The American Dream Essays (1877 words) - , Term Papers

The American Dream It is the intent of this paper to prove that the "American Dream" can best be explained as a "ciity upon a hill." "Ciity upon a hill" meaning being above and superior over those below. The Civil War, the imperialistic race of the 19th century, the Korean War, the KKK, and the Gulf War are all examples of the "American Dream" of superiority playing a part in American History. Each American has a different idea of this superiority, but nonetheless strive to achieve it, whatever it may be in. The Civil War which split the United States, was a clash of two aspects of approaching the "American Dream" in a young America. Both sides felt their idea's and philosophies were superior to those of the opposing side and therefore would benefit the country more and make it superior. Both North and South wanted to better the country to have it achieve the "American Dream". Unfortunately, each side had a different perspective on how to approach it. Slavery was a major issue, the North against, the South pro. The disagreement on slavery lead to difficulty in the issue of Westward expansion. Both agreed to it, but whether to admit them as free or slave states was where the split occurred. The compromise of 1850 stated that California enters free, and New Mexico and Utah decided on their own which is giving them more state rights in which the South heavily supported. This compromise did not satisfy each side fully. The issue of State rights intensified by the issue of slavery because the Southern states felt they had the right to decide on their own about Slavery without Federal intervention. It seems the Southern states felt that the "American dream" was out of their reach because they felt powerless and inferior with the Central government. When the American revolution was fought to break from Britain, the Southern States thought they would be treated as sovereign and free. With the State's limited power, they felt as if the Federal government would become a monarchy. The Northern States wanted the "American dream" achieved for the whole country to be industrial, anti-slavery, and very federalist. Upon these institutions they planned to make the U.S a superior nation in the world. The South wanted to achieve the same ultimate goal for the U.S but with agricultural, pro- slavery, and states sovereignty institutions. These are the differences between both sides in achieving "the American Dream." In order to resolve the conflict of interests, North and South had to go to war to prove superiority thus proving which side is "the ciity upon the hill" in which the losing side would follow. During the time of Imperialism in the 19th century, the U.S wanted to expand worldwide and strive for the lead in the "imperialistic race." In 1871, the U.S and Canada signed the Washington treaty meaning that the U.S recognized Canada as an independent dominion. Any schemes to forcefully annex Canada and to unite the North American continent under the U.S flag had been rejected. The U.S could not expand any further in North America and had to look at other parts of the world for expansion. At the time, there were many other nations looking to expand its empire such as Britain and Germany. Some Southern expansionists saw Cuba as an interest because it could have possibly been used as a slave territory. Because Northerners were highly against slavery, the plan was dropped. After the Civil War, Secretary of State Seward had negotiated a treaty to purchase the virgin Islands from Denmark, but the senate rejected this treaty. They were not purchased until 1917. In 1859, the U.S annexed t he Midway Islands in the South Pacific, and half the Samoan Islands; the other half belonging to Germany. Hawaii, another Pacific island, had always been important to the U.S. It served as an important base for trade with Japan and China. When the U.S annexed Hawaii in 1893 after a coup, to justify it, the U.S claimed it was an important strategic military foothold. They also claimed that the inferior Hawaiian natives were incapable of self government, and that it was in their best interests. After the annexation

Cost Leadership Dell Essays

Cost Leadership Dell Essays Cost Leadership Dell Paper Cost Leadership Dell Paper Cost leadership that attempt to become the lowest-cost producers in an industry can be referred to as those following a cost leadership strategy. The company with the lowest costs would earn the highest profits in the event when the competing products are essentially undifferentiated, and selling at a standard market price. Companies following this strategy place emphasis on cost reduction in every activity in the value chain. Ideally, low cost strategy is centered on the capability of Dell to produce and deliver products of competitive quality at lower costs. Cost leadership strategy is much more than cost reduction initiatives that get lot of prominence in strategic planning and review session of Dell as a means to improve the bottom line of a company by improving its efficiency. Dell uses efficient cost structures to protect their markets from the competitors by responding to competitors’ move of making in-roads in the market space by reducing prices. Such reactive response may makes Dell inward focused. Better way to strategically position Dell on advantage of cost is to increase market share by transforming from lowest cost producer to lowest cost supplier of products. This way the company translates its cost advantage into price advantage for its customers and thereby improves the market share. The prospect of increasing the market share provide great opportunity for Dell to leverage the economies of scale coupled with the ruthless cost cutting measures it plans to execute. More the competitive space it occupies which also means that more competitors eliminated effective are economies of scale and as a result the costs are driven still lower. When Dell is able to transform the efforts of cost reduction into cost advantage for customers Dell can be said to be successfully pursuing low cost leadership strategy as there continuously strives to reduce costs and in the market place it has got the image of supplier of products at the lowest prices. This is how Dell can capture markets and eliminates the competitors and improves revenues and market share. Economies of scale and efficiency form the core around which Dell executes its strategy. Thus, other companies pursuing cost leadership strategy compare each and every activity along their value chain with competitors and are committed to surpass them ( 1986). Aside, innovation at Dell is focused on process improvements rather than on products. In fact Dell pursuing cost leadership strategy target mass markets with proven products. Dell has sufficient control over in-bound supplies and logistics. Their cost effectiveness starts from the premises of their suppliers. This is important as major costs are incurred in the inbound supply chain. The cost leaders today generally miss out on one important aspect as concentrate on delivering product of competitive quality at the lowest cost and pass on part of the savings to customers, so obsessed with costs and pricing that rarely do they dissect the customer value proposition. This is prospective area that may provide yet another cost reduction opportunity and at the same time attract potential customers from niche segment. Dell when it compares the value proposition that it offers against the attributes that customers really value, new insights and opportunities may open up (1986). Investing in cost leadership by riding down the experience curve is a common way to establish Dells competitive advantage as success depends on factors that underlie the experience curve. The strategy of cost leadership is associated with stable and predictable environments and correlates with the use of controls. Unfocused strategies make much use of liaison devices. These relationships were likely to be significant for high-performing Dell than those of poor performers. According to (1985), cost leadership and product differentiation can be pursued simultaneously only under rare conditions as unclear how these strategies can be implemented. Dell pursuing cost-leadership strategy attempts to gain a competitive advantage primarily by reducing its economic costs below its competitors. If cost-leadership strategies can be implemented by numerous Dell in an industry, or if Dell face cost disadvantage in imitating a cost-leadership strategy, then being cost leader does not generate sustained competitive advantage for Dell. The ability of a valuable cost-leadership competitive strategy to generate competitive advantage depends on that Dell strategy being rare and costly to imitate. Dell should not put all eggs in one basket as far as implementation of its Business Strategy is concerned. Of course Dell need to take advantage of their core competencies but at the same look for opportunities uses their core competencies to broaden their strategy implementation. In Dell’s case they should use core competencies to implement Cost Leadership Strategy by pursuing multi sales channel opportunities.

Master thesis review Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Master thesis review - Article Example Looking at this understanding, the topic was perfect. Two major studies conducted in year 1992 and 2001 shows that the western-European parties, including Norwegian parties, lost members and continue doing so. This proves the phenomenal growth of the Norwegian Progress Party, Fremskrittspartiet, is an exception and hence worth studying. The thesis is strongly supported by proper utilization of extensive literature review, data and qualitative method. The thesis, ‘Explaining membership growth in the Norwegian Progress Party from 1973 to 2008,’ is a case study (Mjelde 2008, p.1). Case study can be defined as â€Å"a detailed examination of an aspect of a historical episode to develop or test historical explanations that may be generalized to other events†(George & Baskette 2005, p.4). The selection of case study as a methodology proved to be advantageous in many ways. The intention of the author was to study the membership growth of the Progress Party in its breadth and depth (Mjelde 2008, p.6). Hence, the choice of case study as a method for this topic was appropriate. The two important strengths of the case study method are: 1. Conceptual Validity, 2. Deriving new hypothesis (George & Baskette 2005, pp.19-22). The choice of case study method helped the author due to its strengths in following ways: Case study allows the researcher to study the validity of the concept at high level(George & Baskette 2005, p. 19). The study of the membership growth in the Norwegian Progress Party was a difficult study as it demanded the researcher to study the growth in presence of different contexts. To study the theoretical concept in depth, it is important to identify and measure the factors that

Project Management Organizational Structures Paper Research

Project Management Organizational Structures - Research Paper Example Each form of organizational structure has its strengths and weaknesses, and is able to handle particular projects based on the context. Functional organizational structure involves divisions based on major functional areas such as marketing, finance, human resource, manufacturing, and so on (Meredith and Mantel, 2012). Functional organizational allows flexibility in staff planning and resource allocation because functional divisions can act as the administrative base for a project. Further the functional unit may be specialized to tackle the project thereby providing the technical expertise required to successfully complete the project. Additionally functional structure allows the technical expertise and know-how to be concentrated in the units and hence available to work on different projects. The staff can be shifted from one project to another while the functional division continues to provide a pool of experiences and specialized staff (Meredith and Mantel, 2012). The functional division acts as the center of specialists which ensures availability of specialized staff to work on different projects. The presence of experienced staff also enables the relevant expertise to be channeled into the project for successful execution and completion of the project. Lastly, the functional organizational structure organizes the specialists in a unit so that the arrangement not only helps in project execution but also in the advancement of the appropriate talent. A downside to functional organizational form is that it puts clients at the backseat. Often client interests are not the focus but functional units focus more on the work and how the expert staff is allocated to the projects (Meredith and Mantel, 2012). This sometimes leads to client interests to be ignored. The fact that the functional organizational form deals with functional areas means that the form is more inclined towards the activities involved in the project completion. It is

Employment Contract Essay Example for Free

Employment Contract Essay Employment Contract This Employment Agreement is made effective as of June 26th, 2013 and is between Joshua James, Frederick Alan, and Dave Darwin of the Builders Licensing and Training Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan (referred to as â€Å"the company†) and John Andrews (referred to as â€Å"the employee†). The terms of this AT-WILL Employment Contract are set forth below. Employment. The Company shall employ John Andrews as a building instructor. This employee shall provide to the Company the following services: John Andrews accepts and agrees to such employment, and agrees to be subject to the general supervision, advice, and direction of the owners of the Company. The employee should perform duties that are customarily performed by an employee in this position. The Company shall employ John Andrews at least forty hours a week including holidays. Also, the employee may be required to work weekends and some mandatory overtime every pay period. Best Efforts of Employment. The employee John Andrews agrees to perform to the best of his ability, experience, and talents to perform the duties that may be set forth or expressed by the Company including the implicit terms of this agreement. Ownership of Social Media. Any social media that is used by the employee while under Company time is property of the Company. This includes but is not limited to contacts acquired through the Company examples like addresses, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Linked In, and other social media. Compensation of Employee. As compensation for the services provided by John Andrews under this agreement, the Company will pay John Andrews an annual salary of $50,000 in accordance with the Company’s usual payroll procedures, not including overtime pay which will be based upon the usual hourly rate for such employment. Upon termination of this agreement, payment shall cease, however, John Andrews shall be compensated for periods or partial periods  that occurred prior to the date of termination. Confidentiality After Termination of Employment. The confidentiality of this agreement and information of the company are special and unique assets and need to be protected from improper disclosure. In consideration of this, John Andrews agrees that for a period of two years following termination or removal from the company whether voluntary or involuntary will not directly or indirectly engage in any business competition with the Builders Licensing and Training Insitute. Employee Name ______________________________ Date _________________ Employee Signature _______________________________ Date _________________

Eigen Value Equation: Dirac Particles and Dirac Oscillators

Eigen Value Equation: Dirac Particles and Dirac Oscillators The thermodynamic entities with the GUP for Dirac particles  and Dirac oscillators Xin-feng Diao,  Chao-yun Long,  Guang-yu sun,  Yuan-sheng wang,  Hongling liu Abstract In this paper we studied the Eigen value equation for Dirac particles and Dirac Oscillators, considering the spin and Generalized Uncertainty Principle. Then we calculated the thermodynamic entities for them with the Generalized Uncertainty Principle corrected. We find that an electron of mass m and spin 1/2 in relativistic quantum mechanics confined in a box with the length L which the eigenvalues were related to the length of box and the correction terms of the Helmholtz free energy tend to increase the thermodynamic quantities. PACS number: 03.65.-w, 11.10.Nx Key words: GUP; Dirac particles ; Dirac Oscillators; thermodynamic entities. Introduction Various candidates of quantum gravity such as string theory and black hole physics concern the existence of a minimum measurable length. When energies of particles are much smaller than the scale of Planck mass [1, 2], it gives rise to the so-called Generalized Uncertainty Principle that results in a minimum observable length [3] (1) where is the GUP parameter and is a positive constant which depends on the expectation value of the momentum operator. On the other hand, Braun Majumder has discussed the harmonic oscillators following Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics by solving the Schrà ¶dinger equation[4]. However for the high energy particles we should consider the relativistic effect, so that it is important to study the effect of the Generalized Uncertainty Principle for Dirac particles and Dirac oscillators. Further more, the canonical partition function and other thermodynamic quantities for the relativistic particles following Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics should be involved. We discused the aspects in this paper. The Generalized Uncertainty Principle can be obtained from the deformed commutation relation, (2) where . The limits andcorrespond to the ordinary quantum mechanics and extreme quantum gravity, respectively. +Email: [emailprotected]. Now let us consider an electron of mass m and spin 1/2 in relativistic quantum mechanics, confined in a box of length L. The boundaries of the box are located at and. The wave function of the particle satisfies the following GUP corrected Dirac equation inside the box, where potential energe while and outside. The Dirac equation can be given as à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 3à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° where and are the Dirac matrices with the following representation , à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 4à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° Using the Jacobi identity [5]. And we can solve the equation with the method in the paper [6]. By defining , à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 5à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° considering the boundary conditions, we can get the energy Eigen value à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 6à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° Wrong calculation And we utilized the GUP corrected energy spectrum to calculate the canonical partition function and other thermodynamic quantities for the relativistic particles following Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics. So, we first calculated the GUP corrected partition function and it can be expressed as à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 7à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° So the partition function is wrong too with the. For the case of indistinguishable particles we use the relation of Helmholtz free energy with partition function . For the Helmholtz free energy and it comes out to be à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 8à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° where N is total number of Dirac particles. We found that the correction terms tend to increase the thermodynamic quantities. Then, we consider the Dirac oscillator and get the exact solution under a harmonic term. Firstly, Dirac equation is written as [7] (9) where U0 and V0 denote scalar and vector interactions, respectively, and the matrices are à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ (10) The spin wave function can be written as (11) We expand the equation and get the coupled equations (12) Then, (13) Pluging in to (12), we can obtain (14) (15) Here, we consider the harmonic term Using the operator relation (16) the equation becomes (17) à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ And we can get (18) With the method of [2], the energy of the equation (18) will be obtained . (19) If we set , the result becomes , which was well agree with non-relativistic quantum mechanics. And then we calculate the thermodynamic entities with the GUP corrected energy eigenvalue equation for the Dirac Oscillators. The partition function can be evaluated as . (20) We do this sum in a perturbative sense to distinguish the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst term as the partition function of Dirac Oscillators, the equation can be rewritten as with. This equation guides us to write the GUP modified Helmholtz free energy as . (21) Simply, we write the expressions for the entropy internal energy as (22) where N is total number of Dirac oscillators. Summary In this paper, we studied an electron of mass m and spin 1/2 in relativistic quantum mechanics, which was confined in a box with the length L, We found that the eigenvalues were related to the length of box and the correction terms of the Helmholtz free energy tend to increase the thermodynamic quantities. We consider the Dirac oscillator and get the exact solution under a harmonic term, although the GUP corrected Hamiltonian of the harmonic oscillator has investigated[7-10]. We consider the different operator relation and get the partition function for the Dirac Oscillator. Moreover, we calculated the thermodynamic entities with the GUP corrected energy Eigen value equation for the Dirac Oscillator. So exploring relations in the basic foundations of the GUP is worth interesting [11]. This work was Supported by the Project of Guizhou Province Science and Technology OfficeNo. [2013]2255 and Guizhou Normal College project: 12YB005 . References [1] K. Konishi, G. Paffuti, P. Provero, Phys. Lett. B 234 (1990) 276. [2] M. Maggiore, Phys. Lett. B 304 (1993) 65. [3] A. Kempf, G. Mangano, R.B. Mann, Phys. Rev. D 52 (1995) 1108. [4] Barun Majumder , Sourav Sen. Physics Letters B 717 (2012) 291–294 [5] H. Hassanabadi a, S. Zarrinkamar b, A.A. Rajabia. Physics Letters B 718 (2013) 1111–1113 [6] A. Kempf, J. Phys. A 30 (1997) 2093. [7] Pouria Pedram. Physics Letters B 710 (2012) 478–485 [8] P. Pedram, Phys. Rev. D 85 (2012) 024016, arXiv:1112.2327. [9] K. Nozari, T. Azizi, Gen. Rel. Grav 38 (2006) 735742; K. Nozari, H. Mehdipour, Chaos Solitons Fractals 32 (2007) 1637; K. Nozari and A.S. Sefidgar, Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 38 (2008) 339. [10] B. Majumder, Phys. Lett. B 701 (2011) 384. [11] S. Kalyana Rama, Phys. Lett. B 519 (2001) 103.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Brett Easton Ellis’ “Less Than Zero” Essay

Explore the function of the narrator in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s â€Å"The Great Gatsby† and Brett Easton Ellis’ â€Å"Less Than Zero† Published in 1925 by author F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, is considered a literary classic by many critics. The eponymous novel is set in the â€Å"Roaring 1920’s† post World War 1 and tells the tale of Jay Gatsby through the novel’s narrator, Nick Carraway. The exposition begins when we are told of the socio-cultural divide between the upper class of America, by a character who has just moved to Long Island from Minnesota. The clear separation between West Egg and East Egg is an idea explored by Nick, who is a resident of the â€Å"lower-upper† class West Egg. Throughout the novel, it can be observed that events that occur are a direct parallel to the life of Scott Fitzgerald, as he projects characteristics of both Gatsby and Nick that were similar to his own. It is widely believed that the book is written in a manner that is cynical of the American Dream and of the elitist society, in a biased fashion that favours Gatsby. Conversely, Less Than Zero is a novel set in the 1980s and tells the story of affluent college students, who lead hedonistic lifestyles with the security of their parents’ wealth. Brett Easton Ellis’ first novel in his oeuvre is written during the years following the Vietnam War of economic prosperity in Reagan’s America and highlights the fragmented society caused by passionless relationships between friends and family and the lack of morality present in upper class America. The two novels contrast in the cities that they are set in; The Great Gatsby is set in New York’s Long Island, whilst Less Than Zero is set in California on the opposite coast of America. However the behaviour of the two generations is quite similar, and is reflective of the influence of money on higher-class society during the respective periods. In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is not only the narrator, but also a character that actively participates in the novel and it his opinion that dictates how the reader perceives other characters. One obvious example of this is in the novel’s title, as the epithet â€Å"Great† is used to describe a character that the reader has not yet met. This suggests that Nick Carraway idolizes Gatsby in some aspects and to some degree, aspires to what Gatsby represents. â€Å"†¦ Produced like the supper, no doubt, out of a caterers basket.† This short extract is taken from a section where Nick is describing a lavish party that is frequently held by Gatsby. The metaphor implies that Gatsby is almost God-like in the way he is able to throw extravagant parties yet remains anonymous to those that attend. During the 1920’s, there was a period of what was known as prohibition, where all alcohol was banned, and yet people are often described drinking throughout The Great Gatsby. This could be a condemnation of upper class society, as it suggests they are just as immoral, if not more so, than the lower classes. Fitzgerald himself went from a family of mediocrity to a sudden rise in splendor through his writings, and can therefore relate to the awe that one might feel when acclimatizing to such a society. Less Than Zero’s narrator, Clay, does not represent its author in the same way as Nick does, however Easton-Ellis uses Clay to magnify the issues that surrounded affluent college students during the 80s. Clay often negatively portrays the actions of other characters, which can be seen as an act of hypocrisy. For example, â€Å"Because you both stole a quarter gram of cocaine from me the last time I left my door open. That’s why.† At this point, Clay accuses his sisters of stealing his cocaine, which they put down to him â€Å"leaving his door unlocked†. This may be a reference to the lack of privacy or a lack of trust within society to such a degree that one cannot trust even their closest family. Nick Carraway is arguably a biased narrator, through his romanticized and idealized description of the novel’s protagonist and adversely, his foil, Tom Buchanan. On their first encounter Nick describes Gatsby’s gestures with authority for example, â€Å"He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself† This quotation epitomizes Nick’s admiration for Gatsby before he has properly met him and implies that he has already formulated an opinion based upon rumours he has heard but also based on the party Gatsby invited him to. Once again, this is may be seen as a condemnation of American society by Fitzgerald who shows that capitalist and superficiality was a major factor in defining an individual. Gatsby’s flawless persona does deteriorate as the novel progresses and as Gatsby comes close to achieving his dream, however Nick appears to glaze over this and as a result, preserves Gatsby’s â€Å"greatness† to the reader. The use of the affectation â€Å"old sport† throughout Gatsby’s communication with Nick highlights a friendship that is neither formal nor informal but rather one of an illusionary nature. This is to say that Gatsby uses the affectation in order to evoke a more appealing, intellectual persona. Despite Nick seeing through his faà §ade, he chooses to ignore the matter, instead only becomes more infatuated with what Gatsby represents. â€Å"What part of the Middle West?’ I inquired casually.’ ‘San Francisco’ ‘I see† It is apparent that Nick knows San Francisco is not in the Middle West but rather on the west coast yet he chooses not to argue as if Gatsby’s word is unequivocally truth. Claire Stocks puts this infatuation down to a likeness that both men share which is that â€Å"[both men] seem to be the victims of insufficient or thwarted inheritances†¦ They are both forced to work for their living†. It can be suggested that towards the end of Less Than Zero, Clay wants to leave this society as he narrates, â€Å"My eyes keep wandering off the screen and to the two green exit signs that hang over the two doors in the back of the theater† This occurs whilst Clay, Blair and Kim are in the cinema watching a â€Å"gory† film and highlights that Clay does in fact have some form of morality despite the actions that he part-takes in. Easton-Ellis reveals a character that is torn between being moral or following the hedonistic life he is so easily acclimatized to. Fitzgerald also uses Nick Carraway as a way of criticizing the society that he strives to be a part of. This is evident in Chapter 2, where Nick spends time with Tom, Myrtle and Mr. Wilson, â€Å"I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.† At this point, Nick may be referring to the â€Å"variety† of classes that are present, as Myrtle and Mr. Wilson are of a lower class, himself of middle class and Tom from the upper echelons of society. It may be seen that Fitzgerald could not stand the behavior of the people he became associated with, however realized that their behavior was a result of what he sought after, in terms of the â€Å"American dream† and therefore feels â€Å"enchanted† by the hedonistic nature of the upper class. Nevertheless, Fitzgerald also highlights the vast socio-cultural divide between classes and as such presents the reader with an ambiguous view of fractured relationships. Clay also presents his own society with undertones of disdain, being cynical of the netherworld through his direct and succinct account of various events that take place. He rarely places emotion or opinion in his description of events and as a result, it seems that he is more of a trustworthy narrator. This is most evident when he recounts the viewing of a â€Å"snuff† movie, â€Å"It looks like a toolbox and I’m confused for a minute and Blair walks out of the room. And he takes out an ice pick and what looks like a wire hanger and a package of nails and then a thin, large knife and he comes toward the girl and Daniel smiles and nudges me in the ribs.† The repeated use of polysyndeton gives the reader the impression that Clay is not properly viewing the movie; instead, he is almost analyzing it as if it were a novel. The lack of sensory description also implies that Clay is trying to distance himself from this and that he sees the crude and disgusting nature of what he is being shown. At this time, snuff films had just been exposed and were not an unknown phenomenon. Therefore, Easton-Ellis may be suggesting that society has lost its moral compass/guidance, being reduced to ignoring such shocking acts. However, in spite of this, Clay does offer himself as a more intellectual individual compared to other characters, by the way he looks at the billboard that is titled â€Å"Disappear Here†. Evidently he does not choose to â€Å"disappear† and instead stays amongst the morally obsolete society that he is attached to and this ultimately leads to the dà ©nouement in which he is forced to leave his society. Both novels differ in the tone in which they are written though the contexts are very similar despite being in diverse decades. On the one hand, there is Nick who is biased towards one specific character and seems to show disdain for the society that he once strived for, and on the other, Clay, who has a more direct approach to narration and more expressively communicates the plot to the reader. Overall, the two narrators are used to convey to very different ideas that are relevant to their contexts. The Great Gatsby is narrated such that the reader is almost forced into liking Gatsby despite his clear superficiality, which is upheld by trivial objects such as â€Å"real books† and medals with â€Å"authentic looks†. Less Than Zero poses are more critical view of society, with the narrator becoming confused by the moral ambiguity and generally growing to hate the society that he belongs to as it has been reduced to individualism and by an large a fractured society whereby â€Å"people are afraid to merge†.

Outline the Inequality Problems That Persist in Terms of Pay for Men and Women.

Wikipedia The Equal Pay Act 1970 is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which prohibits any less favourable treatment between men and women in terms of pay and conditions of employment. It was passed by Parliament in the aftermath of the 1968 Ford sewing machinists strike[1][2][3][4] and came into force on 29 December 1975. The term pay is interpreted in a broad sense to include, on top of wages, things like holidays, pension rights, company perks and some kinds of bonuses. The legislation has been amended on a number of recent occasions to incorporate a simplified approach under European Union law that is common to all member states. Equal pay for women is an issue regarding pay inequality between men and women. It is often introduced into domestic politics in many first world countries as an economic problem that needs governmental intervention via regulation. The Equal Remuneration Convention requires its over 160 states parties to have equal pay for men and women. A report commissioned by the International Trade Union Confederation in 2008 shows that, based on their survey of 63 countries, there is a significant gender pay gap of 15. 6 %. Excluding Bahrain, where a positive gap of 40% is shown (due possibly to very low female participation in paid employment), the global figure is 16. 5%. Women who are engaged in work in the informal economy have not been included in these figures. Overall, throughout the world, the figures for the gender pay gap range from 13% to 23%. The report found that women are often educated equally high as men, or to a higher level but â€Å"higher education of women does not necessarily lead to a smaller pay gap, however, in some cases the gap actually increases with the level of education obtained†. The report also argues that this global gender pay gap is not due to lack of training or expertise on the part of women since â€Å"the pay gap in the European Union member states increases with age, years of service and education†. [4][5] www. employeebenefits. co. uk/item/11642/pg_dtl_art†¦ /pg_ftr_art †¢Under the Equality Act 2010, employers can no longer use secrecy clauses to prevent employees from discussing pay rates. †¢According to figures from the Office of National Statistics, the median gender pay gap for full-time workers in the private sector is 20. %. †¢Employers can identify any pay gap via pay audits and job evaluations. †¢Issues making it difficult for women to get to top jobs should be tackled. Yahoo answers; assume you employ 7 women and 7 men, all the same age, and you pay them all the same wage for the same job.. then 3 of the women tell you that they want to leave, to have a child.. you have to pay them â€Å"maternity leave† and hold their job open, in case they want to return, after they have had their child.. t costs you a fortune to employ 3 other people, and the pregnant women as well.. so, do you pay them the same as a man.. who will not cost you the same even if their wife gets pregnant.. or do you pay the men more, because they will not leave.. or do you just employ men, and then you do not have the problem in the first place !! http://www. tuc. org. uk/equality/tuc-14435-f0. pdf Explaining the gender pay gap There have been a number of studies that have used statistical modelling techniques to explain why we have a gender pay gap. A comparatively recent and very thorough study, using data from the British Household Panel Survey (a large up-to-date survey, that that looks at how people’s lives change over time) explained the gap in terms of four explanations:35 †¢ 36 percent of the gender pay gap could be explained by gender differences in lifetime working patterns, including the fact that women, on average, spend less of their careers than men in full-time jobs, more in part-time jobs and have more interruptions to their careers for childcare and other family responsibilities. 18 percent is caused by labour market rigidities, including gender segregation and the fact that women are more likely work for small firms and less likely to work in unionised firms. †¢ 38 percent is caused by direct discrimination and women and men’s different career preferences and motives (some of which are in turn the result of discrimination). †¢ 8 percent is the result of the fact that older women had poorer educational attainment. Another way of explaining the gaps is to analyse the problem in terms of three broad themes: †¢ Under-valuing of women’s work †¢ An employment penalty for mothers Gender segregation http://assembly. coe. int/documents/workingdocs/doc05/edoc10484. htm C. The wage gap 17. There are several dimensions to the problem of the wage gap: First, there is the classic case of a man and a woman doing exactly the same job (whether in a factory or on the stock market floor), but the woman being paid less for it. This used to be a common problem, especially in Western Europe, and many countries have outlawed this type of wage discrimination – there even exists an ILO Convention designed to eliminate it21, dating back to 1951, as well as a 1975 European Council Directive22. But, as several recent studies conclude, even this type of classic wage discrimination persists in many countries, which prompted the European Commission to issue a (non-binding) â€Å"Code of Practice on the implementation of equal pay for work of equal value of women and men† as recently as 199623. For example, a Eurostat study of 2003 showed that the average earnings of women in full-time employment in the EU (at that time, of 15 member states) stood at only 70-90% of those of men. Similarly, the 2004 UNIFEM study I mentioned in the previous chapter shows that the annual average earnings of women in the year 2000 stood at 73. 28% of men’s in the Czech Republic, 79. 96% in Poland, 75. 01% in Slovakia and 88. 82% in Slovenia24. 18. Second, women are often paid less than men for work of equal value. This type of discrimination is usually based on â€Å"horizontal occupational segregation by sex†. For example, the level of education and experience required to work in a certain job might be the same, but women are paid less (e. . chauffeurs/taxi drivers are usually paid more than cleaners or receptionists). In some countries, wage levels have gone down in certain professions when more and more women enter them (for example, doctors and teachers in Central and Eastern Europe). 2002 data cited by Mrs Leitao relating to the average salary of women working full time compared with that of men in the same circumstances show that, in the 18 countries covered by a recent European survey, the average difference, to women's disadvantage, is till approximately 20%, with wage discrimination in the strict sense being estimated at 15%25. Various other international studies have shown that around one-third of the female-male pay differential is due to occupational segregation by sex, and that about 10 to 30% of the gender pay gap remains â€Å"unexplained† – i. e. due to discrimination26. 19. In the Central and Eastern European countries, certain professions have â€Å"gained† the connotation of being feminized as these professions (the above mentioned teachers, nurses etc. are dominated by women. Nevertheless, even these professions are highly segregated – although women account for more than 70% of all teachers, there is proportionally a larger number of men school directors. This is very often the result of a â€Å"reverse action†, when the need for more men in the profession is felt, and thus their pay-ris e and promotion is faster. When we compare it to the situation in politics, where there are more men than women, the society does not feel any similar need. 20. Third, women earn less, on average, than men in their lifetime (and thus also receive smaller pensions when they retire). In addition to the two factors mentioned above, there are several other possible explanations for this phenomenon: Women work less during their lifetime (calculating periods of maternity leave and part-time work) – and women have less of a career, as they are often discriminated against when it comes to promotions to higher-earning posts27: this is usually called â€Å"vertical occupational segregation by sex†. As the ILO points out: â€Å"Women’s lower educational attainments and intermittent career paths are not, contrary to conventional belief, the main reason for gender differentials in pay. Other factors, such as occupational segregation, biased pay structures and job classification systems, and decentralized or weak collective bargaining, appear to be more important determinants of inequalities in pay. †28 21. Apart from women’s lower pensions, it is important to see the tight interrelation of female length of life and feminization of poverty: since women live longer, for some period of their life, they share their pension with their partner; however, when he dies, they are left to live on their pension which is usually much lower than their living standards. One example connected to women’s pensions is pension insurance – as women live longer and although they generally earn less, to attain a final sum similar to men they are expected to pay higher sums for their monthly pension insurance. 2. Furthermore, economic recessions often affect women more than men as far as unemployment is concerned (many companies unfortunately still believe that it is more important to keep a male â€Å"breadwinner† in employment), and women’s needs or the determination to keep on working therefore leads them to accept levels of pay not consonant with the principles of equali ty and fairness or dissuades them from reporting cases of discrimination for fear of losing their jobs. This is why, as Mrs Leitao correctly pointed out, all those involved in combating wage discrimination (bodies promoting equality, labour inspectorates, courts, trade unions, NGOs etc) should step up their capacity to intervene to try and close the wage gap. 23. This issue can be illustrated with an example common to all European countries: when textile companies, which employ mostly women earning very low salaries, were threatened with closure, no major discussions were held about unemployment issues. But as soon as coal and other mines, where male â€Å"breadwinners† worked, were being closed down, those discussions were launched widely. There are a number of barriers to women’s career development – here are a few examples32: – lack of management or line experience; – lack of mentoring and role models for women at the highest levels; – exclusion from informal networks and channels of communication (the â€Å"old boys network† is apparently still going strong in many countries); – stereotyping and preconceptions of women’s roles and abilities, commitment and leadership style; – sexual and moral harassment, bullying and mobbing; – unfriendly corporate culture.

Born Poor and Smart

Born Poor and Smart Since poverty, which is defined as the lack of basic needs and cannot be considered a normal state, is constantly growing, according to the recent researches, it has to be dealt with.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Born Poor and Smart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The ways to eradicate it have been discussed by Angela Locke in †Born Poor and Smart†, Herbert Gans explored the roots of the problem and the ways to fight it in his article â€Å"The war against the poor instead of programs to end poverty†, and the Economist article called â€Å"Middle of the Class† has driven a well-thought conclusion concerning the matter. As long as poverty remains the scourge of society, the decisions about fighting it have to be made. Taking Locke’s method (2007), she suggests very persistent way of looking for one’s fortune. The question of â€Å"If you are so smart then why are you poorâ €  (Locke 2007, p.106) is taken as a guideline here, and the author pushes the poor to earn for their living with their own brainwork. These are all being cunning and smart that it takes to become rich. The only thing you should do is use the appropriate moment and not to miss the chance. However, that method does have its weak points. The thing about catching your lucky moment depends completely on your own skills and attention. There is nowhere to wait for the backup from, and you are left all alone with the dim chances you might not miss. The drawback of this method is that it does not take the peculiarities of people’s personalities into consideration. The solution that Locke (2007) presents could suit only the people of a particular temper and character features, while those less persistent and more reflexive might simply spend the rest of their lives waiting for the appropriate moments an missing them just as regularly as the fortune comes up with these chances. This is rather a way out for a businessman-like type, but those people already have wealth and fortune. The next solution that is coming up is presented by Mr. Gans (2007). His point is that a poor man is first of all a victim, and he emphasizes that it is the society and the government who are to help the man to get out of the trap.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More He claims that the society, along with the government, begins the war against the poor; they want to exterminate them instead of brushing through the roots of the poverty and fight the very phenomenon, not the people who have been caught in its claws. â€Å"Congress and the President yanked the safety net, never very strong, out from under people, and Congress doesnt even want to know about the misery they have caused† (Gans 2007, p. 213). So Gans’ method is the contrary to what Locke has suggested . This is the way of the people who are sure that they can rely on the government of their country and that the neighbors and the businessmen will all indulge into welfare as soon as they will be asked for. The idea is very humane, but it is inapplicable to the modern society. Indeed, one can hardly imagine any businessman spending his free time to help a poor man get out of the debt abyss. That is something that borders the science fiction. Finally, there is the third solution presented by the Economist article that presumes that the core idea of wealth is the mobility, and America has never been mobile enough, the author says. People have to get down to work and start thinking wider if they want to shift from the dead point. That sounds reasonable, but the core idea of the mobility is the freedom that only the money can give. Thus, these are not the poor who can make their state better, but the rich. Again, it is quite doubtful that a rich person would agree to use his mobility to improve someone’s state of affairs. It must be kept in mind that this is the century of trade and tradesmen that people live in now, and that such relationship will inevitably end in indifference to the business partners. The world of trade does not like to practice charity. What all three authors agree upon is that the situation still can be improved, which is a reason to be optimistic. The two authors consider that the poor must handle their problems on their own, while Gans is still thinking that the help from the outside is possible. The Economist (2005) drives the example of USA saying that every state can be actually the one of the dreams come true, not the USA only. Meanwhile, Locke drives people to roll up their sleeves and get down to earning their money, finding the ways out and using every opportunity that they can find. The hope works wonders, and maybe someday a bankrupt can turn into a millionaire. However, the fact that the people who have been born poor have almost no chances to climb higher is said to be obvious. â€Å"It means that, if you are among the poorest 5% of the population, your chances of achieving an average income are only one in six† (Economist 2005, p. 310) One thing that Locke (2007) is absolutely right about is that people can improve any situation they have got into. It is all to us that it takes. Yet the lack of backup which Gans is speaking about might get an ill-willed person broke. They have not taken the types of character into consideration, and that is what has made them sound so unreal and a bit idealistic.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Born Poor and Smart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It seems more rational that the one who has gone broke needs all three components to get over the stressful situation. At first, this is working on your own course of thoughts and actions, and then you might start analyzing the financial and economic al situation and begin to take some actions. And, finally, this is the encouragement of the people around you, whenever it is your family, or colleagues, or the officials, which gives you forces to go on fighting the crisis. The persistence and belief together with intelligence and good grip make wonders. Economist. Middle of the Class (2005). Kennedy, M. L., Kennedy, W. G. (2007). Writing in the Disciplines (Sixth Edition). New York, NY: Prentice Hall Gans H. The War against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty. Kennedy, M. L., Kennedy, W. G. (2007). Writing in the Disciplines  (Sixth Edition). New York, NY: Prentice Hall Locke A. Born Poor and Smart (2007). Kennedy, M. L., Kennedy, W. G. (2007). Writing in the Disciplines (Sixth Edition). New York, NY: Prentice Hall

The Delayed Subject with There

The Delayed Subject with There The Delayed Subject with There The Delayed Subject with There By Maeve Maddox In conversation we’d probably find ourselves tongue-tied if we couldn’t begin sentences with the grammatical subject there: There are only three eggs left in the refrigerator. There’s a lot of traffic on the freeway this morning. In each example there begins the sentence, but the true subjects eggs and a lot of traffic are delayed until after the verb. There is nothing grammatically wrong with this construction. Did you notice that I just wrote a sentence beginning with â€Å"There is†? Simply placing the true subject first would create Yoda-speak: Nothing grammatically wrong with this construction is. Rewriting an expletive sentence (the kind that begins with a subject place-holder like â€Å"There†) requires a little more effort than simple reversal. That’s probably why we let so many of them creep into our first drafts. Compare the following: There is research that shows that phonics is the most important component of beginning reading. Research shows that phonics is the most important component of beginning reading. Not only is the delayed subject pattern wordy, but it can also lead to a lack of subject-verb agreement. Here are some examples from websites offering professional services: Theres good reasons EmCare is the industry leader Theres areas  of freezing drizzle/mist out there this afternoon. Theres schooling costs, theres health costs and theyll continue to be provided out of the centres for those who are being temporarily resettled(This was a government minister.) Informal conversation is one thing, but writing for a professional purpose is something else again. If the â€Å"There is† opener is the preferred stylistic choice, then the delayed subject should agree with the verb that precedes it: There are good reasons EmCare is the industry leader There are areas  of freezing drizzle There are schooling costs Linguistically speaking, there’s may be the equivalent of French il y a, which can mean either â€Å"there is† or â€Å"there are† and there’s no reason for this article. Practically speaking, a great many English speakers–potential customers and clients–cringe when they hear â€Å"there’s reasons,† let alone see it written in a business context. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business LetterConfused Words #3: Lose, Loose, Loss13 Theatrical Terms in Popular Usage

Business Marketing Channels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Marketing Channels - Essay Example Hence, a business marketing channel can be described as a group of interdependent businesses working together right from the product or service source to the endpoint – in this case the consumer – with the aim of delivering the services or products. From this definition, it is noted that a business marketing channel does not involve one business but a group of interdependent businesses. Interdependent means that the businesses involved rely on other members to function and that one member alone is not enough to define a business marketing channel. This interdependence is a fundamental feature of a business marketing channel, where all businesses work together to ensure that their products and services are delivered at the right time and to the right place (Rosenbloom, 2011). It is evident that a business marketing channel is a process that takes time to complete. Even when the process is completed, a connection is built up between the business and the consumer. Two ques tions arise: 1) Why do businesses use business marketing channels? , and 2) What roles do they perform? This paper seeks to answer these questions through explanations and descriptions that pertain to business marketing channels. Companies usually collaborate with distributors. When a company produces a product or service, the company has to find means to deliver either to the consumer. It is for this reason that companies utilize marketing channels. Companies have to determine the most appropriate marketing channel. By using marketing channels, companies are able to obtain more marketing opportunities as the product or service is transacted along the marketing channel. On many occasions companies make use of distributors (McDonalds & Wilson, 2011). A distributor can be another company that specializes in buying from the source company in large quantities and selling to others, in

When interpreting statutes, do judges simply give effect to the will Essay

When interpreting statutes, do judges simply give effect to the will of Parliament or do they amend statutes under the guise of interpretation - Essay Example 2). Therefore, statutory interpretation refers to the process of expounding and giving explanation for the easy understanding of the legal system. Dalhuisen (2014) states that statutory interpretation in England is an ongoing change with a purposive approach hence promoting the overall legislative aim of enactments. This paper is a discussion of how the English statutes are interpreted; it is to find out whether the judges simply give effect to the will of the Parliament or they amend the statutes under the guise of interpretation when interpreting the statutes. In answering the question, the paper will first give a brief description of the will of the Parliament and the amendment of statutes in the English legal or judicial system. It is reported that the will of the English Parliament is only expressed through an Act of Parliament (Twining and Miers 2010). This means it has vital concrete effects thereby preventing forceful imposition of decrees upon the law by an autocratic or a despotic leader. This is unlike what characterize the French assemblies where dictatorial monarchs conduct abrupt resolutions on the law to suit personal interests. This principle in which Parliament speaks singly through an Act of Parliament immensely increases the authority of the English judges (Dicey 2013). Hence any bill which has been subjected to a statute automatically becomes subject to the judicial interpretation. It is also reported that the independence of the English Parliament ensure that it does not interfere with other authorities of the regular c ourse of law. The amendment of a statute refers to a designed process of alteration applied to make changes in an existing legal structural provision (Slapper and Kelly 2010). In the event of an amendment textual codification is applied because there is an adoption of a new provision which substitutes the existing contents. However, this procedure has one main challenge that the amendment has very limited sense or meaning