection with close-up shots, tracking shots and film montages. For example when Jeffries is talking on the phone

The development of morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The development of morality - Essay Example Often times, children will have placed a lot of trust in an adult which adds to their influence over their moral development. Educators such as teachers also are influential in the process of moral development. According to a book entitled â€Å"Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice,† â€Å"teachers are in a position to foster the necessary social skills to allow students to become autonomous and socially competent individuals†( Robert E. Slavin, 2010).This can lead to conflict as a teacher’s morals might not be the same as the parent’s who does not want their children to be influenced negatively by contradicting morals. According to the article entitled â€Å"Fostering Goodness: Teaching Parents to Facilitate Children's Moral Development,† there are a few ways that adults can foster moral development within children. One of the most effective ways is through modeling which is an adult demonstrates a particular moral element by ways of words, behaviors, or actions in the presence of the child(Berkowitz, 1998).

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Case Study Example Apart from advising the franchisees about how to promote the outlets in their respective areas and the local market, McFadden can take other steps to encourage the franchisees to promote their outlets like he can provide additional funds for promotions and also can provide some incentives and rewards for those franchisees who perform better in promoting the outlets in the local market. McFadden should analyse the franchisability properly before making any decision. Determining franchisability means to asses that whether the business is worth franchisable that means the entrepreneur must determine that whether the business is profitable or not, whether the business model can be easily copied by the competitor, does the business model can be easily adopted by the competitors, is the business model has any unique feather which is different from the others etc (Shakespeare, 1995, p.90). As the competitors are able to copy the business model of McFadden therefore it is clear that the franchisability was not properly analysed as a result the competitor can imitate it. To control the situation, first of all Just Cuts should restructure the business model in such a way which will be difficult to copy. In response to the imitators, Just Cuts can bring innovation in its services in terms of enhanced quality and customer satisfaction. Some of these things have already been d one by the management of Just Cuts. Apart from this, Just cuts should change their policies regarding the services it offers so that the competitors cannot always imitate the policies. Just Cuts can also go for branding its products so that the customers can distinguish the services from those of the imitators. Good branding will also reduce the anxiety of the franchisees regarding the low cost service providers because branded services always finds its place in the market. Deciding on the franchising fee is an important aspect of franchising. Some franchisees require less funds

The development of morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The development of morality - Essay Example Often times, children will have placed a lot of trust in an adult which adds to their influence over their moral development. Educators such as teachers also are influential in the process of moral development. According to a book entitled â€Å"Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice,† â€Å"teachers are in a position to foster the necessary social skills to allow students to become autonomous and socially competent individuals†( Robert E. Slavin, 2010).This can lead to conflict as a teacher’s morals might not be the same as the parent’s who does not want their children to be influenced negatively by contradicting morals. According to the article entitled â€Å"Fostering Goodness: Teaching Parents to Facilitate Children's Moral Development,† there are a few ways that adults can foster moral development within children. One of the most effective ways is through modeling which is an adult demonstrates a particular moral element by ways of words, behaviors, or actions in the presence of the child(Berkowitz, 1998).

Operations Planning and Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Operations Planning and Control - Essay Example However, demand for organizational products is influenced by many factors as explained by Ahlersten (2008, p. 87). These factors include the price of the products, time of the year, price of other substitute and complementary products, taste and preferences of customers and the income of the population. In addition, demand is determined by the expectations of customers in changes of price and quantities supplied in the market. This however depends on all other factors remaining constant. Dilts (2004, p. 68) asserts that demand must be backed by the purchasing power of the customers and is always related to a specific price and time. Consequently, it is critical for organizations to optimize the supply of products during the peak demand period to ensure that the customers are able to access the services demanded. This is the greatest dilemma facing Holly Farm. The Farm at the beginning of 2007 decided to open its doors for paying visitors to view their Farm. The organization is involv ed in both dairy and arable livestock rearing. To ensure the comfort of their visitors, the company invested its entire savings constructing a 50-space car park and a six park for the 40-seater coaches. Furthermore they invested in constructing a safe area for viewing the milking parlour, purchased special trailers to transport passengers around the farm on guided tours and a children’s recreation playground. Behind the shop, the farm constructed a small facility for making dairy ice cream. Through aggressive advertising and events organized in local schools and organizations; the number of visitors to the Farm has grown steadily and by the end of 2010, the annual number of visitors was over twenty one thousand. There are great variations in the number of visitors during different months of the year and time of the day. Although the allowed visiting hours are from 11.00 am to 6.20 after milking is completed, approximately 90 percent of the visitors in cars and coaches arrive after midday picnic until around 1.30pm and make a tour of the farm in the afternoon. By 3.00 pm about 40 percent would leave the Farm while 60 percent wait to view the milking process and there after visit the shop for ice cream and other products. There are more visitors from April to October while demand is too low outside this period. Moreover, visits are high from Friday to Monday, the demand peaking on Saturdays and Sundays. The period between November and March is usually too cold for tractor rides and the animals have to be kept inside. Gillian who is charged with the responsibility of managing the visitors has initiated an ambitious plan to increase the number of visitors to the Farm by forty percent in 2011. Moreover, a state of the art milking parlour has been launched by the Farm where cows are milked on a slow moving turntable and milking is to last from 3.00 to 6.00 pm. To optimize the number visitors visiting the Farm, Gillian has to determine whether concentrate on i ndividual advertising or promoting visits by coaches during the peak time. In case

Critically examine Essay Example for Free

Critically examine Essay The four items from the book all say that women have the majority of the expectation to do more of the domestic tasks. These tasks include such things like caring for the children emotionally, washing clothes and making sure the house is tidy etc. The man is seen to be the main breadwinner and has little to do with such domestic tasks. There are views that say, however, that men are getting more actively involved, for example item D from M. Denscombe says that The amount of time fathers spend with their children has increased fourfold over a generation between 1961 and 1995. But it is very hard to do research within a family unit unless you are in the unit already and can research from within. Item B from M. Jones suggests that the domestic division of labour is not in proportion to the division of employed work, even though there is evidence to suggest that this is sometimes the case, generally studies indicate that inequality rather than symmetry is the defining characteristic of the majority of present day marriages. There are many different sociologists that believe that the division of labour in the home is getting more equal in the present day. Item A involved a huge survey of 543 parents and found that working mothers spend more time on housework than on their full time job. It says that mothers in full time employment spend 56 hours on housework compared to mens 31 hours a week. This shows that even when the mother is working there is still the expectation for her to be the main carer and house worker; this sort of division of labour, which is expected, is called the dual burden. Item C is from M. Leonard and suggests that women accept the role of the housewife because they want to be seen as a good wife and mother. For this reason they are more likely to accept an unequal division of labour. Willmott and Young (1973) introduced the idea of symmetry, which basically meant that the roles of the husband and wife were equal and balanced. They still agreed that women would take the main responsibility for the childcare and domestic tasks, but said that men were spending about the same amount of time as the women in the home doing home-related activities. The idea of symmetry meant that the domestic tasks would be shared equally, but this would not be strictly true as men were still seen to do the practical jobs such as do it yourself tasks or decorating, while the women would wash up. This meant that they did about the same amount of time on domestic tasks, but they were not shared completely equally. This symmetrical division of labour made the relationship more home-centred and they would spend more of the leisure time together, providing a stronger relationship. Willmott and Young would agree that the domestic tasks have become more equal between the husband and wife. This sort of marriage is called the egalitarian marriage where the tasks are more joint. Burghes would agree with Willmott and Young who say that fathers are more active in childcare these days than they were in the 1960s. Benston, a Marxist-feminist argues that women are used as reserve army of labour and that the work that they do and the way they work benefits the capitalist system because they are easily employable and can be let off work easier than men. The capitalist system promotes the traditional nuclear family where the man is the breadwinner and the wife is the carer and looks after the house this is because of the capitalist system that treats women as slaves, women are the slaves of wage slaves Rosser and Harris agree with Wilmot and Youngs theory and say that nowadays the husband is expected to help with the household chores, to stay at home or go out for the evening with his wife, to help with the children, to push the pram, to share the major family decisions. The case studies of young married couples confirmed this marked change in the conjugal relationship and the marked contrast within the recent past. This is a big change from years past as the husband is getting more involved with the children and helping out more within the home. Elizabeth Bott argues that the conjugal roles in the home are both segregated and joint. This means that the jobs round the house are shared in terms of time doing them, but they are segregated because the wife would do different tasks to the man. The man would do such jobs like looking after the car and getting things fixed around the house, while the woman would do jobs which are associated with the mother figure, these are such tasks as making sure there is a dinner on the table and looking after the children while they are playing. Bott also argues that the norms and beliefs of the middle class would eventually filter down into the working class. At the moment the middle class has a different system when it comes to domestic division of labour, they tend to have the joint domestic task system, where as the working class have a segregated division of labour. By saying that this will filter down means that eventually the working class will change their division of labour so that the tasks between the husband and wife are joint. In conclusion I think that the roles within the family are being a lot more shared, so are becoming more symmetrical. The husband and wife are beginning to share their domestic tasks and this will bring them closer to each other, this point agrees with that of Willmott and Young when they say that more of the leisure time that they have will be spent together in the home. I also agree with the view from Beck who says that fathers need an identity, which in this modern world is not provided by their work anymore so they look to other places to provide it. More and more fathers are taking an active role in the development of their children, which provides them with the identity, which they need. The involvement should not be exaggerated though because compared to the mother they still dont play a huge role in the care of the children. This view agrees with Item D, which is the Item that I agree with most as it describes the change of involvement of fathers with their children form the 1960s to the 1990s.

Microbial Mats: A Bioreactor of Lithification

Microbial Mats: A Bioreactor of Lithification Microbial mats: a bioreactor of lithification and an indicator of Earths evolution Introduction Microbial mat is a general term that is used to describe a variety of microbial communities that are found at interfaces between different types of material, mostly on submerged or moist surfaces such as estuarine environment and salt marshes (Krumbein et al., 1977; Nicholson et al., 1987). Bacteria and archaea are two main microbes forming the layers. Microbial mats contain a variety of different but essential trophic groups including primary producers, consumers, and decomposers. This is why even though microbial mats are, to an extreme extent, geographically small, they are ecosystems from an ecological perspective. Microbial mats are dynamic ecosystems in which a wide range of metabolic processes take place. Inside this tiny ecosystem, different physical and chemical environments are distinguished by a variety of gradients, include but not limited to light, oxygen and sulfide (Visscher and van den Ende, 1994). The gradients may not be always constant. For example, oxygen concentration may have varied from diurnally to seasonally. In some aquatic systems, it will drop from supersaturated to undetectable within a few centimeters. The light penetration depth is fluctuated because of change of seasons or just with cloud covering. All these temporal environmental oscillations mentioned above, will result in coupled reactions, that are critical to the biogeochemical cycle, like reduction and oxidation of elements such as carbon and sulfur. Therefore, heterogeneity of microbe habitat is a common character that exhibits among all microbial mats.   Microbial mat ecosystems can be viewed as a semiclosed system which require little more than sunlight to function, as such it is efficient in all kinds of reactions and element cycling. The relatively simple but functional structures make it, to a certain extent, easy to reach equilibrium and mass balances. Generally, microbial mats tend to have high rates of oxygenic photosynthesis, aerobic respiration, sulfate reduction, and sulfide oxidation (Canfield and Des Marais, 1993; Revsbech et al., 1986), when compared to other benthic ecosystems. A classical view of a microbial mat (Figure 1)(Visscher et al., 2000) is that a fixed sequence of microbial groups exists: starting with oxygenic cyanobacteria as a surface community, underlain by oxygenic phototropic bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria as subsequent layer (Krumbein, 1983). This view, however, was later questioned and revised. Structure and the layers are not a result of different metabolic reaction types, on the contrary, they might be found in association with the cyanobacterial layer. Some research showed that the sulfur reducing bacteria was also found in the surface layer (Frà ¼nd and Cohen, 1992; Visscher et al., 1992). Microbial mats and mineral interaction In microbial ecosystems, when the precipitation rate of minerals is faster than that of dissolution, lithification will occur. Precipitations mediated by microbial mats is not limited to carbonates but also constituted by other minerals, such as gypsum and anhydrite (Ehrlich, 1998). Among all these precipitation types, carbonate precipitation is perhaps the most important process as it is directly related to the global carbon cycling. Therefore, in this section, a main focus will be put on sedimentary biofilms in hypersaline environments to help with the interpretation of the rock record. 2.1 Stromatolites and carbonate precipitation Stromatolites are lithifying organic sedimentary structures formed by microorganisms (Figure 2). Carbonate precipitation activities of microbial mats are trapped and recorded in stromatolites layered structures. As such, microbial mats can be viewed as bioreactors (Dupraz et al., 2004a). The stromatolites structure is characterized as an alternating soft and hard layers whose heights ranges from a few centimeters to two meters. The evolutionary processes of stromatolites remain largely uncharacterized (Zavarzin, 2002). There are two major hypotheses. Des Marais (1997) speculated that microbial lithification is a result of by-product of microbial metabolism. On the other hand, McConnaughey and Whelen (1997) suggested that this could be directly related to the consequence of microbes harvesting energy from protons released during calcium carbonate precipitation. However, regardless of origin, stromatolites have thrived for a long history that could be seen as a major evolutionary advan ce for us to study the Earths early history and global biogeochemical cycles. Cyanobacteria have played a crucial role in carbonate precipitation as shown in Figure 3. Two microbially as well as physicochemically controlled factors determine carbonate precipitation: the saturation index (SI) and exopolymeric substances (Lozano-Garcà ­a et al.). SI = log(IAP/Ksp), where IAP denotes the ion activity product (i.e. [Ca2+]*[CO2-]) and Ksp, the solubility product of the corresponding mineral (10-6.37 for calcite at 25 °C, 1bar atmospheric pressure and 35 PSU salinity (Zeebe and Wolf-Gladrow, 2001)). If IAP > Ksp, the solution is supersaturated, and when SI > 0.8, calcite carbonate tends to precipitates (Kempe and Kazmierczak, 1994). Or else, calcite carbonate will dissolve. The [CO32-] depends on the carbonate equilibrium, which comprises three species as followed: H2CO3, HCO3 and CO32-. In another word, pH is influencing the precipitation. Therefore, before investigating how microbial metabolism affect the CaCO3 precipitation, understanding production and consum ption of inorganic carbon and the environmental pH change is a prerequisite. EPS act as a chelator for cations and the template for crystal nucleation (Costerton et al., 1995; Decho, 2000). It is constantly modified by including but not limited to UV radiation, pH and microbial degradation (e.g. through hydrolysis, decarboxylation). 2.2 Microbial mats and lithification Contemporary microbial mats, vertically laminated ecosystems, resemble the layered sedimentary structures of stromatolites. As such, they have been attracting extensively research interests for being analogues for stromatolites. Shown in Figure 3, there are 6 different functional groups of microbes exist in microbial mats. From top of the figure to the bottom are: Cyanobacteria act as primary producers, which are believed to affect the trapping and biding of sediments; Aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, which gain energy from oxygen respiration and organic carbon; Anoxygenic phototrophs, mainly purple and green bacteria, which using HS- for photosynthesis; Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB), which respiring organic carbon with SO2- while producing HS; Sulfide oxidizing bacteria (SOB), chemolithoautotrophs that oxidize HS with oxygen or nitrate while fixing CO2; fermenters, using organic carbon or sulfur compounds as electron donor and acceptor. However, this view of the mat composition is facing challenge because nucleic acid sequences will undoubtedly reveal more diverse and complex community structures than the simple classified ones. Cyanobacteria is more like an important mediator of biogeochemical cycle of the mats ecosystem. It produces oxygen for the whole system to be functional (Fenchel, 1998). As mentioned before, the mat ecosystem is very efficient and productive. The relatively high photosynthetic rates, which shows a diurnal fluctuation, will reach its peak in the afternoon. Aerobic heterotrophs respire during the daytime when there is abundant oxygen, thereby creating an anoxia environment at twilight. Fermenters degrade complex organic molecules into smaller ones and benefit the SRB. SOB and anoxyphototrophs have contributed less to carbon fixation comparing with cyanobacteria and the role of fermentation remains ambiguous. All these activities above have resulted in steep vertical geochemical gradients with extreme diel fluctuations (Figure 3). To understand the role of microbial mats in precipitation and dissolution, it is important to determine both the abundance and metabolic activity of these key functional groups. Because the quality and quantity of EPS are largely determined by the metabolic activity of the community. In the previous researches, several microbial mat systems have been found to produce carbonate phases: travertine in hot springs in Yellowstone (Fouke et al., 2000), dolomite in Lagoa Vermelha, Brazil (Vasconcelos and McKenzie, 1997) and Salt Pan, Bahamas (Dupraz et al., 2004a). However, there are still mats that will no lithify or fossilize. So here comes the question, what determines the lithification potential? A previous study, using a combination of geological and microbial techniques, of lithifying microbial mat systems in hypersaline lake system was carried on in Salt Pan in Eleuthera, Bahamas (Dupraz et al., 2004a). The lake is not deep with an average depth less than 60cm. From the shoreline towards the center of the lake, a gradient from lithifying mats to jellylike soft mats exists (Figure 4). The shallow water column was found to contain cyanobacterial pigments that efficiently quench the sunlight. Not surprisingly, the photosynthesis, aerobic respiration, sulfate reduction are generally higher and geochemical gradients are steeper in the shallower lithifying mats. Moreover, EPS is easily destructed by strong UV radiation in shallower mats. This process helps with removing inhibition of precipitation by releasing more Ca2+ into the environment. The combination of these processes benefits carbonate precipitation. 2.3 Microstructure of precipitation and EPS UV radiation will cause browning reactions, dehydration and alkalinity. However, EPS production in stromatolite mat can prevent damages such as desiccation of the mat, retains essential nutrients, and provides water channels for transporting metabolites and signaling compounds (Costerton et al., 1995; Decho, 2000). Decho, A.W. et al. (Decho et al., 2005) had shown that EPS production in a stromatolite mat accounted only for 8% of 14HCO3uptake during the light, and a rapid turnover followed during the dark. They concluded that despite the fast rate of production, the net EPS production was low. The production and consumption are in equilibrium. Once being hydrolyzed, EPS components were readily consumed by the mat community, particularly anaerobes instead of aerobes. This is somehow surprising that when Schizothrix EPS, xanthan, or sugar and amino acid monomers and polymers that comprise EPS were supplied in mats, stimulation of anaerobic heterotrophic activity stimulation was greater than aerobic heterotrophs activity (Decho et al., 2005; Visscher et al., 2000). The combined action of fermentative organisms and SRB could be responsible for this high consumption rate. Oxygen levels are influenced by the rapid and extensive diurnal fluctuations as well as cloud cover and O2-consuming cell clusters in the EPS can produce anoxic microenvironments, therefore, the anaerobic pathway plays an important role in microbial EPS degradation. EPS can not only release Ca2+and HCO3 during microbial alteration, but also influence chemical gradients, which will in turn affect the mineral phases. The EPS matrix preferably slows down the mobility of hydrated Mg2+, therefore, temporarily increase relative abundance of Ca2+(Figure 5). The delay of Mg diffusion would lead to a decrease of the Mg2+:Ca2+ ratio of mineral products forming inside the EPS (Verrecchia et al., 1995). As mentioned above, changes in the amount or type of EPS could influence the rate of precipitation or types of crystals formed. 2.4 Microbial metabolism and saturation index Simple redox reactions form the basis of microbial metabolism. These metabolic reactions often involve C and either O, S or N (Figure 3;(Fenchel, 1998)). Daytime and nighttime metabolism of the six key functional groups is typically different, especially when it is influenced by oxygen and sunlight. Chemical alterations of the microenvironment that result from different metabolic reactions might change the alkalinity and thus facilitate carbonate precipitation or dissolution (Visscher and Stolz, 2005). Microbial mats have a high metabolic activities, thus it is not surprising that the rapid SI changes, despite the internal buffering capacity of the carbonate system, would result in a chemical alteration of the microenvironment. High rates of cyanobacterial photosynthesis cause a rapid depletion of CO2, which challenge the resilience or reestablishment of the carbonate equilibrium, and the increasing alkalinity will results in carbonateprecipitation through removal of the Hthat is pro duced in the latter reaction. It should be noted that in these reactions, organic carbon is assumed to be CH2O and different outcomes are expected with different organic compounds. For example, CO2produced bythe decomposition of carboxylic acids, will potentially increase the carbonate alkalinity by CO2degassing(Visscher et al., 1992). As such, this could probably explain why heterotrophic aerobes have been shown to precipitate carbonate. Microbial mats as an indicator of sulfur evolution The sulfur cycle has evolved over the long history of the Earth, with the concentration and the isotopic fractional abundance much different between Precambrian and contemporaneous environment (Cameron, 1982). The surface environment of the early Earth was basically reducing. Little atmospheric oxygen existed. Even though it is still under debate how the oxygen was produced at first, a majority of researchers believe that the history of atmospheric oxygen and seawater sulphate are closely linked (Habicht and Canfield, 1996; Ohmoto et al., 1993; Walker and Brimblecombe, 1985). Sulphate in Archaean and early Proterozoic sediment was found to be consistent in 34S depletion, which is similar to meteorites and mantle-derived igneous rocks (Cameron, 1982; Monster et al., 1979). Moreover, sulphate level was found to positively influence the rate of 34S depletion as lower levels sulphate (

The Progressive Era: Conflicting Viewpoints Essay -- Sociology History

The Progressive Era: Conflicting Viewpoints Works Cited Missing Two people witnessing the same event can have very different views on it depending on their information and perspective. The presentation of history also changes depending on the resources and prior prejudices and personal views of the historian. Four historian’s interpretations on the Progressive Era and Progressivism were reviewed to determine whether their arguments and use of evidence were sound. Also, the particular known views of the historian were occasionally taken into account. Each of these works has its own particular view on the Progressive Era and its importance in history. In The Age of Reform, Richard Hofstadter reviews both the Populist and Progressive movements from a psychological standpoint. He maintains that both were groups, Populist farmers and Progressive long- established wealthy professionals, known as mugwumps, both of which formerly had had much power and influence in the United States and were being overshadowed by the growing importance of cities and the nouveau riche, respectively. Hofstadter’s main arguments are taken from the novels, magazines, poetry, other literature, fiction and popular myths that abounded in the two groups. Hofstadter maintains that these two groups were created because the industrialization of the United States and the rise of cities and big business had resulted in a status revolution, and the Populist and Progressive movements were just attempts to retain and regain position by the farmers and mugwumps. Populism, however, was a rural movement, while Progressivism took Populism and turned it into a la rge, national movement. According to Hofstadter, the Populist movement was created mainly because... ... least believable. Although he does make some interesting psychological hypotheses, his contentions are not backed up by few solid facts, and rest almost entirely on a selective few pieces of literature, almost all of which show an extreme slant. Filene, who presents perhaps the more radical view of the progressive movement, the idea that the movement never in fact existed, uses sound evidence and statistics to support his arguments. Although he took perhaps the most radical stand on Progressivism, his arguments were the most persuasive, due to logical presentation and ample foundations on facts. Both McCormick and Baker focused on one aspect of Progressivism, McCormick on the corruption of government by private businesses, and Baker on the women’s movement. Both historians based their arguments on fact, and used rational reasoning to come to their conclusions.

Information System

1. 4. 4 Information Systems for the Banking & Financial Sector: Audit is one of the major controls for monitoring management activities in the banks and financial institutions. In a computerized environment, IS audit is a very effective and necessary activity. Usually the IT implementation in the banking and financial organizations is done by adopting a mix of different methodologies – internal development and deployment and third party product development and deployment. In case of internally developed and deployed IT systems, IS audit will require to be done by a team of specially trained internal or external auditors.However, it is preferable to have the IS audit conducted with the help of suitable external agencies with the required skills and expertise to ensure independent nature of audit. In case of development and deployment of the IT systems by third parties, the IS audit requires to be conducted by trusted auditor/s with skills and expertise, required for the purpose . IS audit assumes greater significance because a large number of critical and strategic financial operations in the banking and financial sector are wholly or partly being handled by the computerized systems.There is a significant need for determining the role of IS in banks. This would assure the top manage- ment that the IS development is in the right direction. This would also help in exploring the intended and the real role of IS in banks. The knowledge of the real role of IS in banks would help IS managers in managing information systems by judging the business needs of the IS projects, associated risks, importance and ranking of IS managers in organizational hierarchy, need for innovation and flexibility in IS planning approach, etc.The IS practitioners may use the variables used here for self-evaluation and for deciding about the IS development. It has been well recognized that IS plays different roles in different industries. However, there is limited research examining the differences in the role of IS within a single industry. This study empirically explores the differences in the role of IS among public, private, and foreign ban. ks. Results indicate that while, at present, only private and foreign banks have obtained strategic advantages using IT, public sector banks, although late, have also realized the importance of IT.It has been empirically proved that the future impact of IS does not vary significantly with the banking groups. This suggests that IS efforts put in by the public sector banks are in the right direction and can be expected to give them a strategic advantage in future. Foreign and private banks, though in the strategic group today, have to constantly harness IS for strategic advantage to maintain their position. Sustaining competitive advantage is very difficult, because IS managers have to continuously evaluate the bank's applications portfolio with respect to technology and their competitors.Public sector banks have to search f or ways to shift from support group to the strategic group in order to enjoy a strategic advantage from the use of IS. In order to achieve this objective, they may have to formulate a different IS strategy so as to make them competitive enough to survive. Future research could evolve suitable IS strategies for all the three sectors. This paper has tried to locate the banks on the Strategic Grid. However, the level of computerization of various branches of a bank may be different and hence their dependency on IT may be different.Future research may involve locating the various branches and departments of a bank on the Strategic Grid and suggesting a suitable strategy for the branch. This study has the limitation that data are collected only from key IT executives. Perceptions of the bank's business executives may be different from that of the IT executives. Therefore, future research could also attempt obtaining and analysing the opinion of bank's business executives and looking for perceptual differences, if any.Another interesting area of future research could be to unearth the reasons for adopting a particular role of IS and to explore facilitators and inhibitors in using IS for strategic use. Uses of information technology in banking Write your abstract here. Applications of Information Technology in Banks in India While computer by itself is the most cherished invention that man has ever accomplished, its union with communication technology which is at its pinnacle, has brought yet another amazing extension to its already fabulous capabilities.From the period of Marconi to this day , the improvements that have taken place in the television , have literally brought the entire world into an individual’s bedroom. Joining this powerful communication environment , the IT has opened flood gates for global economic activity. The contribution of economic and political changes that have so far taken place to encourage international trade will bear fruit only when banking and the associated services can catch up with the new trends. The modern IT has enough capabilities to enable banks, financial institutions and others to bring about the desired changes.Banking sector reforms introduced a decade ago in 1992-93 , have been based on five fundamentals: 1. Strengthening of prudential norms and market discipline. 2. Appropriate adoption of International benchmarks. 3. Management of organizational change and consolidation. 4. Technological upgradation. 5. Human resource development. The Financial Reforms that were initiated in the early 90s and the globalization and liberalization measures brought in a completely new operating environment to the Banks that were till then operating in a highly protected milieu.Services and products like â€Å"Anywhere Banking† â€Å"Tele-Banking† â€Å"Internet banking† â€Å"Web Banking† , e-banking, e-commerce, e-business etc. have become the buzzwords of the day and the Banks ar e trying to cope with the competition by offering innovative and attractively packaged technology-based services to their customers. Reserve Bank of India constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan. The main task of the committee was preparation of a plan for computerization for the period 1990-1994 ( for 5 Years ).For the purpose of computerization , the committee selected the important areas relating to customer service , internal-decision-making process , productivity and profitability. The committee furnished its report on November 9, 1989 with the following recommendations- 1. The branches having daily average level of vouchers at more than 750 should be computerized . 2. Computerization on branch level should be achieved on any of the following basis- (i)Selected branches will have on-line terminals with micro and mini-computers which will be linked with central main-frame computer to provide counter service and other office-services. ii)Personal compu ters will be installed at counters which will be linked with local area network. (iii)For third option , the banks will have to depend on Telecom line. 3. The banks should gradually use developed devices such as- Photocopier , FAX , Duplicator , Microfilm , Signature Storage , Scanners etc. 4. Non-computerized branches can take the services of other local computerized branch / office in case of important task. 5. The customers should have the facility to route their business to any branch of the bank. 6. All-Bank Credit Card should be issued. . Computers should be made bilingual and proper training arrangements should be made to provide training to staff members. 8. The regular customers should be offered On-line facility. 9. Like some European countries , there should be a system of credit clearing. 10. BANKNET should be used for interbank and intra bank applications. 11. All Regional offices and Zonal offices to be computerized in a phased manner. Rangarajan Committee – 198 9: A Statistical Analysis Rangarajan Committee ( 1989 ) has focused its stress on computerization of banks.A statistical analysis was also made in the report of committee. In this analysis ,it was mentioned that following jobs can be rapidly and easily performed at Regional Office/Zonal office level. 1. To ascertain the bad and doubtful debts and to make provision for them. 2. To claim the amount under Credit Guarantee Schemes of DICGC. 3. To communicate , analyze and forecast the data for trade-plan. 4. To make action plan for recovery of advances. 5. Personnel Information System. 6. Credit Information System. 7. Checking of figures of priority sector advances. . Consolidation of statements/figures to be sent to the RBI. Present level of Computerization: Based on the norms worked out by Rangarajan Committee (II), 7827 branches of the Public Sector banks were identified for full branch computerization up to March 2000 of which around 4620 were computerized as on March 99. Meanwhile, the networking of the already-computerized branches also assumed urgency and some of the Banks have started inter-connecting their computerized branches using leased telephone lines or Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATS).This is meant to provide a more comprehensive service to customers and at the same time give banks better centralized control over the branch operations. As of now, New Private Sector and Foreign Banks have an edge over Public Sector Banks as far as implementation of technological solutions is concerned. However, the latter are in the process of making huge investments in technology. Source:  http://www. shvoong. com/humanities/1748375-applications-information-technology-banks-india/#ixzz2ONAVoUdI

Normalization Employeers Productivity Essay

There are several reasons why employers should be careful not to overwork their employers. At the top of that list is securing long term sustainability. Long term sustainability involves mapping out feasible productivity plans that balance workforce output and employee maintenance costs. This means that employers must factor in several other variables aside from net profitability when determining the ideal number of hours that their employees should work. Where having company policies that encourage overtime and consequentially overwork does tend to boost individual employee productivity in the short term, Gunner (2000) showed that the increase was only part of a reverse parabolic trend, where a typical employee would work excessively reaching a productivity peak and then burn out and lose productivity within the next few months. This means that the overall productivity of a particular employee would ultimately be the same or even lower than if the company did not encourage overworking. This is also undesirable because companies also do not generally prefer a very high employee turnover which cripples production continuity and creates a negative image of the company as a temporary stepping stone to greener pastures. The despotic method of overworking employees to get the maximum profitability is not feasible in current corporate climate where it is equally difficult to find good employers as it is to find good employees. Companies should be interested in keeping good employees and this means keeping these employees satisfied with their work and their work atmosphere. Overworking is one of the major causes of stress which in turn is one of the primary causes of employment dissatisfaction (Edwards, 2003). In conclusion, companies should maintain the balance between employee productivity and satisfaction by keeping them from getting overworked. This benefits the company with normalized productivity, prevents workforce burnout, and improves employer profile. Â   References: Edwards, A. (2003). Stress: Causes, Symptoms, Complications. Kennedy & Kennedy. Gunner, J. (2000). Employee Productivity Trends in Southern States Based Corporations. Harvard Press.

Berny Madoff’s Ponzi scheme

Globalization has necessitated the need to develop a code of ethics for different professions, due to the need to streamline operations across the globe. The accounting profession is one of these professions which is regulated by the code of ethics. The major purpose it serves in this profession is to prevent misconduct of accounting professionals, and develop a standard way of presenting accounting information. However, despite the presence of these regulations, serious scandals such as fraud still occur in many companies. There has been an increase in financial scandals in various US companies, and most of them can be traced to lack of controls and disregard for the code of ethics. The code of ethics has been ignored by many professionals, a fact which has led to the emergence of these scandals. The Berny Madoff ponzi scheme is one such scandal, which has caused huge losses to various banks and other institutions. The paper will discuss this scandal in relation to the accounting code of ethics, and their role in preventing such scandals. Berny Madoff ponzi scheme. Bernard Madoff masterminded what may be the largest stock fraud in history committed by an individual. He confessed to having masterminded a ponzi scheme, through his firm Madoff Securities, which led to losses amounting to over $50 billion (Zambito and Smith 2008). A ponzi scheme is a fraud which involves payment to investors, out of funds received from previous investors, rather than profits. Madoff used a strategy of investment called the split-strike strategy. It involved purchasing stocks, and simultaneously purchasing options, to guard against losses, and these were known as ‘puts'. In case the cost of the ‘puts' went down, Madoff would trade in ‘calls', which involved trading these stocks to buyers who aimed at profiting from small gains. This strategy ensured that he made small profits in cases where shares appreciated in value, after numerous trades. However, with time, some financial analysts began questioning the profits that Bernard made from these transactions. They were concerned that his methods of investment were incapable of earning the level of profits he enjoyed, and recommended an investigation on his activities (Henriques A1). In fact, Madoff Securities were investigated for over eight times by the regulatory bodies. The investigations did not find major problems, since they were not looking at the in-depth operations of the firm. Some analysts actually suspected that it was a ponzi scheme way before it became clear to investigators. They questioned the use of an audit firm with only one auditor and accountant. They also questioned the unusual strategy which involved avoiding disclosure of SEC holdings, through selling them for cash after each period. In the beginning of 2008, the market downturn revealed that Madoff Securities were in fact dealing in a ponzi scheme (Naidu 2008). This was as a result of several requests by investors to withdraw their money, which amounted to $7 billion, and Madoff could not honor their requests. He was forced to confess the truth to his sons, who reported him to the authorities. He was subsequently indicted in December last year. Role of strict standards in the accounting profession. The accounting profession requires ethical guidelines which are used by both the accounting professionals and their clients (Carey and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants 1-5). The strict standards are beneficial to all stakeholders in a business. We will analyze the role of these ethical standards according to various stakeholders. Accountants. In these modern times, globalization has transversed boundaries and connected the world. This has led to the emergence of multi-nationals, with branches in different countries. Since the parent company has to standardize its accounting reports across several branches, it is necessary to present a global standardized way of preparing and presenting accounting reports to stakeholders. Examples of accounting standards are the IFRS and GAAP accounting standards. This is one purpose that accounting ethics serve, and it enables companies to easily compare their performance with others. Accounting ethics also helps accountants to maintain integrity and professionalism in their profession so that it may remain respectable and profitable. Ethical standards such as professional competence, objectivity and confidentiality help the accountants to prepare accurate and complete financial reports. Flouting these standards leads to consequences such as de-registration from the professional body, suspension of the practicing license, criminal liability among other consequences. Madoff flouted these principles through committing fraud, a situation which led to criminal proceedings being preferred against him. He now faced the possibility of spending a long time in jail, as well as paying heavy fines. Investors. Investors require knowledge about market trends and stock movements before making investment decisions, in order to get favorable returns on their investment. After investing in a company, investors are very interested in knowing the performance of the company in order to make investment decisions. In order to facilitate this, it is important to prepare accurate financial statements which enable investors to make proper adjustments in investment. The accounting code of ethics helps in achieving this purpose through enabling accountants present the true state of affairs of a company. In the case of Madoff Securities, the disregard of the code of ethics has led to the apparent loss of over $40 billion by investors who include companies, banks and individuals. Some investors, such as Martin Roseman who lend Madoff $10 million, have sued him in order to get back money they are owed. Financiers. Before a company can receive a loan from a financier such as lending institutions, there are various aspects which are analyzed. One aspect is the financial performance of the company. If a firm performs financially well, then the financiers are confident that they will be paid back, with minimal risks. However, firms which perform poorly have higher chances of defaulting on payments and are less likely to receive loans from financial institutions. As a result of this, firms may be tempted to misrepresent their financial position in order to obtain financing. Madoff Securities can be said to be one firm which engaged in this practice, since the firm could not survive without additional funds from new investors, in line with operations of a ponzi scheme. The code of conduct comes in, in such a case, to discourage these practices. Accounting principles such as prudence requires that firms do not understate their expenses or overstate their assets, in contrast to operations of ponzi schemes. This is beneficial to financial institutions since it enables them to finance companies with minimal risk. Accounting principles responsible for Madoff Securities collapse. Several accounting principles which were broken, were responsible for the financial collapse of Madoff Securities. One principle, prudence, requires that accountants anticipate losses and make provisions for them early enough (Kwok 30-38). It also requires accountants not to overstate the value of their assets (Marriott et. al. 221-223). Madoff Securities did not provide for the losses attributable to fraud, and actually concealed them over several years, through the use of subsequent investor deposits. When they were finally revealed several stakeholders were affected, among them some charitable organizations which had to close down due to reliance on this firm (Storm 2008). According to Warren et. al. (34-35), another principle of accounting is the matching concept. This concept states that expenses which are incurred in the course of generating revenue should be recognized during this period. This is done to ensure that comparison between revenues and expenses of a similar accounting period can be achieved (Eskew and Jensen 40-42). This is very important in making business decisions. In the case of Madoff Securities, expenses which the company incurred were matched with future revenues in order to conceal the fraud. This means that the accountants did not follow the matching concept, which was responsible for the accrual of huge expenses over the years. Accounting standards require that the accountants present the true state of affairs of a company. Misrepresentation of the state of affairs is a violation of these standards. Madoff Securities misrepresented the financial position of the company, presenting it as a profitable firm, yet it had significant liabilities. This misrepresentation attracted new investors, which led to the company owing over $50 billion to investors at the time of collapse. Conclusion and recommendation. Bernard Madoff's ponzi scheme has been seen to have affected very many local and international investors. The ignorance of the code of ethics and accounting principles that have been discussed was a major factor which caused this scandal. The code of ethics in accounting helps to protect the interests of all stakeholders of a company. It also makes it easier for companies to compare performance, due to standardization of accounting report preparations and presentation. Madoff forgot one fact about ponzi schemes; they eventually collapse due to the inability to handle sudden withdrawals by investors. The economic meltdown played a role in exposing this scheme. It is important that the role of the market regulators with regards to the scheme be thoroughly investigated, since several warnings were given prior to detection of the scandal. If the authorities had acted sooner, the loss would have been lower than it currently is. The stock regulatory authorities need to establish measures that deter such practices. One of them would be to scrutinize transactions of companies with the aim of detecting irregular and unethical accounting practices. The next course of action would be to investigate the detected suspicious trends, even if the actions are not entirely illegal. This will minimize the risk of loss attributable to fraud, by investors in the stock market.

Assignment 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

3 - Assignment Example Workers at the firm lack adequate knowledge to operate existing system. The available system takes time to update hence the limited labor supply would tend to ignore the protocol and use outdated data in analyzing the market. The other constraint relates to costs. This is caused by the firm’s inability to schedule and utilize their line of production. The external constraint relates to demand in that the firm’s complex system makes it impossible to anticipate demand and hence distracting production (Upton & Singh, 2007). The firm encountered major challenges due to these constraints. Sunsweet Growers was unable to meet the market demand. The available labor supply become rigid hence was unable to change with changing demand. There existed increased cost in inventory and production due to poor planning. The firm was unable to control administrative cost and outdated excel systems had a negative effect on the operation of the firm. The firm was forced to seek a third party in order to procure a new system to enable better operations. The system had high initial cost to the company as employees where retrained and cost of purchase was high. The firm also was forced to operate beyond its normal capacity (Upton & Singh, 2007). The constraint had an impact on the normal operation of the firms. The firm had to incur extra cost on inventory and production. Due to their inability to anticipate demand, the firm had to hire more workers to increase their demand. The seasonal demand associated with the firm’s line of production takes a toll during low season and the firm is then forced to disrupt production. The practice poses a major threat to the very existence of the firm. The firm risks incurring more cost both administrative and operational. Increased cost of production would mean the prices of their products are increased in order to match the cost. Customers would shy off the products and seek other