Ursuline Essay free essay sample

As I sit here, I ponder on how to outline the most important essay I may ever have to write in my life. This essay that I’m forced to terms with and compose may be the reason I get accepted into Ursuline College. I may also make a huge mistake on the way I write this essay and it will be the reason I don’t get accepted into Ursuline College. My head is exploding with questions, â€Å"What can I possibly write to give this reader no choice but to except me? How can I, Dominique, pick and choose my best thoughts to put down on paper so that when I read it aloud to myself I can envision a reader’s jaw drop down in awe?† With each passing minute the worry I had the minute before just rolls off my shoulders. I have come to the conclusion that I can’t make you except me, but I will tell you right now that with this essay I’m going to try my very best. We will write a custom essay sample on Ursuline Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Trying my best and giving it my all is really all I can do. The rest is up to you, kind reader. With that said, I hope you are able to sit back, kick your feet up for a moment, and enjoy reading my stripped bare, most honestly written essay. â€Å"Just do your best. I know the best you can do will always be great.† My mother would say this to me every moment I hung my head down low because I was so worried about a test, a performance, or anything else. Hearing this every time I was feeling worried it became one of my personal values. It is always very important for a child to know that as long as you do your absolute best, what is there to be worried about? I have applied this value to absolutely every test I have ever taken, every stage I ever walked out on, and every set of eyes I looked in to tell the truth. It may not seem like it to adults, but when I child does something bad, it takes a lot of guts to own up to what that child did. Doing your best to be completely honest is another value I hold close to myself. If there were only lies in this world the human population would cease to exist, that’s my theory anyway. Without the truth more people would be in jail, more relationships would fail causing reproduction to slow, and the government would fall apart. Yes, everyone lies, but there is always some truth to every lie and always another truth to counteract that lie. Honesty is an important key to help keep this world together. The community has always been a large portion of my life. My very first act of kindness towards my community was when I asked my mother if could volunteer at an animal shelter. I was especially excited because I was only twelve years old and researched the volunteering idea all on my own. After leaving the Rescue Village animal shelter on that crisp, October Sunday afternoon, I was officially a volunteer. My mother also became a volunteer because being only fourteen I had to have a parent go with me, you have to be at least 16 to go on your own. My mother and I have been volunteering there through the Parent-and-me project every Sunday morning at 8:00 am for the past five years. One year I volunteered so much I received a Gold medal award and pin for being only fifteen at the time and volunteering over 500 hours. Along with my volunteering hours, I raised over five hundred dollars all on my own for Rescue Village’s Woofstock event. Rescue Village is not the only place I help save and care for animals. The house in which I live in is its very own special type of shelter. My mother started saving feline leukemia positive cats because shelters will just put them down once the test comes back positive. Along with my mother, I help her take care of these cats and slowly find permanent homes for them. I feed them, change their litter boxes, and occasionally take them to the veterinarian if no one else can. Being a volunteer at Rescue Village and helping save my very own little collection of cats has really molded me to the helpful, caring, animal loving person I am today. I am now one of few leading voices against animal cruelty. Saving animals has given me the courage to make animal cruelty my topic for any discussion or debate. A short time after raising money for Rescue Village I was selected to participate in a student ambassador program called People-to-People. This program selects students from schools all across the country who demonstrates responsibil ity, good grades, and most importantly, leadership skills. The program was established by President Eisenhower to send kids around the world, learn about different cultures, and enhance leadership skills. On my trip I went to various cities in Australia for sixteen days. In Australia, I learned new skills and learned how to enhance skills I thought I had already perfected. This trip taught me how to become more independent, how to become not only a good leader, but a respected one, and I even learned how to get along with so many different personalities, religions, and life-styles. This trip is one of the most significant learning experience of my life. When I came back I was so much more independent and ten times more stronger. My mind-set took the role of a leader and I my thought process of situations completely changed. Finally my, personally, most valuable act of leadership began in the summer before my junior year. My boyfriend and I discovered we were going to have a baby boy when I was already eighteen weeks pregnant. The struggles and the reticule I endured by random students and even my so called friends made me into the strong woman I am today. Simply by writing this essay I set an example by beating the odds. Only 37% of teen moms’ graduate high school and of those 37%, only 46% go on to college. By having my son, graduating high school, and going on to college I am inspiring other teen moms to set higher goals for themselves. Taking a leading position, for my senior search project I want to travel to different high schools and speak about abstinence and how important it really is. Some say I have it easy because I still have my boyfriend and the support of both our families, but my friend doesn’t even have a home because her mother is so disappointed. Even though senior search is much further in the future, I am helping all the teen moms I know of in my community. One of them is a girl I absolutely couldn’t stand, but after I found out she was pregnant I leant out a helping hand for her to take. Now we are best friends and we help each other out a lot. I hope by starting small, I’ll be able to build myself up to traveling the country and speaking up about the extreme importance of abstinence. My leadership qualities come from a combination of my life experiences and my values. I am who I am today because of the things that have happened in my life. I am proud of myself, take school seriously, I am well disciplined, and I am the hardest worker you will ever meet. Ursuline is where I belong and where my future will spread its’ wings. Thank you for your time.

The Case of the Elusive Car Salesman Essays - Sedans, Sports Sedans

The Case of the Elusive Car Salesman Essays - Sedans, Sports Sedans The Case of the Elusive Car Salesman Subject: English Short Story The Case of the Elusive Car Salesman I was pacing around Lexington, waiting for my local mechanic to finish the latest repairs on my 77 Chevy Impala. My name's Yesterday, Sam Yesterday. It was hot in Lexington, by that is not uncommon for mid-July. I'd had a good several months, and I was in good financial position for the first time since I bought that Impala back in 1977. That car had served me well, but lately it had been failing. Maybe it was time for a trade, I thought; so I walked over to the nearest friendly (sort of) car dealership. As soon as I set foot on the shiny showroom floor, it seized me. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. A sparkling combination of steel, leather, electronics, and a very large engine. The muscle car had been revitalized in the form of a 1995 Chevy Impala SS. It was sleek, resembling the type of car Darth Vader would drive. I grabbed the nearest salesman, hopped into the body hugging leather bucket, fired up the 275 bhp. LT1 engine and took off. As the 6-speaker CD stereo belted out Aerosmith the poor salesman tried to sell me a car that had already sold itself. I had fallen in love, it was the only car that I had loved since that 77 Impala. It had an engine large enough to satisfy my primitive need for power, an image that screamed "Hey you with the radar gun! See if you can catch me!" Granted, it was heavy, it had watery boat-like handling, and drank gas like my Uncle Bubba drinks beer. Still, I loved it. It wasn't Japanese, German, Korean, or otherwise. It was a big hunk of purebred, American muscle car, dammit. I picked out a nice shiny new one, called the bank and drove home in my new wheels. I decided to spring for all the bells and whistles; leather, CD player, alarm system, keyless entry, etc. I figured that if this car was going to run as long as my last Impala it should be well-equipped. As I was admiring the view from my office in the Financial Center, the phone rang. I answered and was greeted by a rather hysterical woman named Diane who thought that she had been cheated by her car dealership. "That evil Car salesman has kidnaped my car!" she explained. I calmed her down and asked what happened. "Well, Larry, the salesman, picked up my Lexus for servicing, just as usual. Also as usual, he left a more expensive car as a loaner. Later in the day, I received a call saying that my car had been destroyed. Larry said that one of the technicians had accidentally cranked it right up into the ceiling while it was sitting on the lift. I found it hard to believe, but he promised me a new model if I would just come over and sign the papers. As soon as I arrived, Larry said that he would credit me the value of the car if I wanted to by a nicer mor expensive model. I agreed and ended up with a lovely new sports coupe." "Nice car," I remarked, realizing that the salesman was making a tidy profit on the transaction. "Yes, it is. But I still miss my Essie." "Essie?" I interrupted, quizzically. "Yes, Essie was the name of my old car, the ES300, I loved Essie, and the new car wasn't the same." "You had a brand new $55,000 Lexus, which you got for only $25,00 and you miss you older $35,000 Lexus?" I asked, beginning to wonder whether she was playing this game with a full deck. "Yes, I did. So, anyway, I read the article in the paper covering the incident, and was struck by something. The general manager said that he was baffled, because there are safety mechanisms on the lifts, preventing them from going that high. I also realized that Larry would be making his regular commission on a $55,000 Lexus, and not a $25,000 one, because the payment for the ES was made by the insurance company after the sale. So, not only had he made money on Essie, but on the new car as well." "Interesting. Is that all?" I asked. "Yes. If the accident wasn't really an accident, I want to know, and I want a lot more than a new sports coupe, that car meant a lot to me." She concluded,

Jimmy Stewart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Jimmy Stewart - Essay Example He won Oscars for his wonderful performance in â€Å"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington† (1939) and â€Å"The Philadelphia Story† in 1940. He served as a combat pilot during World War II and came back with more spirits and enthusiasm to break his own previous records. He starred in â€Å"It’s a wonderful life† in 1946 which became his reason for endless fame (Laufenberg, 2005 p 847). Jimmy Stewart had the personality which inspired me the most. The traits he portrayed in his roles, the passion, enthusiasm, zeal, quest for knowledge, ambitious personality and moral values are some of the factors that involved viewers in his role. He represented the kind of moral character which, if adopted, may change individualistic approach and further improve the society. The thoughts and feelings before taking any step and making any decision that is portrayed by him inspire the perceptions of the viewer. He was not fond of glamour but performed in movies the way he really was. This natural style is also a positive and unique trait in his character. Knowing his unique personality traits, I am much fond of his movies and gathering information about his

SPEECH ASSIGNMENT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SPEECH - Assignment Example So without informing the new intern, you decide to send out an evaluation form for coworkers to complete and then provide the intern with the results. Your behavior in this scenario is Hans and Frans are coworkers. Hans needs a new printer, and goes to Frans, who handles equipment requisitions. Frans says he will need to fill out a form and wait for the supply order to be processed, which will take about 4 weeks. Hans would like to simply go to a store to buy a printer, and be reimbursed. b. I feel frustrated when you leave for work and don’t put your dishes in the dishwasher, because then I have to do it. I’d like you to make sure you put your dishes in the dishwasher before you leave in the morning. 21. Marc and Stacy are on a committee that has been given the task of planning a large event. Marc has a tendency to state his opinion in tentative ways, saying things like â€Å"I think a buffet might work better† and â€Å"Well, I’m not sure, but we’ll probably get a better turn-out if we hold it at 7 pm rather than 5pm. On the other hand, Stacy tends to make declarations like â€Å"Everyone knows that buffets are tacky,† and â€Å"We need to catch the after-work crowd so the event needs to start at 5 pm.† Which of the following dimensions of defensive vs. supportive climates do their styles BEST reflect? 25. Brian and Subrina have been having relational conflicts over her financial behavior and debt. During a heated discussion about her inability to cover her half of the bills for the month, she blurts out â€Å"Why don’t you just leave me if I am so irresponsible?† Brian replies, â€Å"You are awesome at so many things. This is just a small and fixable problem that we both would benefit from working on.† His response would BEST be described as: 27. Aaron and Jose share an office and have clashed several times over the volume of music that Aaron plays while working. Because

Poor staff recruitment at Qatar Airways Research Paper

Poor staff recruitment at Qatar Airways - Research Paper Example Qatar Airways is a major competitor in the global airline industry. The firm’s success in the global market has been highly related to the quality of its customer services. However, it seems that in the future the firm will have to face severe challenges as of its recruitment process. Up today, the firm’s recruitment process has been quite simple, incorporating two key phases: a recruitment event and an interview. The firm arranges recruitment events of 3 different types: for cabin crew positions, for flight deck crew positions and for other positions in general. The review of the firm’s recruitment process in regard to all the above positions leads to the following assumption: the recruitment process of the organization is quite simple, not securing the identification of appropriately skilled candidates. Indeed, as described in the firm’s website the recruitment process of the firm consists the following sub-processes: the candidate who is interested in a pplying for a particular position comes to one of the firm’s recruitment events; the candidate needs to be appropriately dressed and have a CV. In each recruitment event, candidates meet the firm’s HR managers and give their CVs. At the next level, successful candidates are asked to pass an interview. However, no reference is made to the firm’s criteria in regard to the success of candidates in the first phase of the recruitment process, i.e. the recruitment event; also, the criteria for passing the interview are not mentioned. It seems that in the particular organizations HR managers are highly based on their own perceptions for evaluating the appropriateness of candidates for a particular position. In this way, the firm’s recruitment process can be negatively criticized, as of its failure in promoting diversity, equality and fairness.

Sub Cultures From Which Criminal Behaviour Arises Criminology Essay

Sub Cultures From Which Criminal Behaviour Arises Criminology Essay Clarke et al. describe culture as the way social relations of a group are constructed, acknowledged and interpreted by its members. A subculture differs in its focal concerns but will also share some things in common with the culture from which it derives; also known as the parent culture. Subcultures must exhibit a unique structure focused on certain activities, beliefs and so on, that visibly distinguish them. Nevertheless, as they are sub-sets, there must be significant things that bind them with the parent culture. For example, the Kray twins were part of a criminal subculture and the working class culture in East London. Subcultures can be characterized by a distinctive language, music taste, dress sense, hairstyle and lifestyle understood and shared by its members. Examples include rockers, Rastafarians or punks. Criminal subcultures on the other hand, may share most of these characteristics, but will hold an alternative value system that accepts delinquent behaviour. Richard C loward and Lloyd Ohlin state that a delinquent subculture is one in which certain forms of delinquent activity are essential requirements for the performance of the dominant roles supported by the subculture (1960: 7). Criminal subcultures are normally found among lower class young males from large urban areas (Cloward Ohlin, 1960; Croall, 1998). This essay will look at a brief history of Robert Mertons work and the input of the Chicago School and associated theorists such as Edwin Sutherland to provide an understanding of how and why American subcultural theories developed thereafter. These approaches will be looked upon in assessing the works of Albert Cohen (1955) and Cloward and Ohlin (1960). Other works will be discussed such as Gresham Sykes and David Matza (1957) and Walter Miller (1958) to critique American subcultural theories. Finally, this shall be followed by work that emerged from Britain including David Downes and the Birmingham University Centre for Contemporary Cult ural Studies (CCCS). Other key factors influencing the nature of subcultures will be raised in order to provide a substantiated conclusion. Croall (1998) and Newburn (2007) both argue that American subcultural theory emerged from research carried out by the Chicago School in the 1930s on cultures, street life and delinquent gangs in Chicago. It was found that certain subcultures in society have different values and attitudes that contribute towards crime and violence. Influential theorists such as Edwin Sutherland (1937) aimed to explain the nature and development of youth subcultures by suggesting that crime is a learned behaviour that takes place in specific groups with different behaviours, attitudes and peer group pressures. He argued further that those exposed to more criminal than non-criminal values were more likely to adopt criminal values learnt through a process of differential association. This includes the techniques of committing a crime, motives, drives and rationalizations associated with crime. This differential association may differ in terms of frequency, duration, priority and intensity. Individuals th erefore become criminal due to an increased number of definitions favourable to breaking the law over definitions unfavourable to violations (Fulcher Scott, 2003; White Haines, 2004; OBrien Yar, 2008). On the contrary, Robert Merton developed the Strain Theory (1938) to expand upon the concept of anomie first argued by Durkheim who suggested that anomie is a state of normlessness in society. Merton attempted to explain the breakdown of cultural and social structure that accompanied the Great Depression of 1930s America (Burke, 2005). Social institutions such as the mass media, education system and the state stressed that middle class material rewards and success of the American Dream were achievable goals for individuals who worked hard to attain them, as argued by Merton. Unfortunately, working class male youths had different institutional means available to them. Moreover, they were ill prepared as they were not socialized to succeed in a middle class environment. They experienced strains associated with inappropriate structural opportunities to achieve culturally defined goals. For that reason, these blocked opportunities lead some people to form a delinquent subculture as a col lective solution to pursue alternative criminal avenues. Mertons theory therefore indicates that strains do not reside within the individual but are produced by wider social processes and structures (Croall, 1998, Bilton et al. 2002). Merton developed five different ways in which individuals respond; conformism- people accept the culturally defined goals and institutionalized means of attaining them; innovation- individuals accept the culturally defined goals but lack the institutionalized means to attain them and therefore resort to crime; ritualism- people accept the naturally defined goals but cannot sustain them but continue to pursue institutional mean regardless of the outcome; retreatism- people reject both the culturally defined goals and institutionalized means of attaining them and retreat from society in different ways such as substance abuse; and rebellionism- people substitute their own cultural goals and institutionalized means in place of the conventional goals and me ans of achieving them (White Haines, 2004; Burke, 2005; Newburn, 2007). Merton is criticized for accepting the status quo and assuming that there is a consensus amongst everyone to pursue the middle class cultural goals of ambition, success and achievement, rather than acknowledging how powerful people define society and its goals. Also, the focus is merely upon working class crime thus Merton accepts the official recorded crime statistics which suggest that crime is mostly committed by the working class. This suggests that the strain theory fails to consider structural inequalities for example how the capitalist system marginalizes and labels lower classes and criminalizes their activities. In addition to this Merton ignores other crimes like white collar or corporate crimes which are equally or even more damaging to society. Finally, though there may be some strain underpinning criminal behaviour, Merton does not fully explain why some individuals respond with delinquent behaviou r and others do not (White Haines, 2004, Fawbert, 2013). A different argument is provided by Albert Cohen in Delinquent Boys (1955) who developed the subcultural theory of Status Frustration. He criticized Merton for focusing on acquisitive property crime alone. Cohen argues that lower-class boys fail to attain the middle-class standards of success, suffer cultural deprivation, unemployment, educational failure and broken homes. For Cohen, the school was where lower class youth understood their choices were constrained by society (White Haines, 2004). As a result, they experience status frustration and reject mainstream goals. A delinquent subculture is formed as a collective response to these social problems. Individuals invert middle class values and therefore engage in negativistic malicious crimes such as vandalism in search for status rather than material success (Bilton et al. 2002; Terpstra, 2006, Fawbert, 2013). This notion is supported by Paul Willis study Learning to Labour (1981). Walter B. Miller disagrees with Cohens view tha t delinquents value middle class beliefs and invert them by acting out their frustration via negativistic crime. Miller developed the lower-class cultural theory (1958) that focused on gang delinquency and argued that the lower class has a separate, identifiable culture distinct from the culture of the middle class. (p.27). He argues that it has its own value system which naturally produces crime, thus a young person who conforms to lower-class values automatically becomes criminal. According to Miller (1958) lower-class culture is characterized by focal concerns; toughness, smartness, autonomy, excitement, fate and trouble. Therefore, a criminal subculture stands independently from middle-class culture and draws its beliefs and practices from its parent lower class culture (Glick, 2005; Terpstra, 2006). Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin (1960) criticize Albert Cohen for failing to explain why different types of delinquency take different forms. They argue that all classes share the same societal goals of success and wealth, however, the working class is deprived of gaining these goals. Illegitimate opportunity structures will arise in situations where the cultural goals are still pursued, but legitimate opportunities are lacking. Cloward and Ohlin therefore accept Mertons view that denied legitimate access to available opportunities results in working class criminality. Cloward and Ohlin stress that delinquents have withdrawn their support from established norms and have invested officially forbidden norms of conduct with a claim to legitimacy in the light of their special situation (1960: 19-20). Cloward and Ohlin suggest working class youth will share their own delinquent subcultural values dependent on different environments that provide different opportunities for crime (White Ha ines, 2004; Burke, 2005; Glick, 2005, Shildrick, 2006). Cloward and Ohlin (1960) provide three different types of subcultures which are a form or adaptation from the blocked opportunities given by the dominant social order. First is the criminal subculture found in areas with a pre-existing criminal culture whereby prestige is allocated to those who attain material success via illegal means of securing income such as property theft. To succeed within this subculture, one should cultivate appropriate connectionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦promote an apprenticeship à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦with older and successful offenders (1960: 23). Second is the conflict subculture found in areas with high gang warfare and where the aim is to acquire a reputation for toughness and destructive violence (1960: 25). The manipulation of violence allows for individuals to gain status and prestige amongst their peers. The third type is retreatist subculture and it involves those that have failed to succeed both legitimately or otherwise; a double failure. Individuals or groups engage in a hedonistic existence and are culturally and socially detached from the life-style and everyday preoccupations of members of the conventional world (1960: 25). Alcohol or drug consumption becomes a way of life. All three subcultures are alike in that norms that guide behaviour are opposite to the norms of mainstream society. Cloward and Ohlin accept that these subcultures may sometimes overlap one another but overall their theory shows how working class delinquency is not due to material gain only (Croall, 1998; Newburn, 2007; Fawbert, 2013). Alternatively, David Matza 1964 argued that subcultural theory was guilty of over-predicting delinquency and ignoring human agency by providing an over deterministic view of human behaviour as influenced by society. Gresham Sykes and David Matza (1957) developed the Delinquency and Drift Theory that rejects subcultural theories and argues that working class youth subcultures form as a way of expressing particular subterranean values such as hedonism, adventure, thrill seeking and risk. Skyes and Matza argue that these are shared with mainstream society but expressed in different contexts. Mainstream society expresses these values and deferred gratification during their leisure time, whereas delinquents express these at the wrong time and place. Subcultures are seen to disregard the work ethic and enjoy pleasures that have not been earned through work (Fulcher and Scott, 2003). Further, similar to Cohens view, delinquents do not fully reject middle class goals, but regularly use techn iques of neutralization or deviance disavowal to justify their criminal actions (Shields Whitehall, 1994). One technique is the denial of responsibility such as suggesting that their action was accidental or blame it on their parents. Second is the denial of the victim by suggesting that the victim deserved it. Third is the denial of injury which involves the criminal refuting that their behaviour caused any real harm and was just for fun. Fourth, is condemning the condemners by suggesting that the police are corrupt for example. Lastly, an appeal to higher loyalties whereby other norms other than legal ones are more important and are worth protecting loved ones even if it means perverting the law (White Haines, 2004; Glick, 2005; Newburn, 2007; Fawbert, 2013). All in all, Matza and Sykes suggest that norms and values of subculture allow for criminality but do not demand it, particularly from the lower working class. Mainstream values influence criminals, thus subculture of delinquency is loose-knit as only a few members are full time committed and most drift between conformity and deviance (Fawbert, 2013 and Skyes Matza, 1957; Croall, 1998; Newburn, 2007). On the other hand, Skyes and Matza are criticized by Newburn (2007) and Downes (1966) for denying that there are distinct groups with their own distinctive values. Instead, they suggest that all people share delinquent subcultural values. The subcultural theories that have been looked at developed in America and were not always relevant to Britain where violent or criminal gangs were rarer. British work on subcultures developed from the work by Birmingham Universitys Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) established by Richard Hoggart in 1964, which criticized American approaches. The CCCS followed a Marxist perspective and focused on subcultures based around particular styles such as teds, rockers, skinheads and so forth. Rather than individual problems of status, the Birmingham school regarded subcultures as a working class young people solution to the problematic societal conditions. They argued that youth may face the double failure of not being able to achieve the goals of their parent culture or dominant culture as each new generation faces its own problems regarding local economic conditions. For example Stan Cohen (1972) suggested that working class youth subcultures in 1960s and 70s Britain develope d due to housing and employment changes that affected the working class as a whole. Communities broke down and many traditional jobs disappeared. Thus he argues that the latent function of subcultures is to express and resolve the contradictions unresolved in the parent culture (Clarke et al., 1976, Croall, 1998; Young, 2006). Croall (1998) argues that David Downes (1966) who carried out work on criminal youths in London found that they did not conform to the image suggested by American subcultural theorists, Cohen and Cloward Ohlin. Instead, delinquent activities were seen as fun mostly by youth with poor education and they did not display frustration at their lack of success. Rather than being opposed to mainstream values they were dissociated from middle class values within school or work settings. These youths formed a subculture where delinquent activities were an appealing solution to a leisure problem that simply occurred in their social circumstances. This is because they could not participate in middle class leisure pursuits (Glick, 2005, Muncie, 2009). In addition to this, Downes also argues that Matzas model under predicted delinquency. It appears as though crime is a working class male phenomenon, but this may be because of bourgeois assumptions about criminality. Crime statistics are measured in a positivist way and have shown that the lower working class have a greater tendency to commit crime. Moreover, it is the powerful class that puts pressure on the police and the criminal justice system to create a culture that serves their interest and not attract the label of criminality. One problem with subcultural theories as a whole is that they tend to ignore certain aspects linked to culture such as gender and ethnicity as well as the conflicts between dominant and subordinate groups. In addition to this, Heidensohn also criticizes subcultural theories for determinism, selectivity, conformity and anomie (Fulcher Scott, 2003; Young, 2006; Newburn, 2007). Other points to consider include the effect of labeling individuals as delinquent which may result in a process of self-fulfilling prophecy. One example of this is Jock Youngs study (1971) which found that 1960s hippie marijuana users, who took drugs as a social activity, developed a subculture that valued drug consumption only after they were labeled and targeted by the police. Regarding the mass media, moral panics are created through the amplified exposure of negative images of subcultures. These too exaggerate the activities of subculture and further reinforce dominant values and beliefs. Nevertheless, these theories have taken away the blame on the individual, as provided by classical theories of crime, and shifted it to social structures. Merton emphasized the strain between goals and means and the way criminal means would be used to attain goals where legitimate means such as education are lacking. Subcultural approaches by Cohen and Cloward and Ohlin, acknowledged the formation of subcultures as a response to a lack of status and opportunities supplied by cultural goals (White Haines, 2004; Clarke et al, 2006).

Consumerism and Marketing Essay -- Marketing Retail

Simply Food use their brand image to capitalize on holiday celebrations such as Christmas and New Years. Authoritative performance plays a key role in their increased sales during these periods; people across the United Kingdom await a traditional Christmas meal in their homes (Data Monitor, 2010). These consumers are lured by the Simply Food elegant image and therefore psychologically they link the Simply Food meal to the festivity of the season. Tesco have discounted many products and extended their finest range in the run up to the 2010 Christmas period. As a consumer this gives a reason to sacrifice the ideal worthy product for a less superior one. From a personal perspective, it makes me more in inclined to consider shopping for my meal at Tesco’s for Christmas. However, there are conditions in my case, the meals must be cheaper, and should be comparable to Simply Food for quality. As an individual who frequently shops at Tesco, I would further be rewarded for my loyalty, in the form of attaining more ‘club card points’ on my loyalty card. I have been a Tesco loyalty ‘club card’ holder for nearly a year now building up my points with every purchase at the retailer. My research required that I visit Simply Food to see what benefits I would receive by shopping with them. To my disappointment a staff members informed me that Simply Food did not have a similar scheme to Tesco unless a credit card was taken out through them. I was left feeling utterly mad and disappointed. Tesco have managed to apply and implement a co-creation of value through their use of a loyalty program. The supermarket chain has directed their aim at business-to-customer initiatives which is an example of relationship marketing – in essence, profit and the ... ...ent. Works Cited Aslam M., 2006. Are you selling the right colour? A cross-cultural review of colour as a marketing cue. Journal of Marketing Communications. Vol. 12, pp15-30. Billings, S., 2008. Design Week Magazine. Vol. 23, Issue 20. Borgerson, J and Schroeder, J., 2005. Identity in marketing communications: an ethics of visual representation. Marketing communications: new approaches, technologies, and styles. Data Monitor, 2008. Marks & Spencer Simply Food case study, pp1-11. Data Monitor, 2010. Market Watch: Food. Company Watch: Tesco, pp 88-93. Hilton, M. 2003. Consumerism in Twentieth-Century Britain. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ‘Marketable entity’ – Lecture Slide Presentation 11.10.2010 P17. Venkatesh, A. 1992. Postmodernism, consumer culture and the society of the spectacle. Advances in Consumer Research. Vol. 19, pp199-202.

Corporate Structure

Demand for disclosure has been spurred by information asymmetry and agency conflict between management and investors. Good corporate structure principles are the foundation upon which trust of investors and lenders is built, corporate governance is a philosophy and mechanism that entails putting in place better structures and processes through which the affairs of a company are directed and managed to enhance long term shareholders value through transparency and accountability. Previous empirical studies on the association between cost of equity capital and voluntary disclosure have documented confusing results, Botosan and Plumlee (2002) found a positive association exists between voluntary disclosure and cost of equity capital while Gietzmann and Ireland (2005) found a negative relationship between disclosure and cost of capital. Increased application of corporate governance all over the world has risen after major corporate scandals due to lack or improper corporate disclosure, this has resulted to investors and lenders lose confidence in the traditional financial reporting. Transparency and disclosure creates and sustains confidence of investors, stakeholders and the winder society and provides opportunity for continuous improvement of business structure and processes this has resulted to re-examination and scrutiny of the existing corporate disclosure thus spurring the need for expanding the existing disclosure policy. Voluntary disclosure, being one key pillar of corporate governance is regarded as an external mechanism for the control of the management, protection of the shareholders and a decrease of the agency costs resulting from information asymmetry between the management and shareholders. Botosan (2002) observed that firms which disclose more information in their annual reports enjoy the benefit of lower cost of capital. The current growing trend towards increased corporate disclosure will soon transform into a veritable river of additional information.Although the purpose of disclosure is to provide adequate and sufficient information to the various stakeholders, managers may choose not to disclosure certain information in orders to protect competitive advantage Kavitha and Nandagopal,(2011). Studies have shown that public firms are careful about disclosing information that might lead to competitive disadvantage, example, information about technological innovations, strategic and specific operation data Elliott and Jacobson (1994). The decision on the optimal level of disclosure is thus affected by the interplay between the costs and the benefits of disclosure. 1.2 Voluntary Disclosure Elements of voluntary disclosure will be classified into four classes of information disclosure as forward-looking, financial, corporate social responsibility and board size. Voluntary disclosure is regarded as an important economic tool that aids communicating information to different market players in an industry with an aim of providing clear view about business's long term sustainability. Information disclosure conveys company's information to the owners, stakeholders and general public about the quality and value of the company Hamrouni et al.,(2015).Corporate disclosure falls into two categories, mandatory disclosure and voluntary disclosure covering all types of information, both of financial and non-financial in nature. Laws, regulations and accounting standards stipulate mandatory information disclosure whereas voluntary disclosure is the information reported beyond the statutory requirements. Meek el al, (1995) defines voluntary disclosure as the free option on the part of the company management to provide accounting and other information deemed pertinent to the decision needs of users of their annual reports. The extent and type of voluntary disclosure is dependent of the industry, size, governance structure, ownership structure and geographic region. Boesso and Kumar (2007) claimed that one of the determinants that led to the emergence of voluntary disclosure was the inadequacy of financial reporting as claimed by investors and shareholders . Investors increasingly demanded openness and disclosure of information relating to performance and strategies. Organizations gains some benefit by virtue of disclosing sustainably over and above the statutory required information. Li and McConomy (1999) found that firms in better financial conditions are more likely to voluntarily adopt new International Financial Reporting Standards (IRFS) on environmental disclosure and hence become more profitable and reduce the cost of compliance. Spanheimer and Koch (2000) noted the primary motive for adopting informative accounting as the access to global funding, worldwide comparability of financial statements, increased transparency and pressure from capital markets. Ross (1997) found that companies that provide more information disclosures reduced the occurrence of information asymmetry between the owners and manager, subsequently get to enjoy low cost of capital. The benefits of disclosure are for example, increased share price will lower cost of capital resulting from a firm's full disclosure Nayak, (2012). Investors and creditors are better informed with a high level of disclosure making them understand the economic risk of the investment Elliott and Jacobsom, (1994). Disclosure is generally done in the company annual report either through the statements or notes accompanying the statements. The disclosure elements in the study for measuring the level of voluntary disclosure will include forward-looking information, financial and capital information, corporate social responsibility information and board size information. Forward-looking information represents one form of corporate disclosure. It provides a confidence signaling power to the stakeholder in the management capability to foresee the future prospects of the business. According to Celik et al. (2006) forward-looking information helps to predict the future of a company in terms of performance and strength of the management. Management credibility is gained by accurately predicting company future forecast over and over. Even though the shareholders frequently question the management about what is going to happen to the company in future, the management cannot predict or gives a certain answer to what is going to happen but they observe market trends and then present the shareholders with explanations about what the company future prospects. Companies that wish to access external sources of finance may tend to disclose more forward-looking information to enable them gain investors confidence Clarkson, Kao and Richardson (1994). Jenkins Report (AICPA, 1994) formulated a number of key recommendations to increase the quality of corporate reporting, which included increasing the attention for and provision of forward-looking information. Financial information disclosure helps stakeholders to evaluate company performance before making any investment decisions about the company. Improved information disclosure does not only bridge the information asymmetry between management and shareholders but also facilitate the functioning of the financial and economic systems. Adequate disclosure is used as a mean of attracting new investors in addition to supporting and building company reputation. To reduce vulnerability, information disclosure should be comprehensive, timely, informative and credible in nature. Financial information is derived from the financial reports prepared from the books of accounts and analyzed in various categories such as the income statements, balance sheet, statement of cash flows and statements of changes in equity. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) interpreted as the way firms integrate its social, environmental and economic concerns into their value, culture, operations and strategies. Carroll, (1999) noted CSR as an evolving concept. Centre for corporate governance (2005) issued guidelines which encouraged companies to disclose information on CSR, ownership structure and board size (Barako, 2007). CSR efforts translate into improvements in firms' financial performance. Corporate social reporting disclosure enhances company reputation by gaining trust and support from the stakeholders (Woodwar, Edwards and Birkin, 1996), additionally it helps assess congruence between the social value and social norms (Dowling and Pfeffer, 1975). CSR enables firms to access huge sum of finance that might difficult to obtain.Board size is the total number of directors on a corporate board. The board of directors is the apex organ of a company whose central role being the formulation of polices and strategies to be followed by managers in managing firms operations. Board plays an important role in maintaining effective corporate governance. It is the Board that determines the amount of information disclosure by making strategic decision on the level of voluntary disclosure. Chen and Jaggi (2000) noted that greater number of directors on the board may reduce the likelihood of information asymmetry. It is believed that the size of the board affects the ability of the board to monitor and evaluate management. Increase of directors in the board will consequently increase director's ability to control and promote value creating activities. Larger board bring with them a collection of experience and expertise, therefore expanding the need for higher information disclosure, it is also argued that larger board size may find difficulty in arriving at a consensus in decision which can ultimately affect the quality corporate governance while small board size encourages faster information processing . Brudbury (1992). 1.3 Cost of Equity CapitalThe cost of equity is the return that an investor expects to receive from an investment in a business. This cost represents the amount the market expects as compensation in exchange for owing the stock of the business, it consist of dividends and capital gains. From an investor's perspective, cost of equity capital is the return he expects for a share of stock he keeps in his portfolio. Fama and French (1993) found risk growth and size as the factors that influence the required rate of return by investors. When making decisions which affect the firm, Cost of equity plays a crucial role because it affects the discount rate at which expected future cash flows are valued. In archiving an effective strategic decision making and performance evaluation, the cost of equity should be estimated with accuracy. According to Beneda (2003) the cost of equity is a vital base of comparing investment opportunities. Invertors use the concept of cost of equity as an investment opportunity in a company. Cost of equity is one of the methods used to evaluate investment decisions, example capital budgeting analysis, choice of capital structure and firm valuation. Larger firms are associated with lower cost of capital when compared with the smaller firms since they are in a better position to raise funds from external sources on favorable terms. Equity capital plays a fundamental role in the development of a firm due to its advantages when compared to other financing forms. The cost of equity capital is an important component with significant input in calculating the cost of capital Cotner and Fletcher (2000). It is detrimental to apply less appropriate model to estimate cost of capital, this can result to underestimation or overestimation. Underestimation may result in value destructive investments while overestimation may lead to rejection of promising investment opportunities. The cost of equity capital is a key indicator of operations in the financial markets and is used by managers and financial resource providers. Clear financial statements reduce uncertainties associated with shareholders' equity lending to decrease in the cost of equity while incomplete and unclear financial statements increases uncertainty hence causing information risk to shareholders who hence demand higher return. The cost of equity capital is of importance in two folds: securities valuation models are based on the cost of equity capital and without cost of equity capital it is impractible to invest company money as it is difficult to determine capital structure hence unable to determine investment priority (Ahmend, 2007). Manager being agents of the shareholders try minimize the cost of equity hence maximizing shareholders wealth at this same time improving the value of the company. In most financial decisions, cost of equity is an effective determinant factor. Cost of equity is used in capital budgeting decisions, setting optimal structure and working capital management. Implementing corporate governance practice, the high cost of equity capital problem is overcome. The higher level of voluntary disclosure the lower investor uncertainty, with lower uncertainty investors will be willing to accept lower dividend payouts. A lower dividend stream would decrease the cost of equity capital because of a lower risk premium expected by the investors. Lower risk premium demanded by investors translate into a lower cost of equity capital of the firm. Voluntary disclosure reduces the cost of equity capital in two ways which are based on enhanced stock market liquidity and on the reduced non-diversifiable estimation risk. More voluntary disclosure reduces investor uncertainty and attracts long term investments. Determinants of the cost of equity capital can be categorized into two: variables measured on accounting information only (accounting based) and variables measured on relations between market data and accounting data (market based).

GMAT and GRE Math - What is 20 of 40 Percent

GMAT and GRE Math - What is 20 of 40 Percent Are you preparing for the GRE or the GMAT? If these timed graduate and business school exams are in your future, heres a short cut for answering percent questions. More specifically, this article focuses on how to easily calculate the percentage of a number. Suppose a question required you to find 40% of 125. Follow these simple steps. Four Steps to Calculate a Percentage Step 1: Memorize these percents and their corresponding fractions. 100% 150% 1/225% 1/433 1/3% 1/320% 1/510% 1/10 Step 2: Choose a percent from the list that fits with the percent in question. For example, if you are looking for 30% of a number, choose 10% (because 10% * 3 30%). In another example, a question requires you to find 40% of 125. Choose 20% since it is half of 40%. Step 3: Divide the number by the denominator of the fraction. Since youve memorized that 20% is 1/5, divide 125 by 5.125/5 2520% of 125 25 Step 4: Scale to the actual percent. If you double 20%, then youll reach 40%.   Therefore, if you double 25, youll find 40% of 125. 25 * 2 50 40% of 125 50 Answers and Explanations Original Worksheet 1. What is 100% of 63?63/1 632. What is 50% of 1296?1296/2 6483. What is 25% of 192?192/4 484. What is 33 1/3% of 810?810/3 2705. What is 20% of 575?575/5 1156. What is 10% of 740?740/10 747. What is 200% of 63?63/1 6363 * 2 1268. What is 150% of 1296?1296/2 648648 * 3 19449. What is 75% of 192?192/4 4848 * 3 14410. What is 66 2/3% of 810?810/3 270270* 2 54011. What is 40% of 575?575/5 115115 * 2 23012.   What is 60% of 575?575/5 115115 * 3 34513. What is 5% of 740?740/10 7474/2 37

Ancient Peruvian Ceramics Of The North Coast Essays - Free Essays

Ancient Peruvian Ceramics Of The North Coast Essays - Free Essays Ancient Peruvian Ceramics Of The North Coast Ancient Peruvian Ceramics of the North Coast March 11, 1997 The first pottery pieces found in Peru were made somewhere between 1500 and 1000 b.p. The pieces were found in the central Andean region where a religious cult lived. This cult was called Chavn, after the best known ceremonial center, Chavn de Huntar. The religious center was the home to massive temples that were highly embellished with low relief sculptures of gods, animals, and symbols. The pottery found in the area where vessels that were well made and highly decorated with a similar motif as the temples. But the evolution of Peruvian pottery becomes somewhat confusing and complex after this first civilization of potters. There is a division of people into the North Coast and the South Coast. The split created two styles of pottery, although similar, they never quite merge. I am only going to talk about the north coast traditions. On the North coast there are five cultures that evolve into the dominant Mochica style, which was one of the most vigorous and prosperous cultures of Ancient Peru. The next earliest North Coast style, other than the Chavn, started with the Cupisnique people in the Chicama valley. Their ceramics closely resembled those of highland Chavn. They were well made and polished, though somewhat thick walled and heavy. The type of firing used produced a dark semireduced ware that varied from brownish gray to carbon black in color. Decoration consisted of bold, curvilinear human, feline, and birds of pray heads, eye patterns, pelt markings, and other brief symbols of geometric devices. In the valley to the south of the Cupisnique were the Salinar people who sometime during the fifth century b.p. moved into the north coast of Peru and spread its influence throughout the Cupisnique area. Salinar pottery, though deceptively primitive in ornamentation, was technologically superior to that of the Cupisnique. Vessels were made of well-prepared clays that were fully oxidized in firing, making them an even orange color. Cream and red slips were used to accentuate sculptural forms and create flat geometric patterns, but not to draw figurative motifs. The technical advances of the controlled oxidation firing and slip decoration soon had their effect on contemporary Cupisnique ceramics. Personally, I enjoyed the bottle forms they used with their double strap handles that lead from the shoulder of the forms to the one central spout. (see figures 1 and 2). This style of vessel seems to continue throughout the centuries. Three other cultures in north coast valleys contributed their pottery style to the over all Cusisnique style that was evolving into the Mochica style. These people were the Gallinazo, Recuay, and Vics. The Gallinazo constructed double chamber vessels with whistle spouts and a type of decoration called negative decoration where they painted their simple designs on after the pieces were fired. The Recuay also had double chamber vessels but these had one functioning spout and one sculpted, usually an animal or figure. They also used negative decoration but theirs were much more elaborate designs than the Gallinazo vessels. The Vics lived in the highlands on the Ecuadorian border. They made very sculptural vessels with a stirrup handle and central spout. (see figures 3, 4, and 5) Although a hand full of Vics artifacts have been found, not much is known about these people, but one can see a visible connection between all of these different cultures and the Mochica style that evolved out o f them. The Mochica civilization flourished for nearly 1000 years and as time passed slight changes in the style could be seen and are chronologically separated into Mochica I-V. The first two are formative phases with lots of experimentation. The third concentrated on a distinctive art style, which continued through the forth and gradually declined in the fifth. They expressed many aspects of their culture and daily life in their ceramics. Things like warriors, runners (people who run bags of beans were important to the ceremonial life), portraits, religion, gods, and animals were shown on vessels. Mochica I was a strong continuation of the late Cupisnique sculptural style. The forms are compact with little suggestion of action, and details are often rendered in incised lines. Faces

Architecture beneath Nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Architecture beneath Nature - Essay Example The residential sector has increasingly adapted landscape architecture. Homes have been built as part and puzzle of the landscape implying a balanced ecological system. Buildings beneath the ground have been treasured in the sense that they are unseen and they resemble the landscape (Hagan, 2001). This implies that they are designed in an attractive way and the decorations are not different with the natural features. This has led to increase in the trend of architecture beneath the ground and an increase in the art. Globally, the art of architecture beneath the landscape has been adapted due to the magnificent products it offers after a thorough work of art and design. Furthermore, the space utilized in the creation of such features, has globally been accepted as part and puzzle of the environment. This is because it creates no negative impacts, but contributes to the beauty of the surrounding landscape (Tsui, 1999). Buildings that are invisible are designed to match the entire feature of the landscape. For instance, buildings in a hilly topography are built to be inside the hill and thus no one can suspect or even think of an existing building within the hill. It can be compared to the nature of camouflage since buildings in rocky and gully landscapes are designed in the same sense hence unseen buildings being part of the landscape. On the contrary, some buildings can be unseen but some parts are seen. This implies that the building is completely out of view, but the entrance is visible signifying that a building or structure exists in a certain landscape (Tsui, 1999). Architecture beneath nature creates another important aspect that changes the entire study of architecture. This is because this field of architecture is different and accompanied extensive invention and innovation. It is also different in the sense that buildings communicate with nature

The assessment will involve a series of tasks relating to the Research Paper

The assessment will involve a series of tasks relating to the identification, conservation, documentation and interpretation of an art work from the Hatton Gallerys collection - Research Paper Example Light and Ultra Violet radiation (UV) contains some energy that catalyzes chemical reaction leading to deterioration. The two main ways that one can measure the response of light is through Color Rendering Index (CRI) and Color Temperature (CT). CRI may be measured in a scale of zero-100. However, the museum lighting designers have suggested 80-100 so that colors can be viewed properly but does not also affect the painting. The level of light in museum is always measured using light meters in lux or using foot candles. This is the measurement of the intensity of the light over one square meter. Sometimes watercolor painting may be placed on exhibition for some months at a level of 50 to 150 lux and yet they do not show some fading. Lower light levels of 50-150 are important for light sensitive materials like watercolor painting. The extent of damage can always be measured lux hours (lx h) the maximum level of light exposure that watercolor painting can sustain annually is 50,000 lxh. Another very important aspect of protection of the watercolor painting is to ensure that the painting is kept off places that have fluctuation of humidity and temperature. The best temperature that would ensure that watercolor painting is stored safely is that which is around 20 degrees F. Places where temperatures may drop to 40 degrees and goes up to 80 degrees at night and day respectively, may not be the best place to store watercolor Fluctuation in temperature usually has a very severe effect on the watercolor painting. When exposing the painting into light, it should be observed that the painting needs not be kept on light for prolonged period of time, especially with too bright light of all types. Watercolor painting always demand that they are kept in places that are not damp. Damp places usually enhance molding, which has ability to promote coloring change. Sometimes the water color painting may be framed under glass.