Cheating in baseball Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cheating in baseball - Essay Example Thornton et al, also presents their view on the deeper roots of cheating in baseball. The author present a case study, founded on cheating, about Mark Schelereth who was an offensive linesman in the NFL Denver Broncos. The case study present the implication of a creative cheating whereby coating their arms with Vaseline thereby making them â€Å"slimey† such that no individual could grab onto them. Their actions lead to the Broncos winning the game over their opponents. Further, there was no action taken against them implying that their cheating strategy worked to their advantage although it presented an unfair competition. Considering this case study, the authors asserts, â€Å"cheating in sports is generally considered unethical; however, in baseball circles it is tolerated† (Thornton et al, p. 12). This is enough evidence to support the fact that cheating is moral in baseball especially when exhibited in a skillful way. Mills, Dorothy S. Chasing Baseball: Our Obsession with Its History, Numbers, People and Places. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 2010. Dorothy Mills uses her book in order to show the extent of cheating in baseball. She asserts that cheating is an everyday aspect in baseball and other sports, with every individual associated with the game facing the consequences. The cheating individuals normally end up gaining unfair advantage against their competitors thereby affecting both the latter and their fans. Dorothy asserts, concerning the fans associated to cheating team â€Å"we cheer when our teams cheat†¦ ... The cheating individuals normally end up gaining unfair advantage against their competitors thereby affecting both the latter and their fans. Dorothy asserts, concerning the fans associated to cheating team â€Å"we cheer when our teams cheat†¦ that’s because all we care about is winning, fans do not care about being fare to the other guys† (Mills, p. 113). This excerpt acts as evidence that cheating forms a significant part of a baseball game considering that it may affect the results from the referee. Despite a team presenting all their efforts to play their game, a residing official may end up frustrating them when the latter does not realize cheating from the other team. Cassuto, Leonard, and Stephen Partridge. The Cambridge Companion to Baseball. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. Cassuto presents an instance of Beckley who had miss the third base by fifteen feet but the residing official still considered that a win. Cassuto asserts that the p layers normally use this blatant trick in order to gain unfair advantage from the residing officials. Even though many fans in the game may have witnessed Beckley miss the third base, they did not present any effort towards complaining about the game. Cassuto uses this to confirm the truth that cheating is part of baseball besides other sports and fans condone it. He asserts â€Å"fans understand cheating and even condone cheating†¦.that puts cheating in unusual moral category, wrong doing that the baseball lovers would rather have in the game than not† (Cassuto&Stephen, p. 186). This quote is enough evidence that the baseball fans consider the act of cheating as moral and would feel unease for any game that does not have cheating. Cassuto & Stephen use the book as

English Speech Journeys Essay Example for Free

English Speech Journeys Essay Journeys can be long, journeys can be short, journeys can be difficult. Life is a journeys, something we all experience. Goodmorning/afternoon fellow students, Mrs. Grant, my understanding of the concept of journey has been expanded through my study of Samuel Coleridge’s poetry of â€Å"Frost at Midnight† and â€Å"This Lime-tree Bower My Prison† to just name a few. Samuel Coleridge was recognised for his romantic and a natural conversational type of poetry. 1. Journeys can be long, journeys can be short, journeys can be difficult. Life is a journeys, something we all experience. Goodmorning/afternoon fellow students, Mrs.  Grant, my understanding of the concept of journey has been expanded through my study of Samuel Coleridge’s poetry of â€Å"Frost at Midnight† and â€Å"This Lime-tree Bower My Prison† to just name a few. Samuel Coleridge was recognised for his romantic and a natural conversational type of poetry. 1. Coleridge’s poetry draws the audience into his imaginary world in a poem such â€Å"Frost at Midnight†, which is using the journey to reach enlightenment and through it we the audience are able to realise some of the values we hold as human being like our family, loved ones, freedom and security. For an example and a quote â€Å"My babe so beautiful! It thrills my heart with tender gladness†. This quote evokes Coleridge’s preciousness, protective love for his son and for his childs future. Coleridge’s poetry draws the audience into his imaginary world in a poem such â€Å"Frost at Midnight†, which is using the journey to reach enlightenment and through it we the audience are able to realise some of the values we hold as human being like our family, loved ones, freedom and security. For an example and a quote â€Å"My babe so beautiful! It thrills my heart with tender gladness†. This quote evokes Coleridge’s preciousness, protective love for his son and for his childs future. 2. 2. The dark gothic atmosphere of the opening creates a sense of mystery. As Coleridge is isolated in a cottage away from everyone else, which Coleridge to recall both on his school life and his happier life as a country man, and to channelled that unhappiness into a resolution that his infant son will not share in Coleridge’s unfortunate imprisonment in the city, but will grow up in the natural surroundings of the countryside. The dark gothic atmosphere of the opening creates a sense of mystery. As Coleridge is isolated in a cottage away from everyone else, which Coleridge to recall both on his school life and his happier life as a country man, and to channelled that unhappiness into a resolution that his infant son will not share in Coleridge’s unfortunate imprisonment in the city, but will grow up in the natural surroundings of the countryside your imagination that changes our approach towards reality and forces us to look more deeply into what we perceive to be true isplay the capacity of language to change us and force us to look more deeply into what we perceive to be true Coleridge expresses his childhood memories through the quietness of the cottage. Which begins Coleridge’s imaginative journey that son It is a beautiful text that portrays the imaginative journey undertaken by an unusual girl; through her reflection of her childhood memories, she is able to go beyond time and reach a state of contentment. The core concept of the story revolves around ‘moving on’ and not dwelling in the past. There is a very sombre tone that resonates in the text. It eventually changes to one of gratification as the character ‘spoke quietly to the gravestone of his son. ’ This contrast of tone highlights the power of the imaginative journey to change us and instils this very notion into our minds.

Penguin Books: Introduction To Modern Business :: essays research papers fc

Penguin Books: Introduction to Modern Business The aim of this essay is to comment on how, over the last six years Penguin Books Limited has grown and managed external and internal changes. Sixty one years ago, Allen Lane, the managing director of the Bodley Head, a British publishing company, revolutionised reading with the introduction of the first ten Penguin paperbacks. Today, over 600 million paperbacks are sold yearly. At a time when there was still little of entertainment, paperback books brought reading to the masses. Nowadays, paperback books bring reading to the world. During the last six years (1990-1996) Penguin Books Limited was faced with many "environmentalist pressures," with a continuous change inside the company, and competitors trying to imitate its successful innovations on both sides of the Atlantic. The major achievement in 1990 was the introduction of a new computer system into several parts of the Company. The Credit Control department was the first area and Stock Management, Invoicing Systems, Warehousing, Distribution and Sales Services followed. Now the whole of the Company's systems are incorporated and networked. During this period a new lists including the Twentieth Century Classics Series complementing the Penguin Classics, Arkana, the New Age list and Fantail, the mass-market children's list were introduced. Internal change that took place during that year was the closing down of the Penguin Bookshops (that expanded to include 12 shops during the last decade), leaving just one, the specialist Beatrix Potter "House of the Tailer of Gloucester", within the Group. This change took place due to the fact that the Company was conscious that it had to concentrate on the publishing rather than on the retail. This decision brought a successful completion of a management buy-out of the shops. This action also compensated the loss that the Company faced in august 1991, when Pearson (an international enterprise quoted on the London Stock Exchange with major media interests including many well-known names apart from Penguin, such as Longman, Pitman, Addison Wesley, the Financial Times, Westminster Press, Mindscape, Thames TV and Madame Tussauds) announced pre-tax profits of Pounds 40.7m for the first half of 1991- a drop of 58 per cent on the same period of 1990. In this period books fell from a trading profit of Pounds 2.1m to a loss of Pounds 13.4m with Penguin losing Pounds 8m. In the following two years no major changes have been recorded. Although, 1993 was generally a successful year for all Penguin group companies. Penguin UK had produced a strong programme including some major best sellers and agreed to a joint venture with the BBC for mass market paperbacks and film deals with two

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams :: A Streetcar Named Desire Essays

A Streetcar Named Desire, written by Tennessee Williams in 1947, has been called the best play written by an American. The setting of the play, New Orleans, creates a blended mood of decadence, nostalgia, and sensuality. The plot of the play comes about through the conflict between a man and his sister-in-law who comes to live at his house with he and his wife. Stanley and Blanche immediately capture the attention of the audience through Williams' portrayal of the intensely strong willed characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Play takes place in a two-story apartment in the heart of New Orleans. Eunice lives on the top apartment and Stella and Stanley live on the bottom apartment. The set has a classic Creole ambiance. The props in the play as with the rest of the costumes, and set are based on pieces from the 1940à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s. The props were very realistic, and very durable due to the fact that they had to stand up to Stanleyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s outburst. The props were very ordinary to show the humble life of Stanley and Stella in 1940à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s New Orleans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The costumes in the play reflected the plot of the play and gave insight into the characters that wore them. Stella and Stanley had simple costumes to reflect their simple impoverished life. Blanche outfits reflected her southern bell attitude, and set her apart from the rest of the characters so you could focus in on her. It showed that she like the best and would do anything for it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The lighting set the mood for the play. In key scenes the lighting added another dimension to show the conflict and hardship in the story.

Impact of Recent Changes in Capitalism on Social and Economic Status of Women

Introduction The history of women and their oppression has been well documented in literature. Several authors have explored the origin of women oppression. Women’s oppression has its roots in capitalism which has existed for many centuries (Stuart & Martin 1989). Their oppression is of course not unique to capitalism as it has been there since the colonial times and through the 19th century and 20th. However, over the past few decades, we have observed significant changes in capitalism which has impacted on the status of women. Many changes have been observed some of which are positive and others which take a more gloomy view. In this respect, this paper explores how the recent changes in capitalism have affected the social and economic status of women. In particular, the paper considers how post-Fordism and neoliberalism have altered women’s socio-economic position. Changes such as industrialization, urbanization, internationalization, globalization and modernization will be discu ssed in detail. The paper will examine how the concurrent cultural shifts have interacted with these socio-economic transformations and determine what the overall impact of these different factors has been. An exploration of this topic will be incomplete without examining the origin of capitalism and the rise of post fordism and neoliberalism. History of capitalism and crisis of fordism The origin of capitalism remains shrouded in the mists of history. Its exact birth date is speculated to be anywhere between the 14th century and the 17th century (Stuart & Martin 1989). Capitalism emerged from a feudal society and is linked to Europe’s economic system of the late 1700s (Price 2005). It is argued to have begun with the enclosure of common land used by peasants, and development of merchant capital and slave trade in western Europe (Price 2005). Rich landowners appropriated public land and made it their own private land, thereby creating a landless working class which provided the needed labour to develop industries (Harvey 1989). Fordism, a regime characterized by mass production, emerged in the early 20th century. It became dominant in the advanced capitalism during the postwar reconstruction. It was characterized by the mass production of homogenous consumer products, use of rigid technology, increased productivity, rising income which is dependent on product ivity, increased profitability and investments, and homogenization and intensification of labour (Clarke 1990). Fordism gave birth to the current phenomenon of ‘mass worker’. The fordist regime adopted a set of cultural norms and values which continued to oppress women. The regime supported the male breadwinner model where women were seen as mothers and house wives while men worked in paid labour (Castell 1996). Gender relations under this regime required women to work without pay while the male subject was remunerated. However, fordist regime had its limits which were technical, social and economic in nature. Technical limits were mainly the exhaustion and the intensification of labour (Clarke 1990). The economic limits included decrease in profitability which was a result of the rising wages and declining productivity. Social limits were related to the growing demands of mass worker. Post-fordism and neoliberalism Given the crisis of fordism, a new form of ‘post-fordist regime’ emerged which was characterized by the growing differentiation of products, new technologies, more flexible production methods, and greater skill and flexibility, and increased involvement of women in paid labour (Burrow & Loader 2003). Post-fordism emerged primarily due to three main driving forces: internationalization, technology revolution, and as a result of the paradigm shift from fordism to post-fordism (Broomhill 2001). Introduction of the welfare system and the rise of women movement in the post-fordist regime led to the abandonment of the male breadwinner model and women’s financial independence (Broomhill 2001). Several historical events have transformed the social landscape including technological revolution, demise of international communist movement and the collapse of Soviet statism (Castell 1996). Proliferation of technologies centred on information systems have reshaped the social la ndscape and accelerated the pace of development of the society. Moreover, the rise of globalization has led to a new form of relationship between states and economies (Castell 1996). All these changes have been driven and shaped by the neo-liberal thought. Neoliberalism has led to the increasing globalization, decentralization, de-regulation of the market, organizational restructuring, growth and consolidation of transnational corporations, and ‘free marketization’ which has reduced the old state and contractual controls (Acker 2004). Furthermore, new forms of flexibility in employment relations including part-time and online forms of working have emerged, changing the working environment. Post-fordism and neoliberal policies have resulted in the feminization of labour and made men and women both similar in the public sphere (Broomhill 2001). Impact on women’s economic and social status These changes in capitalism have had profound yet contradictory impact on the economic and social status of women. While it has to a large extent improved women’s socio-economic status by undermining older forms of male dominance, it has to some extent worsened their life conditions (Beck et al. 2001). On the positive side, post-Fordism and neoliberalism have altered women’s socio-economic position and disrupted the settled economies that supported patriarchy structures. Post-fordist relations of production have resulted in the inclusion of women in paid labour force. Neoliberal policies have increased flexibility in employment. These changes have changed the way women view themselves and challenged the patriarchic view of domination of women by the men (McRobbie 2008). And since domination essentially occurs through construction of reality, if the women subjects do not internalize patriarchalism, then its demise is just a matter of time. While some religion in some cou ntries, especially Islam, continue to re-state the sanctity of the patriarchal family, its disintegrations is evident in many countries. Women in many countries have joined the paid workforce and even conquered legal parity at work. However, their inclusion in the paid labour force does not necessarily imply that they were relieved of the burden of Partriachalism. It might be that despite working for pay, women still continue with their role of providing domestic and caring labour at home. Nonetheless, their liberation from oppression is clearly evident across the globe. The number of women in paid workforce has been increasing gradually over the years. Estimates indicate that women currently account for about 42% of the global workforce with majority of them employed in the health sector (75%) (WHO 2008). Not only has their economic status improved, their social status has improved as well. Women are increasingly being seen as equals to men including in politics where they were ess entially absent. The political system in many countries has opened up to female leadership. The participation of women in leadership positions and politics is clearly evident in the recent presidential elections in the US where Hillary Clinton contested against President Barack Obama. Many more women leaders have emerged all over the world with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia being the most popularly known in Africa, having won as the first ever female president in Africa. Others include the German chancellor Angela Merkel, President Cristina Fernandez of Argentina, Prime minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil and many more (Aguirre et al. 2012). The list is certainly endless. In addition, the education system has become more open to the girl child including in fundamentalist countries such as Iran which have seen a growing number of women graduates (Castell 1996). The affirmation and recognition of women’s values, the growing wome n movements and critique of patriarchalism are some of the most important transformations that have contributed to the new status of women. Feminism As women movements continue to fight for their autonomy and recognition of women’s values, the more has feminism diversified. A new frontier has emerged based on the notion of ‘degendering’ of the society which implies a society free from gender associations or rather one that moves beyond gender (Murphy 2011). This new frontier in feminism has superseded the old battles that existed between equality feminism and difference feminism. By mobilizing women to oppose patriarchalism and to defend their rights, feminism has transformed to the point of canceling the distinction between men and women (Sulivan 2007). Men and women are now largely viewed as individuals with meaningful existence, liberating them from the patriarchic burden of responsibilities. This has certainly been very helpful in achieving a more equal society. Women’s role in the development of the economy is increasingly being recognized. Available evidence indicates women to be powerful drivers of economic growth. A study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research found the high rate of women employment to be the driving force of the US economy. The study found that, if women had not entered the workforce over the last 30 years, the economy would have been 11% less. Today, we see several institutions including the World Bank and the Department for International Development (DFID) campaigning for more involvement of women in economic development (Aguirre et al. 2012). According to the World Bank, encouraging the growth of women entrepreneurs is as sure way of fighting poverty. Women are poised to drive the global economy in the next coming decades. Estimates indicate that nearly 1 billion of women across the world might join paid labour over the coming decade (Aguirre et al. 2012). Criticism While there seems to be a progress in women’s socio-economic status driven by post-fordist relations and the neoliberal policies pursued by the several states, some countries continue to follow partriarchalism. Despite its inevitable demise, some countries tend to still follow partriarchal lines which subordinate women under men’s dominance. A good example can be seen with Saudi Arabia. A woman’s place in Saudi Arabia is still in the home. Saudi women continue to walk in the shadow of their men. For example, despite their obvious presence, they are not allowed to participate in the public sphere (Hamdan 2005). They are viewed as non-existing in the public sphere and are silenced in public life. They continue to be subordinated to male individuals in both private and public sectors despite their qualifications. While a progress seems to have been made with respect to their education, at the core of women’s education is sex segregation. Education in Saudi co ntinues to support the prevailing gender structures, implying lower social status of Saudi women (Hamdan 2005). Perhaps more shocking news is the fact that Saudi Women are not allowed to drive. While religious reasons are generally given for denying women the right to drive, it is clear that their place is still in the home. Also, even though many women have progressed economically due to their inclusion in workforce, only a few of them work in the management positions. In spite of the increasing number of women in workplace, many of them are concentrated in the lower-status occupations. For example, while the health sector comprise of 75% of the women workforce, they are concentrated n the lower status working either as nurses and midwifery personnel or as ‘caring’ cadres (WHO 2008). They are largely underrepresented at the managerial level and specialist categories such as dentists, pharmacists, and physicians. Feminist critique of sexism seems to have given justifica tion to new forms of exploitation and oppression. With more women joining the paid workforce, the ‘family wage’ model central to state-organized capitalism which viewed men as the ‘breadwinners’ and women as ‘home makers’ has now been replaced by the newer, more modern norm of ‘two-earner’ family (Fraser 2013). While this may sound like good news, the reality is that post-fordism and neoliberal ideas have resulted in depressed wage levels, increased job insecurity, exacerbation of double shifts and the increase in the number of working hours (Fraser 2013). What was once the ‘family wage’ in capitalism has now been replaced by a low-waged work. Majority of their work has not really brought liberation rather a ‘tedious reality’ far from the perceived image of a working woman (Frank 1999). They remain relegated to lower positions at work. Even with many women being employed either in full or part-time positio ns, they are not getting to the ‘top’. Also, where their role is clearly evident, women continue to suffer from some level of hostility and public disapproval. For example, when it comes to journalism, women have proved flexible and able to forge new approaches. Their adaptability to new approaches is clearly evident with their news coverage of the September 11 events, the overthrow of Taliban forces and the bombing of Afghanistan (Chambers 2004). Women journalists developed different angles in their approach to war journalism, thereby attracting more news audiences. Yet despite the critical role that they played, a heated public debate emerged about the risks of reporting in war zones. It is clear that despite their liberation from oppression, women are still defined in terms of men. As wives and mothers, women clearly continue to suffer from some level of hostility and public disapproval that men with families do not ( Chambers 2004 p.13) In addition, some recent even ts have pointed to the renewed crisis of capitalism. There is currently a crisis of profitability which is facing capitalism. The profit rates are falling and many firms have been laying off workers. British capitalism is particularly in a crisis given its relatively weak position compared to other imperialist nations (FRFI 2013). The current focus on the growth of the private sector implies that priority has been placed on industrial development over social objectives. Workers wages have been cut to a massive extent and unemployment seems to be growing. Given this crisis, capitalism is now insisting on women returning to their traditional roles as domestic workers (FRFI 2013). Neoliberal ideas contributing to sexism While the recent changes experienced by capitalism seem to have contributed to the recognition of women as gender equals, recent developments continue to enact sexism. For example, many advertisements of today show nude pictures of women. What this means is that the male gaze is invited and encouraged as women continue to become objects of the gaze. Moreover, many clubs continue to feature young women stripping, lap-dancing and flashing out their breasts in public (McRobbie 2009). A hyper-culture of commercial sexuality seem to be growing, an aspect that is clearly a repudiation of feminism. Even the young women journalists who through their education are ‘gender aware’ refuse to condemn such acts of commercial sexuality. It seems like the new female Subject is called upon by the society to withhold critique and to remain silent despite her freedom. Consumer and popular culture seem to be introducing invidious forms of gender re-stabilization by pretending to support fem ale success yet tying the female subject to new post-feminist neurotic dependencies (McRobbie 2009). In order to be considered a modern sophisticated girl, the female subjects choose to withhold their critique despite their obvious image as sexual objects of men’s gaze. With the progress seen with women’s socio-economic status, one might think that the feminists are happy to see the things they fought so hard to have come true. However, what has emerged is different from what was desired (Cornwall et al 2008). Neoliberal values seem to have created space under which women can be further oppressed and their core values undermined. The culture of neoliberalism has led to the idea of self-sufficiency and free choice. All that one has to do is to compete in the market place. Some women have even gone to great lengths to make themselves acceptable to the world of work by performing cosmetic surgery under the illusion of having freedom choice to make their own decisions (Gup ta 2012). Yet some of their work goes against their core values. Many women have ventured into the sex industry under the illusion of having control over their lives. They have chosen this kind of work in the spirit of freedom of expression of their sexuality and believe that the work is liberation from the drudgery of cleaning jobs (Gupta 2012). However, the so called freedom of expression is actually reducing them to the status of ‘commodity’ and as objects of ‘men gaze’. Feminism which once fought for the liberation of women from oppression has become entangled in a dangerous liaison with neoliberal efforts to build a free market society (Fraser 2013). It has led to the notion of ‘freedom of choice’ which ultimately has given rise to prostitution. Feminists’ perspective on prostitution, however, is an interesting one. Feminists argue that prostitutes are social workers and have in fact used their social concepts to contend for decrimi nalization of prostitution (Sullivan 2007). Feminists have formed strong links with prostitutes resulting in advances in the area of prostitution law reform. The feminist position of the sex industry is one that empowers women as long as they choose to participate. But what is progressive about women’s participation in prostitutionCan women really progress by becoming sexual objects and objects of male gazeWhat is revolutionary about legalizing prostitutionIn fact, legalizing prostitution just makes women to become sexual commodities. The fight against sexism that has long been fought for by feminists seems to have ended up again to encouraging it. The progress in women that we have seen so far will not continue if women continue to follow neoliberal ideology that values individual ‘choice’ and ‘freedom’ over emancipation. Selling their bodies will not provide them with independence and empowerment that they seek but rather it will just reinforce mal e power and privilege. Trafficking of women and children Further, neoliberal ideology has led to the growing trafficking of women and children. This is particularly evident in Asia and the pacific region where human trafficking has grown to become a booming business. Millions of children in the pacific region are traded to work in brothels or sweatshops. Human trafficking has not grown by accident but as a result of free trade and structural adjustments brought about by neo-liberalism. Sex trafficking is currently a growing market in some parts of Eastern Europe, most notably Romania and Albania (FRFI 2013) Conclusion There is no doubt that the socio-economic status of women has improved following the recent changes in capitalism. This is evident in their inclusion in the paid workforce, their enrollment in eductation and increased participation in the public sphere including in politics. However, to some extent, these changes have painted a gloomy picture with regard to the status of women. A vast majority of them continue to occupy positions at the low levels of the organization. Also they continue to suffer from some level of hostility and public disapproval. Neoliberal ideology has led to their increasing commodification and increased trafficking of women and children. A hyper-culture of commercial sexuality seem to be growing, an aspect that is clearly a repudiation of feminism. Nonetheless, a huge progress has been made. Today, there are many successful women in the capitalist society. In fact, many women seem to have embraced the capitalism and showed support of it due to their improved soc ial and economic status. If their status is to be further improved in post-fordist employment, policy initiatives must address the issues of women’s employment, skills and training (Burrows & Loader 2003). Furthermore, there is need for public policy to challenge the polarized labour market that has emerged from post-fordism. Neo-liberal policies which support the development of a polarized market are socially divisive. Also, feminist scholars need to caution Women against prostitution. Selling their bodies will not provide them with independence and empowerment that they seek but rather it will just reinforce male power and privilege Reference Acker, J., 2004. ‘Gender, capitalism and globalization’. Critical Sociology, vol. 30 (1), pp.17-41 Aguirre, D., Hoteit, L., Rupp, C. and Sabbagh, K., 2012. Empowering the third billion women and the world of work in 2012. Booz & Company McRobbie, A., 2008. The Aftermath of Feminism: Gender, culture and social change, pp. 1-95. Zygmunt, B., 2001. The Individualized Society. Polity press. Beck, Ulrich & Elizabeth Beck-Gernsheim, 2001. Individualization: institutionalized individualism and its social and political consequences. Sage publishers. Broomhill, R., 2001. ‘Neoliberal globalism and the local state: a regulation approach’. Journal of Australian Political Economy , No.48 Burrow, R. and Loader, B.D., 2003. Towards a post-fordist welfare stateLondon: Routledge Castells, M., 1996. The Power of Identity. Blackwell Castells, M., 1996. The Rise of the Network Society. Blackwell Chambers, D., Steiner, L and Fleming, C., 2004. Women and journalism. Routledge Clarke, S., 1990. The crisis of Fordism and the crisis of capitalism. University of Warwick. Cornwall, A., Gideon, J. and Wilson, K., 2008. ‘Introduction: reclaiming feminism: gender and neoliberalism’. IDS Bulletin, vol. 39 (6) Franks, S., 1999. Having None of It: Men, Women and the Future of Work, Granta. FRFI, 2013. Women’s oppression under capitalism. Revolutionary Communist Group [viewed on 3rd May 2014] available from http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org/index.php/women-s-oppression/2850-women-s-oppression-under-capitalism Gupta, R., 2012. Has neoliberalism knocked feminism sideways[viewed on 3rd May 2014] available from http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/rahila-gupta/has-neoliberalism-knocked-feminism-sideways Hamdan, A., 2005. ‘Women and education in Saudi Arabia: challenges and achievements’. International Education Journal, vol.6 (1), pp.42-64 Harvey, Da., 1989. The Condition of Postmodernity. Blackwell. Jessop, B., 2008. Post-fordism and the state, UK, Lancaster Murphy, M., 2011. A progressive dialogue: building a progressive feminist movement in neo-liberal times. [viewed on 3rd May 2014] available from http://rabble.ca/news/2011/10/progressive-dialogue-building-progressive-feminist-movement-neo-liberal-times Price, R.G., 2005. Understanding capitalism part IV: Capitalism, culture and society. [Viewed on 2nd May 2014] available from http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/capitalism_culture.htm Stuart, H and Martin J, 1989. New Times: The Changing Face of Politics in the 1990s. Lawrence & Wishart Whelan, Imelda, 2000. Overloaded: Popular Culture and the Future of Feminism, The Women’s Press. Sullivan, B., 2007. Feminist approaches to the sex industry. Australia: University of Queensland World Health Organization (WHO), 2008. Gender and health workforce statistics. World Health Organization.

How to Write a Compare #038; Contrast Essay in Literature †a Guide That Covers Everything

How to Write a Compare #038; Contrast Essay in Literature – a Guide That Covers Everything A compare and contrast essay (also sometimes called comparative analysis essay or simply a comparison essay) is a relatively short piece of academic writing that tries to identify parallels and contrasts between two or more entities belonging to the same category. In other words, you cannot compare things that have completely nothing in common. In literature, it most commonly will be texts, characters or authors, although more complex comparisons are also possible – for example, that of a certain concept or idea as expressed in the works of two different authors or in the work of one author during two or more different periods. The task of such comparison may look trivial, but this impression usually only lasts until you start writing. After that, it becomes obvious that this type of academic work has a lot of its own peculiarities, and you cannot write a proper essay without knowing them. In this guide you will find everything you need to write a high-quality compare and contrast essay – just read on. How to Select a Topic for a Compare and Contrast Essay in Literature Normally, professors assign you a topic to write about. Although this way you can end up with something unfamiliar and uninteresting, having the direction of your research chosen for you takes a significant load off your shoulders, because selecting a topic of your own without any guidelines can be confusing. If you don’t want to spend too much time trying to think about a suitable topic, follow the steps we suggest. 1. Study Your Assignment Even if your professor did not give a topic per se, the instructions you have received can help you decide in what direction you should move. Read them carefully and make sure you understand if your choice is limited in any way. For example, you may be asked to simply compare two texts of your choice. Alternatively, your professor may want you to focus on differences and similarities between A and B. Or you may need to not just compare the entities, but also make specific observations and draw conclusions. 2. Take a Look at Your Course Your choice of essay topic should be relevant for the topic you are taking and based on what you have learned in it. For example, if you have been studying British Post-Modern writers, it is only natural to choose a topic that has something to do with them. You can compare two writers of this movement, or compare British Post Modernism with its American counterpart, or pick a particular theme characteristic of this movement and see how it is reflected in the works of two different writers who belong to it. 3. Be Original Whatever the course, there are always topics that are immediately obvious for everybody who takes them. For example, comparison between 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell or between the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn from Mark Twain’s books are so painfully obvious that they immediately manifest the lack of effort and creativity on your part. In other words, if something strikes you as a good topic immediately after you are assigned an essay to write, it is probably not the best idea to choose it. If you want to be truly original, run a couple of searches using online academic search engines to see if there are many existing papers with the topics similar to the one you are thinking about. It is wise to maintain a balance: finding a topic that has some representation in academic literature but is not all over the place. 4. Look for Parallels in Unusual Places There are two basic ways to write an interesting compare and contrast essay in literature. Firstly, you can compare two entities from an unusual perspective. Perhaps, take two texts (characters, literary movements, etc.) that are commonly studied side by side and compare them to each other, but instead of taking a tried and true route you can analyze them from a viewpoint that does not occur to the majority of people. For example, take Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, but do not focus on the usual aspects (different views on slavery, more serious tone of the latter book, different narrative structures, etc.). Instead, compare them with an emphasis on the evolution of Mark Twain’s views and perception of the world between the publication of these two novels, his growing cynicism and disillusionment in the world. 5. Make Sure You Can Write on This Topic Sometimes a topic that looks ideal at a glance may turn out to be incredibly difficult to work with. You may suddenly find out there are not enough sources of information, or that there are far fewer parallels between A and B than you initially believed. It is better to make such discoveries before you finalize your topic and start writing in earnest. Therefore, do the following: Check online academic databases to see if there are enough reliable sources to build upon; Write preliminary lists of what A and B have in common and how they are different. See if there are enough points to discuss in an essay of the required size; See if you can make a meaningful conclusion from your comparison. Your goal is not to just list similarities and differences between A and B, but to achieve some kind of result: for example, establish a pattern that is not obvious at a precursory glance. Eventually, you should end up with a topic like one of these: Storytelling Techniques Employed by Edgar Allan Poe and Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Similarities, Differences, Influences; Lord of the Flies by William Golding: Did It Influence Battle Royale by Koushun Takami? The Chronicle of Young Satan, Schoolhouse Hill and No. 44, the Mysterious Stranger: Three Versions of Mark Twain’s Last Story; Odysseus and Achilles from Homer’s The Iliad: Two Viewpoints on Pride and Duty; Euripides’ Medea and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Two of the Most Famous Tragedies Ever Written. Writing a Compare and Contrast Essay in Literature: Step by Step 1. Write Down Detailed Lists of Similarities and Differences Analyze the entities under scrutiny and prepare two lists, enumerating everything similar and different about them. You should have them ready when you finally start writing so that you do not have to return to this stage later on. To make this task easier you can first create a list of criteria to use when comparing A and B. For example, if you compare two texts, you can pay attention to the language used in them, setting, main themes, personalities of the main characters, historical periods they were written in, personal situations of their authors at the time of writing, etc. 2. Define the Main Idea and Formulate Your Thesis Statement To write a good compare and contrast essay it is not enough to list what makes A and B similar or different. The comparisons you make should result in an overarching conclusion: for example, you can discover that two texts written in different parts of the world and in vastly different historical periods have much more in common than can be expected (like Ancient Greek tragedies and some Shakespeare’s plays). Express this overarching idea in a thesis statement – a short summary one sentence long. Make sure it is: Concise – if you need more than one sentence to express it, you probably spread yourself too thin; Concentrated – a thesis statement for an essay should not contain more than one point. If you find yourself drifting towards two or more main points, you should spend some time narrowing down your focus; Unambiguous – a thesis statement should leave no room for misunderstandings. Express your idea directly and in a simple language. 3. Decide What It Relevant Any two things can be compared across unlimited numbers of points, but not all of these comparisons are relevant for your research question/main idea. For example, the fact that Shakespeare wrote in Elizabethan English while Euripides wrote in Ancient Greek are notable differences between the two, but they are irrelevant as long as you do not discuss the linguistic aspects of their works. 4. Choose Structure There are some additional variants, but mostly a compare and contrast essay can be structured according to one of two patterns: Block Method With this method, you roughly divide the body of your essay into two parts. In the first you describe all the similarities between A and B (or whatever number of entities you analyze), in the second you go over all the differences. After that, you discuss what is more important and draw conclusions. Alternatively, you can spend one block to discuss and analyze subject A and then move on to subject B. This approach has a number of advantages: It offers complete pictures of the subjects you discuss, allowing for more general conclusions; It does not appear repetitive or mechanical, as you do not jump from one subject to another all the time; It is easier to follow. However, it is not very well suited for longer essays, because as you describe one subject you move the other to the background, and it is easy to forget that you make a comparison and do not just describe two unrelated things. Thus, it is usually used in shorter essays or when you want to do a lens/keyhole comparison – that is, use A as a context or field of reference for analyzing B (and thus give only a short description of A before moving on to B). Point-by-Point Method With this more analytical approach you break up your discussion into multiple parts and dedicate each of them to studying an individual point. For example, if you compare Crome Yellow and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, you define what is important for your argument (main character, his relationships with female characters, setting, etc.), and then spend a paragraph apiece analyzing this point in both novels. This method: Allows for a more detailed analysis; Is better suited for longer essays. However, you should make sure you only cover the most relevant comparison points, because constant back and forth between the two subjects can become repetitive and boring. 5. Prepare an Outline An outline is a short yet detailed plan of your essay. You jot down what parts it will contain, what you will mention in each of them, how you will create logical connections between them, where you will put quotations, etc. 6. Write the Essay Besides the body paragraphs, its structure is typical: Introduction – you introduce the topic and provide basic context; Thesis statement – you state the purpose of your essay; Body – you compare the subjects in question; Conclusion – you summarize what you have written and decide if your initial hypothesis proved true. Proofreading a Compare and Contrast Essay in Literature: Useful Tips 1. Do not Start Proofreading Right Away If you have any time to spare, leave your essay alone for a while. We recommend a period of at least 24 hours. This will help you notice many mistakes that would otherwise escape your attention. 2. Clarify Formatting and Other Requirements If you are not sure about any requirements (from one of the common style guides or official instructions of your college), clarify them. Then check everything about your essay: font type and size, pagination, title page, quotations, etc., and make sure they follow the guidelines. 3. Do not Trust Spellcheckers Microsoft Word’s spellchecker is only useful for finding the most blatant spelling mistakes. It has very peculiar notions of what makes good and bad writing, so do not feel obliged to change your wording if it underlines it. Some online proofreading tools like Grammarly or Hemingway are a little better and can help you with grammar and sentence structure, but still, do not rely on them too much. 4. Cut the Flab You can always safely toss something out from the first draft. If a word, sentence or even a paragraph does nothing to move your point forward, delete it without regret. 5. Watch out for Repetitions We do not just mean the repetition of the same information, although you should avoid it by all costs. Repetitions of any kind can spoil the impression that your essay makes: e.g., try not to begin multiple paragraphs with the same word. Congratulations! Now you are ready to submit your essay for evaluation. We hope this guide proved useful!

Online Music Databases essays

Online Music Databases essays Today in the music world a new element has been added into the mix of the industry. An element some view as a threat to music but I see it more as a threat to overly rich performers who might not afford that new beach house in Cancun. This threat is one of several programs which link thousands of computers together so they can share millions of files with each other giving you access to almost every song ever created. I believe that this program Morpheus will have nothing less than a positive affect on the music industry. About a year ago a few of my friends had acquired a program called Napster, this program enabled then to download almost and song they could think of or desire, new and old. I was blown away by this simple amazing idea which caused me next to pose the immediate question, once I calmed down, how much is this amazing program going cost and if there would be a monthly fee? I was stunned to find out it was completely free! As soon as I got home I was online and typing the web address on the screen. Limited only by the speed of my modem I started my collection of music on my computer sifting through files like a miner looking for gold, every now and then I struck it rich with the song I was looking for. The little speakers fixated on my desktop were not enough for me so I hooked my computer to my stereo, and when I was tired of that I installed the software on a faster computer that also contained a CD burner. Now I was able to take my digital gold I had mined from the river of data tha t flowed through my computer to a portable, playable CD, custom made by me. Now I was able to listen to my music everywhere and anywhere. I know the long term affect will be positive but the immediate results of this will be nothing short of negative and that is how I can relate to the legitimate people who see this to be a disaster to the music industry. They will say that the loss of millions of C...

Definition, Discussion, and Examples of Close Reading

Definition, Discussion, and Examples of Close Reading Close reading is a thoughtful, disciplined reading of a text. Also called close analysis and explication de texte. Though close reading is commonly associated with New Criticism (a movement that dominated literary studies in the U.S. from the 1930s to the 1970s), the method is ancient. It was advocated by the Roman rhetorician Quintilian in his Institutio Oratoria (c. 95 AD). Close reading remains a fundamental critical method practiced in diverse ways by a wide range of readers in different disciplines. (As discussed below, close reading is a skill thats encouraged by the new Common Core State Standards Initiative in the U.S.) One form of close reading is rhetorical analysis. Observations English studies is founded on the notion of close reading, and while there was a period in the late 1970s and early 1980s when this idea was frequently disparaged, it is undoubtedly true that nothing of any interest can happen in this subject without close reading.(Peter Barry, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, 2nd ed. Manchester University Press, 2002) Francine Prose on Close Reading We all begin as close readers. Even before we learn to read, the process of being read aloud to, and of listening, is one in which we are taking in one word after another, one phrase at a time, in which we are paying attention to whatever each word or phrase is transmitting. Word by word is how we learn to hear and then read, which seems only fitting, because it is how the books we are reading were written in the first place. The more we read, the faster we can perform that magic trick of seeing how the letters have been combined into words that have meaning. The more we read, the more we comprehend, the more likely we are to discover new ways to read, each one tailored to the reason why we are reading a particular book.(Francine Prose, Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them. HarperCollins, 2006) The New Criticism and Close Reading In its analyses, new criticism . . . focuses on phenomena such as multiple meaning, paradox, irony, word play, puns, or rhetorical figures, whichas the smallest distinguishable elements of a literary workform interdependent links with the overall context. A central term often used synonymously with new criticism is close reading. It denotes the meticulous analysis of these elementary features, which mirror larger structures of a text.(Mario Klarer, An Introduction to Literary Studies, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2004) The Aims of Close Reading [A] rhetorical text appears to hideto draw attention away fromits constitutive strategies and tactics. Consequently, close readers have to employ some mechanism for piercing the veil that covers the text so as to see how it works. . . . The principal object of close reading is to unpack the text. Close readers linger over words, verbal images, elements of style, sentences, argument patterns, and entire paragraphs and larger discursive units within the text to explore their significance on multiple levels.(James Jasinski, Sourcebook on Rhetoric: Key Concepts in Contemporary Rhetorical Studies. Sage, 2001) [I]n the traditional view, close reading does not aim to produce the meaning of the text, but rather to unearth all possible types of ambiguities and ironies.(Jan van Looy and Jan Baetens, Introduction: Close Reading Electronic Literature. Close Reading New Media: Analyzing Electronic Literature. Leuven University Press, 2003) What, really, does a critical close reader do that the average person on the street does not do? I argue that the close-reading critic reveals meanings that are shared but not universally and also meanings that are known but not articulated. The benefit of revealing such meanings is to teach or enlighten those who hear or read the critique. . . . The critics job is to uncover these meanings in such a way that people have an aha! moment in which they suddenly agree to the reading, the meanings the critic suggests suddenly come into focus. The standard of success for the close reader who is also a critic is therefore the enlightenment, insights, and agreement of those who hear or read what he or she has to say.(Barry Brummett, Techniques of Close Reading. Sage, 2010) Close Reading and the Common Core Chez Robinson, eighth-grade Language Arts teacher and part of the leadership team at Pomolita Middle School, says, Its a process; educators are still learning about it. . . . Close reading is one strategy being implemented for teaching students higher level thinking skills, focusing on depth rather than breadth. You take a piece of text, fiction or non-fiction, and you and your students examine it closely, she says. In the classroom, Robinson introduces the overall purpose of the reading assignment and then has students work independently and in partners and groups to share what they have learned. They circle words that are confusing or unknown, write out questions, use exclamation marks for ideas that surprise, underline key points. . . . Robinson uses examples from Langston Hughes work, especially rich in figurative language, and refers specifically to his poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers. Together, she and her students investigate each line, each stanza, piece by piece, leading to deeper levels of understanding. She plays an interview with him, assigns a five-paragraph essay on the Harlem Renaissance. Its not that this hasnt been done before, she says, but Common Core is bringing a new focus to the strategies.(Karen Rifkin, Common Core: New Ideas for Teachingand for Learning. The Ukiah Daily Journal, May 10, 2014) The Fallacy in Close Reading There is a small but immitigable fallacy in the theory of close reading, . . . and it applies to political journalism as well as to the reading of poetry. The text doesn’t reveal its secrets just by being stared at. It reveals its secrets to those who already pretty much know what secrets they expect to find. Texts are always packed, by the reader’s prior knowledge and expectations, before they are unpacked. The teacher has already inserted into the hat the rabbit whose production in the classroom awes the undergraduates.(Louis Menand, Out of Bethlehem. The New Yorker, August 24, 2015)

APDM Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

APDM - Speech or Presentation Example For better understanding about the financial position of the APDM, a brief financial analysis of the company has been made below The statement of comprehensive income for the year ended 2011 shoes that the company made net income $681,780.88. According to the company’s account the main source of income include the general services, technical assistance and the clinical data management service of the company. On the other side, a material amount $172,804 has been given to customers as a discount. The company has incurred the cost of $364,658.85 against all their Net income from all sources. The company has made the gross profit of $317,122.03 with a gross profit ratio of 46.5% in year 2011. On the side of expenses, APDM incurred a huge amount of expenses in 2011. Expense figure include the large amount of Research and development expenses in it. This means that, APDM attribute major portion of their finance on research and development to develop the new technologies. The company’s account shows the expense figure of $325,816.45 after including all operations and administration expenses. This figu re covered almost all the gross profit’s figure that’s why company made the net loss of $8,694.19 at end of financial year. In accordance with above analysis, there are many recommendations that the APDM consider in managing its finances. It can clearly be seen that in the income statement analysis, the company has incurred the huge amount of expenses in year 2012. APDM should investigate that, is all the expense incurred in proper manner? On the other side, the expenses include the large portion of Research and development expenses. It is the indication that the company is trying to win the race form its competitors through developing new technologies. In addition, APDM should also investigate these figures due to their material nature. In addition, APDM can also avoid any of adverse situations by taking these measures. If the company was

An evaluation of contemporary leadership and governance challenges Research Paper

An evaluation of contemporary leadership and governance challenges among universities in Africa - Research Paper Example The study incorporates the university management, teaching staff and the workers together with students both of whom are actively involved in the whole process of research. The results of empirical investigation reveal numerous challenges in university leadership and governance most of which arise from improper financial management coupled with lack of vision. Other leadership and governance challenges arise from union and labour agitations, mismanagement of resources, human resource cum faculty motivation and productivity, leadership among the academic staff, corporate governance and the quality of their graduates. Analysis of the challenges strongly indicates that the environment in which these universities operate which tend to nurture and accommodate such vices possibly causes these challenges. This is manifested in various reasons manifested by university management for their lack of progress. It is therefore apparent that university leadership and management are not up to the c hallenges facing them and that they are not fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. This is because the possible cause of these challenges lies in the specialist nature of their leadership and governance, which is in them. ... ion The issue of leadership in the Centre of management of educational institutions is important in human resources and development since it covers all aspects of the organization. Leadership and governance is concerned with the execution of policies and decisions which determine whether an organization achieve its goals or not. The leadership and governance of the universities enjoys the status of dominance and prestige due to their ability to control and initiate development policies. African Universities’ governance is faced with challenges that have led to their slow growth and development over the decades compared to their counterparts in other continents. Several efforts have been put in place by respective governments and concerned bodies to improve on their status but it seems they have fallen short of intended outcomes. Several attempts have been made aimed at training and capacity building for the university leadership but challenges are still being witnessed on larg e scale. Basic among the governance challenges is the capacity to govern which is evident in most of the department within the university administration. This lack of capacity may result from lack of effective training of the workers and other university leaders before they commence their duties. Lack of effective training before and during the employment period is blamed to be the result of poor leadership and governance in the African universities. The politicized nature of most African states often results to university management being political appointees with less regards to qualifications in terms of education and integrity of the selected leaders. Financial challenge is real in most of the African universities due to little funding they receive form the government and other donor

The Legitimacy Question Surrounding the Death Penalty Research Paper - 1

The Legitimacy Question Surrounding the Death Penalty - Research Paper Example The literature on the topic of the death penalty reflects the polar nature of the debate, but oddly, both sides utilize statistics to support their respective positions. This is odd because the clichà © â€Å"statistics don’t lie† does not seem to apply. However, primarily, the problem is how both sides use their statistics. An argument such as â€Å"death penalty deters future murders†, after all, cannot both be true and be false at the same time. However, a quick glance at the literature shows it is indeed possible for both a claim and its negation to find statistical support. Additionally, research is often done into the statistics of death penalty with a specific argument in mind. For instance, two very important articles in the history of the debate try to give an answer to whether there is a racial bias against certain minorities in how the death penalty is handled.   The first article was written by Isaac Ehrlich and published in 1975 dealing primarily with the deterrent effect of the death penalty. In it, he remarks that the deterrent argument against the death penalty is one of many arguments put favor in support of the practice: namely, that the thought the death penalty will make a potential killer â€Å"think twice† about committing a violent crime. This is an â€Å"economic† approach and defense to murder, which justifies the incentive-based approach Ehrlich takes in analyzing the deterrence effect. The model he creates is designed to represent an economic model of murder to test against available data for validation. The model he creates is designed to represent an economic model of murder to test against available data for validation. The model he generates during the course of his article analyzes earning opportunities, employment, the probability of apprehension, the probability of conviction, and frequency of violent crim e against actual violent crime rates.  

American Government Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Government - Research Paper Example ticle handling the roles of the house and the senate, the second article providing for the powers and responsibilities of the president, the vice president and the departments, while the third article caters for the duties and authorities of the federal and the supreme courts. The system of checking the powers is enhanced through having one arm of the government limit the powers of the other. The system of checks and balances can be demonstrated by the nature of relationships between these arms of the government. The executive is authorized to constitute the judiciary through having the president appoint judges. The legislature on the other hand is mandated to approve or disapprove the appointments made by the president. This way, there is a participation of each arm of the government in such decision making, ensuring that no arm exercises excessive powers over the others (Kilman and Costello, 56). The other nature of a relationship is that while the legislature, through the congress passes a law, the executive, through the president can veto such a law (Kilman and Costello, 58). Further, the judiciary can rule on the unconstitutionality of a law passed by the legislature, but the legislature can avert this through initiating the amendment of the constitution to suit such laws, if deemed necessary for the state. Thus, the separation of powers ensures that each arm is acc ountable to the others and by extension the whole republic (Kilman and Costello, 79). The process of passing a bill into a law includes the introduction of such a bill by the congress. The bill can either emanate from the senate or the house of representative, with the person introducing it becoming the sponsor (Kilman and Costello, 107). The introduced bill is then passed on to a selected committee of the senate or the house, depending on the nature and the rules of the process, for consideration. From here it can be passed on to subcommittees for further review. The next stage after the

Mordern database Managment assignment Four Essay

Mordern database Managment assignment Four - Essay Example Presently there have been extensive growth in the use and development in the database technology. Additionally, this new and advanced technology of the database is used to manage large volumes of organizational and business data. In addition, the utilization of database technology and systems in supporting applications that used to handle the business and query based report production is the basic traditional utilization of this technology. Though, the size as well as volume of data being handled increases new and interesting concerns. Presently this technology is used to facilitate businesses in attaining effective competitive advantage and underlying business processes. This new database technology also helps improve business processes and decision making. Moreover, at the present businesses are using the database based business intelligence systems such as data warehouse, data mining tools, and OLAP technology (Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2005; Laudon & Laudon, 1999). I have selected the topic which is related to use of data warehousing technology structure implementation at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is a world’s largest retail store chain. This paper is written by Patrick  ¨ Ohlinger with title of â€Å"Wal-Mart’s Data Warehouse† This paper can be accessed using following link: http://www.derbaum.com/tu/WalMarts%20DWH.pdf. In this paper Ohlinger (2006) stated that the use of data warehousing technology at Wal-Mart is offering a lot of advantages to its business. The new technology based working structure has offered a lot of business advantages to overall operational management and the business. In this scenario the use of the data warehousing technology offers better support for the analysis of customer buying behavior, which leads to effective formulation of the policies by the Wal-Mart management to present more attractive deals to its customer

American Government Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Government - Research Paper Example ticle handling the roles of the house and the senate, the second article providing for the powers and responsibilities of the president, the vice president and the departments, while the third article caters for the duties and authorities of the federal and the supreme courts. The system of checking the powers is enhanced through having one arm of the government limit the powers of the other. The system of checks and balances can be demonstrated by the nature of relationships between these arms of the government. The executive is authorized to constitute the judiciary through having the president appoint judges. The legislature on the other hand is mandated to approve or disapprove the appointments made by the president. This way, there is a participation of each arm of the government in such decision making, ensuring that no arm exercises excessive powers over the others (Kilman and Costello, 56). The other nature of a relationship is that while the legislature, through the congress passes a law, the executive, through the president can veto such a law (Kilman and Costello, 58). Further, the judiciary can rule on the unconstitutionality of a law passed by the legislature, but the legislature can avert this through initiating the amendment of the constitution to suit such laws, if deemed necessary for the state. Thus, the separation of powers ensures that each arm is acc ountable to the others and by extension the whole republic (Kilman and Costello, 79). The process of passing a bill into a law includes the introduction of such a bill by the congress. The bill can either emanate from the senate or the house of representative, with the person introducing it becoming the sponsor (Kilman and Costello, 107). The introduced bill is then passed on to a selected committee of the senate or the house, depending on the nature and the rules of the process, for consideration. From here it can be passed on to subcommittees for further review. The next stage after the

Security Planning and Risk Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Security Planning and Risk Assessment - Essay Example Failing to include employee training in risk planning leaves one of the manager's most valuable resources unused. Employees have the best and most current knowledge of security vulnerabilities. Employees will often accept these vulnerabilities as being someone else's job, or fail to recognize their importance. Making employees aware of the problem, and their individual responsibility, can often disclose security risks that might be otherwise overlooked. In addition, they may be a significant source of intelligence concerning an impending, or ongoing, threat. Good employee awareness and communication are the first steps in designing and implementing a risk-reduction program within an organization. 2.) The roles that the government and private-sector play in the protection of private-sector critical infrastructure facilities is usually determined by two factors; budgetary concerns, and expertise. Currently the federal government plays a significant part during the mitigation phase to train and organize security for these concerns. This is appropriate, as it ensures that executives and managers have the latest information concerning research and threats that are constantly changing. This also gives the public a reassurance that the security of these high value assets is coordinated on the federal level. While the government brings considerable expertise to the scenario, the private concern is expected to assume the budgetary requirements. In a free market economy, the private corporation is generally responsible for the immediate security of their assets. This includes physical security and access control. However, the protection of some assets that are critical to the economy, or health and safety, is in the interest of all citizens. The nature of the threat may demand a level of security that is not economically practical for a private business. According to Ortmeier (2008), "Industry standards indicate that the protection cost should be less than 2 percent of the value of the asset to be protected" (p.186). When the cost of security becomes excessive, it is not unreasonable to expect the taxpayer to bear a portion of the cost. Examples would be federal marshals on selected airline flights, or securing material that has a high value to a terrorist for use in explosives. The government should also pass and enforce legislation that mandates security and inspection at critical facilities. The programs that the DEA and EPA currently have that require securing, monitoring, and accounting for drugs and toxic chemicals could be expanded to include other assets.  

Human Resource Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Essay The paper would revolve around the discussion done over the concern regarding the rising wages of labor along with the decline in the supply of labor from China, which was previously considered to be the hub of labors from where the labor was supplied to other countries at a cheaper cost. Let’s discuss this issue in detail along with the explanation regarding the measures being taken by the organizations to change their human resource strategies. Answer – 1  Competing on the basis of labor costs can generate both positive and as well as negative outcomes for a company, or country. Talking about the brighter side, companies these days strive to achieve the optimum profitability level in order to stay in the competition. Therefore, what they do is to hire employees on part-time basis where employees would be paid on the basis of work they would do along with the working hours. This usually happens when the companies start a new venture such as, product development, its launching, or promotion. It does save huge costs for the company, but the turnover rate rises drastically. Talking about the negative side of the picture, either it is the company or country; it would result in a high turnover rate that often increases the costs such as, training costs. It is because when employees are hired by the companies, they must be trained about the job description that they are held responsible of. Therefore, investments are made by either sending them abroad or arranging workshops or training sessions. Obviously, when employees don’t get enough pay, they would leave their jobs; moreover, the supply of labor within the country would get minimized because workers might leave their country and go abroad to work for MNCs. Answer – 2 There is absolutely no doubt that many organizations consider their workforce as a main asset since the utilization of resources depend on their skills and abilities. Employees often demand the companies to value them, give them some autonomy, and involve them in the key managerial decisions where they can suggest new ideas. Companies, in order to keep their employees satisfied, introduce certain compensation packages and training sessions so that the employees think of themselves as part of the organization and get motivated. When managers invest over the training sessions and involve their subordinates in the key decisions, it becomes necessary for them to retain them at any cost or else they would leave their jobs. This would result in the loss of intellectual capital and loss of investment that was made to groom them by polishing their skills. As compared to the costs that incur for training the employees, the cost of labor force is much more than that. The reason is that when employees are trained and are retained by the company, it benefits the company not only in the short-run, but also in the long-run. Whereas on the flipside, when those skillful employees leave the company the labor costs take a domino effect because the firm would lose those employees, the investment made on them, and would have to recruit others, and then train them again. Consequently, these companies must focus on retention of employees, and that can be done by offering them attractive compensation packages, further training, giving autonomy, and promotion. Answer – 3 Companies these days are really focusing on reshaping their human resource strategies and forming them in such a way that not only keeps the employees contented, but also benefit the overall organization. There are several ways adopted by the firms these days and are explained below. Organizations these days encourage and support the presence of collectivist attitude. Collectivists define themselves by their group membership, give group goals priority over their personal goals, put more emphasis on harmonious relationships and experience more socially based emotions† (Robbins Judge, 2007) Moreover, individual rights is are also emphasized, that is to ensure the freedom of movement, physical security, and freedom of speech. Emphases are laid on the presence of health and safety and ensure the condemnation of actions or choices that are not safe for people, actions that violate law and ethical principles. Equal employment opportunities are ensured where they hire individuals based on their intellect, creativity, enthusiasm and the presence of Emotional Intelligence. In working structure, they value team relationship, team work, and team achievements; moreover, their employees value the importance of effective communication and employee involvement while making certain decisions and delegating the tasks. There ratio of discrimination seems to be getting lessened; everyone is given equal opportunities and there is no glass ceiling for females or people from different backgrounds. When it comes to improving and retaining the skills of employees, many organizations rely on the concept of Employability, i. e. – to continuously improve the employee’s working skills by the time to meet the requirements – (Daft, 1997). Answer – 4 Since the competition for workers in China is heating up where high wages are demanded by them and at the same time, companies seek to cut their redundant costs, especially from payrolls; therefore, employers would definitely shape some of the terms and conditions regarding the working conditions, job type, compensation, working hours, and job security. First of all, since the supply of well-educated and skillful workers is less in China, so firms would have to recruit those who are available even if they are demanding high wages. Of Among these workers, many of them come from abroad to find best possible job opportunity. Another change that can be made is in the working hours, where companies can decide the job type, job status, and working hours of a worker before recruiting him or her. In this case, a contract would be signed between the worker and the company in which all the responsibilities and liabilities of both of them would be outlined, along with the penalties that either party would have to pay in case of violating the contract. A very enticing strategy that can be brought on is to introduce the Performance-based compensation play, where the employees whether they are contractual or regular, would be paid on the basis of their performance and productivity level. Moreover, chances of promotion would only be for those who perform well and benefit the organization. This would result in provoking the motivation among the employees to gain more knowledge and skills, perform better, and abide by the rules and regulations. Not only this, the turnover rate that China is currently facing, would decline to a great extent and would attract the best available talent, which would be beneficial for both the employees and the business.

Characteristics Of Bullying Behavior Psychology Essay

Characteristics Of Bullying Behavior Psychology Essay The behavior of bullying carries a significant social, financial and a medical cost for its victims as well as perpetrators. Data demonstrates it to be a highly prevalent behavior, with powerful and long lasting psychological and social impact [1]. It crosses boundaries of age, gender, ethnic, and other sociodemographic categories, and has been shown to occur within settings as different as elementary school and corporate boardrooms [2]. Involvement in bullying can impair and degrade the quality of life for both victims and perpetrators. This is underscored with work done by Connoly and colleagues [3] that showed children who bully at higher risk of developing severe relationship problems as adults. The trauma of bullying has been shown to be associated with severe and chronic psychiatric pathology, including mood and anxiety disorders, including PTSD, alcohol and drug abuse as well as personality disorders [4]. The most alarming sequela of bullying is its association with increased risk of suicidal behavior [5]. Thus, given the high cost of this behavioral phenomena, bullying should be approached with a collaborative, multidisciplinary effort as a prevalent source of severe trauma, with very high individual and social costs [5]. Definition: The definition of bullying is by no means monolithic, with nuances varying between different researchers, and socio-demographic settings. The principal, overarching framework of the definition of bullying, is established and accepted by the community of researchers involved with this subject matter. Olweus et. al [6] defines bullying as a specific form of aggression, which is intentional, repeated, and involves a disparity of power between the victim and perpetrators. This aggression can be physical, verbal, gestural or through intentional exclusion from a group, without apparent provocation on the part of the person being targeted. What sets bullying apart from other forms of abuse, such as child abuse and domestic violence, is the social context in which it occurs and the imbalanced power relationship of the parties involved [6]. Demographics and characteristics of bullying behavior: Wang and colleagues [7] recently showed that among US adolescents, the prevalence of having bullied others or having been bullied at school for at least once in the last 2 months were 20.8% physically, 53.6% verbally, 51.4% socially, or 13.6% electronically. Males were more involved in physical or verbal bullying, whereas girls were more involved in relational bullying. Boys were more likely to be cyber bullies, whereas girls were more likely to be cyber bullying victims. Compared with 6th graders, 9th and10th graders were less involved in bullying for physical (bullies, victims, or bully-victims), verbal (victims or bully-victims), relational (victims or bully-victims), or cyber form (bullies). African-American adolescents were involved in more bullying (physical, verbal, or cyber) but less victimization (verbal or relational). Higher parental support was associated with less involvement across all forms of bullying. Having more friends was associated with more bullying and less vic timization for physical, verbal, and relational forms but was not associated with cyber bullying. Lemstra et al. [8] investigated bullying in 4,197 youth subjects; in which 23% reported being physically bullied at least once or twice in the previous four weeks. They demonstrated that being male, attending a school in a low-income neighborhood, perception of having unhappy home life, arguments with parents and feeling like leaving home have been found to be associated. It is also important to recognize that bullying affects people other than children and adolescents at school setting. Murhtar and colleagues [9] found that almost 70% of medical students in their study had experienced some form of bullying in the past 6 months. Balducci et al. [10] demonstrated that bullying is a prevalent behavior in a workplace, and study of Norwegian workforce by Nielsen and colleagues [11] have show that almost 5% of people see themselves as victims of bullying, with nearly 7% report that they are exposed to a high degree of bullying behaviors, and 1% are exposed to sever bullying. Bullying and Suicidal Behavior: As previously mentioned, the most striking and dire outcome of bullying for both victims and perpetrators is an increased risk of suicidal ideation, attempts and completed suicide shown to be associated with this behavior. A study that involved 838 youth in 9th-12th grades attending public high school demonstrated that subjects involved in bullying as a perpetrator, victim, or victim-perpetrator were more likely than controls to report having seriously considered or attempted suicide within the past year [12]. Fisher and colleagues [13] demonstrated in twin studies that exposure to frequent bullying predicted higher rates of self injurious behavior even after controlling for pre-morbid emotional, behavioral problems and environmental risk factors. A study by Winsper et al. [14] showed that pre-adolescence subjects involved in bullying, especially in the role of being both a bully and a victim were at increased risk for suicidal ideation, suicidal and self-injurious behavior. Some dat a suggests thathrough novel or worsening psychopathology. Brunstein and colleagues [15] suggested that bullying behavior in the absence of depression or suicidality is not an independent risk factor, but rather amplifies inherent risk of suicidal behavior associated with depression. Intro to bullying and psychiatric pathology: Whether or not bullying increases the risk of suicidal and self-injurious behavior directly, it is important to report that it is positively and directly correlated with different psychiatric conditions. Kumpulainen et al. [4] showed that young subjects involvement in bullying, are more likely to struggle with disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. Bullying and depression: Multiple studies have demonstrated a clear correlation between involvement in bullying and a higher risk of developing a depressive disorder. Lemstra and colleagues [16] showed that children who were physically bullied multiple times per week were 80% more likely to develop symptoms of depression in comparison to children who never experienced bullying. A retrospective study by Lund et al. [17] claimed that adult men with a self reported history of being bullied at school were significantly more likely of being diagnosed with a depressive disorder later in life; and a prospective study that looked at 2348 boys [18] demonstrated that boys who were both perpetrators and victims of bullying were at higher risk for developing depression, and suicidal behavior later in life. Bullying and PTSD: Bullying, although not considered to be a form of acute trauma, has also been shown to be associated with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) [19]. Positive correlation between symptoms of PTSD and exposure to bullying were demonstrated among subjects who experienced bullying at work [20]. Another study that attempted to assess prevalence and intensity of PTSD symptomatology among victims of bullying at work, and tried to show whether victims of bullying were more vulnerable to other distressing life events demonstrated that more than 70% of bully victims developed symptoms of PTSD, and displayed a moderate or severe impairment in social functioning [21]. Bullying and other anxiety disorders: People involved in bullying appear to be at a higher risk of an anxiety disorders other than PTSD. One study demonstrated that social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder and panic disorder were all positively associated with severe teasing and bullying experiences [22]. Kumpulainen et al. [23] showed that among children victims of bullying anxiety symptoms were as frequent as 8.7%; a number that is significantly higher than controls. Another study demonstrated that being a bully, victim of bullying, or having a role of being both a bully and victim in preadolescence (age period 10à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬12) significantly predicted development of anxiety symptoms in adolescence (age period 10à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬17 years) [24]. Data also supports a strong , positive correlation between involvement in bullying and development in anxiety symptoms in younger children, in grades five through eight [25], and students age12-17 [26]. Bullying and substance and alcohol abuse and dependence: Finally, research has consistently demonstrated that subjects involved in bullying are more likely to use alcohol and illicit psychoactive substances. In one large sample, it was shown that substance use and bullying behaviors co-occurred among 5.4% of adolescents in the United States [27]. Another study, a nationally representative survey of U.S. children in 6thà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10th grades, found that alcohol use was associated with increased odds of bullying [28]. A study that consisted of adolescents aged 12à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬17, who were admitted to an inpatient psychiatry unit showed that the use of any substance (i.e.,tobacco, alcohol and drugs) was generally more common among bullies [29]. Finally, a large study based on schoolchildren demonstrated that students who were engaged in bullying were more likely to be smokers and to have had a history of alcohol use [30].

Maltese Falcon :: essays research papers

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett takes place in the 1930s and has a variety of mysterious charactersincluding: Sam Spade, Brigid O'Shaughhnessy, Joel Cairo, Mr. Gutman, and Wilmer. When O'Shaughnessy comes to Spade and asks him to shadow Thursby, the story takes off ona rampage of events with seemingly no relevance until they are revealed in the end. The conflict that drives the story is the unknown location of the Maltese falcon, a golden falcon of immense value. All the actions and even emotinos fo the characters are driven by the desire to obtain the falcon ormoney from obtaining the falcon. While some characters are more moreal than others, all of them have at least one fault which makes them untrustworthy: greed, stupidity, or all three. The characters eliminate each other trhoguhout the story, either arrested or killed, until only Sapde is left unscathed. The book has three phases: definite misunderstanding, unknown misunderstanding and comprehension. In the first phase of the book, all the characters completely misunderstand each other. As the book progresses, the characters begin to believe that they have an understanding of each other, which complicates everyone's emotions. Finally, the characters comprehend the previous emotions of the other characters and truly understand the events and the emotions of everyone. Later, Spade decides to have a meeting ith O'Shbaughnessy and Cairo together. Befor ethe meeting, Spade notices a youngman shadowing him. HE temporarily forgets about it and goes to the meeting in his apartment. At the meeting Cairo and O'Shaughnesy briefly speak of a falcon, but the doorbell interrupts them. Sam goes to the door greets two police detectives that are investigating the deaths of Thursby and Archer. The officers demand entry when they hear a scream and a shout from within,. When they reach the room of the scream, they find Cairo with a bloody face, holding a gun at O'Shaughnessy. In an attempt to allay suspiciion, Spade says that it is a deliberate joke. The police leave Spade alone, but they take Cairo to the station for questioning. Eventually, the mysterious young man, Wilmer confronts Spade and takes him to an apartment. HE brings Spade into a room where Mr. Gutman is sitting. They botht ry to get information without giving information. Sam decides to arrange a meeting with Cairo, O'Shaughnessy, Gutman, and Wilmer. Before the meeting, the captain of the boat, La Paloma, arrives at Spade's office, injured but carrying what appears to be the Maltese falcon.

Internet Hackers :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Hackers Last year, two Cloverdale teenagers pleaded guilty to federal charges. What did they do that the FBI raided their homes and seized their computers? They hacked into Pentagon computer systems. These two teenagers, Makaveli and TooShort, were also suspected of breaking into computers at universities, government agencies and military bases. This example and many others show the increase of hackers and their crimes over the years. In another story that is similar to the story about Makaveli and Too Short, from a BBC News story, Hackers target Nasa and Pentagon, an international group of computer hackers broke into Pentagon computer systems and also said they had stolen key software from Nasa. The group consisted of eight Americans, five British and two Russians. They called themselves the "Masters of Downloading." They were considering selling the information to international terrorist groups or foreign governments. The number of hacker related crimes seems to be increasing y ear by year. Theft on the internet is costing companies billions, and the high-tech industry is struggling to stop it. According to Michael Meyer's Crimes of the "Net", last year roughly $2 billion worth of software was stolen over the internet last year. Also that year, the leader of an international piracy ring operating out of Spain, pleaded guilty to a brand of fraud destined to become commonplace. According to U.S. investigators, they stole 140,000 telephone credit-card numbers. Hackers used the numbers to make a total of $140 million worth of long-distance phone calls. Now, the question is who is really at loss here. The answer is simple. Companies like GTE, AT &T, Bell Atlantic and MCI. Because of these hackers, those companies lost a lot of money. What actions must be taken to stop these theives? According to the hackers, they call what they are doing sharing. Hackers are criminals that steal from others to better themselves. They are leeches, feeding off ot her peoples' personal items. People have to become aware of the risk they face with hackers. Software and phone cards isn't the end of the stealing hackers. Everything from computer parts to flowers and teddy bears are at risk to hackers. With the increasing technology, the abuse is almost endless.

Juvenile Justice Articles

Samara Belgrade Ventura county 14-year-old boy, Brandon McClellan was arrested and charged with the shooting death off classmate Lawrence King. Lawrence was shot In the head at a close range. This crime was a premeditated hate crime, therefore, the Dialect Attorney added special allegation of a hate crime against Brandon McClellan, and he was charged as an adult.Larry King classmates indicated that King had recently started to wear makeup and had openly proclaimed himself as gay. Classmates also indicated that King and a group of students had a confrontation due to his sexual orientation the day before he was murdered. McClellan recently turned 14, this is the legal age for charging an adolescent as an adult under the early sass's Proposition 21 . Brandon McClellan was sentenced to 21 years for the killing Lawrence King.Juvenile arrested after hooting at undercover police in Lincoln Heights A male juvenile was booked for attempted murder after shots were fired at undercover police of ficers in Lincoln Heights. The 16-year-old male was captured after a search of more than seven hours inside a closed perimeter in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood, Los Angels Police Department SST. Kevin Moore said. The search began after an unknown number of shots were fired at a car driven by undercover narcotics detectives, neither officer were hurt.A citywide tactical alert, where all police personnel had their shifts extended as the search continued, was issued at 7:15 p. M. And downgraded to the Central Bureau at 8 p. M.

“College Is a Waste of Time and Money” by Caroline Bird Essay

In the essay â€Å"College Is a Waste of Time and Money,† Caroline Bird argues that college is a complete waste of time and money for people. She argues that most students are unhappy and unsatisfied with attending college. She believes that they go to college because it has become the thing to do or because of getting pressure from their parents or societies. Furthermore, she thinks that college is not a good financial investment because career financial success depends on other factors. She believes that people gain true knowledge and skill while working in real jobs and not in college. Bird believes that college has to be judged not by what other people think is good for the students, but how good it feels to the students themselves. To some college may be a reason to avoid adult responsibilities, gain independence or avoid intolerable home situations, but to others college is an institution offering higher levels of educational purpose that will help them succeed in their careers later on with multiple benefits. College can be financially expensive. Since it is very costly, many believe it is better to just get a job straight out of high school, not take any student loans, and start to save for your retirement right away. Though colleges have gotten more expensive, not all college graduates find high paying jobs. According to the article â€Å"College Costs Up, Little Debt Help For Occupy Wall Streeters,† it states that â€Å"colleges and universities continue to raise tuition far faster than inflation and churn out ever more indebted graduates, two reports released by The College Board today show. With states struggling to balance their budgets, the sharpest tuition increases this year were at public colleges; at four year state schools in-state tuition†¦ and despite the college expenses, college graduates aren’t able to find a good paying job†(Forbes). Finding a well paying job right after graduation may be hard during these tough circumstances, but that does not mean people should believe that college was useless to them just because they can not find an appropriate job for themselves at that moment. People must be determined, have good skills and a strong will in order to achieve a high paying job. Many people do not go to college because of all the expenses. Beside the tuition fees, there are many other expenses to consider. Many  private colleges publish a total cost of attendance of over $50,000 per year and around $15,000 of this amount is for room and board. According to the article â€Å"College Cost Crunch† it states that â€Å"The College Board reports that while the published rates for private college tuition and fees are in the range of $35,000, nearly half of all full-time undergraduate students attend a four-year college with published charges of less than $9,000 per year in tuition and fees. And most students do not pay the published rate. On average, public four-year colleges charge $7,605 per year for in-state students, and the average charge for 2-year colleges is $2,713. For lower income students, the costs are typically even less, and there are many options for financing the cost of college. Federal Pell grants are available up to $5,550 per year, and many states provide additional grants of $1,500-$2,500 per year† (Forbes). People believe that college is very expensive, but if they are able to do the right research and apply themselves for all these loans, grants and scholarship then this will reduce their tuition fees. It is very important for people to look at all their options carefully before making a decision that will have an impact on their career. The value of a college degree or certificate is very important today. The money and time people spend on college matters. College education is universally viewed as such a great investment that the cost and its return on investment are beneficial towards future careers. The impact of getting a job can be very difficult. In today’s economy, getting a job is pretty tough, and it is a lot tougher for those without a post-secondary education. The chances of getting a job without a post-secondary degree or certificate are very few. According to the U.S Dept. of Labor the over all unemployment rate is 9.1%. The rate of people with only a high school diploma is a little bit higher at 9.5%. But college graduates have an unemployment rate at only 4.5%. Unemployment for ages 18-25 with only a high school diploma is currently over 50%, but the jobless rate for those under 25 with a college degree is only 8%. It is very hard to argue that skipping college to start working early is a practical financial alternative when over half of the young people out of high school are unemployed. The benefits of college go beyond creating improved career choices. The average pay for a job with a college degree earns almost twice the average for those with a high school diploma. People with higher education will have a  lifetime work of $800,000 more in wages. The jobs available to those with a post-secondary education are more interesting because they have more mobility between jobs and they have more advancement opportunities within companies. In other words, a college degree or certificate will greatly enhance the ability to get a job people will enjoy. In addition to actually liking that job and getting paid more for it, they have benefits including more leisure time, more opportunities, better health, less dependence on government services, and having children that are far more likely to be successful in school. Of course, there will always be exceptions of highly successful entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Steve Jobs who were very successful without completing college, but most of CEOs in America have a college degree. In her essay, Bird believes that students should go to college because they want to themselves, not because someone pressured them in to it. The students should have an inside view of what’s good for them. If they feel college is not necessarily good for them, then people can not expect them to go through with it. They need to set their own goals in life whether it be getting an education or getting a job right after high school. Everyone should be able to make decisions for them self. In the article â€Å"Is College worth It?,† it states that â€Å"the main purpose of a college education is to teach work-related skills and knowledge, and it is to help a student grow personally and intellectually. College graduates place more emphasis on intellectual growth; those who are not college graduates place more emphasis on career preparation† (Pewresearch) Though college may seem pointless to others, it actually helps students grow intellectually while building new skills that prepares them for their careers. College is definitely a good investment. Despite its expensive cost, people should not make any excuses because there are so many ways and opportunities to reduce the tuition fees. The money students invest in going to college will come back in multiples when they land a higher paying job. College graduates with a degree will always have a secure future financially. Aside from the financial benefits of going to college, the education students receive and the experience they gain from going to college will make them a better rounded person. It not only helps students grow intellectually, but it helps them mature as a person. It strengthens their skills, builds confidence and prepares them for a career in the real  world. Those who believe going to college is a waste of time and money should really consider the benefits and values of having a college degree, unless of course if they are a true genius like Bill Gates, then by all means go for the American Dream! Work Cited Novack, Janet. â€Å"College Costs Up, Little Debt Help For Occupy Wall Streeters.† Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 26 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 July 2012. . Novack, Janet. â€Å"College Cost Crunch.† Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 July 2012. . â€Å"Is College Worth It?† Pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center, 15 May 2011. Web. 14 July 2012. . Caroline Bird. â€Å"College is a Waste of Time and Money.† The Norton Reader.1975