My First Day at Air Uni free essay sample

Orientation started on scheduled time. In the beginning we were addressed about academic years and some semester related terms. After that we were explained in detail about the rules and regulations that were to be strictly followed within the premises of the university. We found that the university was very strict about discipline and that the ones not abiding by the rules were to face the music. Followed by this was a detailed presentation given to us about the academic structure and administrative measures of university by our Head of Department, Mr..Dry. Bastard Allah Mali. He altered his way of speech and took the discussion towards a lighter side by cracking some decent jokes. Then we were informed about our class rooms and labs. We were gathered for an introductory trip. We were satisfied after the introductory session about the university. After that we were served with Tea. The University contained many lush green lawns which were really creating an atmosphere for knowledge sharing. We will write a custom essay sample on My First Day at Air Uni or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Our seniors were cheerful and welcoming. They informed us about the university in a great way.However some seniors were also ragging the juniors, but I Hough it to be a part of the game. But It was really meant for better relations and introduction. Some seniors ask juniors to sing song. There was a sports center were facilities for different sports and games were available. After that our seniors showed us the central library. University was a new experience for us in our lives. It was the beginning of new life commonly known as university life.

Being America by Jedediah Purdy essays

Being America by Jedediah Purdy essays Being America by Jedediah Purdy asks the reader to take a good look at some of the most important issues that our generation will have to deal with. Most of these issues have not risen since the days of Rome. Purdy presents his arguments in a way that I feel was not very effective. I found his writing technique to be not only boring but often repetitive and unnecessary. I agree with most of Purdys ideas, although there are many times where his ideas were actually the ideas of previous intellects. I feel that Purdy left out some recent controversies such as outsourcing. Purdy is obviously a well educated man having attended both Yale and Harvard so my initial reaction was to trust every word he told me. I was not able to catch any mistakes, but after reading an essay titled Reaction to Jedediah Purdys Being America by David E. Powell I found out otherwise. He found instances where information was not only undocumented, but sometimes unable to document. He always found places where information was just flat out wrong. Even though I do not have enough knowledge about these issues to find an error, Powells findings make me wonder how valid Purdys book is. Purdys language barrier also hurt this book. I feel that if he were able to talk to more of a variety of people instead of just the well educated ones who spoke English he would have gotten better results. Another reason why I feel Purdy was not effective in his writing was the purpose of his book was never really fully developed or clear. This was due to the fact that his issues were too broad. He skips around from Osama bin Laden to the history of AIDS to sweatshops and so on. In the beginning of the book I though it was going to be about how other countries feel towards the United States, but by the end my head was so packed with a variety of information and opinions that I really wasnt sure what to think. I wish he had f...

A Great American Dream

Big American dream in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby and Babylon Revisited, both by F. Scott Fitzgerald, are stories about the emptiness and recklessness of the 1920s. Each story has its distinctions, but Fitzgeralds condemnation of the decade reverberates through both. Fitzgerald explores and displays insufficiencies of the vacuous period, and does so with sharp clarity and depth, leaving no crude, barbarous habit to imagination. Fitzgerald had a deep and personal affliction with the 1920s (most notably in the Eastern United States), and in both The Great Gatsby and Babylon Revisited, he hones his conflicts into a furious condemnation. The 1920s were a period of sloth, habitual sin, exhausted illustriousness, and moral despondency; the black mark of a society and world usually tilted more toward attempted civility. Fitzgerald conveys this theme through the use of character, symbolism, and wasteland imagery. First, Fitzgerald uses characters to personify the vast recklessness of the generation. The characters in both are incomprehensibly selfish and carefree, though more noticeably in The Great Gatsby. Tom Buchanan, for instance, is almost flippant in acknowledging his affair with Jordan Baker, a local miscreant golf pro. Tom leaves Nick, Daisy, and Jordan at the dinner table to take a call from her. An exchange between Nick Carraway and Jordan while Tom is gone illuminates the situation. Is something happening (Fitzgerald, Gatsby 19), says Nick. To which Jordan Baker replies, I thought everybody knew. Why- Toms got some woman in New York' (Fitzgerald, Gatsby 19). Tom Buchanan has an acknowledged mistress in New York, and he politely and confidently leaves the dinner table to speak with her. He is the absolute personification of the reckless actions and attitudes that characterize the era. Duncan Shchaeffer and Lorraine Qualles, appearing briefly in Babylon Revisited, also represent reck less and selfish behavior. They burst in to a private meeting at the Peters residence just as Charlie is coercing Lincoln and Marion in to granting him custody of his child. Fitzgerald describes their behavior: They were gay, they were hilarious, they were roaring with laughter. They slid down another cascade of laughter (Fitzgerald, Babylon 385). This after bursting in to the house of a stranger. They are drunk, juvenile, reprehensible in behavior, and acting more like children than adults. Fitzgerald asserts, however, that their actions characterize the generation of lost souls, and these characters are only used to articulate his condemnation of it. Secondly, Fitzgerald uses symbolism to convey a feeling of futility and hopelessness throughout the novel and short story. Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, especially, symbolizes the distorted perceptions and priorities of the decade. Eckleburg watches over the gray ash-heap near Mr. Wilsons garage with what Wilson thinks an all-knowing eye. Wilson has an unusual reverence to Dr. Eckleburg: he considers him God. In a conversation between Wilson and Michaelis, Wilson discusses a conversation he had previously with Mrs. Wilson just before she died: I spoke to her [about her affair with Tom Buchanan]. I told her she might fool me but she couldnt fool God. I took her to the window With and effort he got up and walked the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it, and I said God knows what youve been doing, everything youve been doing. You may fool me but you cant fool God. Standing behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at they eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. (Fitzgerald, Gatsby 167)Wilson is hopeless and disillusioned, and his connection to Dr. Eckleburg exemplifies the widespread futility of the era. Lastly, Fitzgerald uses wasteland imagery to show how society circa 1920 was dysfunctional and reckless. The apartment of Myrtle Wilsons relation, where Tom and Myrtle usually conduct their affair, is the perfect example of this. Fitzgerald describes the scene at the apartment: The apartment was on the top floora small living room, a small diningroom, a small bedroom and a bath. The living room was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too large for it so that to move about was to stumble continually over scenes of ladies swinging in the gardens of Versailles. Several old copies of Town Tattle lay on the table together with a copy of Simon Called Peter and some of the small scandal magazines of Broadway. (Fitzgerald, Gatsby 33)The apartments amenities are showy and overdone, and somehow seem more representative of conformity than affluence. The whole generation is caught up in the times, an unthinking, unknowing mob of followers, riding the unenviable wave of recklessness2E The apartment is empty, devoid of any substance at all, a perfect example of the wasteland image. It is where forbidden lovers meet to flirt and cackle, and where people get drunk for only the second time in their life, where people smoke, drink, and live reckl essly together, and the only place where none of it matters: the wasteland. The 1920s were an era of lost personality. The people were caught up in the teaming exuberance, riding the inertia or recklessness further in to itself. Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and Babylon Revisited are fitting and definitive condemnations of the irrational time, and critics are right in deeming them so. Fitzgerald, too, is right: The 1920s were wasted years, and fit for condemnation.

Make My Day Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Make My Day - Research Paper Example It protects citizens from charges if they apply force to resist an attack at their places of residence. Previously, it was difficult to quantify reasonable force to be used to dispel enemy attack, and many innocent citizens faced prosecution in case they confronted these burglars with any amount of force. This improved law justified the use of any force, including one that may result in the intruder’s death, to protect citizens from court litigations that may result in them serving a jail term (Willibanks, p. 182). Starting from Colorado, eighteen other states also joined the fray after they realized that it had substantially reduced its crime rates due to this change of approach in tackling crime. Among these states are: Alabama, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee and Florida. Thesis statement Adoption of â€Å"Make my day law† in some American states reduced crime rates and general disorderliness that was being experienced at the time. â€Å"Make my day law† and crime rates In Oklahoma, the events that led to enactment of this law started from a real life experience of Dr. Frank Sommer. On a night as he was sleeping in his house in Tulsa, he heard sounds of two intruders in his garage. He picked his gun and headed downstairs to the garage to check what was wrong. As he looked through the keyhole of the door leading to his garage, he noticed two people busy ransacking his two cars. As he opened the door to confront the two, a sudden power failure made the garage dark and he could not locate exactly where the two burglars were. He then shot randomly, and one of the robbers was shot dead. The debates that arose thereafter were of the favor that the state adopts this law since you do not commit any crime when protecting what belongs to you. The mover of the bill, Senator Charles Ford expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that citizens must suffer when protecting their homes and families (Stout, p. 147). According to Clarke (p. 26), the effects of this legislation was immediately felt in this state; According to statistics provided by the authorities, within the first 6 months of its enactment, crime levels went down by half. In 1986, there were close to 60,000 robbery cases; this reduced to 31,656 by the year 2000. They go ahead to show that by the year 2003, eleven buglers were already killed by home owners. These indicators, however, only showed home robberies as the crime that was significantly reduced; all other criminal acts virtually remained constant. This was a first step towards actualizing a crime free society. The state of Florida is not keeping records on the impact of these new laws on crime levels; but information from the judicial circles indicates that cases of self defense have significantly reduced. This is attributed to the new law that guards citizens from litigations relating to crimes committed within their premises, in the event that the intruder suffers physical harm. I nitial â€Å"Make my day† law enacted in Florida was well intended, and helped reduce crime rate (Stout, p. 172). It set laws that protected the owners from prosecution when attacked in their home. The authorities eventually pushed for the tougher â€Å"stand your grounds† legislation that extended this immunity cover to business premises, along

Tony Blair's government between 1997 and 2007 Essay

Tony Blair's government between 1997 and 2007 - Essay Example One successful feather in the cap of Tony Blair is the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein Iraqi military dictatorship. Tony blair was right in helping the United States go to war with Iraq. In fact, Tony Blair's decision to send British Troops into Iraq to topple, capture and try Saddam Hussein for his government's crimes against Kuwait, and murders of some Muslim sects that were against his style of government. Tony Blair, Mr. Bush of the United States and other other nations were right in attacking Iraq. Today, the arrogant Saddam Hussein is finally gone. Now, democracy is slowly but surely unfolding in the once military rule of an army general. Further, Tony Blair's government at this time is very successful because the strong relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom has kept the world in a peaceful state. James Naughtie aptly described Tony Blair as the United States watchdog. Tony Blair had gained the trust and confidence of the Bill Clinton as well the the younger President Bush'es administration. He is called the American watchdog, Alsatian, for Tony Blair warns the American leaders of possible dangers that will be knocking in the next few months or years on the doors of many free nations. Tony Blair does not think twice as he immediately orders his British forces to attack Saddam Hussein during the desert storm era where Kuwait was freed from the clutches of Saddam Hussein (Wheatcroft 2004). In fact, Tony Blair was instrumental in alerting the Clinton administration about the debacle on the United States that would arise if the United States did not take any forcible action in the Kosovo arena. Tony Blair also persuaded President Bush to aid in the war where the Serbs were involved. In addition, Tony Blair's speech to the Economic Club in Chicago, United States in 1999 had emphasised the importance for the United States' use of preemptie strikes if the first step of using diplomatic means to end the Taliban war in Afghanistan and the Balkans failed. In response, President Bush saw Tony Blair as a positive force and a real friend in time of need. President Bush even saw Tony Blair as the prophets who forecasted that doom brougth about by the September 11 airplane attacks in New York and the Pentagon (Thomas 2005). Further, Tony Blair's success during the elections in 1997 until 2007 was because his labour party's battle cry was "The socialist tradition upholds ethical values such as equality, social justice, fellowship, and community. Its adherents typically believe in reciprocal altruism as a condition for the highest possible moral development of all. The proper goal of political action is a moral community in which all citizens attain freedom through cooperation"(Bevir, and O'Brien 2001, 535). Tony Blair's Labour party's success was because his party believed that the socialist tradition that upholds ethical values such as social justice, equality, community and fellowship is what makes the British life more enjoyable. Tony Blair's party believes that political action is a moral community where all the United Kingdom citizens will achieve their true freedom with a secret ingredient. That secret ingredient is cooperation among all sectors of the British society. Tony Blair

Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson Essay Example for Free

Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson Essay Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson are two of psychologys developmental forerunners, each one having his own theory behind personality and the elements of advancing through the stages of life. Erikson’s theories came after Freuds and build on Freuds original work. Both of these psychologists have some common similarities and some differences as well in life, their careers and how we use their work and theories still. Sigmund Freud was born in Freiberg. Austria on May 6, 1856. When he was four his family moved to Vienna, where he would live and work for most of the remainder of his life. He received his medical degree in 1881 and married the following year. He had six children—the youngest of whom, Anna, was to herself become a distinguished psychoanalyst. After graduation, Freud set up a private practice and began treating various psychological disorders. Considering himself first and foremost a scientist, rather than a doctor, he strived to understand the journey of human knowledge and experience. Early in his career, Freud was greatly influenced by the work of his Viennese colleague, Josef Breuer, who had discovered that when he encouraged a hysterical patient to talk openly about the earliest events of the symptoms, the symptoms sometimes gradually decreased. Inspired by Breuer, Freud proposed that neuroses had their roots in deeply traumatic experiences that had transpired in the patients past. He believed that the original occurrences had been forgotten and hidden from consciousness. His treatment was to empower his patients to recall the experience and bring it to consciousness, and in doing so, confront it. He believed one could then release it and rid oneself of the neurotic symptoms. Freud and Breuer published their theories and findings in Studies in Hysteria (1895) In January 1933, the Nazis took control of Germany, and Freuds books were prominent among those they burned and destroyed. Freud quipped: What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now, they are content with burning my books. Freud continued to maintain his optimistic underestimation of the growing Nazi threat and remained determined to stay in Vienna, even following the Anschluss of 13 March 1938 in which Nazi Germany annexed Austria, and the outbursts of violent anti-Semitism that ensued. Ernest Jones, the then president of the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA), flew into Vienna from London via Prague on 15 March determined to get Freud to change his mind and seek exile in Britain. This prospect and the shock of the detention and interrogation of Anna Freud by the Gestapo finally convinced Freud it was time to leave Austria. 3 Erik Erikson was born June 15, 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany. His mother and father had separated before his birth, but it was kept a secret from him that he was his mothers child from an extramarital union. His mother raised Erik by herself before marrying a physician, Dr. Theodor Homberger. The fact that Homberger was not his biological father was kept secret from him for many years. When he finally did learn the truth, he was left with a feeling of confusion about who he really was. This experience helped spark his interest in the formation of identity and was further developed based upon his experiences in school. Like Freud, Erikson was raised in Jewish religion. At his temple school, children teased him for being Nordic because he was tall, blonde, and blue-eyed. In grammar school, he was excluded because of his Jewish background. These experiences helped fuel his interest in identity formation and continued to influence his work throughout his life. Erikson was a student and teacher of arts, and while teaching at a private school in Vienna, he became acquainted with Anna Freud, the daughter of Sigmund Freud. Erikson underwent psychoanalysis, and after the experience he decide to become an analyst himself. He was trained in psychoanalysis at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute and also studied the Montessori Method of education, which focused on child development and sexual stages. In 1933, the Nazis came to power in Germany, and like Freud, Erikson and his wife Joan were forced to immigrate, first to Denmark and then to the United States, where he became the first child psychoanalyst in Boston. Psychoanalysis was created by Sigmund Freud (1916-1917). Freud believed that people could be cured by making conscious their unconscious thoughts, thus gaining â€Å"insight†. The goal of psychoanalysis therapy is to let go of repressed emotions and experiences. Psychoanalysis is commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorders. In his book The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, Freud explained how these unconscious thoughts and impulses are expressed, often through slips of the tongue (known as Freudian slips) and dreams. The psychoanalytic theory suggested by Sigmund Freud had a tremendous impact on 20th-century thought, inspiring the mental health field as well as other areas including art, literature and popular culture. Freud developed a theory that described development in terms of a series of psychosexual stages. According to Freud, struggles that arise during each of these stages can have a lifelong influence on personality and behavior. In Freud’s theory Psychoanalytic theory suggested that personality is generally established by age of five. Early experiences play a large role in personality development and continue to influence behavior later in life. If these psychosexual stages are completed positively, the result is a healthy personality. If certain issues are not resolved at the appropriate stage, fixation can occur. A fixation is an insistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage. Until this conflict is resolved, the individual will remain stuck in this stage. Oral Stage During the oral stage, the infants primary source of interaction occurs through the mouth, so the rooting and sucking reflex is especially important. The mouth is vital for eating, and the infant derives pleasure from oral stimulation through gratifying activities such as tasting and sucking. Because the infant is entirely dependent upon caretakers (who are responsible for feeding the child), the infant also develops a sense of trust and comfort through this oral stimulation. The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning processthe child must become less dependent upon caretakers. If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud believed the individual would have issues with dependency or aggression. Oral fixation can result in problems with drinking, eating, smoking, or nail biting. Anal Stage The anal stage is directly related to a child’s awareness of bowel control and gaining pleasure through the act of eliminating or retaining feces. Freud’s theory puts the anal stage between 18 months and three years. It is believed that when a child becomes fixated on receiving pleasure through controlling and eliminating feces, a child can become obsessed with control, perfection, and cleanliness. This is often referred to as anal retentive, while anal expulsive is the opposite. Those who are anal expulsive may be extremely disorganized, live in chaos, and are known for making messes. Phallic Stage Freud believes the phallic stage or the Oedipus or Electra complexes occurs during a child is three to six years of age. The belief is that male children harbor unconscious, sexual attraction to their mothers, while female children develop a sexual attraction to their father. Freud taught that young boys also deal with feelings of rivalry with their father. These feelings naturally resolve once the child begins to identify with their same sex parent. By identifying with the same sex parent, the child continues with normal, healthy sexual development. If a child becomes fixated during this phase, the result could be sexual deviance or a confused sexual identity. Latency Stage The latency stage is named so because Freud believed there werent many overt forms of sexual gratification displayed. This stage is said to last from the age of six until a child enters puberty. Most children throughout this age form same sex friendships and play in a manner that is non-sexual. Unconscious sexual desires and thoughts remain repressed. Genital Stage Freud believed that after the unconscious, sexual desires are repressed and remain dormant during the latency stage, they are awakened due to puberty. This stage begins at puberty and develops with the physiology changes brought on through hormones. The prior stages of development result in a focus on the genitals as a source for pleasure and teens develop and explore attractions to the opposite sex. The genital stage is the last stage of the psychosexual development theory. 4 Those inspired and influenced by Freud went on to expand upon Freuds ideas and develop theories of their own. Erik Eriksons ideas have become perhaps the best known. Eriksons eight-stage theory of psychosocial development describes growth and change throughout the lifespan, focusing on social interaction and conflicts that arise during different stages of development. Psychosocial Stage 1-Trust vs. Mistrust The first stage of Eriksons theory of psychosocial development occurs between birth and one year of age and is the most fundamental stage in life. Because an infant is utterly dependent, the development of trust is based on the dependability and quality of the childs caregivers. If a child successfully develops trust, he or she will feel safe and secure in the world. Caregivers who are inconsistent, emotionally unavailable, or rejecting contribute to feelings of mistrust in the children they care for. Failure to develop trust will result in fear and a belief that the world is inconsistent and unpredictable. Of course, no child is going to develop a sense of 100 percent trust or 100 percent doubt. Erikson believed that successful development was all about striking a balance between the two opposing sides. When this happens, children acquire hope, which Erikson described as an openness to experience tempered by some wariness that danger may be present. Psychosocial Stage 2 Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt The second stage of Eriksons theory of psychosocial development takes place during early childhood and is focused on children developing a greater sense of personal control. Like Freud, Erikson believed that toilet training was a vital part of this process. However, Eriksons reasoning was quite different than that of Freuds. Erikson believe that learning to control ones bodily functions leads to a feeling of control and a sense of independence. Other important events include gaining more control over food choices, toy preferences, and clothing selection. Children who successfully complete this stage feel secure and confident, while those who do not are left with a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt. Erikson believed that achieving a balance between autonomy and shame and doubt would lead to will, which is the belief that children can act with intention, within reason and limits. Psychosocial stage 3 Initiative vs. Guilt During the preschool years, children begin to assert their power and control over the world through directing play and other social interactions. Children who are successful at this stage feel capable and able to lead others. Those who fail to acquire these skills are left with a sense of guilt, self-doubt, and lack of initiative. When an ideal balance of individual initiative and a willingness to work with others is achieved, the ego quality known as purpose emerges. Psychosocial Stage 4 Industry vs. Inferiority This stage covers the early school years from approximately age 5 to 11. Through social interactions, children begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and abilities. Children who are encouraged and commended by parents and teachers develop a feeling of competence and belief in their skills. Those who receive little or no encouragement from parents, teachers, or peers will doubt their abilities to be successful. Successfully finding a balance at this stage of psychosocial development leads to the strength known as competence or a belief our own abilities to handle the tasks set before us. Psychosocial Stage 5 Identity vs. Confusion During adolescence, children explore their independence and develop a sense of self. Those who receive proper encouragement and reinforcement through personal exploration will emerge from this stage with a strong sense of self and a feeling of independence and control. Those who remain unsure of their beliefs and desires will feel insecure and confused about themselves and the future. Completing this stage successfully leads to fidelity, which Erikson described as an ability to live by societys standards and expectations. Psychosocial Stage 6 Intimacy vs. Isolation This stage covers the period of early adulthood when people are exploring personal relationships. Erikson believed it was vital that people develop close, committed relationships with other people. Those who are successful at this step will form relationships that are committed and secure. Remember that each step builds on skills learned in previous steps. Erikson believed that a strong sense of personal identity was important for developing intimate relationships. Studies have demonstrated that those with a poor sense of self tend to have less committed relationships and are more likely to suffer emotional isolation, loneliness, and depression. Successful resolution of this stage results in the virtue known as love. It is marked by the ability to form lasting, meaningful relationships with other people. Psychosocial Stage 7 Generativity vs. Stagnation During adulthood, we continue to build our lives, focusing on our career and family. Those who are successful during this phase will feel that they are contributing to the world by being active in their home and community. Those who fail to attain this skill will feel unproductive and uninvolved in the world. Care is the virtue achieved when this stage is handled successfully. Being proud of your accomplishments, watching your children grow into adults, and developing a sense of unity with your life partner are important accomplishments of this stage. Psychosocial Stage 8 Integrity vs. Despair This phase occurs during old age and is focused on reflecting back on life. Those who are unsuccessful during this stage will feel that their life has been wasted and will experience many regrets. The individual will be left with feelings of bitterness and despair. Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a sense of integrity. Successfully completing this phase means looking back with few regrets and a general feeling of satisfaction. These individuals will attain wisdom, even when confronting death. 5 Although there are many similarities between Freud and Erikson’s theory’s, there are many differences. In the first stage both believe that a child develops their sense of trust at this stage of development. Second stage both believe that a sense of independence is learned at this stage of development, and that toilet training is an important focus of this independence. Parental attitudes at this time can also have a lasting effect. Third stage, Freud believed this stage was where a child identifies with the same-sex parent and develops self-esteem. Erikson felt that this was the stage where a child begins to exert power and control over their environment. That is where you will start to see more differences in the two theories. Fourth stage, occurs at ages seven through 11. Freud believes that this is an intermediary stage of development where the child forms interactions with their environment. Erikson refers to it as industry versus inferiority. He believes that children begin to demonstrate their ability to succeed. Fifth stage, according to Freud, this is the final stage, and it continues throughout a persons life. He calls it the genital stage. Freud believes that a person learns to channel their biological instincts into socially-acceptable displays of love and career goals. Erikson called this stage identity versus role confusion. He believed it was a period where the focus of development shifts to social bonding in order to establish meaning in ones life and assert individuality. Erikson continues with three more stages which occur throughout adulthood.

Currency hedging Essay -- essays research papers

What is hedging? Hedging is a strategy used to protect risks posed by worldwide currency fluctuations. One hedges the currency risk by contracting to sell foreign currency in the future, at the current exchange rate (Fries). If fund managers think the dollar is going to be stronger when they are ready to change the foreign currency back into American dollars, then they take out a foreign futures contract (a hedge). Thus, they lock in the exchange rate beforehand, so that they will not lose profits gained from holding devalued foreign currency (Hedging, 1999). If the manager guesses correctly, he will boost the fund’s overall return because the profits will be worth even more when they are exchanged into American dollars. The foreign exchange market is one of the most important financial markets. It influences the relative price of goods between countries and can shape trade. It influences the price of imports and can have an effect on a country’s price level (inflation rate). In addition, it influences the international investment and financing decisions. Exchange rates present many risks to a company and a company must be able to hedge itself (Gray, 2003). The price of one currency expressed in terms of another currency is called an exchange rate (Gray, 2003). Foreign investors need to sell in a foreign currency to be competitive. By making the most of the exchange rate risk, it may take away some of the risk of the cross border trade from customers. This in turn may encourage a customer to buy products. Exchange rates are the amount of one country’s currency needed to purchase one unit of another currency (Gray, 2003). Typically, vacationers wanting to exchange money will not be bothered with shifts in the exchange rates. However, for multinational companies, dealing with very large amounts of money in their transactions, the rise or fall of a currency can mean receiving a surplus or a deficit on their balance sheets, which is an example of translation risk. Translation risk is more of an accounting issue, and refers primarily to the impact of exchange rates on earnings and balance sheet items (Hedging, 1999). Another type of exchange risk faced by multinational companies is transaction risk. If a company sells products to an overseas customer, it might be subject to transaction risk. Transaction risk refers to actual conversions of cash flows from one c... ...to the American dollar will affect the total loss or gain on the investment when the money is converted back. This risk usually affects businesses, but it can also affect individual investors who make international investments, also called currency risk (Investorworld). References http://www.investorwords.com/1808/exchange_rate_risk.html retrieved February 27, 2005 Fries, Bill. Thornburg Articles. Currency Hedging retrieved February 24, 2005 from http://www.thornburginvestments.com/research/articles/Currency%20Hedging.asp Gray, Phil and Irwin, Tim. (2003). Allocating Exchange Rate Risk in Private   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Infrastructure Contracts retrieved February 24, 2005 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://rru.worldbank.org/Discussions/Topics/Topic21.aspx Hedging Currency Risk with Options and Futures retrieved February 25, 2005 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.goldencapital.com/research/reports/hedging.htm Kaepplinger, Peter (1990). The CPA Journal Online Foreign currency hedging transactions under Section 988Temporary regulations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Retrieved February 24, 2005 from http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/old/08660556.htm

Decisions: Good and Bad

Decisions: Good and Bad Introduction In the news today, it seems as though everything we hear is negative. While I was searching for an organization that recently made a good decision, it appears that most of the things we read and/or hear about these days are the bad. I found plenty of information on bad decisions made recently, however talk about positive decision-making seems to be scarce. In this paper, I will discuss my views of a former CEO of a global conglomerate and the positive decisions he has made, as well as a recent poor decision made by another large corporation.A Good Decision For decades, we have heard the brand names Apple or Macintosh. If one were to judge the decision-making skills of Steve Jobs based on the success of Apple, one would have to say that he had to possess some of the best decision-making skills possible. Over the past few years, we have seen the MacBook, iPods, iPhones and the iPad. With the competition of Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq and Microsoft to name a few, the Apple organization has made great strides to maintain its place at the top of the consumers list.One of the best decisions ever made by Steve Jobs was to return to Apple as CEO and take the market by storm with innovative technology and a selection unsurpassed by any other company. Through dedication, hard work and a vision, he has brought technology to a completely new level and others are left to catch up. With the desire to provide consumers with products that they were not even sure that they wanted, Jobs has made his place in corporate America.Through his decisions to take the world by storm and develop the ideas that seemed nearly impossible, he has left quite a challenge in trying to surpass the advancements in technology that he has achieved. A Bad Decision Over the past few years, there has been a vast growth in technology and the variety of products offered to consumers. One of the most popular novelties in entertainment today is the services offered by Netflix. The company began as a mainstream DVD rental provider and later transformed into an online movie-streaming leader.Recently, Netflix experienced an exceptional growth in subscriptions and demonstrated a high customer demand. However, due to terrible management decisions, the image of the company would soon become tarnished. It seems as if the decision-makers of the company misunderstood the reason behind its success and imposed a steep increase in price for the DVD plus streaming subscribers. Offering no rational explanation behind this decision, Netflix quickly experienced a momentous downfall.They did not have content that would make the company indispensable, and since most customers used the services because of the low subscription rates, stock prices would fall and consumers were looking elsewhere. This has now opened up a window of opportunity for newcomers such as Blockbuster, Amazon and Redbox. Conclusion While decisions are made within organizations each day, the l evel of research and the motive behind the decision may be the most important factor.The good decision that I described above was driven by the desire to succeed and to create innovative products and making them available to a large group of consumers. The bad decision seems to have been made out of greed and should never be a factor in making decisions at such high level. I believe that as long as the people making decisions stay focused on what is truly important to the organization, major pitfalls or obstacles may be avoided.

Emotional Intelligence And The Creative Leader Education Essay

In furthering environments where creativeness thrive, stronger overall concerns will emerge. However, the manner in which a director of employees can acquire optimal creativeness from his work force is non ever clear. Harmonizing to Peiperl ( 2002, 106 ) , making squads of people inspired by the spirit of creativeness will heighten overall public presentation within a concern. This survey intends to happen the common elements of managerial/ leading manners that promote employee creativeness and invention in the work environment.Creativity and InventionIn many research surveies, the footings creativeness and invention are frequently used interchangeably, nevertheless, there are celebrated differences between the two. Mumford & A ; Gustafson ( 1988 ) contend that creativeness has to make with the production of novel and utile thoughts, and invention has to make with the production or acceptance of such utile thoughts every bit good as its execution ( Kanter, 1988 ; Van de Ven, 1986 ) . In any instance, organisations need both to be successful in the accomplishment of its ends. Robinson ( 2011 ) contends that in order to keep a competitory border, creativeness and invention are necessary to bring forth new thoughts for merchandises and services. To develop these indispensable properties, flexibleness and adaptability to alter must be developed by people in their instruction and preparation. Creative believing refers to how people come up with solutions to bing jobs ( Amabile, 1996, 1998 ) . It is the consequence of an person ‘s attempt to blend and fit existing, conventional thoughts together to make new attacks to work outing jobs. Such thought does non bring forth creativeness simply from an person ‘s rational attempts, but creativeness is an result of his accrued originative thought accomplishments and expertness based on his past experiences ( Amabile, 1998 ) . However, even if an person has adequate appropriate originative thought accomplishments and expertness, a high degree of creativeness will non be reached if he or she lacks the motive to mobilise attempts to utilize such capablenesss ( Jung, 2001 ) . A common phrase used mentioning to creativeness is ‘thinking outside the box † . Notar & A ; Padgett ( 2010 ) commented that really successful people ne'er appear to hold a â€Å" box † from which they ope rate. However, a box is something associated with something that confines one to a finite infinite. â€Å" Thinking outside the box † so means non believing in a finite infinite but opening the heads out to infinite infinite with eternal possibilities. Bernacki ( 2002 ) enumerates some properties related to â€Å" believing outside the box as holding a willingness to take new positions to daily work. It besides entails openness to make different things and to make things otherwise. Creative persons focus on the value of happening new thoughts and moving on them. They strive to make value in new ways. Although they already have great thoughts in head, they still enjoy listening to others due to their perennial hunt for better thoughts.Creative Cultures/Env ironmentsAmabile ( 1998 ) suggests that for leaders to further creativeness among their subsidiaries, they must set up an organisational environment wherein subordinates feel safe lending their thoughts and seeking out advanced attacks without fright of penalty for failure. Transformational leaders stimulate their followings to believe ‘out of the box ‘ by heightening productive and explorative thought ( Sosik et al. , 1998 ) . Such leaders push their followings to courageously believe about old jobs in new ways, to oppugn their ain values, traditions and beliefs, every bit good as the leader ‘s beliefs and premises ( Bass, 1985 ; Hater & A ; Bass, 1988 ) . Diehl & A ; Stroebe ( 1991 ) illustrate that when group members brainstorm to bring forth advanced and originative attacks to work out jobs at manus, their leader ‘s intellectually stimulating behaviours, statements and attitudes can ease members to pass more clip bring forthing unconventional thoughts eve ry bit good as assist them cut down the possible consequence of rating apprehensiveness, therefore heightening creativeness in groups. When faced with undertakings that require originative thought, squads may either work good together towards a solution or work better separately, depending on their originative thought manners. The sort of support the environment gives a individual besides reflects in the degree of creativeness he may develop. Torrance ( 1965, 1972 ) has found that a non-punitive schoolroom or work environment that focuses on the development and rating of apprehensions while fostering independent idea and geographic expedition tends to heighten thought coevals. This determination supports surveies of organisational clime and productiveness. Research indicates that a positive organisational clime that is supportive of originative attempts and encouraging of action tends to ease scientific productiveness. ( Taylor, 1963, 1972 ) . Pelz ( 1956 ) found that environments that encourage interaction, liberty and production of cognition led to originative accomplishment. On the other manus, environments characterized by misgiving, deficiency of communicating, limited liberty and equivocal ends inhibited scientific invention. ( Mumford & A ; Gustafson, 1988 ) Sternberg ( 2003 ) proposes several facets of interactions that might make or decrease the originative urge. Groups that compete against one another do much better than groups that compete within themselves. The squad construct is stronger than the endurance of the fittest construct of competition. As good, when an employee feels that he will be evaluated for his creativeness, the sum of invention appears to decrease. Many other surveies have been done on a scope of managerial actions that might act upon creativeness and invention in the workplace. Shalley & A ; Gilson ( 2004 ) pointed out the negative effects of close supervising and the value of support in their survey on social/ organisational influences on originative work. Reiter-Palmon and Illies ( 2003 ) focused on cognitive influences, observing the importance of managerial actions that increase information handiness and supply the clip needed to work through jobs. With respect to motivation and honoring originative work, different places surface. One is that extrinsic wagess such as wage inducements, publicities, acknowledgment, etc. diminish creativeness ( Collins & A ; Amabile, 1999 ) while another place holds that extrinsic wagess can heighten creativeness ( Eisenberg & A ; Cameron, 1996 ) . Baer et Al ( 2003 ) suggest that occupation complexness and people ‘s originative job work outing manner, specifically adaptation versus invention, interact in finding the effects of wagess. Therefore, a leader should be able to supply a scope of wagess but more on making conditions likely to further intrinsic motive. No affair how great a squad gets in footings of invention, originative civilizations maintain on oppugning things. They want to cognize how to make things even better and are low plenty to cognize that they are continuously turning and larning and ever in demand of feedback and new information ( Robinson, 2011 ) .Empowering LeadershipThe literature suggests that leaders have much to make in promoting creativeness in their employees. Mumford & A ; Licuanan ( 2004 ) have summarized conditions that shape the impact of leader behaviour on creativeness and invention. These include the creativeness of their followings ; work group processes guided by lucidity of aims, accent on quality, engagement and support for invention ; leader control of wagess ; occupation features such as occupation complexness and challenge ; and organisational clime and construction. Mumford, Connelly, & A ; Gaddis, ( 2003 ) place that leaders should possess significant proficient and professional expertness every bit good as significant originative thought accomplishments. These research workers argue that originative idea on the portion of leaders begin with rating of their followings ‘ thoughts. This rating stimulates brainstorming attempts of both leaders and followings where thought coevals becomes active. Followings ‘ thoughts are reshaped and reformed based on their leader ‘s expertness and professional experiences ( Mumford & A ; Licuanan, 2004 ) . Invention can merely be possible if imaginativeness and creativeness have been cultivated in an organisation, and this needs to be initiated by organisational leaders. Leaderships should foster a civilization where everyone ‘s thoughts are valued and keep a balance of freedom to experiment and an in agreement system of rating. By and large, they facilitate a harmonious relationship between the external and internal civilizations, with the external civilization consisting of â€Å" technological inventions, population alteration, new forms of trade, fluctuation in financial and pecuniary policies, planetary competition, the increasing strains on natural resources and the effects of all of these on how clients and clients are believing and experiencing † ( Robinson, 2011, p. 98 ) . Internal civilization involves societal behaviors and patterns accepted in the organisation which gives it its typical feel. It can be said that it is how things are normally done in the organis ation. The leader of the organisation has three chief functions in developing a civilization of creativeness viz. the personal, group and cultural functions. These functions feed into each other and may sometimes overlap in order to enrich creativeness ( Robinson, 2011 ) . Robinson ( 2011 ) explains that the leader needs to be able to ease the originative abilities of every member of the organisation. Admiting that each member has originative potency, the leader should let them to take part in some maps that entail sharing of their thoughts, as some of these may be really helpful to the organisation. It will besides do them experience valued because they are given the chance to do a worthy part to the organisation. Aside from being participative, members are besides encouraged to larn more accomplishments that would non merely profit the organisation but their ain egos. Creative leaders advocate womb-to-tomb acquisition and create chances for their members to continuously and systematically prosecute in it. Fostering inventive heads leads to innovation which finally comes back to the company ( Robinson, 2011 ) . Creative leaders do non hold prejudices against anyone and welcomes diverseness. They believe that each individual has something to take to the tabular array due to their diverse backgrounds. Hence, their openness attracts more people, irrespective of their background and skill degree, to fall in their originative squad. These people anticipate coaction with each other in order to come up with advanced schemes that will profit the organisation and convey it higher than its rivals. Creative leaders besides know that their squad members have assorted work penchants in order to unleash their creativeness and supply environments that encourage it. Leaderships should be cognizant of their followings ‘ preferable manner of processing of originative idea to be better able to pull off groups and incorporate the distinguishable processing manners that characterize the work of the many different people involved in real-world originative attempts ( Basaur, 2004 ) . This is why dynamism is consistent. Creative civilizations thrive on environments that are alive and free ( Robinson, 2011 ) . Jaussi and Dionne ( 2003 ) indicated that unconventional behaviour of leaders expressed through function mold, articulation of a originative mission and the constitution of a originative group individuality wholly contributed to employee creativeness. Zhou and George ( 2003 ) besides argue that by determining the emotional responses of followings to the jobs and challenges posed by originative undertakings, leaders stimulate their followings ‘ problem-solving and intrinsic motive needed for originative work. This suggests that leaders of originative people should non merely possess societal and emotional intelligence and an ability for rapid accommodation of affect and affect framing should it be required, but besides cognize how to excite their followings intellectually. This establishes the originative individuality of their group.Emotional Intelligence and the Creative LeaderZhou & A ; George ( 2003 ) propose that the root of creativity-supportive leading is emotional intell igence. They argue that leaders play a important function in rousing and furthering creativeness in organisational members both through their ain behaviours and actions and through making a work environment that supports and encourages creativeness. In peculiar, emotional intelligence enables leaders to rouse, promote, and support creativeness among employees in organisations. Leaderships high on emotional intelligence cognize how to utilize emotion to assist their employees jumpstart the cognitive procedures that underlie job designation and chance acknowledgment. Zhou and George ( 2003 ) illustrate that when persons are in positive tempers, their optimistic temperaments surface and they feel more confident in confronting new chances or go dismissive of jobs. However, when they are in negative tempers, they tend to be more pessimistic yet more readily able to observe errors and mistakes and place jobs ( Bower, 1981 ; Salovey & A ; Birnbaum, 1989 ) . Emotionally intelligent leaders use their cognition of these effects of tempers to rouse their employees ‘ creativeness through affect timing and affect balance. Positive tempers can be taken advantage of by holding followings think up of possible chances and have adequate optimism to visualize betterment and success. On the other manus, negative tempers can be exploited by imparting it in the way of job acknowledgment and originative job resolution, finally heightening the person ‘s ego regard with the recognition of his part alternatively of gradual backdown from the workplace. Even defeat of a worker due to a job-related job, can be utilized by emotionally intelligent leaders. Both can convulse out the issues and causes of such negative emotion and finally assist the employee to go cognizant of the job and follow a more proactive demeanour in creatively work outing it ( Zhou & A ; George, 2003 ) . Conflicts are bound to originate in groups particularly when garnering information for originative undertakings. Different personalities and backgrounds, degree of creativeness accomplishments and cognition may ensue in dissensions on the criterions and boundaries of information to seek. Leaderships with high emotional intelligence are able to pull off followings ‘ emotions, and aid followings achieve a productive balance. More specifically, leaders with high emotional intelligence can accurately feel when followings are losing forbearance or going frustrated with non being able to obtain necessary resources, and when followings become happy and satisfied with their advancement prematurely. Because a leader with high emotional intelligence understands the causes and effects of emotions, he is likely to place the ground why his followings experience both positive and negative tempers. His accurate perceptual experiences enable him to pull off and equilibrate the negative and pos itive emotions and successfully nudge the employee to prevail in garnering information and remaining on-task. Emotional intelligence will assist leaders in promoting their followings to be unfastened to new acquisition, and approach new undertakings with enthusiasm and optimism instead than with trepidation and apprehension. It may besides go on that followings can be excessively excited about new information that they remain in the information assemblage phase without any clear ends or attempts to utilize the information in originative enterprises. Leaderships high on emotional intelligence are able to pull off their followings ‘ tempers so they achieve a balance and concentrate alternatively of being carried off by their ain exuberance ( Zhou & A ; George, 2003 ) . Emotionally intelligent leaders are to the full cognizant that execution of originative thoughts may affect both positive and negative emotions throughout the procedure and employees may be on an 'emotional roller-coaster ‘ . These leaders provide their followings with the appropriate encouragement and flexibleness and a corporate sense of ownership. The demand to be flexible themselves should be addressed by leaders and they should be willing to abandon a program when a more superior and originative thought is born. In state of affairss when negative emotions associated with ownership issues in thought execution emerge, leaders should be able to pull off such emotions so that negative feelings will non adversely affect the thought execution procedure. Such leaders will hold the emotional know-how to steer their followings and themselves through this hard and ambitious procedure, all the piece being unfastened to the possibility of farther alterations and betterments and stress ing corporate ownership for ultimate results ( Zhou & A ; George, 2003 ) .

Chicken Flight essays

Chicken Flight essays A chickens wing size in proportion to its body is very small compared to other birds. Supporting this idea is the evidence found in the lab measurements that were made last week: the chickens leg alone weighed approximately 215 g, where as a single wing weighed only 72 g. If the weight of a chicken is estimated and compared to the wing, then it is evident that a wing with so little muscle and mass could not support the massive weight of the chicken. Chickens also cant fly because of heart complications. The heart is essential to flight because it provides oxygen to the muscles that will be used. When one has a small heart in comparison with their body, movement must be minimized as to not strain the heart.. The proportion of heart size to body mass is naturally larger in birds (.8%) than in mammals (.6%) because of the endurance the heart needs to fly. Although similarities do exist, the chickens heart is much different than that of the Humans. Chickens have a very high metabolic rate where as humans have a medium one. A chickens heart can beat up to 300 beats per minute. The kind of muscle present in the wings of the chicken is also a major factor in their lack of ability to fly. White meat signifies the absence of major exercise, while dark meat shows constant exercise. In the domesticated chicken, which mostly sits and walks around, the dark meet is found in the leg and thigh area, whereas the white meat is in the wings (Lab). The absence of dark meat in the wing area is another indicator that chickens lack the necessities to fly because they are deficient in the muscles they need. ...

Exam answer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Exam answer - Essay Example Successful construction procurement should result in timely project delivery, proper budgeting and quality in order to meet the required functions. The act of creating a new structure requires objective survey on site, interaction with design team and other consultants, suppliers as well as other stakeholders. An immediate choice in term of the cost and quality should be agreed upon. The procurement of a construction work is often the subject of joint funding with different stakeholders who have varying interests and goals in the outcome of the projects. The following elements are the best drivers in terms of construction management: Global Bank Corporation are the owners of this project whose purpose is to take account of the demise of many European banks during the credit crunch. The success of this project will meet owner’s interest and at the same time meet the needs of their customers (Schwalbe 2009, p. 45). It is very important to first point at the factors that will determine the most suitable procurement strategy before commencing the projects. These factors: In any construction procurement, the objectives and constraints of each building project are interdependent and therefore require concurrent considerations. A competent and industrious team will be necessary to meet these aspects. Risks are events known or unknown that adversely affect the outcome of the project. The nature of the risk is determined by the objective and constraints of the project. For instance, this project is budgeted at  £120m and any activity that may cost more than the amount projected will be a risk. Consequently, it will affect rest processes and the entire project. Similarly, this project has a tight timeframe for completion. Any delay to the construction program will be a risk on the completion of the project. The responsibility of managing a given risk will be allocated to the party that has the capacity to deal with that risk. Level of project complexity

War is the Last Resort of Resolving Disputes Essay

War is the Last Resort of Resolving Disputes - Essay Example These include protecting American citizens and interests from foreign aggression, liberating people from oppressive regimes, promoting democracy and human rights especially in autocratic countries in addition to protecting the American society from the adverse effects of drug abuse (Zycher 74-76). In spite of the vast resources invested in the wars and heavy loss of human lives, United States still remains under imminent threats of terror attacks and abuse of human rights is rampant at both local and international levels. Currently, United States military is at war in Afghanistan and Iraq. These wars have been ongoing for about ten years and the targeted countries are yet to attain political and economic stability. However, the numbers of the American soldiers and civilians killed and wounded in the conflicts are increasing. According to The Washington Post, 4,474 and 2,038 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan respectively up to date since the emergence of the c onflicts. In addition 33,184 servicemen have been wounded in Iraq alone. However, the number of wounded servicemen does not include those suffering from psychological problems such as post traumatic disorder. Over 6,440 service members have lost their lives in both â€Å"operation Iraqi freedom† and â€Å"operation enduring freedom† in Afghanistan (The Washington Post). ... At the beginning of the â€Å"operation enduring freedom† in 2001, United States lost 12 service members in that year (icasualties.org). However, in 2010 alone, 499 service members were killed and an additional 418 the following year in 2011 (icasualties.org). Afghanistan has been experiencing some of the worst forms of violence for the last several years in form of suicide bombing, improvised explosive devices and resurgence of the Taliban rule. Therefore, it is apparent that the wars have made the world more insecure than before considering the number of service members and civilians killed in the conflicts. The war in America is costly to the United States, the targeted country and the global economy. According to Gholz (35), wars interrupt international trade, which result to reduction of global wealth. Gholz indentified four mechanisms through which wars interrupt global economic growth and development. The first way is interruption of trade between the targeted country a nd its existing trading partners in the world. This was evidenced in Iraq, where the United States invasion disrupted oil production and trade in the country. Secondly war could interfere with trade between countries not involved in the conflict. This could occur as a result of increasing the cost of doing business due to disruption of oil production and high insecurity (37-41).Gold estimated that 20 to 40 percent increase of the oil price in global markets since 2003 was caused by anticipated decline of oil production in Iraq after the American military invasion(7). Wars interrupt capital flow and foreign direct investment especially in the targeted country because of the increased risks of