The Inspirational Nature of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist is a popular book written by Charles Dickens among many others such as David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens wrote many short stories, plays, novels, fiction, and nonfiction stories during his lifetime. He wrote a lot about the different types of people in the world, especially about the poor. This type of writing showed in the book Oliver Twist. This book is told by a 3rd omniscient narrator. Oliver Twist is the main character in this book as the story is based around his life. He is an orphan boy who is in need of a good home. He lives in a workhouse at first and escapes right away to look for better living conditions. The story of Oliver’s life is a main part of the whole book. Mr. Brownlow and Fagin are just a couple that are mentioned more than others throughout the book. Mr. Brownlow is a kind old gentleman that ends up taking care of Oliver. He is very important in the story because he is the character that figures out the story behind Oliver’s life. The Brownlow household is the first place that Oliver has actually liked to be and not wanted to escape. Oliver felt safe there after he had escaped the group of thieves he had run across that was led by Fagin. Fagin was a thieve, murderer, and robber. His plan was to make a bad kid out of Oliver, but by the end of the book that wasn’t going to happen. Fagin was a big part of the book because once Oliver had escaped fromShow MoreRelatedOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesrelationship between organization theory and management practice Social engineering and organization theory Critical alternatives to managerialism in organization theory Philosophical disputes and debates: explaining and understanding the diverse nature of organization theory Mapping some aspects of organization theory’s diversity Positivist protagonists: the truth is out there, and we can objectively know it Philosophical disputes around the role of the subjective in science Epistemological and

Racism Is A Big Problem - 1849 Words

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Even the ancient Greeks, known for having pioneered the concept of democratic governance, considered mankind to be divided into two general classes- Greeks and Barbarians. Nations did not consider morality when they set out to conquer one another, and ownership could be gained by â€Å"right of conquest†. When one nation conquered another and spoils were taken, slaves were often among those spoils. Racism has been around since the early times of civilization and has many names describing it. The word â€Å"racism† first came into common usage in the 1930s when a new word was requiredShow MoreRelatedRacism Is A Big Problem1249 Words   |  5 PagesRACISM â€Å"REALLY† Racism has been a big problem in the United States.â€Å"Racism Really† I chose this title because I wanted to know more about racism. Such as, what happened during the Ferguson destruction, and why is that so many white cops shoot at innocent men, and how long has this been going on. 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Issues of accounting in a Global Organisation-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the the Challenges and Issues of accounting in a Global Organisation. Answer: Introduction Accounting is a major concept which possesses a history comprising number of practices, models, theories, frameworks, approaches as well as also has regular technological intervention. But with the effect of modernization, globalization and increasing dynamicity, there have been an increased number of challenges and issues. All these issues are experienced by the companies at the international level and are required to have more emphasized concern for letting the accounting functions free from these challenges. The following paper will an in-depth section of literature review farmed on the basis of several notions and viewpoint different authors have in respect with the challenges of accounting and also the respective measures for overcoming those issues. Project Objectives The key purpose of the literature review is to develop an understanding of the challenges and issues of accounting in a global organisation as well as to comprehend the various measures through which the organisations can cope up with those accounting issues. Project Scope There are number of issues and challenges of account ting which the organisations are required to manage and resist for achieving effective functioning and improved productivity. Since few decades, there are regular changes which are taking place in the account ting practices. The literature scope is to have an overall perspective of the various accounting approaches in the global companies (Akisik, 2013). There are diverse set of accounting measures in the international organisations and in the phase of globalisation, there is a vast need of skilled and talented human resource for effective management of the global accounting practices. Literature Review In global organisations, accounting holds a strong position. There are a number of financial approaches by which the companies can gather appropriate information for organisational decision making. The financial accounting is a function of economic management that support in aspects like recording of financial transaction, monitoring and summarizing (Allen, et al., 2012). The key objective of the financial accounting is to present the external stakeholders with adequate and particular information which includes offering info to investors, creditors and the government entities. The reason behind offering the info is to help them in analysing and evaluating the overall financial conditions, growth and development and profitability of the company. Global accounting offers both opportunities as well as threats in terms of challenges to the global accountants of the companies (Bushman, 2014). Other than the two primary function i.e. making decisions on the basis of capital structure and d ividend, the global accounting also support in capital structuring practices and profit maximization in the companies as well as their subsidiaries. According to the view points of Burns and Needles (2014), the practice of financial accounting was initiated in the 1930s. With an in-depth study and research in past eighty years, there has been evaluated by the researchers that financial accounting not only have positive aspect but there are some negative aspects too which poses a number of challenges for the global organisations. With mutual features of accounting and globalisation, there took place performance measurement, recognition reforms, disclosures, reporting and reporting to the various external parties were counted as the major financial principles which control and govern the activities of recognition and measurement in accounting (Burns and Needles, 2014). There is a direct link between the objective of financial accounting and the associated challenges experienced by the organisations and the managers. According to the thoughts of Weygandt, Kimmel and Kieso (2015), it is identified that the challenges of accounting go hand in hand with the developments in the field of accounting (Weygandt, Kimmel and Kieso, 2015). The companies pay high emphasis on the challenges which are there in the accounting practices as there is a direct impact of these challenges on the performance and productivity of the companies (Hodges, 2012). In the vast literature on accounting, there are number of issues highlighted by Warren, Reeve and Duchac (2013) in their research in respect with accounting in the global organisation. the key challenges which impact the organisations comprises of reporting of the non-financial indicators, diverse accounting standards, multiple-jurisdictional issues, technological interventions, environmental issues and incompetent human resource. The primary challenge which has been discussed by the authors is the challenge related to economic environment. In current business scenario, in maximum number of nations, the traditional accounting is recognized as the key accounting stream (Warren, Reeve and Duchac, 2013). Due to rapid developments and technological advancements, there are growing improvements in the competence and skills of the managers so that they can manage the modified business functions and operations based on rapid technological innovations. There is immense impact posed on the tra ditional accounting of the new developments in the accounting function or of the digitalised accounting functions. It also develops a need of working on new accounting models. In present time, there is high emphasis posed on e-accounting concept in eth international organisations. E-accounting explains internet which is exterior to the intranet and business. The use of intranet is bound by the info sharing among the organisational departments whereas the internet enable sharing of information and communication among international companies, trading partners as well as the customers (Schaltegger and Burritt, 2010). There is a negative impact on the accounting function in respect with measurement, reporting and recognition. The improved technologies left no chance for the workforce for managing the accounting functions in an appropriate and effective manner as there is lack of ability to work on new and innovative accounting standards (Richardson, 2017). The existing workforces are no t able to develop a balance between the new technologies and their skills thus it results in reduced organisational productivity and growth (Gordon, et al., 2013). The second major challenge is in relation with the financial instrument as due to continuous improvements and complexity, the accounting executives face difficulty in performing accounting function (Narayanaswamy, 2017). There are number of assets in the financial statements that even do not exist in the actual business life such as the agreements of repurchase, forward contracts, options etc. the complexity of these financial instruments made their valuation challenging. It helps the global organizations to easily manipulate the values and figures of the financial instruments (Gordon, et al., 2013). The researchers have identified a number of instances of frauds and manipulation in the business history which have led the businesses to perform corporate frauds by over-valuing the statements (Sharma and Panigrahi, 2013). Rather than being the trading function, the companies take use of these instruments for performing manipulations in the financial performance of the global organizati ons to show a misrepresented data to the public. Thus, the valuation of they non-financial instruments is one of the biggest challenge faced by the account ting executives (Horngren, et al., 2012). The next challenge is of multi-jurisdictional reporting. This issue rose because of the reason that there are number of subsidiaries of global organisations which require adequate reporting and thus issues take place. It becomes challenging for the accounting executives to have individual financial statements for all the branches as per the diverse laws and regulation of that particular nation or region (Salvato and Moores, 2010). The companies are necessitate submitting a consolidated statement that comprises of the data of all the subsidiaries and this is one of the complex task or challenge as it takes immense time for accomplishment of the accounting operation. Maximum of the countries have started working on the basis of the accounting standards developed by International Accounting Standards Board i.e. IASB so that there can be extended level of uniformity across the international business units (Zeff, 2012). But the change still remains as thereat res till many countries who d o not work on these standards and it becomes challenging for the global organisations to manage the accounting function while working in those countries as they are required to follow specific and different laws and regulations, practices and standards of accounting. The next issue or challenge highlighted by authors is the non-financial measures. Non-financial measures can be understand as the measures which are exterior to the loop of the financial measures and are not possible to measured by the means of the accounting standards. There is a vital significance of these measures in any business as it is one of the dependent success factors for the organisation (Karadag, 2015). The non-financial measures comprises of satisfaction of the customers, brand image of the company, employment practices, etc. (Owolabi and Iyoha, 2012). These measures are subjective and diverse as they depend upon user ton user thus their measurement is a challenging task and thus their impact can also ne not measured (Kieso, Weygandt and Warfield, 2010). All these issues are experienced by the companies at the international level and are required to have more emphasized concern for letting the accounting functions free from these challenges. The organisations take use of a number of approaches for overcoming these challenges. According to Hopwood, Unerman and Fries (2010), one of the best ways is by the implementation and the adoption of the practice of Green Accounting (Hopwood, Unerman and Fries, 2010). Green accounting is the accounting practice which is performed for achieving an environment-caring business. There are still number of developing nation that take use of traditional accounting are require to have new and innovative techniques (Schlesinger, Libby. and Geiszler, 2013). Another key practice for overcoming the challenge of accounting is to take use of the recruitment of the people that possess updated technological knowledge and skills so that they can effectively work and manage the new accounting functions. There is a lso a need to offer adequate training to the workforces in respect with the effective use of the e-accounting practices (Taipaleenmki and Ikheimo, 2013). Another approach which can help the global organizations in managing the challenges of account ting is to take use of the accounting harmonization (Brusca, et al., 2014). The practice of accounting harmonization helps in reducing the difficulty and complexity of the various financial instruments which have arisen because of the multi-jurisdictional reporting (Hancock, et al., 2010). The practice help in limiting the enormous number of differences exist among the individual accounting standards so that the overall performance of the companies can be improved. The global or international harmonization in accounting is one of the major factors which are extensively being adopted by the regulatory bodies for achieving increased level of similarity in eth accounting standards for eliminating eth challenges of diversity and the associated complexity (Power, 2010). For managing the challenge posed by the non-financial measures in accounting, the international organisations can take use of s everal practices for example by performing an evaluation of the scores and rating of customer satisfaction which can support in effective analysis of that whether the customers are contended or not from the organizations services and if not then there will be a negative implication on the overall organisational profits (Bebbington, Unerman and O'Dwyer, 2014). The next way of overcoming eth challenge of non-financial measures is through calculation and analysis of the task completion scores, employee productivity scores, internal audit and external audit (Northcott and Ma'amoraTaulapapa, 2012). From the vast literature gathered and the analysis performed, it ahs also been analyzed that there exist a research gap as that the techniques used for managing the accounting challenges are more of subjective i.e. theoretical in nature instead of being practical and objective and with more technological advancements these issues will arise simultaneously. As well as not all the companies are much financially strong so that they can easily implement the new techniques for overcoming the challenges (Rajkumar, 2013). The work of the researchers and the literature collected play a significant role in the field of academic as it helps in understanding the importance of green accounting as it is one of the best ways to reduce the pollutants which play a major role in environmental degradation. Next major contribution of literature is that it supports the new business ventures and entrepreneurs in getting aware of the issues of accounting in global organisations. The knowledge help the ent repreneurs in preparing themselves and take use of adequate strategies for managing these future accounting challenges (Hopwood, Unerman and Fries, 2010). The various other contributions comprises of effective understanding of the benefits of e-accounting, approach of accounting harmonization and the manner in which there can be gained competitive advantages by the companies through the e-accounting practices. Conclusion The insights gained from the literature and the research, the paper concludes that there are number fo challenges that are present in the global accounting. The issues related to reporting of the non-financial indicators, diverse accounting standards, multiple-jurisdictional issues, technological interventions, environmental issues and incompetent human resource are the primary challenges in accounting function in global companies. It can also be stated that through collaboration approach and effective analysis there can be gained knowledge that how these challenges must be sustained. The report also concluded that there is a major role of measures such as reporting of the non-financial, measures for coping up with the challenges of accounting of -financial measures. There can also be practiced the accounting standards developed by the IASB as well as the companies can also practice accounting harmonization, green accounting and various other practices for sound accounting in global companies. References Akisik, O., 2013. Accounting regulation, financial development, and economic growth.Emerging Markets Finance and Trade,49(1), pp.33-67. Allen, F., Qian, J., Zhang, C. and Zhao, M., 2012.China's financial system: opportunities and challenges(No. w17828). National Bureau of Economic Research. Bebbington, J., Unerman, J. and O'Dwyer, B. eds., 2014.Sustainability accounting and accountability. Routledge. Brusca, I., Caperchione, E., Cohen, S. and Rossi, F.M. eds., 2016.Public sector accounting and auditing in Europe: The challenge of harmonization. Springer. Burns, J.O. and Needles, B.E. eds., 2014.Accounting Education for the 21st Century: The global challenges. Elsevier. Bushman, R.M., 2014. Thoughts on financial accounting and the banking industry.Journal of Accounting and Economics,58(2), pp.384-395. Gordon, E.A., Greiner, A., Kohlbeck, M.J., Lin, S. and Skaife, H., 2013. Challenges and opportunities in cross-country accounting research.Accounting Horizons,27(1), pp.141-154. Hancock, P., Howieson, B., Kavanagh, M., Kent, J., Tempone, I. and Segal, N., 2010. Accounting for the future. Hodges, R., 2012. Joined?up government and the challenges to accounting and accountability researchers.Financial Accountability Management,28(1), pp.26-51. Hopwood, A.G., Unerman, J. and Fries, J., 2010.Accounting for sustainability: Practical insights. Earthscan. Horngren, C., Harrison, W., Oliver, S., Best, P., Fraser, D. and Tan, R., 2012.Financial accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU. Karadag, H., 2015. Financial management challenges in small and medium-sized enterprises: A strategic management approach.Emerging Markets Journal,5(1), p.26. Kieso, D.E., Weygandt, J.J. and Warfield, T.D., 2010.Intermediate accounting: IFRS edition(Vol. 2). John Wiley Sons. Narayanaswamy, R., 2017.Financial accounting: a managerial perspective. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Northcott, D. and Ma'amoraTaulapapa, T., 2012. Using the balanced scorecard to manage performance in public sector organizations: Issues and challenges.International Journal of Public Sector Management,25(3), pp.166-191. Owolabi, A. and Iyoha, F.O., 2012. Adopting international financial reporting standards (IFRS) in Africa: Benefits, prospects and challenges.African Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance,1(1), pp.77-86. Power, M., 2010. Fair value accounting, financial economics and the transformation of reliability.Accounting and Business Research,40(3), pp.197-210. Rajkumar, T., 2013. A Study On Prospects And Problems Of Micro Small And Medium Enterprises In Erode District. Richardson, A.J., 2017. The Relationship between Management and Financial Accounting as Professions and Technologies of Practice. Salvato, C. and Moores, K., 2010. Research on accounting in family firms: Past accomplishments and future challenges. Schaltegger, S. and Burritt, R.L., 2010. Sustainability accounting for companies: Catchphrase or decision support for business leaders?.Journal of World Business,45(4), pp.375-384. Schlesinger, W., Libby, P. and Geiszler, M., 2013. INTRODUCING SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING INTO THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING CURRICULUM.ASBBS Proceedings,20(1), p.405. Sharma, A. and Panigrahi, P.K., 2013. A review of financial accounting fraud detection based on data mining techniques.arXiv preprint arXiv:1309.3944. Taipaleenmki, J. and Ikheimo, S., 2013. On the convergence of management accounting and financial accountingthe role of information technology in accounting change.International Journal of Accounting Information Systems,14(4), pp.321-348. Warren, C.S., Reeve, J.M. and Duchac, J., 2013.Financial managerial accounting. Cengage Learning. Weygandt, J.J., Kimmel, P.D. and Kieso, D.E., 2015.Financial Managerial Accounting. John Wiley Sons. Zeff, S.A., 2012. The Evolution of the IASC into the IASB, and the Challenges it Faces.The accounting review,87(3), pp.807-837.

Seven Years in Tibet Essay Sample free essay sample

Seven Old ages in Tibet is a movie based on a book that accounts the existent experiences of the Austrian mountain climber Heinrich Harrer in Tibet during seven old ages. From 1946 to 1952. As a pupil of intercultural communicating. the intent of this essay is to foreground the intercultural differences found in the movie. The narrative is about Heinrich and Peter. two Austrian mountain climbers who help each other for endurance in the wild lands they go through until they reach Tibet. There. intercultural communicating takes topographic point and intercultural differences are clearly seen. This piece of work will briefly indicate out four subjects: beliefs. gestures. protocol and intercultural matrimony. They are related to the five scenes of the film that will be addressed below. The first scene depicts some Tibetan pilgrims walking to the holy metropolis of Lhasa. the capital of Tibet. They believe if they walk long distances to holy topographic points it purifies the bad workss t hey committed and the more hard the journey the greater the deepness of purification. We will write a custom essay sample on Seven Years in Tibet Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A pilgrims journey to Lhasa is extremely valued for all Tibetans and a dream for many. The journey can be really long because it has to be from the pilgrim’s place small town ; the farther off. the longer the journey. It can take more than two months for many. During the journey. pilgrims clasp their custodies to forehead. to throat and to bosom and so bow down full-length on the land. This ritual is called â€Å"kowtow† and it is practiced to show their honest bosom to Buddha. The uninterrupted kotows hurt the pilgrimages’ brows and the cicatrix is considered a hoarded wealth as it is a symbol of piousness and forbearance. The whole journey is really hard and some Tibetans have died on the manner due to hapless nutrition supply and the labor of the route. ( Web. Tibet. intelligence. cn ) Heinrich makes us cognizant of his beliefs when he writes to his boy: â€Å"I can’t say I know where I’m traveling nor whether my bad workss can be purified. Ther e are so many things I have done which I regret but when I come to a full halt. I hope you will understand. † He refers to this Tibetan pattern as foreign and different for both. from Austria. But at the same clip he states that he portions with the pilgrims the want of been forgiven. The 2nd scene is when Heinrich somewhat boast his accomplishments as a top mountain climber. To this the Tibetan adult female replied. â€Å" [ †¦ ] you admire the adult male who pushes his manner to the top in any walk of life while we admire the adult male who abandons his self-importance. † Tibetan Buddhism stresses the single attempt to extinguish craving and fond regard since they’re the beginnings of enduring. ( Communication Between Cultures. 140 ) . To this extent it is understood why Tibetans are non encouraged to pursuit single and selfish ends. The 3rd scene carries gestures. One group of Tibetan villagers clapped their custodies every bit shortly as they saw the two aliens. Heinrich thought they were happy to see them since in Austria and in many states. including ours. people clap in signal of felicity. blessing or wages for a good public presentation of for a good cause. However. Tibetan bang custodies to drive out evil forces. The 4th scene is about protocol. What people have to make or state in certain events. The female parent of Dalai Lam a explains to Heinrich the regulations of protocol refering Dalai Lama: â€Å"When you are in presence of his Holiness you must ever be standing set in bow. custodies folded in invocation. If seated. you must ever be seated lower than he. Never look him in the oculus. neer speak before he does. Always refer to him as ‘Your Holiness. ’ Never turn your back to him and neer. neer touch him. † This brief paragraph merely explained a large sum of inside informations about Tibetan civilization. It says that rubrics are of import ; they clarify the individual’s position right off. It’s a hierarchal society. Dalai Lama is the religious and temporal leader of Tibetan people. It is political relations and faith mixed. It besides tells us that oculus contact is considered to be ill-mannered and should be avoided. particularly between people from different position. On the other manus. Heinrich didn’t know any of this. Austrian society does non pattern Buddhism and it works in a different manner refering to hierarchal position. The 5th scene is the intercultural matrimony between Peter and a Tibetan adult female called Pema Lhaki. Peter seemed to encompass really good Tibetan civilization. He set up in Tibet. Ate Tibetan nutrient and lived in a low house made of stones in the center of the mountains. He left behind moderns houses made of concrete and steel inside a neighborhood full of people that spoke German. He left behind his household. some friends and the dishes he was used to eat. That’s why intercultural matrimonies are likely to cover with jobs such as what to eat. where to populate. gender functions outlooks. emotional show. values. societal behaviour and so on. ( Communication Between Cultures. 237 ) . Peter chose to fall in and bask Tibetan civilization next to his married woman. This is reflected when he says a little supplication along with her before eating his repast. To reason. I would wish to state that intercultural differences are a hoarded wealth. But it is necessary to be aware and seek to understand. Heinrich and Peter learnt to love Tibetan civilization and were moved by its world. Heinrich neer forgot his seven old ages in Tibet and worked to convey the state of affairs in Tibet to international attending and in October 2002. the Dalai Lama present ed him with the International Campaign for Tibet’s Light of Truth Award for his attempts. He besides founded the Heinrich Harrer Museum dedicated to Tibet in Austria. Bibliography: BookLarry A. Samovar. R. E. ( 2009 ) . Communication Between Cultures. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. WebsiteA Tibetan’s Pilgrim Journey to Faith. ( 2009 ) . Recuperado el 2012. de China Tibet News: hypertext transfer protocol: //english. chinatibetnews. com/TibetdDiscovery/Belief/2009-03/13/content_214893. htm

Tortilla Curtain Essay Example

Tortilla Curtain Essay Example Tortilla Curtain Paper Tortilla Curtain Paper Social Criticism: Looking at the book â€Å"The Tortilla Curtainâ€Å" in detail, it is very obvious that the author T. C. Boyle tries to imply the theme of social criticism. Therefore he uses the technique of shifting between either the American or the Mexican couple. Thus the lives of the two couples are continually juxtaposed and contrasted in a kind of a dual structure which highlights the fundamental differences and makes the contrast visible. Due to the story of the Mexican couple he makes us look at the bottom of society and the lowest possible level of living. They have no proper food, no proper shelter, no work, no health care and the characters life is insecure and unprotected. The American couples life stands in stark contrast to them, because the have everything what one can think about. However, the Mexican illegal laborers and maids go about unrecognized and unacknowledged in American society, unless they can be used as cheap labor. And all this happens day by day in one of the worlds richest countries and in wealthy communities like the Arroyo Blanco. This huge diversity or as you which contrast between the two human conditions raises questions of social justice, of social responsibility and of societys moral. T. C. Boyle draws ones attention to a problem, which seems most far-reaching invisible for the most Americanas. But in fact the illegal immigration has become a big problem which America is facing. But America hasnt found the right answers to those problems yet. Finally, one can see this book as a concession from an American citizen, who T. C. Boyl is, to the current problems. Cars and Traffic: The richness in detail concerning cars and traffic is one of the striking features of the novel. Not only do cars have a great importance in American society, they also are treasured possessions, status symbols and playthings. For example Delaney is in love with his white Acura Vigor and keeps him clean. The little damage his car got from the crash with Candido has to be rectifies immediately. And after the theft of his car the fear of being again separated from his brand new one and of losing it paralyzes him. It seems as if the car as the American symbol of freedom and mobility seems to enslave Delaney. Kyras Lexus matches her elegance and stand for her personal success and her business job. In stark contrast to those expensive cars stands Senor Willis , who is Mexican, old car which hardly manages to get up the canyon road. Furthermore, the once idyllic Topanga Canyon Road has to suffer from the onslaught of cars, especially during rush hours. Overpopulation, American restlessness, the Americans chase for money and their wealth are seen as the causes of the traffic congestion. For Candido the constant hurry is just crazy and he cannot understand that. Finally Candido becomes injured by a car at the very beginning, which can also be seen as the first sign of his fate and that he is not suppose to make it in the U. S. A..

Topography, an ABA Term to Help Describe Behavior

Topography, an ABA Term to Help Describe Behavior Topography is a term used in applied behavior analysis (ABA) to describe behavior- specifically what behavior looks like. Topography defines behavior in an operational way, free of the coloration of values or expectation. By describing the topography of behavior, you avoid many of the problematic terms that find their way into definitions of behaviors. Disrespect, for example, is more often a reflection of the teachers reaction than the students intent. By contrast, the phrase refusing to comply with a direction would be a topographical description of the same behavior. The Importance of Topography Clearly defining the topography of behavior is especially important for creating appropriate interventions for children whose disabilities are in part defined by behavior, such as emotional and behavioral disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. Teachers and administrators without extensive experience or training in dealing with behavioral disabilities often overreact and create more problems by focusing on the social constructs surrounding misbehavior without observing the actual behavior. When they do so, these educators are focusing on the  function of a behavior  rather than its topography. The function of a behavior describes why the behavior occurs, or the purpose of the behavior; whereas, the topography of the behavior describes its form. Describing the topography of the behavior is much more objective- you are simply stating objectively what happened. The function of the behavior tends to be much more subjective- you are trying to explain why a student exhibited a certain behavior. Topography Versus Function Topography and function represent two very different ways of describing a behavior. For example, if a child throws a tantrum, to explain the topography of the behavior, it would not be enough for a teacher to simply say the child threw a tantrum. A topographical definition might state: The child threw herself on the floor, and kicked and screamed in a high-pitched voice. The child did not make physical contact with other individuals, furniture, or other items in the environment. The functional description, by contrast, would be open to interpretation: Lisa became angry, swung her arms and tried to strike other children and the teacher while screaming in that high-pitched voice she often uses. Each description could be defined as a tantrum, but the former contains only what the observer saw, whereas the latter includes interpretation. It is not possible to know, for example, that a child intended to injure others through a topographical description, but paired with an  antecedent, behavior, consequence (ABC)  observation, you may be able to determine the function of the behavior. It is often helpful to have several professionals observe the same behaviors and then provide both functional and topographical descriptions. By observing the antecedent- what happens immediately before the behavior occurred- and determining the function of the behavior as well as describing its topography, you gain additional insights into the behavior that you are observing. By combining these two methods- decribing the topography of a behavior and determining its function- educators and behavior specialists can help chose a replacement behavior and create an intervention, known as a  behavior intervention plan. Loaded Descriptions Versus Topography To truly understand how topography might describe a behavior, it can be helpful to look at loaded (emotionally tinged) descriptions of a given behavior versus topographical descriptions (objective observations).  Behavioral Learning Solutions  offers this method of comparing the two: Loaded Description Topography Sally got angry and started throwing items during circle time trying to hit others with the items. The student threw items or released items from her hand. Marcus is making progress and, when prompted, can say â€Å"buh† for bubbles. The student can make the vocal sound â€Å"buh† Karen, happy as always, waved goodbye to her teacher. The student waved or moved her hand from side to side. When asked by an assistant to put away the blocks, Joey got mad again and threw the blocks at the assistant trying to hit her. The student threw blocks on the floor. Guidelines for Topography of a Behavior When describing the topography of a behavior: Avoid value-laden descriptions, such as good, best, and bad.Describe as much of the behavior as you can in as objective a manner as possible.Ask another professional to observe the behavior and review the topographical description.Set aside time to observe the behavior more than once.   The topography of a behavior may also be referred to as the operational definition of behavior.

RSPCA Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals Essay

RSPCA Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals - Essay Example Marketing is all about understanding the customers and of finding ways and means to for providing product or service as per his requirements (Sandhusen 2000). Marketing is a highly misunderstood word. It is not tactics or methods of getting customers to buy a company’s product or services. That is advertisement or promotions. It is a conscious effort to analyze and understand what is needed and trying to fulfill this need. Marketing is about understanding the stakeholders. It is highly relevant to investigate what each stakeholder contributes in terms of the product, quality, service deliveries and pricing. Marketing is also about knowledge of your own company and its capability of delivering a product or service and managing its resources and competencies in that direction. But above all, Marketing is all about customers. Their behavior and attitude towards buying a product is of paramount importance. Their needs and wants and their likes and dislikes are decisive factors and purchase decisions depend on these issues. It is the understanding of these factors that will develop a marketing strategy. Therefore Marketing is all about understanding the customers and of finding ways and means to for providing product or service as per his requirements. Marketers have adopted a variety of means to persuade customers, foremost among them being advertisement, promotion, publicity and public relations. However unless a proper commutation channel is established the efforts will go in vain. Advertising and promotions both need effective communication to produce successful results. Kotler et al (1996) have pointed out persuasive communication is designed to stimulate a pre-defined response from consumers and advertisers use this ploy to gain advantage over susceptible consumers. This can be done using various methods like â€Å"mass media advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, direct mail and point-of-sale merchandising† (Kitchen

Corporate Standards in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporate Standards in India - Essay Example Alternatively, it has an aesthetic sense of restoring the damaged integrity of the nation of India. On that note, the paper has expounded on several practical mechanisms such as the search for universal standards, instill corporate standards and implementing convergence of standards in the Indian companies among others. For the last five years, several corporate scandals have rocked India hence leading to the damage of its integrity. From Barclays issuing false numbers in the financial market of London to bribes-for-loans scandal, India has been wading in corporate graft (Bilal 2008, p.56). On that note, there are several ways to improve the corporate standards to save the image of India. This is to avoid financial losses and loss of jobs and resources. Therefore, the first method of upholding the corporate standard is to search for universal standards. It is imperative to observe that the mechanisms of corporate governance fluctuate from country to country. On that aspect, it is fun damental to note that political, economical and social perspectives define corporate governance (Buthwar 2011, p.78). This means the corporate practice of Indian companies should echo its set national ethos and value systems. For instance, in the Barclays scandal, its leadership should step down and investigated to reveal the motive of their virtues. Additionally, the form of corporate governance should be inculcated among managers and customers in order to understand the limits of conducting business transactions. This has a positive implication of reducing cases of corporate graft as observed in the recent years in India. Another crucial matter involves assimilation corporate philosophy among various organizations to avoid scandals such Forex derivates scam and Andhra Pradesh land that saw the companies lose $5.79 billion and $18.1 billion respectively. Alternatively, it is critical for major shareholders in such organizations to call for higher stakes in the contribution of the c ompany. This suggests that despite the management of the company having a special status, shareholders should work in cooperation with the managers to avert cases of corporate scandals. Furthermore, it should be upon the corporate heads to increase globalization of encouraging competitive business that does not condone corruption. This is why the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was established to work as a benchmark for monitoring Indian corporations. Another better method to instill corporate standards is to implement convergence of standards in the Indian companies. This entails shaping their corporate according the global market orientation such as in the US and UK in order to limit cases of fraud. For example, the telecoms scandal that made India lose up to $ 462 billion could have been avoided if better convergence standards were in place. In other words, the companies that acquired illegal licenses without proper qualification could not have resul ted to such financial damage. Alternatively, the concerned corporations could have properly mitigated other scandals such as the Barclays and Mumbai Sales Tax fraud. Again, this method of standardization has the benefit of integrating financial markets and foreign investor requirements. This is known to encourage higher standards and practices of

Development in Moroccan Economy Essay Example for Free

Development in Moroccan Economy Essay Economic Environment Development of the Moroccan Economy The Moroccan economy is known for its macroeconomic stability. Inflation rates have always been relatively low, mainly due to the country’s restrictive currency regime. Morocco has been characterised by moderate to high growth rates. The country has benefited from its low labour cost and strategic location near the European mainland. Morocco has experienced a stronger growth than usual since the year 2000, caused by improved weather conditions, a strong export growth and various liberalizing policies. These liberalizing policies have been introduced by King Mohammed VI in 2003. He came up with a number of economic reforms resulting in a growth of the small modern manufacturing sector and the development of the tourism industry. He has put his main focus on the European Union since the Free Trade Agreement in the year 2000. Morocco’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has steadily gone up since 2002. According to statistics of â€Å"Datamonitor 360† the GDP in 2002 was about 40 billion dollar, in 2010 the GDP had grown to approximately 60 billion dollar. That is a rise of 50% in only eight years time. The World Factbook from the CIA mentions that in 2010 Morocco ranked number 58 in the world when it comes to the GDP. The real GDP growth rate has not been negative since 2002. In 2010 Morocco ranked number 77 in the world of real GDP growth. The lowest growth rate was about 2,5% in 2005 and 2007 and peeked with 7,5% in 2006. This could have possibly been caused by the Free Trade Agreement with the United States of America, which was introduced in 2006. I will further explain the results of the Free Trade Agreement with the EU and the USA later on in this chapter. The three main sectors: industry, service and agriculture, all grew steadily the past ten years. In 2009 the service sector was the biggest sector and contributed 49,4% to the GDP, the industry sector came second with 31,3% followed by the agriculture with 19,2%. Morocco has a profitable industry sector, mainly because of its large amounts of phosphate. Tourism plays a big role in the service sector. The tourism industry has remained vibrant despite the Casablanca bombings in 2003 and 2007. Morocco’s external trade has also been increasing steadily, with only a slight decrease in 2009. However, the total external trade still grew from 25,7 billion dollars in 2002 to 77,6 billion dollars in 2009. This is a growth of 51,9 billion dollars, which is a growth percentage of approximately 202%. Even though Morocco’s economy has been doing well the past decade, the unemployment rate is still relatively high. During the period from 2002 to 2008 the unemployment rate was at least 11%. In 2007 a small decrease of unemployment of 300 thousand took place, still leaving 1,1 million people unemployed. By the end of 2008 the unemployment rate was 9,6%. In 2009 a total of 93,000 new jobs got created resulting in a decrease to 9,1% by the end of 2009. We can conclude that the overall Moroccan economy has shown a fairly good development, but there is still a lot more to improve. The government has been working on new reforms that should lead to better business conditions in the country. International Financial Crisis Morocco together with Algeria and Tunisia has been one of the least affected countries by the international financial crisis. The international financial crisis started with the credit crunch in the US. Morocco has not been affected by this so-called credit crunch, because Morocco does not have the kind of credit that caused the American credit crunch. Besides this Morocco had minimal exposure to foreign assets. Morocco did however get affected by the international financial crisis as soon as it hit Europe. The Western European crisis resulted in diminishing growth rates. The crisis in Europe did not only slow down Moroccan export rates, but also the tourism industry. As European unemployment rates increased, many Moroccans working abroad lost their jobs, causing a decline in remittances. Morocco has been able to keep the negative effects of the international financial crisis to a minimum due to its good macroeconomic policy, an open economy, clear trade policies and several investment opportunities with emerging countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Because of the effects the financial crisis has had in Europe and the US, Gulf investors are expected to invest in African countries and the Middle East. At the end of 2008 Gulf investors announced a 1,7 billion US dollar investment in real estate in Morocco. These investments and planned reforms will make sure the Moroccan economy will continue to grow in the future. Effects FTA US and EU Morocco’s economy has largely benefited from the free trade agreements it has made with the European Union and the United States. In 1996 Morocco signed an association agreement with the European Union. The association became effective on March 1, 2000. The free trade agreement with the EU is mainly applied on industrial products and hardly any agricultural products. The objective is to have completely free trade between Morocco and the EU by 2012. In 2010 the EU proposed a new trade deal with Morocco to include duty-free trade in agricultural, food and fisheries products. On June 15, 2004 Morocco also signed a free trade agreement with the USA, which became effective on January 1, 2006. For America this was the second Arab-US free trade agreement and the first African-US free trade agreement. During a video of the ‘Moroccan American Trade and Investment Council’ the counsellor to King Mohammed VI for financial and economic affairs says about the FTA with the US: â€Å"We want to put Morocco as a platform for business with Europe, with the US, with Asia, China, Africa, Middle East. It was part of a global vision of Morocco. † Mr. Hassan, the president of the Moroccan Business Association says during the same video â€Å"The Morocco – US free trade agreement is a great opportunity for the Moroccan economy. † Due to the free trade agreements many American and European businesses have opened establishments in Morocco. These businesses have employed thousands of Moroccans causing a decline in the unemployment rate of the country. Both free trade agreements have been a huge step in the right direction for Morocco. The country still has a lot of poverty and unemployment; much more is needed to solve the country’s issues. However, the country is one of the most stable African and Arab nations. Current Economic System Morocco has a relatively liberal market economy regulated by supply and demand. From 1993 onwards there has been a policy of privatization. The heritage foundation, a research and educational institution, has come up with an index of economic freedom. This index makes it possible to measure the economic freedom in countries around the world. The world average score on the index of 2011 is 59. 7 out of 100 points. Morocco’s overall score is 59. 6, only a tenth point under the world average. Morocco is the 93rd country on the 2011 world rank of economic freedom. The regional average of the Middle East and North Africa is 60. 6, which makes Morocco the 10th country on the list of 17 regional countries. The overall score is determined by ten economic freedoms. In figure below the ranking of all ten separate economic freedoms of Morocco compared to the world average is shown. The most important economic freedom for this specific country report is business freedom. The business freedom represents the procedures for setting up and registering a private enterprise and the possibilities of private investment and production. In figure you can clearly see the Moroccan business freedom compared to the Dutch business freedom. King Mohammed VI has come up with many economic and non-economic reforms over the years. The two largest current reforms are the â€Å"Plan Maroc Vert† (Green Plan) and the â€Å"Plan Emergence†.

Why the Nazis and not the Communists? :: European Europe History

Why the Nazis and not the Communists? Why, by 1934, had the Nazis benefited more than the Communists from the shortcomings of the Weimar Republic? Adolf Hitler, head of the NSDAP, became Chancellor of Germany on the 30th January 1933. Following the 'legal revolution' of the following months and President Hindenburg's death on the 2nd August 1934, Hitler made himself FÃ ¼hrer and Reichskanzler. The Nazi revolution was complete and Germany was subject to a dictatorship of the extreme political right. As Ian Kershaw explains, the Weimar Republic was failing: "the survival chances of Weimar democracy might be regarded as fairly poor by the end of 1929, very low by the end of 1930, remote by the middle of 1931 and as good as zero by Spring 1932." In a period of Depression and when unity and firm government was essential, MÃ ¼ller's Grand Coalition broke up in March 1930. Logically, there were several political alternatives other than Hitler and the Nazis. There could have been a return to parliamentary Party politics. There were some signs to show that democracy may have been revived. During the continuous utilisation of Article 48 to govern, the Reichstag gave their vote of no confidence in challenging the executive use of it. Also, a section of the public appeared to still support the Republic; the Centre Party and SPD continued to have steady support until 1932. However, it seems that any chances of democracy were ruled out. The political Parties were still inclined to pursue their own political interests when a united, broad and moderate front was needed. Two moderate Parties even defected to Hitler after the offensive from the right and Hindenburg made little effort to restore the influence of the Reichstag. Alternatively, Germany could have become a presidential dictatorship backed by the army as von Schleicher or von Papen would have preferred. In order to do this, the authoritarian regime would have had to adapt slightly from what it was in 1932. The long-term use of Article 48, the emergency decree, would have been impractical and impossible. Perhaps the conservative elites were looking to Hitler for a new identity as they couldn't return to the days of the Second Reich as well as thinking they could control his power. A military regime would have meant that there was no dominance from the extreme right or left of politics. Judging by the situation of Germany at that time, it was quite possible that this may have resulted in civil war.

Economic Development and Environmental Protection

This paper argues on both theoretical and empirical grounds that, beyond a certain point, there is an unavoidable conflictbetween economic development (generally taken to mean ‘materialeconomic growth') and environmental protection. Think for a moment of natural forests, grasslands, marine estuaries, salt marshes, and coral reefs; and of arable soils, aquifers, mineraldeposits, petroleum, and coal. These are all forms of ‘natural capital' that represent highly-ordered self-producing ecosystemsor rich accumulations of energy/matter with high use potential (low entropy). Now contemplate despoiled landscapes, eroding farmlands, depleted fisheries, anthropogenic greenhouse gases,acid rain, poisonous mine tailings and toxic synthetic compounds. These all represent disordered systems or degraded forms of energy and matter with little use potential (high entropy). The main thing connecting these two states is human economic activity. Ecological economics interprets the environment-economyrelationship in terms of the second law of thermodynamics. The second law sees economic activity as a dissipative process. Fromthis perspective, the production of economic goods andservices invariably requires the consumption of available energy and matter. To grow and develop, the economynecessarily ‘feeds' on sources of high-quality energy/matter first produced by nature. This tends to disorder and homogenizethe ecosphere, The ascendance of humankind has consistently been accompanied by an accelerating rate of ecological degradation, particularly biodiversity loss, the simplificationof natural systems and pollution. In short, contemporary political rhetoric to the contrary, the prevailing growth-oriented global development paradigm is fundamentally incompatible with long-term ecological and social sustainability. Unsustainability is not a technical nor economic problem as usually conceived, but rather a state of systemic incompatibilitybetween a economy that is a fully-contained, growing, dependent sub-system of a non-growing ecosphere. Potential solutions fly inthe face of contemporary development trends and cultural values Ecological disturbance and nature tourism. THE purpose of this article is to consider the role of disturbance as a crucial ecological consideration in landuse planning for nature tourism. Incorporation of ecological insights into the environmental-planning process offers hope for rational and sustainable development. Nature tourism has been proposed in recent years as a solution to the dilemma that developing countries face in conserving their biological heritage and concurrently improving the economies of local human settlements. In Mexico, nature tourism has become a favored mechanism for development, especially on the Yucatan peninsula. Recognizing the immense value of its coastal natural communities, Mexico has recently established several large biosphere reserves to preserve natural resources and to accommodate and support human settlements. The experience of sprawling, high-impact Cancun, with more than one million visitors annually, has encouraged the government to reassess its development goals. One example of Mexican openness to sustainable conservation-development projects is the innovative, cooperative effort of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to establish Ruta Maya, a low-impact design to promote tourism based on natural and archaeological treasures (Garrett 1989). In the Yucatan, two long, relatively pristine barrier peninsulas, Rio Lagartos and Celestun, are being identified as opportune sites for nature tourism. Both have high conservation value and were designated special biosphere reserves by the government in 1979 because of their floral and faunal diversity. Both have small human settlements based on fishing and salt extraction. The protection concept known as the Mexican modality, in which local villages can coexist with both conservation and tourism, is an ambitious development plan. Through trial and error, it is becoming clear that development must be guided by ecological understanding if degradation of natural systems is to be avoided. Sites worth visiting are often those that cannot endure heavy human use, and if irreversible environmental degradation results from nature tourism, both conservation of biological diversity and sustainable tourism will fail. Although political and economic considerations usually far overshadow ecological concerns, conservation of natural resources will not succeed if ecological insights are ignored in planning for nature tourism. To retain the integrity of ecosystems, ecologists must convey the most useful information about the dynamic physical and biological contexts of natural communities, including information about the effects of human change on natural disturbance regimes. Important shifts in ecological theory in the past several decades could change perspectives on planning decisions. Fundamental models of community organization throughout the history of ecological thought were rooted in the idea of equilibrium, and most principles applied to managing natural areas have been based on the notion of stability. Many recent empirical studies offer evidence that the natural world is not static, that natural disturbances are common to many environments, and that most landscapes are not in equilibrium, at least for the short term. Planners and developers of tourist facilities, along coastlines, for example, have mistakenly assumed that the physical context for hotels and roads was a stable place. RECENT ECOLOGICAL THOUGHT From its beginnings, ecology has been the study of nature as a stable, orderly system. Natural communities that were undisturbed by people were generally thought of as pristine and immutable, composed of interdependent and harmoniously arranged species assemblages (Botkin 1990). This idea was based on a long tradition in Western culture that envisioned nature as orderly and was embodied in the phrase â€Å"balance of nature† (Glacken 1967). Largely through the writings of Frederick E. Clements (1916) early in the twentieth century, the notion of natural communities as naturally occurring assemblages of species in harmony with local climatic regimes became ecological dogma. If a community was disturbed, damage would be repaired along a predictable continuum toward the climax community. Later, equilibrium became an explicit assumption for most ecosystems, a steady state to which a system returned if a disturbance altered its balance (Connell 1978). Dissenting voices proposed that species act independently of one another and that perturbation is a common event in many natural communities (Gleason 1917; Watt 1947). Strong evidence for the commonness of disorder in nature has come from a large body of literature documenting the profound and pervasive effects of a multitude of disturbances–fires, floods, windstorms, alluvial erosion, landslides, grazing, insects, and invasion of exotics (Veblen and Ashton 1978; Bormann and Likens 1979; Sprugel and Bormann 1981). It is now believed that all ecosystems are somewhat dynamic and that, in some, severe or even catastrophic disturbance is a regular occurrence. Natural disturbances were once assumed to retard the orderly progression of species replacement †¦ THE PROBLEM: Sulfur dioxide is a major source of air pollution world wide, and a major contributor to the problem of acid rain. SOME SOLUTIONS: 1) The technology exists to produce cleaner burning coal, but this process is very expensive. ) Inorganic sulfur can be removed from coal by washing it, but this will not remove organic sulfur, and the process is also very expensive. 3) Coal gasification converts goal to a gas in order to remove the sulfur. The gas produced from the sulfur can then be used to augment supplies of natural gas. This process is not yet competitive enough. 4) Scrubbing removed the oxides from the gases in the smoke stakes, but is also an expensive producer. Looking at these solutions, it would be easy to conclude that th ere is no win win solution when it comes to sulfur emissions from coal. However, in Germany they did find a solution that is win-win. AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION: â€Å"A German company in 1980 purchased coal-scrubbing technology and improved on it†¦ rather than disposing of the calcium sulfite rich sludge the company further processes it to produce building materials such as sheet rock or wallboard, which are sold worldwide. Another innovative approach to removing sulfur has been taken at a large coal burning plant near Mannheim, Germany. The smoke from combustion is cooled, then treated with liquid ammonia.. he sulfur-contaminated smoke is cooled in a heat exchange process that allows the chemical reaction between the sulfur rich smoke and ammonia to take place†¦ waste heat from the cooling towers is used to heat nearby buildings, and the plant sells the ammonium sulfate in a solid granular form to farmers to use as fertilizer. Thus, Germany, in response to tough pollution control regulations, has substantially reduced its sulfur dioxide emission s, and in the process it has boosted its economy. â€Å". Increasing recognition that the overall goals of environmental conservation and economic development are not conflicting but can be mutually reinforcing, has prompted calls for ‘environmentally sustainable’ economic development. Although there are difficulties in defining sustainable development in an analytically rigorous way, there is still a need to evolve a concept of sustainability that both distinguishes it from other post-war meanings of development and is useful for practical analysis and policymaking.

Hard Work: Remaking the American Labor Movement By Rick Fantasia and Kim Voss Essay

Hard Work: Remaking the American Labor Movement, by Rick Fantasia and Kim Voss, was published by the University of California Press in 2004. It runs to 259 pages. This book deals with the failures of the American Labor Movement to keep pace with the needs of American workers. It explains how the movement failed when it seemed like it was on the road to success and why it is in the lethargic state in which it finds itself today. It chronicles the attempts being made today to salvage what is left of the movement and its attempts to become a force fighting for social justice in America. One recurring theme of this book is that the people who consider themselves to be both progressive and liberal are constantly amazed that so little they have done and/or advocated has come to fruition or made any difference. They seem stunned to learn that their theories do not work in actual practice. The book documents the actions being initiated in today’s society in an attempt to get off high-center and get on the road to success necessary to keep the American Dream alive. What is now known as the New Economy as proposed by the Neo-liberals has contributed to the steady erosion of worker’s rights and benefits. Fantasia and Voss examine the dot com industry with particular scrutiny, blaming it for the loss of enormous numbers of jobs. The book examines such companies as Amazon, demonstrating how a vast corporation, doing millions in business can be operated with the use of relatively few unskilled and low paid employees, giving them obscene profits and very little overhead. The authors believe that such companies are the wave of the future and if allowed to truly globalize they will be extremely deleterious to workers around the world. They call the New Economy a ‘direct attack on labor’. This book reveals that a key element in many industrialized nations, which is lacking here, is that labor gains are not on a national level, meaning that unions and workers must fight for each concession on a company-by-company basis. In much of the rest of the world a gain by workers is held to be a gain for every worker in that country. The authors trace the history of the union movements for over one hundred years in America. They show that any sort of radicalism displayed by unions or workers was systematically eradicated. They show that what was left in place in each case was a tepid version of what could have been and the result was, intrinsically, a labor union which was in bed with the big corporations, allowing them to strip workers of their rights and fair benefits. This, the authors say, gave labor leaders the idea they were in some sort of perverse partnership with management to the ruin of the workers. Out of this rose the duality of leadership seen in this country. There came to be leadership that ruled by one of two ways, one, a strongman leader, whose ruled a personal fiefdom by decree and the other the bureaucrat in what the authors called the era of tame unionism, which was benign in an era when it should have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity with its members. During the Reagan era employers realized they were in the drivers’ seats and stripped rights and benefits to the bone while the government stood by or actively abetted them, as did the union leadership. The major premise of this book is that labor must re-invent itself in order to be relevant again. Corporate America is committed to the New Economy, which will never do anything for the worker but further erode any gains made in the past century. American unions and American workers must, the premise goes, regain their initiative and hang solidly together or they will, to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, all hang separately, so to speak. There are numerous ways of going about rebuilding labor into a potent force for the good of the workers and some of these methods are being seen. There is a tactic known in labor jargon as â€Å"‘bargaining to organize’ and it has become one important tactic of social movement unionists,† (Fantasia, Voss 2004 p 154). During the 1990s labor struck some of Las Vegas’ casinos with mixed results, but what was telling in that situation was that the city’s Black population sided with labor and did much in solidarity with the workers. The strike won at one of the casinos but a second strike dragged on for over six years, making it the longest strike in American history, post World War II. The strike had its moments of high drama and on one occasion a mass demonstration of over twenty thousand people. The unions in Las Vegas actively recruited new members even during the height of the strike. It drew worldwide attention and favorable press for the unions. This, the authors say, is going to continue to be necessary in the future and unions are going to have to actively recruit and actively promote their message. With a strong recruiting drive and overt actions to revitalize what has become a moribund movement in the last few years. Unions must secure leadership from within their own ranks and see that these leaders are not in bed with Corporate America. Fantasia and Voss paint a rather bleak picture of American Labor, as it now exists. They seem to be somewhat optimistic for the future, however, by assuming that a social conscience will develop in this country and the unions will begin to make inroads into the New Economy, forcing corporations to deal with the rights of the working man. They detail some specific innovations designed to fight the domination by the large corporations, addressing such matters as working hours and conditions as well as the incredible disparity between workers’ salaries and executive compensation. There must come a new type of union for workers to be protected in the New Economy and the globalization of corporations. The authors refer to this new union, expected to rise like a phoenix from the ashes the old unions, as more a social order than what is generally thought of as a true labor union. Not to draw parallels, but it was the Polish Union, Solidarity, which brought down the communist government and freed Poland of its mind boggling bureaucratic red tape and the morass of regulations which kept the Polish workers in virtual servitude to the state. The future is not all sunshine and lollipops, however. â€Å"†¦labor retreats from movement building and the percentage of unionized labor force continues to fall,† (162). Not only will this be a disaster for workers, for it will soon reach the point where only a privileged few will have any union strength, such as government employees and professional athletes, with the rest of the workers vanishing off the radar screen. American labor, once the beacon of hope to workers around the world, will become like that of a third world nation and the workers will fight for the peanuts tossed about by their corporate masters. Not only will the worker lose all that he once had in the workplace, the unions’ once powerful voice in American politics, notably in the Democratic Party will cease to exist and the party will no longer pay any attention to the demands of the working man and woman for parity and job security. There will no incentive for them to bow to any demands for the union will no longer be able to deliver on either the threat of the carrot or the stick. The authors point out that not only will labor lose its clout on such social issues as minimum wage and job safety, but will eventually lose any ability to weigh in on such matters as free trade agreements and other policies directly affecting the American worker. This country has changed drastically since September 11, and has taken on a siege mentality. It is virtually being ruled by decree of a man who has assumed war-time powers and seems to believe that if something he does is unconstitutional then obviously the constitution needs to be changed. During his first (and disputed) term in office he was abetted by a rubber stamp congress of Republicans and dragged the nation into a disastrous foreign war for dubious reasons which have since been found to be lies and intentional obfuscations. Primarily, however, the union has much more difficulties in such a political climate for it is always difficult to organize and foment change in times of social upheaval and economic downturn (163). The national debt is in the trillions of dollar. â€Å"The context of severe national emergency has been the pretext for invoking the mantle of national security against unions in an effort to accomplish the long term Republican Party goal of denying the right of federal employees to join unions,† (163). The current administration is actively engaged in what Fantasia and Voss refer to as ‘a low intensity war’ on American labor and workers are seeing the result of this ongoing battle. The outcome of this attempt to revitalize labor is by no means certain. One ray of sunshine is that college students today are beginning to see what is happening and they are developing a social conscience such as they have demonstrated in the past for other causes. They have made a difference before. The Labor Union is not dead although it is severely bloodied. Fantasia and Voss seem to think there are two possible futures and which one will occur is largely up to the success or failure of the labor movement.

Complete Guide How Much Does College Cost, Really

Complete Guide How Much Does College Cost, Really SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you're thinking about going to college, you probably know by now that an education is, well, expensive. It's not just tuition you're worried about - there are so many other costs associated with forging out on your own, especially if you'll be living away from home for the first time. The best way to tackle these expenses? First, you have to educate yourself about the reality of college costs.In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through all the expenses you'll need to consider when you go to college, both obvious and not-so-obvious. Then, I'll discuss factors that affect how much money you and your family actually pay out-of-pocket - it's not as hard as you think to get a first-rate education for a bargain. Major Costs These are the expenses you probably already know about. They're the big costs associated with getting a college education, and they'll make up the bulk of your expenses. College Tuition and Fees Your tuition charge is what you pay for actual academic instruction and class credit. Students are often billed per semester, credit hour, or quarter. Fees are often for mandatory student service charges and are tacked on to the tuition sothat they're reported together. For the 2014-2015 academic year, the average cost of tuition and fees was: $31,231 at private colleges $9,139 for state residents at public colleges $22,958 for out-of-state residents at public colleges Remember that this is just for one year of college - 4 years at private colleges can cost you well into thesixfigures. As you can see, there's a lot of variation in the sticker price of an education at different types of schools. What really matters, though, is the net price - what you actually end up paying. I'll discuss that more later in this post. As you might have noticed, there's a huge difference in the average public school tuition cost for residents and non-residents: a $13,819 difference, to be exact. You'll see an even more significant discrepancy in cost at certain schools. I've put togethera list of some of the largest public schools in the country so that you can see the difference in price based on residency: School Resident tuition Non-resident tuition University of Central Florida $6,368 $22,467 DeVry University (IL) $18,270 $18,270 Liberty University (VA) $20,300 $20,300 Texas AM - College Station $3,486 $12,782 Ohio State - Columbus $10,037 $27,365 Penn State - University Park $17,502 $30,452 UT Austin $9,798 $33,842 Florida International University $6,108 $18,508 Arizona State University - Tempe $10,957 $29,421 Michigan State $14,334 $36,934 Public universities can offer great educations at a great bargain for residents, but what about private schools? They're notorious for their higher sticker prices, which can scare off prospective students and parents. But remember, what actually matters is your net cost at a particular school.As it turns out, a lot of excellent private universities also have some of the most generous financial aid programs because of their larger endowments - they can afford to give more money to students, especially to attract high-caliber students who may not otherwise be able to afford to goto their school. This effectively lowers the net cost for many students. I’ve come up with an example to demonstrate cost differences for a student at an in-state public university, an out-of-state public university, and a private university with a generous financial aid program. My example student lives in NY state with a family income of $60,000/year, and an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $3,970, which I calculated using the FAFSA4caster (learn more here). Take a look: Resident: University at Buffalo Nonresident: Penn State Private: Harvard University Tuition only $8,871 $31,346 $45,278 Cost of Attendance (Tuition, room, board, fees, books, transportation, personal expenses) $24,916 $48,900 $64,700 Net Price (before student loans work study) $18,430 $45,875 $4,600 Net Price (after student loans work study) $9,708 $40,375 $1,600 Notice that the student's lowest net cost is at the school with the highest sticker price.Now, not all private schools will have financial aid programs as good as Harvard’s, but many prestigious private schools strive to meet 100% of their students' need (need = total cost of attendance - Expected Family Contribution). My ultimate point? Don't discount pricier schools just because you don't think you could afford them; your net price could be more reasonable than you think. I'll talk more about estimating your net price at the end of this post. College Room and Board Costs Room fees cover your housing and utilities, whereas board fees include your meal plan. Some schools offer customizable meal plans and housing options, so you can select room + board combinations that better fit your budget. Many students choose (or are required) to live on campus, especially their freshman year. Room and board charges are often lumped together. You may be able to pick and choose among room and board services if you move off-campus, assuming your school allows you to live outside of their dorms. Off-campus living expenses will vary by geographical area; it may be cheaper to live in an apartment if you attend a more rural college, but you may end up paying more if do the same at a more urban school.Getting a 1-bedroom apartment near Georgetown University will cost you around $2,000/month, for example, whereas a similar apartment near Arizona State University might only cost you $800. For the 2015-2016 academic year, the average cost of room and board was: $,516 at private 4-year colleges $10,138 at public 4-year colleges If only board fees paid for pizza like this in the dining halls. Hidden College Costs These are less obvious expenses associated with attending school but are just as important when it comes to budgeting for school and preparing adequately. When you come up with your own budget, try to be honest and realistic with yourself about how much you think you'll spend in each category. College Books Costs The average student spends about $1,200 per year on textbooks; it's easy to see how this adds up when some individual books can cost upwards of $200. You may end up spending less than this each year if you: Purchase used textbooks Rent course materials Share books with friends or classmates Check out textbooks from the library Purchase electronic copies of textbooks Travel Costs Travel expenses usually include travel between home and school, and travel while you’re at school. This will vary widely across students, for obvious reasons.To calculate your travel costs between home and school, consider: How often you plan on going home The average cost of a round trip (budget more if you’re traveling via plane/train/bus during the holidays) You’ll most likely incur some travel expenses while you’re at school as well, especially if your campus is scattered. To calculate these expenses, consider: How often you’ll be doing any sort of traveling (not on foot). Whether you’re bringing a car with you. If yes, include gas/parking costs in your travel calculation. Whether your school offers students discounted or free public transport passes. If not, research the cost of monthly public transport passes. Maybe you'll factor some more exotic expenses into your travel budget. Lab Fees Supplies If you’re not a science major, chances are you won’t have to pay many (if any) lab fees. These average about $50/class. Schools usually lump these in with textbook expenses, but since these numbers are just averages, expect to pay more in this category if you’re a science major. Personal Expenses in College These expenses include things like clothing, laundry, toiletries, haircuts, and entertainment. The average student might spend about $2,000 per academic year on these things. This amount might sound like a lot, but if you’re in school eight months out of the year, it comes out to about $60/week. If you tend to spend more money on things like fine dining, concerts, etc., you may want to work out your own personal expenses budget to keep track of how much you’re spending while at school. Estimating Your Total College Cost, With Financial Aid This guy doesn't know anything about college expenses, but he'll feel much better once he learns how to calculate his net price. The numbers above look large - sometimes amounting to over $50,000 per year - but don't fret just yet.A huge factor affecting what you’ll actually pay for school - your net price - is your family financial situation. Generally, the lower your family's income, the more financial aid you'll be eligible for, which translates to a lower net price. This has implications in two related (but separate) domains: Federal aid School-specific aid Scholarship money can also affect your net price - I'll touch on that at the end. Federal Aid Federal aid, which comprises grants like the Pell and loans like the Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized, is usually pretty standardized and easy to predict. Students who are interested in federal financial aid have to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year (learn more about the submission process here). The information generated by the FAFSA not only informs federal aid awards, but also institutional awards and even private grants and scholarships. The most important figure generated by the financial information you enter into the FAFSA is called the Expected Family Contribution, or EFC. If your EFC is at or below certain thresholds, you’ll be eligible for different federal programs. For example, if your EFC is at or below $5,081 for the 2015-2016 academic year, you'll be eligible to receive the Pell Grant. Again, because federal aid is so standardized, you can predict with good accuracy what grant and loan programs you’ll be eligible for using the FAFSA4caster. You can get step-by-step instructions on calculating your federal aid using our Pell Grant Calculator guide. School-Based Aid If schools award their own institutional aid, they’ll use your FAFSA information (specifically, your EFC) to calculate need-based aid eligibility. The amount of aid schools award will vary widely based on their financial aid budgets. It’s pretty easy to estimate your net price at almost any school, especially if you know your EFC. Just Google â€Å"[school] net price calculator† - that’s what I did to estimate the cost for the schools in the chart above. Scholarships Outside of federal and school-based aid and scholarships, you might also consider looking into private scholarships. Scholarships can be awarded based on financial need, merit, or both. There are countless scholarship options out there, with many meant for students of different races, ethnicities, nationalities, genders, sexualities, and academic interests. You may want to start by checking out the National Merit Scholarship, or scholarships based on your standardized test scores. Putting it All Together: Calculate Your Net Price for College 1. Visit the FAFSA4caster to estimate your EFC. The FAFSA4caster will also estimate your eligibility for the Pell Grant and some federal loans. Get step-by-step instructions here. 2. If you have a list of specific schools you're interested in, visit their net price calculators (most schools have calculators available through their financial aid websites). Try Googling "[school name] net price calculator" for results. If you're not sure where you'd like to apply, try using the net price calculators at different types of schools (e.g. public vs. private). You may have to enter your EFC. Make a note of whether the calculators include estimates school-based aid, federal aid, or both. 3. Subtract aid that you think you're eligible for based on the calculations you did in Steps 1 and 2 from the total cost of attendance. If you anticipate any scholarship earnings, subtract that amount from the CoA as well. Voila - you have a net price! Keep in mind, though, that this is just an estimate; you won't have an official net price until you receive financial aid packages from schools. What's Next? Want to learn more about federal financial aid, which can bring down your net price? Check out our guide comparing Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans, as well as our Pell Grant guides to eligibility criteria and limits. Interested in strengthening your applications to schools that offer those generous financial aid packages? Get the best score possible on your SAT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Francesca Fulciniti About the Author Francesca graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and scored in the 99th percentile on the SATs. 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10 Comma Cases in Which More Is More

10 Comma Cases in Which More Is More 10 Comma Cases in Which More Is More 10 Comma Cases in Which More Is More By Mark Nichol The movement toward open punctuation the omission of commas in cases in which they are deemed optional has its merits, but writers and editors should take care to retain commas or even insert additional ones to clarify meaning: 1. â€Å"He points to the benefits and wonders how schools can justify not investing in tools for disabled students.† Because wonders can be a noun as well as a verb, and because a pairing of the noun form with benefits initially makes sense, it might be misread here as such. To avoid this misunderstanding, insert a comma after benefits to give the reader pause and signal a new thought: â€Å"He points to the benefits, and wonders how schools can justify not investing in tools for disabled students.† Alternatively, alter the introductory phrase and make the following phrase an independent clause: â€Å"Pointing to the benefits, he wonders how schools can justify not investing in tools for disabled students.† 2. â€Å"The dog should be content to bark at passing trains and slumber.† The sentence incorrectly implies that the dog barks at two things: passing trains and slumber. But bark at refers only to trains, not to slumber. How about reordering the sentence to place slumber first? (â€Å"The dog should be content to slumber and bark at passing trains.†) Now he’s slumbering at passing trains, then barking at them. Either introduce a comma or insert a parallel-signaling to, or both: â€Å"The dog should be content to bark at passing trains, and to slumber.† 3. â€Å"Couch or calisthenics? A majority of California students are opting for a couch based on the results of the state’s annual physical fitness test.† As the second sentence is structured, the couch appears to be based on the fitness test results. Insert a comma after couch to clarify the structure (and in the initial sentence, follow couch with a comma there, too, for the same reason): â€Å"Couch, or calisthenics? A majority of California students are opting for a couch, based on the results of the state’s annual physical fitness test.† Better yet, invert the syntax in the second sentence: â€Å"Couch, or calisthenics? Based on the results of the state’s annual physical fitness test, a majority of California students are opting for a couch.† 4. â€Å"The world contains too many bored fourteen-year-old boys and ex-boyfriends bearing grudges.† This reference to a particular woman’s two greatest classes of nemeses is taken out of context, but it still should be clear that only those in the latter category bear grudges. Therefore, a comma should separate the two categories: â€Å"The world contains too many bored fourteen-year-old boys, and ex-boyfriends bearing grudges.† Or, if the context allows, reverse the order and strengthen the parallel structure: â€Å"The world contains too many ex-boyfriends bearing grudges, and too many bored fourteen-year-old boys.† 5. â€Å"Halle Berry is the first African American woman to win a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Monster’s Ball.† As punctuated, this sentence implies that more than one African American actress was in contention for an Academy Award for Berry’s performance. To set the record straight, set the qualification off with a comma: â€Å"Halle Berry is the first African American woman to win a Best Actress Oscar, for her performance in Monster’s Ball.† Here’s a smoother revision: â€Å"Halle Berry, who won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Monster’s Ball, is the first African-American woman to take home the award.† 6. â€Å"The prison plays an important role during the film’s third act, in which our hero is arrested thanks to the villain’s devious machinations.† The tag phrase â€Å"thanks to the villain’s devious machinations† should be set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma. Better yet, insert that parenthetical phrase into the middle of the sentence so that the result of the plotting dramatically punctuates the sentence: â€Å"The prison plays an important role, during which, thanks to the villain’s devious machinations, our hero is arrested.† 7. â€Å"Americans divide Russians into authoritarians and democrats with no regard for native context.† The sentence mistakenly implies that the two categories in question are â€Å"authoritarians† and â€Å"democrats with no regard for native context. The writer meant, â€Å"With no regard for native context, Americans divide Russians into authoritarians and democrats.† (Or start that sentence with Americans, followed by a comma.) Those revisions are more elegant than the simplest solution, employed above in other examples: â€Å"Americans divide Russians into authoritarians and democrats, with no regard for native context.† 8. â€Å"Another astronomer named Edwin Hubble cast his eye on the pulsing light of distant variable stars called Cepheids.† The initial phrase of this sentence implies the previous mention of another astronomer by that name. Solve this error by setting the name apart as an appositive, with framing commas (and delete the extraneous named): â€Å"Another astronomer, Edwin Hubble, cast his eye on the pulsing light of distant variable stars called Cepheids.† 9. â€Å"High school students who carry a poor or no understanding of evolution into college are less likely to pick careers in the biological and geological sciences. â€Å"Or no† is a parenthetical phrase in which no parallels poor as an option, and it could be omitted with no structural damage to the sentence, so it should be enclosed by a pair of commas: â€Å"High school students who carry a poor, or no, understanding of evolution into college are less likely to pick careers in the biological and geological sciences.† Alternatively, the sentence could be relaxed and given more impact with a revision such as â€Å"High school students who carry into college a poor understanding or, worse, no understanding at all of evolution are less likely to pick careers in the biological and geological sciences.† (Note the relocation of the flexible modifying phrase â€Å"into college† to smooth out the syntax.) 10. â€Å"Hindu believers are governed by the three doctrines of dharma or universal law, karma or the cumulative effects of personal actions, and samsara or the cycle of rebirth.† Always set terms off from their glosses, or brief definitions (See? I just glossed gloss), by a set of parenthetical commas; both in this explanation and in the sample sentence, the sentence structure requires a semicolon in place of the closing comma: â€Å"Hindu believers are governed by the three doctrines of dharma, or universal law; karma, or the cumulative effects of personal actions; and samsara, or the cycle of rebirth.† (A simple gloss would look like this: â€Å"Dharma, or universal law, is integral to both Hinduism and Buddhism.†) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:16 Substitutes for â€Å"Because† or â€Å"Because Of†Use a Dash for Number RangesAffect vs. Effect