Monday, September 30, 2019

Mixed Media Art Essay

Several pieces ranging from sculpture, mix media and physical objects, all the collections of two artists Bergstedt and Ritter, both very well known artists in the San Francisco area came to Merced College art gallery on February 20, 2013. Both artists show there visual characteristics that define their artistic style. At first glance the room reminded me of a childlike setting where everything is just spread across the room instead of being carefully organized. The imagery of these works is cartoonish, childlike, simple and one dimensional. As one walks into the gallery, it feels like one enters a funhouse filled with colorful and whimsical wall sculptures. â€Å"More things to do† and â€Å"Following the Tread â€Å", were among the favorites of visual art work that I admired. Ritter’s ability to portray the dynamic relationships she has with her family relationships: parents and children, and members of her own family, drew me to her art work. She was able to show through her vintage brownie dress a turbulent yet inspirational personal life that included having to do daily household chorus that a child of her era was intended and expected to do by telling a story of her family through hand embroidery. I viewed the long orange tie demonstrated a vigorous working young girl, whose work was never and still needs to be done like a long an endless tapestry of her life. Looking at the maternity piece hanging in the corner of the room was truly my most favorite piece, I couldn’t help but take my eyes off of the picture and felt her sense of how much she loved her son. She explained to me that the Dr. told her that back in those days it was not good for the baby to sleep with you in your bed, and how she was portraying the anguish and guilt of not having her son close to her during those times. To me this piece lets me see her pieces through her eyes and takes me to a more spiritual and memorable time in her life. All of her sculptures of pregnant women offered no clear opinions or solutions. But, in retrospect, Ritter’s Pregnancy endures as both a portrait of a person and a picture of a time. After talking with Mrs. Ritter she clarified what I was thinking, that her art wor k is a visual like storytelling of her life’s family stories by using hand embroidery to stitching, appliquà ©ÃŒ , photo transfer & mixed media on vintage books & clothing, some of which she said she inherited. Moving on I came across some of Marie Bergstedt artistry, â€Å"Summer† the piece next to the open door was very playful and whimsical, the way she used buttons to portray a women like figure as if she was covered in sea shells on a hot a muggy day ready for some sun and beach. â€Å"Telephone tales† a visual colorful artwork of buttons and crocheting was inspired by her foster mother. â€Å"Girl and Milk Can† was a delightful its fibers were Cotton threads, buttons, beads, polyester velour, leather, manufactured felt, wire, polyester stuffing, and the young girl sat on antique milk can reminded me of the days growing up on a dairy and as a young girl just trying to find a place to sit. Although I found most of the artwork to be visual stimulating and eye catching I was taken back with the one shirt that hung in the corner of the room. I was not a big fan of it, I felt as if it was just a basic old shirt that hung in closet for years. For me this piece did not come at me or have any magical qualities as all of the other pieces did. Talking with Marie Bergstedt and Roz Ritter you can get a feel of what their lives must have been like. From there intricate pieces of a sculpture that were from torn and degenerated antique pieces along with new fibers, wire, and button you can visually see these two women sitting and sculpturing there pieces. When I first saw Marie Bergstedt and Roz Ritter artwork, I thought I was looking at collage on lace. Only closer inspection showed that what I perceived as crochet and cutwork was actually hand drawings. Roz also fills the white space of her drawings with collage elements and sometimes pierces the paper with needlepoint pricks, a crafting tradition that goes back to the early 19th century. Mixed media artists create visual works of art using a variety of tools and substances, frequently moving well beyond the traditional. Surfaces and substances found in mixed media artwork include typical artistic implements but expand to non-traditional materials. Mixed media art comes in multiple forms, including collage, assemblage, photomontage, and sculpture. Many mixed media projects are layered, making foundation and timing two of the most important considerations for mixed media artists. Themes of vintage needlecraft and women and their societal roles are woven throughout the artist’s work. It feels as if you are connecting to the past.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Business Organization Essay

In 2005 my aunt left me an inheritance. It was a large sum of money. There was a stipulation to receiving this gift. I needed to invest in a company of my choice. My last employer was a cleaning company and I approached my old employer with a proposition. I and another business partner that I convinced in investing with me would organize a joint-stock company. This was to be a private partnership, as well as a limited partnership. So I approached him with this idea and he agreed. So after several negotiations the other investor and I devoted the majority of shares to this company. We received a registrar of completion certificate for this joint company venture and we expected our common seal to come next. We also had to increase the liability insurance before registering with state authorities as a Limited Liability company (LLC). With this Partnership all investing parties agreed that there would be a semi-annual information report to look at income deductions and any gains or losses that the company might occur. This is to insure mutual interests and success. The semiannual meetings would also indemnify any problems or debatable issues. It is now 2010 and the company has developed into a four person joint stock company, opening three more cleaning offices and we are in the process of franchising. In 2000 I had a dream and that was to open a gym called Anytime Fitness. Well, this dream was put on hold when I invested in other enterprises. So, I talked to my wife and she agreed to help me open up this fitness facility and she would have sole proprietorship and I would be a silent partner. I give thanks in my prayer to my aunt who gave me this opportunity.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Project Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Project Risk Management - Essay Example Documentation review involves almost every field i.e. a documentation review can be carried out for different services such as legal, environmental, fraud and other investigations. With respect to project management, documentation review provides a comprehensive review for document intensive projects. The review consists of different procedures through which better solutions are designed in order to control expenses and reduce a risk of any given project. The main element of a documentation review is the gathering of information that is used upon before a project is initiated, this in-depth information and analysis helps in minimizing future costs by keeping away from avoidable costs and mitigating the risks that a project may incur. The key criterion of a project is the identification of the costs and the risks associated with any given project. Once these are identified, proper procedure should be taken to avoid the costs and reduce the impact of the risk. Documentation review is usually a function that is outsourced to veteran organizations that are good at providing the service due to their extensive experience. This process involves leads to better understanding of the external environment in which an organization operates or with respect to the project, it identifies and provides quick responses so as to reduce the impact of risk associated with a

Friday, September 27, 2019

Ethnic tourism in Brick lane(east London) Dissertation

Ethnic tourism in Brick lane(east London) - Dissertation Example This is set alongside the fact that many of the inhabitants are still living as a pre-21th century overcrowded village community on the edge of the ultra modern city. Introduction Shoreditch is described as ‘an area of hope and endless resilience’, (Unseen Tours, 2011). Yet it might be truer to say hope of a better future – perhaps somewhere else. Another description appears in the form of a sundial high on the wall of the Jamme Masjid Mosque (undated) in London’s Brick Lane. Clearly to be seen on its surface is the Latin tag ‘Umbra Sumus’ i.e. ... ned by Stebbins in 1996 ( page 948) as :- Cultural tourism is a genre of special interest tourism based on the search for and participation in new and deep cultural experiences, whether aesthetic, intellectual, emotional, or psychological" (948). The question to be answered is whether or not this is ultimately of benefit to the inhabitants - in particular those with origins overseas , now living in crowded conditions at the southern end of Brick Lane and its environs or on the social housing estates nearby. According to a UNESCO report on the effects of tourism ( Preface, 1995) the effects may be economically positive but :- This approach, however, reduces the cultural heritage and the environmental assets to an economic commodity minimizing or sometimes completely ignoring their socio-cultural values. Ask people to mention important sites in London and they will quickly come up with a long list – Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, the Tower, Buckingham Palace and all the rest . But of course this is a false picture as far as Londoners are concerned. It really consists not of a string of tourists sites, but is made up of millions of ordinary people trying to exist cheek by jowl with the tourists, the icons and amidst the ensuing crush,. Crowded buses, high prices, when all they want to do is cope and perhaps find happiness and even success for themselves, their families and those they care about. What is important for them is not tourist sites, but home, family, security, who they are and where they are going.. Many of these people live in Whitechapel, and many hundreds in Brick Lane and the surrounding streets. In 1986, according to the Labour party Brick Lane at that time was:- a community of working class and industrious people: a multi-ethnic community, a historic

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Organisation and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organisation and Management - Essay Example Now the imperative point to understand here is the fact that learning can not only be at the highest level, rather the knowledge management can even take place at the middle cadre and the special trainings help at doing their best as far as the lower level management is concerned. An organization which can learn can understand what are its responsibilities with regards to the society, the environment, its stakeholders and customers, its functions and different processes which have to be looked down up at with a legal and ethical perspective. This means that the organization emancipates its working methodologies in line with its already set values and moral principles. Moreover, it knows what are its obligations and compulsions towards all the above-mentioned. The organization is always willing and eager to learn from its mistakes, ready to bring in newer and fresh processes within its folds and always encouraging its stakeholders and employees to invest more money and time, respectively. Managing an organization is also an important function which comes under the learning principles. It has case studies and best case scenarios to look up to whenever there is a problem or trouble at hand and it knows who the right person is to contact whenever there is some discrepancy within the system. Add to that the organization tries to keep its contacts, no matter in which capacity they are, at a maximal point and always keeps on increasing so as to become a socially active player within the relevant industry. The management aspect also stems from the fact that its knowledge base is intact and knows what is required of it. This knowledge base has the role of continuously improving the systems and working methodologies. It also has the best available middle management employees who know the technical basis of running the organization and whose potential can largely benefit the sound workings of the company. Thus it is very

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Teenage pregnancy does not effects the future of both the child and Essay

Teenage pregnancy does not effects the future of both the child and the mother - Essay Example They further assert that most people are willing to support young ladies as well as their children. This is evidenced by what takes place in the U.S.; the citizens of the U.S. participate significantly in raising enough cash for the upbringing of the young children as well as for the care of their mothers. For instance, it is documented that the U.S. spent approximately $9 billion on teenagers’ children in 2004. The dollar amount rose significantly in 2008; approximately $11 billion was spent on children born out of marriage. From this amount, one can deduce that the U.S. spends approximately $1,647 on each child born to teenagers each year (Misra, Goggins & Matte, 2014). Thus, it beats logic when a person to asserts that the future of teenage mothers and their children is doomed. The current society is also full of humane people. This is evidenced by the fact that there are organizations as well as individuals who participate in upbringing of teens’ children. It is also evident that working together of the government with non-governmental organizations aid in the addressing the socioeconomic challenges that teen mothers face in life (Misra, Goggins & Matte, 2014). Although teen mothers, as well as their children, receive support from taxpayers money, government, and non-governmental organizations, it is evident their future lives will be affected significantly. In most occasions, teenage pregnancy affects the future of both the mother and the child negatively. This is evidenced by the Bhana and MCambi’s article. According to Bhana and MCambi (2013), teenage pregnancy is associated with a high level of stigmatization. Teenage girls when pregnant as well as when having children find it very hard to relate with their fellow students because of self-denial. The rearing of a child while at school is also a big problem to teenage mothers. In most occasions, such mothers are requested by their respective schools

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Balance in the Administration of Justice and Security Essay

Balance in the Administration of Justice and Security - Essay Example This is because of the change in technology and new laws that aid in balancing the two. New laws have been formed and implemented in order to protect the rights of citizens while still offering them security. Some of these laws include different and less torturous methods of punishing the offenders. There have also been several changes in the constitution. Many rights have been included in the constitution in order to maintain peace by creating a stable balance. Mass media and technology have helped in the balance. The issues concerning legal environment have been enacted in the constitution in order to grant citizens justice and security. Balance is very important in all the countries in order to maintain peace and order. Introduction The introduction of new laws and policies has helped in the evolution of justice and security in the 21st century. Many countries have established new policies that govern how civil and criminal activities are handled. The countries have also increased surveillance in order to minimize such cases. For example, the United States government has formed an anti terrorist act in order to prevent crime. The people working in the law enforcement and security sides have to make sure that they are not abusing the rights of victims or criminals while working on their cases. Justice should be a natural right. In social environment, justice must be natural. The actions of the police have to be in relation to this statement. Their role in the system has to be governed by this goal of the justice system. Justice involves digging deep down into the issue in order to deliver justice. In order for police to administer justice, they have to take no sides whenever investigating an issue. Selflessness will assist them in maintaining law and order (Alexander, 2003). They should have passion in their doing in order to achieve this. According to the constitution the police should present service of justice with loyalty. Before, the police used to admin ister justice in the favor of the rich and wealthy. Very few wealthy people used to be arrested or even sent to jail. With the new laws and policies that have evolved in the 21st century, the administration of justice by the police is based on the balance of justice and security. The rich are at a low risk of going to jail unlike the poor people. This has been so because the rich are able to hire top lawyers. In very few cases we hear the rich people in our communities go to jail. They are always given the lowest charges. For example, many celebrities all over the world are found with many illegal commodities like guns and drugs. Most of these celebrities are charged with the shortest term in jail. On the other hand, the poor people are the ones who are punished more. This is because they are not able to pay lawyers like the rich. This was the case in the past few years. Even if some of these cases still exist, the evolution of the balance in the administration of justice has helped minimize these cases. All governments now have lawyers who represent the poor people in the community. The poor are now able to express themselves in a court of law. Torture which was one of the main methods that the police used in many countries was abolished. Torture was seen as the quickest means of obtaining information from people. By doing so, they made sure that justice was

Monday, September 23, 2019

Marketing in Jessops Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing in Jessops Company - Assignment Example Jessops is the UK’s premier photographic retailer operating from 206 stores and an online shop. According to its official website, Jessops has over 25 years expertise in supplying the public sector and commercial markets which enable it to offer its customers dedicated service from a customized solution. It currently uses direct as marketing where the staff will directly interact with customers through personal selling. It also uses online marketing to market an assortment of products which are related to photography. The organization is undergoing a liquidation process hence this report will seek to outline effective measures that can be put in place so as to ensure a long-term relationship with the customers. The realization that customer loyalty is an important consideration in long-term marketing success has been the most recent refinement of the marketing concept. Enlightened marketers have realized that there is need to forge a long-term relationship with the customers for the sake of viability and sustainability of the organization. Relationship marketing as a philosophy emphasizes forging long-term partnerships with the customers (Lamb et al 2008). Firms often build relationships with customers by offering value and providing satisfaction on a consistent basis. Firms that successfully implement relationship marketing benefit from repeat sales (loyalty) and referrals that lead to increases in sales, market share as well as profits (Strydom 2004). Normally, costs fall because it is less expensive to serve the existing customers than to attract the new customers. On the other hand, the customers also benefit from stable relationships with the organizations that offer different products and services. It is easier for the seller of a particular product to provide a quicker and more efficient, more  personalized as well as need satisfying service to the customer (Kotler 1999).

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Burngreave messenger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Burngreave messenger - Essay Example This can basically be realised through a number of social media platforms which are popular with many people. The print version of the Burngreave Messenger essentially serves a limited geographical area. However, through the use of the social media, this can greatly be increased through the following ways. Twitter Headlines Feeds The newspaper should create a headline handle for its brand in this popular social platform just like other popular dailies such as The Sun and Telegraph have done. It is imperative to realise that some of the most successful world dailies have a huge following in the social media and such a presence largely accounts for their success. The newspaper can then establish various sections like Arts, Entertainment and Books on their Twitter handle. These sub-channels are normally very popular with the public and will therefore provide proper interaction with the advertisers. In the same way, the Burngreave Messenger can seek to create a series of online events in order to increase its readership online. This can greatly be enhanced if the events are carefully selected from those popular with the public. ... of the contents should be conducted on the big social networks which allow the contents to be easily discovered by millions of people across the world. One important aspect in social media journalism is the need to greatly engage the users by giving commentary and reacting to the comments of the users effectively. It helps to keep the online community much engaged and hence successful to the newspaper. In the same way, it is important for the homepage to easily indicate the link to the social media so that it becomes easy to find. Each page in the newspaper’s website should have the link to the social media sites so that it becomes easy for the people to follow. Many successful world dailies have integrated social media reading capabilities in their websites. For instance, the Washington Post is one such newspaper that a Social Reader which presently has over a million users. Considering that most newspapers are presently resorting to the use of social media, the survival of t he traditional newspapers does not only depend on their participation in this community. On the other hand, smaller community papers such as the Shrewsbury Chronicle are also venturing into the social media as a ways of boosting their performance. Rather, it is about the strategies that are put into place in ensuring that the social media works to the benefit of the newspaper. In this regard, Burngreave Messenger can utilise the best strategies in the social media to ensure its growth. Considering the great amount of real-time news reporting that takes place on Facebook and Twitter, there is much opportunity for Burngreave Messenger to utilise the content usually created in relation to this. This would make the content of the newspapers feel more real-time in addition to providing many

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Annual Report Project Essay Example for Free

The Annual Report Project Essay General Electric, short as GE, is a leading multi-industrial company involving in energy, appliance, finance and transportation businesses. It has more than 100 years of history, and generally be viewed as one of the most successful product and service providers across continents. GE has gross revenue of more than 147 billion dollars, and is currently ranking No.6 in Fortune 500 U.S. by revenue. A. Introduction General Electric Company (GE) is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. Its core business contains four segments, including Energy, Finance, Technology infrastructure, and Consumer and Industrial. GE was founded initially by Thomas Edison, and then merged with Thomson-Houston Electronic Company in 1892. It was one the original 12 companies that were included for Dow Jones Industrial Average calculation in 1896, and is the only one that still being listed as of today. * Name of the Chief Executive Officer: Jeffrey R. Immelt * Corporate Headquarters: 3135 Easton Turnpike, Fairfield, CT 06828 * Ending of last fiscal year: Dec 31, 2011 * Description of the company’s principle products or services: General Electronic contains four major business sectors. GE Energy is constructed by two major departments. The Oil Gas department is a drill solution and refinery service provider, and the power department is one of the leading manufactures in designing and producing innovative, reliable, efficient, and high-performance jet engines. GE Technology Infrastructure is a business group dealing with machine production for healthcare and transportation. GE Capital is the financial service provider primarily focuses on loans and leases that it underwrites to hold on its own balance sheet rather than on generating fee by originating loans and leases. GE Home Business Solutions is another GE major business unit composed of intelligent platforms department and lighting department. The intelligent platforms are involving in producing next generation hardware and software for industrial control, and lighting department mainly engaged in home appliance production and maintenance. * Main geographic area of activity (in order of revenue significance): United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa. * Name of Company’s independent accountants (KPMG LLP). Base on the analysis of independent auditor, the GE consolidated financial statements released to the public presented fairly, in a whole, the financial position of GE as the date of Dec 31, 2011 and 2010. Also, the statements of operations and cash flows for the three consecutive years from 2009 to 2011 are conformed to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The independent accountants also declared that the GE maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of Dec 31 2011, according to the criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by COSO. * The most recent price of company’s stock and its dividend per share The current price of GE stock is $20.62 as of Nov 20, 2012. The most recent dividend payment date was Oct 25, 2012 (record date was Sep 24, 2012) with amount per share of $0.17. B. Industry Situation and Company Plans GE Energy unit is a product and service provider across different energy industries, including coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear power and renewable energy like wind or solar energy. In general, global energy business experienced a boosting period in the past twenty years due to the economic rapid growth in Asia. Coal, Oil and natural gas are top 3 widely used fossil fuels in energy industry, accounting for 55% of total energy demands. GE Energy has the advantage of applying advanced technology from drilling and production, liquefied natural gas pipelines and storage to industrial power generation and it is the largest natural gas provider in U.S. Based on GE’s patents on renewable energy, it greatly expands its business cooperation in Asia in the past three years within the countries that have great environmental issues, like China. In 2009~20011, GE acquired two wind turbine companies, Scan Wind and Wind Tower System, and became one of the largest engine manufactures, second o nly to well-known British company, Rolls-Royce plc. Healthcare in GE Technology Infrastructure business unit takes the dominant position in the field of diagnostic imaging service and integrated clinical system providers. While it has offices around the globe, the Healthcare department has major regional operation in Europe and Asia. Transportation in GE Technology Infrastructure business unit basically produces locomotive and its accompanied equipment, large electric motors and propulsion systems for mining, oil drilling and engine industries. Because of its comparative advantage of research and development, the GE Transportation unit experienced a fast expansion in the past several years, and in 2011 they announced plans to build another locomotive factory in Texas to meet the increasing demand. GE Capital has two major parts of services, aviation services, and energy financial services. The aviation service is responsible for the leasing of aircraft and associate equipment to airlines. According to 2005 Airfinance Journal Operating Lessor Survey, GE aviation service department is the largest aircraft lessor in the world by the fleet size. The success of this business is primarily due to the heavily competition between the airlines, and each airline company intends to lease cheap aircraft to reduce their cost. The capital intensive companies, like GE, has the advantage to meet their needs. Energy financial services department is primarily responsible for auxiliary role such as providing financial and technological investment in energy infrastructure projects around the world, and their major investments are the projects across the different business segment of the General Electric. GE Home Business Solutions is composed of GE Lighting and GE Intelligent Platforms. GE Lighting is well known for its household appliance traced back from Thomas Edison’s work on lighting. Because of its dominant position in the business, lighting department generates descent amount of the revenues for the whole group. In 2011 the gross revenue for GE Lighting is about 3 billion. Intelligent Platforms departments designs, manufactures, and supplies hardware and software products for industrial control and automation. Their hardware products including programmable logic controllers (PLCs), programmable automation controllers (PACs), as well as software products including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) has good reputation in the market, its major role is to provide research and development support for other GE business units to evolve their products. The revenue in Intelligent Platforms is about 135 million, and is not a huge profit resource for the whole grou p.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Greed Triggers Fraud And Corruption

Greed Triggers Fraud And Corruption ABSTRACT Purpose Greed triggers fraud and corruption which is one of the biggest problems we are facing in our country as its increasing enormously rather than decreasing. The purpose of this study is to assess the different types of fraud and corruption and because it is such a broad topic we will focus on a life situation which highlights how greed plays a huge role in the creation of fraud and corruption. Design/ Methodology/ approach in depth interview are conducted with a senior quantity surveyor who has been working for a contracting company for the past six years and has allowed me to be part of the investigation process that is being conducted. The reason behind the investigation is to find out how come they owe such a great amount of money for tax but money had been deducted from their salaries since they started working and reasons of being unfairly dismissed. Findings The employer of the contracting company seems to be deducting money from his employees salaries but not paying the tax company without the knowledge of his employees using it for his own private use. Additional information was found that all his workers havent been registered under the department of labour and the company has been running for a number of years now and unfair dismissal was practised in this company. Originality/ Value The final results of this paper will help us understand and beware that there are all kinds of corruption in the industry. Ms Anonyms will hand over all her payments slips to the investigation officers to prove that she has been working and paying for her tax over the past years while working and to also open a case of unfair dismissal and take it to the Commission for Conciliation Meditation and Arbitration (CCMA). TERMS OF REFERENCE PROPBLEM DESCRIPTION Fraud and corruption play a big role in the construction industry which this results in the hindering of development in our country and the country not moving forward. AIM The Aim of the research is to bring the matter of fraud and corruption to attention of the reader. To detect risks in the industry and to provide users with relevant anti- corruption resources. OBJECTIVES To find out what triggers fraud and corruption To what extent is an individual willing to scoop low to get what they want and not be caught How corruption affects the Construction industry How it hinders development. PROPOSAL Chapter one 1.1 Introduction Greed is a critical issue affecting the construction industry and country as a whole as it leads to fraud and corruption which plays a huge part on the hindering of development in our country. Chapter 2 2.1 Greed The selfishness of an individual of wanting more and not being satisfied of what they already have. 2.2 Fraud A criminal offence done intentionally because of personal motives which the individual will gain that could affect another individual. Corruption Chapter three 3.1 Case study Ms Anonymous finds herself in the middle of a fraud and corruption situation that she was not aware off. 3.2 Tax invasion CONTENT PAGE PGE NO. Acknwoledgements Abstract Terms of reference CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Fraud and Corruption are broad and complex issues but their roots are embedded in a countries social or cultural history, Political and economic development and it includes both these committed by the government, employers, employees, management staff, individuals or a group of people who have come together with one agenda only and these committed is motivated by Greed. Greed steers and individual into fraud and corruption which also triggers the power of the mind, when a person starts procrastinating about the benefits and what one shall gain they begin to start plotting ways in making these thoughts into reality and once these thoughts become reality and the outcome is greater than expected they start abusing the situation into their own advantage. The construction industry sector is recognised as carrying the highest risk of corruption, the rate of corruption and fraud in the industry is increasing enormously rather than decreasing which is slowing down the economy and surprisingly it has become an ordinary and normal habit that is being practised. It is almost like a swimming pool which everybody now wants to jump in and swim in the deep end not bearing in mind that not everybody can swim. CHAPTER 2 HISTORY GREED Greed is that extreme desire to attain or posses more than what one has such as material wealth which is usually more than what one needs and deserves. It also involves using being wealthy to gain power over others also denying others of wealth and power. It is basically being selfish, thinking of ones self while at the same-time affecting other people negative way. For example if a building inspector would accept a bribe from a contractor to approve and state that all work done is of good quality and condition while that is not true than that is an act of being greedy because looking at the situation the only people gaining here are the building inspector and the contractor while in the long it will negatively affect the community as a whole or the people who will be in use of the premises that is being built. FRAUD In the country we live in fraud is a criminal act that would disadvantage an individual or a group of people and it is also a civil law violation. Fraud is done intentionally which involves dishonesty for personal gain or damage to other individuals. Fraud can be categorized into many forms for example theft and embezzlement. In a case of fraud you would have for example a person such an Alien (not belonging in the industry) who knows nothing about the construction and the whole background of it having certificates qualifying him in erecting projects in a case that he doesnt even how foundation is done. CORRUPTION Corruption in any case is the act of being dishonest and abusing power or the persons position. Corruption can happen anywhere and is usually committed by an individual or a group of people such as officials or private persons. Corruption comes in many forms such as bribery, nepotism, cheating, vote rigging and extortion. An example of corruption would be paying off kickbacks to get multi million rand contracts for dubious reasons, having to regularly donating huge sums of money to maybe political parties or buy expensive gifts such as cars worth millions rands in-order to get something in return. Corruption and fraud come in with greed because they are actions stem from the lack of ethics and undermine human institution and human relations. CHAPTER 3 CASE STUDY Ms Anonymous and Contracting Company. Ms Anonymous has been working for a contracting company for the past 3 years as a senior quantity surveyor for this company. She did more than just her employed position where she also worked in the civil side of the work and any other work that needed attention she would be gladly to assist in other words she was more of an asset to the company and they had mentioned that to her as well. The problem started when Ms Anonymous received a letter that she needed to go sort out her tax returns. When she went to pay a visit at the tax company (SARS). S he was informed that she owes a lot of money and was asked why she hasnt been paying for her tax? She was shocked and told them that she has been paying for her tax ever since she started working for her recent company the past three years. They told her to request and RIP5 form from her employer and also to keep all her pay slips as proof of payments for tax when needed to check her account and also that her company was one of the companies that were chosen for audits in 2012 so they would be an investigation with regards to her matter of not paying tax and would take things from there. Audits where later on done of the company and it revealed that they owe a great deal amount of money and that they have not been paying whatsoever. They told Ms Anonymous to bring all evidence as proof that money has been deducted from her account for tax and they had promised that no information regarding with her account would he linked to the owners of the company and had assured her that she did nothing wrong as they had called in her to query her about her tax number. Investigations continued as the tax investigators kept coming into the office to do Company Audits and since they had no financial and bank statements and how much is being charged from the workers it pin pointed that they have been not paying such as VAT and PAYE. Things started to be little offish at work where they were all panicking and looking for fingers to point as they were not aware how and what had led SARS to come and audit the company with realising that SARS had chosen them themselves than rumour went out the Ms Anonymous had went to SARS. Later on they made false pay slips saying as he was paid more than she was being paid so that it will show as if she was the one who was not paying Tax but then Ms Anonymousness Payslips had proven all of that wrong. A month later Ms Anonymous was called into the Bosses office and was told that due to financial constraints they will have let her go because they will not be able to afford and they will be giving her 3 months to look for her job and are willing to give her good recommendation. TAXATION The importance of paying tax Nobody wants to pay tax which is highly understandable but that money is the only money raised through tax that the government relies on to produce public revenue to pay for public expenses that provide goods and services to the public. Without tax and people not paying it becomes difficult for the government to try meeting the basic needs of the country. Both the state and the local governments are imposed in collecting tax. There are different types of taxes that need to be paid which are: Income taxes Payroll taxes Sales taxes Excise taxes Wealth taxes Article I, Section 8, says: The Congress shall have Power to lie And collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the country Benefits and uses for tax As mentioned above that tax pays for goods and services for the public such as: Education Public housing Public welfare such as security Unemployment benefits Highways and public transportation Health Police Fire protection Tax also includes daily operating expenses of the government and also salaries of the government employees and also interest on debt owed by the government. It is highly important as the benefits of tax keep the country in place and running and also reaching out to the people who are unable to afford from themselves. The roads we walk and drive in everyday is because of the tax that is being paid, the public clinics and hospitals that help our people to get treatment and be attended to when they cannot afford when they are sick is because of tax and the list goes on but all in all it is beneficial for the country for tax to being paid. Responsibilities of income tax payers The income tax system is a voluntary act and compliance but it does not mean that tax payers can only pay tax when they want to or not pay tax when they also dont want to. In other words everybody who is working must pay tax and in order foe people to comply with the legal responsibilities the tax law must be fair and firm. When looking at being fair, the government must be fair enough as to the people paying tax wont resent him as the government and the leader of the country and also resent paying tax at the end of the day and making sure that everybody complies. When looking at being firm, people who dont comply with this law and try to duck it must be punished and made seen that they are committing a criminal offence and should pay dearly for such action. Penalties for Tax Fraud In most cases people who dont pay tax are due to carelessness or negligence or usually done intentionally and find ways to avoid paying tax which is seen as tax fraud and these people are faced with tax interest or tax penalties. Tax fraud is when people who avoid paying tax and are not honest to the government about their monthly/annually incomes so they can be taxed fairly with regards to how much they earn and they lie in-order to pay little tax which becomes unfair to the government and all other tax payers. Tax fraud is a crime and people who commit such crime face high consequences close to about 75 percent financial penalties. There is no way of ducking and hiding from paying taxes because eventually everybody is caught just that it might not be now but when it comes to fraud and corruption someone always slacks up and leaves foot prints. LABOUR RELATIONS ACT (LRA) The labour relations act is the relationship between people who work and those who they work for. The labour relations act was reshaped and implemented to create a good and working-full environment in the workplace. To give an employer and a employee to work under good and fair principles knowing their rights and limitations and which lines not to cross. To protect the employee against the employer and to also protect the employer against the employee but in most cases employees are opening cases against their employers. it is hoped that democracy in the workplace will bring industrial stability, economic growth, and labour peace. Dismissals of the Labour relations act Chapter VIII of the LRA concerns unfair dismissals. Section 185 records that every employee has the right not to be unfairly dismissed. The term dismissal is examined in the section 186 and includes: A termination effected by an employee with or without notice. An employers failure to renew a fixed term contract when an employee has a reasonable expectation Refusal of an employer to allow an employee to return to work after maternity leave. Retrenchment When retrenchment is introduced it is usually when a company is facing some financial difficulties and is done for the followings reasons, economic, structural or technical reasons and before retrenchment takes place a proper procedure needs to be taken in-order to allow for retrenctment which is as follows: Consultation Immediately when the employer has no other options but to apply retrenchment, he has to inform his employees buy holding up a mass meeting where everybody is present or he could hold individual meetings with the individuals who will be involved in the retrenchment. Employees are allowed to interact with the employer and also suggest other alternative ways which could be looked into such as reducing working hours and also workings days, the appropriate method to be used for the people are to be dismissed. Minutes can be taken in this case as it would help for misunderstood situations and to protect both the employer and employees. When consultation is taking place members of the trade unions can be present to protect their workers and all the commission for conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) can also be present to intervene in this matter. Disclosing of information in writing When complementing retrenchment the organisation or the employer should issue letters to the employees that will be affected because of retrenchment. The information should inform the employees of the pending and the dates of retrenchment, reasons why they will be intiating retrenchment, the servenrane pay that is proposed, the assistance of the employer with regards with interviews and assisting them in getting new employment if possible. Should there be any misunderstanding or any disputes that could take place than the employer shall refer to the written information to clarify any mis-understandingand these disputes could be handled by the labour court or the Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). Opportunity for feedback The employer should give employees the opportunity to give feedback with the proposed retrenchment that will take place, give them a chance to make presentations and whatever is said and presented must be taken inot consideration by the employer and try to negotiate as so all paryies are happy. The last in 1st out rule should be applied when dealing with retrenchment as you cant compare a person who has been working for a company for the past 3 years over a person who has been around the company for 2months. If the company is going through financial constraints and they wish to let go a few staff than they should consider the last recently employed staff. CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 Data collection With the information gathered with regards to Miss Anonymouses case we can draw up the following checklist: The company has been deducting tax from her salary She received a monthly income She enjoyed annual and sick leave, UIF and PAYE benefits She has been working for the company for the past 3 years She signed an employment contract of reinstatement in September 2009 There is no proof of her being registered by her employer under the Labour court Data analysis With the gathered information it shows that Miss Anonymouses was a full employee of the company which also makes her fall under the people who should be paying tax to the government every-month. Having a look at her payslip it clearly shows that money has been deducted for tax from her payslip and with her knowledge she has been paying for tax. Additional information has been found that she was has not been registered under the labour court meaning she cant be taxed as they may not be aware of how much she gets paid which is would make it hard for the tax man to tax her properly. The company is at fault for using moneyof the employees for their own personal use and without their knowledge and this sot of behaviour does fall under fraud and corruption and is a crime. She has been working for the company for over the past three years so if the company was going through any sort of financial problems and they saw using the retrenchment system as part of covering costs than they did not follow the proper procedures of dismissal, she was not even consulted properly or given a chance to discuss the matter and negotiate or think of other alternative ways to avoid such dismissal. Re-solutions, suggestions When referring to the case study, the best possible steps that could be taken here is that Ms Anonymous keeps all proof of her payments that she can represent to SARS, write each and every single thing said to her and if they is anything asked or told to ask for it in writing and signed for because in the country we live in anything is possible and to make life easy is having all proof and evidence just to be on the safe side. With regards to unfair dismissal, she should take the matter to the CCMA and report the act of unfair dismissal because no proper procedures where taken so it is either they will have to compensate her even more or giver her, her job back if she is willing to take it back. Each and every employee has a right to be treated fairly in the working environment and legal action can be taken in situations like this. CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSIONS Fraud and corruption is everywhere and is triggered by greed of an individual and it reduces economic growth, quality of life and undermines government creditability and reduces effectiveness. The fight against them should be presented in a short period of time in order to fight corruption. Every federal department and agency should work together continuously. Audit and investigation s could find any corruption or fraud cases, but the most important thing is to define how to prevent and detect them at the earliest stage possible.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Marxist View on the Role of the Education System Essay -- Karl Mar

The Marxist View on the Role of the Education System In this essay I am going to examine the Marxist view that the role of the education system is to reproduce and justify the existing class structure. Marxists see the educational system as a mechanism for maintaining class inequalities, for example the reproduction of the capitalist system. The capitalist system is one where by the rich (the bourgeoisie) stay rich and the poor (the proletariat) stay poor. Marxists do not believe in meritocracy, this is where the educational system gives equal opportunities to everyone despite their background. They believe that education is designed to help and benefit the bourgeoisie. They believe that schools and teachers reject working class pupils and so the working class pupils will not perform to their highest capabilities. Bowles and Gintis were two Marxists who did not agree with meritocracy. They believed that your social class determined how you would end up in life, for example if you were middle class the teachers would spend more time with you, thus encouraging you to stay on in further education and receive better qualifications and a better job. The working class would be rejected by the teachers, and would spend less time at school therefore not gaining any qualifications and ending up in working class jobs. They conducted a study in New York and found that grades were based more on personality traits than on academic abilities. They believed the low grade students were aggressive, independent and creative whereas the higher grade students persevered, and were dependable, consistant and punctual. Bowles and Gintis concluded tha... ... for individual success can bring worthwhile rewards. Willis also points out however that this rejection of the school values is actually the pupils downfall as it was ultimately reproductive ie. They ended up in manual jobs as a result of having no qualifications. The lads rejection of school makes them the victims of a system where their labour will be exploited in the workplace. Criticisms of the Marxist view are that they are too deterministic. They also ignore the influence of the formal curriculum, and the Marxists place too much blame on the teachers. Also functionalists argue that education performs certain essential functions that no other institute could. They also believe in meritocracy, that the brightest people will get the best jobs and the people who were not so bright ended up in working class jobs.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Gene therapy :: essays research papers fc

Genetic disorders have been plaguing people for ages and causing fatalities. However, with new information and research, and something called gene therapy, hope now exists for these unfortunate individuals. Gene therapy is a technique for correcting defective genes responsible for disease development. It has been around for a while now and is getting more advanced with time. Experimentation is an ongoing process with gene therapy. Ethical issues are something that has been accompanying the procedure since it has been used. New facts on gene therapy continue to be uncovered as we speak.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To start off, an overview of why people need gene therapy should be covered. Each of us carries about half a dozen defective genes. However, we remain ignorant to this fact unless we are among the millions of people who have a genetic disorder. About one in ten people has, or will develop some time later in life, an inherited genetic abnormality. And approximately two thousand eight hundred specific conditions are known to be caused by defects in just one of the patient’s genes. Some single gene disorders are pretty common, such as cystic fibrosis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most people do not suffer harmful effects from our defective genes because we carry two copies of nearly all genes. One is inherited from our mother and the other from our father. The only exceptions to this rule are the genes found on the male sex chromosomes. â€Å"Males have one X and one Y chromosome, the former from the mother and the latter from the father. So each cell has only one copy of the genes on these chromosomes. In the majority of cases, one normal gene is enough to avoid all the symptoms of disease. If the gene that may be harmful is recessive, then its normal counterpart will carry out all the tasks assigned to both. A disease will develop only if someone inherits two copies of the recessive gene from their parents.† (Web source #3) In other terms, if the gene is dominant, it alone can produce the disease, even if the counterpart is normal. Finally, there are the X chromosome-linked genetic diseases. Because males have only one copy of the genes from this chromosome, there are no others available to fulfill the defective gene’s function. Hemophilia is a common result of this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To continue, how gene therapy works, should be explained. There are several different approaches scientists may use to correct faulty genes with therapy.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Things impact on the effectiveness of the communication process Essay

1.Needs & Expectations Needs and expectations help people predict the action of ourselves and other people under different environment. If an employee does not complete a work on time, the manager must be disappointed. Also, if the manager does not communicate clearly with an employee when the manager give the employee his expectations, then the person will have some problems on meeting his needs. However, if the manager communicates clearly expectations, then the employee can do works productively and minimize problems. 2.Technology Most people now use e-mail to communicate with each other. E-mail is really a useful and convenient communication method in the world. However, it also can bring some troubles. If X send an e-mail to Y but there are many mistakes in grammar and spelling, this e-mail must leave a bad impression on Y. As we lack of fact-to-face communication, the impression of someone is from using electronic communication mode such as e-mail, but sometimes this mode will influence the effective of communication progress. 3.Cultural Differences Culture differences in language, customs, behaviors and so on. Sometimes, culture may set a barrier to communication between individuals. People with different cultural backgrounds may think their culture is the best. This thought may affect the communication between individuals from different cultural backgrounds and set barrier to our stable and harmonious society. 4.Attitude Bad attitude will affect the effective of communication with another person. The bad attitude can lead to mistrust or nervous or fears which will set barriers to communication. These feelings will make people lack of interest in the topic that they are talking now. Good attitude can make communication effectively. For making a good communication, people need to use â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  and find the point of other people.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Week 1 Checkpoint 1 Payment Methods

Week 1 checkpoint 1- Payment Methods. Resource:  Chapter 1 of  Medical Insurance: An Integrated Claims Process Approach Write  and post a 250- to 300- word response to the following questions: ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Describe, the fee-for-service and capitation payment cycles. Include the relationship among provider, patient, and payer in your presentation, and their roles in the process. Fees for services are listed on the doctor’s fee schedule and there are known to be separate fee’s with each code and sometimes these codes are not billable.So in saying this the patient may have to pay some fee’s before they leave the doctor’s office because of some sort of procedure they had done. So the way the relationship goes for the fees for service is like this. The patient makes their usual monthly payments to their health plan or it’s set up to be automatically withdrawn from their paycheck. If they make their payments on time then they can have medical services done by a physician.The patient then pays for any fee’s or co-pays for the medical services that were provided on that day and then the Medical Biller will then bill the health plan. The patient may be reimbursed for the some money they had to pay out of pocket. Capitation payment cycle is way different. Capitation means that there is a fixed prepayment that is paid to the medical provider for members of their plan for only necessary services provided to them. By using the capitation payment cycle the doctor may be taking risks for receiving fewer patients.Some doctor’s offices prefer this though because they are a small doctor’s office and only want to deal with people that have certain medical insurances so their biller and coder doesn’t have to learn everything else. The only thing with this though is that they medical insurance is going to pay the doctor’s office the same amount of money each month no matter what. Thi s may cause problems for the patient because if they don’t go see their doctor that month then they are still getting charged.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Online Library Management System Essay

1. Introduction: Detailed design starts after the system phase and system has been certified through the review. The goal of this phase is to develop internal logic of each of the modules identified during system design In the system design, the focus is an identifying the modules, whereas during the detailed design the focus is on designing the logic for the modules. In other words in system design attention is on what components are needed, while in the detailed design how the component can be implemented in the software is the issue. The design process for software system has two events. At the first level focus is on deciding which modules are needed for the system, the specification of these modules and how the modules should be interconnected. This is called system design or top level design. In the specification of the module can be satisfied is decided. This design level is often called detailed design or logic design, because the detailed design is extension of system design, system design controls the major structural characteristics of the system. The system design has a major impact testability and modifiability of a system and impacts its efficiency much of the design efforts for the designing software are spent creating the system design. 2. Applicable documents: The detailed design refers the system documents hence the first application documents here is system design, also we are referring the data structure. Hence second application document here is database design 3. Structure of software package: The software package consists of following functional components. * Functional component 1: Registration. * Functional component 2: Book issue. * Functional component 3: Book return. * Functional component 4: Search/view book details. * Functional component 5: Update book details. * Functional component 6: Payment (Fine). 3.1 Structure charts: It is graphics representation of the control logic of processing function or module representation of the system. It is one of the most common methods used for system design. In a structure charts each program module is represented by a rectangle box, modules at the top level of the structure charts call the modules at the lower level. The connection between modular are represented by lines between the rectangular boxes. The connection describes the data flows between the called and calling modules. 4. Module Decomposition: 4.1 Student details: In this form the users have to enter the details about the student like name, regno, course†¦etc. If the proper details are not entered at the same time error message will be displayed and record will not be stored†¦And if the entered register number is already exist then the details can’t be stored and error message will be displayed. 4.2 Delete student details: In this case admin can delete individual student details by entering his register number .If the Register no is not entered at same time message will be displayed and record will not be stored†¦And if the entered number is already deleted then it will be giving the message. 4.3 Book issue: In this form the Liberian can issue the books to the student. If the books are already distributed to students then Liberian can’t issue those particular books. 4.4 Book return: Here the user must return the book on given date†¦ Otherwise fine will be calculated†¦ 4.5 Calculate fine: In this case we can maintain the late fine of library member who return the issued book after the due date†¦

Fantasy in 20th Century Children’s Literature

Most critics agree that children’s literature is a diverse paradoxical area of study combining different literary genres. Like the concept of childhood, children’s literature is a social and cultural concept that evolves over time. Since the fourteenth century, children’s literature has gone through different literary periods each defined by its own divisions and genres. Many children’s novels, such as J. M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, and C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe were published in the twentieth century and became classics. These books were marked with an increased diversity of literary genres such as mystery and fantasy literature. Fantasy literature has been a dominant literary genre in twentieth century children’s literature, particularly in Barrie’s and Lewis’s novels. In general, as a genre, fantasy literature integrates imaginative elements that shift away from reality into a secondary world . Fantasy literature in the twentieth century, namely in Barrie’s Peter and Wendy and Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wadrobe serves to help children develop vast imagination, and through imagination it allows children to understand and resolve real-world social issues. Doubtless, most people would be able to name some of the features of fantasy literature. Richard Mathews in his book Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination describes fantasy as a distinct literary genre that may be best thought of as a â€Å"fiction that elicits wonder through elements of the supernatural or impossible† (Matthews 2). Fantasy literature assumes the existence of supernatural elements within the framework of a certain text. These supernatural elements can exist in many locations throughout the text: they may be buried in, or leak into the apparent real world setting, the case of the boy character Peter Pan and his fairy Tinker Bell in Barrie’s Peter and Wendy. Supernatural elements may also appear in a secondary world where characters are drawn into a world with such fantastical elements. Narnia in Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is an example of such setting. The fictional realm of Narnia contains various mythical creatures, and magical occurrences. Narnian inhabitants such as Tumnus and the White Witch are themselves supernatural creatures with unusual traits often seen in European mythology and preceding British fairy tales. Fantasy literature can be categorized into two main sub-genres; high fantasy, which consists of a distinct entirely fictional secondary world, and low fantasy, characterized by being set in the real or primary world with the inclusion of supernatural elements. In almost all cases, supernatural elements shift events away from reality. The secondary world operates according to its own rules and altered laws of reality, different in many ways from those in the primary world. Fantasy and supernatural occurrences in the secondary world are depicted as being â€Å"natural† within its boundaries. This feature is important in keeping the secondary world internally consistent. To maintain this inner uniformity, fantasy in this modified world must be realistic. Improbable fantastical events must appear probable within the framework of rules and laws in the secondary world. As Aristotle puts it, â€Å"you can have a text that is improbable with reality as long as it is consistent. As long as the improbable is consistent, then fantasy is realistic†. Probable fantasy in the imaginative world is hence an essential prerequisite for Fantasy literature. The secondary imaginative world and the fantastical events that contain within play an important role in shaping the way Fantasy literature elicits a child reader response. Perhaps one of the most recognized characteristics of Fantasy literature is its appeal to imagination. Fantasy stretches the imagination, enforces creative thinking and encourages dreams. Through the use of the supernatural elements in the secondary world, children travel on a journey fueled by imagination and inventive creation. The way Fantasy literature is received by children audience has a direct effect on the ideas and responses it elicits on them. The act of reading fantasy requires the use of the imagination. In this sense, a great deal of interplay between the writer and reader is present. Because the role of imagination is so important, children readers have much to contribute as they read fantasy. In general, the writer provides the setting, characters, plot and other elements, but the children readers add their imagination to whatever the text allows. It is when children enter this secondary world, engaging with its characters and events that they become part of the story. They feel a sense of pride when characters rise to goodness and a sense of disappointment when the characters fail. Their sense of self and identity is fully shared with the characters as they live the experiences of the fantasy story. Take Barrie’s Neverland for example, a world without esponsibilities, filled with unlimited possibilities – seemingly all wishes of children come true. Neverland is a space where restrictive parents are absent, school is unheard of, and playtime is only interrupted by self-imagined meals (Barrie 113). At first glance, the ideal place to be as a child. Children readily associate with Neverland, this utopian world where everything is made possible stimulates their imagination. They imagine how seawaters are inhabited with mermaids, the endless fights with pirates, and the magic of fairy filling up woods (Barrie 116). Children create their own Neverland using their own imagination. An interesting point to note is that even the story characters themselves in Peter and Wendy imagined their own Neverland. For Michael and John, Neverland was a dream, the extraordinary world they dreamed about when they were asleep and the place where they desired to live in real life. John’s Neverland for instance, â€Å"had a lagoon with flamingos flying over it at which John was shooting, while Michael, who was very small, had a flamingo with lagoons flying over it† (Barrie 74). Barrie’s story itself reflects a prime example of uncorrupted imagination through the child’s interactions with the text. Barrie carefully explains that the Neverlands are located within the children’s minds, and although every Neverland is always more or less an island, each one will be uniquely individual. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lewis creates Narnia and supernatural Narnian creatures to provoke wonder and imagination in the minds of children. Narnia offers children a separate world where they escape to allowing them to paint their own images of this far secondary world. Lewis further creates heroines, who are gifted in imagination and who readily accept Narnia, the fantasy world, as a valid reality. One of the heroines, Lucy, goes into an enormous wardrobe and suddenly finds herself in this imaginary world, Narnia. Lucy felt a â€Å"little frightened, but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well† (Lewis 9). She later meets Mr. Tumnus, a Faun who asks her how she came to Narnia. Lucy, so puzzled, asks him: â€Å"Narnia? What’s that? † (Lewis 11). Right from the start, Lewis engages children in this imaginative world. By showing Lucy’s vast imagination and acceptance of Narnia, children readers extend their imagination accordingly, and view this secondary world as a valid reality. The heroines explore the new worlds of Narnia without hesitation. In Lewis’s book, the Pevensie siblings go through the Wardrobe to leave the primary world and enter into the secondary world, Narnia. The Wardrobe in the story functions as a portal between the two worlds. After reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, every child is left imagining the sight of wardrobes. This common and tangible object that most children had in their rooms during the time Lewis wrote his book opened a gateway of wonder, imagination and curiosity for the secondary world. It is very interesting how Lewis takes ordinary familiar ingredients and transforms it in a certain way which fascinates children and stretches their imagination. Imagination is very important in allowing the child resolve real world issues. Fantasy literature, through the imagination elicited within its context plays a central role in promoting the idea of a capable wise child. Adults like to view children as innocent, unable to comprehend surround real life situations. Warner in Little Angels, Little Monsters refers to Kipling’s unforgettable vivid Mowgli, and J. M Barrie’s Peter Pan, the boy who would never grow. Both examples reveal the depth of adult investment in a utopian childhood image (Warner 134). Heywood, in Some Themes in the Cultural History of Childhood, refers to the ideal innocent child incapable of solving real world problems, as part of the nineteenth and twentieth century British culture (Heywood 34). Certainly, many other authors of the twentieth ce ntury including Barrie and Lewis tried to convey the image of the innocent powerless child, unable to comprehend universal situations. This ideal image of childhood is seen in Barrie’s Peter Pan, as the boy who is â€Å"suspended in a state of perpetual childhood†, refusing to grow up (Cuthew 43). This eternal childhood is supported by Neverland, the secondary world where such attitude is cherished. Although this idea of innocent child is deeply integrated in the works of Barrie and Lewis, but without doubt, fantasy in both of Barrie’s and Lewis’s texts serves to promote a whole different role of the child. The secondary world, Narnia, provides a setting where children deal with issues universal to humankind and ones specifically associated with childhood and adolescence. Both Lewis’s and Barrie’s child protagonists are faced with numerous epic challenges, journey and battles in the imaginary world. By using fantasy, and placing this struggle in a secondary fantasy world, children’s actions and decisions are given adult proportions and importance, whilst the safety remains in the known world to which they will return. As Zipes states, by using fantasy, the child understands universal situations in a complex, â€Å"adult-life† manner (Zipes 178). Warner believes adults see it as their task to socialize children and teach them how to work on real life issues (Warner 139). In some cases even, children â€Å"outsmart adults (Warner 137). Warner further mentions Novalis who stresses on the importance of fantasy literature in creating an â€Å"intimate connection† between children and a wonderful, â€Å"free-floating world† of imagination (Warner 135). Novalis insists that the observable, active fantasy-life displayed by childrens books gives children access to a world of wisdom. For him, through myth and fairy tale, a child is seen as a â€Å"good deal cleverer and wiser than an adult†. Spielberg’s children characters in E. T and Back to the Future fiction films are prime examples of such children. Twentieth century fantasy literature particular to children's authors such as Barrie and Lewis, enforces imagination to deal with universal social issues. The fantasy world contained within Barrie’s and Lewis’s texts allows children to rely on an imaginary world that will offer them order and meaning. In both Peter an d Wendy and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the child protagonists, Peter Pan and the Pevensie children are sent on a fantasy adventure and they encounter various challenges. Through their experiences, these child characters drive children to rely on their own imagination and creativity to solve problems around them. In bother novels, child protagonists are virtual role models for the child reader and so their actions and the way they deal with real life issues carry great relevance to the child reader. By allowing children make their own decisions, children are given agency and added responsibility. Children learn to use their own imagination and gain insight on how things should operate without adult rules hanging over their heads. In Barrie’s book, the story character, Peter and Wendy go on a journey to Neverland, a world where restrictive parents are absent. Peter and Wendy face different challenges. Wendy mothers the Lost Boys; Peter has various encounters with Hook. In both cases, these two child figures are left without adult guidance. Despite the lack of parental rule, these children characters manage to face difficulties and apply their insight to solve problems that come across in Neverland. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe reflects another important example of children’s ability to comprehend certain moral and social issues without adult guidance. In Lewis’s book, Edmund, the third oldest Pevensie child learns the importance of honesty and trust, and the severity of lying. When he is given Turkish delight the first time, he directly falls under the White Witch’s trap and agrees to bring back his siblings to her. All he wants is to â€Å"shovel down as much Turkish Delight as he could, and the more he ate the more he wanted to eat† (Lewis 38). Upon Edmunds betrayal to his siblings, Lucy notices the change of Edmund, because Edmund’s face is â€Å"flushed and strange† (Lewis 42) and he looks â€Å"awful† (Lewis 44). This quotation indicates that a treacherous person has a different appearance. Without explicitly saying to the child, â€Å"you should not lie†, fantasy and fairy tales allow children to see the bonuses and consequences of virtues followed and disobeyed. Through fantasy, children are also allowed to come to their own consensus of the binaries of good and evil, right and wrong without having parents guide them through the entire learning process. Fantasy gives children the freedom to create their own set of morals through stories, characters and imaginative places. Take Lewis’s treatment of the concepts of good and evil in Narnia. The Pevensie children are set on an adventure taking them into the fantasy world that is equipped with ideal tools for exploring good and evil. In this fantasy world, the children protagonists are offered many chances to use their own judgment in differentiating right from wrong. Lewis uses this secondary world to allow children see extremes of good and evil. On one hand, Lewis shows the White Witch, the evil queen of Narnia. She seems to abuse her evil powers and carries a wand that can turn creatures into stones. On the other hand, Lewis shows Aslan, the king and God of Narnia. Aslan is a noble lion who sacrifices his life so that the Witch will spare Edmund. Not only does Lewis place his setting in a fantasy world, but he also takes advantage of fantastic creatures to stimulate the child reader’s sense of dread and imagination. These extreme Narnian characters offer two opposite extreme measures of good and evil for which children can compare to. By looking at real world issues, the child is able to deal with situations of good and evil the same way they were played out in the imaginary world. The child is better able to understand his or her position in the world in relation to those around. Allowing the child to judge the good and evil can arguably be seen as means of socialization, a way of opening the child’s eyes to their surrounding society. Through eliciting imagination in children, twentieth century Fantasy literature has also highlighted social values of its period. Even in fantasy when authors write adventures taking place in a secondary world, it is quite difficult to escape certain institutions and values which make our society function. Twentieth century Fantasy literature carried many adult social messages to children. As Henry Jenkins mentions in Introduction: Childhood Innocence and Other Modern Myths, children’s social learning is shaped both by â€Å"adult desires and childhood fantasies† (Jenkins 25). Warner further adds on the topic by saying that in society there is a deep involvement of adults in shaping children. As members of a functional society, how we treat children â€Å"really tests who were are and fundamentally conveys who we hope to be† (Warner, 137). British writers made comments on society and British life through children’s fantasy books. For example, Lewis in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe mentions the Beaver family in Narnia. The Beaver family can be seen to function on the stereotypical model of a twentieth century British family. In one example, Mr. Beaver rushes out in the cold with Peter to provide food for the family, meanwhile â€Å"the girls were helping Mrs Beaver to fill the kettle and cut the bread† (Lewis 69). It can be argued that through Narnia, Lewis reflects the British life in the twentieth century where men spend long hours working away form home whereas mothers shield the home from the corruptions of the outside world (Jenkins, 7). It is now agreed that twentieth century Fantasy literature is vital in the child’s development of imagination. Although children’s minds are less developed than adults’, their ability to imagine is far greater. Fantasy stories not only allow children to imagine other worlds, they let children create those worlds. Barrie and Lewis wrote for children in a sense that they used simpler language and fantastical settings. These authors tried to fully engage children readers with texts. But, not for a moment did they underestimate the child’s ability to comprehend greater universal and social problems such as the arguments between siblings, the struggle to fight temptation and make the right decision, the importance of imagination in providing children with self-guidance and the ability of evaluating good and evil in society. Twentieth century British authors such as Barrie and Lewis also used Fantasy literature to comment on social issues of that period and reflect certain values of society. In twentieth century children’s literature, fantasy is not used to deceive but to enlighten.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Extraordinary Circumstance Review

Introduction and Aim of the Review This review of WorldCom is based on the Extraordinary Circumstances by Cynthia Cooper. The purpose of review report is to conclude whether WorldCom satisfied the Code of Ethics and the Attribute and Performance Standards set forth by the IIA. Background WorldCom was one of the largest telecom companies in the world during 1996 to 2002. The company helped to grow a small regional company that bought and re-sold long distance in the South into an international behemoth that operated in over 65 countries.However, in 2002, the senior management and employees perpetrated a massive fraud, and in June, WorldCom announced that it had â€Å"misstated† its financial statements over the last five quarters by $3. 8 billion. After coming out this scandal, WorldCom went bankrupt, and it has been the largest bankruptcy ever. Analysis Based on the book Cynthia Cooper wrote, WorldCom didn’t comply with the Code of Ethics and the Attribute and Performan ce Standards. Fraud The internet bubble that burst in March, 2000 is followed with much larger and more devastating collapse: Telecom.WorldCom’s financial statements were far worse than expectation that would result in stock price fall, downgrading company and most importantly—losing capital to acquire companies. Then CEO and CFO were planning to change the financial statements with mid-level accountants. They thought if the financial statements were better in next quarter, they could cover the change. But things didn’t go according to plan. They had to change the number until the whistle blew. Lack of risks assessment During the WorldCom expansion, CEO, Bernie led the company through 70 acquisitions in less than 20 years.Bernie was too audacious to expand the company without consideration. For example, when board didn’t want to invest any more capital or incur more debt on telecom, Bernie mortgaged everything he had to buy TMC outright. The strategy help s LDDS expand, but also planted bomb in the company which exploded in the future. Gambling rather than risk control When World Com was acquiring other companies, some were not willing to receive a combination of cash and stock. They would sell the stock as soon as they get.In order not to let the stock price fall, the executives in WorldCom bought the stock instead at a discount price. Luckily, as the result, the stock price went up dramatically. Low internal Audit department position Internal audit department was a dispensable unit in the company and didn’t get high attention during that time. Unlike external counterparts, internal auditors are usually employees of the companies they audit. Some companies choose to have only a small, token group, others none at all, and others outsource the function altogether, sometimes to the same public accounting firm performing the external audit.Cynthia Cooper was announced to be the director of internal auditing by CEO, Bernie. They p robably had some deals under table during CEO fraud. Individual manipulation and lacking of proficiency LDDS was too big to have so many employees reporting to CEO, Bernie directly. Meanwhile, Bernie doesn’t have technical telecom or financial training and he was only interested in what he liked and understood. His goal was to make WorldCom to be the NO. 1 stock on Wall Street rather than capture market share or be global which implied the tragedy of WorldCom.He continuously acquired the other companies to make WorldCom bigger and bigger without deep consideration, even paid the price to lose his confidants. Lack of programs improvement WorldCom was praised as a â€Å"fast-growth† company—a rate of growth usually achievable only by external acquisition, not organic internal evolution. If WorldCom ever stops acquiring, growth will most likely slow, which will negatively impact analysts’ ratings and WorldCom’s stock price. The main business in WorldC om is not real telecom business; instead, it’s a acquiring and resell business.Thus, there were no improvement or clear organic structures in the company. What’s more, WorldCom didn’t have its own wireless network and it only sells wireless service, which would result in loss revenue later. Lack of after acquiring testing WorldCom acquired 65 companies successfully until the failure of acquiring Sprint. Internal auditing department only employed 10 people to monitor the huge company. Not mention to monitor and test the acquired companies. Lack of auditing CEO During the golden period of WorldCom, Bernie obtained loan from plenty banks which related to the stock price of the company.As long as WorldCom stock stayed higher above a level, banks wouldn’t issue a margin call, requiring Bernie to come up with the cash to pay down enough of the loan to bring the collateral to remain at a certain percent of the loan. As a result, when the stock market fluctuated in 2002, WorldCom stock price went down below the certain level, and the board had to help Bernie to pay the loan, or the stock price will keep falling as the banks lose confidence in WorldCom and sell stocks one after another.But at the beginning, there was no one to control Bernie not to borrow money and take that risk to pay marginal call. Conclusion WorldCom was proved to be a big success and a tragedy in the history. Its strategy of expansion through acquiring constantly helped it grow-up to be a top 100 company in the stock market. However, it’s precisely because this â€Å"crazy† acquiring method let the WorldCom ignore the foundation of operating activities. Investors neglect the cash flow statements rather than totally relied on the equity return.As the internal department, it didn’t play a good role in assurance and consulting activities for the acquiring process. Since the department wasn’t gain enough attention from the board and was usually i nfluenced by the executives, like CEO—Bernie, it was hardly to let them perform well under the Bernie’s control. In this case, Bernie was seen as â€Å"Gods† in WorldCom and there was no one came up with objections, even some will oppose the acquiring, but at last Bernie still could do what he wants.Even Cynthia found there was a fraud from the new CEO and CFO after Bernie left WorldCom. It still couldn’t prevent the tragedy Bernie planted before. At the same time, this case also gives a lesson that power should be divided rather than central control, and the person who holds the power should have the enough capability and professional knowledge. ——————————————– [ 2 ]. On page 52 [ 3 ]. On page 57 [ 4 ]. On page 77 [ 5 ]. On page 84 [ 6 ]. On page 129 [ 7 ]. On page 175 [ 8 ]. On page 127 [ 9 ]. On page 152 [ 10 ]. On page 172 [ 11 ]. On page 183

Friday, September 13, 2019

Discussion Board Questions 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion Board Questions 3 - Essay Example mbine cognitive ability test with other methods such as biodata instruments as a way of ensuring that adverse effects of ethnic and racial differences are addressed. During the internal selections decisions, most organisations adopt assessment methods such as integrity tests and personality tests. On the other hand, majority of companies adopts simpler recruitment process such as interviews during the external selection. One of the major aspects that create this difference is the corporate culture. For example, during the internal selection, managers must notify the candidate about the evaluation process to avoid him or her becoming demotivated an aspect that can result to high rate of turnover. Internal and external selection decisions should be different to ensure that existing employees remain interested in their tasks. This should be attained by not emulating the rule of winner takes it all. Even though this rule is appropriate during external selection it can negatively affect existing employees since they may feel that their organisation is not giving them an opportunity to develop their career. One of the positive consequences associated with a high predictor cut off score is that it creates standards during the selection of the employees. By emulating a selection measure, organisations are in a position to select skilled manpower thus enhancing the productivity of a company. High predictor cut off score improves the image of an organisation in the sense that it makes it competitive thus attracting experienced and highly trained employees from other companies. In this way, strong team of human resource is achieved. One of the major advantages of sales approach in the presentation of a job offer is that it creates a good impression of the job and an organisation. This is attained by ensuring that recruiters and human resources managers behave like sales executives. In this way, the potential employees feel supported and respected an aspect that motivates

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Network - Essay Example Outsourcing is important to keep up with the competition in the global business in order to be able to drive the market share and profit (Burns 2009, p.62). It also gives your business the ability to concentrate on the main objectives such as customer service, banking and retailing. The company focuses on the increase in the use of smart cards in the Gulf region by supporting through giving their experience and expertise to the current and new clients. The current business environment is quite competitive that is why Network international has to keep up with the upcoming trends in the market through investing in the latest technologies, which will help the customers give a faster and more comfortable means of payment. According to Curtis Arnold, depending on the nature of one’s business, they have a variety of card and payment products and services, which will broaden one’s business opportunities (Network International). Network international has maintained a culture of encouraging innovations in order to give their customers extraordinary products and services to keep up with the competition in the business environment. Their trained, qualified and experienced staff plus a business which is customer focused promotes confidence in their clients to focus on their own business strategy. Working with network international gives business ideas that enhance loyalty in customers. EFQM model provides a groundwork that motivates hard work, which is needed in the competition on a global arena (Gomez, Costa & Lorente 2011, p.486). The model gives a broader view of the organization which can be useful in determining how different ideas come together to complement each other. EFQM model enables individuals to understand what its organization does and the results it achieves. The aim of the model was to enable organizations to be successful and sustain the success and respect. Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award- SKEA and Dubai Quality Awards- DQA depend on

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Summary Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summary - Article Example Rational signals or laws may just spur them to do worse while making their misdeeds look appealing. There is hue and cry on what should be done. The media firmly supports disarmament although many will be left defenseless . Aspiring politicians further bend the sandy hook tragedy denouncing ownership of firearms for their own career boost (Domenech 45). According to Grant Duwe’s research, both mass murders and homicides have dropped since 1960s. Criminologist, Fox also shows that mass shootings victims have been roughly consistence with margins being credited as sheer coincidence or copycats. As appalling as these murders are, these culprits are not responsible for 1% of the nation’s homicide cases. Criminology studies also support Duwe’s research accusing the media of not laying the true facts of mass murder ignoring the most prevalent cause of death. Political fires are brewing with Senator Diane proposing an ineffectual bill to ban 120 firearms. The bill would also force government seizure of previously bought firearms. In addition debating this bill will ensue in reactions from lawful gun owners. Piers Mogan agrees with democrats blaming the policies that allow gun ownership as a vent of causing violence and denounces the 2nd amendment. Focusing on the UK a handgun ban in 1998 following a shooting massacre was unprecedentedly followed by a rise in serious crime. Shocking as this may be in 2011 the number of legal gun ownership went up by a third and coincidentally the number of gun related crimes dropped by 74%. Majority of shootings is however classified by place and race. Statistics show that 58% of the crimes were in large cities and done mostly by blacks. This represents 16% of the homicide victims. There is no comprehension however of the weapons that the villains use. Research shows that in 2% of gun crimes assault weapons are carried. Adam Lanza used the ar-15 rifle which takes a standard 223-caliber bullet. The rifles used by La kota and Arapaho Indians fired bullets almost 10 times larger than the.223. The caliber does not however determine the lethality of the gun. Others argue that the main issue is the mental health system to not giving proper care to the mentally ill. Steps may be undertaken to ensure they do not possess guns but hurrying to committing to the mentally unstable has its cons: having them bear a lifetime penalty for transgressions never to be committed. The Secret History of Guns Supporters of gun rights argue that the second amendment gives right to gun ownership but portrays no regulation. Advocates still do not support the amendment arguing it covers state militias and is not strong enough to mandate disarmament. The founders of the nation made hard-core gun laws that denied ownership to many people. Individual allowed to own guns had to report regular musters for gun inspection registered on public rolls. According to newton the civil rights movement caused more violence. Malcolm x an d the panthers however argued for their gun ownership right based on the constitution. Guns became a piece of their identity. Luther’s application to own a firearm after his house bombing was denied .The panthers started giving public display of their firearms. Once Newton was stopped by Oakland police to show his gun but he vehemently refused grounding his rights. No arrest was made. The event inspired the

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

First thing First Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

First thing First - Essay Example I said, "Honey, Pastor Jamal is going to be on Paula White Ministry and youve got to see it." He said "Ok." I was happy that he was willing to watch with me. As he stood in the middle of the room watching, I stood right behind him. After the program was off, I asked what his thought on first fruit was. He said it made sense. After introducing the idea to him, I left the room. I waited until the next morning and while we were sitting at the table I said, " Honey, I was hoping you give first fruit with your first paycheck in January." He understood why I wanted him to participate and loved how I explained it to him, but he had already made plans to use the money for something else. There was no changing his mind. He had his heart set on using his first pay check to purchase parts for his motorcycle. Since getting his motorcycle chrome out was a big deal to him, I had to drop the issue for the moment, but I was not finished with him yet. Later that evening I repeated what he had said about first fruit and how he agreed that it is important back to him. He finally said, "Well, I knew you were going to do what you wanted anyway. If it makes you happy go ahead." After thinking about it, I did not use his check for first fruit. I paid the bills and decided to ask about giving first fruit two months before the New Year. I would still use the same approach, but I would start earlier in getting him prepared to give up his whole pay

Monday, September 9, 2019

Ethics in Corporate Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics in Corporate Governance - Essay Example Corporate governance helps to bring a supreme level of satisfactions to five different constituencies, such as employees, customers, vendors, investors and societies. Effective corporate performance and successful markets are based on a commitment to fundamental ethical principles. Ethical standards can be expressed in a formal conduct requirement of the organization which can guide preferred behavior of an organization. Six Steps Majority of the successful organizations implemented several codes of ethics for their employees to conduct in an appropriate manner while practicing business operations. Corporate ethics are considered as the guiding principles. â€Å"Ethics helps to build mutual relationship and develop the sense of social belongingness† (Sison, 2008). Effective corporate governance can be achieved through best practices and set of principles. An effective deal depends upon the honesty, integrity and manners. Corporate governance determines how an organization is m anaging their relationship with their stakeholders and shareholders. Ethical investors always expect transparency and honesty from the organizations. Six steps can be recommended to the board of an organization in order to maintain ethics. The board of the organization must implement their own fundamental capabilities and values. This will help them to optimize their leadership potential. They should build an organizational environment of trust with their investors and employees. Moreover, all the stakeholders of the organization should feel free to discuss several ethical issues and dilemmas with the board of the organization. It is the important for the organizations to clarify and announce the responsibilities and roles of the management and board in order to provide an effective level of accountability to the stakeholders. â€Å"Material matters’ disclosure should follow transparency by the organizations† (Fernando, 2009). The board of the organization should ensur e that all the investors have effective access to the factual and clear information. Therefore, it can be stated that ethics play an important role in corporate governance and organizational performance. If the organizations have high reputation for effective ethical behavior, it can engender both employee and customer loyalty. Board of the organization should ensure that ethical codes and vision of the organization is communicated to every stakeholders of the organization. The board should integrate these codes with the ethical vision of their company. This process can be executed through policy manuals, newsletters, team meetings, corporate meeting with investors, and several training events. The board of the organization should ensure that the organizational culture and behavior are following ethical vision. Reports regarding unethical behavior need to be thoroughly investigated by the board. Moreover, it is their responsibility to punish the violators of corporate governance and ethical standards. In addition, the board should provide rewards to those employees who are maintaining positive ethical behavior. Most importantly, the organization should provide all true and factual information to their investors and other stakeholders. Last controlling and sustaining ethical behavior will be the last step for the board of the organization. They need to execute survey process in order to know the ethical behavior of the organizatio