Financial Performance of Dell Incorporation

The net profit derived from every $100 of sales revenue of Dell Incorporation is lower than that of Hewlett Packard Company. This implies that Dell Incorporation charges either a lower selling price or that the company is less efficient in its operations. However, the return on assets and return on equity of Dell Incorporation are far better than those of the other firm. The return on equity computer under the DuPont Analysis is also in favor of Dell Incorporation, whose ratio exceeds that of Hewlett Packard Company by 8%.A high percentage in such financial ratios is always desirable, namely return on assets because it implies that the profitability of the company is substantially safe from unseen changes in the external business environment, like new competitive measures, economic slowdown and more With respect to the utilization of the firm’s fixed assets, Dell Incorporation holds supremacy on such facet when compared with Hewlett Packard Company. The skill in generating sal es from the fixed assets was outstanding for Dell Incorporation in comparison to the other corporation.A sound growth of 27. 18% is also noted in the earnings estimate of the company. This sheds further positive light on Dell Incorporation financial performance. 1. 1 Financial Position of Dell Incorporation The ability of the current assets and most liquid asset to cover the current liabilities is also in favor of Dell Incorporation. This is due to a higher current and quick ratio for such company. Dell Incorporation also portrays a better working capital management both in terms of accounts receivable and inventory.This is due to a higher receivable and inventory turnover. A high receivables turnover ratio indicates that the ability of the company to attain the cash receipts from debtors is good either by effective credit control policies or appropriate maintenance of cash sales. A high inventory turnover shows a good capability in selling inventory. 1. 2 Financial Stability of Del l Incorporation The percentage of total assets financed through debt is lower for Dell Incorporation than the other company as shown by the total debt to total assets ratio.This is a positive element for the financial stability of the organization. In addition, the gearing of Dell Incorporation is lower as indicated by the debt to equity ratio. Lower debt is normally a desirable element because debt finance encompasses higher financial commitments and thus holds greater risk. In practice, normally a debt crisis occurs when an organization fails to pay the interest due on time. Shareholders can wait one year or two without dividends but debt holds do not.Indeed in such instances firms normally face high risk of bankruptcy. The lower debt finance of Dell Incorporation thus mitigates the low interest coverage when compared to the other firm. This ratio evaluates the corporation’s stability in terms of profits generated by the firm and not its capital structure as performed by th e gearing ratio. High interest coverage is normally desirable for high-geared companies. Further more, the leverage of Dell Incorporation is better than the other firm thus further highlighting a sound financial stability.1. 3 Concluding Remark – Investment Decision on Dell Incorporation A good financial health has been noted for Dell Incorporation both in terms of profitability, liquidity and stability when compared with the other company. Indeed supremacy was noted in some areas, such as working capital management. In this respect, it is advisable to buy more stock in the company, since positive prospects are envisaged if the firm will continue to be managed with the same pace.

Acc 300 Exam 2 Study Guide

Ch18 Revenue Recognition (when it is realized or realizable, when it is earned) Revenue Recognition at point of sale: (1) Sales with Discounts (2) Sales with Right of Return: Three alternative revenue recognition methods, and recognize revenue only if all of six condition (3) Sales with buybacks (4) Bill and Hold Sales: buyer is not yet ready to take delivery but does take title and accept billing.Revenue is reported at the time title passes if (a) the risks of ownership have passed; (b) the buyer makes a fixed commitment of purchase the goods, requests the transaction be on a buy and hold basis, and sets a fixed delivery date; and (c) goods must be segregated, complete, and ready for shipment. FOB shipping-buyer FOB destination-seller Ch7 Cash and Receivable 1 Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and Bank overdrafts: (1). Cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investment. Ex.Treasury bills, commercial paper and money market funds. (2). Restricted Cash Ex. Petty cash, payr oll and dividend funds. Amount is not material, not segregate from cash; amount is material, segregate. (3). Bank Overdrafts: when a company writes a check for more than the amount in its cash account. 2 A/R: (1). Trade receivable: A/R, Notes Receivable. (2). Nontrade receivable: Advances to officers and employees and subsidiaries; Deposits paid to cover potential damages or losses; dividends and interest receivable†¦ (3).Recognition of A/R: (a) Trade discount. (b) Cash (sales) discounts. Companies value and report short-term receivable at net realizable value—the net amount they expect to receive in cash. (Determining NRV need both uncollectible receivables and any returns or allowances) Two methods are used in uncollectible accounts: (1) the direct write-off method (Bad debt expense-debit, Accounts Receivable-credit). (2) Allowance method: NRV, three essential features: (a). estimate uncollectible receivable. (b).Debit estimated uncollectible to Bad Debt Expense and cr edit them to Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. (c). When companies write off a specific account, they debit actual uncollectible to AFDA and credit that amount to A/R. Companies do not close AFDA at the end of fiscal year. Recovery of an Uncollectible Account: It reverses the entry made in writing off the account. It journalizes the collection in the usual manner. Percentage of sales: sales—Bad Debt Expense; Percentage of Receivable: A/R—AFDA, Ch8 Inventories . Perpetual system: continuously track changes in the inventory account, a company records all purchase and sales of goods directly in the inventory account as they occur. ( Purchase of merchandise for resale or RM for production are debited to inventory rather than to purchase; Freight-in is debited to inventory, Purchase returns and allowances and purchase discounts are credited to inventory; COGS is recorded at the time of each sale by debiting COGS and crediting Inventory 2.Periodic system: a company determines the Q of inventory on hand only periodically. It records all acquisitions of inventory by debiting the purchase account. The periodic system matches the total withdrawals for the month with the total purchases for the month in applying the LIFO method. In contrast, the perpetual system matches each withdrawal with the immediately preceding purchases. FIFO periodic and FIFO perpetual provide the same gross profit and inventory value. LIFO usually produces a lower GP than FIFO. 3. Basic issues in inventory valuation: (1). he physical goods to include in inventory (who owns the goods: FOB shipping point—Buyer’s at time of deliver; Consignment goods—seller’s; Sales with buyback—seller’s; Sales with high rate of returns—buyer’s, if you can estimate returns; Sales on installments—buyer’s, if you can estimate collectability. (2) The cost to include in inventory (product vs. period costs). (3) The cost flow assumption to adopt (specific identification, average cost, FIFO, LIFO, retail) 4. FIFO: in all cases, the inventory and COGS would be the same at the end of the month whether a perpetual or periodic system is used.LIFO: results in different ending inventory and COGS amounts that the amounts calculated under the periodic method. Not allowed under IFRS; LIFO liquidation can suddenly Inc tax liability; ADV: matching—reflect current prices; tax benefits; fewer write downs of Inventory; DIS: lower NI; understate EI Ch9 Inventories: Additional valuation issues 1. A company abandons the historical cost principle when the future utility (revenue-producing ability) of the asset drops below its original cost.Companies therefore report inventories at the lower-of-cost-or-market (a conservative approach to inventory valuation) at each reporting period. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price less reasonably predictable costs of completion and disposal (net selling price). A normal profit margin is subtracted from that amount to arrive at net realizable value less a normal profit margin. The general LCM rule is: a company values inventory at the LCM, replacement cost with market limited to an amount that is not more than NRV (upper, ceiling) or less than NRV less a normal profit margin (lower, floor).The designated market value is the amount that a company compares to cost. It is always the middle value of three amounts (replacement cost, NRV and NRV less a normal PM). Assumption A: Computes a cost ratio after markups (and markup cancellations) but before markdowns. One approach use only assumption A. It approximates the lower-of-average-cost-or-market. We will refer to this approach as the conventional retail inventory method or the LCM approach. It also provides the most conservative estimate of EI.

Abortion after the Rape Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Abortion after the Rape - Essay Example Based on the arguments of typical anti-abortionists, life begins from the moment of conception or when the fetuses resemble a baby or when the fetuses develop the characteristic of genetic code that is essential for humans. They believe in the truth of such an argument. To them, abortion is the same as murder. While looking at the argument exhibited by the pro-choice strategy, they assert that the fetuses are not people or are not social beings. They believe that their case is real, considering abortion as not wrongful killing. Both the pro-choice and anti-abortionists have extreme perspectives on their take relating to abortion. The argument of most anti-abortionists like, â€Å"it looks like a baby† makes us have a standoff. The arguments about abortion, therefore, require some adequate backup to avoid such controversies. It is a distinct moral principle against ending a baby’s life. As the pro-choice argue, abortion serves a moral law. The standoff is separating the arguments; by the pro-choice and the anti-abortion, need to be resolved. In dealing with this delay, the standard approach to showing how the moral principles of one of the component lose plausibility by analysis. The anti-abortionist defends a moral principle on the wrongness of killing that broaden the context including the fetuses under it. The broad policy tends to take too much. As it is prima facie wrong ending life of human beings, it seems wrong to end the life of a living human cancer cell culture too. The basis of such an argument relies on the point that culture is both human and living. Therefore, Marquis indicates that the anti-abortionist’s argument seems to be too broad. The pro-choicer aims at finding a moral principle relating to the wrongness of killing that tends to narrow down to remove fetuses under it.  

Issues in Management Accounting - AC313 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Issues in Management Accounting - AC313 - Essay Example There was enormous resistance to change and tighten the cost control from the engineering side in all meetings as they feared that the cost control was merely to strengthen the accounting regime in the company. In 1980, Volvo representatives visited Renault plant to see their practices as their practices were taken as industry’s benchmarks. Volvo was facing very high costs in the initial stages of product development. Renault had competence in cost control and thus was taken as benchmark for the cost control drive by Volvo. There was a rapid change in the business environment that required Volvo’s management to implement cost management and control system. The business environment forced Volvo to be pro-active in their costing and to make their systems online to as to increase their efficiency in the intra-departmental and cross-functional accounting and costing. For cost effectiveness in the future, Volvo realized that they needed their cost control activities to be redirected to product development rather than manufacturing and production. This would reduce their costs in the initial stages of product development. The company used to be cost and budget driven whereas the need of the hour was to be customer oriented and delivering value to customers at minimum cost. Modular design and common parts were few major changes that Volvo introduced in their products. Process orientation was another major change that was being implemented in the industry. Instead of being function-oriented, organizations were moving towards process orientation. Redundant activities needed to be identified so that the processes could be streamlined and made more effective and cost efficient. Cost targets had become more critical and important. Timely formulation of realistic cost targets saved them huge investments which were not feasible and/or not affordable for their business. Calculations needed to be done in

The Cold War and The Post-Cold War Periods Essay

The Cold War and The Post-Cold War Periods - Essay Example ost half of the twentieth century caused mutual suspicions, a series of global incidents, and heightened tensions resulted in world’s superpowers involving is disasters. Most Americans claim that it was Ronald Reagan who emphasized the ending of the Cold War. However, many historians point the Soviet Economy as the main factor that led to the end of the Cold War. The Soviet economy stagnated following the expensive race of weaponry. Due to this, Gorbatsjov was forced to change the Soviet economy using his â€Å"perestrojka† policies. This situation caused a definite economic fall. During this time, the Soviets found it difficult to maintain a firm grasp over eastern European satellite states. The policy of Gorbatsjov glasnost caused a lot of strain to the Eastern Europe. Therefore, afterwards, the Berlin Wall came down marking the ending of the Cold War. One of the main challenges that Europe faced after the end of the Cold War was security issues. The security environment of the European countries has been increasingly unstable and uncertain since the year 1989 when the Cold War ended. What is mainly affecting Europe after disintegration of USSR, Csechoslovakia breakup, and Yugoslavia crisis is the unravelling political arrangements that were established after the ending of the First World War (Mearsheimer 23). There are new territorial and ethnic issues that resulted from the Cold War. These issues have caused much destabilization in Europe and undermining efforts of creating new and stable security orders in Europe. Historically, after the end of the Cold War, most European states are unable to solve complex security problems by their own. After numerous enlargements, the Union of Europe currently has twenty seven members who have inevitably turned out to be international players. Additionally, despite the increment of EU and NATO membership, Cold War also brought political differences between Eastern and Western Europe (Phillips 54). On top of these

Technology effects on children Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Technology effects on children - Research Paper Example f the social media, which includes twitter and Face book have a negative impact on children, because they play a role in making them to waste time, and it also enables them to engage in unnecessary social interactions†. This is basically because it makes them vulnerable to criminals and pedophiles that are using the internet for purposes of taking advantage of them. However, it is important to assert that technological innovations are not used for purposes of social interactions, but it can also be used in the school environment, and educating children. For instance, the use of power point illustrations is an efficient and effective method of teaching children various concepts within the classroom set up. This paper focuses on the impact of technology on children who are between the ages of 9 to 12 years, and the ones who reside in United States. 2. Napoli (2011, p. 66) examines this debate and he asserts that, â€Å"There are people who support, and those who area against the use of technology in schools, and by children, and hence it is a controversial topic†. Those that claim that technology has a negative effect on children’s development and growth base their arguments on a number of findings, for example, anti-social behavior among children, poor anger management, health issues such as diabetes caused by obesity due to the over use of technology (Adamy &Milman, 2009). However, the opposing side bases its evidence on early knowledge development in children especially in technological fields, better coordination and quick reception and response which are better developed in children exposed to technology. Moreover, the use of technology offers children with hand dexterity, quick reasoning and critical thinking. It’s still obvious that people haven’t reached a consensus over this issue, and the society seems greatly divided over it. Philosophers have argued over the years and competed with each other in trying to establish the real position of the

Transforming organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Transforming organizations - Essay Example All the theories of organizational development aim toward improving individual organizations. Such a notion of organizational development differs considerably from the traditional techniques of organizational change. This paper aims at answering the various questions related to organizational development and the traditional methods. Traditional, Pragmatic and scholarly forms of transforming organizations The traditional systems of organizational change emphasize mainly on identifying the problems arising in an organization and then making efforts to make changes to the factors that are creating such problems. It is an endeavor to bring about changes in isolated behaviors that are responsible for certain unwelcome outcomes. It does not pay much attention to the cooperative action of the managers as well as the employees at the different hierarchical levels to solve the problems. Traditionalists argue that the long established values that human beings possess should be the driving forc e of OD. It should be based on equality, faith and collaboration (Trends within OD and Their Impact on OD’s Future, 2012). The pragmatic forms relate to the growing demands for professionalization and emphasizes on relevance. They desire that OD should create a common body of knowledge, describe the minimum level of aptitude and introduce regulatory infrastructure. The scholarly forms of OD are based on the ability to understand, predict and control change. They are more inclined towards creating knowledge and figure out proactively how change is triggered and under what circumstances it works effectively. These differences are illustrated in Figure 1 (See Figure 1 in Appendix B). Changes in the methods of organizational development There are different forms of organizational development in terms of both theoretical and philosophical grounds. These different practices of organizational development have emerged, according to general thinking, as a result of a shift in the awar eness of people and their acceptance of the new theories and more importantly because, these new theories become effective in practice. They throw light on new ways of improving effectiveness of the organizations alongside staying true to the humanistic value base of the organizational development (Bushe & Marshak, 2009, p. 349). The form of OD that is prevalent and is commonly found to be explained in OD textbooks is the Diagnostic OD. Contrary to this, a new form of OD is followed by the organizations that have been named as the Dialogic form of OD. In the foundational theory of OD, organizations are believed to adapt to their outside environment similar to the way employees adapt to the internal environment of the organization. The Diagnostic OD refers to the process of collecting data for making comparisons between a team or company against a given prescriptive model. Methodologies in this process include classical research, socio-technical analysis of systems, survey feedback, SWOT analysis and effective team development. These are incorporated into the methods of problem solving and action planning. The central aspect of this form of OD lies in the assumption that the objective data can be used in the process of social discovery. The classical system of organizational development pushes people to think of companies as an assortment of structures that co-evolve with their environment and adapt to it. However the emerging practices of orga

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 7

Leadership - Essay Example f leadership in business can be fully understood if it is applied to the leadership qualities exhibited and promoted by Jack Welch during his tenure at GE. His leadership has been credited as one of the primary reasons which took GE from a company which was in financial trouble and losing investor confidence to the position of the most admired and respected company in the world (Colvin, 2005). Jack Welch comes across clearly in terms of his leadership ideal when he gives the eight rules of leadership in his book titled Winning. These rules can be studied in the light of leadership theories and a final analysis can be made as to which are the exact ideals of leadership that are recommended by Jack Welch. The eight rules as suggested by Welch (2005) are: With these rules in mind, two theories of leadership can be applied to the style used by Welch and these are the trait theories set and the situational theories of leadership. Gardner (1995) presents us with several ideas which leaders can use to change their leadership styles or how they can balance the styles depending on the situation. The idea of leadership traits can come with several stereotypes or ideas that some people are born leaders, but leadership skills can also be taught to people although the right personality always helps (Welch, 2005). For example, when we consider the third rule given by Welch which states that leaders must give out and infect others with positive energy and optimistic views about situations. That is a key pointer towards the fact that Jack Welch considers the majority of leadership skills to come from the trait theory than any other applicable theory. Undoubtedly, optimism is a personality trait and being able to create optimism or any other emphatic feeling in others requires a leader to have charisma (DePree, 1989). Charisma is accepted by DePree (1998) to be a rare quality which is attributed to those leaders who create devoted followers. Devoted followers and employees who

Bible Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bible Studies - Essay Example a historical one or a literal one, it is clear that many of the themes of the individual stories are themes or problems that communities still deal with today. The Old Testament story of Ruth is one such Bible story that relates a serious community problem that is prevalent today, and a story that has several important themes that serve as the lesson learned for the community. It serves some purpose here to discuss interpretation. The Bible is replete with metaphors which serve to enlarge the stories and intrigue the reader and to demonstrate the pros and cons of faith, the moral of the story, and the â€Å"I told you so† concepts. â€Å"For example, when the Bible speaks of the arm of God, it is not suggesting that God has limbs in the sense that you or I have them.1 It is, rather, suggesting rather the arms of God are conceptually large, that they can extend from the heights of heaven and, metaphorically, embrace or release a person of faith, or of little faith respectively. The interpretation of the Bible has been debated since the time of the Bible. â€Å"The highly subjective school of Alexandria insisted that the Biblical writers were literalists; the more objective school of Antioch held, and showed, that these expressions are figures of speech.†2 For example, many of the individual Bible stories reflect on Jesus feeding the multitudes with a loaf of bread and a single fish. What this might suggest, from the perspective of the school of Antioch, is that Jesus satisfied the hunger of the multitudes, which were spiritually starved. That he did so with a single loaf of bread and a single fish, is metaphorically referring to the sustenance of faith. The school of Alexandria, however, would have us believe that Jesus indeed served the multitudes with but a loaf of bread and a single fish, and sustained their physical hunger. This serves the notion of the miraculous abilities of Jesus, who was the embodiment of God among mankind. Modern scholars and

Statistical Analysis Paper Essay Example for Free

Statistical Analysis Paper Essay The article was a cross- sectional, non- experimental case study of social worker’s perceptions of bullies at the workplace and the social worker’s ability to create coping responses to workplace bullying. To collect quantitative information a mail questionnaire was gathered, and individuals’ semi-structured interviews were assessed. The qualitative sample included 111 male and female social worker’s from Washington D.C. the final outcome result were three to five social worker’s reported that he or she were recipients of rude, unpleasant, and unfavorable workplace environmental interactions within a year. The bullies’ targets generally worked in military and mental health outpatient organizations or government agencies. About 35% of the targets held a discreet service role, and 29% held a management or administration role. The results outcome from the study provided evidence that in the social working profession the agencies and organizations need guidelines or tools to help discover, confront, and stop bullying behaviors in the workplace ( Whitaker, T., 2012). See more: how to write an analysis of a research paper Statistical Analysis in the Article The article incorporates tables, descriptive statistics that helps with the understanding of the data, it also provides five tables of illustrations. Table one is about the demographic characteristics of the targets of the workplace bullies, it displays the characteristics of social workers ranging by age, gender, and demographics (Whitaker, T., 2012). Table two is about organizational settings and roles of target, it displayed supervisors, colleagues, subordinates, and clients were all identified as bullies. It showed that women were more than twice as likely (65%) to be identified as bullies as were men 33% (Whitaker, T., 2012). Table three is about the most troubling bullying behaviors, showing that verbally, and covertly hostile  actions were the most troubling bullying behaviors in the workplace. In addition, being treated with disrespect and having work de-valued as the hardest aspects of being bullied at the workplace. Table four was the summary characteristics of bullies, the study showed characteristics were either passive or assertive by the coping scale. The passive behavior ranging score of 24 and assertive score of 60. The median and mean scores were 42.5, and a multiple modal score. The last table, which was five was the classification of Reponses to the coping scale as passive or assertive coded in the same direction the table explained coping strategies and responses (Whitaker, T., 2012). Descriptive Statistics and Inferential Statistics In the article several questions were asked in a questionnaire. The more passive the response, the lower the value assigned to it, the more assertive the response, the higher the value was assigned to it. The targets had a range of coping strategies, the biggest response strategy was talking about the bullying with someone he or she trusted, 93% used this strategy more than once, 66% used the strategy of confronting the person more than once. However, only 17% used formal complaint (Whitaker, T., 2012). The data supported the research problem of workplace bullying. It was noteworthy and explained that three out of five social workers were recipients of rude, unpleasant, and unfavorable workplace environmental interactions. However, the article did not provide inferential statistics. The data was collected through questionnaire and based on actual results to determine the statistics (Whitaker, T., 2012). Conclusion In conclusion, this article explored the issues of workplace bullying of social workers and the coping responses, it included a number of concerned issues for the social working profession. Among these issues included the characteristics of workplace bullies, and coping Reponses. The article suggests that workplace bullying is a serious issue for social workers and needs to create guidelines and tools to help stop bullying behaviors (Whitaker, T., 2012). References Whitaker, T. (2012). Social workers and workplace bullying: Perceptions, responses and implications. Work, 42(1), 115-123.

Social Work Personal Reflections On Becoming A Social Worker

Social Work Personal Reflections On Becoming A Social Worker Personal Reflections On Becoming A Social Worker In this assignment I am going to explore the reasons and motivations that inspired me to redirect my life and enter the social work profession. I am going to reflect on my life, so that I am able to realise the probable impact of my experiences on my professional life. My story begins with my grandparents, both paternal and maternal, who were working class, suffering disadvantage and poverty. Both my grandmothers worked in the mill doing piecework to try and keep their families afloat. My maternal grandmother was always in debt, borrowing on HP to buy goods, and my paternal grandmother was a widow who brought my father up alone. There was no benefit system then, therefore, she had to work to survive. My father passed the grammar school exams but was unable to attend, as my grandmother could not afford for him to go, hence he had to seek employment instead. My father worked hard and eventually acquired his own business. As I grew up I became aware that my father was very thrifty, a consequence of the hardship he suffered as a child and not wanting to return to this state, which made me very aware of the disadvantages of poverty. My father and grandmother brought me up, with my brother. We lived in a terraced house, in East Lancashire, with no bathroom and an outside toilet. I do not remember life as a ‘normal’ family as my parents divorced when I was young. My grandmother was upset by the divorce, inducing her to ‘split’ (Klein identified this process as a defence) favouring her son. She idealised my brother, and I was left to my own devices, (I was denigrated, I assume because I resembled my mother) often playing with friends and joining them on family outings. I felt isolated and as though I did not belong anywhere. I promptly adapted my own survival techniques by splitting; becoming a ‘free spirit’, and pretending I belonged to the families I joined on outings. ‘Splitting’ being the â€Å"most primitive of the defences† (Froggett, 2008). Growing up I remember there was not much money, my grandmother buying clothes from jumble sales, and I only remember getting new socks for Easter. I was not particularly aware of my socio-economic position, however, I did recognise that we were different from other families. Although people no doubt did feel sorry for me, I used my personality to gain recognition as an individual. This, perhaps, was the beginning of my interest in less fortunate individuals, influencing my decision to enter social work. I was unaware, at this time, that I had a mother but I did have contact with my maternal grandparents. My father was not particularly political, however, my grandparents were very much of the labour mindset, having split, and adapted a ‘them and us’ mentality regarding their status of working class. My maternal grandmother was involved with the Catholic Church and helped others less fortunate by knitting clothes and baking cakes. She was very kind and caring in one way, but to a lesser extent if people were of a different religion. During that time the community relied on their faith and helped their neighbours, seeing it as a Christian duty. My grandmother was a respected member of the community who was aware of, and took responsibility, showing empathy and compassion for those less fortunate than herself. She believed that she was improving their lives, but was realistic recognising that she could only assist them with emotional and practical needs, not material wealth. Hence, she was not alleviating their poverty but making it more bearable, and it could be said that she acted as a ‘container’ for others. Containment (Froggett, 2002, pg 13) â€Å"refers to the capacity of an individual, †¦.., to mentally receive and hold the disorganised or troubling psychic material of another, rendering it more bearable.† This resulted in, according to Klein, her realizing the ‘depressive position’ (seeing the other as whole). Looking back now I believe this is where I gained my values and beliefs, my grandmother being an important role model. Her influence was the beginning of my need to enter a caring profession, feeling a sense of obligation to support and care for others. My grandparents often talked of wartime, the struggles and hardship, remembering rationing and institutions. They welcomed the new welfare state, seeing it as an end to their struggles providing benefits, healthcare and education. I grew up not knowing anything other than a welfare state, accepting it as a right for everyone; however, I can imagine how difficult life was for them and the disadvantages they suffered as a result of their social position. Prior to commencement of this course I have criticised welfare for creating a ‘dependency culture’ and demonised those who could work and never tried to find employment. At the time I was suffering hardship, being widowed and pregnant at the age of 27 with 3 boys already aged 18 months, 3 and 5 years respectively. I received widowed mother’s allowance but also worked part time to support my family. I was not in receipt of any other benefits, free school dinners or free school uniforms. I would have been better off on benefits but chose self-respect, not wanting to be a burden, and I feel this has made me a more independent person. I realise now that others lives are more complex and involve other issues, nevertheless, by working I was not allowing myself time to grieve and by demonising others I was blaming them for my situation. Now I can see all angles and have reached the ‘depressive position’, having mourned and can feel compassion for those on welfare. The ‘depressive position’ being a â€Å"†¦ selfless capacity to acknowledge other people for their unique qualities and moral worth.† (Froggett, 2002, pg 45) I have always wanted to enter a caring profession; when I was younger people would comment on how I would make a good nurse, but until the death of my husband I did not pursue this, as life had presented me with other obstacles. It was due to my own lack of support after my husband’s death that I became more determined to help others who could not help themselves. However, during the process of becoming a social worker I have become aware of and welcomed the help I am also giving myself, resolving hidden issues from the past. Being abandoned by my mother left me feeling rejected, isolated, and feeling of no importance to anyone. The experience made me a very independent and untrusting person, making me feel as though I could only rely on myself, and this remains with me to this day with exception of the ‘untrusting’. As I matured and formed a relationship with my mother, albeit a fragmented one, I now understand her reasons for leaving, (a characteristic of the ‘depressive position’), although, having been widowed with 4 children to raise in later life, I cannot condone her actions. She has expressed guilt and sorrow, and felt that she was doing the right thing at the time, reasoning with herself that I was better off with my father and stability. She entered a new relationship, having a second family and ‘split’ her feelings for me as a response. I ‘split’ in a way that I denied I had a mother, repressing her into my unconscious, and erased her from my memory. I remember at the age of 6 coming home from school to find my mother with my grandmother and not knowing who she was. From the age of 7 I moved area to live with my mother and new family and felt like a prisoner. My anxiety caused me to demonise my mother as I blamed her for taking me away from my father and for trying to indoctrinate me to have bad feelings for him. I could not see any positive qualities about our relationship (Froggett, 2008). Consequently my relationship with my mother was never a good one, and I constantly challenged her attitudes, and beliefs. The challenges were sometimes in my actions, but mostly within my thoughts as I was too scared to challenge her directly as she was manipulative and controlling which in turn made me split and become more independent, refusing to ask for help. I felt I didn’t need anyone and could manage on my own. The contemptuous relationship with my mother was a result of a damaged transition into ‘twoness’, (separation from my mother) which made me, at times, mistrustful and uncertain of relationships in my adult life, fearing rejection and unreliability (Froggett, 2008). My childhood experiences meant that I lost confidence in ‘the reliability of the social world’ (Honneth, 1992, p133) and was insecure. My life changed dramatically when I was 13 and my mother was diagnosed with cancer. It was at this time that integration became apparent, and I was able to forgive and re-build our relationship, achieving a ‘depressive position’. I felt needed, and guilt at the same time regarding my feelings for my mother. She was very ill and I was expected to become an adult and run the guesthouse we lived in. I felt very isolated; I no longer saw my friends from school as I looked after my family, did the household chores, paid the bills, did the shopping, visited my mother in hospital (before I went to school) and had no spare time to socialise. I managed to cope with the extra responsibility but experienced loneliness at home; and at school where I was bullied for a time because I was permitted to enter school at 9.30. Other children recognised this as being given special treatment, whereas, it was ‘misrecognition’, as I had chores to complete before school, which was difficult, â€Å"†¦. misrecognition can inflict harm, can be a form of oppression, imprisoning someone in a false, distorted and reduced mode of being.† (Taylor, 1995). However, my relationship with my mother had changed and I was able to convey my feelings to her and contain my anxieties. This new found desire to help led me to become involved, as a teenager, with helping children and committing to some voluntary work at a psychiatric hospital. Identifying with similar people was a form of release, helping myself by helping others, allowing me to deal with my feelings of abandonment, exclusion and isolation. I developed this further when I later became involved with Home Start, as a volunteer, which was the determining factor in my decision to become a social worker. My relationship with my mother deteriorated again when my brother died. I felt alone again, as my brother had been the one stable element in my life, and my way of coping was to blame my mother for uprooting us and bringing us to live with her. I detached myself and denied my brother was dead for a while by pretending he was away, (he had been in the RAF living in various camps) as a defence mechanism. I had just met my husband at this time and his strength allowed me to deal with my loss and come to terms with it; he became my ‘container’ allowing me to reach the ‘depressive position’. At the age of 18 years old my mother told me to leave after constant confrontations. We could not live together as we were both finding it very difficult dealing with our own grief, and each other’s. I felt liberated and was relieved as I had always been too scared of my mother before but my husband, my ‘container’, gave me the strength to stand up to her, and I finally found the strength to attain recognition as an individual. When my husband died I feel I split once more. I no longer felt I belonged, I hated everyone, particularly happy families, and I felt isolated and alone (Woods and Hollis, 1990). This could be defined in Kleinian terms as being the ‘paranoid schizoid’ position (a form of splitting) (Beckett, 2002). This was the worse time in my life and affected me deeply. I did start to drink at this stage to enable me to experience ‘oneness’, but did not attain this (Froggett, 2008). I was pregnant at the time; therefore, for the sake of my sanity I addressed my negative behaviour to prevent damage to my child. I realised that I had an unborn child who needed me, as well as 3 other children, who loved me unconditionally and I somehow found the strength to resolutely challenge myself not to disappoint them as my mother had me, this being my reason for containment (Froggett, 2008). During this time I was never asked or given a choice about any form of counselling, and I received very little support. This became my motivation for embarking on social work as a career, as I felt I could do a better job than some; as I had experienced disadvantage, trauma and been marginalized. I felt that I would be committed and reliable to the people who needed my support. My experiences have given me an inner strength, making me stronger (Hollis and Woods, 1990), enabling me to empathise and show compassion to others, and I felt that I had a lot to offer others less fortunate than myself. I had always been of an altruistic nature, and during this period of my life I realised social work, as a career, would allow me to practice altruism on a larger scale, gaining emotional gratification (Woods and Hollis, 1990). Hollis and Woods (1990) suggest that ‘motivation is very much affected by hope’ (p274), and although I had suffered traumatic events throughout my life I was able to acknowledge that I could use these experiences for the benefit of others. I had reached the ‘depressive position’, could begin to move forward, integrate the experience, and make sense of everything, the world being a better place (Beckett,2002). I embarked on a course at college, studying at night while I worked during the day, and continued my development when accepted on this course. My family felt this was an inappropriate choice, as they felt I had enough to do bringing up four children. My mother in particular thought it was a waste of time as she considered social workers to be ‘do gooders’. I felt that I wanted to give something back to society, and make a difference to those who are vulnerable, oppressed and struggling to cope with the pressures of social injustice and poverty. I wanted to make sure people have basic resources to meet their needs regardless of race, age, sex, or sexual orientation, empowering them to take control of their lives and promoting well-being. My mother’s attitude just made me more determined to pursue this route. Whilst at university I have developed my practice on placement, learning many new ideas, and realising the importance of social work on peoples’ lives. â€Å"Understanding the impact of transitions within a person’s life course is important for social work practice in order to help us understand other people’s lives† (Crawford and Walker, 2003, p5). On placement I worked within a family support team, and found one situation, with a young girl, particularly difficult as I identified with her complex situation. The girl had been abandoned by her mother, and was living with her father and stepfamily. Recognising her feelings I assisted the girl to develop an internal container by giving her a secret diary to record her thoughts and feelings, and we would discuss these feelings weekly. Whilst supporting the girl I experienced ‘transference’, feelings evoked from past attachments with her mother were transferred onto me, (Froggett, 2008)) and she became very attached and dependent on my visits. I was overwhelmed by the strong emotions projected from the girl, however, was unable to reject her, and as a consequence of her actions encountered ‘counter-transference’, relating my own personal experiences (Froggett, 2008). My vision became blurred with my own internal feelings, resulting in my inability to see the girl realistically. I found myself very protective of her, working extremely hard; advocating for her with her father who was oppressive and controlling, as I felt she was alone, and unable to challenge him. Furthermore, I wanted to ‘mother’ the girl to boost her self-esteem, and thus prevent her isolation. After our sessions I would go home mentally drained. Bion (1977) suggests there are three types of container-contained relationships: ‘parasitic’ dependent and unhealthy ‘commensal’ mutual containment, of benefit to both parties ‘symbiotic’ – receiving support to manage feelings, and seen as a healthy relationship. Fortunately I was able to express these anxiety provoking feelings with my assessor, hence she became my ‘container’. We had a ‘symbiotic’ relationship and she enabled me to disentangle myself from the situation, regain my ability to hold painful feelings, allowing me the capacity to perceive the girl as separate, and re-integrate (Menzies-Lyth, 1988). I was in a position to reflect, appreciating complexity, achieving ‘3rd position thinking’, ## I became stronger as a result, thus I was able to perceive things from a different perspective. During reflection I recognized emotional factors had clouded my judgement and I reached a better understanding of the situation, realising I had transferred my personal experiences onto the family (Winnicott, 1971). I acknowledged this intervention had proven difficult, bearing resemblance to my own experiences, and resolved to be more aware, making sure my professional boundaries were firmly established for subsequent visits and for the future (Froggett, 2008). Towards the end of my placement I referred the girl to a counsellor at school, so she did not feel abandoned, making effective use of another support network. Initially I had been attracted to working with children and families, however, supporting this girl made me realise that perhaps family support is not an area of practice that I should go into, as it may prove too emotional a field for me. Getting too involved with a client could prove ineffective and I could lose my focus. I have faced many challenges throughout my life but I have always managed somehow to rise above these, drawing on my reserve strengths and becoming a more resilient person. The importance being that I feel I have become self-assured, and can be an asset to the profession of social work. â€Å"The personality traits that I have as an adult are a direct result of my experiences from childhood† (Woods and Hollis, 1990, p34) Undertaking this assignment has been challenging and difficult, however, I found that putting my life into words was quite therapeutic, releasing certain issues that I had repressed. Freud suggests repression is â€Å"the most important of all defences† (Froggett, 2008 pg. 8) but releasing my feelings and thoughts about my life experiences enabled me to understand how I came to develop my own beliefs and values, as Crawford and Walker (2003) inform us â€Å"Social workers need to understand their own life course development and the significance that this has had on the values and beliefs that they have developed themselves.† Pg.13. According to the Code of Ethics, a social workers objective is to support people in need, addressing social problems. Experiences have made me the person I am, and utilising my skills, both personal and educational, will help me perform this duty. I believe my personal experiences changed me, making me more open to new ideas, and although I am very much aware of the past I have dealt with it, and do not dwell, moving forward. I have achieved ‘3rd position thinking’, realising that I can be a ‘good enough’ mother, whilst achieving success as a professional (Froggett, 2008). 3289 BIBLIOGRAPHY Beckett, C. (2002) Human Growth and Development. London. Sage Bion, W. (1977) ‘Learning from experience’, in Seven Servants, New York, Jason Aronson Crawford, K. and Walker, J. (2003) Social Work and Human Development. Exeter. Learning Matters Froggett, L. (2002) Love, Hate and Welfare – Psychosocial approaches to policy and practice. Bristol. The Policy Press Froggett, L. (2008) Psychosocial Theory and Practice for Social Work: A Conceptual Introduction to an Object Relations Approach. Preston. University of Central Lancashire. Unpublished manuscript Hollis, F. and Woods, M (1990) Casework: A Psychosocial Therapy 4th Edition. USA. Library of Congress Honneth, G. (1969) Integrity and Disrespect: Principles of a Conception of Morality based on the Theory of Recognition. In: Political Theory. 20 (2). 187-201 Menzies-Lyth, I. (1988) Containing Anxiety in Institutions: Selected Essays, Volume One. London; Free Association Books Taylor, C. (1995) The Politics of Recognition, in: Philosophical Arguments, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press. (First published 1992 in Gutmann, A. (ED) Multiculturalism and ‘The Politics of Recognition’, Princetown NJ, Princetown University Press). Winnicott, D. (1971) Playing and Reality. London. Tavistock Publications Limited Aldridge, M (1994) Unlimited liability: Emotional Labour in Nursing and Social Work. In: Journal of Advanced Nursing. 4. 722-8 Hochschild, A (2003) 2nd edition The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling. USA; University of California Press.

Aspects of Home Schooling Essay -- Education Home School Essays

Aspects of Home Schooling Do parents always know what is best for their child? When a parent says that they want to home school their child are they making the right decision? After all, parents are the ones that teach their children how to walk and talk. After all, they are the ones that are most interested in making sure that their child receives the best education, why shouldn’t they be the ones to teach their children? Being home schooled can have both a positive and negative effect on a child. One such reason why it would be beneficial for a child to be home schooled is to teach values and morals to the child. Children often learn things at a young age that they should not know; such as vulgar language or violence. Such bad behavior is present through out our society. After all it does not matter what school a child goes to, since children from all walks of life are present in the classroom. It is in the classroom where children hear things they should not be hearing. On the other hand if the child is being home schooled, then violence and vulgarities are things the parent does not have to worry about. A home environment also provides a child with less distraction and less peer pressure (HSLDA.com). Studies have also shown that students that are home schooled score higher on than their average peers. Once they get to college, children that are home schooled have higher grade point averages than the average college students (HSLDA.com). Another positive reason for home schooling is that the worry of a poor social life for the student does no longer have to be a concern for parents that might want to home school their children. Children that are home schooled can get involved in chu... ...needs? Is the parent capable of meeting their needs through home schooling? Either way, parents need to take their job seriously, because they have the ultimate responsibility of molding their children, and lessons taught at home are far more important than those learned in the classroom, especially in this world where there is no teacher – guarantee. Works Cited Geocities.com: Pro’s and Con’s of Educational Options (2000, February 20). Retrieved November 21, 2003, from http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Garden/4555/ahrd99/caution.html Hoover-Stanford.com: Teacher Union Power is Awesomely Arrogant (2002, September). Retrieved November 24, 2003, from http://www-hoover.stanford.edu HSLDA.com: Home School Versus Home Room: The Education Debate (2003, November 13). Retrieved November 24, 2003, from http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1

Sylvia Plath :: essays papers

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath is a writer whose life has generated much interest. This may be because of her tragic, untimely death and her highly personal writings. Studying Sylvia^s life lets her readers understand her works better. Many of the imagery and attitudes in her poetry are based on her life experiences. Throughout her short life, Sylvia Plath loved the sea. She spent her childhood years on the Atlantic coast just north of Boston. This setting provides a source for a lot of her poetic ideas. Sylvia Plath was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 27, 1932. Her parents were Aurelia Schober and Otto Emil Plath. Her father was a professor of biology and German at Boston University. He was of German descent and had emigrated from Grabow when he was fifteen. Her mother was a first generation American, she was born in Boston of Austrian parents. Both of them being German indirectly lead to their meeting in 1929. Aurelia Schober took a German class taught by Otto Plath. She was working on a master's degree in English and German at Boston University at the time. Otto Plath was guided by discipline. As his young family grew, Otto Plath's career flourished. He published the book Bumblebees and Their Ways not long after Sylvia's birth. During this time, his writing occupied most of his time. This excluded any chance for a social life. In 1936, the Plath's moved to Winthrop, Massachusetts. Otto's health had began to fail. He diagnosed his own illness as lung cancer and refused to see a doctor. Sylvia spent much of her time by the ocean. She would go exploring by herself or she would play with her younger brother, Warren because her father needed quite. She would also visit her grandparents who lived nearby on the ocean at Point Shirley. Four years later Otto Plath died of diabetes mellitus. In 1942, the family moved away from the sea. Aurelia Plath decided she must return to work in order to support her family. Despite her own health problems, she began teaching nearby. In the summer of 1942, Aurelia was offered the job of designing and teaching a course at Boston University. She accepeted and the whole family moved. Sylvia Plath's eight years in Wellesley helped her grow and develop her writing skills. Sensitive, intelligent, compelled toward perfection in everything she attempted, she was, on the surface, a model daughter, popular in school, earning straight A's, winning the best prizes. Yet her success only bred problems. When she moved to Wellesley, she was

Leonardo da vinci :: essays research papers

Leonardo da Vinci was born April 15, 1452.Leonardo da Vinci was educated in his father's house receiving the usual elementary education of reading, writing and arithmetic. In 1467 he became an apprentice learning painting, sculpture and acquiring technical and mechanical skills. He was accepted into the painters' guild in Florence in 1472 but he continued to work as an apprentice until 1477. From that time he worked for himself in Florence as a painter. Already during this time he sketched pumps, military weapons and other machines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Between 1482 and 1499 Leonardo worked for the of the Duke of Milan. He was described in a list of the Duke's staff as a painter and engineer of the duke. As well as completing six paintings during his time in the Duke's service he also advised on architecture, fortifications and military matters. He was also considered as a hydraulic and mechanical engineer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During his long stay time in Milan, Leonardo became interested in geometry. He read Leon Battista Alberti's books on architecture and Piero della Francesca's On Perspective in Painting. Leonardo da Vinci illustrated Pacioli's Divina proportione and he continued to work with Pacioli and is reported to have neglected his painting because he became so engrossed in geometry.Leonardo studied Euclid and Pacioli's Suma and began his own geometry research. He sometimes gave mechanical solutions. He gave several methods of squaring the circle, again using mechanical methods. He wrote a book, around this time, on the elementary theory of mechanics which appeared in Milan around 1498. Leonardo certainly realised the possibility of constructing a telescope and in Codex Atlanticus written in 1490 he talks of making glasses to see the Moon enlarged. In 1499 the French armies entered Milan and the Duke was defeated. Some months later Leonardo left Milan together with Pacioli. He travelled to Mantua, Venice and finally reached Florence. Although he was under constant pressure to paint, mathematical studies kept him away from his painting activity much of the time. He was for a time employed by Cesare Borgia as a senior military architect and general engineer. By 1503 he was in Florence advising on the project to divert the River Arno behind Pisa to help with the siege of the city which the Florentines were engaged in. He then produced plans for a canal to allow Florence access to the sea. The canal was never built nor was the River Arno diverted.

The Ritz Carlton Hotel

Case Study Analysis The Ritz-Carlton * Introduction: * The description of The Ritz-Carlton hotels culture. * Body of the report: * Challenges to follow in order to spread and maintain the new culture and to overcome its issues. * The new culture’s results. * Conclusion: * The importance of the organizational structure and its impact.The Ritz-Carlton  is a luxury  hotels, was established in 1983, it is the foremost name in luxury hotels worldwide, this success is largely due to the legendary Caesar Ritz who developed and operated two of the world’s best hotels in Paris and London, the hotel achieved such fame in the marketplace till the point they attained what is often referred to as â€Å"The Ritz Mystique†. The  Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC  is now a wholly owned subsidiary of  Marriott International.The fact of working with The Ritz-Carlton is not like working in other companies and the experience employees will get is totally different from other ones, they have ever had, each have a unique ability to provide high quality services to the guests, members and residents . the essential culture is one of mutual respect. Employees treat each other the same way they treat guests. Ritz-Carlton provides an array of benefits to all of its ladies and gentlemen with a team that feels more like a family.The Ritz Carlton Hotel is following a different culture in order to motivate its employees. This culture consists of providing a good working environment and makes its employees feel their importance while doing their tasks which is the main key in motivating employees as they make them feel more comfortable†ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen†, and that will urge them to provide a high customer service and they will be more productive rather than taking orders and applying them automatically as robot, as a result, customers will be completely satisfied.In order to maintain its customer base which reached over 8 00,000 customers worldwide and to change the culture within the organization, The Ritz Carlton Hotels had to face some challenges attempting to share its knowledge of quality as it applies to service. Ritz-Carlton adopted this as a central mission through the creation of The Ritz-Carlton Learning Institute and The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center As a five-star Hotels, The Ritz Carlton Hotels will not rest on its successes, it has made a commitment to its guests, members, residents, employees and communities to continuously pursue excellence.As we can see, including the new joiner staff members Ritz-Carlton the culture used will motivate employees to be more productive to work happily under a better working environment as a result the quality of services will be higher than the expected consequently, Ritz-Carlton guests , customers will get total satisfaction as they will be well served. And such environment will promote the culture to spread amongst all The Ritz-Carlton Ladies and Ge ntlemen.The Ritz-Carlton hotels culture is a successful one that all companies has to follow in order to promote good communications between employees , it teaches staff members acceptance and appreciation for diversity whether it’s racial or religion diversity, besides it encourages fair treatment of each employee as well as respect for each employee’s contribution to the company as result employees will tend to be more and more productive and to be positive while doing their tasks.As employees will get equal opportunities to contribute and to realize their full potential within the company, their pride and passion for The Ritz-Carlton hotels and the work performed will increase. In addition to that, such culture has been shown to possess statistically better growth. Such culture possess high employee involvement, strong internal communications and an acceptance and encouragement of a healthy level of risk-taking in order to achieve total guests satisfaction. Addition ally, organizational culture that obviously emphasizes factors related to the career growth of such organizations will be better performed inRitz-Carlton. as result, such constructive Culture is where employees are encouraged to be in communication with their co-workers, and work as teams, rather than only as individuals. In positions where people do a complex job, rather than something simple, this sort of culture is an efficient one as it ensures the achievement, it guarantees self-actualizing. That’s why we can categorize The Ritz-Carlton hotels culture as a typical one to follow by other organizations in order to grow up.I think, it is very important to understand how customers and guests perceive The Ritz-Carlton hotels working attitude, thus the working environment has to be reflected on staff members by their natural smile, their desire to provide high quality of services and their dynamism. In order to reach this level we have to follow an organizational structure whi ch will determine the company’s capacity and effectiveness and contribute to improve Ritz’s brand image and promise (costumer services quality), as a result The Ritz-Carlton hotels can be a role model to other organizations.Personally I would be glad to be one of The Ritz-Carlton hotels staff members and join their team. Appendix 1 1- The culture used in The Ritz-Carlton consists of making their employees feel more important and comfortable doing their tasks,† Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen†, that’s the most employees motivating factor. 2- To maintain the new culture, The Ritz-carlton hotels management created Learning Institute and The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center in order to ensure the continuing training to all its staff members and urge them apply their culture while doing their tasks. – In such culture, both employees and guest will be totally satisfied as employees will provide services with full motivation and as cu stomers will receive the legendary customer service ever. 4- Other organizations can take The Ritz-Carlton hotels as a role model as The Ritz-Carlton make its employees feel the importance of the tasks they are doing. Husain Abubaker Ali Alhamed Al Hashmi(H00234709) Resources http://corporate. ritzcarlton. com/en/About/Default. htm http://corporate. ritzcarlton. com/NR/rdonlyres/22E2CEC9-62A4-4EA2-9C3C-51628265E10E/0/rcappsum. pdf http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ritz-Carlton

Picture: Victim and Ultrahigh Spec Laptops

Mystery story It was an ordinary day with my two close friends, Adam and Matt. As always after school we all came over to my place for dinner, then go downstairs into my gaming room. Three desks with three really comfortable office chairs. We all had ultrahigh spec laptops and we all Just got new surround sound headsets for Christmas. We spent hours on our laptops playing video games together on a dally basis. But this one day right after New Year something inordinate and unforgettable started happening. Our New Year's holiday was coming to an end, we only had a few days feet to spend a lot of time gaming.We spent some money and bought a huge amount of snacks, enough to last for three days. We headed towards our gaming room and spent our days there. We didn't see sunlight for two days straight. Enjoying our time with our new headsets playing call of duty together, laughing together and getting mad at the game, we finally decided to take a break. As always Matt would go on his email t o check if his family for overseas emailed him. Many of his cousins enjoy video gaming as well so we invite them every now and then to our only party. An email appeared subjected â€Å"Boo†. As anyone else would do Matt just deleted it assuming it was spam.After a few hours of gaming he decided to check his email again and saw the same email. Out of curiosity he opened the email but not much appeared, just a blank page with a small message â€Å"Boo†, it didn't really make sense to him so asked us to check it out. Adam and me just laughed and cracked funny Jokes with him about his End. He shut down his laptop and headed back home. The next day, we all returned to our laptops but Mats laptop was open and on already. We assumed Matt forgot to shut it down and close it but he was sure of himself that he did. He asked if one of us go on it but we both shook our heads and said no.Matt sat down on his chair laying his hands on his laptop, realizing there was an extra folder on his desktop. The folder was named â€Å"Boo†. He opened it but it was an empty folder, he tried deleting it but an error message constantly appeared. As we all assumed the â€Å"Boo† spam email he received probably installed a virus onto his laptop which created that folder. Opening his Anti-Mallard program he did a virus scan but his computer was clean, no virus detected. He ignored it and we went on gaming. During our gaming session in the corner of Mats screen, a message appeared saying â€Å"Boo Is here. † He exited the game and clicked on the message.It slowly retyped Boo Has Started In big bold letters, we were all wondering what kind of virus this must have been to be able to hide for the Anta-Mallard software scans. As we were all suspecting Matt shut down his laptop but he decided to take It home to make sure It wasn't any of us. An hour later he arrived home and went up to his room. He sat on his bed and put on his laptop. He reopened the File †Å"Boo† but this time there was a notepad file In It, the file was named untitled 1. He opened the notepad and there were a list of 9 names on It. He goggled those names and found out they were all volts of recent murder cases.Matt didn't know what to do, contacting the police would raise their suspicion on him and they might think he Is the murderer. He decided to keep quiet about this. He shut off his laptop, and headed to bed. Two some sleeping pills, he received some and took them with a glass of water. The next morning he woke up noticing the laptop open and on, the â€Å"Boo† file was open, but this time there was another folder in the file called â€Å"pictures†. He opened the pictures lading, going through the pictures were pictures of murder with the victim's names written at the bottom.Matt was shocked from the pictures, Victims were burned and tortured, the last picture had an audio file with it. He played the audio and a weird radio beeping noise went off, screams could be heard in the back ground of the audio, after 6 seconds of weird noises a voice came up and said â€Å"Find what cannot be found†. The screen of the laptop went black after the audio played with a big play button in the middle. Matt clicked the play button and a collection of pictures getting skimmed through quickly created a video of a hand cutting open peoples belly, penetrating the eyes with knifes, cutting of tongues and many more disgusting pictures.On some bodies there was text inscribed in the skin with a knife. At the end of the pictures the voice came up again and said â€Å"Find what cannot be found†, Matt closed his laptop. For the upcoming four weeks Matt isolated himself from everyone else by staying in bed. His parents became more and more worried so eventually they called an ambulance and he was taken to a hospital. From the doctors perspective he experienced a severe transformation at the age of 16. For the four weeks after he was p ut on the hospital Adam and me visited Matt every four days.Whenever we visited he never said a word and never looked at us, he was always starring at the wall in front of him with tears coming out of his eyes. He wasn't the same old Matt we knew before, it was terrifying seeing him in that state. More weeks came by, he was still lying in the hospital doing nothing and saying nothing. Just waiting to die. A year has passed and reported on the new a calamity happened, a massacre. The hospital Matt was on caught on fire, after the fire was extinguished. There were nine patients who got burned alive.Three patients had carvings on their skin. Six patients were missing and matt was one of them. The police took Mats laptop into custody and tracked the IP address of the email. It led the police to a huge graveyard where all the victims were buried. It has been six years since the incident and the case has not been solved yet, the missing victims are still missing, not a single trace of the m was found, it's as if they disappeared into thin dust. If you receive an email subjected â€Å"Boo†, please contact the police and whatever you do. DO NOT OPEN IT!

Persuasive Essay on Overpopulation Essay

Overpopulation is becoming one of the most preeminent problems facing human civilization. This complicated, pervasive issue will come to be a problem of the utmost importance for people of all races, religions, and nationalities. Our planet now provides for approximately 5.8 billion people, with projections of around 10 billion by the year 2050. Two billion of these are extremely poor, the poorest of which live in absolute poverty and misery. One very serious effect of the population explosion is its detrimental effects on the global environment. Increasing amounts of food, energy, water, and shelter are required to fulfill the needs of human society. Much of our energy is derived from the burning of fossil fuels-releasing millions of metric tons of toxins into the atmosphere annually. The amount of land required for food production will grow increasingly larger, while the amount of available land will grow increasingly smaller. The affects of overpopulation on human society are many. Suffering from a lack of resources, people are often driven to war when they become too numerous for their available resources. Ethnic and racial differences will grow increasingly frequent and unresolvable. Increasing numbers in urban areas will lower quality of life in cities around the world. The precipitators of this complex issue are unlimited. Factors such as poverty, food distribution, and government corruption are all important aspects. No one will be unaffected by the repercussions of an overpopulated world. This highly sensitive and complex issue demands the attention of all who reside upon this planet, particularly those who have the ability to work for change.

Penn Foster Principles of Management Final Exam Essay

1. In order to implement an organizations commitment to social responsibility it is necessary to identify what social problem the organization intends to address, develop policies on what the organization plans to do to successfully fulfill its obligation and ensure stakeholder buy-in. The main obstacles an organization faces when implementing socially responsible policies is pressure from stockholders and business analysis who want steady increase in earnings. Without steady increase in profits, it becomes difficult to reinvest money in these areas. The following actions can be taken toward increased social responsibility: 1. Examine expectations and past responses 2. Set objectives and prioritize 3. Plan and implement strategies 4. Set budgets for resources needed for social action 5. Monitor progress 2. Departmentalization is the practice in which grouping or combining jobs that are related to form a specialized area that is distinct from other areas in an organization. Work or functional departmentalization is a method of separating the activities performed within an organization into groups by the nature or function of the work they perform. For example, functional departmentalization would tend to group together staff members that perform a specialized function in an organization, like accounting. Product departmentalization is the grouping of business activities that are necessary to produce a particular product and/or market a product or service line under the direction of one manager. An example of product departmentalization would be a large multiproduct organization like an automotive distributor. Geographic departmentalization is when organizations are physically isolated to geographical regions. An example of geographical departmentalization is a manufacturing company that has locations in Northern and Southern locations that deal with consumers within their region. Customer departmentalization is when an organization is divided into units that handle specific customer needs. Examples of customer departmentalization in a manufacturing plant are: Assembly, shipping, billing, etc. 3. The acronym SWOT stands for an organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A SWOT analysis is strategic planning method that evaluates the internal and external performance of an organization to see if it’s favorable or unfavorable to achieve whatever objective you are set out to accomplish. Strengths and weaknesses usually arise from the internal aspect of an organization, whereas opportunities and threats evolve from external components. By performing a SWOT analysis it provides information to managers to help formulate a successful strategy to achieve goals. PART B 1. Six Sigma is a management philosophy that sets objectives, collects data and analyzes results as a way to remove wasted expenses from its processes and help reduce the number of defective products produced. Six Sigma uses quality measures to strive for near perfection by eliminating errors and variables. 2. The balance of trade is the point where the difference between exports and imports is favorable for the country. When the country imports more than it exports, it results in a trade deficit and when the country exports more than it imports, the country runs into a trade surplus. The balance of trade for a countries economy is a very fine balance. The economic condition can change and a deficit or surplus may be an ideal situation. 3. In the context of communication, perception is based on the individual that is on the receiving end of the information. Perception is a process in which stimulation of the senses, whether written, verbal or non-verbal, is translated into a meaningf ul experience. Each person perceives the same information differently and they tend to only listens to part of the message before perception distorts the intended message. 4. The term organizational decentralization refers to the increased amount of authority given to lower level management by upper level management. By allowing lower level management to be involved in decision making, it enables actions to happen in a timelier manner and promotes higher employee morale, as well as relieves upper management from time consuming projects. 5. Simon’s theory, principle of bounded rationality as it applies to satisficing can be summarized as a decision making strategy that selects the best alternative rather than continuing to search for the optimal solution to any given situation. 6. In relations to leadership, consideration and initiating structure both contribute positively to staff motivation and satisfaction, as well as, effectiveness. 7. Positive reinforcement is to add a positive outcome as a result of a desired behavior. Negative reinforcement is to give the person the opportunity to avoid a negative consequence by increasing the likelihood that the desired behavior will reoccur. Both are used to increase the frequency of the desired behavior. 8. Planning – The manager sets objectives and decided what needs to be done to meet those goals. Organizing – The manager divides work into manageable activities and selects people to accomplish the task that need to be done. Staffing – The manager determines how many and what kind of staff is needed to meet the organizations goals and then recruits and trains the appropriate people. Leading – The manager motivates and communicates with staff and also directs them towards meeting the organizational goals. Controlling – The manager measures and analyzes the organizations performance, and makes changes if financial standards are not being m et. 9. A manager would use the critical-incident appraisal method for assessing employees’ written record of both satisfactory and unsatisfactory work performances. Performance is documented as it occurs and can aid in preparing performance evaluations to identify strengths and areas that need improvement. 10. Group norm is an informal set of rules a group takes on to regulate group behavior, whereas group cohesiveness is the overall attraction each member has for the group. Group norm example: Employees that work on assembly line #1 at the local factory always sit at the same lunch table and don’t interact with others. Group cohesiveness example: Employees on assembly line #2 have beaten the monthly production record for the 10th month in a row.

Business and Government Customer Decision Making Essay

Business and Government Customer Decision Making - Essay Example Often, straight rebuy is a purchase from an "approved list" of suppliers which satisfactory met the standard set buy the buyer. In order for the suppliers to maintain its relationship with the business buyer, it maintains its product or service quality. Companies utilizing straight rebuy are often automated in order to save reordering cost and time. Globally, Dell, Inc. is recognized as an organization which pursues strategic partnership with its various suppliers. Through the use of technology, the company shares the level of its material inventory with its current suppliers. These enables it to facilitate straight rebuy once its input goes below the optimum quantity. Aldi, the international retailer is also using a straight rebuy in replenishing its grocery shelves. It should be noted that the retailer has an extensive network of supplier for its merchandise. The company employs a Point of Sale system which tells suppliers when to deliver the needed goods. Modified rebuy happens when a business organization wants to purchase a component but would like to alter product specifications, prices, delivery requirement, or other terms (Widing 2002, p.155). As opposed to straight rebuy this buyclass may consider new suppliers to provide its new needs. The company also gathers information in its quest of finding the appropriate supplier.

Management of change - How organisational structure and culture can Essay

Management of change - How organisational structure and culture can influence the promotion or inhibition of change strategies w - Essay Example As such, the only way to remain competitive is to be able to change strategies in a manner that ensures the company remains competitive. This is particularly important for the engineering organizations that operate in a very competitive environment. Despite the benefits that change brings in an organization, most managers and employees are often resistant to change. Martins and Terblanche (2003, p. 68) noted that most employees and managers fear change and will often resist it. The reasons for resisting change are many, including fear of losing jobs, fear of changing the organization structure, culture, and fear of new responsibilities, just to name but a few. However, the organizational structure and culture has a huge influence on the change strategies that an organization may adopt at any one time. In this regard, the organizational structure and culture can either promote or impede the change strategies within an organization. The aim of this discourse is to explore the extent to which an organizational structure and culture can promote or inhibit change strategies within an organization. Organizational Culture and Change Management Culture plays a crucial role in driving a company to success. Pheysey (1993, p. 9) defines organizational culture as a set of norms and beliefs of an organization. In other words, it refers an organization’s ways of doing things. As earlier stated, organizations operate in a dynamic environment where change is necessary. Today, no company can compete favorably without embracing change, according to West and Farr (1990, p. 5). However, most managers tend to resist change when faced with the pressure of change. This is partly due to the organizational culture. For instance, most managers would try to deal with challenges facing the organization they manage by reverting the company’s traditional ways of doing things. In this regard, whenever a manager is confronted with the pressure for change, the manager will most l ikely try to deal with the situation in suh as way that is in line with the organizations ways of doing things. However, sticking to these cultural nuances impede the management of strategic change. Kotter and Heskett (1992, p. 13) advised that sticking to cultural ways of dealing with pressures of change may not be good for an organization since it inhibits the management of strategic change in an organization. For example, instead of adopting a new strategy of dealing with a situation in an organization, most managers tend to search for what they can understand and manage in terms of the existing paradigm. The adoption of cultural ways of doing things has been reported in the engineering companies where most managers tend to stick to traditional ways of dealing with situations that require change. However, this is dangerous since it inhibits the management of strategic change (Dent and Goldberg 1999, p. 36). For instance, report indicates that when managers are faced with the prob lem of declining performance in the engineering organizations, they have the habit of first seeking ways of improving the implementation of the existing strategy. This may involves actions such as tightening organizational controls. This implies that they only attempt to tighten up their accepted way of operation. However, in case this proves ineffective, then the managers change a strategy, though the change

What is origin of christianity Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is origin of christianity - Case Study Example In order to do that, it is important to know what Christianity is. And in order to discover the essence of Christianity, one must first understand its history. This study hopes to discover the origins of Christianity. Its higher goal is to show Christians today what they have in common. Through a review of the history of Christianity, people from various religious denominations to discover the legacy of Christ and understand that this image of Christ is the representation of what we are striving for as species. This study will look at published articles and books detailing the history of Christianity – from its founding to its breakup roughly 500 years ago. It looks at the reformation and the rise of Protestantism in order to appreciate the characteristics of the new Catholic Church and the Anglican. Some materials which will be used for this study includes books and peer-reviewed articles that answers the questions above. Biblical quotes will also be used and compared with historical events so as to provide context and to answer the abovementioned

The Transplant in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Transplant in UK - Essay Example However, when the supply increases, those who supply organs receive less compensation. There is also the risk of contamination of organs that could possibly be Hepatitis B or HIV positive. There are a host transport issues as well. Donor organs must be kept on an ice and used within a short time frame, to be considered optimal transplant material. â€Å"Organs such as kidneys and livers have to be taken and transplanted within 48 hours of death; typically they are transplanted within five hours†. There are several European nations within a 2-3 hour flight to the UK, depending on the location. This type of limitation may be necessary to ensure quality and viability. The time constraint would eliminate possible trade between nations who frequently trade in other industries. For instance, with an 8-9 hour flight from the east coast of the U.S. to London, this would not be viable. In terms of suppliers and transporters, increases in donor organs could translate into increased need for transport services, creating more jobs. It would also require more nurses and support staff to accommodate increases in transplant procedures. This is certain to stimulate growth in the health care industry. However, insurance companies are still hesitant to pay for such procedures. This limits the number of patients who can actually afford to pay the current costs for transplantation. If supply increases, cost to the patient should be reduced, given that there are fewer possible recipients vying for the same kidney.

Comparing the executive branches of Russia and Japan Essay

Comparing the executive branches of Russia and Japan - Essay Example He is appointed by the emperor. He can be a civilian. He leads civilian cabinet. The executive is under the Diet. It is evident that the executive arms of Russian and Japanese government are different. The differences are many, starting with the composition and the heads of these arms. This paper is going to look at these differences. It will also look at the similarities where they occur, for similarities are to be found. This country got its independence in 1919. This is following the tumbling of the Soviet Union. It was formally called Russian Federation under the Soviet Union. In December of 1993, the presidency was included in constitution. This was during the president of the time, Boris Yelstin. The presidency was handed more powers1 . This constitution directed that the president be the head of the state. The formulation of the policies touching on the position of the government in and out of Russia is under his docket. The president is above the three components of the government2 . He is the one who directs the executive and the other two branches. The other is judiciary and the legislative. He is the chief of state. The powers of the president are so much such that his directives can not be tampered with by the parliament. He recommends on the operations of the government. He has the last word in the nomination of the ministers to the cabinet and the structure of the government. ... The resolutions and decrees of the government are at the mercy of the president1. He has the power to nullify these directives. As such, the president heads the executive. The office of the prime minister is simply that of a public officer under the powers of the president. A president is voted for by the citizens2. He goes for a term of four years in the office. He is allowed to be at the same position for two terms. In the constitution, there is no provision for the position of the vice president. In case the presidency falls vacant for any reason (demise, poor health, impeachment or resignation of the incumbent), the prime minister heads the same in an acting capacity. A new election should be conducted in ninety days. There is a board that is formulated to advice the president. It is called the State Council of the State of Russia. Then the president has his support staff. This is the Presidential Administration of Russia.3. It also gives policy support. This body has an additional function of drafting the decrees of the head of state. It coordinates the policy of the government in the agencies. The prime minister is picked by the president4. He is then vetoed by Duma. The latter is the lower house of the parliament. The members are called deputies. He is the leader of government. The president then appoints two first deputies to the prime minister. He does not need consult the prime minister on these appointments. He then appoints several deputy prime ministers. Currently, this country has at least six deputy prime ministers. Under his docket, there are several offices. The first is the cabinet. He is the head of this unit. But the members of the cabinet are picked by the leader of state. The

The Chinese GM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Chinese GM - Essay Example Moreover, the automobile industry spends large amount of money in research and development purposes. Like the modern electric or hybrid cars are the latest creation of the automobile industry (LOC, 2007). A: Background of General Motors General Motors (GM) is a popular automobile company based in America. The company is a giant multinational firm, with its headquarters in Detroit Michigan. The company manufactures and sells vehicles along with vehicle parts. The firm also engages in the trading of financial services. The company is a giant car manufacturer and provides its services in more than 37 countries across the world. Chevrolet, Cadillac, Opel etc ere the various brands under which GM sells its cars. The company employs more than 212000 individuals in the global economy. Right form 1931 to 2007 GM has been awarded as the leading car producer in America (GM, 2013). Wholly owned subsidiary companies sell the cars of GM in most of the economies outside America. However, it should be considered that the company sells its cars in the emerging market of China via joint ventures. The company claims in its vision that by enjoying the source of large financial base, it would offer best cars to its customers and would always provide utility to its partners, employees and shareholders. The cars and trucks manufactured and traded by GM are not only said to be of efficient in quality and cost, but are also fuel economic and safe. It makes sure that its manufactured vehicles are never subjected to recalls in the market. By providing good cars with modern unique designs, the company attempts to build lifelong relations with its customers. This helps the company park potential affluent clients, who tend to repeat their purchases in GM (Creswell, 1998). The company invests large sums of money in research and development purposes. This helps it to make more technologically advanced models of cars and invent new models of vehicles. GM provides long term value in investment s to all its investors. The big business of the company continuously expands in terms of scale and scope, which gives complete confidence to the shareholders to invest in the shares of the company. Moreover, 212000 workers in the company, makes trading in more than 20 time zones in the globe possible, by acquiring the capability to communicate in more than 50 languages (Murphy, 2013). The company makes changes in its business operations according to the external business conditions in the global economy. It is empirically observed that since the last few years, the price of petrol is soaring significantly, moreover the extent of air pollution created by the traditional cars are also increasing rapidly. Since cars and petrol are complementary products, the demand for cars in the current market is falling due to the rise in price of petrol. Taking into consideration all such factors, GM has now started manufacturing electric cars that would run by battery or power. Such cars would not only be sustainable but would also avoid its dependence on petrol (Nieuwenhuis & Wells, 2003). B: Brief History of General Motors In July 13th 1956, China Central Committee along with the active support of Soviet Union established the first automobile manufacturing company in China named as First Automobile Works (FAW). Changchun China

Environmental Fundamentals Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental Fundamentals Paper - Essay Example by physicists through their proficiency in physical laws. Computer scientists, mathematicians and engineers are involved in environmental science through computer modeling and technical innovations. Biomedical expertise contributes by assessing health repercussions of environmental issues, such as disease and pollution. Question Two In the 20th century, scientific and technological advancements contributed largely to the development of industrial societies that used underground resources extensively. This resulted in societies characterized by large-volume production, consumption and waste. However, on the other hand, the resources of the earth are limited, as well as the natural environment’s ability to assimilate the enormous volumes of waste (Carson, 2002). This has given rise to environmental issues globally, ranging widely from acid rain to global warming, tropical rainforests and ozone layer destruction and desertification. Environmentalists have traced all these occurre nces to the increasing human activity facilitated by growth in science and technology. However, the progress of science and technology can also be used to resolve global environmental issues. The same power of science and technology can develop monitoring systems to warn of dangerous levels of pollution or emissions, hence triggering reduction or control measures. Innovations that have positively impacted the environment include the hybrid car and the catalytic converter. Science and technology can, therefore, be both a cause and solution to environmental issues in society today. Question Three The concept of environmental sustainability is important because it addresses ways in which human beings can accomplish a lifestyle that meets their fundamental survival requirements in a manner that can carry on indefinitely without causing harm to the natural ecosystems as well as their biodiversities. As a key topic in environmental studies, sustainability is an example of how policy and e nvironmental science may be used to resolve environmental problems. Historically, unsustainable interactions between people and their environments have been linked to migration, whereby human activity tampers with the ecosystem in a new settlement due to lack of technology or knowledge for sustainable interaction (Carson, 2002). With the ongoing non-sustainable human population explosion, the study of sustainability promotes the problem solving skills and facilitates problem-oriented researches towards a sustainable use of resources. The enormous global human population of over seven billion is rapidly heading towards an unsustainable level in terms of resource utilization, which makes sustainability more than just a study area, but also an economic, social and political tool in community service. Question Four Human intentions towards nature determine how they play their role towards sustainability and conservation. Organic farming, green building and recycling contribute towards s ustaina

A Peoples History of the United States vs the Enduring Vision Essay Example for Free

A Peoples History of the United States vs the Enduring Vision Essay How complete are our textbooks these days? Yes, they may cover Christopher Columbus’s all the way to today’s current events. But just how complete are they? Often books tend to lean a certain direction, and offer perspective from only one point of view; most commonly the views of the victors, dominant country or possibly stories of heroes. What about the other side? Far too often the lesser of the two is left out of the textbooks and out of our minds. There are always two sides to a story, in this case, much of what we read is a mere, â€Å"partial truth†. In the following paragraphs and analysis, assumptions and generalizations we have made about our country and it’s â€Å"heroes† will be examined in an in-depth interpretation of the standard American textbook, The Enduring Vision vs. Howard Zinn’s, A People’s History of the United States, a strongly worded book meant to offer a different point of view, one not of the hero, but of men they truly were. Everyone knows who discovered America, Christopher Columbus, of course! â€Å"In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue† At a very young age we are taught that, but that’s only half the story. According to, The Enduring Vision, â€Å"Religious Fervor led Columbus to dream of carrying Christianity around the globe, but he also hungered for wealth and glory. †(p. 27) Upon discovery, Columbus became very fond of himself, and what he had done. He discovered a land and a people that before his discovery never existed. Because of this, Columbus’s hunger for wealth and glory came to the forefront. The textbook makes no mention of the less publicized portions of his life; it certainly was not carrying Christianity to the world. The book fails to mention, the cruel and inhumane things that were done to the Native American who currently inhabited the â€Å"New World†. Those actions seem to be brushed under the rug, because of the fact that he is an American hero. However, Howard Zinn offers a view from a different perspective. â€Å"†¦They willingly traded everything they owned†¦. They were well built, with good bodies and handsome features†¦They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane†¦. They would make fine servants†¦. With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want. † (Zinn 17) Columbus’s lust for wealth, power, and domination of the people blinded his view of spreading Christianity. In Columbus’s report back to the royal court in Madrid, Spain, Columbus uses religious talk to convince the court that he was establishing a community, and to establish fame and a reputation back in Spain. In exchange for a little help, Columbus was to bring them, â€Å"as much gold as they need†¦ and as many slaves as they ask. Concluding his report he said, â€Å"Thus the eternal God, our Lord, gives victory to those who follow His was over apparent impossibilities† (Zinn 20) this was not entirely true, his report was exaggerated, however, the court granted him his expanded fleet and men. However, Columbus was not out to colonize the new world, he was looking for his personal gain ; Gold, and slaves. This American â€Å"Hero† isn’t everything the history books and movies make him out to be. Columbus was a liar, cruel, and was out for glory and fame. It’s a sad truth to such an important piece of an American history. As American we would like to believe that Columbus was the man he was made up to be, and definitely not a â€Å"Christ-like† figure. He was much more than an explorer who owned a few slaves; he is a man responsible for the institution of slavery and the murder of many, many Native Americans. Another well-known figure in history has a distorted past, he happens to be one of our most respected presidents; Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson is perhaps most known for his hand in writing the Declaration of Independence. Although Jefferson was a major player in gaining our country’s independence from England; he wasn’t much for granting independence to a certain group of people in America. Although, it is noted that Jefferson had a personal distaste for slavery, that did not stop him from owning slaves, hundreds of slaves until the day he died. Jefferson even slipped a portion his views into the Declaration of Independence. It is a very common cliche phrase that is known by many, in which he lists property, in a list of â€Å"unalienable† rights. That among these are Life, Liberty, and property† However, Congress didn’t approve, and instead, they chose, â€Å"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness†. Slaves were often referred to as property at that time, not human beings, but property, as if they were a possession. So, who really was Jefferson, was he a noble president, who still today remains a prominent figure in the history of the United States? Or was he just like everyone else, a slave owner, and didn’t truly believe that â€Å"All men are created equal†? Personally, I believe that Jefferson was a product of the time period. Being a slave owner was common; he was in line with what wealthy plantation owners. He may have believed that slavery was not a moral institution, but that doesn’t require him to being an abolitionist. According to Zinn, Jefferson’s paragraph was removed because, â€Å"slaveholders themselves with the desirability of ending the slave trade. †(Zinn 77) Thomas Jefferson was an extremely intelligent man, and I believe he wrote that, with the foresight of the country in mind. He knew that it should not be a part of America going forward, however, at the time; it was a part of life. In addition to that, Jefferson needed to keep his popularity high, and by ending the slave-trade, Jefferson would lose many of his supporters. For this I believe that in this case Zinn may be bias, he goes after every flaw in people we look up to, and we simply cannot expect them to be perfect. Yes, they may have made some mistake and at times be hypocritical, but everyone is guilty of that at some time in their life, especially at a time where presidents where selected on what they had done in battle, not in politics. The next difference comes in the form of another president. Andrew Jackson, the face of our twenty dollar bill. According to the textbook, â€Å"Jackson’s victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans made him a national hero, and southerners admired him as a Tennessee slaveholder, a renowned Indian fighter, and an advocate of Indian removal† 216). Many American regarded Jackson as a â€Å"Living link to a more virtuous past. † Upon, gaining the presidency, one of Jackson’s first moves was to remove all the members of upper ranking officeholders†¦of the rival party. It was not well received by many; they began calling it the â€Å"spoils system†. He defended his actions by conveying that it was on the basis of Democracy; so that more people could work for the government. Jackson often gave jobs to family members or friends before giving the public their fair shake. Jackson was also willing to give jobs to people who weren’t qualified, because he knew them. This wasn’t the only thing that Jackson took heat for; his â€Å"morals† got him into more trouble. Jackson was easily bribed, and used deception as well as force to get what he wanted. Whether it was land or gold, Jackson was willing to use his power as president for his gain. Zinn 128) Zinn, points out the fact that this will never be printed in a text book, as Jackson is a face of this country. â€Å"If you look through high school textbooks and elementary school text books in American history you will find Jackson the frontiersman, soldier, democrat, man of the people-not Jackson the slaveholder, land speculator, executioner of dissident soldiers, exterminator of the Indians. †(Zinn 125) Strong and harsh words for a man, especially a president nonetheless. As we have seen in this and past examples, that Zinn emphasizes the other side of the story, the one you don’t hear about. Unfortunately, these are stories that everyone should know. Zinn, places an emphasis on teaching what the textbooks don’t, the textbooks focus on the spoils and fame of the individual. Howard Zinn provides an alternative view that sheds light on the morals of these men, which are not well publicized. Abraham Lincoln, the savior of the Union, often considered to be one of the best if not the best presidents in the history of the United States. However, this is one of the rare instances in which Zinn agrees with the textbook. For once, Zinn focuses on the results, rather the character. Lincoln didn’t believe that the African-Americans were his equal, but he did believe they had the rights of a human being; no human should be subject to being owned by another. However, Lincoln’s main priority was to preserve the Union, and to unite the States of America. The fact that Zinn agrees with the textbook in their positive view of Lincoln, shows the Zinn is not out to attack our great American Heroes. However, Zinn simply wishes for the other side of the story to be told, after all, all this stuff should be taught. Teaching as if this never happened, is like teaching addition without subtraction. Finally, we conclude with yet another president; our first President of the United States, George Washington: The fearless and ambitious leader that America looked to, to become our first president and lead the country in a positive direction. The Enduring Vision says it well, â€Å"American Victory depended on the ability of one man to keep his army fighting despite defeat† (120) Washington’s record in battle was poor, he lost more times than he won. However, the important part was that the people followed him. George was exceptionally tall for this time, so people naturally looked to him to lead them-despite losing. However, Washington was a slaveholder himself. Although, he did free them before he died. During the Revolutionary war, Washington did turn down a request of black slaves to fight in the army. (Zinn 83) Despite, his downfall, George Washington was an honorable man, who was the perfect choice for first President of the United States. Zinn tends to tarnish Washington’s reputation, with some of the things he chooses to publish; he gives Washington little credit for his accomplishments. In fact, I believe that Washington’s failures is what makes him such an insightful historical figure, failure spurred his ambition for bigger and better things. In conclusion, I have determined that much of what is printed is only partial truth. Thanks to Howard Zinn, people can explore the character that shaped out country. Although Zinn may seem to attack these men, he is simply pointing out that they weren’t the men they are made out to be in modern day history books and films. After reading, A People’s History of the United States, I am very pleased that someone decided that the truth must be told; even though it is not always what we want to hear.