Great Gatsby and the American Dream

The Great Gatsby and the American Dream There is really no set definition of what the American Dream is, everyone has different views on what they see it as. The main idea of the American Dream is pretty much making it big and being successful in life, having everything you need, wealth, prosperity, love and happiness. Jay Gatsby portrays the American Dream in some senses but not to its full potential.Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby the American Dream isn’t shown in its positive light but, more of the opposite of that: more of the downfall or failure of it. Everyone wanted to be living the American Dream – the pursuit of happiness in life. In the 1920’s instead of going for things that brought happiness everyone seemed to revolve around money, wealth, and power. Instead of finding happiness with what they had they were all trying to attain money and power and believed this would lead to happiness.If they had all that already they took it all for granted and didn’t see everything that they had right there in front of them. Although it may have seemed someone had it all on the outside, once you really knew the person you could see that they weren’t living the best life and weren’t that much better than anyone else. The American Dream took a lot to actually achieve and no one really lived the actual dream because of many reasons but they were living some aspects of it.The three main characters fail to pursue the American Dream to its entirety – for Gatsby he tried to be something he wasn’t only so he could get Daisy and love, without this he was nothing; for Daisy it was because of greed she lived for money and social status which got in the way of her happiness and being with who she really loved; and for Tom his money gets in the way of morals and he took everything he had in front of him for granted. Jay Gatsby went from nothing to something to try to win over Daisy.His American Dream wasn’t a bout having material things, although it involved having to get them, instead it was trying to get the love of Daisy. Earlier in his life when he first fell in love with Daisy he was a poor man and Daisy didn’t want that at all. Due to Gatsby’s low social standing she wouldn’t be with him. Gatsby wanted a better life and he thought he could do it if he put his mind to it, which is also a part of the American Dream. Eventually he got money and became rich but he did this through illegal methods.This is the complete opposite of what the American Dream is because it’s supposed to be achieved through good virtue and hard work. He threw extravagant parties only to try and get close to Daisy, hoping that she would show up to them, but he himself never actually attended his parties. He wasn’t living a very great life as it seemed to everyone else, it was all a lie. The only thing that gave his life meaning was Daisy and that was the one thing he couldnâ⠂¬â„¢t have.She only came back to Gatsby after Gatsby attained his millions and was part of the high social class, but his life still wasn’t very stable. This shows that she let wealth get in the way of her love. Daisy loved Gatsby but because of the fact that there was really no stability in his life she didn’t feel comfortable with it and wouldn’t leave Tom for him. She was after the money and because Tom was settled down she decided to stay with him where it was safe. Greed and the fact that money took priority over everything with her was what held her back from happiness and living the American Dream.Tom was cheating on Daisy but she still stayed with him regardless just because she was comfortable with that lifestyle of being in the upper class and being seen as wealthy. Tom was a rich, handsome, successful man with a wife and family, and everything going for him, but instead of being happy with what he had he went and ruined others’ lives. He cheat ed on Daisy with Myrtle who was married to Wilson and destroyed their marriage. His money got in the way of his morals, family, and living the American Dream.Tom and Daisy somewhat represent the American Dream through their wealth and prosperity this was only a part of the dream not the whole picture because they still weren’t happy they just possessed the material items. The American Dream is contradicted, everyone wanted it but no one lived it for what it was supposed to be. Gatsby in the end sees himself as a failure when Daisy chooses Tom instead of him. The failure of Gatsby's hoped for life relates to the failure of the American Dream. Without his dream Gatsby has nothing – nothing to keep him going, no direction, and no purpose to live.He was unsatisfied with life and in the end, Wilson had killed him. This shows that Jay Gatsby’s American Dream didn’t go anywhere and wasn’t satisfied to its full extent although he attempted to succeed he fa iled. The extent of the novel The Great Gatsby representing the American Dream is more of showing that the American Dream isn’t always achieved and doesn’t always work out the way you want it to or think it should. The American Dream is hard to achieve and it seems as if it’s impossible for anyone to actually achieve every aspect of it, so it is just what it is, a dream.

Erin Brockovich

Abstract Leadership style has a substantial impact on the operations of any business. This essay examines the movie Erin Brokovich (2000) in an effort to identify the strengths and weaknesses associated with the transactional and transformational forms of leadership.The literature examined in this study illustrated the concept that successful leadership is a combination of components that rests on many separate traits. This study will be of value to any person studying leadership theory. 1 Introduction Leadership is a fundamental issue that impacts performance and resolution on every level. The film Erin Brokovich (2000) depicts a single mother that takes on a corporation in an effort to illustrate the company’s misdeeds. Examining the role of both Ms Brokovich and her attorney Ed Masry as the plot of the story develops demonstrates the wide array of influence that the differing styles of leadership had both on the case at hand and further proceedings based on similar circumstances. The area of transformational leadership, or the proactive approach employed by Ms Brokovich will be examined in order to identify the benefits and detriments of the straight forward approach (Gardner and Laskin, 2013). The next segment will be an analysis of Ed Masry’s transactional leadership approach, or leading through reactive measures, which in turn will lead to an illustration of effectiveness (Gardner et al, 2013). With a brief comparison illustrating the differences and values of e ach method this essay will close with an evaluation of impact. In the end this essay will have considered the transactional and transformational forms of leadership with the stated goal of illustrating the benefits and detriments associated with each approach. 2 Leadership Hughes (2009) defines leadership as the capacity to influence others to a specific goal or objective. During this process of leadership, there are several different methods that are cited to produce solid results, which in turn produce identifiable management trends (Abrahamson and Eisenman, 2008). Smircich and Morgan (1982) argue that certain styles of leadership emphasize the right or obligation of one person to provide direction for others. In every case the style of leadership utilized makes a significant impact on the company or project (Peters and Austin, 1985). This essay focuses on the transformational and the transactional forms of leadership as demonstrated in the movie Erin Brokovich (2000).2.1 Transformational LeadershipGhandi asserted â€Å"We are all, first and foremost, human beings and we must relate to one another on that naked basis.† (Gardner, 2013:266). This description is one method of illustrating the visionary elements that comprise the transformational form of leadership. Transformational leadership is defined by the capacity of the individual to not only engage with the issues at hand, but convince others around them that there is a genuine cause for continued effort (Northouse, 2004). Yet, this style of leadership can fall into a overconfidence trap (Russo, Schoemaker & Russo, 1990). Some researchers identify elements of this approach as a form of Charismatic leadership that is fraught with potential harm to the company (Ouimet, 2010). As with the main character, Erin Brokovich, her qualities of women leadership exude confidence and unwavering ambition, serves to provide those around her with a sense of purpose and direction (Gardner, 2013). Further her aspect of altruism helps her to reach out to others (Ouimet, 2010). N ot only has the leadership created a potential future but this person has provided a reason for the effort (Northouse, 2004). This sense of purpose is credited with driving the agenda for any project under this form of leadership. As with Ms Brokovich the character, the transactional leader brings a form of intuition and basic enthusiasm to the table, which in turn fuels the entire effort (Schoemaker, Krupp, Howland, 2013). There is no sense during the movie of a form of servant leadership; Ms Brokovich was centre on her goals, excluding any diversions (Schoemaker et al, 2013). Coupled with the gender gap that Ms Brokovich contends with throughout the movie, there is a real sense of her having to fight for every single effort (Virick and Greer, 2012). However there is a perception that there is no correct situational leadership style leading to success, it is a combination of factors coupled with Ms Brokovich personal drive (Virick et al, 2012). A distinct detriment involved with the transformational approach outlined by Golemans (2013) leadership theory as clearly demonstrated by Erin Brokovich, was the headstrong opinionated statement of ideals regardless of the surroundings. As was the case when Ms Brokovich spoke her mind in the courtroom and lost her accident claim, there is very real potential to harm an on-going effort with a poorly founded assertion. Yet, there cannot be a turning away from a potential issue through the advent of fearing failure (McCullough, 2008). Ms Brokovich clearly illustrates that by clarifying the basic elements of the initial client’s case, the medical records, that the uncovering of the past association of the water company held clear need for investigation. As in the model Simon (1959) outlined there is a rational model that allows for the person to choose the best alternative. The uncovering of these links led to a transformation of the case from a routine operation to a case that yi elded substantial gain and reparations for every party involved. As the Ann Brown (1996) evidence demonstrated knowledge is critical for progress. The process of critical thinking directly leads to higher forms of literacy and argumentation as well as sophistication (Brown, 1996). Transformational leaders have the capacity to invoke charisma and personal attributes in order to attain their goal (Goleman, 2000). Utilizing at least some feminine wiles, Ms Brokovich was able to convince the keeper of the county water records to not only allow her unfettered access, but extended her every personal nicety possible. This quality of contact and ability to connect with those involved most closely with the case provided further opportunities for this form transformational leadership to play a pivotal role (Goleman, 2013). It was the personal outreach of Ms Brokovich that enabled the initial claimants to realize the connection between the water company and the sicknesses that that family was experiencing. The stimulation that Ms Brokovich provided allowed t he pieces of the puzzle to come together in such a manner that the truth could emerge (Gardner, 2013). This demonstration of continued research and determination is a critical element of the transformational approach to leadership. Others cite the high instances of failure due to the lack of support offered to potential leaders during crises (Lawerence, 2013). There is an innate instinct to choose a successful leader, and a person that does not consistently show wise decision making can rapidly lose their following. A transformational leader will possess the capacity to encourage the group to action (Gardner, 2013). This is a critical component any operation, the ability to bring the clients to focused action. As Ms Brokovich discovered, it was necessary to enlist nearly every one of the potential claimants in order for the claim to go forward against the water company. It was her personal connection, intuition and knowledge of the situation that enabled the lawyers to create a case that would be capable of winning in court (Gardner, 2013). Yet, depending too much on these personal relationships can become a detriment in the event the core person or knowledge is lost or corrupted (Golemman, 2013). Despite the fact that Ms Brokovich possessed the capacity of personally remembering each and every element of each and every case, there was the real potential for oversight, which is a substantial weakness of the transformational approach to leadership (Northouse, 2004). Finally, the transformational leadership approach is cited for inspiring the long term effort (Gardner, 2013). Yet, when it fails others describe this form leadership as wreaking tremendous consequences on any underlying company (Northouse, 2004). Following the initial success Ms Brokovich inspired those around her to seek out others in similar situations, thus creating a long term effort to correct the illegal acts of large corporations. In a very real way, it was the leadership style of Ms Brokovich that first identified, then researched and then made possible the settlement against the water company. Lacking such a person playing this key role, there would never have been an awareness of the issue and many families and individuals would be worse off. In this case, transformational leadership, while showing some weakness, supplied the impetus for positive resolution and personal success.2.2 Transactional LeadershipTransactional leadership is an approach that emphasizes the role of reward in the effort to produce results (Bolman, 2013). Resting on the twin concepts of reward contingent on effort and stability of the status quo, the transactional form of leadership provides incentives to the employee workforce. The very first example of this style of leadership employing the reward element is the day Ms Brokovich forces her way onto Mr Masry’s staff. With the act of offering her a job as a form of reward for her perseverance and ambition, the transactional leadership style of Mr Masry was illustrated (Gardner, 2013). Despite his initial reluctance to give her a position, he was led to the act by the actions of Ms Brokovich. Further, this element allowed Mr Masry the luxury of maintaining the status quo at work, providing another illustration of the transactional philosophy at work (Avolio and Yammarino, 2002). Trying very hard to maintain a business that operates smoothly Mr Masry is very concerned with reducing any outbursts or unsightly scenes at the workplace. Avilo et al (2002) outlines the argument that the only truly effective form of leadership rests in the combination of the transformation and transactional format. Others cite the highly unstable nature of the transformational style and cite instances that misinformation and lack of information has led to failure on the part of companies employing these methods (Gardner, 2013). The literature supports the contention that the transactional form of leadership is effective and adaptable, capable of being utilized in nearly any environment (Avilo et al, 2002). Yet, the Chhokar, Brodbeck and House (2007) literature disputes this assertion assigning the transactional approach to be best used only by temporary management during transitional phases. The next example of the transactional form of leadership espoused by Mr Masry rests in the firing of Ms Brokovich following her initial foray into research. The managerial approach in this instance equated the actions of Ms Brokovich with the deliberate abandonment of duty, thereby resulting in termination (Chhokar et al, 2007). This reaction was in direct response to the attendant attitudes of the other employees in the office as well as a direct effort to maintain tranquillity in the work place. The role of the transactional leader is to determine what is in the best interests of the company and provide the best employee centred solution (Northouse, 2004). Again, this action on the part of Mr Masry was a direct reward of the actions perceived to be taken by Ms Brokovich, which in turn led to a direct reprisal. The transactional leadership approach does not individualize employees, but seeks to treat each person the same, thereby equalling the work place (Northouse, 2004). With the actions of Mr Masry directly fuelling Ms Brokovich outrage, there was a very real sense of motivation in her decision to re-join the team after Mr Masry sought out her help. The transactional approach in this case dictated that Mr Masry ensure that Ms Brokovich was properly motivated to work with the team, despite her sometimes outspoken manner (Wheatley, 2004). This transactional style is repeated throughout the movie as Mr Masry’s preferred form of management. From the instant that Ms Brokovich is taken back onto the staff at the law firm, there is the sense of pay for performance being demonstrated by being given a rental car and a raise (Gardner, 2013). This acknowledgement of value in the work that Ms Brokovich was conducting was reflected in the reward of better pay and position at the work place. As the movie continued to demonstrate the building case against the water company the transactional style of leadership of Mr Masry continued to show. With the move to bring in a partner firm to defray the cost, Mr Masry was utilizing the transactional approach to maintain the status quo (Bograd, 1995). By attempting to have the meeting at a time when he was aware that Ms Brokovich would be gone, only supports the approach by illustrating the desire to maintain a low profile, confrontation free work place (Gardner, 2013). Yet, this approach could easily have overlooked the case at hand by focusing on maintaining day to day ordinary operations (Goleman, 2013). It was Mr Masry’s wish to maintain an ethical countenance and make the situation better for Ms Brokovich that served to provide the opportunity for this case to emerge (Mendonca and Kanungo, 2007). His sense of corporate responsibility, or the need to be accountable for his actions that caused him to take that action (Gol eman, 2013). Finally, the transactional form of leadership espoused by Mr Masry was best exemplified by the overpayment of funds to Ms Brokovich. It was the determination of management that the job provided by Ms Brokovich was worthy of an increase in pay, thereby providing correct remuneration for effort (Gardner, 2013). This final demonstration of transactional philosophy clearly illustrates the strength of proper management. Yet, a clear liability rests in the opportunity for management to neglect to adequately reward the employee, thereby detracting from the fundamental effort (Northouse, 2004). 3 Conclusion The movie Erin Brokovich (2000) provided a clear illustration of leadership in the form of Ms Brokovich’s transformational approach as well as Mr Masry’s transactional view. Both methods have been credited with providing sound and reasonable provisions for both companies and individuals. Yet, the opportunity for weakness due to the individual personality detriments found in the transformational approach can hinder development of any idea or concept significantly. Further, the transformational approach rests largely on the assurance that the leadership has the correct information as well as the appropriate know-how. Lacking a clear strategy can doom any project to failure. In comparison the transactional approach has the potential to overlook possible opportunities in the quest to maintain office stability. Relying on the actions of others to provide impetus for progress can limit the overall capacity for a business to succeed. The literature in this analysis supports the approach that a combination of the transformational and transactional approaches is the best method of overall leadership. Leading by providing vision, yet rewarding the industriousness of the employee base has the potential to build a long lasting organization that will have the innate capacity to meet any goal. Much like the movie Erin Brokovich (2000) illustrated, with proper leadership, vision and determination even the biggest well-funded organization must submit to the rule of law. 4 References Abrahamson, E. and Eisenman, M. 2008. Employee-management techniques: transient fads or trending fashionsAdministrative Science Quarterly, 53 (4), pp. 719–744. Avolio, B. J. and Yammarino, F. J. 2002. Transformational and charismatic leadership. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science. Bograd, H. 1995. The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management.Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 24 (3), pp. 269–271. Bolman, L. G. 2013. Reframing organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Brown, A. and Campione, J. C. 1996. Psychological theory and the design of innovative learning environments. Berkeley, CA: University of California. Chhokar, J. S., Brodbeck, F. C. and House, R. J. 2007. Culture and leadership across the world. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Gardner, H. and Laskin, E. 2013. Leading minds. New York, NY: BasicBooks. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E. and Mckee, A. 2013. Primal leadership. Goleman (2000), Leadership that gets results, Harvard Business Review Hughes, R. 2009. Time for leadership development interventions in the public health nutrition workforce. Public health nutrition, 12 (08), pp. 1029–1029. Lawrence (2013), Developing Leaders in a VUCA Environment, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Mendonca, M. and Kanungo, R. N. 2007. Ethical leadership. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/Open University Press. McCullough 2008. Timeless Leadership: The great leadership lessons don’t change, Harvard Business Review Northouse, P. G. 2004. Leadership. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage. Ouimet, G. 2010. Dynamics of narcissistic leadership in organizations: Towards an integrated research model. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 25 (7), pp. 713–726. Peters, T. J. and Austin, N. 1985. A passion for excellence. The leadership difference. Price, T. L. 2008. Leadership ethics. Leadership, 1 pp. 1–2008. Russo, J. E., Schoemaker, P. J., & Russo, E. J. 1990. Decision traps: Ten barriers to brilliant decision-making and how to overcome them. Simon & Schuster. Schoemaker, Krupp, Howland 2013. Strategic Leadership: The Essential Skills, Harvard Business Review Simon, H. A. 1959. Theories of decision-making in economics and behavioral science. The American economic review, 49(3), 253-283 Smircich, L., Morgan, G. and Others. 1982. Leadership: The management of meaning. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 18 (3), pp. 257–273. Virick, M. and Greer, C. R. 2012. Gender diversity in leadership succession: Preparing for the future. Human Resource Management, 51 (4), pp. 575–600. Wheatley, M. J. 2004. Leadership and the new science. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Erin Brockovich Film Review: Erin Brockovich This film was based on a true story of an unemployed single mother, Erin Brockovich, who is just trying to get by. After a stream of bad luck, she finally convinces a lawyer to give her a job as a file clerk at his firm. Although no one took her all too seriously at work because of her lack of experience and â€Å"trashy† ensemble, she soon changes their perception of her when she begins to investigate a suspicious pro bono real estate case involving the Pacific Gas & Electric Company.After relentless prying she finds out that PG&E was secretly trying to buy land from local residents in order to cover up the damages done in the area. Come to find out, they had been contaminating an entire neighborhood’s water supply with a deadly toxin called hexavalent chromium and not telling anyone. Erin Brockovich is by far the most interesting model of leadership in this movie but when you consider mainstream leadership qualities, she is not our usual c ontender.What makes her so rare is that she hardly fits our cookie cutter impression of a leadership type individual. She was out of work, had three children, single, had two divorces, and no real employment skills. Yet, she had other hidden qualities that surfaced when the opportunity arose, which made her the ultimate transformational leader. Her independence, consistency, and inquisitiveness were the driving factors that ultimately won a 330 million dollar lawsuit against a multi billion-dollar corporation.In the film, Erin reveals how leadership can come from the most unusual of backgrounds and experiences. Although Erin was a great leader in the film, I feel as though it was more or less situational and all leaders could not practice leadership in the way depicted in this movie. Like discussed in class, leaders can blossom from unexpected places. Some people are better at one thing than others and vice versa. Every opportunity to step forth is situational and should be analyzed in this way.A single person cannot be the best at everything and must step down and let others take the reigns as well. Apart from being accepted at work, another challenge Erin had to overcome was getting her voice heard and convincing people that she was right and that there was some under the table things happening right before their eyes. Here, Erin emerged as a leader and was not afraid to back down from what she believed in and fought for the families affected by the contaminated water like they were her own.She handled these challenges with determination and courage. The leadership elements communication, commitment, courage, consideration, and competence were relevant throughout the movie. It took a great deal of communication and courage in order for Erin to finally get her point across because at first she did not have any credibility and no one really took her seriously assumed that she had a lack of competence with law. She was forced to make them believe otherwise, and she ended up being successful with this.Her commitment to the project and consideration of the families involved was tremendous. Her commitment was one of her strongest elements and I believe this was what made her so powerful in this case. Her courage of conviction was unmatched, and her leadership qualities really shined through with these elements. What I took away from this movie was motivation. If you have the heart and desire to do something, then anything is possible. Even when you may not have the background or experience in the matter, emergent leaders can develop from anywhere.As a leader, I feel as though it is important to communicate and let your passion show through because people want to know that their leaders believe in what they are doing. Erin was an exceptional example of leadership because at first she did not seem like our typical leader. However, it was the situation that was presented that gave her the will to transform into exactly the type of leader that t hose families needed, and in the end Erin helped solidify a victory with the lawsuit.

Hinduism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Hinduism - Essay Example This can be seen by their varying ideas and explanations of the world, as well as the distinct differences in their beliefs and religion systems. Hinduism is a complex, ancient religion. It is unique because it has no known founder, as with the other religions. Hinduism cannon was put together over the years and mixed with other traditions and lore, until it finally was written down in the Vedas. It is the world's oldest religion, and also the worlds third largest, falling in place behind Christianity and Islam (Hin). Often, Hinduism is confused and labeled as a polytheistic religion, when it is not as simple as that. The writings teach that there is one main deity, Brahman, who can from time to time appear to humans in many different forms and shapes. The Brahman is the supreme deity in the Hinduism religion, however it offers an interesting shape and role to the kind of divine and divinity most religions offer. The God of Hinduism is referred to as Brahman when it is referred to as the all encompassing supreme power of the world. It is one and part of the world, and is part of everything and everyone within its creation. "Brahman is often described succinctly as sacchidananda, meaning 'Truth-Consciousness-Bliss', not only possessing the qualities but also being their very essence."( Hin) showing that inside the religion of Hinduism, the Brahman is everything and anything, and is the supreme force and energy of the world. There are many different interpretations and understandings of Brahman. One such belief states that "ultimately Brahman (the impersonal God) is beyond mere intellectual description and can be understood only through direct spiritual experience, where the 'knower' and the 'known' are subsumed into the act of 'knowing'. The goal is to "wake up" and realize that one's atman, or soul, is really identical to Brahman, the uber-soul(Hin). This helps explain the idea that the Brahman unites all people, and is part of everything and the entirety of the world around us. Several different areas of thought have ideas that contradict this school of thought, and may believe that the Brahman actually has being and personality, and may associate the Brahman with one of the lesser gods of the religion, such as Vishnu, Shiva, or Shakti. All of these different interpretations of the Hindu understanding all come from its ancient history, different readings of the sacred texts, as well as different and modern interpretations of faith. There is also another understanding of the Hindu divine, this being the idea of Isharva, of a more personal idea and personality of the God figure. This is the idea of God as a supreme being, and not an overwhelming force and eternal power such as tied into the Brahman ideology. Some sects of Hinduism do not believe in this idea at all, and some of them believe in it in different forms and facets of belief. Also included in the Hindu belief system is the idea of devas, or demi-gods. It is not uncommon for a Hindu worshipper to pick one of these gods as their personal god, and this god may be passed down as part of family life, traditions, or culture. These personal demi-gods are very unique to the Hinduism religion, and a integral part of their culture, artwork, and history (Hin). Hindus also have varying thoughts and beliefs on the connection between the human and divine. The Atman is the Hindu word for "soul" or "self", and is associated with Hindu

Drinking ages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Drinking ages - Essay Example These laws encompass an extensive range of actions and issues associated with alcohol consumption; they clearly indicate when and where alcohol can be imbibed. However, the legal age for consumption of alcohol can be different from the legal age for purchasing of alcohol (Kindelberger 197). Furthermore, these laws are variable among different countries and many laws have room for exemptions under special circumstances; and most laws only restrict the imbibing of alcohol in public places, with no imposition of restriction on alcohol consumed at home. Many countries have different age restrictions for different kinds of alcoholic beverages. The United Kingdom is the only country that has set a minimum age restriction for imbibing alcohol at home. Whereas, in some countries minors are not restricted to consume alcohol, but the alcohol can be seized, and some restrict selling of alcohol to minors. Although the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 clearly specified that individuals of 21 years of age or older are allowed to purchase and consume alcohol, there have been intermittent debates whether the drinking age should be 21 or be lowered to 18. Scientists supporting either side come with substantial evidence. However, popular sentiment tells that there are more people supporting the legal drinking age of 21 than those supporting 18 years of age. The arguments from both sides are primarily centered on adults of age 18-21, and college and university students (Kiesbye 57). A large number of college and university officials have sparked debates that current alcohol drinking laws have poorly failed; that instead of drawing students away from alcohol, they have simply forced students to take underage drinking in secrecy toward dangerous extremes, and it has established a wide-spread culture of clandestine drinking among young adults,

Strategic Management of Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Strategic Management of Human Resources - Essay Example Its short communication chains and collegial workforce culture led to considerable flexibility in responding to changing market demands. Overall company lacking proper co-ordination, there is vertical communications communication hierarchy which was causing the main problems. The shift to horizontal communications should be an obvious one, especially as we see people not as turf owners but as knowledge resources within the network. There will still be vertical communications, of course, but the predominant communication will be horizontal in nature as the core teams leverage knowledge wherever it may be in the enterprise. Horizontal communication in a networked environment is freer and more flowing, with few bureaucratic barriers. It also facilitates providence, where key patterns can be unexpectedly discovered. Perhaps a request from one team to another will give a clue to the pattern the other team is trying to distinguish. If we see our work as information processing, we will stay open to discovery, view the interplay of multiple patterns, and achieve our visions (Chris Brewster, 2000). The emphasis on horizontal work processes in the innovative organization consequences in an emphasis on horizontal communications also. Work cannot become more horizontal unless communication also becomes more horizontal. Besides communication factor, we observed that bank has no appropriate hierarchy as in a collegial/partnership system where unit heads nominally report to the managing director. The management didn’t given an authority to its employees. While the majority of todays managers have been trained and have managed in the traditional hierarchical/autocratic style of management. They have learned to get things done using their authority through the distinct lines of the traditional hierarchy. If employee involvement is to succeed in the long run, that management style

Select an article from a magazine or newspaper that has something in Essay

Select an article from a magazine or newspaper that has something in it that pertains to biology - Essay Example Participants were later showed the same pictures as well as more new ones on a new day. The subjects who had taken the dose managed to identify the pictures that were similar. Other than this test, others were conducted and it was concluded that a certain dose of caffeine, say 200mg, needed to be observed in order to enhance the effect that caffeine had on consolidating the memory. Biology is mainly composed of natural science that is concerned mostly with the study of living things and life as well as their structures, functioning and their growth. Basically, biology is what surrounds us as human beings and the various activities we take part into. In biology, one learns about how the human body works and functions in order to keep one alive. It also introduces one to the most important body organs such as the brain, heart and the liver and how they function. The article on caffeine and long term memory boost relates to this course in that it provides some explanations based on researched work on how one’s memory can be enhanced. The brain is a core topic studied under biology, how it functions and coordinates all the activities in the human body. Biology also introduces students to important concepts in life. One, for example, learns about various hazards that may come as a result of substance abuse such as the hazards that may be brought about by abu sing drugs. The article also to some extent covers on the effects of caffeine related to biological concepts. A book by Harrison, Principles of Internal Medicine, provides relevant information on how the memory is essential in allowing humans not only to store, but also to retrieve information. It also provides information on how the human brain works and the various processes involved (Isselbacher & Harrison 98). This information enables one to understand the article on caffeine especially on the part

Electronic Arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Electronic Arts - Essay Example The EA has a significant market share of sports and hero-based video games. The Electronic Art's core competence is its ability to develop high-quality sports and feature games and offer a fascinating gaming experience to the kids, teens, and young adults in many countries around the world. Concentration: Although there are relatively few large competitors in the worldwide video game industry, it is still a heavily saturated market. The high fixed costs of developing a new game lead to increasing competition among the game programmers for the additional unit sales. Product Differentiation: Attributable to EA's efforts to diversify its products from other video games, it has been able to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors. They have a few areas in which true product differentiation exists - graphics, price, use of celebrities and licensed themes etc. Cost Conditions: due to the short product life and low customer price sensitivity the economies of scale do not have significant impact on the industry performance. Nevetherless, the learning curve effects are present. There is little threat of entry from companies outside of the video games market, however, within the market there is possible threat from manufacturers not yet fully established in the video games (i.e. manufacturers of game consoles), and even then there are significant barriers. Capital Requirements There are moderate capital requirements associated with entering the video games market as supplies can be outsourced and no major investment into R&D and equipment is needed. Access to Channels of Distribution The channel of distribution is another barrier to entry. This has to due to the fact that the retail channels are already saturated with a variety of competing products from established brands. In addition, there may be preference for distributors to sell products with higher margins or greater marketability and volume, making entry difficult. Threat of Substitutes/Complements Buyer propensity to substitute: There are very few other forms of entertainment that can be considered as direct substitutes for video games. However, within the video games market segment there are a number of substitutes because each manufacturer offers their own product range and the customers rarely have high brand loyalty. Complements: video games constitute a complementary good themselves with regard to the game consoles. Although the demand for them can not be considered purely derived, the video games market capacity does depend on the spread of the gaming devices. Bargaining Power of Buyers Price Sensitivity: the end customer perceives price as an indicator of quality and, therefore, is often price insensitive within certain price range. Concentration: Size of the end customer (i.e. consumer) is small and size of one purchase is small, so the end customer itself lacks the bargaining power. However, the wholesale distributors and retailers are bigger in size and their purchases have impact on the total amount of purchases, so they have also more

Total S.A. Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Total S.A. Company - Essay Example The company’s upstream sector is seen to mainly consist of the company’s vast exploration projects for the production of natural gas and crude oil; this is done alongside various gas and electricity developmental activities and coal mining operations. TOTAL’s downstream unit is seen to mainly focus on trading of petroleum products, their marketing as well as refining operations while its chemical division is seen to include the production of various rubber products that are made by its Hutchinson subsidiary. The bulk of the rubber products produced by this subsidiary are usually mostly targeted at the automotive industry. Other chemical products that the company produces include resins, adhesives, inks and paints (Reuters, 2013). When the company was initially formed in 1924 after the first world war, it was initially named as compagnie Françse des PÃ ©troles. At the time of its formation , the French government considered the company as being of critical strategic importance in the event that there happened to be another war with Germany. After the war, the French secured a 25 percent stake in the by then fledgling Turkish Petroleum company whose shares were mostly held by Germany’s Deutsche Bank. ... He incorporated some parts of Orkem chemical group into Total’s various chemical operations. The chemical division was responsible for the production of resins, inks, paints and adhesives. At the time of his taking over the company’s chairmanship, Total company had slowly turned into a complexly organized, extremely bureaucratic and sleepy company and as a result, the company had inadvertently ceded its coveted position of being France’s largest oil company to its rival Elf Aquitaine. Serge managed to turn the company into an aggressive, more modern and sleeker company by abolishing and estimated over two hundred Total company subsidiaries as well as closing down about one-seventh of all of the company’s service stations network (company-Histories.com, 2013), this effectively resulted in the elimination of about 6.500 jobs and saved the oil company hundreds of millions of francs in various expenses. The company also formulated new strategies that helped it defocus its production form the more unstable Middle East and aimed to shift about 50 percent of all its production to areas outside the Middle East. By 1995, the insistence of Tchuruk on ensuring that the company ensured that it beefed up its gas business was instrumental in causing the company to become the world’s third largest gas producer (company-Histories.com, 2013). The company’s name was later changed to Total in the year 1991 when company became listed as a public company and commenced trading on the New Stock Exchange. Tchuruk played a critical role in convincing the French government to ensure that it reduced its direct share holding investment in the oil to 5.4% which was an important move that helped the company increase its own independence as well as its ability to act

Divorce and Remarriage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Divorce and Remarriage - Research Paper Example For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus† (Galatians 3:26-28). Once a person is a believer, there are no distinctions or special dispensations; no excuses. There are, however, levels of moral law1 which must be applied to any and all situations humans encounter in life. After maneuvering through the hierarchical layers, close analysis of biblical permissions for divorce are: fornication and adultery; life-threatening neglect of basic essentials such as food, clothing and shelter; non-fulfillment of marital sexual obligations; mental or physical abuse; departure of the non-believing spouse; and permanent separation despite attempts at reconciliation.2 If any or all of these conditions are met, the spouses are released from the marriage bond and thus free to remarry without committing adultery. The marriage bond is sacred, but it is not absolute. Biblical law was set up to guide sinners from sin to redemption, and there is always room inside the law for the sinner to return to a state of grace. However, we are by nature prone to sin, so the laws clearly address certain instances in which avoiding the sin of dissolving the marital contrac t would cause us to commit another sin such as putting ourselves in danger or choosing to remain married to a sinner.3 Neither of these is a good alternative, so the law allows for marriage dissolution. Before we can discuss the dissolution of the marriage contract, it is helpful to understand what is implied by the marriage contract to start (which provisions are included in the â€Å"standard† contract and which are added on as addenda during our human interactions). The standard contract is straightforward. A man and a woman join in marriage and become one

Case Note on Fletcher Essay Example for Free

Case Note on Fletcher Essay The facts of this case were that the taxpayer (and three others in partnership) entered a complex scheme, which involved the partnership, and annuity and loan arrangements. The scheme was financed through a series of round robin cheques and promised substantial deductions in the first five years of the 15-year plan. A number of documents were exchanged but no cash payments were made. This was calculated to return neutral cash flows with high tax deductions initially and high assessable income, especially in the last five years. A feature of the scheme was that there was an opportunity to terminate it in the last five years. In the relevant year the partnership derived assessable income of $170,000 and claimed deductions of $360,000. The issue before the court was whether the taxpayers were entitled to a deduction for interest. A lot of matters were argued before the case reached the High Court but before the Full Court the Commissioners contention was that the interest deduction should apportioned and disallowed under s 51(1) to the extent that it exceeded the partnership income. Their Honours indicated that if a taxpayers costs in deriving income were less than the actual income, the deductions would be allowable. However, if the costs exceed the income derived, the taxpayers purpose for making the expenditure may be relevant in characterizing and apportioning the expenditure for the purpose of the general deduction provision. This may include the taxpayers purpose for incurring the expenditure. Manson CJ, Brennan, Deane, Dawson, Toohey, Gaudron and McHugh JJ said (at ATR 622-3): The position may, however, well be different in the case where no relevant assessable income can be identified or where the relevant assessable income is less than the amount of the outgoingthe disproportion between outgoing and income, the whole outgoing is properly to be characterized as genuinely and not colourably incurred in gaining or producing assessable income, the entire outgoing will fall within the first limb of s 51(1) unless it is somehow excluded by the exception of. Their Honours concluded that the issue of whether the taxpayers interest deduction would be allowable depended on the determination of whether the 15-year annuity plan would in fact runs its full course. The matter was  remitted to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to determine, as a matter of fact, whether the scheme would run its full 15 years or whether it would be terminated before the last five years. In the former situation, the assessable income would exceed deductions and the interest would be an allowable deduction unde r s 51(1). In the latter situation, an explanation must be sought for the excess of deductions of some $2.7m over assessable income and to the extent that the explanation lay in substantial tax advantages, the outlays were not incurred in gaining assessable income. On the issue of whose purpose must be considered, the court made the following comments: In the circumstances of the present case, its determination involves consideration not only of the purposes of the taxpayers but also of the purposes of those who advised them and acted on their behalf and whose acts (and intentions) as agents must, as the Second Tribunal expressly pointed out, be imputed to the principals. Reduced to its essential elements, if income exceeds outgoings, the taxpayers motives are largely irrelevant. If there is no assessable income or outgoings exceed income, a practical and common sense weighing up of all factors is warranted, including the taxpayers motive. As was anticipated in Phillips case, a disparity between outlay and income may trigger a more rigorous examination of a contract or arrangement. As was suggested in Ures case, the absence of a commercial quid pro quo will raise questions about the purpose of the expenditure. Where there is a dual purpose, or a purpose other than income production, expenditure is to be apportioned and there will be circumstances where purpose may mean subjective purpose or motive.

Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) Effect on Exchange Rate

Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) Effect on Exchange Rate Brent J. Sackett Referee Report 3: Copelovitch, M. S., Pevehouse, J. C. (2013). Ties that Bind? Preferential Trade Agreements and Exchange Rate Policy Choice. International Studies Quarterly, 57(2): 385-399 Summary This paper assesses the effect of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) on exchange rate policies. When a country joins a PTA, the government’s ability to employ trade protection is constrained. This increases incentives to maintain fiscal and monetary autonomy in order to manipulate its domestic political economy. One way to do this is by implementing a flexible exchange rate policy. The authors argue that a PTA with a nation’s â€Å"base† country (the country to whom they have traditionally fixed their currency, or a country where they have extensive trade ties), makes a country less likely to adopt a fixed exchange rate. In addition, this paper argues that countries who have signed a base PTA will also tend to maintain an undervalued exchange rate level. Using an original data set of 99 countries from 1975 to 2004, the authors find empirical support for their argument. Evaluation My overall impression of this article is positive. In fact, I would say this article will be excellent after a few methodological problems are corrected. The paper clearly identifies a research question and provides an important insight that expands our understanding of exchange rate policy. However, I will present some comments and recommendations for improvement. Comment 1 (Theory and Causal Mechanism) In general, the theory and hypotheses are clearly presented and easy to understand. However, one part of the theoretical link between PTAs and exchange rate policy is missing and should be discussed more thoroughly. This may simply be a matter of terminology, or it may indicate a missing link in the causal chain. The authors assert that â€Å"PTAs generally commit members to more extensive free trade (2).† This seems to indicate the causal mechanism behind the story: PTAs tie the hands of governments who want to employ trade protection, so they resort to exchange rate policy instead of tariffs or other means. However, PTAs are not all the same in the way they constrain behavior regarding trade protection (Baccini, Dà ¼r, Elsig Milewicz, 2011, Kucik, 2012). While the authors note substantial cross-national variation in PTA participation, the discussion of variation in the PTAs themselves is inadequate. PTAs are not homogenous and actually vary substantially. Baccini et al. and Kucik both explain that variation in PTA design and implementation goes far beyond simple â€Å"free-trade† protections to include intellectual property, investments, enforcement, and even significantly differing tariff levels and exemptions. Is the paper’s theory based on free-trade commitments generally or PTAs specifically? In footnote 9 on page 4, the authors state that GATT/WTO membership had no influence on exchange rate choice even though in theory it should constrain trade policy choice in the same way a PTA does. This leads to some confusion about the causal mechanism that needs to be clarifi ed. What exactly is the causal mechanism within PTA participation and why does it fail in other commitments to free trade? In addition, I would like to know if the large variation in PTA design effects the causal mechanism. These questions need to be answered to clarify the argument. I have a second concern regarding the assumptions behind the theory. For the causal mechanism to work, the nation must feel pressure to comply with trade restrictions in the PTA. Otherwise, there is no incentive to use exchange rate policy to circumvent the PTA. However, others research has shown that compliance with international agreements is not straightforward and the intention to comply cannot be assumed (Simmons, 1998). Some nations may join PTAs with no intention to comply at all. Others may sign a PTA because they already intended to behave in accordance with the free trade commitments anyway. In either case, the causal mechanism of the paper is undermined. If Simmons and others are correct, a PTA may not provide the restraint the authors assume it does. Although a thorough discussion of compliance is not necessary, I would like to see it mentioned at least briefly. Both of these comments lead to some concerns about the data. Comment 2 (Data) I have two comments regarding the data. The first is a concern about potential measurement errors that follows from my questions about the causal mechanism. The primary explanatory variable BasePTA uses the PTA dataset based on Mansfield et al. (2007). However, the data include significant heterogeneity in the likely causal mechanism (free trade commitments) that is not measured properly. Kucik notes that: â€Å"At one end of the design spectrum, roughly 25% of all PTAs grant their members full discretion over the use of escape clauses, imposing very few if any regulations relating to the enforcement of the contract’s flexibility system. At the other end, no less than 27% of PTAs place strict limits on (or entirely forbid) the use of flexibility (2012, 97).† If this is true, a highly flexible PTA may actually be similar to an observation without a PTA at all. A more refined measurement of the causal mechanism than simple PTA participation may be needed. My second concern regarding the data is related to selection effects. Countries do not join PTAs randomly. For example, democracies are more likely to participate in PTAs (Mansfield, Milner, and Rosendorff, 2002). In addition, there may be other unobserved reasons that individual countries decide to enter into PTAs especially with their base country. I would like to see a more detailed discussion regarding selection effects and perhaps some statistical method to test for it such as a Heckman model. Comment 3 (Methodology) Two problems with endogeneity in the models need to be address. One of the primary dependent variables, Undervaluation, is calculated using GDP per capita (5) to control for the fact that non-tradable goods tend to be cheaper in poorer countries. This is problematic when GDP per capita is also used as an explanatory variable in models 3 and 4 as shown in Table 4. A model using the same variable on both sides of the equation potentially causes problems. This is especially problematic considering the limitations of the other variable capturing the concept of undervaluation REER. According to the authors, REER fails to capture the concept at all! REER â€Å"†¦does not actually indicate whether a currency is over- or undervalued†¦ (5).† It only measures changes in the exchange rate relative to the baseline year. The variable Undervaluation was added to correct this shortcoming, but is hampered by endogeneity. The combination of these two factors may be why the findings about exchange rate levels are not definitive. Another form of endogeneity sneaks into the authors’ model. Beaulieu, Cox, Saiegh (2012) illustrate that GDP per capita and regime types are endogenous. High levels of GDP per capita may simply be an indication of long term democratic government. When both variables are included in models predicting exchange rate policy, the resulting coefficients may be incorrect. The models reported in Tables 2 4 include both GDP per capita (log) as well as democracy (POLITY2) and result in inconsistent levels of statistical significance for both variables. This endogeneity should be addressed using a proxy or other methods. I also have a minor concern with omitted variable bias. Bernhard, et al. (2002) emphasize that Exchange rate policy and Central Bank Independence (CBI) cannot be studied in isolation. They have potentially overlapping effects and measurements of both need to be included in a model explaining monetary policy. I recommend incorporating an additional variable that measures CBI. My final concern with methodology has to do with the operationalization of the concept of democratic institutions. The authors briefly note that domestic political institutions influence exchange rate policy. Specifically, the nature of the electoral process and interest group influence can result in variations in exchange rate policy (for example, Moore Mukherjee 2006; Mukherjee, Bagozzi, and Joo 2014). In addition, Bearce (2014) shows that democracies manipulate exchange rate policy to appease domestic groups without regard to PTAs. To control for this, the authors use the Polity2 variable and two export composition variables. However the composite measurement of democracy fails to account for the variation in political institutions (such as parliamentary systems) that have been found causal in influencing exchange rate policy. In addition, the variables Mfg Exports and Ag Exports fail to account for an interest group’s ability to influence policy. To fully control for demo cratic institutions, the authors need to identify the relevant democratic institutions and use a variable to capture those institutions. The Polity2 composite is inadequate. Comment 4 (Discussion and Implications): My first comment about the discussion is positive. I think the model extension to capture the interaction effects between BasePTA and Base Trade is excellent and insightful. In particular, Figure 1 is very well done and clearly illustrates this effect. However, the rest of the discussion of the findings is overshadowed by the data and methodological problems. In particular, the comment about the â€Å"noisy (12)† nature of the findings regarding exchange rate levels seems like a cop-out. I would rather see the methodology strengthened instead of excuses (although to be fair, exchange rate levels are indeed noisy). Smaller issues The general structure of the paper is solid and the writing is clear, but I have some comments regarding minor issues that could improve the impact of this paper. Comment 1 (Primary Dependent Variable discussion): I am concerned by the comment that the potential measurements of the dependent variable (Exchange Rate Regime) differ in methodology and yield â€Å"†¦ quite different classifications across countries and over time (5).† This caused a red flag and left me concerned initially. Valid and reliable measurement of this variable is essential to properly test the hypothesis. I recommend rewording this and explaining more simply from the start why this variation exists and why it does not threaten the model. Comment 2 (Inflation Variable discussion) The inflation variable (6) uses two sources to account for missing observations (World Bank and IMF). I am concerned that the measurement methodology may not be exactly the same and could introduce bias when the observations are combined. A brief sentence or two covering the compatibility between the two sources would eliminate this concern. Recommendation to the editor Revisions required: This paper will make a strong contribution to the literature with some revisions. My biggest concern has to do with the causal mechanism and how the concept is captured in the primary explanatory variable. Explaining this in more detail and addressing the other issues will make this paper ready for publication. References Beaulieu, E., Cox, G. and Saiegh, S. (2012). Sovereign Debt and Regime Type: Reconsidering the Democratic Advantage. International Organization, 66(04): 709-738 Baccini, Leonardo, Andreas Dà ¼r, Manfred Elsig and Karolina Milewicz (2011). â€Å"The Design of Preferential Trade Agreements: A New Dataset in the Making†, WTO Staff Working Paper ERSD-2011-10 Bearce, David (2014). A Political Explanation for Exchange-Rate Regime Gaps. The Journal of Politics, 76(1): 58–72 Bernhard, William, J. Lawrence Broz, and William Roberts Clark (2002). The Political Economy of Monetary Institutions. International Organization, 5: 693-723 J Lawrence Broz and Seth Werfel (2014). Exchange Rates and Industry Demands for Trade Protection. International Organization, 68(02):393–416 Kucik, Jeffrey (2012). The Domestic Politics of Institutional Design: Producer Preferences over Trade Agreement Rules. Economics Politics 24(2):95–118 Mansfield, Edward, Helen Milner, and Jon Pevehouse. (2007). Vetoing Co-operation: The Impact of Veto Players on Preferential Trade Agreements. British Journal of Political Science 37: 403–432. Mansfield, Edward, Helen Milner, and Peter Rosendorff (2002). Why Democracies Cooperate More: Electoral Control and International Trade Agreements International Organization, 56(3): 477-513 Moore, Will and Bumba Mukherjee (2006). Coalition Government Formation and Foreign Exchange Markets: Theory and Evidence from Europe. International Studies Quarterly, 50(1):93–118 Mukherjee, Bumba, Benjamin Bagozzi, and Minhyung Joo (2014). Foreign Currency Liabilities, Party Systems and Exchange Rate Overvaluation. IPES Conference Paper 1–44 Simmons, Beth (1998) Compliance with International Agreements. Annual Review of Political Science 1:75-93