Saturday, August 31, 2019

The British Prime Minister Now Has Presidential Powers

Thâ€Å"The British Prime Minister now has Presidential Powers† Discuss the Validity of this Statement It would be correct to say that over the years the British Prime Minister has become more of a Presidential figure in Parliament. Recent prime ministers that have been referred to as presidential include Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and Harold Wilson. Prime Ministers are supposed to be ‘First Among Equals’ (Primus Inter Pares), however recent Prime Ministerial actions have got people questioning whether or not the Prime Minister has more power and is becoming a Presidential figure.The idea that the prime minister is now more presidential is drawn from the knowledge of the United States president and how the British Prime Minister compares to him. Firstly, the media turns the Prime Minister into a political celebrity. The actions the Prime Minister takes inside parliament and also much of the PM’s personal life is publicised in newspapers and television. T he Prime minister is the spokesperson for the government. Although their access to the media can be used for personal benefit, the media has been more critical of politicians in recent years.There is evidence of this as the BBC made allegations that the Iraq dossier was ‘sexed up’ during Tony Blair’s time as Prime Minister (class notes). The U. S President tends to have media coverage also. The wider use of special advisors increases how presidential the Prime Minister appears. The ‘Spatial leadership’ that the Prime Minister now adopts also gives us this impression. Prime Ministers now distance themselves from parties and government and develop their own ideologies. Examples of this include Blairism and Thatcherism (class notes).In times of distress in the country the people often turn to the Prime Minister in search of a solution. They PM tends to reach out to the people in times of crisis, for example, David Cameron returned home from his holiday early last year to address the issue of the London Riots (class notes). The power of the PM has increased in recent years as the prime minister has now increased control over Cabinet Office, which has turned it into a small scale Prime Minister’s department. The Prime Minister has the capability to dominate his cabinet. This makes him more like a president asCollective Responsibility is an effective way of ‘gagging’ his ministers. All ministers are expected to support publicly all decisions made in cabinet, or else resign. For example, in 2010 David Cameron was discussing with cabinet about building a Millennium Dome. Before a decision was made, he went outside and told the awaiting media that a dome was being built. Therefore the Prime Minister made the decision alone and cabinet couldn’t disagree (class notes). Another example of this is that Gordon Brown announced his decision to give independence to the Bank of England.Blair and Brown took this decisio n alone and Mo Mowlam, one of the most popular ministers in Blair’s cabinet stated, â€Å"I read about the bank of England decision in the newspapers† (Politics Review). This clearly shows that the Prime Minister can dominate his cabinet and make decisions despite him being â€Å"Primus Inter Pares† (first among equals). As the years go on, Prime Ministers are also having shorter and less frequent cabinet meetings and are holding more bilateral meetings. The amount of cabinet meetings has declined from 100 a year to approximately 40.Under Margret Thatcher’s parliament, her Cabinet was used less than previous Prime Ministers and annual meetings took place about 35 times. Under Blair, meetings rarely lasted an hour. This is evidence of the Prime Minister becoming more presidential and tackling decisions alone rather than with Cabinet. Thatcher and Blair also tended to have more committees and sub-committees. Blair’s ‘Sofa government’, Th atcher’s ‘Wise men’ and Wilsons ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ are all operating through bi-lateral meetings between the Prime Minister and advisors, so policy was ratified before it reached cabinet.These are all examples of Prime Ministers taking matters into their own hands and becoming more dominant and presidential. The dominance of the Prime Minister over Parliament is also shown in the ways that he/she chairs important cabinet committees and sets the cabinet agenda. Setting the cabinet agenda allows the Prime Minister to leave anything that may be difficult to come to an agreement on in Cabinet, to the end so that there will eventually be no time to cover it and the Prime Minister has to come to a decision on his/her own. Margaret Thatcher was said to have done this quite frequently.This shows that the Prime Minister can therefore decide on important affairs without having to consult cabinet. Tony Blair was noted to have used cabinet Committees a lot. The P rime Minister is also considered presidential because of what is seen as a growing ‘West Wing’ in Downing Street. This is due to the increase in Political Advisors in the PM’s office. The advisors help the Prime Minister make decisions even though they are unelected themselves. This means that they effectively influence his decisions and help him bypass cabinet, for example Blair gave his advisors power of Civil Servants.On the other hand, the Prime Minister can give considerable control to his cabinet members, which isn’t evident in American politics. For example, during Blair’s reign as PM, the Labour party was said to have a ‘Duel Monarchy’ due to how much power was given to Gordon Brown. Other ministers can constrain the Prime Ministers power and effect his decisions, which doesn’t happen with the U. S president. The Prime Ministers personality is an issue in how much power they have over Cabinet. They have powers over office but some may be more proficient than others in the exercise of those powers.Some Prime Ministers have been good in government management and other haven’t. Some adopted an autorical approach and some others focus on policy reflections. The amount of authority a PM had depends on how assertive a personality he/sh has. For example, John Major was often ridiculed for his inability to make decisions and was seen as a pushover (class notes). The PM’s popularity with the public also dictates how much power they have. At the moment, David Cameron is restricted from acting presidentially as a result of the constraints of a coalition government.The coalition government may weaken the powers of Cameron as many compromises need to be made to keep the government stable. For example, Cameron had agreed to a referendum on the electoral system. He had agreed to introduce fixed term elections. Liberal democrats hold key cabinet positions. Unlike the president, the PM may face resista nce in cabinet as particular cabinet members may not go along with a particular proposal. For example, Thatcher’s parliament lost a bill as the majority of cabinet voted against it.The PM cannot completely ignore his cabinet. Unlike the U. S. A, the cabinet is Britain is elected. The cabinet can overthrow the Prime Minister is he is disliked. This cannot happen in U. S government. In conclusion, the Prime Minister, in many ways over the years has increased his/her power to such an extent as to appear presidential. However, there are many constraints on PM power to conflict with this view. Whether or not the Prime Minister remains in high powers depends on power, personality and circumstance.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Climate change and Solutions

Climate change is a concept that has generated much controversy in recent times, the many competing theories as to why climate change is occurring is no longer meaningful and we are now at a stage where unless serious measures are introduced to combat the causes of climate change human kind as a civilisation could be wiped out forever. As a UCT student and a South African citizen I firmly believe that climate change has mainly been induced by the developed world, however, despite this fact, the responsibilities of combating global change do not primarily lie in the hands of the developed world. Successfully overcoming such a huge problem such as climate change requires the cooperation and willingness of the entire world. There comes a time where we have to accept responsibility for our actions. That time is now. It is not too late to correct the mistake we have made, however we need less talk and more action. The policies of mitigation and adaption which traditionally have been the main two policies in combating climate change have proved to be limiting in their effectiveness (Parry, 2009:1-2). For example, achieving current mitigation targets will not prevent major environmental impacts, as in order for mitigation to have any effect in reducing global damage global emission cuts of 80 percent are necessary (Parry, 2009:1). According to Martin Parry the fundamental cause of climate change is unsustainable development, both in the past and the present (Parry, 2009:1). Sustainable development is therefore pivotal in forming the fundamental prerequisites for combating climate change. Parry further goes on to emphasize the necessity for the implementation of a sustainable development strategy that ‘combines mitigation and adaptation in a whole package of other development strategies, including high levels of efficiency and equity in resource use, investment, governance and income growth' in order to successfully and effectively confront climate change (Parry, 2009:8). In response to the article published in the Mail and Guardian on the 10th September 2009; combating climate change will not necessarily stagnate or reduce development. Low carbon economies are effective in creating employment opportunities and bringing about the fundamental prerequisites that are essential for enticing development whilst limiting environmental damage (Winkler and Marquard, 2009:62). Energy efficiency programmes are most effective in reducing emissions with little economic consequence which in a country such as South Africa is desperately needed in order to reduce carbon emissions with little effect on economic development (Winkler and Marquard, 2009:62). Other ways of reducing emissions as highlighted by Winkler and Marquard include the implementation of non-carbon and reduced carbon energy supplies in the form of hydroelectricity, natural gas and solar power (Winkler and Marquard, 2009:62). However, changing development paths is a very challenging and time consuming process which can be bought about in various ways including; the imposition of carbon taxes, selective beneficiation and incentive programmes for energy-intensive industries (Winkler and Marquard, 2009:62). Climate change is a global problem that can only be solved through global cooperation and teamwork. The injustices of the past must be forgotten and both the developed and developing world must work together to ensure the immediate and drastic reduction in emissions. Combating global climate change is a long term process that requires extreme dedication and ruthless legislation that will ensure the full cooperation from countries the world over. Economic growth is not the priority anymore; mankind could potentially be on the brink of extinction unless drastic measures to combat climate change are implemented. ‘When the last tree is cut down, the last river poisoned, the last fish caught, then, only man will discover, that he cannot eat money'.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Doungy by James Moloney Essay

On the exterior it seems that Dougy, the book, is all about racism. However when you delve further into Dougy, many other strong messages come across. Some that stand out are finding yourself, appreciating what we have and, most strongly, having an open mind. At the beginning Dougy, the boy, is timid, unsure of his life and seems to be in everyone’s shadow. Whilst being trapped in the hall with the floodwaters rising- Dougy comes out of his shell and comes to the rescue. His brave efforts probably save the lives of Gracey and Raymond. These events bring out the best in Dougy and he gains confidence in being able to achieve his dreams. He did, indeed, find himself and this made him, â€Å"bloody lucky.† Do you take things for granted? Dougy showed us that there are so many people out there, to who a new car sparks a cry of delight. Yet do we even blink an eyelid, when we see a new Commodore drive past? Oh no, it’s just another car. These feelings don’t just apply to cars, too- but too everything. We really need to appreciate what we have, not be greedy and just be happy with what we have- so many others aren’t as fortunate as you or me. This message comes out clearly, especially when the family goes to Brisbane. A lot of trouble brews in Dougy from not having an open mind and accepting the opinions and views of others. As you read the book, you will also see the influence that others can have on our feelings. Pay attention to the changed attitudes of the children to Gracey, after their parents have talked to them. James Moloney puts very different personalities into his characters and shows us the different types of people in this world. There are the understanding people, who will listen to both sides of an argument and follow their hearts and minds- shown by Brett. Then there are the obstinate people, who’s views will never change and they will keep on hurting people- shown by Cooper and Co. There are the people who really believe in themselves and won’t let other people get to them- shown by Gracey. There are those who don’t care what others think and can be kind of scary- like Dougy’s Mum. And then there are those people who need something to wake them up to their lives and give  them a little push; to realise their potential and to work towards their dreams- this is just like Dougy. James Moloney gives us so much to think about in such a little book. Dougy will give you plenty to think about, but you need to read between the lines to grasp all the hidden messages. James gives us a lot to think about and reading Dougy should really make you think about your life. Chapter 3 Summary-  · Family travels to Brisbane by train (pretty boring!)  · Dougy is touched by a field of sunflowers  · Pulling into Brisbane was really exciting for them (like the new Commodore)  · They were the only black people in the crowd  · They feel very different and they stand out  · Meet very prejudiced taxi driver who thinks they don’t have the money to pay him  · They are surprised that a black person owns the hotel because in their town there are only white bosses  · Gracey has first training session, but Raymond doesn’t want to go- instead he, Steve (guy from hotel) and Dougy go to see something Raymond really wants to see  · Steve takes them to Lang Park- the home of State Origin games  · The guard doesn’t want to let them in at first, but when he realizes  they’re from the country and harmless- he relents and lets them look around  · Being there means a lot to Raymond  · Raymond says he will play there one day and Dougy doesn’t laugh unlike the other guys  · Another guard comes along, makes them leave, says they’ll probably steal something and he isn’t nice to them  · Dougy isn’t sure what he wants to do in life, but he is scared of becoming like his Dad (just wandering around with no home) Commentary- The author, using something simple and part of Mother Nature- the field of sunflowers, shows that Dougy’s family live in a way out town. It also seems like a rally small town. Dougy also probably hasn’t been anywhere else because he says, â€Å"I think, maybe, there are hundreds of other fantastic things in the rest of the world that I’ll never know about.† This point is also shown by how excited they are when the train pulls into Brisbane. The author shows that things are different in towns and cities (well they were at the time). People in the country aren’t really educated about what life is like in the city. This is shown by Dougy’s uncomfortableness with being the only blacks in the crowd. He thought that it would be just like at home- equal numbers of blacks and whites in the streets. Being uneducated is also shown by the comment that Dougy makes that Steve couldn’t be the manager of the hotel because in their town only white people are own businesses. Dougy and his family thought things would be the same in Brisbane and on some matters, they were caught unawares. Chapter 3 also shows that in a small town people have to stick together no matter what their skin colour- there may be prejudice, but it has to be overcome to get things done. In the city prejudice can be rampant (more of  it), without that much of an effect. James Moloney shows that many people stereotype against Aborigines. They may hear bad stories about them or have one bad experience and then they think that every single Aborigine is the same. It hurts people’s feelings when you stereotype like that- for example the taxi driver thought Dougy and his family wouldn’t pay, just because others hadn’t paid him. (Another example of this is saying that all blondes are dumb.) The scene at Lang Park shows that the littlest things mean a great deal to some people and can really inspire them. Just being at Lang Park and touching the grass inspires Raymond to say that he would play there one day and Dougy knew he wasn’t joking. The very end of chapter 3 shows that if we don’t believe in each other and ourselves- we won’t have the courage or the confidence to do after our dreams. Chapter 7 Summary- A number of things happen in chapter 7. It has been decided that Gracey will go to school in Brisbane. It is the summer holidays, it’s hot and the town is expecting a storm. Melissa Brodie is back in town (to stay) and has found a new pastime, in the form of motorbike riding. Melissa’s Dad has warned all the young blokes not to let Melissa borrow their bikes- or else! However Melissa continues to ride- she borrows Tiny’s bike in secret. Two weeks before Gracey was to leave for Brisbane, her Mum decides they should celebrate- with the whole town. She sets of the hire the hall across the road, which happens to be a big no-no for blacks. The owner of the hall, Mrs England, nearly dies when Gracey’s Mum goes to hire it. Unable to stop her, however, she gives in and the hall is hired. Meanwhile a storm starts brewing up north and the whole town starts preparing for a flood. This is what they were doing when Melissa Brodie is found unconscious in the  sandhills. Not knowing the full story, people start to blame Johnny Warren and trouble brews! Commentary- The beginning of the chapter shows the different attitudes towards the weather and crops, of the people. The white people are constantly worrying that there’ll be no rain, whereas the black people don’t worry so much- this shows that they have faith in the land and this is they way that they are brought up- to have faith in the land. The fact that Melissa borrows Tiny’s bike in secret (after her Dad warned all the other blokes), is really important later on in the story because this unknown fact causes misunderstandings and, really, the whole war. Melissa being able to talk her way into borrowing a bike and also ‘bad-mouthing’ the town without any consequences, show how some people’s attitudes are warped. They will listen to a good-looking and skinny girl and agree and grin, but if a fat and not so nice looking person says something they just look at him or her funny and laugh or tease them. This shown by Tiny- he said he wanted to be a mechanic and people said, â€Å"Fat chance† because he is fat. The little episode in booking the hall shows that some people will never change and they don’t want to, either. However, no matter what stands in our way we need to be determined and believe in ourselves. While Dougy was helping fill sandbags and a guy said, â€Å"Typical, lazy black bastards.† This shows again that our society is affected by stereotypes. That man didn’t notice Dougy’s black hands on the bag, however. So this shows that there may be many stereotypes out there, but they, nearly always, mean nothing. You have to get to know a person before you can really say what they are like- you can’t just look at their skin or hair colour. Chapter seven contains many messages for us to remember. Chapter 11 Summary- At the beginning of chapter 11, Luke doesn’t feel like shooting anymore and his Dad decides to head home. Luke arrives at his grandparents’ house early Friday morning and sleeps till his Aunt calls that his Mum is going home from the hospital. As his aunt talks to him, Luke begins to feel guilty for not visiting his Mum. Therefore he decides to be a good boy and care to the household duties, while his Mum rests. When Alison first wakes, Luke has to lie his way out of the room- about the shooting trip. The next Monday Luke and Alison confront each other. The communication barriers are broken as Luke asks about his Mum’s school life. But these are soon put again as his Mum starts to say what he should and shouldn’t do. Luke gets very upset, storms out of the house, gets on his bike and rides away. Commentary- At the beginning of the chapter, it seems that Luke is growing up and he doesn’t want to shoot anymore. This shows that people can change, as they see the light of a situation. When Luke lies to his Mum, he doesn’t feel comfortable, which shows that lying isn’t a human tendency- unless you let it become that and you make it a habit. The point that Luke doesn’t want to hang around his friends is unusual and can show that he feels uncomfortable with being suspended. From this we can gather that it’s in us to want to do our best. When we fail ourselves, we do feel disappointed. The funny atmosphere between Luke and his Mum is the same in many families today- parents and children aren’t very close due to poor communication. When they start talking its like floodwaters, but this flood of communication soon slows to a trickle, as Alison starts acting like a teacher- according to Luke. What he doesn’t realize is that Alison just  wants what is best for him. Instead Luke runs out and may get into trouble again. This little episode shows us that talking to each other is needed for a stable family. What family members need to realize is that they can’t push their opinions down people’s throats, that they need to be reasonable and willing to compromise. It’s also really important to look out for each other.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Statement Example Due to my keen interest in the world of supplies, demands, distribution, revenue, profit and customer satisfaction, the field I would like to choose for my major is economics. After sensitive calculations and critical working, I took initiative to start off with my own â€Å"mini business†. I perceived it as a business that would not only be beneficial for students but would also allow me to earn a good deal of experience in the practical world alongside the profit. By assigning target goals and dividing the entire process into the stages of ‘plan’, ‘purchase’, ‘sell’ and ‘generate revenue’, I was able to keep the business simple yet effective. The plan included listing the items that were in demand and researching the availability of whole-sale vendors who could provide the required products. These items were then sold at a reasonable profit, which was later utilized for further betterment of the business. In the ‘reve nue generation’ stage of my business venture, I calculated the amount of time, energy and fuel consumption while commuting to the wholesale market and finally completing the purchase. With this data, I calculated a reasonable profit that was to be earned from the business. ... uced a new well-equipped market within the campus, while I ended the business and decided to focus on the final months of studying for my high school. From what I have learnt through my experience, I believe that I can benefit the community in better ways by further understanding the concepts of economics, which will possibly provide a solution to the world’s derailing economies. By studying subject matters such as meeting demands and supplies, converting loss into profits, benefiting human kind and sustaining global economies, I will be able to contribute to the field of economics and the community. Prompt 2 After discussions with my father that lasted for hours, I was forced to admit the fact that my twenty years of life have not really been much of a success. Before I had joined Community College, the grades that I had obtained were not up to the mark. Due to my father’s motivation and support, I had always wanted to set an example, not only for my dad but also for m y children in future. It cannot be ignored that I had gained exceptional business experience at a very young age but I realized that despite starting off as an entrepreneur and managing it well, there were many concepts I still had to grasp. I believe that the best possible way to be introduced to these concepts would be to undertake a university major in economics. At the beginning of my high-school years, I was introduced to a poem by Robert Frost, titled â€Å"And miles to go before I sleep†. This poem inspired a great sense of motivation within me and continually makes me believe that there is always a lot more that life has to offer. Since I was determined in what I believed, I took an oath to bring about a change. As I resumed my studies in the Community College, I worked hard day and night. My

(5 paragraph illustration) Birthday party at the beach with a cook out Essay

(5 paragraph illustration) Birthday party at the beach with a cook out - Essay Example Having found my perfect destination, I sent out invitation letters to the family and some of Brittany’s friends she had not seen in a while even though they had gone to college together. This would be a perfect surprise. The day finally arrived; the cloudless sky was a clear sign of perfect weather. I started the morning preparations by setting up the venue. The party theme was white and sexy to blend in with the white sands of Boca Grande Beach. Therefore, for the furniture, I arranged for light comfortable chairs and tables. For the centerpiece, I put yellow scented vanilla candles – Brittany’s favorite scent. I arranged for toys, plastic tools like shovels, for the kids to play with on the beach. I set up jumping castles for the children too. I had invited Brittany’s favorite rock band – a surprise, too. I had a small but authentic gazebo set up for them, with deep black mahogany planks as the platform. This blended in nicely with my white theme. After finishing on the venue, I had to check on the catering. The party started at three in the afternoon. I did not want the guests to arrive and find me unprepared. I set off to collect the food, which included champagne, wine and beer; I also had some energy drinks and snacks for the kids. I also got biting for the adults: hot dogs, buns, potato crisps in apple sauce. I had to collect the birthday cake made especially for her. Brittany wanted a chocolate cake with a little bit of vanilla. I sprinkled the cake with blue berries. By half past 3, most of the guests had arrived and sat. The children were busy playing on the beach. My well-trained stuff began serving guests my homemade chilled cocktails, accompanied by sliced lemon. I offered kids some sunscreen and let them enjoy the sand. I had the hot dogs grilled and, within no time, they were ready to eat. The hot dogs placed in a fish shaped bowl served with

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Environmental Change and its Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Environmental Change and its Protection - Essay Example There are organizations in most countries that operate on a non-profit basis for the betterment of various elements of the earth. Progress on this front, is however, often slow as funds are mostly limited. This paper shall look at how people can make a difference in their own homes and in school. These two areas are inter-linked and what one learns at school is essentially what one also seeks to implement at home and vice-versa. As children need to be trained regarding the protection of the environment, it is important that what is done in these two places and what can be done in these two places is analysed and changes proposed. In most homes, while children go to school, they are provided with lunches in brown bags. This is a potential area for change and the paper that is saved when one takes the number of bags that children all over the United States of America take to school into account. What, one may ask, is the alternative to sending such packaged meals? The answer lies in re usable containers that would not require more and more paper to be consumed. This would result in the reusing of certain elements and would also prevent the cutting down of trees that happen so as to create the paper bags that are used to package lunches. To make such activities more entertaining for the children, it may be useful to create reusable boxes that are more colorful and presentable. These boxes would also help prevent children from having to carry packaged fruit which can then be placed within the box. This is also a healthier option as far as dietary habits are concerned (Younes, 2012). In many schools, obsolete materials are allowed to lie around the premises. Disposal of this waste would be the first step towards creating a clean and environment-friendly society. This would require infrastructure that would enable a quick and efficient disposal of such material that would not be very costly for the person who disposes of it. Incentives may be offered to the school or society that seeks to dispose of its waste in such a manner. Such incentives would keep the schools and societies on the lookout for opportunities for funds from the government or agencies that may then channel the resource in a commercially viable manner. The materials that are collected can be recycled and they can be sold back into the community leading to more funds for an industry that could be dependent on saving the environment. Recycling is also at this point of time in history, in the United States of America, an aspect of the society that is funded and accepted by the state as an area of priority. This makes the use of the elements of the environment in a sustainable way easier for the common man as he or she is aware of the fact that they have a partner who is willing to share the load financially. The support that the government of America provides for the movement is financial and also moral. It is also bureaucratic in so much so that it enables a quick transition from the stage of idea to that of reality (Obama, 2010). For instance, the idea that has been discussed in this paper, that of the transition to reusable boxes that lunch can be carried in to school from paper bags can be quickened up through legislative intervention. For instance, the rates of paper bags can be increased while the taxes on reusable goods can be reduced. Apart from this, incentives can be offered to areas that record a large increase in the amount that they have

Monday, August 26, 2019

Advocacy Role in Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advocacy Role in Anthropology - Essay Example Further, other anthropologists have taken more active role in community affairs observing that they have a wider responsibility of bringing about change (Gardner and Lewis p.48). Advocacy anthropology is a sub-field within anthropology that has been growing steadily since its initiation in early 1960s (Gardner and Lewis p.48). Advocacy anthropology has long history and attachment to applied anthropology and adoption of the role of advocacy on the part of anthropologist brings with it many risks and responsibilities (Gardner and Lewis p.48). Advocacy anthropology as it has been practiced by its proponents and to large extends anthropologists is largely concerned with efforts of indigenous people to have and establish relative more control with regard to their lives. Some of the powers sought by indigenous people include the power to retain their cultural identities and to ensure they control and maintain access to their local natural resources. The role of anthropologists in society has become complex especially with continuing global inequalities and injustices (Kellett p.21). In this way anthropologists find themselves in complex, messy and even scenario and it is in this way anthropologists get involved usually at micro-level working with communities. As a result, some questions that becomes pertinent for anthropologists as they get engaged in community activities include: are anthropologists supposed to act and act to improve the situation of local people? More so, should anthropologists act as intermediary and voice on behalf of local people and should anthropologists play an active role as agents of change? (Kellett p.2). When anthropologist become agents of change in any particular community it dawn on them that issues even at micro-level are not homogenous but are largely heterogeneous in nature. In this way, advocacy is likely to conflict some interest groups or even suppress some cultures. When anthropologists be come aware of this, it dawn on them that

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Marketing Plan - Essay Example At the moment, it can be seen that the economic outlook of the US is dim with the FED Chairman announcing that the nation will be experiencing a recession due to the extended problems of trade and budget deficit coupled with the overvalued currency (Bernanke Warns of Possible US Recession 2008). Noting the capital intensive nature of the aircraft production and airline operation, technical expertise together with the ability to accurately price long term contracts become the key primary concerns. This makes large business organizations capitalize on economies of scale in design, manufacturing, and purchasing. On the other hand, smaller companies concentrate on the manufacture of smaller parts and focusing on small market niches. In order to differentiate themselves from the rapidly proliferating no-frills airlines, they are capitalizing in adding value-added services in order to attract and retain customers (Hoovers Database 2008). Airbus is a European aircraft manufacturer headquartered at Toulouse, France and has long been recognized as Boeing's toughest rival. The company is established in 1970 and currently employs 57,000 people in four European Union countries.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Personal insight of the film "Sullivan's Travels" Statement

Insight of the film "Sullivan's Travels" - Personal Statement Example Sturges prefers planting the camera in front of the characters or actors; or have the camera follow actors when walking, and simply observing what is witty. The film does not shy in acknowledging the Great Depression. Sullivan’s discussion, the first one, with the studio leaders through the entire film, I see a genuine conflict between his wishes to present the suffering around him and also their wish in distracting audiences via the making of escapist pictures . It is only in the end does he, Sullivan, notice that perhaps the heads at the studio may be having the right idea. The movie changes humor style and tone each a few minutes. The movie shows some paradox tone, the movie has humor and gravity existing side-by-side, the tragicomic picture or view whose objective is comedy but it premise is a serious in nature ; the movie aims at both making people laugh and think. I am in a dilemma of comfortable classifying Sullivans Travels into either the â€Å"comedy-not tragedy† or "comedy-ha-ha† modes of humor. Sullivan’s Travels is more of Sullivan’s film, and the movie is presenting exactly what the character has set out to discover. Moreover, the movie avails an integration of comedy, inspiration, and pathos that jointly reinforce and also paradoxically demean the filmmakers’ argument. The movie has various exquisite scene of gags, for example the chase scene where a trailer after Sullivan in the dirt roads and fields, the varied expressions found on the portrait at the house’s window, and a number of characters falling into the pool. The presence of verbal humor emanates in most of the encounters with the Girl’s sarcastic comments that are dry, and Sullivan’s associates. The movie Sullivan’s Travels is also ironic; Sturges criticizes the motivations and methods of the Popular Front, but at the same time, he perpetuates to give social critique of the manner and style of the Popular Front. Sturges was able to

Friday, August 23, 2019

Hinduism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hinduism - Essay Example Hindu system characterizes an evolution of a higher form through a number of convictions derived from other religions or philosophies that reflect similar school of thoughts. Thus, its progress from within the original culture to the mainstream almost any type of believer may access though without obligations of adherence comes from being sensible to a ‘faith’ that tends to converge to mutual discernment of a single god yet not abolishing the probability that deities established by other profound concepts with historical basis may exist as well. Why is Hinduism so useful and attractive in the quest for higher consciousness? Hinduism becomes all the more attractive and beneficial in achieving higher degree of consciousness due primarily to the religious practices taught to be carried out with deep solemnity and reverence besides customary treatment. To the awareness of majority including non-believers, the Hindu approach of seeking spiritual enlightenment such as the esse nce found in ‘karma’ and ‘samsara’ or the continuum manifested in the cycle of action, reaction, birth, death, and rebirth meditatively educates and refreshes an individual.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Massimo Vignelli Essay Example for Free

Massimo Vignelli Essay In this modern day of computers and information technology, creating and designing an amazing object or place will be much easier due to the graphic design programs that are available to help modern day artist and designers. Nevertheless, it still involves the knowledge, skills, and experience of the designer. The talent of the designer to recreate a detailed yet beautiful design for a particular object is the one that are being paid for. One of the respected and successful designers in New York is Massimo Vignelli. He dedicated his life in designing and almost involved in various areas that requires his skills in creating and organizing beauty out of nothing. This well-known designer was born in Milan, Italy. He took up his bachelors’ degree in architecture at the Milan Polytechnic from 1950 to 1953 before completing it at the Universita di Architettura in Venice where he met his wife, Leila Vignelli. Massimo Vignelli’s first professional work was at Venini where he used to be a glassware designer. He taught at the Chicago Institute of Design from 1958 up to 1960 while his wife, Leila, worked as an architect for Skidmore, Owing and Merrill in New York. With their intention to still be connected to their homeland, they returned to Milan and open a practice institution for design which was named Leila and Massimo Vignelli Office for Design and Architecture. In 1965, Vignelli came to Chicago where he arranged a meeting with Ralph Eckerstrom, once a design director at Container Corporation of America (CCA) and a good friend. In this meeting came the idea of establishing a new design firm. Then, Unimark International was born with its co-founders Vignelli and Eckerstrom. With their similar viewpoints and principles in design, Vignelli and Eckerstrom took the challenge in the corporate design world. The firm’s vision: combining American marketing techniques with European modernist design within the same organization, creating an international firm that would get its strength through the best designs in the world, refinement of communications and educating the American design market. The beginning of Unimark International would not be successful without the people who believed in the concept of the two founders. Among those people who join the team of Vignelli and Eckerstrom were Bob Noorda, Larry Klein, James Fogelman, Robert Moldafsky, and at that time the respected design specialist Herbert Bayer. In 1971, Massimo Vignelli together with his wife, Leila Vignelli, founded the Vignelli Associates in New York. At the early years of the design firm, they have attained many corporate projects from Knoll, American Airlines, Bloomingdales, Xerox, Lancia, Cinzano, United Colors of Benetton, International Design Center New York and Ford Motors. Additional contracts from Venini, Steuben, and Sasaki for glassware design were also taken by the firm. Vignelli Associates was also responsible for the design of the showrooms of Artemide and Hauserman. Soon, Vignelli put his attention in designing furniture for Sunar, Posenthal, Morphos and Knoll. Among the well-known works of Vignelli are the Handkerchief Chair and Paper Clip table of Knoll. With the reputation of the Vignelli as a designer of versatility with illustrious design characteristic of clean work and the reputation of using bold lines and pure color in their design, they took the responsibility in designing the New York Subway signage. The Vignelli Associates first design the subway in 1968. Vignelli together with Bob Noorda planned to make a signage based on simple principle of delivering the necessary information to the people through the use of the Helvetica Medium which was then an exotic medium from Switzerland. The New York Standard Medium was used in the design due to the unavailability of the first proposed medium. After four years, Vignelli proposed a new design of the New York subway that replaced his previous work. This time, no more obscured angle of train routes instead all angles are set to 45 and 90 degree angle. Each stop was represented by a dot and each train line was represented by a color. The final work was a beauty of design art yet it still taken geographical correctness. Internationally, Massimo Vignelli’s works were published to various museums and art galleries. Among the notable museums and galleries that houses Vignelli’s work are the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York. His works can also be seen at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Montreal and at Die Neue Sammlung in Munich. He also became a lecturer in design at premier universities in the United States. Vignelli assumed many positions in various organizations in the US. These include the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and the Alliance Graphique Internationale as president in both organizations. He was also the past vice president of the Architectural League in the US and a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Vignelli’s work was also been aired worldwide through the two feature-length television programs. A Europe tour of his work between 1989 and 1993 allow some places to discover and see his magnificent art works. Vignelli received many awards and appreciation for his art works. Among Vignelli’s many awards are as follows: Gran Premio Triennale di Milano (1964), Compasso d’Oro (1964, 1998) from the Italian Association for Industrial Design, Industrial Arts Medal of the American Institute of Architects (1973), Visionary Award from the Museum of Art and Design (2004), and the most recent is the Architecture Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2005. His latest work was the e-book entitled â€Å"The Vignelli Canon† which was released in January 2009. The copy of this modern version of Vignelli’s work can be downloaded for free from his website. References Art Directors Club biography, portrait and images of work. Retrieved April 5, 2009 @ http://www.adcglobal.org/archive/hof/1982/?id=255 â€Å"Massimo Vignelli of vignelli associates†. Designboom (2000). Retrieved April 6, 2009 @ http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/vignelli.html Unimark International. Retrieved April 6, 2009 @ http://www.unimark-international.com/beginnings1.html#beginnings1

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Igno - Management of Human Resources Essay Example for Free

Igno Management of Human Resources Essay 1.â€Å"Borderless world, Diversity Management, and Knowledge power, are some of the overarching factors being encountered by the Human Resource Mangers of 21st century business world†. How do they affect the dynamics of Human Resource Management in today’s organizations? Explain with examples from the organization you are familiar with or have been working for. Briefly describe the organization, you are referring to. 2.â€Å"Each employee in an organization performs various roles. Role perception of a manager and an employee make a complex web as they interact†. Elaborate this statement in the light of socialisation factors in organizational socialization process. Outline the importance of initial Job socialization on the employee and the organization. Explain with the help of your personal experience and organizational experience with respect to the above concepts.Explain the situation and describe the organization, you are referring to. 3. Consider Potential Appraisal, Assessment Centres, and Career and Succession Planning in an organizational context. Describe the dynamics of these concepts, their interactional outcomes, and impact on overall functioning and management of the organization. Put down your experience with respect to the dynamics of these factors in totality as seen by you in an organizational situation or the situations which you are familiar with. Briefly describe the situation and the organization, you are referring to. 4.How do you see the role, presence, necessity, and impact of ‘Mentoring and Performance Coaching’ in organizational situations in Indian context in general? Critically describe the experience the organizations have with respect to these concepts, their applicability, effectiveness and prospect. You may like to compare few organizations you have known or familiar with or even you can come out with your own experience in organizational context. Describe the context, and the organization you are referring to.

New Zealand Services to Support the Elderly

New Zealand Services to Support the Elderly Abstract Elderly care is a steady industry in New Zealand. It is one of the most stable industries in New Zealand because the New Zealand population is an old population. In light of this attempts to improve the geriatric care standards in New Zealand should always be a priority. Present services and healthcare organizations should always be reviewed and accredited to make sure that they are qualified and their services are not obsolete or redundant. Introduction There are different organizations which provide services to the elderly in New Zealand. We should take the time to know these organizations because since most of us work in a healthcare setting with a lot of geriatric clients, we should know the services that are made available to them. We should always provide accurate and useful information about the elderly care system in New Zealand because there are still a number of misconceptions about it. Question 1 a.) Age Concern NZ Age Concern NZ has 6 main services, and I will discuss three of the services. The first service is about eliminating the feeling of loneliness in elderly people. The purpose of this service is because most elderly people feel that they are neglected and abandoned by their families or the society. The effects of loneliness can have negative repercussions on the mental and physical health of elderly clients. They may often feel left out because they can no longer keep up with the fast paced world that we live in. Age Concern NZ is offering a service which includes visiting elderly clients and spending time with them. This can be a learning experience which can greatly benefit both the client and the volunteer. The client will no longer feel lonely and will somehow be alleviated from their feelings of isolation from the society. The volunteer will be able to learn and correct about some of the misconceptions that society has about the effects of aging, and will greatly make a positive i mpact on the elderly clients they are visiting. The second service that they offer is about Elderly Abuse. The elderly are especially susceptible to being victims of abuse because usually they are no longer at the peak of their physical and mental health, which is interpreted by others as a sign that they can abuse an elderly person and get away with it. What some people tend to forget is that elderly people still deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I believe that elderly clients should always have a say in what they want and they should be given choices rather than other people deciding what is best for them, unless they are no longer able to decide what may or may not be good for them, or if they may inflict harm to themselves and to others if left to their own means. Some elderly people are also victims of exploitation because most of these people are looking for someone to help them care for themselves. There may be some people who are only showing love and support to these clients because they know that they can g et something from them in return or because they can manipulate their decisions. The company offers support to the people going through any form of elderly abuse and they educate people who work with elderly clients and their families about the different types of abuse and their warning signs. The third service is about the wellbeing of the elderly clients. If the clients are happy, have healthy relationships there is less risk for depression. Depression can be avoided even in the later years of life by promoting the wellbeing and happiness of the client. One way of promoting the happiness of a client is allowing him or her to continue doing his or her hobbies if it is still safe for him or her to do so. It minimizes the negative effects of aging and can make the client feel uplifted and empowered. We can also introduce new activities to emphasize the fact that we are never too old to try new experiences. b.) GreyPower GreyPower provides superannuation or what is more commonly known as pension. They try to provide a better level of pension to people aged 50 and above. They argue that what the pensioners are currently getting is not enough for them to live a relatively comfortable life in their old age. They are forced to make some compromises to their standards of living. One of the main problems that they are trying to solve is that when the prices of commodities go up, the pension stays the same. It does not adjust to the economy. What some of the people at GreyPower are trying to do is to lobby for the increase of pension as the costs of living in New Zealand also increase. They primarily focus on providing the adequate health needs of each pensioner and help them in being able to pay their electricity bills. c.) SuperGold Card The SuperGold Card is given to seniors and it gives the card holder certain discounts from different businesses, free public transportation, and free services from the local government. Residents who are 65 and above are eligible to avail the SuperGold Card. They can use the public transport system for free after the peak hours, which is an extremely useful benefit because public transport in New Zealand can be very expensive especially when you have to take 2 or more buses to get to where you want to go. They can also avail of discounts on petrol prices and when buying gadgets at certain electronics stores in New Zealand. I don’t know about you but this card makes me want to grow old! d.) Seniorline Seniorline promotes â€Å"Positive Ageing† and it is all about giving more attention to the elderly and still appreciating what they can do for our society. I will liken the elderly to the predators of the ecosystem. Most of us think they are nuances and dangerous but without them, there will be imbalances in nature. It’s the same with the elderly. They may seem like they have no use at all except for bothering us but they are excellent sources of wisdom and advice, and they are able to help us more than we think. e.) Global Action on Aging The Global Action on Aging does not offer any concrete services but they do one of the most important jobs towards the advancement of elderly rights and care, which is advocacy. They advocate for the rights of the elderly and in doing so, help prevent theft, abuse, and neglect of the elderly. Question 2 1.) Hospitals Hospitalization is the last resort for elderly patients because this means that there are complications with regards to the client’s health which cannot be handled at the rest home or the out-patient level. It is a risky place to be in as an elderly patient because aside from the reason for their hospitalization, there is a risk of nosocomial infection, which is an infection acquired in the hospital. Since elderly patients are at a higher risk of acquiring infections because of their decreased immunity, we should safeguard against these risks meticulously. The benefits of the elderly patient staying in hospital care are that the staff and are trained for any possibility or situation that may arise and they are equipped to respond to these situations, and it is easy to refer them to another department if it is needed. Another benefit is that if they experience a medical emergency, they do not need to be transported anymore to a facility which can cater to them because they are already in the hospital. They are also at less risk for falls because hospitals usually assign a watcher if a patient has an elevated risk for falls (confusion, disorientation, etc.) and the hospitals beds usually have side rails installed. The most important advantage that the hospital has is that it can assess the risks associated with a patient and in theory, they can prevent these risks from happening instead of having a client stay at his or her home, where most risks are not identified. These interventions can prolong the length of the life of the individual and elevate the standards of living that the patients enjoy and give the relatives of these patients some peace of mind knowing that most of the probable emergencies and scenarios are being prevented. 2.) Respite care Respite care is usually given during a stay in the hospital to take the pressure off the usual caregiver. It is usually a short-term arrangement and lasts about less than a month per year. It can be done in the hospital which is advantageous because the patient does not need to be transferred anymore and will save the patient time, money, and the energy which is required when moving from one healthcare facility to another. It can also be done at the home of the patient and an agency will provide care for the patient, which is also has its advantages one of which is that the patient will return to a familiar environment and may feel more relaxed during his stay at home. The potential disadvantage of this is that when a medical emergency occurs, the patients has to be taken back again to the hospital in short notice and the process may give unnecessary stress to the patient. 3.) Nursing homes Nursing homes are very popular here in New Zealand and are heavily subsidized by the government. Based on what I’ve heard from my friends and classmates, the elderly clients living in a nursing home are very relaxed and are well taken care of. They eat at the right time, have people to talk to, and it decreases the chance of them feeling alone and isolated. They are checked-up by a physician before being admitted to a nursing home because each client is unique and they need to find out what medications they need and the additional care that they may require. The staff working at nursing homes is also trained to deal with geriatric clients. These healthcare facilities also retain most of their staff and has a low rate of staff turnover to ensure that the continuity of care is established and maintained so that the patients will have less adjustment every time that there is a new staff member in the facility. 4.) Domiciliary Care In Domiciliary care, the patient is living in his own home but he is still being assisted by support workers in doing activities of daily living, which includes assisting with the personal care of the client, and accompanying the client in going to appointments, and helping the client in preparing meal. The family of the client should always be involved in planning his care because they are the ones who know the client the best and would know what he would want in a certain situation and they can then pass these information to the support worker assigned to the client. 5.) Pharmacists Pharmacists are essential since they educate the client in knowing what drugs to take and their indications, contraindications, side effects, and adverse effects. They also educate the client in knowing the different drug interactions so that they know if drugs are safe to take together and if they should take the drugs with meals or without. They also teach the client how to take the drugs when there is a special indication (sublingual, inhaler, etc.) needed to take the drug. They also educate the client in what they can’t and can do with the drugs, like splitting a tablet into two, and giving the client a complete printout of the schedule of the drugs. 6.) End of Life Support The client can choose where he wants to stay during the last days of his life. Whether it is in a nursing home, a hospital, or at home, the client deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. There is a type of care which we call palliative care. This type of care alleviates the symptoms of a certain client. For example, if the client is suffering from colon cancer and he suddenly obtains a cough or a flu, then the treatment of that cough or flu is part of the palliative care of that client. It is about maintaining the â€Å"quality of life† of the patient. Question 3 Social Isolation of the individual and their families Most of the elderly clients feel isolated from the community because most people don’t want anything to do with them due to the misconception that most people who are retired or over the age of 65 are fragile and weak people who will only be liabilities and not assets. This can lead to depression of the elder because he or she feels disconnected to the society and he or she may feel unwelcome by the world or the community that they grew up in. the family may feel that they are isolated because of the elderly patient who is with them and this pressure from society makes them disassociate themselves with the elder in their care, and in turn will make the individual more isolated. Assumption of automatic loss of independence Out of all the stigmas related to geriatric care, I think this is the one stigma that has the most impact on how individuals, families, and society as a whole view caring for the elderly. This has the most negative effect on how geriatric care is viewed because most people are unwilling to care for a fully dependent patient, not knowing that the patient can still perform activities of daily living. Family members and healthcare providers should try to help the patient maintain their skills for them not to be fully dependent on the people who are taking care of them. Unable to make decisions about own care One of the worst stigmas that elderly clients have to undergo is that there is the misconception that they can no longer decide for themselves and that they are merely living out the rest of their days. They are fully capable of making their own informed decisions about how healthcare professionals should handle their care plan and they should always have a say in their plan of care. Dissatisfying interactions with the medical community Unfortunately, this is a recurring problem in most medical fields not only in geriatrics. Sometimes members of the healthcare community do not have or do not take the time in talking to the clients and most will not explain properly to the patient what they are experiencing and what their options to treatment are and only expect other healthcare professionals to do it. This makes the patient confused and doubtful of how the medical community is treating him or her. This may lead to loss of established rapport between the healthcare providers and the patient because a healthcare professional did not have a few minutes to spare to talk to the client and reassure the client properly that the healthcare team will make sure that the client is comfortable and that the team will properly carry out all medical procedures with care and the client will be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Uncertainty of support services and treatments Due to the lack of time of some of the medical professionals in explaining treatment options and services to the patients, the client is now unsure of what will happen to him or what his plan of care is. The patient is kept in the dark about how his care will be handled by those assigned to take care of him. This is a fundamental flaw in providing care because the client should always be included in planning his care because he knows best what he wants and he should always be given choices on whether he wants a certain service or treatment and he should be given the right to decline the treatment or the service if he so chooses. Conclusion There are a lot of healthcare organizations in New Zealand that provide useful services to the elderly clients. Most of them are advocates of the elderly and prevent abuse and isolation. Some of them offer monetary benefits, discounts, and even free fare when using the public transport system. All are very useful especially because elderly clients usually only get their money from their pension. There are also a variety of healthcare facilities to choose from when choosing where the best place to receive care is. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages and it is up to the individual, his family, and his healthcare provider to determine which facility will be the best for the needs of the client. Recommendation As person with experience working with geriatric clients, I recommend that the general public be properly educated about geriatric care. I believe that with proper education, we can eradicate most of the misconceptions surrounding geriatric care. I also recommend that we look into the current services provided to the elderly people here in New Zealand and find ways to improve on them. We can start by doing a survey of people ages 65 and above as to what they feel is needed so that we can get a better insight about their priorities and what services and benefits they want. Bibliography GreyPower. GreyPower History. (2008-2014) Retrieved from http://greypower.wpengine.com/history/ Age Concern. Accredited Visiting Service. Retrieved from http://www.ageconcern.org.nz/ACNZPublic/Home/Loneliness/ACNZ_Public/Loneliness_and_Social_Isolation.aspx Age Concern. Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.ageconcern.org.nz/ACNZPublic/Services/EANP/ACNZ_Public/Elder_Abuse_and_Neglect.aspx Age Concern. Wellbeing, Health and happiness. Retrieved from http://www.ageconcern.org.nz/ACNZPublic/Information/Wellbeing/ACNZ_Public/Wellbeing.aspx SuperGold. Retrieved from http://www.supergold.govt.nz/ Global Action on Aging. Elder Rights. (2004) Retrieved from http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/index.htm Seniorline. Positive Ageing. Retrieved from http://www.adhb.govt.nz/SeniorLine/PositiveAgeing/Positive%20Ageing.htm Merck Sharp Dohme Corp. The Merck Manual, Respite Care. (2010-2014) Retrieved from http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/geriatrics/provision_of_care_to_the_elderly/respite_care.html Merck Sharp Dohme Corp. The Merck Manual, Hospital Care and the Elderly. (2010-2014) Retrieved from http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/geriatrics/provision_of_care_to_the_elderly/hospital_care_and_the_elderly.html Merck Sharp Dohme Corp. The Merck Manual, Skilled Nursing Facilities. (2010-2014) Retrieved from http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/geriatrics/provision_of_care_to_the_elderly/skilled_nursing_facilities.html Merck Sharp Dohme Corp. The Merck Manual, Assisted Living Programs. (2010-2014) Retrieved from http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/geriatrics/provision_of_care_to_the_elderly/assisted-living_programs.html Merck Sharp Dohme Corp. The Merck Manual, Pharmacists and the Elderly. (2010-2014) Retrieved from http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/geriatrics/provision_of_care_to_the_elderly/pharmacists_and_the_elderly.html National Institute on Aging. End of Life: Helping with Comfort and Care. Retrieved from http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/end-life-helping-comfort-and-care/finding-care-end-life

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Daimler Chrysler Merger Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Daimler Chrysler Merger Daimler Chrysler is the result of merging Daimler-Benz and the Chrysler Corporation in late 1998. The merger was to be one of the largest on record, and the beginning of a new wave of mergers sweeping through the automotive industry. Although the companies were manufacturing generally similar products, the differences between those products could not be wider. Chrysler was known for a product line consisting of mini-vans, light duty trucks, and four-wheel drive off-road vehicles; Daimler-Benz was known for its luxury brand of Mercedes-Benz vehicles and medium and heavy-duty over-the-road trucks. Merging the two companies entertained the idea of one entity possessing a product line covering nearly every type of wheeled vehicle. Daimler Chrysler’s strategy was to maintain separate brands and images, following its internal book, â€Å"Guidelines for Daimler Chrysler Brand Management.† This book outlined a strategy consistent with a clear separation of Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler brands. No sharing of common platforms, factories, or dealership networks was allowed. In effect, the two companies were to be run as separate entities; even the headquarters were to remain separate. It would appear a strategy consistent with these goals would severely limit any anticipated synergies of the merger. Upon completion of the merger, an industry wide overcapacity existed, and economic conditions suggested a further slowdown in auto sales on the horizon. Medium and heavy-duty truck sales were slowing down, Mercedes-Benz was facing stiff competition from the luxury Japanese car market, Chrysler was experiencing lackluster sales, and clearly, costs needed to be cut. The result was Daimler Chrysler’s announced layoffs of 26,000 employees and the idling of several assembly plants in North America. It became apparent to those outside the organization that the merger was more of a takeover by Daimler-Benz than a â€Å"merger of equals.† Clearly, Daimler-Benz emerged as the leading entity and named many of its executives to the board of directors. Chrysler’s management took a back seat, and the former Chrysler CEO was given a lesser role in the new organization. Since the completion of the merger, Daimler Chrysler stock (DCX) has suffered over a 55% decline. The fundamentals of the company trail i... ...strategic alliances with MMC and Hyundai should allow rapid penetration in the Asian market. The potential synergies, if realized, should allow increased production efficiencies while reducing costs. New product lead-time could be diminished sequentially, allowing an advantage over the competition, while incorporating Daimler-Benz’s engineering facilities with Chrysler should increase Chrysler’s perceived quality without sacrificing Mercedes-Benz’s brand image. Of late, the stock price has suffered more than its peers as investors recognize the lack of synergy if the entities are not combined in at least some capacity. Combining at least some portions of engineering, design, and manufacturing should be attempted, at least on an experimental basis, if any synergies are to be realized. Merging and acquiring companies without exploiting their comparative advantages offers little or no advantages. If Daimler Chrysler is to prosper in this very competitive industry, it should explore all potential comparative and strategic advantages to minimize costs while sharing its core competencies throughout the organization to increase market share and brand recognition.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Dave of The Dave Matthews Band :: Music Musical Matthews Essays

Dave of The Dave Matthews Band Death and destruction sells in this day in age. As Santana so correctly put it, â€Å"It seems that I thrive on the dark side of things/ I always feel alive when the death bell rings/ now you come and you bring out the tears in me† As a culture, Americans have a tendency to enjoy something that gets their blood boiling, something that makes them want to just let it all go and scream as apposed to something that makes them feel all warm and bubbly inside. There are however, those bands out there that do manage to keep their fan base interested with love songs that are reminiscent of the sixties â€Å"flower children.† One of the greatest is the Dave Matthews Band. In order to understand Dave and his band, one has to understand Dave’s history. Dave was born in South Africa. Through out his childhood, he moved in and out of the states. Eventually, after his farther died in New York in the 80’s, Dave and his family decided to move back to South Africa. This is when, due to the hatred that engulfs this particular region of our â€Å"peaceful† world, his sister was murdered. One can safely assume that Dave took it upon himself to spread a loving message through his music. Love of ones neighbor is his common theme. Two of the more powerful songs that show this over all image of love are â€Å"The Best of What’s Around† and â€Å"Jimmi Thing.† â€Å"Hey my friend, it seems your eyes are troubled, care to share, your time with me?† Do you care to let me share some of your burdens? â€Å"The Best of What’s Around† is a song that puts the listener into the shoes of one of Dave’s friends. In the song, Dave is found comforting that friend through hard times. There are many forms of love in this world, one being, the love of thy neighbor. In â€Å"The Best of What’s Around† Dave is abiding by the golden rule, â€Å"Love thy neighbor as thyself.† Treat your friends with the same respect that you expect to receive. Its human nature to share loads. When someone sees that their friend is in a bad state, there is a natural urge for that person to try to help their friend out.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Mafia As A Corporation Essay -- essays papers

The Mafia As A Corporation Violence, blackmail and corruption as business terms, one would doubtfully consider them commonplace, but in the Mafia, nothing is. Looking at the history surrounding the Mafia, and the motivations apparent for its unconventional practices will lead one to realize that it is much more a union aimed at entrepreneurial success than the more common notion that it is simply a malicious group of amoral villains, anxious to wreak havoc. For decades the Italian-American Mafia has employed violent to achieve success in a capitalistic sense. â€Å"The Mafia has changed a great deal since the days of the peasant uprisings in sun-baked Sicily. It has found a place within its ranks for business-school graduates, and it has adopted modern banking methods and invested in legitimate corporate ventures.† The Mafia, also known as La Cosa Nostra, is generally composed of Italians or Italian-Americans that work together as entrepreneurial criminals. La Cosa Nostra literally means â€Å"T he thing ours† but is loosely translated as â€Å"our thing.† The Mafia traces its roots back to Sicily, Italy in the 9th century AD when its purpose was to guard the feudal estates of wealthy landlords. When members of the Sicilian Mafia immigrated to the United States they initially excelled in extortion, but soon adopted gambling and prostitution as business ventures. In order to understand the role the Mafia has played in the United States, it is first necessary to study the formation and role of the Mafia in Italy. The Sicilian Mafia is said to have formed around the ninth century when Arabic tribes invaded Sicily. Native Italians were forced into hiding, taking to the hills and mountains in order to stay safe. The Sicilian Mafia formed to protect Italians from the invaders, and eventually rid the region of its unwelcome foreign foes. At this point, Mafiosi (individual members of the Mafia) essentially became middlemen for business transactions in their particular city or town. In his book The Sicilian Mafia, Diego Gambetta describes the process â€Å"When the butcher comes to me to buy an animal, he knows that I want to cheat him. But I know that he wants to cheat me. Thus we need, say, Peppe [that is, a third party] to make us agree. And we both pay Peppe a percentage of the deal.† This method has many implications. â€Å"Peppe† is trusted by both the con... ...expertise into other fields. With this expansion came the fame and fortune that has made the American Mafia famous in the United States. In time, the Mafia honed their skills, and aligned them with common legitimate businesses practices, which has separated them from common criminals, and allowed themselves to excel. Bibliography 1.)Firoentin, Gianluca and Peltzman, Sam. 1995. The Economics of Organised Crime. The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge 2.)Gage, Nicholas. 1971. The Mafia is not an Equal Opportunity Employer. Nicholas Gage 3.)Gambetta, Diego. 1993. The Sicilian Mafia. The president and Fellows of Harvard College. 4.)Mangione, Jerre and Morreale, Ben. 1992. â€Å"Who’s afraid of La Mano Nera, ‘The Black Hand?’† New York, Harper Collins. http://organizedcrime.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mindspring.com%2F%7Ehistoric-ny%2Fblackhand.htm 5.)Nelli, Humbert S. 1976. The Business of Crime: Italians and Syndicate Crime in the United States. Oxford University Press, Inc. 6.)Pitkin, Thomas M. and Cordasco, Francesco. 1977. The Black Hand: A Chapter in Ethnic Crime. Littlefield, Adams & Co. The Mafia As A Corporation Essay -- essays papers The Mafia As A Corporation Violence, blackmail and corruption as business terms, one would doubtfully consider them commonplace, but in the Mafia, nothing is. Looking at the history surrounding the Mafia, and the motivations apparent for its unconventional practices will lead one to realize that it is much more a union aimed at entrepreneurial success than the more common notion that it is simply a malicious group of amoral villains, anxious to wreak havoc. For decades the Italian-American Mafia has employed violent to achieve success in a capitalistic sense. â€Å"The Mafia has changed a great deal since the days of the peasant uprisings in sun-baked Sicily. It has found a place within its ranks for business-school graduates, and it has adopted modern banking methods and invested in legitimate corporate ventures.† The Mafia, also known as La Cosa Nostra, is generally composed of Italians or Italian-Americans that work together as entrepreneurial criminals. La Cosa Nostra literally means â€Å"T he thing ours† but is loosely translated as â€Å"our thing.† The Mafia traces its roots back to Sicily, Italy in the 9th century AD when its purpose was to guard the feudal estates of wealthy landlords. When members of the Sicilian Mafia immigrated to the United States they initially excelled in extortion, but soon adopted gambling and prostitution as business ventures. In order to understand the role the Mafia has played in the United States, it is first necessary to study the formation and role of the Mafia in Italy. The Sicilian Mafia is said to have formed around the ninth century when Arabic tribes invaded Sicily. Native Italians were forced into hiding, taking to the hills and mountains in order to stay safe. The Sicilian Mafia formed to protect Italians from the invaders, and eventually rid the region of its unwelcome foreign foes. At this point, Mafiosi (individual members of the Mafia) essentially became middlemen for business transactions in their particular city or town. In his book The Sicilian Mafia, Diego Gambetta describes the process â€Å"When the butcher comes to me to buy an animal, he knows that I want to cheat him. But I know that he wants to cheat me. Thus we need, say, Peppe [that is, a third party] to make us agree. And we both pay Peppe a percentage of the deal.† This method has many implications. â€Å"Peppe† is trusted by both the con... ...expertise into other fields. With this expansion came the fame and fortune that has made the American Mafia famous in the United States. In time, the Mafia honed their skills, and aligned them with common legitimate businesses practices, which has separated them from common criminals, and allowed themselves to excel. Bibliography 1.)Firoentin, Gianluca and Peltzman, Sam. 1995. The Economics of Organised Crime. The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge 2.)Gage, Nicholas. 1971. The Mafia is not an Equal Opportunity Employer. Nicholas Gage 3.)Gambetta, Diego. 1993. The Sicilian Mafia. The president and Fellows of Harvard College. 4.)Mangione, Jerre and Morreale, Ben. 1992. â€Å"Who’s afraid of La Mano Nera, ‘The Black Hand?’† New York, Harper Collins. http://organizedcrime.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mindspring.com%2F%7Ehistoric-ny%2Fblackhand.htm 5.)Nelli, Humbert S. 1976. The Business of Crime: Italians and Syndicate Crime in the United States. Oxford University Press, Inc. 6.)Pitkin, Thomas M. and Cordasco, Francesco. 1977. The Black Hand: A Chapter in Ethnic Crime. Littlefield, Adams & Co.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Employment and Dual Career Couples Essay

The organizations who are hire spouses can decrease unemployment rate. Nowadays, one of them is not working, but they have qualification to get the position in the organization. So, when one of them who are working in organization can suggests to the employer to recruit their partner in the same organization. Then, the employer can consider the suggestions and he or she can recruit spouses for working based on vacancies and qualification of the job in the organization. 2) Reduce the loss of qualified workers Nowadays, many educated, professional men are choosing to marry educated, professional women instead of traditional housewives, companies are faced with the prospect of losing qualified employees when a spouse gets a new job in another city or is transferred. One way to avoid dealing with a spouse’s unpredictable employment situation is to employ the couple. This strategy is particularly popular in universities and laboratories in which both spouses are chemists or both are professors. Some companies are even able to employ couples in different careers, one in an accounting department and one in a legal department, for example. By employing the couple, companies can control the risk of losing an employee due to a spouse’s changing situation. 3) Create a new functions in organization The organization hires the spouses or parents will help to create a new function of business into their organization. For example, the organization can establish child center or nursery. At the same time, it can create a new job such as babysitter. 4) Increase the income When hiring the dual-career couples in the organization it can increase the income of the spouses. This spouses who are working hard to get an education and enter into high-paying jobs are completely focused on their careers, which raises the chances that they will be well compensated for their skill set. 5) Assume two-career couples as individual workers in organization Some companies shy away from hiring dual-career couples because of concern over the couple’s performance. Some companies do not want to get stuck employing one â€Å"weak† employee just to hold on to the â€Å"stronger† partner. Companies may also fear complaints from other employees regarding special treatment for spouses who are unqualified for their positions. Your company can avoid this by ensuring dual-career couples that they will be treated as individuals at the workplace. Each partner will be held entirely accountable for his or her performance and one partner will not be allowed to negotiate for a better position or higher salary for the other partner. Likewise, one partner will not be held accountable for the other partner’s mistakes. 6) Reduce a discrimination to women Although traditionally women are held responsible for childcare and household affairs whether they work or not, this is not fair to either men or women in the workforce. So some companies offer benefits such as paid leave, flexible hours and child care services without regard to gender. Only offering child care leave to women places the burden of child care exclusively on women employees and prevents male employees from participating in child care in their own homes. This causes stress to employees and families and can result in women being discriminated against. Potential liabilities 1) Organization are losing productivity and employees Organizations are losing productivity and employees because of the demands of family life. The study found that among the 400 working parents surveyed, problems with child care were the most significant predictors of absenteeism and low productivity. 2) Poor communication When the employer gives the different task to this spouse, they are not satisfied when not placed together in a group assignment. So, they feel uncomfortable when given difference task and make a problem for them in completing the assignment. As a result, the assignment cannot be solved and their job performance decreased. Question 2 Many of the services for dual-career couples and parent employees are provided by large corporations that have far greater financial resources than smaller companies. Identify and discuss potential with a small company’s HRM function can alleviate the challenges facing employees who are parents and employees with working spouses. Nowadays, there have a total of workforce is comprised of dual career couples with many of them having children, the need for Human Resource Departments to provide services that both alleviate time conflicts and also promote a healthy lifestyle balance is critical. For small companies in particular, the challenge of retaining dual career couples is compounded by the need for first retaining top talent when larger organizations with a broader range of family care services, in addition to staying competitive in their markets while giving employees flexibility in taking care of their families. While smaller companies may find competing on benefits alone will be difficult, the one advantage they do have is flexibility and a closer management of time for dual career couples with families. First, smaller companies can create a telecommunication policy that will allow workers to work from home while at the same time being able to take care of their families. A telecommunication policy is commonplace in larger organizations and could significantly increase productivity for workers who may need to be home when their children are sick. A small company also can builds a nursery to keep the employee welfare, to run the nursery the organization used a lot of money. So, the HRM department should collect the fees from their employee to cover the nursery. The parents pay the fees through payroll deduction. This program enables to people to share a job on a part-time basis and is major boon to spouses who want to continue their careers while raising children. The program also reduced turnover and the absenteeism, boosted morale, and helped achieve affirmative action objectives. Generally, every spouse has their own problem. Sometimes they are not settling the problem at the home, and they take along the problem into the workplace. Besides that, they also have another problem at the workplace and will cause their performance decreased because the two problems are mix together. In this case, we need a counseling session to solve their problem. Question 3 Suppose that a dual-career couple involves spouses who are at different career stages. Does this situation pose problems for the couple? For the organization or organization employing them? Discuss. No, because some of the benefits could be that it may be easier to find two positions of different levels rather than two positions of the same level. While with this scenario you do loose the shared responsibilities and job requirements. In some academic fields it may also lead to a mentor type relationship, which for some is ideal, and for the organization could mean that you get more years for your hire. For example if you have the 40 year old professor who is well established and the spouse who is younger and less established they can mentor under the other and when one retires you still have the second to work for more years. Besides that, a dual-career couple involves spouses who are at different career stages they can understand each other and can help to solve their problem in the workplace. Proponents assert that couple who works for the same share the same goal, are often more committed to the company, and are more willing to work longer hours. Hiring couples helps attract and keep top employees, and relocations are also easier for the couples and to the company. Besides that, they also can share and change the information. If one the spouses has a high position he or she will help the spouses who face difficulties in completing the task. So they can collaborate and discuss in solving the task. Next, the performance of the subordinate spouse can be increased and will help boost the company’s performance. The organization also has workforce diversity. The organization will get the advantages when hiring dual career couples because they have a different skill, ability, knowledge and other characteristic can help organization the achieve the goals. They can come out with a new strategies and tactics that will support the need of organization. So, it always have an advantages in compete with other organization and a good change will happen in every stage or phase in achieve their objective.

Friday, August 16, 2019

The Influence of Walt Disney Films Towards Adults and Children

A Walt Disney film production is well-known for its film reputation; magical, heart-warming and touching films that attracts not only children but also adults. The company makes animations that capture’s the audience heart and at the same time delivers a moral message to the audience. Cinderella (1950) is a successful Walt Disney film that appeals to different generations’ as it was a story on a happy and magical dream that many people have in reality.Cinderella, the character appealed to many young girls as the character portrayed a very kind, loving and pretty girl who was chosen by a handsome and charming young Prince. The Prince and Cinderella unite when her leg fits into a beautiful pair of glass shoe that she lost during the Prince’s ball. This story also appeals to young boys who are trying to find their true love just like the charming Prince. Apart from that, the song â€Å"A dream is a wish your heart makes,† gives hope to people from different b ackgrounds and different generations.In one part of the song lyrics, specifically â€Å"No matter how you heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true,† sends an important message that people should keep hoping and be positive in whatever dreams they have so that one day this dream will come true. The film ‘Cinderella’ is not only meant to explore the deepest and wildest imagination of the audience, but it also makes everyone’s dream come true on the screen; especially when the Prince and Cinderella lives happily ever after in the end. Therefore, this movie would never get old, not even for the future generation of youngsters.Anjelica Huston once said, â€Å" I want to be a princess like Cinderella and fit into the shoes that she fit in. It influences my later desire to become an actress. † It directly affects those who have watched Disney animations. Princess fairy tales are not meant just for memories and are not just a motion picture for entertainment, but also a tool that aids in a child’s development. Street (1995) has analyzed the excerpts from three different years of ethnographic study of literacy play in kindergarten classrooms’ and presented the findings in â€Å"Social Literacies: Critical Approaches to Literacy in Development, Ethnography and Education.†One of the findings was that little girls played with Disney Princess dolls and repeatedly enacted the associated film text; they rewrote plots they knew by heart and altered character roles that suited their version of their favorite Disney characters’. This could mean that Disney Princesses and animation films enhance the opportunity for children to practice their ability to write and read stories based on what they have heard from films’. It also encourages children to create their stories based on the fairy tales they have watched.In short, children could develop moral and social values ba sed on what they see from Disney movies. From the movie Cinderella, one can understand more about the animation movie making process, production and structure. It deeply links and influences the audience image on cartoon and animation movies. Although we live in the age of information technology, where most people are hooked to the internet or video games, a fairy tale like Cinderella still captures a majority of audience from different generations.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Gi Bill of 1944

A Building Block for the Future: The G. I. Bill of 1944 â€Å"We’re finally home boys! † shouted one of the young invigorated soldiers as the plane landed on the runway. The young men arriving from the European and Japanese fronts were filled with excitement but among them there resonated a feeling of unknown. World War II had finally come to a conclusion and what the future held for many young men in the middle of the 1940’s was completely unknown. The only feeling of security that the soldiers returning home was the feeling of winning.The feeling of satisfaction persisted among the American soldiers that they had avenged the tragedy of Pearl Harbor. The same feeling of satisfaction existed on the European front as they had helped the other European powers stop the Fascist Nazi’s. Among the men there was a contagious energy in which many had never had the opportunity to experience in many of their lifetimes. These men and women had just accomplished one o f the most incredible feats of the twentieth century and it was now time for them to return to America and start the rest of their lives.Most of the soldiers involved in the war grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930’s and had never known anything that resembled a comfortable lifestyle. As soldiers returned home from the Pacific and European fronts many questions arose about what their futures would hold. Among many Americans there was a general fear that the economy would return to its pre-war state in which people were starving and the unemployment rate was at an all-time high. Most believed that the war was responsible for the economic turnaround that had occurred in America due to the influx of money spent by the U.S. government for an arms buildup. This build up of arms provided many jobs to women and non-white races that had not had the opportunity to find a job before the war but the question that persisted was were these men going to return to work and put th ese people back on the streets? Many questions lingered in Americans minds, but a question that stood out for many Americans at this time was with the war effort now over and production down will America again fall into the deep depths of the depression?This question was answered with the passing of a bill and the pen of Franklin Roosevelt on May 19, 1944 when the American government made a down payment for their future. When President Roosevelt signed the Readjustment Act he was betting on the returning soldiers to have a lasting impact on America; the soldiers would not disappoint as many men used the bill to brighten their futures and in doing so made America a stronger nation. The G. I. Bill influenced America in many different ways in which all had positive effects.First, when soldiers returned home from the European and Pacific fronts many were still trying to get the horrific images that they had to endure out of their heads. Not only did many experience the loss of many of t heir closest comrades, but many were trying to overcome the symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. The G. I. Bill offered financial aid for a year that would allow those soldiers that were struggling psychologically. These men were struggling with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder either could not find a job or didn’t have the ability to initially work after the war.The bill provided reasonable unemployment allowances that were payable each week for up to a maximum period of a year. As a result of the Great Depression and pre-war America the state of the economy was of utmost importance to President Roosevelt. He and the rest of the political leaders of America knew something needed to be done to create new jobs and stimulate spending. The leaders also knew that something had to be done to protect the future of the returning soldiers as such a large group of young men were returning home. Roosevelt’s core idea of the G. I. ill is exhibited by Altschuler when he writes, â€Å"To Roosevelt, this was neither educational opportunity nor government-guaranteed residential loans but the successful transitions of millions of veterans from military service to civilian work. He singled out ‘satisfactory employment’ as the most urgent need of service personnel and concluded the GI Bill would help that need. † Not only were the returning soldiers fearful of a return to the Great Depression, but clearly our political leaders were fearful represented by Roosevelt’s urgent need to stimulate jobs.Another portion of the G. I. Bill that had a considerable positive effect on the American economy was the government establishing provisions for the returning soldiers for fifty percent of certain loans made to them. These loans to the soldiers could be used for the purchase or construction of homes, farms, and business properties. This part of the act made it easier for entrepreneurs to try to start their own businesses resulting in a swellin g in the number of small business in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Not only did the G.I. Bill have a lasting effect on small businesses but also it transformed the way Americans lived in the cities. As veterans received the financial benefits from the G. I. Bill and began to make their way into higher paying jobs a housing boom occurred and suburbs began to quickly develop. The housing boom of the 1950’s affected not only the people that were living at this time, but the lifestyle of Americans forever. No longer was the middle class of America only relegated to living within the cities.With the housing boom of the 1950’s as well as the development of mass production of vehicles people could now live in the Suburbs and commute to their jobs in the cities. Vehicles before the 1950’s had been mass produced, but the difference between the 1950’s and before is the amount of people being able to afford vehicles increased drastically in the 1950’s. People could now afford to buy vehicles as a result of the education or benefits that they had received from the government years before due to their service during World War II.During the 1940’s and the ten years following the development of housing communities increased rapidly. According to Altschuler, who used the 1670 U. S. Census report writes, â€Å"the rapid movement of big-city dwellers to new homes outside the central city increased that proportion to 41 percent and in the 1950’s it grew again to 49 percent. Major cities did see growth at this time just not at the same rate. Sometimes during the early 1960, the area outside the nation’s largest cities surpassed these cities in population, and the balance has continued to shift. People at this point were establishing a pattern that is still followed in today’s society of living out in the suburbs and commuting to the city for work. After the invention of the suburbs there was a need for better roads at the middle of the 1950’s. President Eisenhower firmly believed America needed to modernize their roads in the form of an Interstate system that would be globally unrivaled. Eisenhower wanted a roads system that was even unrivaled by the Germans which is saying something because in the 1930’s there interstate system gave them a distinct advantage during the second war.Eisenhower believed a National Interstate System was essential to the United States not only as a result of the suburbs but also militarily. Eisenhower is quoted as saying, â€Å"together the uniting forces of our communication and transportation systems are dynamic elements in the very name we bear- without them we would be an alliance of separate parts. † Once the Interstate system was created the majority of America’s middle class was now living in the suburbs and a large percentage of the middle class that were building houses out in the suburbs were recipients of the G.I. Bill. The Bill transformed cities and it also provided a foundation for an increase in birth rates as a result of families being secure financially. The G. I. Bill along with families settling down in the suburbs are two major reasons for the large increase birthrates of the 1950’s and 1960’s and the Baby Boomer Generation. Even today, the period of the Baby Boomers in the 1950’s and 60’s is unrivaled when comparing birth rates during different times. Creation of jobs through great loan rates and unemployment are very important portions of the G. I. ill, but what helped to lay the groundwork for America more than anything was the financial aid that was offered for the returning soldiers to attend college. The bill stated the returning soldiers had access to tuition charges of up to $500 per school year; furthermore, the right to receive a monthly living allowance while pursuing their studies at universities. The school portion of the Readjustment Act created so mething many soldiers would have never had access to: the opportunity to rise to a higher socioeconomic status level as a result of a college degree.This opportunity is exemplified by Private Leslie Faulk and his incredible story. If it weren’t for the G. I Bill Mr. Faulk would most likely have returned home from Europe and would have come home to work in his native smoky western Pennsylvania industrial town where the days of the Great Depression were still apparent. Kiester writes, â€Å"Then he would look for work. If he were very lucky, he would move up from his high school occupations of caddying at the local golf course and racking balls in Kindler's poolroom.Maybe he'd even find what the town considered a â€Å"good job. † That meant he might be stoking a steel-mill open-hearth furnace or winding copper armatures in the Westinghouse generator plant. † However, with the opportunity that America granted Leslie he had the opportunity to go pursuit a college e ducation and eventually become an engineer for the United States military leaving the western Pennsylvania town behind. Thanks to the government’s aid Leslie along with hundreds of thousands of soldiers now had the opportunity to become an engineer, lawyer, or even a doctor.Before the Readjustment Act of 1944 someone that was from the lower class never even had the option to attend a university or trade school because to them it was just too expensive. For this reason of creating opportunity to a class of people that had never had such opportunity the G. I. Bill is one of the most significant pieces of legislation in American history. Kiester believes that there were two periods in American history when expanding education has eventually resulted in an economic gain for the United States.The two periods in which education has worked to expand the economy are the Land Grant for colleges of 1860 and the period of the G. I. Bill. He asserts, â€Å"G. I. Bill statistics are awes ome. Out of 14 million eligibles, 2. 2 million veterans jumped at the chance to attend college. At a cost of $5. 5 billion, the first G. I. Bill turned out 450,000 engineers, 240,000 accountants, 238,000 teachers, 91,000 scientists, 67,000 doctors, 122,000 dentists, 17,000 writers and editors, and thousands of other professionals. † As these professionals entered the American workforce the impact was immediate, and it was a substantial impact.The more successful the G. I. graduates were the more of a return the America government had as a result of the taxes that these people would pay into the government for many decades to come. Ironically, the returning veterans had better access to the more prestigious schools which contributes largely to the high number of engineers, doctors, and dentists. According to statistics taken by the U. S. Office of Higher Education in 1948, â€Å"With tuition paid by the government, veterans attempted to enter the best institutions their record s would permit.In the fall of 1948 the majority of veteran men enrolled in privately controlled institution, while the majority of nonveteran students registered at publically controlled institutions. † This represents that returning soldiers were drawn to better known institutions and since the government was granting them a healthy sum of money for their schooling they could afford the best schools in the country. Those who opposed legislation of the Readjustment Act of 1944 feared that passing the bill would be another step in Roosevelt’s New Deal policy.Many right wing conservatives objected at the idea believing that the origins of the bill arouse from liberal ideologies. Liberals responded with their argument claiming the different nuances of the Readjustment act which included: compensation education and training benefits were designed in no measure to breathe new life into the New Bill. Liberals go on to make the point that the Readjustment Act of 1944 was put i n place for one reason only and that was to mitigate the effects of a postwar depression or recession.Many questions came about when different legislators were discussing the different mandates for the G. I. Bill. Question such as should every veteran receive the benefits or only those soldiers returning that are under the age of twenty five years old? Or another question that arose that is described in Altschuler’s book is â€Å"After one year, should government officials in the VA or the U. S. Office of Education select the best students in fields (like engineering) where shortages were anticipated- and authorize them to complete undergraduate, professional, or graduate degrees? Many more questions were being debated among legislators and it was a common perspective from right wing conservatives that the bill had ties to the Roosevelt’s New Deal. However, in the end the Republicans understood the importance of the bill to the returning soldiers and that is why the b ill was able to pass. The most pressing matter was the matter of the Readjustment was the part of the bill granting unemployment. Among the legislatures there was a debate over what was a fair number of weeks that a veteran could receive the unemployment benefits from the Readjust Act.Some argued for fifty two weeks and others objected claiming that if veterans returned home to America and were able to receive money for a year then they would become very complacent and not want to put forward the effort after a year to go find a job. When using a digestion of minutes by Ross during the Nation Executive Committee Meeting during the dates of November 18th through November 20th 1944, Ross makes the point, â€Å"Within six months of discharge, about 70 percent of veterans without disabilities had found full-time employment. Another 8. 8 percent had regular work in less than a year.Thus, â€Å"52-20† and job placement services, which was once the key issue sponsors and supporters would now see the issue as less pressing by the end of 1945. † With the resolution of the issue of unemployment resolved the bill could move forward in its debates. It is ironic to think that the most pressing issue of congress was the debate over the unemployment which in the end was the portion of the bill that had the least amount of impact and users. This strong debate over unemployment demonstrates the legislatures underestimating the amount of soldiers that would take advantage of the college portion of the G.I. Bill. When trying to gain an understanding of the mindset of people in the 1940’s I had a discussion with my grandmother on the G. I. Bill. Her husband Harold, who passed away before I ever had the opportunity to meet him, was directly affected by the Readjustment Act. She made the point to me that she was in high school as the war in Europe was coming to a close but he had actually been able to attend Colorado State University due to his years over in Eu rope and he made the point that the Readjustment Act was crucial to him to be able to go to school. When I asked her what she he told her about the G.I. Bill? She responded by saying, â€Å"He was just always very thankful for what the government had provided him with. Harold did not come from a lot of money and when he was drafted to the war he had a nervous feeling he used to describe to me. Once he got out he did know what he was going to do but the G. I. Bill allowed him to get a good education that provided him with a career opportunity. † My grandmother’s description of what her husband had told her about the G. I. Bill solidified to me the importance of the bill to so many different returning soldiers.It didn’t matter what region you were from or what your socio-economic status was at the time if a returning soldier wanted to better them through education it was now a possibility. Similar to Leslie Faulk from Western Pennsylvania, my grandfather had also risen out of poverty through the use of education that was made possible by the Readjustment Act of 1944. When conducting the interview with my grandmother Elizabeth, it showed me that as a history major that enjoys twentieth century American history I should be talking to my older family members to acquire more information.It would be interesting because it would be from my own family’s perspective on different issues I have acquired information about in my college history courses. The G. I. Bill had a lasting impact on so many individuals and is probably not recognized in history enough for the lasting impact that it had on the United States people and the government. The G. I. Bill’s largest weakness is not allowing the equal opportunity for returning women or at least telling them about it as they were being discharged out of the war. The Veterans Administration made no special efforts to inform women of their benefits to which they were entitled.Men were briefed a bout the bill when they were discharged; furthermore, once they were discharged they were provided with educational and vocational counseling. Metter explains the gender back that existed in the Readjustment Act, he writes, â€Å"it was provided only sporadically to women. † Going Back to Civilian Life, a pamphlet issues by the War Department, did not refer to women. Moreover, since women were far less likely than men to join a veteran’s organization, they lacked access to another important source of information and encouragement. † A woman not being given equal treatment to the distribution of the G.I. Bill funds is no surprise as over the course of history there are many different instances where women have not been on an equal playing field. As a result of this statistic education and training under the bill, were far less significant for female veterans. The difference in treatment of women at this point in history is demonstrated by the occupational segregat ion and wage differentials that were being place on all women jobs. For jobs that carried a certain amount of influence or high status within a community women rarely got hired for these positions and if they did they would make less much money.That factored into women not trying to pursuit a higher education because even if they were more qualified than a male candidate there was a good chance that the male would get hired due to gender discrimination. The uneven distribution of the G. I. Bill had a significant impact on the percentage of women in college. The uneven distribution of women in colleges is shown by Hartman when he writes, â€Å"Constituting 40 percent of all college graduates in 1940, women made up a mere 25 percent of degree candidates in 1950.Since veterans received preferential treatment in the most selective, private colleges, women often had to choose between a public institution or no institution at all. † By 1959 women accounted for a third of the colleg e graduates but there still existed a large disproportion between genders. Keith Olsen, the author of The G. I. Bill, Veterans, and Colleges actually does a case study on the University of Wisconsin and he uses a quote from the President of the University of Wisconsin that was taken in 1950. The President states, â€Å"For the past four years we have gone â€Å"all out: to be of service to the ex-G.I. s but the transaction has not been one-sided. Our 30,000 student veterans have been a stabilizing influence in Wisconsin Student life. Their maturity had enabled them to raise scholarship levels. Their great sense of responsibility has improved student-faculty relationships. † The overall excitement and satisfaction of the President of Wisconsin exemplifies many of the beliefs that most in the academic world expressed at most of the returning soldiers were responsible and cared about their academics. One of the headlines of the Daily Cardinal which was the paper in Madison read , â€Å"U.W. Will Admit All Students It Can House. † The want ads of the Madison newspaper demonstrated the shortage of housing that occurred on many other campuses nationally. In Madison tents were set up to provide veterans a place to sleep while searching for a room. While the amount of housing was eventually solved with temporary housing being brought in, the impact that these students had on the colleges still has a lasting impact. Olson writes, â€Å"In addition to their superior performances, the veterans left a heritage to the college generation that followed.They made the married student an accepted part of academic life and demonstrated the feasibility of a massive federal aid program to higher education. † Other impacts that the G. I. Bill had on colleges is it increased state financial support of universities around the nation. These first students graduated under the G. I. Bill laid the ground work for the path that many kids choose today. Those kids that come from lower socio–economic status or possibly didn’t do that well in school can now go to the military and receive financial aid for their military service. The G. I.Bill transformed America in so many different ways and the importance of the bill should never be overlooked. The veterans who made their way into the classrooms first wanted to be treated as students that were known for fighting in World War II. They wanted to be absorbed into college communities with as little disruption as possible and receive an education. With their hard work within the classroom and their aid on the two different fronts during World War II these men were able to provide a better life for themselves and their families and they succeeded in doing just that.The G. I. Bill allowed many people to live their own version of the â€Å"American Dream. † Bibliography Altschuler, Glenn C. , and Stuart M. Blumin. 2009. The GI Bill: a new deal for veterans. Oxford: Oxford University Pr ess. P. 66 Dwight Eisenhower quotes out of Snyder, Logan Thomas. 2006. â€Å"THE CREATION OF AMERICA'S INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM. † American History 41, no. 2: 32-39. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 19, 2011). E. B. Fred, Report of the President, November 1950 from the book Olson, Keith W.The GI Bill, the Veterans, and the Colleges (University Press: Kentucky 1974) p. 74 Education Interests College G. I. s, â€Å"School and Society† (Feb. 10, 1945); Mettler, Soldiers to Citizens, 149-150 Hartmann, Home Front and Beyond, 107. Interview of Elizabeth Berckefeldt on March 12th, 2011 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Grandmother of Dustin Gochenour Kiester Jr. , Edwin. 1994. â€Å"The G. I. Bill may be the best deal ever made by Uncle Sam. † Smithsonian 25, no. 8: 128. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 18, 2011). Olson, Keith W.The Gi Bill, the Veterans, and the Colleges (University Press: Kentucky 1974) p. 98 Ross, Preparing for Ulysses, 235- 236; â€Å"Digest of Minutes,† National Executive Committee Meeting, American Legion, Nov. 18-20, 1947, American Legion Archives, Indianapolis, Indiana U. S. Bureau of the Census, U. S. Census of Population: 1960. Vol, I Characteristics of the Population. Part 1 United States Summary (Washington D. C. : U. S. Government Printing Office, 1964 1-106) U. S. Office of Education, â€Å"1948 Fall Enrollment in Higher Educational Institutions,† Circular no. 248, 15 November 1948.