How does the Steiner approach to learning differ from the Montessori Essay

How does the Steiner approach to learning differ from the Montessori Method - Essay Example Montessori approach and Steiner approach are two educational approaches that teach children. Both came from Europe and teach children in a calm, non-coercive manner. They also provide safe, enticing, and entertaining learning environment to children. Another similarity is both educational approaches respect and believe in the capabilities of children. However, there are differences in the two approaches in terms of curriculum, teaching styles, teachers’ profile, focus of studies, and other aspects. Montessori Approach was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the late 19th century. Dr. Montessori coined her Montessori schools as â€Å"Children’s Houses†. These â€Å"houses† are the schools and facilities that provide well-planned and safe surrounding wherein children can learn and appreciate what they have learned. Moreover, these facilities are deemed to inculcate to every child the values of harmony, concern for the environment, and intercultural appreciation. According to Montessori Centre International, the principles behind Montessori education are grounded on the concepts of liberty and self progress combined with the different practical approaches. In this type of educational approach, children are considered to be able to understand the lessons taught without difficult if they are provided with appropriate activities at the appropriate time. Montessori aims to teach children to be educated and spread peace in the world (Coulter, 1991, p.3). The main goal of the Montessori approach is the natural progress of children of which the dormant physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of human being are brought out and developed based on a meaningful life (Miller, 1997, p. 160). Montessori approach believes in the innate intelligence of children which includes all aspects such as mental, empirical, spiritual (Edwards, 2002). Montessori Method of education focuses on training children in a holistic approach which includes

The Impact of Firs Reforms on Tax Collection Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Firs Reforms on Tax Collection Essay Thus, it has been stated that the importance of taxation lies primarily in its ability to raise capital for the development and growth of the economy and also in assisting the regulation of the consumption pattern, resulting in economic stabilization and effective redistribution of income (ICAN, 2009). The Nigerian tax system takes after the political structure of the country. As we have three (3) tiers of government (Federal, State and Local Government), we also have a distinct tax administration at each tier of government with the joint tax board playing an overarching supervisory role. The Joint Tax Board (JTB) is an off shoot of the Income Tax Management Act (ITMA) 1961 with the main objective of bringing uniformity in the administration of the various regional tax administrations. The Joint Tax Board was established under section 86 of the personal Income Tax Act Cap p. 8 LFN 2004. The section provides that the chairman of the JTB shall be the chairman of the Federal Board of Inland Revenue (Amawhe A. S, 2010). The administration of taxation on the profits of incorporate companies is vested in the Federal Inland Revenue service (FIRS) whose management board is known as the Federal Board of Inland Revenue (FBIR) (Section 1-3 FIRS establishment Act). The various taxes collected by the FIRS are; (1) Companies Income Tax (2) Withholding Tax on companies, resident of Federal capital territory, Abuja and non-resident individuals (3) Petroleum Profit Tax (4) Value Added Tax (5) Education Tax 6) Capital Gains Tax on residents of the Federal capital territory, Abuja, bodies corporate and non-resident individuals (7) Stamp Duties on bodies corporate and residents of the Federal capital territory, Abuja (8) Personal Income Tax in respect of:- * Members of the Armed Forces of the Federation * Members of the Nigerian Police Force * Residents of the Federal capital Territory, Abuja and * Staff of the ministry of foreign affairs and non-resident individuals. (9) National Information Technology Development Levy Value added tax as one of the taxes collected by the FIRS is an area of taxation that has high prospects of improving the internally generated revenue of the Nigerian government. The VAT system in Nigeria started with acceptance of the recommendation of a study group on indirect taxation in November 1991. The decision to accept the recommendation was made public in the 1992 budget speech of the Head of State. This resulted in setting up the modified value-added tax (MVAT) committee on 1st June, 1992 as recommended by the study group. The introduction of VAT in Nigeria through Decree 102 of 1993 marks the phasing out for the Sales Tax Decree No. 7 of 1986. The Decree took effect on 1st December, 1993 but administrative arrangement, involving for tax purpose commenced January, 1994. Value Added Tax is a tax on the supply of goods and services which is eventually born by the final consumers but collected at each stage of production and distribution chain. The introduction of VAT made government reasoned that, it will be virtually impossible to evade tax (Olatunji, O. C. , 2009). The reforms of the various taxes collectible at the Federal level in Nigeria have been a key component of the economic reforms implemented from the second half of 2986. The reforms that characterized the taxes have been undertaken as part of the overall programme of making the public sector and its activities more efficient and growth-promoting across sectors of the economy (Olopoenia et al). As nearly all the taxes at the federal level have undergone one reform r the other especially in the area of structure, there is a need to ask whether the reforms have increase the tax revenue collected by the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

The Nymph Rejects the Shepherd Essay -- Nymphs Reply to the Shepherd

The Nymph Rejects the Shepherd  Ã‚   "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" is Sir Walter Raleigh's poem of compassionate rejection in response to Christopher Marlowe's poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love." The reasons the nymph gives for her rejection are just excuses; her real reason for turning the shepherd down is her lack of love for him. The nymph responds to the shepherd's proposal to "come live with me and be my love" (1) by saying all of the things he wants to give her will fade, whither, and be forgotten; therefore, she cannot accept his offer. The shepherd lists in his poem many beautiful things he will give the nymph and all of the wonderful things they will do together. "And we will sit upon the rocks, / Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks...And I will make thee ...

It strategy vs business strategy Essay

In most organizations IT expenditure is considered as one of the larger if not the largest contributor to capital investment and expenditure. Technology has a significant effect on the business landscape of most organizations and the market place they operate in. The goal of IT as such should be directed toward the alignment of IT strategy with an organization’s overall business strategy (Mulcay, 2001). It is argued though that the inability to successfully derive value from IT investment is, for the most part due to a lack of alignment between IT and business strategies. Johnson and Scholes cited by Riley (2012) define strategy as follows â€Å"Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectations†. In unpacking the definition, simply the business strategy that the business has decided to follow needs accurate configuration of resource – human resource, technology resource, financial resource etc., so as to gain competitive advantage, meet objectives and stakeholder expectation. Henderson & Venkatraman (1999) argue that there is no IT application or system, regardless of how cutting edge or sophisticated it maybe, that will build and sustain a competitive advantage for an organization for a sustained period of time. Organizations, in order to sustain competitive advantage should continuously endeavor to exploit it’s IT functionality and resource to maintain an advantage. In my opinion this is achieved by out of the box, evolutionary thinking by both business and IT leaders. Furthermore, both business and IT leaders need to understand fully the role that IT can support and re-shape business strategy decisions and improve IT effectiveness and ultimately improve business performance. SHOULD A COMPANY’S IT STRATEGY FOLLOW ITS BUSINESS STRATEGY OR SHOULD IT LEAD ITS BUSINESS STRATEGY? WHY In my opinion IT is vary rarely the core business unless of course we mention Microsoft or Google and the like where technology is the primary focus area  but it must noted that the actual business process for each is different and intellectual property is what is regarded most valuable. Hence, I agree with (Abate 2009, Henderson & Venkatraman 1999, Skriletz 2013) and many other researchers and commentators, that IT’s role should be regarded as the enabler or driver of the business strategy. IT’s strategy, investment; architecture even projects all need be dictated by overall business strategy, but should be part of process that helps the formation of the overall strategy. IT leaders need to possess the knowledge of new enabling technologies and how these technologies can be integrated into the business. Very often the business strategy is formed and developed in isolation and IT is seen as a support function only, rather than as function that can contribute to forming the strategy itself. IT leaders need to be part of the process that delivers the direction the business chooses to follow. Luftman & Brier (1999) echo this sentiment in that just as HR and marketing are important parts of strategy so to should IT. Venkatraman and Henderson (2000) assert that business strategists cannot be seen to take the leading role whilst the IT strategist is seen as a support role. It is imperative both take the lead in designing the business platform. â€Å"Business and IT strategists working together to shape new business; IT is not subordinate to business strategy but an extricate part of it†. FACTORS TO CONSIDER Technology is seen as one of key elements that drive change and transformation. Intelligent use of technology can deliver a competitive advantage, streamline processes create cost efficiencies and optimization for most organizations and as organizations strive for these competitive advantages and efficiencies it would really not be prudent to exclude the technology people from the process of strategy development as those organizations that do include them, will certainly claim the competitive edge and advantage. â€Å"Regardless of what industry you’re in, it’s hard to think about a business  that couldn’t exploit IT for competitive advantage if they chose to,† says Barbara Gomolski, an analyst at Gartner cited in an article by Moore (2011). The industries that have seen growth by aligning IT and business strategy and have used it as a driver and an enabler include the airline industry that has leveraged IT and now allows customers to book directly with carriers rather than involving third party agents. The banking industry has really embraced technology with the likes of online banking and transactions, which show true alignment and involvement of IT in business strategy and goal setting. Technology drives their growth. The sentiment shared and one that I agree with is that by including IT in the formulation of business strategy will certainly assist the organization in achieving its goals. The exploitation of technology as a means is key and if you don’t necessarily feel that, then I guarantee IT is treated as being outside of the core business strategy and as a result the organization is not deriving value from one of it’s most if not the most valuable resources. References Venkatraman N & Henderson JC. 2000: Business platforms for the 21st Century, in Mastering Information Management, edited by DA Marchand, TH Davenport & T Dickson. Great Britain: Prentice Hall: 283-289 Mulcay K. 2001: The IT Dilemma. World Trade, 14(4): 48-48. Henderson JC & Venkatraman N. 1999: Strategic Alignment: Leveraging information technology for transforming organisations. IBM Systems Journal, 38(2&3): 472-484. Luftman J & Brier T. 1999: Achieving and Sustaining Business-IT alignment. California Management Review, 42(1): 109-122. Abate R, (2008) IT should be an enabler to business [Available online at] http://www.information-managem e nt.com/blogs/IT_business-10015571-1.html (Accessed 18 June 2014) Skriletz R (2013) How to make IT a business enabler [Available online at] http://www.b-eye-network.com/view/16788 (Accessed 18 June 2014) Moore J (2011) Make It part of your Business Strategy [Available online at ] http://www.cnbc.com/id/44818677 (Accessed 18 June 2014) Riley J, (2012) What is strategy [Available online at] http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/what_is_strategy.htm (Accessed 18 June 2014)

How Can Building Surveyors Efficiently Differentiate Asr and Attack

Contents 1. Introduction2 2. Concrete attacks2 3. Alkali-Silica Reaction – ASR3 4. Sulphate Attack5 5. Reference List8 1. Introduction This report was issued in order to provide an in depth understanding of how a surveyor can differentiate between Alkali-Silica Reaction and Sulphate attacks in concrete when inspecting a building. In order to satisfy the requirements for this report, the author will give a detailed description of both kind of attacks, different study areas, experiments, diagnosis and forms of repair.To be able to define and analyse this topic, the author of this report has used different sources of reference such as books, academic journals, World Wide Web and several British Standards. By the end of this report, the writer will be able to demonstrate that the questioned concrete attacks can be differentiated by any professional surveyor when inspecting the concrete in a building. 2. Concrete attacks Chemical attacks usually occurs when using poor quality cemen t although good concrete has been known to be subjected to conditions that can lead to its deterioration.The environment â€Å"supplies† several physical and chemical forces which can contribute to concrete deterioration. BRE (2005) delivered a full list of chemical attacks that can arise both land contaminated by human and natural ground. There are several rarely occurred chemical attacks that are mainly caused by contaminated land; these are chemical species such as ammonium or chromium, but also organic such as phenols. The higher the quantity of these chemicals is, the higher the concrete attack.The most known forms of concrete attacks are: * Chloride penetration leading to corrosion of steel and spilling of the concrete cover; * Inadequate cover of reinforcing steel. Less common causes of concrete deterioration caused by chemicals or chemical reaction are: * Cycles of freezing and thawing; * Carbonation resulting in an increase of steel corrosion; * Sulphate attack; * Sh rinking aggregates; * Alkali-aggregate reactions. . Alkali-Silica Reaction – ASR It is believed that there are three types of alkali-aggregate reactions that will affect the condition of concrete: alkali-silicate reaction, alkali-carbonate reaction and alkali-silica reaction. It is believed that the alkali-silica reaction â€Å"may be found in the concrete because microcrystalline quartz or stained quartz is often present in aggregates contacting phyllosilicates† (Hobbs D. W. , 1988).The Institution of Structural Engineers (1988) described Alkali-Silica Reaction as being a chemical process in which the alkalis, found mostly in cement, when combined with specific types of silica found in aggregates, particularly in moist condition, will produce an alkali-silica gel that eventually will absorb the moisture from concrete, causing cracking and disruptions of concrete. British Cement Association (1993) advised that in order to determine that the inspected concrete cracking is a result of Alkali-Silica Reaction, the surveyor should sample and test the area â€Å"before any definite interpretation can be attempted†.Because of poor workmanship, shrinkage, weathering or differential stresses, the concrete can produce characteristics that will often be confused with Alkali-Silica Reaction. BCA (1993) are aware that â€Å"it is not always easy to distinguish these features from those indicative of ASR†. Their recommendation is that if suspected the sample should be taken into laboratory and further investigated. Because of the damping characteristics, the surveyor should allow dry weather when inspecting a suspected Alkali-Silica Reaction area.The degree of wetting should be recorded by the surveyor as this might be due to rain, condensation, leaking pipes, water run-off or poor detailing of construction. A second inspection is recommended if damp patches at the junction of the cracks are observed. It is known that Alkali-Silica Reaction will form a mapping crack at the surface of the concrete. Fig 1 is and extreme example of macrocracking found at the Hoover Dam, USA. Fig1. Example of cracking due to ASR at the Hoover Dam, USA Image taken from Hobbs, D. W. (1988, pp. 16)As it can be seen from the image, there are specific signs that this is an Alkali-Silica Reaction such as damp patches at the junction of the cracks and the edges of the cracks often appearing to be light in colour. Cracking like this will often be confused by surveyors as being caused by an expansion or contraction. As it was said before, one major feature of Alkali-Silica Reaction in concrete is cracking. In order to record data for further investigations, the surveyor should sketch or photograph the crack pattern. One other characteristic of Alkali-Silica Reaction is discoloration.This occurs along the cracks and although similar to rust caused by reinforce bars within the concrete, the surveyor is advised that colour photographs are to be taken for a n off-site second investigation. If occurred in reinforced concrete, the cracks caused by Alkali-Silica Reaction will tend to follow the lines of the reinforcing bars. Although often confused with the cracks produced by the corrosion of the reinforcements, in order to provide a definite confirmation of ASR, the surveyor should enforce a microscopic examination of a sample taken from the interior of the concrete.It is often that the surveyors confuse the cracking pattern of the affected cement. Other characteristics of Alkali-Silica Reaction are discoloration, efflorescence, exudations and pop-outs. 4. Sulphate Attack â€Å"Sulphate attack is the term used to describe a series of chemical reactions between sulphate ions and the components of hardened concrete, principally the cement paste, caused by exposure of concrete to sulphate moisture† ( Skalny et al. 2002, p. 3) It is well known that sulphate attack mainly affects the brickwork and concrete by creating a disruption of t he mortar. The sulphate attack can create expansion, bowing and/or cracking of affected material. The chemical and mineralogical compositions of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) are the most vulnerable to sulphate environments (Bonshor 1996, Amin et al. 2007). OPC is one of the most common cement used in construction industry. Its main composition is ground limestone and clay.When burned, these components form the basis of most concretes. According to Ramson (1993, p. 19) if bauxite is used instead of clay, a high-alumina cement is produced. The main characteristic of this cement is its rapid rate of strengths developed and also if not ‘covered’ the high resistance to sulphate attacks. This can be one of the first evidence for surveyors that the concrete is not affected by sulphate attack. The main idea of sulphate attacks is simple.Bonshor and Bonshor (1996) describes that the sulphate salts migrating from neighbouring building materials, or sometimes even enclosed in th e groundwater react with elements of the OPC to produce ettringite or thaumasite. The most common circumstance of sulphate attack is when the unprotected concrete contains sulphate based materials or is exposed to sulphate groundwater. There are three main requirements necessary for sulphate attack to occur: (i) soluble sulphate salts such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.It is important to specify that attacks from different sulphates will have different result. Mortars or concretes attacked by sulphates such as calcium or sodium will have a soft mush; on the other side when attacks form magnesium sulphate occurs, this being considered the most aggressive, the main feature of this attack are the salts that sometimes crystallize out or near the surface of the attacked material; (ii) tricalcium aluminate consisted in ordinary or rapid hardening cement; (iii) a persistent wetness on the material.To understand the main manifestations of sulphate attacks in building component s, the author will describe the visual characteristics that a surveyor will look for, in order to distinguish and recognise when sulphate attack has occurred. * The mortar in the brickwork is considered by Addleson and Rice (1995) to be under sulphate attack from as early as two years after construction. One of the main visual appearances of the attack is the white colour of the cement. The mortar subjected to sulphate attack will become loose at the surface, sometimes presenting cracks along the bed joists.It is important to mention that surveyors often confuse the horizontal cracking from rendered walls caused by corrosion of strip ties in cavity walls with the sulphate attack. Bonshor and Bonshor (1996) recommend that if not confident with the diagnosis from visual inspection, the surveyor should sample the affected mortar and further examine in a specialist laboratory. University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol (2006) advice that sulphate attacks occurs where saturation is greatest and usually around parapet walls and chimney.This is due to the large exposer to rainfall. UWE believe that although in some cases repairs are possible, in most instances once started, the sulphate attack is impossible to stop therefore the only option is the re-building. * When the sulphate attack is detected in rendered brickwork there are several visual signs for a surveyor to distinguish the type of attack. Wide horizontal and vertical cracks will appear in the rendering. Outward curling of the rendering in the cracks might appear as a result of sulphate attack. Fig2. Example of Sulphate Attack on chimney brickworkImage taken from University of the West of England, Bristol, (2006) The adhesion of the rendering on the brickwork may fail; this can result in rendering falling off either from one brick or even a large portion this depending on the seriousness of the attack on brickwork. If untreated, the brickwork may be exposed to efflorescence. * There are several occasi ons when the sulphate attack occurs on the underside of the ground slabs. If not isolated by a damp proof membrane, the salts in the ground will react with the Portland cement causing a map-pattern of cracking.Bonshor and Bonshor (1996) recommend that BRE Digest 363 will provide guidance in the case of a sulphate attack on concrete. Generally sulphate attack in ground-bearing slabs will form cracks in a solid ground floor mainly if the recycled colliery shale has been used as capping layer for the ground underneath the slab. Because the sulphate attack in ground bearing slabs, the surveyor will have to investigate further whether the slab has a damp proof membrane and if possible what sort of material has been used as colliery shale fill.WRAP Organisation (2011) recommends colliery shale should be tested for sulphates especially if it is to be used in proximity to concrete. As building professional, a surveyor will be able to differentiate between Alkali-Silica Reaction and Sulphate attacks in concrete. There are several visual differences between these two chemical attacks. One of the major confusion made by surveyors is when inspecting a cracking pattern in a building. It is highly recommended that if suspected, the surveyor should take samples for laboratory examination. There are numerous chemical reactions that are likely to produce disruptive cracking in buildings.This is the reason why a professional surveyor should not rush and give diagnosis unless entirely sure about the cause. Word count: 1759 5. Reference List Addleson, L. and Rice, C. (1995) Performance of materials in buildings. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Alan Wood & Partners (2012) Sulphate attack . Available at: http://www. alanwood. co. uk/pdf/Sulphate-Attack. pdf (Accessed on 5th October 2012). Amin, M. M. , Jamaludin, S. B. , Pa, F. C. & Chuen, K. K. (2008) ‘Effects of magnesium sulphate attack on Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) mortars’, Portugaliae Electrochimica Acta, (26) , pp. 235-242. Bonshor, R. B. and Bonshor, L.L. (1996) Cracking in buildings. London: Construction Research Communication. British Cement Association (1993) The diagnosis of alkali-silica reaction. Available at: http://homepage. tudelft. nl/n89v3/LinkedDocuments/1992-DiagnosisOfASR. pdf (Accessed on 5th October 2012). Cook, G. K. and Hinks, A. J. (1992) Appraising building defects: perspectives on stability and hygrothermal performance. Essex: Longman Scientific & Technical. El-hachem, R. , Roziere, E. , Grondin, F. & Loukili, A. (2012) ‘New procedure to investigate external sulphate attack on cementitious materials’, Cement & Concrete Composites, (34), pp. 57-364. Farny, J. A. & Kosmatka, S. H. (1997) Diagnosis and control of Alkali-aggregate reactions in concrete. Available at: http://www. nebrconcagg. com/assets/PromotionPages/Mix%20Design/ASR1. PDF (Accessed on 6th October 2012). Giaccio, G. , Zerbino, R. , Ponce, J. M. & Batic, O. R. (2008) ‘Mechanical behavi our of concretes damaged by alkali-silica reaction’, Cement and Concrete Research, (38), pp. 993-1004. Hobbs, D. W. (1988) Alkali-silica reaction in concrete. London: Thomas Telford. Mittermayr, F. , Bauer, C. , Klammer, D. , Bottcher, M. E. , Leis, A. Escher, P. & Deitzel, M. (2012) ‘Concrete under sulphate attack: an isotope study on sulphur sources’, Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, 48 (1), pp. 105-117. Ransom, W. H. , (1993) Building failures: diagnosis and avoidance. 2nd edn. London: E & FN Spon. Sachlova, S. , Prikryl, R. & Pertold, Z. (2010) ‘Alkali-silica reaction products: Comparison between samples from concrete structures and laboratory test specimens’, Materials Characterization, (61), pp. 1379-1393. Sarkan, S. , Mahadevan, S. , Meeussen, J. C. L. , van der Sloot, H. & Kosson, D. S. 2010) ‘Numerical simulation of cementitious materials degradation under external sulphate attack’, Cement & Concrete Composites, (32 ), pp. 241-252. Skalny, J. , Marchand, J. & Odler, I. (2002) Sulphate attack on concrete. London: Spon Press. The Concrete Society (1985) Alkali-silica reaction: new structures-specifying the answer existing structures-diagnosis and assessment. London: Concrete Society. The Institution of Structural Engineers (1988) Structural effects of alkali-silica reaction: interim technical guidance on appraisal of existing structures. London: the Institution of Structural Engineers.University of the West of England, Bristol, (2006) Durability of clay bricks. Available at: https://environment7. uwe. ac. uk/resources/constructionsample/Conweb/walls/bricks/section6. htm (Accessed on 20th October 2012). WRAP, (2011) Burnt and unburnt colliery spoil, Available at: http://aggregain. wrap. org. uk/applications/wrap_pdf/aggregain/pdf_material. cfm? id=2910 (Accessed on 22th October 2012). Zerbino, R. , Giaccio, G. , Batic, O. R. & Isaia, G. C. (2012) ‘Alkali-silica reaction in mortars and concre tes incorporating natural rice husk ash’, Construction and Building Materials, (36), pp. 796-806.

The Rambler Essays - 9, You Got To Move, Battle Of Stone Corral

The Rambler Essays - 9, You Got To Move, Battle Of Stone Corral The Rambler The Rambler What I remember about the years before I started school was camping, camping, camping. Our family traveled all around the country visiting all the places youd ever want to see in the great old United States of America. Gas was much cheaper back then, probably not much more than a quarter for a gallon. We werent the only ones doing it either. There were plenty of families just like us with their station wagons loaded up and all the kids in back taking off for the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone Park or wherever sounded like a good adventure. Before we got the VW camper we had a Rambler station wagon that broke down on the side of the road somewhere in Alabama. We pulled over for a pit stop and it got stuck in the gravel and we were stranded. It was my birthday in 1968 and Robert F. Kennedy had just been assassinated the night before. In the motel my parents watched it all on television like the whole country. We were probably on our way to Mexico. We left our home in New Jersey as the sum mer was kicking off and drove through all the states before we got to the border at Texas. Every time we entered a new state it was a reason for a mini-celebration and wed hoot and holler when we saw the official State sign welcoming us. Sometimes we passed through states so quickly we could do a few in one day. We went through Ohio and Illinois and Kentucky and Tennessee and Mississippi and I remember it very clearly. My parents would drive all day and sometimes into the night. They had a plaid thermos of coffee up in the front with them and theyd take turns driving and switch as fast as they could. Sometimes it seems like they didnt want to lose time stopping the car and pulling over so theyd try to switch places while still driving. Is that possible? We stayed in a million campsites. Sometimes it was just for the night, but a few times we found a place and stayed for a few days or a week or longer. I wasnt in charge of the itinerary and Im not sure how set our schedule was. It seems like there was plenty of flexibility to change our plans or our route and take a detour to wherever tickled my parents fancy. Now when I look back, Im trying to assess my parents motives for all those trips and all the territory we covered. Since so many other American families were doing their own road trips at the time and it was a real national pastime maybe my folks were just being competitive and trying to rack up more more states than the Jones next door. I dont really believe that was the case, and the reason is that they continued to camp and keep the same car and my mom is still driving down to Mexico by herself these days, while most Americans have given up cross-country travel by automobile. So there must have been something in their spirit to want to ramble on to the next exciting destination, simply for the thrill of it. My father was already retired at this point and had traveled all around the world by ship. He had been to South America and India and the Middle East and sailed the Seven Seas for most of this career. It was my mom, however, who I think had a genuine wanderlust and she still ca nt settle down even now at the age of 84. It was because of her insistence and good planning and careful budgeting and organized packing that we were able to successfully navigate and enjoy all the places we visited. She logged every mile and counted the change for every tollbooth and my father seemed to only drive and go along with what she suggested. He used to get impatient about mom always packing the car so full. But when we pulled in to a campsite at night, he had his tea the way he liked it and his special cheeses and crumpets and our favorite blankets

How to Conjugate Mener (to Lead) in French

How to Conjugate Mener (to Lead) in French The French verb  mener  means to lead. Its a simple word, but there is one little trick to learning its conjugations. A quick lesson will show you what that is so you can properly say I led or we will lead. Conjugations of the French Verb  Mener    Mener is a  stem-changing verb. It follows some rules that apply to most verbs that end in -e_er, such as  lever  (to lift). Essentially, the stem change appears in certain verb forms where the first  e  is changed to  Ãƒ ¨.  While it doesnt affect the pronunciation, the spelling does change, so pay attention to this. Other than that one simple change,  mener  is conjugated in a similar manner to regular -er  verbs, which is the most common pattern found in French. This is great news because, with each new one you learn, they become easier. To study these conjugations, begin by identifying the verb stem:   men-. Then, you will match the subject pronoun with the appropriate tense for your subject. For example, I am leading is je mà ¨ne and we will lead is nous mà ©nerons. Subject Present Future Imperfect je mne mnerai menais tu mnes mneras menais il mne mnera menait nous menons mnerons menions vous menez mnerez meniez ils mnent mneront menaient The Present Participle of  Mener   The present participle of mener  is menant. To form this, we simply added  -ant  to the stem. This is a verb, of course, but in some contexts, it can become an adjective, gerund, or noun as well. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © Another way to express the past tense led is to use the  passà © composà ©. Its a simple construction that uses the  past participle  menà ©. You will also need to conjugate  avoir  (an auxiliary verb) to fit the subject pronoun. For example, I led is jai menà © while we led is nous avons menà ©. More Simple  Mener  Conjugations to Learn After you memorize all of those forms of  mener, think about adding a few more simple conjugations to your vocabulary. They can be quite useful at times. For instance, if you need to imply uncertainty to the action, use the subjunctive. When the action is dependent on something else, turn to the conditional. When reading French, it will improve your comprehension to be able to recognize the passà © simple and the imperfect subjunctive  as forms of  mener. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je mne mnerais menai menasse tu mnes mnerais menas menasses il mne mnerait mena ment nous menions mnerions menmes menassions vous meniez mneriez mentes menassiez ils mnent mneraient menrent menassent For short sentences such as exclamations and demands, you can use the imperative verb form and bypass the subject pronoun. Instead of tu mà ¨ne, use mà ¨ne alone. Imperative (tu) mne (nous) menons (vous) menez

Simultaneous and Simultaneously

Simultaneous and Simultaneously Simultaneous and Simultaneously Simultaneous and Simultaneously By Maeve Maddox The following sentence on a professional writing site caught my attention: Simultaneous people (e.g. the editor and writer) can work on the same document at the same time, ensuring changes aren’t lost in old, misplaced drafts. I have seen nonprofessional writers use the phrase â€Å"simultaneous people† in the context of computer use, as in this exchange between a customer and a service provider: Question: How many simultaneous people can be logged in on my account? Answer: Only one person can be logged in on a computer per account.   If you log in on a computer and are already logged in elsewhere, you will be logged out of your older session. For other devices such as Roku, iPad and iPhone, 3 people can be logged in simultaneously.   Note the use of the adverb simultaneously in the answer to describe a situation that includes multiple users. The principal definition of the adjective simultaneous is â€Å"existing, happening, occurring, operating, etc., at the same time.† I suppose that in one sense we are all â€Å"simultaneous people† because we are all living our lives on the planet at the same time. In most contexts, however, simultaneous usually applies to things or events, whereas people do things simultaneously. Here are some conventional uses of the adjective: In 1964, roughly nine of ten Japanese watched the final match and felt a collective joy in the moment of victory. This simultaneous emotion created a strong feeling of community among them. In 10 years there was a fall in the marriage-rate and a  simultaneous  fall in the value of exported British produce. Id say the scratch  was simultaneous  with the punch.   Before the Rebels threw a monkey wrench into the Empires plans, how many simultaneous Death Stars were envisioned by the Empire? An event at which a chess master plays games with multiple players at the same time is called a â€Å"simultaneous exhibition† or â€Å"simultaneous display.† A â€Å"simultaneous equation† is â€Å"an equation involving two or more unknowns that are to have the same values in each equation.† In the context of oral translation, simultaneous is used to describe human beings who translate from one language into another as a speaker utters it. One of the key skills of the  simultaneous interpreter  is decisiveness. Simultaneous interpreters must have not only complete mastery of the languages, but also of their cultures. A Google search suggests that even in this profession, it’s more common to refer to the act of translation rather than to the translator as being simultaneous: simultaneous interpretation: 434,000 results simultaneous interpreting: 361,000 results simultaneous interpreters: 161,000 Note: The phrase â€Å"simultaneous people tracking† racks up about 19,000,000 results when searched without quotation marks. A phrase associated with robotics, it doesn’t refer to â€Å"spontaneous people,† but to â€Å"spontaneous people-tracking.† The phrase has to do with the fact that a robot must be programmed to avoid human obstacles as it moves about. Here is a suggested revision of the sentence that prompted this post: Editors and writers can work on the same document simultaneously, ensuring that changes aren’t lost in old, misplaced drafts. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)"Have" vs "Having" in Certain Expressions10 Tips About How to Write a Caption

Evaluation of article from The Economist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evaluation of article from The Economist - Essay Example The abstract statement (â€Å"Sooty skies†, 1) uses technical terms that make it difficult for a novice of the field of aviation to understand, without reading the article, what the article is about. Right at the very start of the article the writer addresses an aspect of de-icing an aeroplane in the first sentence and continues on with it in the third sentence with no regard for the change of perspective in the second sentence. Similarly in the second paragraph, the writer introduces a Dawid Janas with no reference to Dawid’s relevance to the discussion until later on in the article. Then the article moves on to describe the process of formation of a substance without describing the background of the substance and its relevance to the topic of the article, making it hard for the reader to maintain interest. The writer commits a similar mistake by describing the conductivity of the substance in detail without first stating that conductance of electricity though the subs tance is a process of the new de-icing technique. This application of the substance becomes clear only later on with an indirect reference to it by the writer as he compares the two substances used in de-icing. While a lot of information in the article is misleading and some is suspicious, the content does provide the necessary knowledge needed to understand the views expressed and the basics of the technology referred to by the writer. However the article contains engineering jargon that makes the aspect of de-icing techniques covered in the article irrelevant to business course students, though the price and viability comparisons of materials for de-icing in the later paragraphs can be considered relevant to the domain of business management education. The only image included in the article offers little help in understanding the gist of the article without having read a good part of the written content first. Amusingly

Environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Environment - Assignment Example Although solar energy has been in use for a long time, generating electricity from this source has not been fully adopted hence this has locked up great benefits associated with this alternative source of energy (Foster; Ghassemi, & Cota 47). Even though the solar energy is free, there are hindrances to achievement of this technology. For example, the cost of installation of solar harnessing equipment is extremely high. Also, the availability of solar energy fluctuate from place to another with some parts of the globe receiving maximum solar energy while others have low solar intensity. Also, solar availability is affected by the seasons and time of the day (YouTube). Implementation of this law will result to increase in efficiency of solar energy production since many people will invest in solar energy hence encourage innovation (Foster; Ghassemi, & Cota 47). Although the availability of solar energy may not increase, the efficiency of harnessing this energy will result to increase in the amount of power output lower cost of production (Boxwell 49). The cost saving on environmental management compensates the additional cost of generating solar energy on a large

International Accounting Standards Board Deliberations Research Paper

International Accounting Standards Board Deliberations - Research Paper Example In terms of the history of accounting information, Macve theorized that the accounting of business transactions during the Greek and Roman period and contradictions to the conceptual framework of accounting were easy overshadowed (Macve 1994; 57). Accounting had grown in popularity during the medieval and modern times (Macve 1994). The compulsory implementation of the International Accounting standards –based conceptual framework of accounting enhances the preparation and communication of accounting reports. FASB and IASB published Conceptual frameworks as guides for the preparation of financial reports. The WorldCom, Enron, and other accounting scandals have precipitated to the U.S. Sarbanes Oxley Act. Presently, there is a move to harmonise the U.S. conceptual framework and the U.K. conceptual framework (King 2006). Interested parties contribute their inputs to increase the ease in formulating the conceptual framework of accounting. A conceptual framework serves as a guide in the preparation of accounting report. Likewise, Godfrey emphasized that one of the advantages of incorporating the conceptual framework of accounting is the successful transfer of information to the interested parties to improve the globalization of business organizations (Jayne Godfrey 2007). GAAP and the international accounting standards. The purpose of the synchronization is to have a single set of accounting standards. The single set of accounting standards would increase communication and feedback. The users of the financial statements should receive the information from the preparers in crystal –clear fashion. The best to ensure the vividness is to have only one conceptual framework of accounting. In November 2009, the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the London –based International Accounting Standards Board or (IASB) confirmed their desire to rush the convergence. A third progress report was

Analysis of Bosch Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 112

Analysis of Bosch Company - Essay Example Consequently, it has also employed over 306,000 employees who work tirelessly for the success of this company (Savitz 12-56). The company has a clear vision and mission statements that motivate all employees to work harder in ensuring that it progresses positively. The company started as a workshop for engineering but later opened other branches in London, Paris, and New York due to its speedy growth. The company majors on specific technological business sectors, which include the Industrial Technology, Automotive Technology, Automation Technology, and the Packaging Technological sector (De Tolnay). Bosch Company's vision is to improve the lives of all people through technological advancement and development. Robert Bosch main intention was to promote the moral and physical development of the society so that individuals may endure all kinds of hardship and become productive members later in their lives. The vision of Bosch Company was to ensure that most of the society members lived with dignity, consequently leading a quality life and enhancing sustainable advancement in the future through industrial-technological advancement (Savitz 12-56). Consequently, the company aims at improving the economic development of the nation by enhancing financial interdependence and cultural diversification. Additionally, it promotes economic development with the intention of overcoming its challenges and improving the strength of the company. The vision of the company guides it and directs it towards achieving success in the end (De Tolnay). It also acts as a foundation to structural changes in the company consequently resulting in its growth and development. The company's mission steers it towards achieving success since it directs its efforts towards reaching its goals and objectives.  

Watch video, discuss and consider the points Essay

Watch video, discuss and consider the points - Essay Example lawyer and possessed economics degree yet he chose to be a distributer in some small shop instead of seeking employment from renowned and well-established corporations like most new graduates do. Even at this stage, he was very philanthropic and used to give back to the community especially to the children who loved candy. As the saying goes, charity begins at home, David Klein was charitable and this probably contributed to the high traffic of customers frequenting the shop. Seeing this, and from the loyalty he had developed from the customers decided to seize the opportunity to introduce a premium price jelly belly. At this point one would describe as having followed one business ethic followed by many believers of laissez faire called self-interest business ethics theory. At the point when he created jelly belly, he was already an aggressive entrepreneur and an opportunist who not only wanted to make profit from a given opportunity but also a visionary business man who was focused at making the best out of himself from available opportunity. He trusted himself to introduce a new product with differentiated and improved quality and market it with success. He observed that the current candy were not naturally cooked and decided to give the idea to a company he was acting as a distributor for its product. The company also agreed and produced jelly belly beans in small quantities for which he sold alongside the other candy in the corner shop he was operating from. Noticing that the jelly belly was trading at relatively very high prices, he invented a plan to dupe the media (print media) to air his story claiming he was making big sales from that. However, this was a necessary evil since it marked the beginning of his blessings. By organizing friends and relatives to frequent the shop at exactly the same time when the media representative was visiting, thus giving the impression of a busy store selling g what customers loved an interestingly false presentation.

Autobiography discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Autobiography discussion - Essay Example Clustering is a process that involves brainstorming over what one intends to write about (Cline et al, Page 10-58). People can carry out clustering on their own or with groups of friends so long as the inspiration connecting various idies is achieved to enable the writer proceed. Clustering enables the writer to jot down short phrases that guide him in the actual writing process. Listing, on the hand, requiers the writer to numerically put down their ideas on paper in terms of priority or chronology. It is usually the first step writers take whenever they want to write an autobiography. Listing helps in connecting ideas and experiences that a writer might have gone through. Freewriting puts the brain in action to undertake the actual writing of the biography (Cline et al, Page 23-74).Writers can undertake freewriting on their own or as a group with the free written paragraphs being read out. This enables the ears to pick out certain patterns that are vital in the actual writing of the autobiography. It also brings out various ideas that a writer might have not thought of at the initial stages. In conclusion, therefore, out of the three strategies employed in writing listing is the most benefitial to a writer as it helps in linking the ideas with the experinces. It also helps in determining the actual flow of ideas in a chronoligical manner thus making the work of a writer more organzied and smoothly flowing in the

Watch video, discuss and consider the points Essay

Watch video, discuss and consider the points - Essay Example lawyer and possessed economics degree yet he chose to be a distributer in some small shop instead of seeking employment from renowned and well-established corporations like most new graduates do. Even at this stage, he was very philanthropic and used to give back to the community especially to the children who loved candy. As the saying goes, charity begins at home, David Klein was charitable and this probably contributed to the high traffic of customers frequenting the shop. Seeing this, and from the loyalty he had developed from the customers decided to seize the opportunity to introduce a premium price jelly belly. At this point one would describe as having followed one business ethic followed by many believers of laissez faire called self-interest business ethics theory. At the point when he created jelly belly, he was already an aggressive entrepreneur and an opportunist who not only wanted to make profit from a given opportunity but also a visionary business man who was focused at making the best out of himself from available opportunity. He trusted himself to introduce a new product with differentiated and improved quality and market it with success. He observed that the current candy were not naturally cooked and decided to give the idea to a company he was acting as a distributor for its product. The company also agreed and produced jelly belly beans in small quantities for which he sold alongside the other candy in the corner shop he was operating from. Noticing that the jelly belly was trading at relatively very high prices, he invented a plan to dupe the media (print media) to air his story claiming he was making big sales from that. However, this was a necessary evil since it marked the beginning of his blessings. By organizing friends and relatives to frequent the shop at exactly the same time when the media representative was visiting, thus giving the impression of a busy store selling g what customers loved an interestingly false presentation.

Reconstruction for Assigned Reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reconstruction for Assigned Reading - Essay Example The beauty of this partnership is that private investors by virtue of shouldering upfront costs have a powerful influence in terms of incentives to ensure timely completion of projects. The overriding factor of the PPP’s is that they have a customer service ethic that government operated roadways lack. These PPP’s enable investors to profit primarily toll revenue, though not highly popular, is better than higher taxes and more government spending. The toll-funded roads are a noble idea since they will primarily regulate congestion on the roads. By increasing the toll during peak hours and decreasing it during off – peak hours, motorists will save much time since they will not be stuck in traffic. This will in turn reduce stress among motorist and save fuel. This would result in an improved economy. Further, the environment will not be polluted since auto emissions are higher in heavy traffic and significantly lower when traffic eases. Although PPP’s are not new in America, they remain an under-used engine for transportation infrastructure investments. Greater public education about the economic and environmental benefits of PPP’s is needed while federal action is also needed to encourage states to employ the use of PPP’s in transportation

Holden Caulfield and Huckleberry Finn Essay Example for Free

Holden Caulfield and Huckleberry Finn Essay The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Catcher in the Rye wonderfully express the thoughts, and feelings that typically run through the average teenagers mind. In each of these stories, the main character is left searching for his true identity. Huck Finns journey leads him to question the beliefs others have imposed upon him since his youth. While Holden Caulfield is a very confused and depressed person who desperately seeks acceptance, and companionship. Both characters are experiencing life as independent people, each having their own unique qualities, but in general they are both learning that in order to survive and make the right decisions, they need to mature. Holden Caulfield and Huck Finn share many of the same characteristics. For one thing, they both tend to lie a lot. Holden lied to nearly everyone he met, one example of his deception was when he met the mother of Ernest Morrow on the train to New York. He told her how popular, kind, and modest her son was despite how Holden hated him. Huck also lies a lot, but usually he only deceives people to protect himself and Jim. This occurs when he dressed up as a girl to find out what the rumors of Jims whereabouts were. They have many other similar qualities such as not conforming to society. Whether it was by choice or not, Huck and Holden paved their own paths, they tried to figure out what was right and wrong for themselves instead of following what everyone else said. The characters Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield share a special bond. Both boys are the most unlikely of heroes, they lie, deceive, act irresponsibly, yet they get the point across. Also, there is a connection between the companions of each character. Holdens closest friend is his younger sister Phoebe, while Hucks adventure is centered around the slave Jim. Slaves of that period were treated at worst as animals, and at best simple children. Jim and Phoebe were on the same level for they were there for support, and could differentiate right from wrong, but they didnt know enough to fully understand what Huck and Holden were mentally going through. Huck Finn is living the life of an average teenager until he finds himself helping the slave, Jim escape from his master. These actions go against  everything Huck has been taught so far, and is also against the law. Huck is in a tricky predicament where he has to decide whether or not to go through with helping Jim escape or to turn him in. This forces a reflection of his morals and an evaluation of Hucks conscience. In the end, Huck decides to follow his heart by not turning Jim in. This shows great loyalty, and maturity on Hucks part to go against the law by doing what he knew was right. Holden Caulfield was deeply, emotionally scarred from the death of his brother Allie, which obviously affects his decision making skills. He falls into a deep depression where he doesnt seem to care that he failed out of four different schools. Holden lies incessantly yet he says that he hates phonies. He sees all the faults in other people without realizing his own imperfections. By the time he comes to the realization that he isnt as perfect as he would have thought, it is too late and he is institutionalized. Although he was sent to an institution, just before he understood that he could not prevent children from growing up, and that he himself needed to mature. Holdens journey didnt end as idealy as he may have hoped, but at least he finally recognized the need to get over Allies death and move on with his life. Huck was able to figure out for himself as Holden did the need for maturity in society. Huck exhibited an excellent example of selflessness in this story, therefore he successfully overcame one of lifes toughest obstacles. Each character had a personal battle they needed to surmount, and both Holden and Huck triumphed. The two characters also have many differences in their actions and lifestyles. Holden is more restricted in his reactions to certain situations. He is not very sure of himself, nor is he brave. Huck on the other hand, is not afraid to take initiative, like when he ran away from home with Jim. Holden was too afraid to leave, he only thought about going away to New Hampshire, or out West.

Problems For Women In Sport

Problems For Women In Sport Womens rugby is an ever growing sport; from the first game being played seriously in Great Britain in the late 1970s (RFUW) to England hosting the Womens World Cup in September 2010. This report is to gain an insight into the thoughts, feelings and experiences of student female rugby players; how they perceive themselves and also how they feel about the RFUW. I have also researched into how male rugby players perceive the female players as individuals and players within the game as a whole. I have aimed to uncover how this specific group of female athletes are treated within society by their peers and how they feel about the media representation of them. Introduction: This literature review explores problems for women in sport, research into womens rugby, the male dominated game and also how womens ruby is represented by the media. Shockleys (2006:127) article presents the history of the emergence and decline of womens rugby from 1974 to 1980 in the southeast of America, in the year 1970 a group of pioneering women worked without varsity scholarships and little collegiate or community support to build rugby teams across the region. The effort of this group created at least fifteen teams throughout the region in 1980. This is an example of the growth of womens rugby and how a little unknown niche of women has become such a global sporting success. Problems in Sport: There are many factors which could shape womens views on their chosen sport of interest; one of which is victimisation. Fastings (2008) recent research into the participation in college sports and protection from sexual victimization, investigates female athletes experiences of various forms of discrimination including sexual victimisation from coaches and other male athletes. The paper reports on the first descriptive analysis to test the sport protection hypothesis among both female and male athletes. Fasting (2008) concluded that students were significantly less likely to report sexual victimisation during their last high school and early college years than their non athletic counterparts. Thus can become a major difficulty in the university setting, although my research is not based around this problem, it is still a highly important issue among females in sport and can affect a players views of their sport. Female athletes in male dominated sports such like rugby are constantly bombarded with the issue of femininity. It is a term used by the media and also by many males when arguing that rugby isnt a womens game. Eitzen (2009) states that the traditional conception of femininity, as passive and helpless is challenged today by the fit, athletic and even muscular appearance of women athletes. in contemporary society women have brought a new standard of femininity that combines beauty with taut, developed muscles (Eitzen 2009:82). In relation to femininity another factor faced by sporting athletes is gender inequality; Grace (1997:25) speaks of her research as drawing connections between sport as a cultural institution and gender inequality in all areas of life, Her theories and ideologies demonstrate how ideologies of natural difference present socially constructed meanings of masculinity and femininity as rooted in biology. She also states; because sport is located in bodily practices, t hose who control it hold a great deal of cultural power. Exploring the implications of social relations being shaped by the cultural institution of sport also raises questions about relative privileges held by different women, and how these are reproduced through sporting activities (Grace 1997:25). Dewar (1991), analysing sport is like a set of selected and selective social practices that embody dominant meanings, values and practices which are implicated in the creation and maintenance of hegemonic social relationships. Femininity and Masculinity- Gender Roles: Whilst studying womens rugby I have observed the repetition of gender-role conflict theorys which have suggested that women athletes will experience role conflict because they are attempting to enact both feminine and masculine gender roles, yet research findings have shown mixed support for this notion Fallon and Jome (2007:311), Their study explored how women rugby players negotiate gender-role expectations and conflict as women participating in a traditionally masculine sport. Fallon and Jome (2007:311) found the participants perceived conflicting expectations for their gender-role behaviour more than they seemed to experience conflict about those expectations. They then state that the athletes tried to avoid experiencing gender-role conflict. The resiliency displayed by the women athletes in coping with discrepant gender-role messages provides new considerations for gender-role conflict theory. There is a problem with the expectations of how a female rugby player should look and act, this is due to the stereotyping of society today. Words associated with female players are butch, big, lesbian, angry whereas words associated with a male rugby player are; fit, athletic, strong, toned, muscular'(Fallon and Jome 2007); there is an obvious difference here which leads me to examine how the students feel about themselves and how they are perceived, also whether this has an effect on them as players striving to achieve success. Furthermore Chase (2006:229) investigates the multiple and complex ways in which the female rugby body is disciplined. The women who partook in the research resisted disciplinary processes of femininity but at the same time were willing participants in disciplinary processes of competitive sport. The research focuses on the physicality on womens bodies in the game and the disciplines the players go through in order to become a successful player. They and their bodies are shaped by multiple disciplinary processes. This is yet another example of how the players were drawn to rugby because of the physical nature of the game. This is thus showing that women can be just as disciplined as men in the game and achieve success at an elite level. This investigation is a foundation to my research as it has shown the discipline some women are prepared to go through to play a sport they are passionate about. In discussion about the development of womens sport Hargreaves (1994:273) states the RFUW then known as WRFU developed the womens game from twelve founding members in 1983 to over 2,000 women playing each week in its first ten years. She mentions how women who play rough, physical sports requiring strength and speed express the sense of satisfaction and exhilaration they get from participating (Hargreaves 1994:273). Hargreaves discusses how women playing mens sports still face harsh criticism and ridicule which reflect a particularly British, class-based form of sexism (1994:274). Hargreaves (1994) also talks of womens sports and the lack of funding available to them; a lot of teams have to pay the expenses themselves and are rejected from sponsors for being a female team. The Womens World Cup in 1991 in Wales failed to attract sponsors when the mens game was heavily fuelled with money. Hundreds of applications were made to a range of sponsors, including corporations which sponsor th e mens game: refusals were based on traditional ideas about masculine and feminine appropriateness but its a mens game and they dont drink lager! (Hargreaves 1994:204). Hargreaves also states that poor media coverage and financial support tend to mask the rapid increase in the numbers of women participating in sports and reproduce the present system of privilege (1994:204); this is linking directly with my study as it can lead to a path for my questioning of the participants in my study. A study which is highly important to my dissertation was conducted by Chu et al. (2003) which examined the experiences of New Zealands elite women rugby players which were based on reasoning for joining a rugby team and how they viewed womens rugby as a male dominated sport. The article shows how the players felt before joining the team, why they joint and also how they felt playing a sport which is strongly influenced and controlled by men; the authors findings were offered to be used for administrators and those wishing to promote womens rugby; which in my dissertation would be the RFUW; this links in with what is available from the RFUW in terms of research. The outcomes from Chus (2003) research showed the prime reasons given by women for participation in sports traditionally considered as masculine, were the joy of participating in a sport requiring physical strength and speed as well as a love for the sport. The authors comment that all the participants were positive about bein g a black fern..but that they also had to make sacrifices for the game, particularly with respect to juggling work, family and elite lever sporting commitments. These last points raised questions about the amateur/professional debate in terms of the black ferns being amateurs, but being expected to train and behave as professionals. This is a key issue within womens rugby which can raise many equality questions; why do only the male teams get paid well for the same amateur level as the women? Are female players expected to juggle a full time career as well as committing to partake in a professional sport? Chu concludes from the interviews carried out that there was a mixture of frustration and acceptance among the women in relation to playing a predominantly male game; some saw it as a challenge in terms of having to break down barriers with respect to what women can do in the wider context. They also felt that some women participating in non-traditional female sports become empowered and feel that this affects women in society at large. This research although gained in New Zealand is important to my dissertation as it is an example and framework to my research. I am homing in on a specific group of players which are students not elite players but their thoughts and feelings towards the RFUW are significant as they are the governing body of rugby for women in England. Womens Rugby: Leading on from the previous statement; the Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW) state the progression in womens rugby as the England elite side continue to demonstrate their strength on a global scale and recent successes include winning the Nations Cup, four successive Six Nations triumphs and a runners up place at the 2006 World Cup. England will be looking to go one better at the 2010 World Cup which is to played on English soil for the first time in the tournaments 19 year history. Womens rugby as a sport has undoubtedly gone from strength to strength over recent years and participation is currently at an all time high, so whether you want to play for fun or be right up there challenging for honours, everyone is welcome to join in. This is from the welcoming front page of their website which proudly shows how much the women involved have achieved since first playing in the 70s. It entices women and girls to play and shows just what females can achieve, but do they support their women throughout their rugby careers from school to adulthood? This is where my research will gain an insight into the experiences of support by the RFUW to young aspiring and talented students playing at an amateur level. Research material by Fields (2008:8) explores the reasoning behind American females and why they play rugby; she states women in the country find rugby a challenging game in which they can have fun. It is stated that, women play this sport because it is aggressive and most of the women surveyed say they have always been interested in contact sports The research also found that they played the sport because of its health benefits. Additionally there is becoming a theme around the reasonings why players get involved with the sport from other countries, In my dissertation I will examine how these countries fit in with the view of England students. This can raise many questions about the treatment of females playing male dominated sports worldwide; Do we have a different culture of sport in England? Rugby is traditionally a male dominated sport but is it still in contemporary society today? Eitzen (2009:98) observes that sport in its organisation, procedures and operation serves to promote traditional gender roles thus keeping order. Sport advances male hegemony in practice and ideology by legitimating a certain dominant version of social reality. He states that from early childhood games to professional sports, the sports experience is gendered. Boys are expected to participate in sports, to be aggressive, to be physically tough, to take risks and to accept pain. Thus sport, especially aggressive physical contact sport is expected from boys and men but not for girls and women furthermore he concludes these expectations reproduce male domination in society. This is reflected in rugby as male players are seen to exert aggression and strength whereas female players are not seen to have the same abilities although they are playing the same sport. My dissertation is not seeking equa lity for women in terms of the game as both male and female games are on different levels but it is to investigate how female players feel about this gap in levels and how they are supported by the RFUW. Mangan (1981:147) states Late Victorian bourgeois imperialist ideology associated sport and exercise with the muscular Christian gentlemen; this is another example of the hegemony within society of the time, I wish to explore the society of this moment in time and compare with previous times. The Media Influence: When accessing four different newspapers online to search for articles on womens rugby I found suprising results. The Sun newspaper online (2009) first page of relevant results showed one 121 word article titled Austin Healey Woes. The Times newspaper online (2009) showed three relevant articles on the first page and The Daily Mail newspaper online (2009) had two relevant results. Most other articles in the search results were about rugby mens wives or other female sports news. Eitzen (2009) states women in sport are minimized (and men maximized) when womens activities are ignored. The mass media in the United States have tended to overlook womens sports. When they are reported, the stories, photographs and commentary tend to reinforce gender roles stereotypes. Womens sports are also ignored when cities and schools disproportionately spend enormous amounts on mens sports. Both todays sport and the media are classic outcomes and icons of the far-reaching social, economic and technological change that characterised twentieth century Stead (2003:184). In addition Stead adds that both have developed extensively and rapidly as a major global industry (2003:184). He expresses how the development of the internet extends further media activities. It being a global phenomenon loops everyone into a never ending source of news articles. He states that more recently there has been a growth in specialist media sports products (2003:185). When researching into the influence of the media it has to be stated that there are many hidden messages behind what is broadcast and shown in newspapers. Stead states that research into the textual messages contained in the media sport output of various countries suggests the heavy influence of such ideological factors as capitalism, nationalism, patriarchy and racism. Each of these biases evident within the ownership and control of the increasingly dominant multinational media companies and indeed the dominant values in a particular society (2003:192). Another significant point raised by Stead (2003) was whether the medias representation of sport reflects reality or does it just reflect what the directors of that company feel? When commenting on the future of media sport Stead (2003:197/8) states that the media set fashions but are also influenced by wider social change media commitment to sport and more particularly to certain sports or events can change, leaving an ever more dependant world of sport venerable to instability. Since the 1980s the value of sport to media companies and their investment in sport have grown dramatically; he also raises the point that the media have furthermore influenced the character and development of sport, it should be noted that there is little evidence of resistance to co modification from sports bodies or athletes (Stead 2003:198). An article by Mott (2002) entails an interview with Paula George one of the England elite female rugby players; George comments on the missed opportunities of the female elite team. It would help if the Rugby Football Union would let them play a curtain-raiser international at Twickenham. So far they wont. Its silly, isnt it? said George. To have done it this year to raise awareness about the World Cup coming up in front of a good rugby crowd would have been awesome. Every time I see one of the England men or one of the boys coming out of the tunnel in their countrys shirt, I think: we want to do that. We so want to do that. Its going to happen. Were not going away. It might as well happen now. This article is a real insight into the opinions of our elite team which is highlighting the dreams and aspirations of the England elite team and how they will not back down until they have the same treatment as the male teams. This is a useful article to generate questions for my research par ticipants. Whilst researching online I came across an advert for the Guildford college rugby team which shared many common values of lots of womens rugby clubs, their statement online states through practices, socials, matches, fitness, fund-raising, and recruitment events, the team strives to promote an awareness of women in contact sports. The team hopes to strengthen and promote positive self-images and community building. Moreover, we recognize the historical and systematic oppression of women, people of colour, and queer people. By providing an inclusive and affirming space for individual growth of members of the above groups, the womens rugby team hopes to perpetually dismantle oppression and structural violence. This is suggesting a place for those who are otherwise alienated from parts of society; this is furthermore highlighting the impact of sport upon individuals lives and also whole communities. The BBC is one of Englands highly trusted and representing broadcasters for the country; on their website there were articles titled Womens rugby is one of the fastest-growing sports around. Its not just for boys and men anymore and there are more and more womens clubs all over the country this leads me to question why there is still a country of patriarchy and inequality in sport. Underneath the article is some advice for readers: The Rugby Football Union for Women is responsible for getting more girls playing and learning about rugby. They will be able to give you all the information you need about getting started, and put you in touch with your nearest club. If you want to take your rugby seriously, Player Development Academies across the country hold open trials every summer. You can find out more by logging onto: RFUW website. This is an interesting piece to revert back to once conducting my research as it shows that womens rugby is being promoted by some media parties. Is this filtering down to the ammeter players? will be a question I shall keep in mind. From personal research I am aware that there is a 1:15 minute promotional video on Youtube a world wide online video broadcasting website for the Womens Rugby World Cup 2010. This was added one month ago at the time of writing this research, when searching for the mens world cup which is being held in 2011 there is a 2:47 minute video which was added three weeks ago. This is just an example of how different the promotional side of the different gendered games is; To make it more acceptable within society for women to play what was traditionally a male dominated sport it needs to be out there in the public eye. Summary: Research which has been conducted in various countries and the research is also dated somewhat. There is little about Englands young female players views on how they feel playing a traditionally male dominated sport; their thoughts, feelings and experiences whilst playing the game and how todays contemporary society treats them accordingly. There is a clear gap in research and that it will benefit many organisations such like the RFUW and also will help young aspiring female rugby players to continue their successes and not let stigma get in the way of their goals.

Divorce and the Bible Essay -- essays research papers

The law defines divorce as  ¡Ã‚ §a legal dissolution of the marriage contract by a court or other body having competent authority. This is properly a divorce, and called, technically, divorce a vinculo matrimonii. ``from the bond of matrimony.'' (b) The separation of a married woman from the bed and board of her husband -- divorce a mensa et toro (or thoro), ``from bed board.'' ¡Ã‚ ¨ Does this definition follow that of the Bible? Mark 10:1-12 ¡X  ¡Ã‚ ¥Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking,  ¡Ã‚ §Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? ¡Ã‚ ¨  ¡Ã‚ §What did Moses command you? ¡Ã‚ ¨ He replied. They said,  ¡Ã‚ §Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away. ¡Ã‚ ¨  ¡Ã‚ §It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law, ¡Ã‚ ¨ Jesus replied.  ¡Ã‚ §But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. ¡Ã‚ ¨ When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered,  ¡Ã‚ §Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery. ¡Ã‚ ¦ According to Mark, Jesus was not only against divorce but he detested the actions of man to allow it against the word of God. He is trying to explain what divorce means to God. Apparently, it is the joining of two people ¡Xminds, bodies, and souls. These people are no longer people. They are a person. He also states that Moses only made the law to solve the problems that humankind was having. It seems that Moses was without patience when making his declaration. The crowd was already going against God, and their religion had taken a step down their priority list. Moses was just giving his people what they wanted to hear. He only allowed the man to give a statement of divorce. He allowed them to take from that what they did. He was still serving his religion with this decision. He was not allowing them to separate their souls. I believe Jesus was only reiterating, or clarifying, this act of Moses. He explained to the masses that Mose... ...owever, in this case, the union of souls is not stressed. How can an unbeliever expect the God that they do not believe in to unite them? Once the unbeliever is saved, the souls will be united and a divorce is not allowed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, if the unbeliever never does accept God, then the he/she is permitted to cut off the marriage. A believer is to stand by the side of his beloved. He/she is held to all the rules of marriage and divorce. This, of course, meaning that the believer calling for divorce does not separate the couple in God ¡Ã‚ ¦s eyes. If the unbeliever calls for a divorce, then it is as if the marriage never took place. They are free to remarry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of these authors hold the same views. Divorce is an accepted thing before man, but not before God. Then, divorce only means that you are allowed to live in separate homes. As far as remarriage goes, it is adultery on the behalf of all involved. The exception from this rule is only applicable if one of the marriage partners is an unbeliever and, as such, calls for the divorce. Then the divorce is a complete divorce and remarriage is allowed without being considered adultery.

Fraud Invalidates a Contract

Week Four Assignment By: Kelly Sciberras November 25, 2012 DeVry University Business Law – BUSN420 ? Week Four Assignment As our textbook explains fraud invalidates a contract. â€Å"The presence of fraud affects the authenticity of the innocent party’s consent to a contract. When an innocent party is fraudulently induced to enter into a contract, the contract usually can be avoided because she or he has not voluntarily consented to the terms. Normally, the innocent party can either cancel the contract and be restored to her or his original position or enforce the contract and seek damages for harms resulting from the fraud (Miller 281). Generally, fraudulent misrepresentation refers only to misrepresentation that is consciously false and is intended to mislead another. Typically, fraud involves three elements; a misrepresentation of a material fact must occur, secondly there must be intent to deceive, and lastly the innocent party must justifiably rely on the misrepre sentation. To collect damages, a party must have been harmed as a result of the misrepresentation. Fraudulent misrepresentation can also occur in the online environment.Undue Influence and Duress Undue influence arises from relationships in which one party can greatly influence another party, thus overcoming that party’s free will. A contract entered into under excessive or undue influence lacks voluntary consent and is therefore voidable. The essential feature of undue influence is that the party being taken advantage of does not, in reality, exercise free will in entering into a contract. It is not enough that a person is elderly or suffers from some mental or physical impairment.There must be clear and convincing evidence that the person did not act out of her or his free will Miller explains. Forcing a party to enter into a contract because of the fear created by threats is referred to as duress. In addition, blackmail or extortion to induce consent to a contract constitu tes duress. Generally, for duress to occur, the threatened act must be wrongful or illegal. Threatening to exercise a legal right, such as the right to sue someone, ordinarily is not illegal and usually does not constitute duress.Duress is both a defense to the enforcement of a contract and a ground for rescission of a contract. Therefore, a party who signs a contract under duress can choose to carry out the contract or to avoid the entire transaction. (The wronged party usually has this choice in cases in which consent is not voluntary. ) Economic need generally is not sufficient to constitute duress, even when one party exacts a very high price for an item the other party needs. If the party exacting the price also creates the need, however, economic duress may be found (Miller 286-287).Examples of undue influence and duress can been seen in various types of relationships in which one party may dominate another party, thus unfairly influencing him or her. Minors and elderly people , for example, are often under the influence of guardians. If a guardian induces a young or elderly ward to enter into a contract that benefits the guardian, the guardian may have exerted undue influence. Undue influence can arise from a number of confidential or fiduciary relationships, including attorney-client, physician-patient, guardian-ward, parent-child, husband-wife, and trustee-beneficiary (Miller 286).Damages and Equitable Remedies There are basically four broad categories of damages; compensatory damages which are intended to cover direct losses and costs, consequential damages which cover indirect and foreseeable losses, punitive damages are supposed to punish and deter wrongdoing, and nominal damages which recognize wrongdoing when no monetary loss is shown (Miller 323). Our textbook discusses how there are times when damages are an inadequate remedy for a breach of contract.In these situations, the non-breaching party may ask the court for an equitable remedy. Equitabl e remedies include rescission and restitution, specific performance, and reformation. Restitution is an equitable remedy under which a person is restored to his or her original position prior to loss or injury, or placed in the position he or she would have been in had the breach not occurred. Specific Performance is an equitable remedy requiring exactly the performance that was specified in a contract; usually granted only when monetary damages would be an inadequate emedy and the subject matter of the contract is unique (for example, real property). Reformation is an equitable remedy used when the parties have imperfectly expressed their agreement in writing. Reformation allows a court to rewrite the contract to reflect the parties’ true intentions. Courts order reformation most often when fraud or mutual mistake is present. ? References Miller, Jentz. Business Law Today: Comprehensive, 9th Edition. South Western Educational Publishing, 01/2011. .

Protestant Reformation Essay Essay

Have you aver questioned authority or superior forces than yourself? Martin Luther and John Calvin, two famous theologians deeply questioned their times authority, the Catholic Church. These two had created a new way of thinking and voicing it out, especially when it comes to religion. Questioning the Catholic Church and the works that came with that made both of them landmark points in the world’s history but the question relies on why they attacked the fundamental principles of the church. The strong opposition to selling indulgences and that anyone could make its way to heaven if they had the right amount of money was what ignited the reformation, including Martin Luther 95 theses against indulgences. Later on came John Calvin’s work against the Catholic Church including the Geneva reform and his idea of predestination, the idea that God is willing all of the events that can happen in one’s life. Both of these theologians had intentions of creating a truer version of the Christian religion and created their own form and version of Catholicism, Calvinism and Lutheranism. Some viewed these new branches/forms of Christianity as a new way of interpreting the religion and some; according to Prentice Hall world history thought it would be a chance to â€Å"throw off the rule of both the Church and the Holy Roman Empire.† (Ellis and Esler 64) In a whole, both of their works were a way to challenge and attack the Church and to voice out their ideas, which differed from those of the religious authorities. In this time period, late 15th through the end of the 16th century, the Catholic Church was the predominant authority and religion in most of Europe, it had a set of rules, in theory based on the bible, that everyone had to follow. However, these so called laws from the bible were modified and made to arrange the leaders, especially rich individuals. One of the main laws was flagrantly unequal and people understood that but couldn’t voice it out fearing the superior powers in rule. This law, of course was in the advantage of the most fortunate and the richest. This was the law selling indulgence and paying off your sins, meaning that if you had the right amount of money one could pay its way to heaven. As said earlier, several people believed it wasn’t correct and equal; however the problem they faced in those times was that a wide range of people did not know how to read and had no evidence or proof that what the Catholic Church said was different from what was written in the bible. When well-educated theologians such Martin Luther heard about such law, he found it unacceptable, to demonstrate it, he wrote a set of points against selling indulgences and how indulgences should be. This directly â€Å"challenged the teachings of the Catholic Church on the nature of penance, the authority of the pope and the usefulness of indulgences.† (Theopedia, Encyclopedia of Christianity) Luther posted these points on the Church’s door and it grabbed people attention, nevertheless a wide range of people believed that these points were true. This was the spark of Lutheranism, a new branch of Christianity based on the Martin Luther’s ideas and works. Few years later came John Calvin, a theologian and reformer. Calvin attacked at his turn the Catholic Church. He, very similarly to Luther, believed that selling indulgences wasn’t correct and more importantly he embraced the concept of predestination, the belief that God is wanting and knows everything that might happen in one’s life. He also created a theocracy; a government that was ran by church headmen. Based on his ideas and concepts he created, at his turn, a new branch of Christianity. This was another challenge forwarded to Catholic Church. On the other hand, the Catholic Church did not change any of its laws through out the reformation period. Catholicism compared in numerous ways with both Calvinism and Lutheranism on many subjects. In Catholicism, the bible is one source of truth and church tradition is another source of truth. However in Calvinism and Lutheranism, the bible is the only source of truth. These branches also differ in how the belief is revealed, in Catholicism the priest interprets the bible and people are transmitted that information through Church teachings. On the other side, in the two other branches, people read and interpret the bible for them to find what is written. Catholicism also believes that salvation is achieved through faith and good work, and most importantly that one can pay off its sins with current money; this is way the branches differ. Selling indulgences was the result of needing money to finance lavish pope lives, and the artists they paid to work for them. This meant that the Catholic Church was widely moving away from the original biblical writing and interpreting it differently to finance personal projects. In these cases religion wasn’t respected and that is what mainly sparked these large reforms. In Catholicism, the only way to achieve salvation is through faith and good works. At those times, popes and renaissance leaders took advantage of all of these modified biblical rules and mind washed people to achieve once again personal projects. This branch of Catholicism also gave a disadvantage of unfortunate people, lower classes and poor people. During the reformation times, poor people did not know how to read and therefore could read and have their own interpretation of the bible. Their only way to know what is supposedly written was through the priest’s interpretation and Church teaching. However, as stated earlier these teachings and passing of religious laws were not accurate, they were modified by the priests and upper class barons, which obviously gave them an advantage. Lutheranism was the first branch that appeared. When Martin Luther posted the 95 theses on the Church’s doors, he expected an obvious opposition by the leaders and authorities. When Luther’s ideas started spreading the Church asked him to remove all of his works and let his projects down. Instead â€Å" he developed even more radical and new doctrines.† (Ellis and Esler 63) One of the key factors to the spread of his ideas was the existence Gutenberg’s’ invention, the printing press. It made it possible to print a large amount of copies of the 95 theses. Among his ideas, he stated that salvation could be achieved through faith and faith alone, compared to Catholicism and Calvinism. Martin also said that at the head’s church should be an elected council. Calvinism was also a source of inspiration to all of the peasants that believed that this rule has been brain washing them and in favor of the richest. It ignited revolts all over Europe and results in socio-economic changes; these were mainly present through out Germany. One of the points Luther stressed is that all Christians should have the same and equal access to religion and God. This was an immense attack to the principles of the Catholic Church. What was making the Catholic Church’s head so influent and imposing was being attacked, those times people not accessing accurate information made it possible for the authorities to remain. However, with these new prominent and seemingly fair ideas, the Church was vulnerable to new revolts and opposition. Last, Lutheranism also was a wonderful opportunity to gain power. Small German princes embraced Lutheranism for the simple reason to overthrown the current Catholic Church. On the other side, Lutheranism doesn’t share a lot of details with Catholicism; they both share monotheist views, faith in God and Jesus as well as other broad and large concepts. Lastly, Calvinism came to create a new reformed type of Protestant Christianity. John Calvin, the major author of this new branch was himself a reformer and had lived in various European countries, he was a â€Å"refugee among refugees.† (Vosloo 3) However once in Geneva, Protestant wanted him to lead their people. To do that Calvin created a theocracy, a government led by church leaders. They later on gave birth to Calvinism, which was fundamentally attached to the predestination concept.. To Calvinists, predestination is what rules our everyday life and our future, God knows what we did, do, and will do. They also believe in the idea that God has already determined who would acquire salvation, and that the world contained two different types of people, those who sinned and saints At its turn it was a way to challenge the Catholic Church since it strictly denied the existence of predestination and that there wasn’t such thing. Calvinism was not very far different from Lutheranism, both believed that the bible is the only source of information and that every citizen should read and interpret the bible by his or her own means. In this branch, work and honesty, Calvinism was so strict that anyone that engaged in laughing in church, dancing, or fighting would be heavily fined. Nevertheless, Calvinism expanded through visitors and travelers that came to Geneva to embrace the concept of Calvinism, and then brought it back home. This was so successful that in Scotland a Calvinist rebel defeated the Catholic Queen and gained power. On the other side of the English Canal, violent war was going on between Calvinists and Christians. To conclude, the reformation was a time period of questioning, a time of new reforms and equal laws. Martin Luther and John Calvin were the landmarks in these times and were the ones that ignited the reformation. Creating new religious branches, Calvinism and Lutheranism, which embraced laws that gave an opportunity to the poor to understand the true meaning of the bible. Giving this opportunity to unfortunate people helped start new socio-economic reforms in their favor. It was the fruit of Luther and Calvin’s questioning of the Church and the attack of their principles. By writing the 95 theses against selling indulgences, Luther made people aware that the Church’s laws were not always coherent. The people’s huge uncertainty toward the Catholic Church made it easier for Calvin to impose new beliefs such as predestination and a more refined and clean way of living religion. All three branches of Christianity had both common and non-common points however Lutheranism and Calvinism were much more similar than to Catholicism.

Shadows of Night: The Fear of a Child

In Annie Dillard’s book, An American Child; chapter two describes the fear she had as a child, of the night shadows that would appear on her walls. Dillard was five years old and shared a bedroom with her little sister Amy, who was two at the time. When Dillard describes her little sister sleeping, I can picture her clearly in my mind. Dillard writes; â€Å"even at two she composed herself attractively with her sheet folded tidily, under her outstretched arm, her head laid lightly on an unwrinkled pillow, her thick curls spread evenly. (21) Another wonderful example of her descriptive writing is when she is telling of the â€Å"thing† that she is so afraid of at night in her bedroom. Dillard states that, â€Å"the damned thing entered the room by flattening itself against the open door and sliding in. It was transparent, luminous oblong; I could see the door whiten at its touch. † (21) This â€Å"thing† that Dillard also refers to as â€Å"it† also had sounds of a â€Å"rising roar† (21) as it moved across her walls. Dillard finally figured out that her â€Å"thing was a passing car whose windshield reflected the corner streetlight outside. † (21) It wasn’t until she was outside one day, that she heard the familiar sound that she hears at night when the â€Å"thing† appears on her walls. Dillard’s writing shows how the human mind and imagination can exaggerate even the simplest things, until we can see in front of us what the true reality is.

Corporate Ethics in the Post-Enron Era from the Role of a Policy Essay

Corporate Ethics in the Post-Enron Era from the Role of a Policy Analyst - Essay Example It evident that for those companies that collapsed, most of them exhibited symptoms like conflict of interest in dealings, exaggerated compensation packages, manipulation of voting rights etc. All these issues have renewed the need to strengthen corporate governance by inculcating business ethics in corporate dealings. Accordingly for us to tackle the issue of corporate governance, the basic principles and concepts in corporate governance need to be discussed (McDonald, 2007). Ethics as a concept refers to concepts or maxims of right or wrong behavior in the society. Ethics can be equated to morality. The critical question to be asked on ethics with regard to corporate governance is whether ethics has a place in this profit centered capitalist economy. The answer lies in the experiences highlighted above on business malpractices whose consequences have not only affected the shareholders only but also the general public at large. Corporate governance involves the assignment of duties and rights amongst all the participants in a corporation from the board of governors all the way to the stakeholders. It also provides for structures for achieving set objectives and decision making. At the same time the corporation exists within a society, thus societal ideals such as fair dealing, transparency, accountability and responsible citizenship must be upheld by the corporate entity. All these societal values have to be incorporated into the concept of corporate governance. This is to say that the corporation has to consider both the legal and social values in its pursuit of better corporate governance. Encompassing the aspect of societal values and norms dictates that the participants in the running of modern day corporations ascribe to the principle of corporate citizenship. The principle of corporate citizenship entails the commitment of individuals to unquestionable ethical behavior in corporate affairs (Cross & Miller, 2012). This principle sits well from the strateg ic and the operational levels of an organization as it is usually tied up with board leadership and corporate image. It is therefore imperative that for any business to be sustainable in these globalized and interconnected world all the corporate players have to recognize that the operating environmental, social obligations, and governance responsibilities are integral to corporate performance and sustenance (Cross & Miller, 2012). All these factors will determine company profits. The case of companies like Enron reflects a new dimension of corporate governance. This dimension entails strategic thinking by the board of directors in providing leadership beyond short term financial performance. The corporate leadership, boards of directors, shareholders, and the modern role of the CEO, must be prepared to provide strategic leadership and oversight on issues to do with the environment as this presents substantial reputation risk. They must also commit to creating shareholder value thro ugh engaging in activities which will increase access to markets while at the same time mitigating against immediate tangible and anticipated future risk (Bernstein, 2004). General Policy recommendations Several policies and strategic thinking