Comparing Two Works of Sculpture and Exploring how Their Styles Create Essay

Comparing Two Works of Sculpture and Exploring how Their Styles Create Different Kinds of Meaning - Essay Example In the end, both are effective and significant for their sites, their composition, their figure styles, and the symbolism they embody. The site of the Littlefield Fountain is very inviting and essentially forms not just a sculpture, but a landmark. The sculpture itself is not readily recognizable from a distance, as one first notices the fountain and its water surrounding the sculpture before really seeing the focus at the center of it all. The sculpture and its surroundings seem to be the focal point of the south mall entrance on the University of Texas campus, and thus as your approach the general area your attention is drawn first to the pathway leading to the south mall, then to the fountain it intersects with unavoidably. Upon, arrival, the sculpture dominates the scene, and is easily viewed by anyone who comes to sit beside the fountain—however, it is not an open site in that visitors are expected to walk among the figures and see them face to face. The location itself o ffers a place for students and others to meet and gather, being by nature a landmark, but also is for viewing by passersby who are find their way to the south mall, although the sculpture is not visible from its rear. Again, it serves as a landmark, as one can steer himself in the right direction by seeking out the Littlefield Fountain. ... It is the centerpiece of the small plaza, serving as a quaint piece of artwork that adds some sophistication to the locale, but does not intend to dominate the area nor awe those who pass by. Visitors may be either entering or exiting the building as they go by, or perhaps taking a break between classes and sitting in the plaza. The sculpture is visible from all angles, but the ideal viewpoint is coming up the steps as you enter, where you may look at the faces of all three figures; other angles do not invite the same contemplation and involvement. The area around the statue is designed in a way that people will spend time sitting still around the statue, and thus its serves as the source of some peaceful atmosphere in the plaza. The Littlefield Fountain is intended to be much more powerful, impressive, and unmistakable than The Family Group, as it is conjoined with a fountain and serves as a landmark for the entire campus. The open surrounds suggest that it is situated in a place of motion, unlike The Family Group’s place of calm and rest. The angle of the fountain also serves to welcome people as they approach the south mall, perhaps in the same way that The Family Group welcomes people as they enter the building, but the former is only view on approach while the latter is visible no matter where one is in the vicinity. Overall, the Littlefield Fountain is meant to direct people’s attention toward it and be the landmark associated with an entire area, while The Family Group serves as a subtle centerpiece to a more isolated area, created a less â€Å"in your face† impression. The composition of the Littlefield Fountain emphasizes a

Long listening assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Long listening assignment - Essay Example The signature line of this song involved the simultaneous playing of the tenor trumpet (Dizzy) and the alto Saxophone (Sonny) at a difference of an octave. The octave effect is pronounced all throughout the songs whenever the noted of the opening line notation is played. The opening line is played twice in the beginning of the piece and is used as a closing stanza in the performance. Another noteworthy feature of the opening lines is that when the trumpet-saxophone combination plays the notes the drums, bass and piano remain on mute, and when the trumpet-saxophone goes on mute, the drum, bass and piano repeat the same rhythm. This gives the jazz rendition a question-answer feel, as if the trumpet-saxophone combination was engaged in a conversation with the rhythm section of the jazz band. The opening line also known as the signature phrase or signature line of the jazz composition starts at 0:09 seconds of the video documentary. Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Stitt are seen taking the cen tre front of the stage, leading the Jazz Quintet. The audience is quiet and well settled and seen enjoying the dextrous rendition of classical jazz of this Quintet. At the back row are the following artistes: pianist Lou, bassist Ray and drummer Gus lined up left to right. The composition is based on medium tempo on duple (4/4 rhythm). The first line is rendered from 0:09 to 0:35 seconds of the video. The signature line is repeated again from 0:35 to 1:05. The rhythm accompaniment begins at 1:00 on the completion of the first stanza or the opening stanza (consisting of 2 repetitions of the signature line). The first solo commences from 1:32. Dizzy Gillespie plays the first solo that sets the expectations from this musical piece. Once Dizzy starts playing the timbre, texture and original tonal quality of the trumpet can be identified. He starts playing from the higher octave. The notes played by Dizzy are clear, bold and distinct from one another. His style represents clarity and con fidence. He does well in varying the amplitude and therefore the emphasis on certain notes by controlling the air pressure through light whistles and hard blows into the trumpet pipe. Dizzy remain calm, composed and relaxed throughout the performance. He takes time from until 2:02 seconds playing with the tempo and at a slow pace. He is seen smiling at the audience and his fellow-performers, turning left to Sonny and saying something to him between 2:00 and 2:03 seconds of the video. He demonstrates stunning control over his instrument at 2:16 playing an impromptu solo, manoeuvring the trumpet keys and weaving a fantastic note progression involving chromatic note progression (i.e., playing consecutive notes to create a dissonance). From 2:35 to 2:45 Dizzy moves along with the rhythm and creates beautiful composition and at 2:46 he plays a dissonant pattern. Once again at 3:16 Dizzy pulls off an incredibly fast and tough solo putting the audience at awe. From 3:35 till 3:40 amplitude modulation is brought out in its best form by regulating the air pressure. Dizzy modulates the pitch and frequency with ease. At 3:46 he gracefully pulls of another sweep of note progression. A gradual descent in the form 4 repetitions down the higher and middle conclude his solo exactly at 4:00 of the video. At this point in time Sonny Stitt takes the centre stage with his solo on the saxophone. The

Issues In Project Management

Issues In Project Management This essay discusses about two major issues in projects and project management. The two major issues this essay going to discuss and analyse are the impacts of risks if they are not managed in a project and the importance of managing stakeholders in a project and project management. The essay also discusses about other issues in project management that were involved in the illustrated case studies. Risk management is one of the crucial requirements in any projects. Projects without risk management are questionable to its success level and the aftermath can be severe if the risks are of high negative impact. Risk is something that may happen unexpectedly in a project which creates positive or negative impacts to the result of the project. The probability of risk cannot be accurately predicted and so there should be a risk management plan in every project to handle the risks which cannot be avoided. The risk management plan involves risk identification, quantifying the risk into impact and probability, planning a response which includes avoiding, transferring, mitigating and accepting the risk and the final step in risk management plan is to monitor and control the plan. (Webb, 2010) This following section of the essay will discuss about what will happen if risks are not managed in a project with case studies. The first case study used is Denver International Airport Baggage Handling System. The following section explains the background of the case study followed by the issues that aroused due to poor project management which headed the project to be a complete chaos. Denver International Airport Baggage Handling System: Background: The Denver International Airport (DIA) baggage handling system was to be the worlds largest automated baggage system but it became a case of technology project failure. The DIA is the largest international airport in United States covering a land area of 140km and it is the third largest international airport in the world and it can handle more than 50 million passengers annually. (Calleam Consulting, 2008) The automated baggage system was the critical element of the plan. DIA would have been one of the competitive advantages airports providing more efficient operations by reducing the aircraft turnaround time to 30 minutes using this automated baggage system. The original plan was to make use of the automated baggage handling system all over the airport and it was more complex than what people actually believed. The system was planned to handle 88 airport gates in three concourses, seventeen miles of track and five miles of conveyor belts, 3100 standard carts, fourteen million feet of wiring, hundreds of computers connected in a network to control the flow, 5000 electric motors, 59 laser arrays, 400 radio receivers and 2700 photo cells. (Calleam Consulting, 2008). All these components explain how complex the automated baggage handler system is. The construction work of DIA started in November 1989. United Airlines signed and planned to use Concourse A as a hub and it engaged BEA systems to build the Concourse A automated baggage handler system who was the world leader in operating, installing and supplying baggage handling equipment. The project management team of DIA approached BEA to build the baggage system for all three concourses and for the whole airport to transfer baggage automatically. Issues: Massive problems started in building the baggage system which was very complex as they never thought of such complexity. Even though the airport was complete, it did not open as scheduled in October 1993 because of the problems in baggage system and the completed airport was idle for more than 16 months which also missed the opening dates in April and May, 1994 and the opening was delayed to March 1995. (Neufville) The DIA airport authorities arranged a demonstration of the baggage system for the media without informing BEA. There was complete disaster in the demonstration as the bags were crushed and clothes were thrown out from the bags. This was in April, 1994 and the opening was delayed to May, 1994. BEA systems claimed that the airport staff used the system incorrectly and there was no malfunction in the system. System testing was struggling and airport built a manual trolley system as per the log plans recommendation. The delays increased the cost for owners and airlines and huge amount of money was wasted due to the idle use of the airport. In August, 1994, DIA started fining BEA for further delays and not able to complete the system. The airport was opened on 25th February, 1995 with the automated baggage system implemented in single concourse instead of implementing in all the concourses. All other part of the airport used the manual trolley system since the automated baggage was not functioning as expected. The maintenance cost for the system which was not functioning properly was one million dollar per month and so they scrapped the whole system in August 2005 and implemented the manual system in all over the airport. (Calleam Consulting, 2008) Risks that were involved: There were many possibilities of risks in the above mentioned scenarios and one of the reasons why this project failed is due to ignorance of risk. The complexity of the baggage allowance system was underestimated. The project was initiated too late because of not understanding the risks involved in it and the complexity level of the system. Due to not understanding the complexity level, the project was planned to complete in two years which was insufficient to complete such a complex project and due to this the project team made lot of mistakes to meet the schedule which was impossible. Any automated baggage handler system is subject to risk. The failure cannot be said as a bad luck or due to lack of qualifications since the system was installed by BEA systems one of the best suppliers in baggage system. This complex project should be viewed as a research project and in a research project; success cannot be expected in a short time unless it is managed well. Although the airport project management team and BEA systems know that there is a big risk in completing the project in two years time, they started the project and they failed to identify all the major risks involved in proceeding with the complex project. Several managers of BEA advised the BEA senior management team that this complex project is a four year project and not a two year project. Both airports chief engineer and BEAs senior management team ignored the advice and continued with the project. The BEA management structure completely failed to recognize what kind of risk they were entering into by taking this project and committed to proceed with the project. If they have recognized, they would have at least taken steps to reduce the risks involved in this project and find some scope to achieve the goal of the project within the deadline. Some of the issues were unpredictable and since the airport project management team and BEA does not plan any risk management, the unpredictable issues created many impacts on the project since they does not know how to handle the issues. The project team couldnt manage not only the unpredictable issue, some predictable issue like major technical problem that encountered in the project was not able to be handled by the project team. This was due to lack of developing a proper risk management plan in the project. Importance of managing Stakeholders in a project: The other major mistake done by both airport project management team and BEA was excluding the airlines from the discussions who were the key stakeholders of this project. While making key project decisions, stakeholders should be included to produce a winning strategy. (Calleam Consulting, 2008). If the stakeholders are excluded previously and included finally, they will ask for significant changes in the project which leads to nullify the previous work done in the project. This was proved in this project when airlines asked for many changes like adding maintenance tracks and ski equipment racks; BEA and airport project management was forced to accept the changes since they initially avoided stakeholders from the negotiations although there was a term that no changes would be made. Case study Conclusion: The case study can be concluded from the above illustrations and discussions that the DIA baggage handling system project failed due to not understanding the complexity of the project, no risk management plan, poor stakeholder management, lack of communication, poor design and planning of the system and finally lack of management insight in the project which led Denver International Airport Baggage Handling System project to be an example for technology project failure. The next section of the essay will discuss about another case study related to risk management. The Second case study used is Heathrow Terminal 5 Chaos. The following sections explains the background of the case study followed by the issues that aroused due to poor risk management which headed the project to be a complete chaos. Heathrow Terminal 5 Chaos: Background: Public enquiry of Heathrow Airport fifth terminal building proposal started in May 1995 and ended in March 1999 with the longest public inquiry in British planning history costing eight million pounds in legal fees. The terminal was expected to complete by 30th, March 2008 after the approval from UK government. Three twenty million pounds were allocated for planning risks. The terminal includes everything from facilities to handle jumbo aircrafts, car parks, service tunnels, a complete transport interchange, a hotel, shops, catering, highest customer service and it can handle thirty million passengers a year. The Terminal 5 was constructed especially to concentrate by British Airways (BA) flights. (Hancock, 2009) Issues: The opening of Terminal 5 after fifteen years of planning and construction with spending 4.3 billion pounds should have been a great moment for British Airport Authority (BAA) and British Airways (BA) but it head to be one of the biggest chaos. The problem started when the terminal staffs couldnt reach there in time due to difficulty in parking their cars, the staff security screening and familiarisation was delayed too, which led to accumulation of baggage. Another major reason was the collapse of state-of-art baggage handling system due to technical problems which was designed to handle 12,000 baggage per hour. (BBC News, 2008) As a result, more than 23,000 bags were lost and 500 flights were cancelled. BA lost 16 million pounds in the first five days of operations. (Thomson, 2008). BA blamed that the staffs provided were not familiar with the new systems and only few staffs were provided to handle the baggage system. BAA said that the baggage got clogged due to few numbers of staffs from BA and not due to the baggage handler system. Later BAA spokeswoman agreed that there was some software problem in the baggage handler system and it is completely BAAs responsibility. (Hancock, 2009) BA claimed that it was preparing for the past three years to switch to Terminal 5 and thousands of staffs have been trained to handle the new system and they got delayed to their workstations due to the difficulty in parking their cars. (The Times, 2008). The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) wrote a letter to the government ministers and shareholders blaming all BA executives for the Heathrow Terminal 5 chaos including the chief executive. (Milmo, 2008) Risks that were involved: Risk turns to be an issue if it happens. If risks are not managed even after knowing the probability and impact of the risk is high, then there will be a chaos like in this case study. The chaos in Terminal 5 was due to poor management not only for few days but from the initial stage of the project especially lacking risk management. The project would have been a big success if there was risk management for this kind of mega project. There were already defects in the baggage handler system during the trail process before opening Terminal 5 and it was reported to BA. The simulations used a less amount of baggage, less passengers and handlers to test the system. BA management ignored the concerns. They didnt test the system properly and they ignored to manage the risk. They blamed each other instead of solving the problems. BAs chief executive admitted that they compromised testing due to the delays in building the terminal. The baggage handler staff spent much time in searching for the parking place due to wrong sign boards and directions. The staffs were not trained and not familiar to handle the baggage handler system which was another risk. BAs chief executive admitted that they didnt train staffs and didnt familiarize them. (Massey, 2008). Case study Conclusion: Although the Heathrow Terminal 5 project was completed on time and on budget, it is one of the major catastrophic disaster projects. If the systems were tested properly, staffs were trained and familiarisied and if risks have been managed properly, the Terminal 5 project would have been the most successful project. The case study can be concluded from the above illustrations and discussions that the risk management is one of the crucial requirements in project management and ignoring to manage them will lead to failure or disaster of projects like Heathrow Terminal 5 chaos. Case Study: Online shopping system: This is one of the case studies that I personally experienced while learning the module IT Project Management. This case study project was to develop a online shopping software system for the client Metro Super stores and the project was carried out with 8 project teams members including the project manager. We covered most of the issues in project management in the lecture and seminar sessions. This can be illustrated with one example about managing risk in this project. We were asked to come with the risk log for this case study and we discussed about all possibilities of risks that will affect this online shopping software development system. We created the risk log and quantified the risks using its impact on the project and probability of happening. It was a personal experience that taught me the real importance of risk management in project management. (Classroom experience, 2010) Conclusion In all the above produced case studies, the essay discussed and analysed the major issues related to project management involved within the case studies with illustrations of the issues and discussed with examples. From the case studies and illustrations, it is concluded that project management issues are vital to any kind of projects especially for mega projects like Heathrow Terminal 5 and Denver International Airport Baggage Handling System and the project would not succeed unless it is managed well. [Word Count: 2451] Bibliography BBC News. (2008, March 28). Other airports rocky starts . BBC News. (2008, March 30). What did go wrong at Terminal 5? . Calleam Consulting. (2008). Denver Airport Baggage Handling System Case Study Calleam Consulting. Retrieved December 17, 2010, from http://calleam.com: http://calleam.com/WTPF/wp-content/uploads/articles/DIABaggage.pdf Computerworld UK reporters. (08, March 27). Heathrow Terminal 5 chaos: RoundUp. Retrieved December 15, 2010, from http://www.computerworlduk.com: http://www.computerworlduk.com/in-depth/it-business/1268/heathrow-terminal-5-chaos-roundup/ Dunn, P. (2008). Courting Disaster. Retrieved December 14, 2010, from http://www.squarepegint.com: http://www.squarepegint.com/pdf/RecentResearch/CourtingDisasterFinal.pdf Experience, C. R. (2010). IT Project Management. Sheffield Hallam University. Hancock, D. (2009, May 8). Heathrow Terminal 5 Success or Failure? Retrieved 12 17, 2010, from http://www.slideshare.net/: http://www.slideshare.net/Hank5559/heathrow-terminal-5-success-or-failure Massey, R. (2008, May 08). BA chief Willie Walsh brands Heathrows Terminal 5 a national embarrassment. Milmo, D. (2008, April 8). Pilots slam BA management over Terminal 5 chaos. p. 1. Neufville, R. d. (n.d.). THE BAGGAGE SYSTEM AT DENVER:PROSPECTS AND LESSONS. Retrieved December 18, 2010, from http://ardent.mit.edu: http://ardent.mit.edu/airports/ASP_papers/Bag%20System%20at%20Denver.PDF The Times. (2008, March 28). Terminal 5 launch disaster brings holiday chaos. Thomson, R. (2008, April 02). IT experts tackle baggage system problems at Heathrows Terminal 5. Retrieved December 18, 2010, from http://www.computerweekly.com: http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/04/02/230084/IT-experts-tackle-baggage-system-problems-at-Heathrow39s-Terminal.htm Webb, L. (2010). Lecture Slides. Retrieved December 16, 2010, from http://shuspace.shu.ac.uk: http://shuspace.shu.ac.uk Williams, C. (2010). Project Management: Risk Management. Retrieved December 15, 2010, from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-management-risk-management.html Sheffield Hallam University Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT Individual Reflection 20/12/2010 Prasnnaa Kumar Nachimuthu B0045907 MSc Database Professional Introduction The purpose of this essay is to write about the individual reflection of my personal experience in the module IT Project Management held during Sep 2010 Dec 2010. This essay produces my learning experience and my experience of working in a team during this module which helps to reflect upon my learning experience in the module. This module has taught me many things about project management from how to manage a project as a project manager, how to be a good team player and work in team, and most of the topics in project management. This is one of the module I really enjoyed working with my tutors and all my colleagues. The tutors were really interactive with me and everyone in the class and all of the lectures and seminars were very interactive rather than a boring session. The interest of me in this module can be proved with my presence in all the lecture and seminar session without missing a single lecture or tutorial session from the beginning to end of this module. The beginning week of the lecture explained me about this module, project and its definition. The later seminar session involved practical teaching of knowing more about project and I was put into a group. Every week, I learnt a new topic about project management and understood how to act to issues in real time environment. For example, in one of my lecture session, I was given a case study about the problems involved in the biggest building in Sheffield. We understood the case study and I was asked to be in a group to work as a developer of the building and come out with possible solutions to answer the problems of the buyers of the building which consist of my colleagues in another group. While working in the group like a developer, I was thinking as I am the real developer and was trying to come out with possible solutions with my other colleagues in the group. Then I, with my colleagues as developers met the buyers group and answered the possible solutions thinking them as the real buyers. After the session, I was completely satisfied that I have learnt something today. This is one of the examples, and every week, due to working in a group, helped me to handle the issues and answer the project board as a project manager and also ask questions to project manager as a project board member. I had the opportunity to produce the first assignment as a group work. I was the project manager in the group and had to assign the task in which I found it easy because we had breakdown the tasks, worked on it individually, discussed and produced the final document prior to the deadline. Conclusion I conclude from the above produced illustrations of my personal experience that I am completely satisfied the way the module was taught to me and I enjoyed working with my colleagues in a team. I personally thank my tutors for teaching me the project management skills in an interesting, interacting and practical way and I would definitely recommend this module to my colleagues. [Word Count: 529]

Global Warming is Real Essay example -- Environment Environmentalism

Imagine the world in fifty to one hundred years. Because of global warming, it might not be the world most people would think. Many scientists and environmentalists talk on ways reverse global warming. Global warming causes the polar ice caps to melt, record high temperatures, and many other things. Global warming is starting to change the world in actuality, but humanity has no one but themselves to blame, as there are many ways to fight global warming in which benefit not only the environment, but the individual that helped support the cause. In some parts of the world, there are already signs of climate change altering the way people live and the world itself. One big example of this happening is that temperatures have dramatically changed in the last one hundred-twenty years, since the Industrial Revolution. Some people (especially government personnel) may deny this, but the polar ice caps are melting. No denying it, the Arctic and Antarctic ice packs are melting. Proof of this is in one of CNN?s articles from ?Planet in Peril?. Two years ago, Explorer Dennis Schmitt fo...

Accounting for managerial decisions

Which of the following costs related to the purchase of production equipment incurred by BBC Company during 2013 would be considered an expense (revenue expenditure)? B. Purchase price of the equipment less the cash discount c. Repair and maintenance costs during the equipment's first year of service d. Transportation charges to deliver the equipment to BBC Company 4. Clear Window Cleaners purchased new cleaning equipment at the beginning of 2013. The equipment has a cost of $37 000, an estimated life of five years, and an estimated residual value of $7 000.A full year's depreciation expense is to be recorded in 2013. The equipment was used 20 000 hours during 2013 and 24 000 hours during 2014. The number of expected hours over five years is 100 000. Clear Window is comparing the straight-line and reducing-balance depreciation methods. Of these two methods, which method creates the larger expense and larger tax savings 2013? A. Straight-line depreciation creates the larger expense, w hile reducing-balance depreciation creates the larger tax savings b. Straight-line depreciation creates both the larger expense and the larger tax paving c.Reducing-balance depreciation creates both the larger expense and the larger tax d. Reducing-balance depreciation creates the larger expense, while straight-line depreciation creates the larger tax savings 5. Current accounting standard SAAB 116 indicates that the costs of intangible assets with an indefinite life, such as goodwill, should: a. Not be amortized, but should be reviewed annually for impairment b. Be reported on the statement of retained earnings in the year in which acquired d. Be debited to an expense account entirely in the year in which acquired 6.The equipment had cost $45 000 and its accumulated depreciation amounted to $20 000 at the time of the sale. What are the net effects on the accounting equation of selling the equipment? A. Assets and equity increase $30 000 b. Assets decrease and equity increases $5 00 0 d. Assets and equity decrease $5 000 8. Wong purchased equipment at the beginning of July 2012 for $21 000. Wong decided to depreciate the equipment over a five year period using the straight-line method. Wong estimated the equipment's residual value at $1 000. The estimated fair market value at the end of June 2013 was $20 000.Which of the following statements is correct concerning Wing's financial statements at 30 June 2013? A. The carrying amount of the equipment is $16 000 b. The carrying amount of the equipment is $17 000 c. The total accumulated depreciation is $4 200 d. The equipment will be reported on the statement of financial position at it fair market value of $20 000 9. Chou Zero purchased equipment at the beginning of July 2013 for $200 000. Chou Zero decided to depreciate the equipment over a five year period using the reducing-balance method. Chou Zero estimated the equipment's residual value at 20 000.Which of the following statements is correct concerning Chou Ze ro's financial statements at 30 June 2014? A. The carrying amount of the equipment is $120 000 b. The carrying amount of the equipment is $80 000 c. The total accumulated depreciation is $90 000 d. Depreciation expense for 2013 is $72 000 10. The effect of recording depreciation for the year is: a. A decrease in assets and a decrease in total comprehensive income c. An increase in assets and an increase in total comprehensive income d. A decrease in total comprehensive income and no change in assets

Le Petti Gourmet

Jim O’Connor, President and Owner of Le Petit Gourmet, received a shocking phone call while vacation in California, which informed him that his business is going to shut down indefinitely due to the outbreaks of hepatitis A in his catering facility. Le Petit Gourmet was a family catering business that had been operating in the Denver metro area for more than 30 years. Le Petit employed between 150 and 200 people, 75 of whom were full time. Along with Le Petit was perceived as the most expensive and upscale caterer in Denver, O’Connor also want his business to be known for good food on all levels, from cookies to lobsters. Le petit Gourmet’s business had been on the upswing in recent years. On November 22, Health Department notified O’Connor that his kitchen manager infected by hepatitis A, and by Nov 30, the doctor confirm the case. Due to the further outbreak on Dec 30, Le Petit Gourmet is being shut down completely, and the health departments have ordered food-service workers in metro Denver area to using gloves or utensils when handling food in prevention to hepatitis A. In addition, Le Petit Gourmet employees were forbidden to work as food-handlers anywhere else until January 31. When he returned from San Francisco, Jim O’Connor found that his business and family were under siege. The media, his insurance agents, lawyers, and health department inspectors, Le Petit employees and customers were waiting for his explanation on how he going to handle the hepatitis outbreaks. Initially, he hired a public relations firm to assist him, but decided that he needed to take a more active role to save his business. First of all, he personally called the victims of hepatitis and apologized for what had happened. He also meets with his employees to calm their fears. Afterward, he make sure that his company will have enough cash flow on hands to handle this crisis by delaying payment to his vendors and negotiated a larger mortgage, because he realized that he doesn’t have income for undetermined amount of time. To win back the public on their side, O’Connor and his staff decided to dumped $45,000 of food products into the trash. Many of these items were unopened and frozen products, not part of the infected food. O’Connor was able to maintain his employees during the outbreaks, he honestly tell them that pay cut was imminent in the future, but if your stand by me and help me, I will commit to pay you back when the business is getting better. He also states to the employees that the infected person have been left Le Petit Gourmet, we are very safe working here in Le Petit Gourmet. When he have all the information he need, he held a news conference at the Le Petit Gourmet facility and explained what had happened and what he and Le Petit Gourmet prepared to do about the crisis. During the outbreak periods, other catering companies was worried that this crisis would effects their companies, so they mailed out letter to inform their clientele that this only happened to Le Petit Gourmet and will never happened against them. Due the O’Connor and his staffs diligent works, Le Petit Gourmet finally reopened on January 11, and they have their first catering job on January 14. Main Issues The main issues for this case was how O’Connor able to handle this crisis with ease and win back the reputation for his business. When the crisis first happened, O’Connor is put in a very tough spot, not only that he has face the media, health department, employees, etc†¦ they all waiting for him to inform them what is really happened behind this mess that cost by Le Petit Gourmet. I think that O’Connor did excellent job step by step to get his business reopened and back to business as soon as possible. First of all, he realized that he not going to have enough cash flow on hands to solve the problem, because he will have no income for long period of time due to the out breaks. Smartly, he asked his vendors for a delay payment, and also negotiated a larger mortgage to make sure to have enough cash on hand to solve the crisis. Money could be use to compensate the victims or pay for attorney fees, and also need to pays his employees. Second of all, he was acting as a public relations spokesperson, who called all the victims and apologized for what had happened. He also met with his employees to calm their fears by telling them that the individual to whom the initial outbreak had been traced had already left the company, we are in a very safe working environment. He honestly told his employees that pay cut were imminent in the immediate future and their long-term status at Le Petit Gourmet was cloudy, but if they can stay on his side during this difficult time, he will make commitment to help them later on. In addition, he also dumped $45,000 dollars of food products into the trash, to inform everyone that everything that has to do with hepatitis A will be destroyed and nothing will be held. I am most impress with O’Connor was that he didn’t shy away from the media, after he gather all the information he needed and collected himself personally, he held a new conference at the Le Petit Gourmet facility and explained what had happened and what he and Le Petit Gourmet as a company were prepared to do about the crisis. Finally, due to the diligent works from O’Connor and his staffs, Le Petit Gourmet was finally reopened on January 11, and got they first catering job on January 14. I believe that O’Conner manage everything very well during the crisis, he win back the reputation of his company by holding a news conference and inform everybody what has happened, and win back his employees by honestly tell them what is going to happened in the future, he didn’t hide anything from anyone. He tells everyone what he thinks and what he going to about it.

The Life of Henry Ford essays

The Life of Henry Ford essays The nineteen hundreds were a difficult time for most people living in the United States. The railroad was the biggest employer in the country. Most people living in this time period were poor. They were sharecroppers who still lived on their former masters land or freed slaves who had little or no education. Even though it was a difficult time quite a few of the technologies we enjoy today, were invented in the early nineteen hundreds. Henry Ford was one of the great inventors of that difficult time period. The oldest of six children Ford was born July 30, 1863 on a farm near Dearborn, Michigan. Ford attended a one-room schoolhouse until he was fifteen years old. While attending school he developed a strong dislike for farm work and a fascination for machinery. Ford left his family in 1879 and moved to Detroit to work as an apprentice machinist. Ford remained working as an apprentice machinist for three years, then returned to Dearborn to help out with the farm work. While at home he still found ways to work with engines and machinery, he often operated and repaired steam engines. Ford then moved back to Detroit were he became chief engineer for the Edison Illuminating Company. Although Fords father wanted him to be a farmer and offered him forty acres of land Ford continued his work with machinery. In 1888 Ford married Clara Bryant, the daughter of a neighboring farmer in Dearborn. Mrs. Ford took an active part in her husbands experiments with engines. Some of the first tests of Fords trial engines were made in the family kitchen, with Mrs. Ford checking the engines oil supply. While working for the Edison Illuminating Co. Ford designed and built and automobile in his home workshop. By mounting a gasoline engine on a four-wheeled carriage body. The car did not look impressive at all. The body shook when the two-cylinder engine was running. The car was steered by a le ...

Eliots Preludes and Ginsbergs Sunflower Sutra Essays

Eliots Preludes and Ginsbergs Sunflower Sutra Essays Eliots Preludes and Ginsbergs Sunflower Sutra Paper Eliots Preludes and Ginsbergs Sunflower Sutra Paper Essay Topic: Ts Eliot Poems What are the mall themes of T. S. Elites Preludes? What aspects of the poem would you identify as modernist techniques? What does Elites poem express about the condition of the human subject in early twentieth-century modernity? You need to substantiate your essay on a close reading and critical analysis of the poem. T. S Elites Preludes is a prominent modernist poem that vividly reflects his opinion about the Impact of World War Xis traumatic experience, questioning at the same time the future of humanity. This poem Is constituted by four images (Preludes), each of hem taken from the urban setting, where the decline of humiliation, peoples alienation and lack of progress are depicted with the greatest detail. Despite this situation, the poet is still hopeful of an alteration that will be feasible only by peoples initiative and not by waiting gods to save society. Firstly, Eliot stigmatize the mess that dominates society after the Great War and describes the misery and poverty that haunts peoples lives. He portrays an Isolated and fragmented world, something that is evident from the grimy scraps, drawn from the general sense of the filthiness and untidiness of the landscape. This feeling of fragmentation is also strengthened by the indirect indication of the presence of people in the first stanza, even though this is not ever stated. In addition, societys deprivation and misery are artistically depicted when Eliot talks about a meaningless and corrupt world that Is constantly characterized by a mechanic routine when he uses the verb revolves, as well as the phrase vacant lots. Furthermore. Peoples conduct Is Identical to the whole sense of misery and bitterness, as they are presented malicious and malevolent, and often Rene to sordid actions. Under the pretence of helping, they appear to have a clean conscience by day, in order to conceal their dirty deeds happening at night. The society is completely broken and no one really cares about their fellows, unless the problems are Immediately concerned with their busy and important lives. This Is, also, Elites opinion about society (In a thousand furnished roomsl which Is perfectly reflected on halls rather harsh and cruel statement of a blackened and doomed world that is characterized by lack of vividness and despair. This motif of emptiness keeps people bound to their personal stagnation, something which is apparent from the phrases four and five and six oclock and assured of certain certainties, that Eliot uses to describe societys lack of uniqueness. Finally, when the poet refers to the notion of some Infinitely gentle/leniently suffering thing, he probably Implies a reference duteous, or to any other divine Intervention, In which many people rely In for hope, but this is a rather slight possibility because the margin of salvation is too narrow. In continue, Elites effort to approach the topics described above lead to the invention of a new style of writing that transcended romanticisms obsolete style and inaugurated a new era in the history of literature, which is established by the movement of Modernism. The basic characteristic of that movement, adopted by which is achieved with a variety of means. First of all, he seems to abandon the traditional linear style of writing and through the narrative device of stream of consciousness tries to transfer his characters inner and personal thoughts. He accomplishes his endeavor by the lack of punctuation that uses in the whole poem, and the associative leaps in thought that arise suddenly without the reader having been formerly prepared. In order to strengthen his technique, he uses some very strong images that also serve as metaphors giving an inside point of view of the world he describes. This is evident when he pictures the womans thoughts about her insecurity of her actions in Prelude Ill. In this part, the point of view comes to the second person (the observer addresses a you) and the facilitation is internal, as Eliot rejects the omniscient perspective. This results in a more contrapuntal and multifaceted approach of the plot, where are obvious not only the individual thoughts of one person, but also the voices of different narrators (omniscient, second person, woman, man). In an effort to be one of the most eminent representatives of his kind, Eliot makes here use of the epiphany, which is a moment of a high revelation of a reality. Thus, he moves the experience inwards and makes his readers adopt his own views (sordid images of which your souls was constituted/a thousand furnished moms). Consequently, the time of the poem follows the same pattern because it is both psychological (coming from the inner experience) and symbolic, such as complexly unfolded, moving both backwards and forwards and Juxtaposing events from different times. Concluding with Elites techniques used in this poem, we would like to add the bleak and sometimes terror-filled tone of his language, which is characterized by its multiple meanings and varied connotations. As mentioned above, T. S. Eliot writes poetry in order to criticize the industrialization and liberation of his era, which in combination with the outbreak of the World War I and the increase of capitalism, was heading towards the complete disruption of humanity. Through his own means for revolution, Eliot expresses his views about human beings who seem to be totally unappeasable. He writes about a fully paralyzed and denigrated society that is not only wounded by the trauma of the War, but also by a cultural and humanistic crisis. Serving his debt as a poet, he describes his era as a wasteland of that time and declares his sense of misery for the mankind. Even though he may seem not to believe it, Eliot is slightly optimistic that humanity is able to recover from this big loss and becomes stronger again. Essay Develop and essay discussing how Ginsberg Sunflower Sutra assimilates William Carols Williams representation of America in To Elsie. Allen Ginsberg Sunflower Sutra presents the poets views about the America of his time, under the cloak of devastation and desolation of the current arbitration, arising though certain rays of hope. In this poem, the main motifs of his itemization topics are very similar to the ones introduced by his mentor, William Carols Williams, one of Americas greatest modernist poets, in his poem To Elsie. First of all, it is important to evaluate the facts with great attention and accuracy. The main subject that the two poems through the strict applications of technology and industrialization. In this point, Williams influence upon Ginsberg is so evident that the poet from New Jersey uses exactly the same technique in order to mourn America, through a device that serves metaphorically in the poem and embraces all the weaknesses of the American humanity. This device in Ginsberg is called Sunflower and it is identical to the one Williams use, which in his case is a real person, and especially a girl, called Elsie. Starting from the beginning, in Ginsberg poem, as well as in Williams poem, the title indicates the person (animate or inanimate) to whom the poem is addressed. In Ginsberg case, this person is not actually a person but an object, which becomes the means to show society corruption and pollution. As the Sunflower symbolizes all the abnormality and filthiness of the natural world the same happens with Elsie, ho depicts the cold machinery and growing materialism through certain parts of her body. The picture of society as a wasteland is also strengthened by the description of rotten and isolated valleys and lakes, something that Ginsberg uses too, through the portrayals of rivers covered with a layer of oil that makes life impossible to fish, and other mountain settings. Also, the presence of religious elements is something that accompanies both poets. Ginsberg makes use of the bum (or better known in his poems the holy bum as a prominent Beat figure) Ewing contrasted with the hermit that is a holy figure that lives both in and outside the restraints of modern society. This is perceived indirectly, as happens with Elses personification with Persephone, who was stolen by Pluto and depicts Americas primitive land. Bleak and vulgar language makes its appearance here and gives with the most vivid way the suffering decay. Finally, even though Ginsberg emerges some glimmers of hope and resurrection at the end, Williams is more pessimistic and raw, but both agree about the narcissism of contemporary America and its obsession with communication.

Irrealis Were - Definition and Examples

Irrealis 'Were' s Definition In English grammar, irrealis involves the  use of were with a  subject  in the  first-person  singular or third-person singular  to  refer to an unreal or hypothetical condition or eventone thats not true or that hasnt occurred (e.g., If I  were  you, Id go home). In contrast to the more common use of were as a past-tense form (e.g., They were lost), irrealis were is a nontensed mood form, similar to the subjunctive. Irrealis  were  is sometimes called the were-subjunctive or (somewhat misleadingly) the past subjective. As Huddleston and Pullum point out, Irrealis were does not refer to past time, and there is no synchronic reason to analyse it as a past tense form (The Cambridge Grammar Of The English Language, 2002). Defined more broadly, irrealis refers to an event that hasnt occurred (or at least hasnt yet occurred), while realis refers to an event that has occurred. Examples and Observations I was telling Grant that  if I were an  alien and I came down to earth from some far-off planet, there are a few things I would notice about people, and the first thing I would notice is the way they looked, that is, if people looked different on my planet.(Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz. Thomas Nelson, 2003)Roxanne stood talking to him with one long-nailed hand on his shoulder, the other at her hip as  if she were a  model at a trade show trying to sell him the grill.(Kate Milliken, The Whole World.  If Id Known You Were Coming. The University of Iowa Press, 2013)They took to looking at him as  if he were  on the other side of a dirty window.(Kate Milliken, Inheritance.If Id Known You Were Coming. The University of Iowa Press, 2013) If I werent  so broke and unsettled, Id adopt a dog tomorrow.(Andrea Meyer, Room for Love. St. Martins Griffin, 2007) Moodiness: The Subjunctive and the Irrealis Were Traditional grammarians get tripped up by the verb be because they have to squeeze two different forms, be and were (as in If I were free), into a single slot called subjunctive. Sometimes they call be the present subjunctive and were the past subjunctive, but in reality theres no difference in tense between them. Rather, the two belong to different moods: whether he be rich or poor is subjunctive; If I were a rich man is irrealis (not real). . . . In English [the irrealis] exists only in the form were, where it conveys factual remoteness: an irrealis proposition is not just hypothetical (the speaker does not know whether it is true or false) but counterfactual (the speaker believes its false). Tevye the Milkman [in the musical Fiddler on the Roof] was emphatically not a rich man, nor were Tim Hardin, Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash, or Robert Plant (all of whom sang If I Were a Carpenter) in any doubt as to whether they were carpenters. Counterfactual, by the way, need not mean outlandisho ne can say If she were half an inch taller, that dress would be perfectit just means known to be not the case. (Steven Pinker, The Sense of Style. Viking, 2014) An Exceptional Form This use of were is highly exceptional: there is no other verb in the language where the modal remoteness meaning is expressed by a different inflectional form from the past time meaning. The irrealis mood form is unique to be, and limited to the 1st and 3rd person singular. It is an untidy relic of an earlier system, and some speakers usually, if not always, use preterite was instead. (Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum,  A Students Introduction to English Grammar. Cambridge University Press, 2005) AlsoSee Past SubjunctiveSubjunctive Mood

Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resources - Essay Example Human resource and internal organizational variables Internal organizational variables include, size, strategy, technology and the business environment within the organisation, these variables have been identified in several studies as determinants of human resource practises (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2011, p124) Human resource management can be defined as the process of attracting, motivating and retaining a gifted pool of employees who work to support the realisation of the organisation’s goal and objectives (Lussier & Hendon, 2013, p 154). Effective human resource practises are becoming a necessity in the current organizational environment as the economies become ‘knowledge based’ and the challenge of finding and retaining highly qualified employees increases due to shortage of skilled labour. Determinants of internal human resource management practises in internal organisational environment The way organisations are run, either formally or informally will al so determine the how human resource activities are conducted. For instance in small businesses, human resource activities are more likely to be carried out in an informal and more flexible manner, while in large organisations, human resource activities will be more formal and rigid (Mathis & Jackson, 2011, p123). The size of the organisation will determine the level of sophistication in human resource with large organizations being more sophisticated than the smaller firms are. In small firms, executives are more likely not to get proper education; in addition, they are also less likely to have performance appraisals and bonuses that are present in large companies. The competitiveness of an organisation depends on the resources that help it to differentiate the company’s products from those of its rivals in the long run. Of great importance is the human resources, which are constrained by shortage of labour, which reduces a company’s potential for growth (Chen & Mohame d, 2008, p73). While some authors argue that long run, competitive advantage can be realised through human resources themselves and not the processes that were used to get the human resource (Guest, 2011, p12). Other authors argue that the human resources themselves can be seen as contributing to a firm’s competitive advantage; such practices include the potential to motivate employees, how organisations handle internal conflicts among other practises. Technology, which is the process for transforming the inputs in the organisations in to finished products usable by the consumers vary in many perspectives, which have an effect on human resource perspectives. For instance, the level of continuity in the manufacturing procedure, the level of knowledge that is required in using the technology, the predictability of tasks and the level of interdependence of various tasks within the course of manufacturing (CHUANG & Liao, 2010, p177). Using human capital theory to show the relatio nship between human resource and technology, firms that use modern and up to date technology are more likely to engage in selective hiring, inclusive training, performance appraisal and fair remuneration evaluation. Understanding the technology usage in organisations has the implication of helping human resource experts to determine the

Comment on John R. Clarke's analysis of THE GOLEM observe and describe Essay

Comment on John R. Clarke's analysis of THE GOLEM observe and describe the film carefully and critically examine Clarke's argument - Essay Example He also points out that through the acting and expressionist nature of the film, the producers were not aiming at realism. This paper will critically examine and comment on John Clarke’s analysis if The Golem. Clarke observes that two stories are intertwined through each other around halfway through the film. While Loew is at the palace after being summoned by Luhois (the Roman Emperor), Florian (a knight) is secretly courting Miriam (Loew’s daughter) (Clarke 1974, 117). Through this observation, Clarke basically communicates suspense, creating the notion that the two events cannot end well. However, analysing the two stories critically, one realises that Clarke does not dwell on the aspect of comparison, especially between that of the Jews of Prague and Christians, which seemed to be the focus of the producers. It is also significant to note that no stereotypes were imposed on either party by the producers, who opted to concentrate on individual characters and use group characterization to highlight the film’s themes. They dress all the Jews in black, and they seem to be bending under age, portraying a religion sinking into oblivion. In contrast, the Christians, dressed in bright colours, appear new and shiny. From this perspective, Clarke can be seen to be branding the film as an anti-Semitic one. However, he can be criticised on this view because the film seems to be created on a theme of tolerance, studying the Jew-Christian relationship in Prague. Rather than being perceived as anti-Semitic, the film can be considered as an open-ended staging of the struggles between Judaism and Christianity. However, Clarke seems to be bent on the idea that the producers were attracted by Romanticism. It may be concluded that The Golem actually dwells on realism, using comparisons to bring out the depth of two different cultures. In particular, the Star of

Linear Programming essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Linear Programming - Essay Example The applications of linear programming span providing solutions to problems involving economics, computer science, and practically any other industry that requires a production schedule or an actual scheduling process. Moreover, the optimizing feature of linear programming makes it a necessity for people in the management circle to be familiar with. Simplex algorithm A linear programming model is typically solved using a simplex algorithm, or sometimes also referred to as the linear solver (Powell & Baker, 2010). The simplex algorithm involves a series of steps which employs the use of slack and basic variables to change the inequality constraints to equations so that the derived system of equations may be solved to find a feasible solution area. The extreme points of this feasible solution area are then tested by plugging them in to the objective function in order to find out which gives the optimal solution (Singiresu, 2009). Linear Programming Models There are a number of models t hat may be used to generate the solution to a linear programming model. ... Such models are generally used in manufacturing companies or supply chain networks. Another kind of linear programming model involves the blending of a number of resources to produce desired results, hence the term blending model (Baker, 2011). A typical example of this model is the â€Å"diet problem† wherein one aims to find the optimum mix of food products that will produce the maximum nutritional value. The covering model of linear programming is quite different from the first two models in such that it aims to minimize the objective function and is presented with â€Å"greater than constraints† (Powell & Baker, 2010, p. 79). This model is commonly used when minimizing a cost function and requiring the contributions to be greater than a particular value. Finally, the network model is quite unique in nature as it â€Å"describes configurations of flow in a connected system† (Baker, 2011, p. 71). Typically, a network model would require the use of a diagram whi ch aids in the finding of the optimal solution of a given problem. In all these types of linear programming models, spreadsheets may be used to provide assistance in finding the optimal solution. Excel has a built in Solver application which allows the user to simply input the coefficients of the objective function and constraints, and automatically generates values for the feasible region and the corresponding optimal solution. Sensitivity Analysis It should be noted that the task is not yet done when the optimal solution is found. It is also necessary to conduct a corresponding sensitivity analysis on the solution generated. Sensitivity analysis provides information on how instantaneous changes in the parameters of the problem would affect the optimal solution

Family study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Family study - Assignment Example its, with the Indians and Mexican Americans (Hispanics) being categorized as closely-knight families emanates from their traditional socio-political and economic conditions. The Africans had to live together as large family units, to be able to fend for themselves, since the status of slaves did not offer opportunities for venturing into prime economic generation ventures (Newman, 2007). The Mexican and the Indian Americans had to form tightly-knight together families, due to the need to establish identity either as acquired/immigrant group or as the invaded group, respectively. This traditional social construct of minority families define the structure of these families to present day. Focusing on race and ethnicity in defining the structure of minority families is woefully misleading, since there is no set of shared physical characteristics that tie people together (Newman, 2007). The attempt to understand families should be based on the similarities that exist across ethno-racial and religious groups, since focusing on differences results in emphasizing the boundaries distinguishing the members from non-members (Newman, 2007). Additionally, focusing on the differences results in the analysis of belonging to a certain group is something to be proud or ashamed of, instead of focusing on the cultural uniqueness of the different groups (Newman, 2007). This results in a negative social construction. Assimilation should therefore be the aspired mode of defining the future American society. Nevertheless, ever reaching a point of where racial and ethnic categorizations are irrelevant does not seem a possibility. Growing in an interracial or interfaith family has the advantage of helping to break the racial stereotypes held by different races against one another. However, the major disadvantage associated with growing up in an interracial or interfaith family is the difficulty of building a self-identity (Newman, 2007). This is owing to the fact that self-identities

Capital Budgeting Techniques Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Capital Budgeting Techniques - Research Paper Example The purpose of this paper is to describe these techniques and to compare and contrast the pros and cons associated with each of these four capital budgeting techniques. The payback period is used to quantify the expected number of years required to recover the original investment made on a project based on the cash flows that the project generates over its lifetime. The main advantage of this capital budgeting technique is its simplicity. The way to calculate payback period is by adding up the expected cash flows for each year until the original investment of the project is recovered. The basic logic of the method is that it is better to recover the original investment sooner than later. A disadvantage of the payback period method is that it disregards the time value of money. Another capital budget technique to evaluate projects is the net present value or NPV. This method evaluates capital investment projects by finding the present value of future net cash flows, discounted at the rate of return required by the firm (Besley, et al. 2000). One of the pros associated with this capital budgeting technique is that it takes into consideration the time value of money. A project is accepted based on this technique if the NPV output is above cero, while projects that have a negative NPV should be rejected. A disadvantage of the NPV method is that it does not measure the interest rates, profitability, and other benefits relative to the amount invested (Glann, 2009). A third capital budgeting method is the internal rate of return or IRR. The internal rate of return is the rate of return the firm expects to earn if the project is purchased; thus it is defined as the discount rate that equates the present value of a project’s expected cash flow to the investment outlay, or initial cost (Besley, et al. 2000). A pro of the IRR method is that it takes into consideration the time value of money. A project evaluated based on IRR is accepted if the IRR result is greater

Mid term exam essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mid term exam - Essay Example I have never had the opportunity, or the confidence, to try my hand at creative writing. In fact, the idea of becoming a writer never crossed my mind. I held the view that ‘Writing is very difficult’ and is suitable only for very gifted, clever persons. I started learning English only in the seventh grade. Unfortunately, English remained a difficult foreign language to be studied at school, and I did not do any reading outside of my classes. I completed High School in Saudi Arabia without doing any additional reading in English. On my arrival in the United States as a baccalaureate student, I was fully occupied with making adjustments to a strange country and culture. As I started my study of Respiratory Therapy at the University of Indianapolis, I was completely focused on meeting my academic requirements and did not do any reading. It is my good fortune that English 102 is a part of my course. English 102 has rekindled my interest in reading. I am totally surprised at the variety of books available in English. There is something to suit the taste of every individual. I realize that, to this point of my life, I have made the mistake of ignoring any reading or writing which did not fall into my academic syllabus. I have been introduced to poems and stories which have opened a new world for me. I consider it a success that I am beginning to understand and deeply enjoy reading stories and poems in English. The delight I get is definitely worth the effort. I am also slowly beginning to think that I can also try to write! Of course, I realize that this is going to be a very slow process, as I have a long way to go in mastering the English language. But I am developing the confidence that I can read and write good English. The piece of short fiction which has kindled a genuine delight in English literature in me is Ernest Hemingway’s story, â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants.† I am

Capital Budgeting Techniques Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Capital Budgeting Techniques - Research Paper Example The purpose of this paper is to describe these techniques and to compare and contrast the pros and cons associated with each of these four capital budgeting techniques. The payback period is used to quantify the expected number of years required to recover the original investment made on a project based on the cash flows that the project generates over its lifetime. The main advantage of this capital budgeting technique is its simplicity. The way to calculate payback period is by adding up the expected cash flows for each year until the original investment of the project is recovered. The basic logic of the method is that it is better to recover the original investment sooner than later. A disadvantage of the payback period method is that it disregards the time value of money. Another capital budget technique to evaluate projects is the net present value or NPV. This method evaluates capital investment projects by finding the present value of future net cash flows, discounted at the rate of return required by the firm (Besley, et al. 2000). One of the pros associated with this capital budgeting technique is that it takes into consideration the time value of money. A project is accepted based on this technique if the NPV output is above cero, while projects that have a negative NPV should be rejected. A disadvantage of the NPV method is that it does not measure the interest rates, profitability, and other benefits relative to the amount invested (Glann, 2009). A third capital budgeting method is the internal rate of return or IRR. The internal rate of return is the rate of return the firm expects to earn if the project is purchased; thus it is defined as the discount rate that equates the present value of a project’s expected cash flow to the investment outlay, or initial cost (Besley, et al. 2000). A pro of the IRR method is that it takes into consideration the time value of money. A project evaluated based on IRR is accepted if the IRR result is greater

Three Business Types Essay Example for Free

Three Business Types Essay Barber Shop This is a small service oriented business. It is established by one individual with the purpose of providing barbing services to the community. It provides the people of the community a place to go and have their hair cut without having to go extra distance to get hair cuts. Setting up a barber shop is not so financially demanding as all you will need is a location (shop), hair clipper(s), chair(s) and mirrors. I essence if you are renting a shop the bulk of the expenses in setting up the barber’s shop will be the shop itself. The owner of the barber’s shop in my community is skilled in the barbing of hair and so when he started out he was alone and did not have to employ the services of another barber. It was the skill he possessed that prompted him to choose to start a business of barbing. Today, with prudent financial management, excellent services and perfect customer relation he has grown the barber shop so much that he has 10 barbers working for him; and he doesn’t have to do barbing jobs himself except for very important customers. What led the owner to choose this business are:Â   (1) he has the skills; (2) proximity to market, and; (3) it is not so financially demanding to set up. Football Club The community football club is a business that is listed on the stock exchange and thus provides for general ownership by everybody within and outside the community. The business of this football club is entertainment which is also more of service inclined. It also does merchandising of its jerseys and other club memorabilia. What must have led the initial owners of this business to form it was to provide entertainment and also bring popularity to the community through the sporting prowess of her football team. In other words, it was not established for profit but overtime and with stronger popularity, the money started coming in. Energy Company This corporation started with exploration and exploitation of oil then realising that it could maximise profit going full circle into the energy industry built its own refinery and power generation machine that runs on the fuel it exploits and refines. Today it not only generates and sells electric energy and petroleum fuel; it also builds refineries and electric plants for other companies and governments across the world. The global demand for energy and the need to meet this demand must have prompted the owners of this business to set up the company that has become one of the world’s leading energy corporations. Because of the huge energy demand on a global scale there is a guarantee of huge returns on investment. Reference http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mangb/stepstogrowth/engdoc/step3/ssg-3-5.php#industry; sourced 00:45 GMT +1, 2/10/06

Factors Affecting Firm Size

Factors Affecting Firm Size Before explaining the factors that exert limits on the size of firms, it is very important to understand what a firm is and how do we measure its size. Lets start with a basic definition of a firm. In simple terms, a firm is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods, services or both to consumers or tertiary business in exchange for money( Sullivan Arthur; Steven M. Sheffrin (2003). Now that we have an idea of what a firm is lets move on to the ways in which we can measure its size. A lot of ways can be used to measure the size of a firm. One can measure its size by the total revenue it generates, but this does not tell us anything about the scope of a firms underlying activity. Another way is value added( i.e.the sum of factor inputs). This gives us a precise measure of activity in the firm , but this data is generally not available from the company. Lastly, there is the number of employees working in the firm, which is the most widely used measure with more than 80 percent of the studies using it (Kimberley(1976, 587). The size of a firm has been measured as per the number of employees working in a firm in this essay. Before we embark on the long list of factors that exert limits on a firms size, lets just see if these limits are just theoretical aspects or do they actually exist. Have you ever wondered why do big companies like Toyota only limit their area of operations to a few sectors like automobiles? Why dont these companies expand in different directions and produce a wide array of products like food products, milk, laptops etc.? Everyone talks about how important size is, but if size was such a great advantage, the smaller companies would have soon disappeared. But as we see around us, this is not happening. If there had been no limits to the size of a firm then there would have been an inexorable concentration of industries and economies until there was only one global firm left. Since this is not happening, this proves that there do exist certain factors that exert certain limits on the size of a firm. Lets study these factors in detail: FACTORS LIMITING FIRM SIZE Diseconomies of scale It is a well documented fact that higher levels of production permit the use of more efficient techniques. They vindicate the investment in cost reducing technologies and allow workers to be more specialized. But however persuasive they may be, returns to scale have their limits. Machines related to two production units can be advantageously pulled together only if they are not employed to their capacities, similarly the law of large numbers becomes smaller and smaller as the firm grows, ultimately leading to increasing cost of production of goods and services for the larger firms leading to diseconomies of scale. Williamson(1975) identified four main categories of diseconomies of scale Communications Failure due to bounded rationality It is impossible to expand a firm without adding hierarchical layers. As information is passed between layers their is a high probability that it gets distorted, reducing the ability of high level managers to make decisions based on facts and leads to declining return to entrepreneurial function. Bureaucratic insularity Williamson argued that as firms increase in size the senior managers are less accountable to the lower ranks of the organization and to the shareholders. They thus become insulated and will strive to maximize their personal benefits rather than the profits of the firm. The consequences are that large firms tend to more easily accept organizational slack and resources are misallocated Employee alienation As firms expand there will be increased specialization, but also less moral involvement of the employees, according to Williamson (1975, 128-129). The decline in moral involvement is due to the difficulty for the employee to understand the purpose of activities as well as the small contribution each employee makes to the totality. Thus, alienation is more likely to occur in large firms. Misalignment of incentives Firms can not compensate their employees perfectly due to a number of limitations according to Williamson (1975, 129-130). First, large bonus payments may threaten senior managers. Second, performance related bonuses might affect the employment contract so that less than optimal behavior is encouraged. The outcome is that large firms tend to pay based on tenure and position rather than on merit. This is especially important in product and process development where the large firms are at a disadvantage to smaller enterprises. Availability of Finance/Capital Every firm at some point or the other needs to employ some external capital to grow. There is a strong and positive relationship between the amount of finance that a firm can raise and the managerial ability and entrepreneurial capital that the firm has, i.e. higher the entrepreneurial capital higher the amount that the firm can borrow. Also, given the existence of capital market imperfections, it would be unwise to assume that finance is never a real problem. It has been generally observed that the average size of firms is larger in countries with better financial markets, suggesting that financial constraints keep firms small. An example in this regard can be of Finland, where the size of the firms are large, despite the countrys small size, as compared to say Spain or Italy because it has a very efficient financial system, as measured by its accounting standards. Role of Government/Judicial Factors Government also plays a crucial role in determining the freedom that the firm enjoys in performing its operations with full capacity. Governments often employ certain regulations which put a limit on the size of the firm. Many costly regulations apply to larger firms (for example the obligation to provide health insurance in the US or Union Laws in Italy). This tilts the playing field towards small firms. Other regulations, such as strong product liability laws, favor the creation of separate legal entities that can avail the protection afforded by limited liability. This further leads to smaller firms. High corporate taxes could also drive many economic activities into the informal sector, and reduce reduce the incentive to create larger firms, this is probably why Italy has so many small firms. It has been observed in certain countries, that the government in order to protect the local market sometimes puts restrictions on the import of certain raw materials or machinery. This puts the firms in such countries at handicap when competing with foreign firm and in turn puts a limit on the size of the firm, as their area of operation remains limited to the local market. An efficient government and legal system on the other hand eases managements ability to use critical resources other thaan physical assets as source power, which leads to establishment of firms of larger size(Rajan and Zingales(1998c)). It also protects outside investors better and allows larger firms to be financed . Finally, an efficient government and legal system reduces coordination costs and allows larger organisations(Becker and Murphy(1992)). Limitations of the market Another major factor that limits the size of the firm is the limitations posed by the market, the expansion of which would require unprofitable price reductions or increase in selling cost. Adam Smith(1776) had suggested that the extent of specialization was limited by the size of the market. If a worker needs to acquire task specific human capital, there is a set-up cost incurred every time the worker is assigned a new task. It is, therefore reasonable to expect workers to perform specialized tasks and to expect a firm to hire more workers when its production process becomes more specialized. Therefore, one would expect not only the extent of specialization but also the size of the firms to be limited by the size of the market that is being served. Security There are always considerations of security to take into account- both security against bankruptcy and security against a takeover bid. The faster a firm attempts to expand, the more it will be driven to accept high-risk investments and the more it may have to rely on fixed interest debt. Both endanger the future of the firm. The failure of a major investment or the high level of fixed charges that a firm is obliged to meet when trade is depressed may bring it to its knees. Too rapid a rate of growth may also expose the firm to the danger of a takeover bid. This may occur if rapid expansion depresses the firms profitability or if it results in high retention of profits and low dividend payments to shareholders.Too low a rate on the other hand, may also attract a takeover bid. A profitable firm with a high conservative management may have a high level of liquidity. A prospective acquirer may feel confident that the funds can be put to more profitable use. Thus, this fear of security m ay also limit the size of the firm in that the firm may not be inclined to accept high risk investments in view of the fixed costs they have to pay off, thus limiting growth. Fear of expropriation Fear of expropriation is also a key factor that limits the size of the firm. This fear has been appropriately analyzed by Rajan and Zingales(1998c) with the help of a stylized model where an entrepreneur has a critical resource with which he wants to produce. In order to produce he has to offer employees access to the resource and its mode of employ. There are constant returns to scale in production but increasing returns to scale in marketing so that a larger firm captures a disproportionate share of the market. The problem is that the property rights of the entrepreneur are not fully secure. As a result he has to limit the number of employees who have access to the resource. The reason is that while he has a noyeaux dur of employees who have specialized to the firms business, have high switching costs, and are therefor loyal, new unspecialized employees on the other hand have low switching costs. If there are sufficient number of them, they will know they can capture a large market share if they band together and make away with a copy of the critical resource. thus, the entrepreneur can employ only a few employees, and has to wait until they specialize and become loyal before admitting new ones. It turns out that not only does this fear of expropriation limit the rate of growth of the number of employees in the firm, it also limits its eventual size. An example in this regard can be taken of the Venezuelan steel company Sidetur, which was recently expropriated by the government. Availability of Technology Sometimes the availability of a particular technology also limits the size of the firm. For example a person may have patented a particular technology and might be the only one who can use it for some time to come. In that scenario a firm producing the same product is handicapped as they do not have the access to the same technology that its competitor has and thus cannot increase its size and becomes stagnant. Another example in this regard can be a strict government policy which does not allow the firms in a particular country to import a particular technology, thereby limiting the size of the firm by not allowing the firm to compete in the global market. Uncertainty Uncertainty plays a crucial role in limiting the size of the firm. It is clear that the seriousness of this problem can be reduced, but only at the cost of additional management effort, which may affect the pattern as well as the rate of growth. This can be illustrated by considering some of the ways in which a firm might respond to uncertainty. One possible response is to increase the variety of goods produced . This would clearly affect the pattern of growth and might increase the managerial resources needed to coordinate the firms activities. Indeed, management problems in a diversified firm might be so acute that they lead either to voluntary disinvestments(can be expanded ;), or to exposure of the firm to a takeover bid.Part of the attraction of a takeover for the predator might also be the profitable sale of subsidiaries of the acquired company to more specialist producers. Another response may be to emphasize short-term projects to the neglect of the long term ones, which agai n would affect the pattern of growth as well as the long term growth rate. Yet another response is to take longer in arriving at investment decisions : for instance, by carrying out more market research before deciding to launch a new product. In this respect different attributes would have a crucial impact on business performance, for the firm that is perfectly risk averse may find that it delays for so long before making a decision that it loses a potential position of market leadership to a competitor. Given the managerial resources available, uncertainty will place a limit on the rate of expansion or size by affecting the volume of managerial services required for a given amount of expansion.

Evolving Federalism Essay -- essays research papers

Evolving Federalism Pre-Class Assignment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Federalism by definition is the division of power between a central government and its participating members. How that power is divided is the subjective aspect of federalism that was before the framers of the United States. Through compromise and necessity the seeds for a strong central government were planted alongside already strong state governments. Over time the seeds for strong central government grew; wars, economic fluctuations and national growth established a strong central government. As America’s idea of federalism changed the central government grew more powerful, the state’s government gave more power away, and local governments were established. In American Intergovernmental Relations, Laurence O’Toole cites Harry Scheiber five stages of federalism to identify three key terms of federalism in the U.S as â€Å"dual federalism,† â€Å"cooperative federalism,† and â€Å"creative federalism.† According to Schei ber the five stages of federalism, are still a valid history of federalism in the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first stage, 1789-1861, he calls the â€Å"era of dual federalism† in which national, state, and local governments operated independently of one another. This â€Å"layer-cake† stage was a product of Congress, â€Å"refraining from making innovative policy in many areas formally opened to it by the Court.† It was apparent during this time that Congress was not yet ready to move to a more centralized government that would interfere with state and local governments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scheiber identifies the second stage, 1861-1890, as a period of transition to a more centralized government. Change to the Constitution, expansion of federal court powers, business regulation, and Supreme Court activism all worked to increase the power of national government and move towards a more centralized view of federalism. Schreiber’s third stage from 1890 to 1933 continues this move towards centralization with World War I as a catalyst.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal â€Å"inaugurated† Scheiber’s fourth stage. â€Å"Cooperative federalism† surfaces in this stage that promoted interaction and funding between the state, local, and national governments in order to facilitate new programs under the New Deal. Although this stage, labeled the marbl... ...very well improve the education system in states such as Arizona, where charter schools are becoming popular but still lack quality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Education is a strong example of competitive and cooperative federalism. Most schools receive federal grants to ensure certain programs are instituted in public schools. States provide the majority of funding to local school districts and mandate the majority of the curriculum. Local governments allocate the funds from the state to accomplish the curriculum goals as they see fit. Yet all three of these governments compete for control over how their children get educated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Education is a prime example of shifting power in the U.S. Landmark Supreme Court cases such as Brown v. Board of Education has forced integration upon the states. Recently, the issue of the word â€Å"God† in the pledge of allegiance has surfaced in the education field and may be decided in federal courts. Bush has made it clear that he favors education reform at the federal level. Whatever the outcome, one of the three levels of government will seize more power from the education issue in this era of competitive federalism.

Focus Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Focus Everyone has problems concentrating once in a while, moments when the words on the page don't seem nearly as interesting as one's own thoughts. Most everyone has days when they feel an unexplained burst of exuberance or restlessness . Maybe it was a promotion or a messy break up, but the work just wouldn't get done and not for lack of trying. Now imagine everyday like this, every day filled with frenetic energy that cannot seem to be channeled into anything productive. Sure it might be fun for a while, but what about when you really need to get something done and it doesn't happen. You go to clean your room, and six hours later there are still piles of clothing on the floor. You can't recall what it is that you've been doing all afternoon. All you know is that nothing got done. You go to read a book, but the words dissolve into marks on the page, patterns which make no logical sense, providing only the background for another means of staring off into space. You go to visit a friend, but she quickly tires of the way you seem to constantly interrupt her. You were listening to what she said, but you just got ahead of her somehow and started talking over her. You find yourself depressed and isolated. This is the world of someone who suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (1,2) According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association as the main set of guidelines for diagnosing mental disorders in the USA, there are four main subtypes of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, combined, and not otherwise specified. The symptomology of each include: 1. ADHD-Inattentive* : a. Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mi... ...s not necessarily all bad. By entertaining a greater range of stimuli, ADHD can make the person seem more creative and free thinking. Nevertheless, lacking the ability to properly focus one's attention, the sufferer will also find him or herself at a serious disadvantage on a very fundamental level, which can effect his or her social, scholastic, and emotional life. Thus drug and behavioral therapies are a god-send to many families. Ritalin, as well as Dexedrine and Cylert, etc., should be carefully considered, then carefully monitored if the decision is made to try them. Attention deficit is not an easy thing with which to live, but if found and treated, the person can lead an entirely normal and happy life. Sources Consulted: http://www.mentalhealth.com/drug/p30-r03.html http://www.newideas.net/p0000409.htm http://www.breggin.com/ritalinbkexcerpt.html

Women and Depression

Depression is currently the fourth most common cause of disability worldwide (Culbertson, 1997). With depression being such a large issue in society, it cannot be looked at as a â€Å"one size fits all,† particularly when it comes to examining gender differences associated with mental health disorders (Smith and Jaffe, 2012). There are many social causes prevalent in society, varying by gender, which contributes to the risk of being diagnosed with depression or the rate to which they experience depression.Depression is the leading cause for disability in women and they are roughly twice as likely to experience depression as men. Some reasons for this may be that women tend to dwell on their problems, they experience victimization and they also must deal with the effects that estrogen has on the stress hormone and menstrual cycle. Men’s experiences with depression have not been as well understood as women’s. Although women may be diagnosed more then men, it does n ot mean that men suffer any less; they often suffer in silence.With the social constructions of what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman, it has created an atmosphere in which it negatively affects the willingness to seek help or treatment and the diagnosis of mental illnesses relating to health and health care. There is evidence to suggest that men are just as vulnerable as women to depression and for the same reasons that make women depressed but they remain undiagnosed and untreated (Zartaloudi, 2011). Men on average are less willing to seek help but are more reluctant to seek help in the case of depression.There are a larger number of men compared to women who suffer from problems closely related to depression such as alcohol and drug abuse and the suicide rates in men are very high. According to Real, â€Å"women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression than men because many health professionals, as well as family members and friends, may find it easier to diagnose women with depression more than men because of the fear of the stigma and shame surrounding depression for men, a disorder which is regarded as emotional and not a manly illness. (Real, 1997) So in society it is hard to diagnose depression in men because they have a harder time admitting that they have it. With that being said, the social roles that we have created for both men and women create the need for different treatment options and care that will ultimately lead to the same result; successfully treating depression. The social conditions of life and the differences that are presented for individuals create different health care needs for everyone. The health care system often fails to address these differences and in doing so, it can often reinforce the inequalities (Payne & Doyal, 2010).It is important to recognize the different social processes present in society if the health care system is going to respond to the needs of individuals. Men are known to use heal th care services less than women, which can relate to men’s shorter life expectancies. So this leads to the problem of men not wanting to seek health care, as they want to look masculine and adhere to the gender role that society has created. These generalizations can be very harmful to both men and women as they can often affect the action one may take.For example, men also tend to wait longer to seek health care, as they do not use the services as much as women (Payne & Doyal, 2010). So in the case of depression, if men tend to wait longer, it could lead to alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide. One is held accountable for every action they perform to be appropriate to the sex category they adhere to. Because the rate of depression is about two times greater for women than men, depression can often be framed as a ‘women’s issue’ and therefore men do not want to admit to being depressed.Women also react differently as they are more likely to change their app etite, become emotional and lose weight where as men tend to turn to alcohol and drugs which can lead to further complications (Zartaloudi, 2011). Although women are more likely to attempt suicide and there are more reported cases of women attempting to kill themselves, men are reported to have a higher death rate by suicide than women. Men have a very high rate of suicide; they are about three to four times more likely to kill themselves regardless of their age.Men are also more likely to commit suicide because they tend to act quicker on their thoughts and use more lethal methods such as guns (Mayo Clinic, 2011). Men often times will try to live up to the standards of masculinity that society has created. It has been hypothesized that men can experience a loss of psychological well-being while trying to achieve the masculine goals related to the gender roles that have been created. Men may also make themselves feel better by relying on avoidance and coping in ways such as distract ion, social diversion, denial and disengagement (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1999).Men often fail to recognize depression, not realizing that some of their symptoms are those of depression. They also down play their sign and symptoms of depression and often do not want to talk about what they are feeling where as women are more likely to seek medical help or turn to family and friends (NIMH, 2011). When looking specifically at women and depression, it can be noted that women suffer in different ways then men due to different social causes they experience.Looking at the cultural roles and how they affect both men and women, women have always been viewed to have unequal power and wealth. With lower incomes, women are more likely to live in poverty and stress about housing and access to health care resources (Mayo Clinic, 2010). Minority women face racial discrimination as well which can lead to lower self-esteem and can contribute to feelings of depression. As well, women who were emotionally, se xually or physically abused as children are more likely to be depressed as adults.Women are also more likely to be sexually abused (Weiss, 1999). Overall depression will continue to affect both and men and women in different ways and it is important to address this issue to ensure that both men and women are getting the correct diagnosis and treatment that is necessary. Although there are many factors that contribute to an increased risk of depression such as death, divorce, job loss or any major changes, it is important to look at social causes that affect women differently than men.There are many specific risk factors for mental disorders that disproportionately affect women which include gender based violence, socioeconomic disadvantage, low income and income inequality, low or subordinate social status and unremitting responsibility for the care of others (WHO, 2012). The high rate of sexual violence present in our society which women are exposed and the correspondingly high rat e of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder result in women being the largest group of people affected by depression.According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, â€Å"Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16,† (CWF, 2012). Having experienced sexual or physical violence can lead to an increased risk in experiencing depression for both men and women, although women are at a higher risk due to a higher rate of experiencing violence. Often, the social construction of gender leads to the view of women being inferior to men and so men view themselves as having control over women and can often result in physical or sexual violence.Some often wonder if men are at the same risk for experiencing violence but the Canadian Women’s Foundation states that 83% of all police-reported cases of domestic violence are against women and that remains the same throughout every province in Canada, (CMF, 2012). It ha s also been reported that one in five women suffer rape or attempted rape in their lifetime, (WHO, 2012). Living with the fear of being raped or experiencing rape also contributes to the increased risk of depression among women. Women often are humiliated to share their experience with anyone and often do not disclose information unless asked directly by a doctor.Men too are reluctant to share their experiences of violence as we have created a social stigma in which men are not to express such emotional feelings and so the violence goes unreported. Violence against women then, may contribute to the reason as to why women are the largest single group affected by depression. Another social cause of depression among both men and women but specifically women is low socioeconomic standing. The higher prevalence of depression among women can be associated with their socioeconomic position, stress processes and role of social support (Warrell, 2012).Reports continue to show that women that live in poverty or with a love economic status show higher rates of depression than women who live in a higher economic standing. The stress of struggling economically can often times play a big role in the emotional toll it takes on a person, specifically women. A reason why women are at a higher risk of depression and suffering long-term is that they are exposed to greater amounts of stress (Warrell, 2012). Women often have responsibilities both at work and within the home as they are often stereotyped as the ‘house-wife’, responsible for most of the duties within the home.Socioeconomic status and the struggle for women to deal with major stressors that relate contribute to the high rate of depression among women. Society has created many stereotypes around gender and how males and females should act. Men are seen as the powerful, dominant type who should have the control and the power within society. Men who show emotions and express feelings associated with the fem ale stereotypes are often looked down upon. Women are seen as the emotional, fragile beings that are emotional and as a result are inferior to men.Although we are working as a society to break down these stereotypes, they are still prevalent and we must find ways to cope with them. Looking specifically at depression, women often feel as though they are inferior to men and that they are unequal within society; this may contribute to feelings of depression. There are many ways for the issue of depression to be addressed. One of the most important ways for this issue to be addressed is for it to be talked about and have fewer stigmas attached to it. Many people view depression and mental illness as a negative thing and therefore much stigma comes attached to the diagnoses of depression.Men, who already have a hard time going to get help when they need it, are even less likely to reach out for help if they will be labeled as weak and treated differently if their condition becomes public knowledge. As mentioned above, if society would take a step back and not put so much emphasis on hegemonic masculinities and make it more socially acceptable for men to show emotion and not have negative repercussions when coming to terms with their mental illness, more men would feel comfortable speaking out about their illness and hopefully actively seek treatment.One way that this stigma is approached is how Bell Canada has created a campaign to help eliminate the stigma attached to depression and mental illness. They offer some interesting statistics that are quite troubling in regards to the problem of mental health and its funding: mental health does not receive the funding relative to the need because mental illness represents 15% of health care troubles; however, they only receive 5% of funding.Another startling statistic provided was that only one-third of Canadians who need mental health services actually receive them. (http://letstalk. bell. ca). Another initiative that has been created to help spread awareness about mental health issues is the Canadian Population Health Initiative. This initiative has seen very positive outcomes in how mental health is treated, promoted and viewed in Canadian society. Many new initiatives and policies have been created in the past 20 years to help address the issues that are faced in the public sector of mental health.Some of the positive changes that have been made include: The creation of the Mental Health Promotion Unit in 1995 to promote health public policy for mental health, in 1996 a new holistic definition of mental health was created to demonstrate that mental health is a â€Å"multi-faceted nature of health and moved beyond disease-oriented understandings† (Ottawa: CIHI, 2009) and in 2007 the creation of the Mental Health Commission of Canada that was to help people living with mental illness get treatment as well as promote positive mental health promotion across the nation (Ottawa: CIHI, 2009).B y the creation of these old and new initiatives and policies, there is more attention being given to the issue of mental health and a reduction of the stigma attached to it. Education is the best way to understand something and if the country is educated on the issues, they will be less likely to rely on old stereotypes to categorize people who suffer from mental illness. I believe that depression is a major issue present within society and we must find ways to break down the gender stereotypes in order for both males and females to feel comfortable talking about it.I believe that it is important to look at how we can address this issue as women are suffering at a higher rate than men while men are suffering in silence, without help from anyone. Depression must be viewed as an illness that is okay to talk about and okay to get help for. Depression is common in society and no one is ever alone when dealing with depression and the feelings associated with it. It is scary to think that two thirds of people suffering are not receiving any help.People suffering need not be ashamed of what they are going through and should be eager to seek the proper treatment when needed. As a society, we must break away from the gender stereotypes associated with gender and understand that depression is an illness that both men and women suffer from. We need to continue to use campaigns and initiatives to show people that they are not alone and that it is nothing to be ashamed of. Women are at a higher rate of experiencing depression as they are affected differently by social causes that are present within our society.In recent times, we have been trying to put to rest the idea that men are superior to women as every human being should be considered equal and capable of doing the same things within society. If everyone is considered as equal, it may lead to a decrease in violence against women and people of color may not feel oppressed by other members of society. If this is possi ble, women’s risk of experiencing depression may decrease and it may no longer be viewed as a women’s illness.It can be concluded that although men and women both suffer from depression and feel some of the same emotions, the way they experiencing depression differs greatly due to the social causes we see in society today. Bibliography References Canadian Institute of Health Information, Improving the Health of Canadians: Exploring Positive Mental Health (Ottawa: CIHI, 2009). Canadian Women’s Foundation, The facts about violence against women. 2012. Retrieved on November 20th, 2012 from < http://www. canadianwomen. org/facts-about-violence> Culbertson, F. (1997).Depression and Gender; an international review. American Psychology, 25-35. K. , B. B. (2012). Diagnosis and treatment rates for depression in older adults have grown overtime, with medication edging out therapy. AHRQ Research Activities, (379), 21-22. Logan, J. , Skopp, N. A. , Karch, D. , Reger, M. A. , & Gahm, G. A. (2012). Characteristics of Suicides Among US Army Active Duty Personnel in 17 US States From 2005 to 2007. American Journal Of Public Health, 102S40-4. doi:10. 2105/AJPH. 2011. 300481 Mayo Clinic Staff. (2010). Depression in women: Understanding the gender gap.Mayo Foundation for medical Education and Research, 1-3. Nolen-Hoeksema, S. , Larson, J. , Grayson, C. (1999). Explaining the gender difference in depressive symptoms. Social Psychology. 77(5): 1061-72. Payne, S. , & Doyal, L. (2010). Re-visiting gender justice in health and health care. In E. Kuhlman, and E. Annadale (Eds. ), The Palgrave handbook of gender and healthcare (pp. 21-35). Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan. Smith, M. , & Jaffe, J. (2012). Depression in Women: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment. The Help Guide. Waller, E. 2012) Socioeconomic Position and Major Mental Disorders. Oxford University Press. Retrieved on November 19th, 2012 from: < http://epirev. oxfordjournals. org/content/26/1/53. full> Weiss e t Al. (1999). Childhood sexual abuse as a risk factor for depression in women. American Psychiatry, 816-28. World Health Organization, Mental Health: Gender and women’s mental health. 2012. Retrieved on November 20th, 2012 from: < http://www. who. int/mental_health/prevention/genderwomen/en/> Zartaloudi, A. (2011). What is men’s experience of depression? Health Science Journal, 182-187.