Long Term Relationships Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Long Term Relationships - Assignment Example This essay discusses that specifically talking about contract financing or monetizing, there are numerous methods for contract financing. Advance payments involve the payment of money to the contractor by the government before any services or goods have been received. By doing so, the government anticipates performance by the contractor under one or more contracts thereby liquidating them from payments. Since this method of payment is not performance oriented, it differs from other modes of payment that are performance-based. Advance payments are usually employed as a method to pay prime contractors so that they may pay subcontractors. Progress payments, as the name suggests, involves the payment of money as the work progresses and costs are incurred along the way. However, this progress does not include payments based on completion of certain stages, partial deliveries, partial payments in case of contract termination, and performance oriented payments. Legal and financial governmen t institutions such as the Federal Reserve Bank may also guarantee loans to individuals so that contractors are financed in order to pay for the acquisition of goods and services. Such financing mainly comes from the private sector under the terms of the contract. Under particular statutes, progress payments for the completion of a certain stage are authorized which is used under agency procedures as a method of payment.

Why did Hitler become a Chancellor?

Why did Hitler become a Chancellor? On 30th January 1933, President Hindenburg invited Adolf Hitler in public and appointed him as the chancellor of Germany. Whilst some believed that Hitlers rise to power was inevitable, to others it came as astonishment. Many assumed that Hitlers rise to power was only due to his political brilliance and his witty Nazi tactics. Yet, there are many that believe that it had everything to do with the weakness of Weimar Republic and after the rising level of unemployment the German people were ready to accept a dictator. There are many reasons behind the rise of Adolf Hitler. The Munich Putsch was a major event in the rise of Adolf Hitler. Although the Nazis had progressed well from the end of World War One in 1919 to 1923 they did not have much support in Germany. There main support was in Bavaria and was no use to Hitler in Germany. So Hitler, along with the Nazis attempted to seize power 1923. Hitler believed that even though he only had three thousand members in the Nazi Party, he had a chance to win over Weimar Republic Government. However on 9th November 1923 Hitler and the Nazis were defeated. Although many say that this was a big defeat for the Nazi Party, others stated that even though the Putsch itself might have failed, it had launched the Nazis and Hitler into a national frame along with making Hitler famous. It was the main building block of Nazis success. Two days after the Munich Putsch, Adolf Hitler was captured and put to trial. Hitler was sentenced to five years imprisonment, but se rved less than nine months before he was released. Although the years after the Munich Putsch there were many difficult times for the Nazis, Hitler said, ‘it was the greatest good fortune for us Nazi that the putsch collapsed because the Nazis were not yet prepared to face the great difficulties at the time. He also thought that the putsch ‘had proven the most effective propaganda for National Socialism. Hitler also had an opportunity to write his thought and vision in a book called, ‘Mein Kampf. The collapse of the Munich Putsch persuaded Hitler that the only way of seizing power was ‘legal means. He introduced his own tactics into the Nazi Party system. He decided to reorganise the party and make it more effective for elections. Throughout the late 1920s the Nazis ran public meeting and worked on winning over the working classes. They had soon discovered that the anti-Semitism propaganda worked best amongst the working class. Propaganda worked best with them because it is ‘brainwashing of public and altering their viewpoint. There were many different Nazi Propagandas including posters, radios, films and newspapers. Though the Nazis had many different methods of propaganda, Hitler believed that posters were the best means of propaganda for various reasons. Posters were cheap and easy to distribute and was used for constant reminder of ideology. Hitler was finding it difficult to win over the middle classes. He finally realised that he had to focus more on his mes sage because the anti-Jewish message did not work well with the middle classes. He decided to criticise the government. There were many posters published criticising Gustav Stresemann and the Dawes Plan suggesting that there were holding Germany on ransom along with the Jewish bankers. The Nazis also held public meetings in various different parts of Germany in order to evoke the same feelings in the German citizens as the Nazi Members. Using this method, the Nazis developed a very accurate and sensitive system of propaganda. The Wall Street Clash in October 1929 was the beginning of a great depression but for the Nazis it was the biggest gift they could have ever received. Germany had been hit badly by this because they had to pay back the entire loan they had acquired from the USA as part of the Dawes Plan. In Germany, the depression affected different people in different ways. It was as if Germany had lost another World War. Unemployment had risen massively in Germany and even the businessmen, who always kept themselves well-protected, felt the impacts of the Great Depression. Everyone in Germany was suffering apart from the Nazis. Everyone, from Businessmen to factory workers and farmers were hoping that the government, Weimar Republic would help them. Six million German people were unemployed and others were hanging on to their hinges. But the Weimar Republic had no idea what to do about the problem of rising unemployment and poverty. It was the second major economic devastation for the Weimar Consti tution. They had resisted themselves from printing more money and increasing government expenditure due to the impact it had on Hyper-inflation in1923. Instead they increased taxes, cut benefits and reduced unemployment benefits. They were not winning the support of German people. Weimar Republic seemed to have made a hopeless mess of handling the situation. They were already struggling due to the consequences Germany had to face after the end of World War One in 1919. Germany had lost land and their army had to be cut down to 100,000 men only which meant that many ex-soldiers who had fought in World War One were unemployed. They were angry with Weimar Constitution for accepting defeat and were eager to get back their revenge. And now Weimar Republics policies had given too much power to the President, the States and the army which weakened the Reichstag as well as dividing them into different groups. Many more inhabitants of Germany, who didnt vote before became more interested in politics because they needed someone who can better the situation. Extremists parties like the Communists part and the Nazi Party became better known among those who were desperately in need of help. The Nazi said that the Weimar Republic is to be blamed, the treaty of Versailles and the Jews. They assured the angry Germans that Hitler was their man. The Nazis promised to reduce unemployment by putting them back to work on road building and public works. Hitler had his plans on how to attract many sections of society. Some of his ideas that attracted the Germans included ‘Rip up the Treaty of Versailles, Work Freedom and Bread and Germany as a national and prideful state. Hitler clearly knew the desires of the Germans and was quick to promise anything that would help the Nazis gain vote in the Reichstag. Whilst, on the other hand the Communists Party said that the Depression showed the capitalist system has doomed and that the only answer was communism. Hitler became aware of the strong oppositions and thus along with Ernst Rohm and Hermann Goring he introduced his own set of men to destroy the opposition, the SA. They wore brown uniform and knew how to deal with the Communists. They were not only used to intimidate opponents but also to gain support for the Nazi Party. During this time Hitler mostly used his leadership skills and tactics to gain as much supporter and power as possible. He was an excellent public speaker and was easily able to put his points across with his powerful and moving speeches. Along with getting his views to his crowd he also demonstrated to them his excellent and strong leadership in the ‘Great German tradition dating back to Kaiser and beyond. His strong personality and powerful ideas seemed to outwit the Weimar Republic. This had a great impact on the elections in 1930. The Nazis made their first great breakthrough when they gained a total of 107 seats in the Reichstag. They were suddenly the second biggest party and at the time, they seemed likely to take over. They were seen as a major force in German history and politics. But what got them these seats? The Nazis were ex-soldiers who felt as if the Treaty of Versailles was a ‘stab on the back and what they brought with them was decisive. There excellent te amwork and obedience enabled Hitler to work through the whole of Germany. Another of Hitlers main tools was his henchmen; Joseph Goebbels was an effective piece of propaganda. He was well trained and used every means to pass his message across. Though he wasnt as good as Hitler, he was intelligent and new how to bring up hatred for the Communists and Jews. He created excellent poster that created fear and disgust not only for the Jews but also the Communists. Hitler was then able to point out that the Nazis knew how to deal with the Communists and their records showed this. The Nazi Party also had support from rich industrialists. Usually rich industrialists voted for the Conservatives Party but after the elections in 1930, they started supporting the Nationalists. Hitler agreed to make a deal with the right wing nationalists and the two parties agreed to co-operate. Hitler used this deal as a financial backup. This showed the Nazi Party was quite flexible. If they realised that if a proposal was not working for them they would change it. Not only did Hitler use tactics but weakness of opposition parties supported them along with the elections and uprising of the Nazi Party. Other opposition like the Social Democrats underestimated the Nazis. They saw that there support was constant and so they were not willing to change their policies. In 1932, the weakness of Weimar Constitution was clear to all Germans. The Weimar Republic was already unpopular amongst the Germans because they had agreed to sign the Treaty of Versailles and this had left many Germans and ex-soldiers bitter. The Germans were also largely affected by the Depression because they were already damaged by having to pay large sums as part of the reparation. They were then attracted to extremists groups like the Nazis and the Nationalists. Germany was run by an 84 years old man, President Hindenburg. No political leader was strong enough to rule Germany. At the time, the Nazi Party was the largest party and normally the leader of such party was likely to become leader. In this case it was Adolf Hitler. But the only thing that stood in between Hitler and him becoming the chancellor was President Hindenburg. He disliked Hitler along with other Reichstag members who would not work with Hitler. In July 1932 elections, the Nazis won 37.3% of the votes (230 se ats) and had once again proved to be the largest party. Hitler demanded to be appointed as the Chancellor but Hindenburg refused and he said, ‘I cannot give all the power to an unorganised and intolerant and violent party. Though after this event, many industrialists and politics wrote to Hindenburg and persuaded his to give Hitler dictatorship. After high pressure, Hindenburg appointed his favourite man, Franz con Papen to be the chancellor of Germany. Von Papen had no support but had hoped to create a right wing coalition government with the support of the Nazis. Hitler was furious that Hindenburg had selected Franz von Papen to be the dictator and thus refused to co-operate with von Papen. Hindenburg decided to call another election. However, this time it was a bad time for the Nazis. They were facing the financial crisis. Though surprisingly help came from two men, General von Schleicher and Franz von Papen. Von Schleicher had stopped supporting Von Papen and decided he hi mself should become Chancellor. So in December 1932 von Schleicher was appointed the chancellor of Prussia. Unfortunately, this triggered off a power struggle between these two men. Schleicher admitted defeat and Hindenburg wanted to re-appoint von Papen but he refused. Instead he suggested that Hindenburg should appoint Hitler instead because as long as the numbers of Nazis in the cabinet are limited the most extreme of Nazi policies could easily be resisted. Following this, President Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as the Chancellor of Germany and von Papen as the vice-chancellor of Germany. They (Hindenburg and von Papen) believed that Hitler would be tamed. In conclusion, I believe that the main reason behind Hitler becoming the Chancellor of Germany is the political manoeuvring between Franz von Papen and General von Schleicher. After von Schleicher had failed, von Papen persuaded Hindenburg that another option now existed. The Nazis together Nationalists would have a realistic chance of gaining the majority number of seats in the Reichstag. However Hindenburg was still a little bit cautious, he wasnt very enthusiastic on appointing Hitler as chancellor due to his extreme ideas. He had on a previous occasion refused to appoint Hitler. The Nazis were also suffering from a big problem. They were running toward bankruptcy and were gradually losing seats in the Reichstag. Many of their supporters have left and this could be due to Hitler failing to become the chancellor on various occasions. The Communists votes were increasing and the Nazis were going towards the biggest landslide they would have to face. I believe that if the political p ower struggle wouldnt have occurred then Hitler would not have come to power. I believe that economical power was Hitlers and the Nazis backbone and in 1932 their backbone was due to break. This is basically what helped in revealing the great frame in Hitlers rise to power in Germany in January 1933 as he was appointed as Chancellor and the rise of ‘Great Evil began. The Monk by Matthew Lewis | Summary and Analysis The Monk by Matthew Lewis | Summary and Analysis Introduction The monk which is an historical novel written by Matthew Lewis in 1796, is noted as one of the most complicated among the classic gothic novels that were published in those times; between 1764 and 1820). From the begging, the novel portrays reveals sexuality and the meaning of catholic lust and incest. The novel later overted the complicated and homoerotic nuances of sexuality which have shocked and intrigued those readers who believe in the more chaste and faithful oeuvres of Radcliffe Ann. The thesis of the novel which can be regarded as the black legend of monastic Catholism was agreed to and upheld by those individuals who were hostile to the Catholic Church in France and England (Steven Blakemore, 1998). According to Steven, Catholism avoided the pure religion which in turn promoted deviant sexual practices which came from the unnatural vows of chastity that violated nature. The sexual repression of catholic stimulated the obscure insincerity that covered the orgiastic sexuality carried out in unnatural and convents and monasteries. In England, the demonization of sex by the aberrant catholic other was part of the ideological formation of national identity of protestants in England. Moreover the monk was published at a time when france was at war with England and the French revolution was still linked with the terror. As a result there were a series of political and sexual anxieties, in particular anxieties concerning feminine men and masculine men. These anxieties are also involved in the contexts and texts of The Monk. According to Steven, although the critics have for along time focused on the erotic dimensions of the novel, its many inversions in sex and religion as well as the ideological implications of the attendants, have not yet been systematically evaluated. Lewis in his writing of the monk, he performs linguistically the equivalent of a black mass, while subverting and inverting the traditional purposes of sex and religion, which is an ironical correspondence of the satanic ceremonies in the novel. This paper concentrates on the significance of sexual and religious inversions in the novel The Monk while making references to the gendered language of femininity and masculinity. The paper also extends its research to the way these inversions inform about the connection between misogyny and feminine, catholic Other in the protestant discourse of the eighteenth century. Sexual and religious inversions in The Monk The idea of anti-Catholicism in the monk is basically portrayed through Ambrosio; who was a chief catholic villain. Ambrosio was discovered as an infant at the door of abbey, raised by the church, but latter became flair. Having been brought up by the church, Ambrosio rose to the position of abbot and was celebrated in the whole of Madrid while being respected for his virtue particularly his strict respect for chastity. Since the beginning, Ambrosio is put in a feminine position, as a young virgin who is sheltered and protected so that she can maintain her virtue and innocence. More so Ambrosio is not familiar to the world and its temptations. In the monk, the emphasis on monastic male chastity by the catholic, which is normally a condemned issue in the literature of Protestants, has its base in female virtue and virginity, which has been an issue in most of the novels and conduct books of the nineteenth century. In t this context, Ambrosio is particularly related to Antonio who is also a sheltered and protected young virgin and equally unknown to the world and its temptations just like Ambrosio (p.12). In this story, Antonio and Ambrosio are a sister and a brother but both of them are not aware of the blood relationship since they had been separated during their early ages. On the other hand both Antonio and Ambrosio seem to have a sublimated, mutual incestuous attraction. An admirer of Antonio, who was known as Lorenzo, identified Ambrosio to Antonio and her aunt Leonella while thematically presenting Ambrosio as a virgin by referring to his story; where he was found and how he was brought up. Ambrosio was found/ discovered at the capuchins door and was therefore largely believed to a present from Virgin Mary (p.17). Ambrosio who was thirty years at that time, had lived in seclusion from the outside world and therefore knew nothing about sex, actually he was a strict observer of chastity and knew nothing of what consisted the difference between a man and a woman (p.17). His character was undisputable, and had not been stained. The author of the monk uses suggestively gendered language, to make the male monk appear like a holy virtuous female and then connects him with Antonio a female who is also ignorant of sex. Leonellas ridiculous reply that Antonio, just like Ambrosio does not know the difference between an man and woman and that she views everybody as being of the same sex with herself, happen to connect the same brother and sister together (pp17-18). The authors point in using metaphors and suggestively gendered language is to show that the vows of chastity in catholic feminize monks who then are made susceptible to hypocrisy and temptation by their sexual ignorance. This is emphasized when Rosaria, a fiend camouflaged as a young male novitiate, discloses that he is actually a woman. Rosaria, whose real name was Matilda had reformulated Leonellas unworkable imperative. Just like Antonio, Ambrosio was supposed to forget that Matilda was a woman because she had disguised her sex so that she could be fr iends with Leonella and shield him from sexual knowledge (p.63). The fact that Matilda is actually an evil spirit (demon), who pretends to be a woman while she is a man, exploits the sexual controversy as well as brings confusion of gender roles in the novel. Sexual knowledge in the novel is viewed as the forbidden apple which makes which tempts allusively the feminized monk to fall. Matilda is at the same time archetypal fatale woman who later corrupts the virtues of Ambrosio. However hi devilish seduction is enhanced by Ambrosios ignorance on sexual matters which then makes him very susceptible to Matildas seduction. Ambrosio evaluates his repressed attraction to Matilda by repeating her seductive arguments after showing her nakedness to him; may I not safely credit her assertions? Will it not be easy for me to forget her sex and consider her as my friend and as my disciple?, She strove to keep me in ignorant of her sex.. She has not made attempts to rouse my slumbering passions, nor has she ever conversed with me till this night on the subject of love (PP.66-67). According to Lewis (), prelapsarian ignorance and innocence of knowledge about sex is an illusion, hence Ambrosio is easily lured into sexual relationship with the deceiving Matilda: the sexual repression lastly ends up in the very knowledge which the monk was denying. Ambrosio is also further feminized by vocabulary that is specifically gendered which contextually differentiated by the female from the male sex, but them its averted and reapplied by Lewis to the central catholic villain of the novel. In the eighteenth century such words like virtue, innocence, shame and honor, had a gendered significance. For example a, word like virtue came from a Latin word vir which means man, while virtus implied masculine strength, excellence and courage. Generally the word meant male virtue. Although it had other meanings, when applied to the sexes the word signified sexual division of labor. In the monk, just like a gendered virgin of the eighteenth century, Ambrosio is respected for his virtue, particularly his chastity which on the other side makes him susceptible to temptations of sex. In the early part of the book, Lorenzo indicates that although the character of Ambrosio is undisputable since he had grown up in the monastery for his whole life, he is therefore not ready to face the world together with its temptations. Lorenzo noted that being a monk the ecclesiastical duties of Ambrosio will make him enter into the outside world where his virtue and righteousness will be put to test. The Monk’s numerous sexual, religious interventions and their attendant ideological implications have not been systematically explored.† He goes on to say, â€Å"In this context, I focus on the significance of the novel’s sexual and religious inversions with reference to the gendered language of â€Å"masculinity† and femininity,† Works cited Steven Blakemore 1998 Matthew Lewiss black mass: sexual, religious inversion in ‘the monk. (http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1g1-54196880.html)

Christianity Essay -- Jesus Messiah Story Christ Essays

Christianity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Christianity is one of the major religions of mankind. It has been the dominant religion in Europe and America, Christianity has also spread throughout the world and has a greater number of adherents then any other religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Jewish teacher known as Jesus of Nazareth founded Christianity. Christianity drew on the expectations for a Messiah common in the region during these centuries. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, near Jerusalem, and grew up in the town of Nazareth. He was educated from the Pharisaic school of thought and was practicing as an observant Jew. He was not preaching to non-Jews so therefore only Jews could follow him. they started to think of him as their Messiah. As he traveled through towns in Judea he gathered small groups of followers. He chose twelve from these groups and they became known as the twelve apostles. They traveled around the world preaching. According to the gospels, he created great excitement among the people. In 30 CE Jesus traveled to Jerusalem. There he was hailed as the Messiah. Others denied that he was the messiah and regarded him as a revolutionary. The Romans feared that Jesus wanted to lead an uprising, and they considered him an enemy of the state. Jesus was tried before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. He eventually agreed to have Jesus crucified. According to the gospels, Jesus rose from his grave, and went back to his followers for forty days and preaches.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before 45 CE a man named Peter co...

Recruitment and Selection Essay

The hiring process can be draining and drown out. Searching for the right candidate to fill the position can be compared to finding a needle in a hay stack. Many employers have an idea/visual of how the replacement of what qualifications the new employee should acquire before the training process take place. With employee selection, assessment and decision making process should be carefully assessed to ensure that there are no laws broken were potential law suits can be filed. This paper will discuss the legal issues that may arise if the above processes are not handled with precaution. Legal Issues With the increase of lawsuits that are being established in the workforce over the past years they have been an increase in the number of lawyers and firms that specialize in employment law. With the economy in the shape that it’s in, more companies are having to law off employers, some that have been there for years. Their selection process is being questions on how they are choosing the employees that are to permanently/temporary laid off. Therefore this is caused an increase in the number of cases the firms are taking in more cases at least 15% more than the previous years. This is because many feel that employers are firing those that can benefit from staying employed and receiving their full benefits, in some cases retirement. To decrease organizations from being forced to participate in lawsuits brought about them, an article stated the best alternative would be to develop a strategy for the company that involved at least three of the following steps: 1) â€Å"Draft good policies and revise them frequently ) Train employees to follow procedures utilizing scenarios that prompt open discussion, development of issue awareness and recognition of employer and employee responsibilities 3) Insist on effective consultation and communication among managers, human resources professionals and legal staff (in other words, the team approach)† (McDowell & Leavitt 2011). Discrimination Issues The process of hiring new employees for a position within an organization. With this process, the major legal issue that the employer needs to keep in mind is not to discriminate. Discrimination is a big factor due to the employer has in mind what it takes for a person to perform the duties of a certain position. There are several laws that the organization must keep in their mind when screening employees, such as; the Civil Right Act of 1964, Disability Act, Age Discriminating Act, and many more. Each of the acts and laws prohibits employees to discriminate against employees or new hires based on their race, sex, disability and religion. In today’s time, employees have to have a firm or an attorney working for them to ensure that that they are not breaking the as many With given employees assessments, most employers are given them the assessments to point out their skill sets. But some assessments identify other issues within the employees. Some assessments identifies whether or not people have a mental illness, learning disabilities, or any other illness that may prevent them from performing their job duties. As a result, many those assessments are being said to discriminate against the employee, thus violating their rights. If an employee has a mental health illness the only way a company/organization can terminate them from a position is if that illness will prevent them from performing their job duties. In fact, many executives stated that they are reluctant to hire people with disabilities due to the accommodation’s they may need. But with all the baby boomers retiring they are going to have to look into that area. In 2005, statistics showed that â€Å"21,455,000 (12. 6%) of the 169,765,000 working-age individuals reported one or more disabilities† (Lengnick-Hall, Gaunt, & Kulkarni 2008). Executives were also asked is it a main priority to hire people with disability? They responded with the following; â€Å"trying to hire someone with a disability, the main concern is . . . having the skills you would need to be on the air to be able to do those things that would actually apply. I think it would be the perception that people with disabilities don’t have communication skills and wouldn’t be able to problem-solve at a faster pace, wouldn’t be able to independently problem-solve† (ibid). Conclusion  With larger organizations, it will be best to have a lawyer working hand and hand with the human resource department to ensure that they don’t discriminate against employees. Since discrimination is the major issues within the workforce. It could cause the company millions and most likely close the doors if they don’t have enough revenue to pay the lawsuit. Discrimination, especially if the executives of the organization are making statements as the ones is the survey, mention that it’s not a main priority because they may not be able to communicate as others do. That’s a perception and basis.

How Important It Is for Parents to Teach Gender Roles to Their Children Essay

How important it is for parents to teach gender roles to their children? Topics such as abortion, capital punishment, and gender role have always been commonly discussed subject in society since the dawn of time. Gender role simply defined is a person’s inner sense of how a male or female should feel and behave. Society and culture are very important in relation to this subject. This means different societies and cultures may produce children and later, grown men and women, who have quite distinct views of a man or a woman’s place in the world around them, and it is often determined by their parents’ influence at their early age of childhood. Dozens of researches and studies show that parent’s attitude and behaviours could affect their children both positively and negatively which makes it imperative for the parent to bear the burden of teaching the children.. Boys must learn what boys and men do, what they like, and even how they think and feel. Females do likewise as they learn the roles for girls and women. When children seem already aware of differences between what men and women wear and do, then children are deeply involved in this search for these â€Å"roles†. This action also blends in with the process of them searching for their identities. Through myriad activities, opportunities, encouragements, discouragements, overt behaviours, covert suggestions, and various forms of guidance, children experience how they fit into their gender role among others. As children grow and develop, the gender stereotypes they are exposed to at home are reinforced by other elements in their environment and are thus perpetuated throughout childhood and on into adolescence. By the time a person steps into adulthood, the influence from the parents from the childhood will result in the change of his personality and attitude towards others. If the person has been taught how to deal with gender roles properly., he would understand that rather than blaming each other for the situation, he and his partner should be willing to work together to learn about their new roles. Successful marriage partners learn to negotiate and share tasks. Managers take employees aside and tell them when comments are inappropriate. It will take time to sort out all the implications in the changing of gender roles, but with correct guidance, it should result in better workplaces, better relationships, better schools, and better lives. The shifting of gender roles in the past few decades has been huge. It has happened so quickly that men and women are still trying to sort out what the new roles are as well as what the rules mean to them. Although women are no longer expected to be the keepers of the house; nonetheless, in reality, this is still true in most families. Frankly, men are generally open to the successes enjoyed by the women they share their lives with, but some still find it hard to celebrate a woman’s triumphs because they feel it diminishes their own.

Economic Boom of the 1920s Essay Example

Economic Boom of the 1920s Essay Example Economic Boom of the 1920s Essay Economic Boom of the 1920s Essay Merely those who know small or nil about economic sciences and the really naif did non cognize in the twelvemonth 1925 that economic difficult times follow good times as economic roars and slacks are cyclical. Still. there were assorted grounds why even seasoned economic experts may hold speculated that economic prosperity of the 1920s would go on forevermore. Machinery. fabrication workss and the procedure of standardised mass production were the chief grounds for the exhilaration of the 1920s ( Schultz and Tischler ) . In fact. the economic system of the United States continued to turn until 1929. The First World War had encouraged industry to spread out. Labor deficits coupled with the demand to increase production had stimulated the development of efficient manners of production. Taylorism or scientific direction to streamline procedures of production in order to increase production capacity had been introduced around the state. With new machinery and direction tools. worker productiveness was raised. This rise in productiveness increased rewards. thereby increasing ingestion. Americans were besides encouraged to utilize recognition to fuel ingestion at the clip. The installment program was an invention of the 1920s. What is more. the authorities supported concerns by raising duties on foreign goods. cut downing personal income revenue enhancement and corporate revenue enhancement. revoking revenue enhancements on net incomes. and looking into unjust trade patterns as a agency to promote concerns to spread out ( Schultz and Tischler ) . The consumer psychological science in 1925 was another ground why many may hold reasoned that economic slacks are a thing of the yesteryear. Americans had the wireless at the clip. in add-on to a turning gesture image industry to maintain their mentalities positive. They besides had electric contraptions at place and a turning car industry doing them believe their lives had changed forevermore in a positive way ( Schultz and Tischler ) . Then once more. all those who know about the economic roar flop rhythm were cognizant in 1925 that a slack is certain to follow a roar. Plants Cited Schultz. Stanley K. . and William P. Tischler. Civil War to the Present. American History 102. 1999. 1 Mar 2009. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //us. history. wisc. edu/hist

How to Make Bismuth Crystals From Pepto-Bismol

How to Make Bismuth Crystals From Pepto-Bismol Pepto-Bismol is a common antacid medicine that contains bismuth subsalicylate or pink bismuth, which has the empirical chemical formula  (Bi{C6H4(OH)CO2}3). The chemical is used as an antacid, anti-inflammatory, and bactericide, but in this project, it is used for science! Heres how to extract the bismuth metal from the product. Once you have it, one project you can try is growing your own bismuth crystals. Bismuth Extraction Materials There are a couple of different methods for isolating the bismuth metal. One way is to burn Pepto-Bismol into a metal oxide slag using a blow torch and then separate  the metal from the oxygen. However, theres an easier method that only requires household chemicals. Here are the materials to extract the bismuth, without fire. Pepto-Bismol Tablets: You need a lot. Each pill contains 262 mg bismuth subsalicylate, but only about an eighth of the mass is bismuth.Muriatic Acid - You can find this in a hardware store. Of course, if you have access to a chemistry lab, you can simply use hydrochloric acid.Aluminum FoilCoffee Filter or Filter PaperMortar and Pestle - If you dont have one, find a baggie and a rolling pin or hammer. Get the Bismuth Metal The first step is to crush and grind up the pills to form a powder. This increases the surface area so the next step, a chemical reaction, can proceed more efficiently. Take 150-200 pills and work in batches to grind them up. Aside from a mortar and pestle or bag with rolling pin or hammer, you could opt for a spice mill or coffee grinder. Your choice.Prepare a solution of dilute muriatic acid. Mix one part acid to six parts water. Add the acid to the water to prevent splashing. Note: muriatic acid is the strong acid HCl. It produces irritating fumes and can give you a chemical burn. Its a good plan to wear gloves and protective eyewear when you use it. Use a glass or plastic container, as the acid can attack metals (which is the point, after all.)Dissolve the ground-up tablets in the acid solution. You can stir it with a glass rod, plastic coffee stirrer, or wooden spoon.Remove the solids by filtering the solution through a coffee filter or filter paper. The pink liquid is what you want to save since it contains bismuth ions. Drop aluminum foil into the pink solution. A black solid will form, which is the bismuth. Allow time for the precipitate to sink to the bottom of the container.Filter the liquid through a cloth or paper towel to get the bismuth metal.The final step is to melt the metal. Bismuth has a low melting point, so you can melt it using a torch or in a higher-melting-point pan on a gas grill or even your stove. As the metal melts, youll see impurities pool apart. You can use a toothpick to remove them,Let your metal cool and admire your work. See the beautiful iridescent oxidation layer? You might even see crystals.  Good job! Safety and Cleanup This project requires adult supervision. Keep kids and pets away from the acid and heat.When youre done, dilute the chemicals with large volumes of water before disposing of them. If you want to make absolutely sure the acid is safe, you can add a bit of baking soda to the dilute acid to neutralize it. Pepto-Bismol Fun Facts Interesting adverse effects from ingesting Pepto-Bismol include black tongue and black stools. This occurs when sulfur in saliva and the intestines combines with the medicine to form the insoluble black salt, bismuth sulfide. Although dramatic-looking, the effect is temporary. Sources Gray, Theodore. Gray Matter: Extracting Bismuth from Pepto-Bismol Tablets, Popular Science. August 29, 2012.WesoÅ‚owski, M. (1982). Thermal decomposition of pharmaceutical preparations containing inorganic components.  Microchimica Acta  (Vienna)  77(5–6): 451–464.

10 Important Baseball Idioms in English

10 Important Baseball Idioms in English    The game of baseball has inspired probably more idioms in American English than any other sport. Here are ten important baseball idioms. Each idiom is explained in terms of the game of baseball, and how it is used in daily life by native speakers. Examples are given to provide understanding in context. You can lean more idioms by exploring short stories that use idioms in context. ball park A ballpark is where baseball is played. Its used in a few expressions: to be in the ballpark to be in the general area of somethinga ballpark figure a financial guess thats close but not exact I think they new project will be in the ballpark of $2 million, but Ill need to check those figures.Give me a ballpark figure of how much the project will cost. big hitter The big hitter is a batter who hits many hits. These include home runs, grand slams and base hits such as doubles, and singles.   The big hitter is used when referring to a someone in a company who has a reputation for doing well in business. This person is used to impress competition or important clients, as well as give presentations and represent the company. We need to bring out our big hitter for this meeting.They left the presentation up to Alice whos their big hitter when it comes to conferences. big league / major league The big / major league is the highest level in professional baseball. Used as an idiom, the big league refers to the top of any professional bracket.   Shes going to NYC, the big league.He doesnt want to be a fish in a small pond. He wants to play in the major leagues.   cover ones bases Defense players have to cover the bases so that runners cant steal the base and progress to making a run. In everyday English, covering ones bases refers to making sure that a situation is completely in control and that there is a backup plan if anything goes wrong. I think we need to talk to our lawyer just to cover our bases.I need an assistant thats one step ahead of me and will make sure that Ive covered all my bases.   curveball A curveball curves as it moves towards the batter. It can curve up or down, or right to left. Curveballs are hard to hit. As an idiom, curveball is used to express something that is unexpected at causes someone to adapt to a situation. When she quit it really threw the company a curveball, and we had to replace her quickly.This might be a curveball, but I dont want to marry you after all.   first base First base is the first out of four bases including first base, second base, third base and home base. Each batter must move to at least first base in order not to be out. To get to first base means that youve successfully taken the first step.   We got to first base on the presentation. At least, theyre willing to listen to us now.Remember getting an interview is making it to first base. Getting hired is making it all the way home.   hardball Hardball is baseball played with a small, hard ball. Its the game they play in the major leagues. Its the toughest baseball game there is. In life, to play hardball means to try to win at all costs, even if it gets dirty.   When you go to work, youll be playing hardball. No more mistakes allowed.  I dont want to play hardball with you, but if you dont sign the contract I have no choice.   hit / knock it out of the park Hitting a ball out of the park is the dream of every baseball player. You hit the ball so hard, it flies out of the stadium. No one can get that ball. Youve hit a home run, or even a grand slam. In business, it refers to succeeding spectacularly.   I think he hit it out of the park during his presentation. Everyone was listening very carefully and seemed very enthused.Dont worry, Im sure youll hit it out of the park. You have reason to be confident.   hit or miss A batter can either hit or miss a ball. Hitting is good, missing is bad and you get a strike against you. In everyday English, something that is hit or miss means that there is no guarantee of success. Perhaps youll be successful, perhaps not. Some people feel that finding a job is hit or miss in this economy.  Every opportunity is hit or miss, but they need to be taken.   home run Home run refers to a hit that allows the batter to run all the way around the bases and score a run. Its used as an expression to refer to success in English.   This dinner is superb. Youve hit a home run.  His presentation last week was a home run.

Northumbria University Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Northumbria University - Essay Example The largely modularized curriculum is delivered to just over 23,500 students, about 16000 of whom are full-time and the remainder study on a wide range of part time and short term courses. It offers around 500 courses from Part-time, 'Taster' courses, programmes through Distance learning to Full time degree courses. Academic registry, Accodomation services, Corporate Planning, e Learning Initiative Team, Finance, Human resources, IT services, Marketing and Recruitment, Public Relations and Communications, Student Services, Regional European affairs. Product : In case of Northumbria University, the product is the variety of Courses it offers to the world. It is a service industry, thus the product offered is not tangible. The Courses vary from part-time, short-term, to full time courses. They also offer courses through Distance learning programmes. The target market for the University varies from Higher school students to Graduates to Professionals to Housewives across the world. Promotion or Communication mix : Modern marketing calls for more than just developing a good product, pricing it attractively, and making it available to the target customers. The company needs to communicate with their customers, and what they communicate should not be left to chance . The promotion strategy includes the activities that communicate the merits of the product and persuade the target customers to buy it. The specific mix of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, and public relations a company uses to pursue its advertising and marketing objectives is referred to as communications mix. Role of Communications mix in Marketing : From the beginnings of the time, man has sought to communicate. At its basic level, communications are the most important element of the social interchange between the individuals. As the time progressed and, importantly, with the development of rudimentary printing processes and television, it became possible to expand communications to reach wider audiences. Today, consumers are exposed to a vast amount of information on daily basis - everything on news reports on television, radio and in the press, weather forecasts, traffic information, store signs, product packaging, in-store point of sale material, and so on. The essential requirement of the new

History of Art and Visual Culture 1400 - 1900 Essay

History of Art and Visual Culture 1400 - 1900 - Essay Example Conversely, the Visual Art is regarded as a form of intellectual and cognitive learning skills and experiences. For example, the construction of the circle, rectangular drawings, and painting composition procedures are described to be having ability of demanding high judgment values from the painters. The body entombment was presented in its original size, shape, kind and color complying with the law of nature. In addition, the measurements and the proportions of the living creatures that were around d the death served as a point of reference in making the Entombment justification to be a real event (Zirpolo, 2008). However, death body manifested itself when the limbs and other parts of the body could not be able to perform any duty of life function. Nevertheless, apart from the color, size, function and the kind composition abilities evaluated, individual confirming dignity of the entombed body was addressed. For instance, the clothing used in the death event presented type, functio n and dignity, a factor that was very essential in the ancient painting. The Raphael entombment picture was pleasing and appealing; it had a mixture of old men and youths without indicating a virtual emptiness. Additionally, the attitude and gestures were not appearing in the entombed feature as the mourners were in full control of the entombed movement activities (harmony in accordance with the action). The entombment emotions were presented moving in different directions presenting grief and anger.

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 33

Journal - Assignment Example He tries to show that one does not need to live in denial, but can accept his/her condition by living positively. The writer of this book shows that cancer patients can do what cancer-free people can do. A cancerous patient does not need to feel that it is the end, but another challenge of life. Hitchens points out that a patient needs to take medication very seriously. He argues that a chemotherapy, radiation or surgeries are the main treatments that a cancerous patient may encounter (Hitchens 619). Hitchens argues that people do not have cancer, but rather battle cancer. The author implies that the treatment of cancer is a process, and a patient must follow in order to be healthy. Hitchens is a good example of persons battling with cancer. With a positive mentality, Hitchens shows that a cancerous person can easily recover. It shows that cancerous patients must have hope and get the required treatment. Cancer patients should not think that they cannot enjoy life just as cancer-free

Marks by Linda Pastan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marks by Linda Pastan - Assignment Example The speaker’s days and nights are all devoted to her family and she passes her life in getting different kinds of marks for all her doings by her family. She seems like an average housewife whose duty is to take care of all her family members. It seems that she has no personality of her own but only that, which is assigned to her by her family. She talks about her family as to what they think about her. The dramatic situation in the poem is categorizing of the woman according to educational marking schemes by her family members who are not mature at their own places. The central metaphor in the poem is the marking of the women according to different criteria of the family members. The poem is given the title ‘Marks’ and the poem talks about educational marks all over. The poem’s theme is about the life of a housewife who has to do her duties in order to get more marks by her family members.

Wall Street Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wall Street Film - Essay Example Greed to earn more and achieve the fame and fortune forces Bud Fox and Garden Gekko to actually start to prefer self over the family and indulge into actions which may be against the law. Garden Gekko openly said that greed is good, thus, giving the impression that earning money regardless of whether it comes from ethical ways is always a good thing to do in life. The movie shows that the characters deliberately broke the law and engaged into activities which were detrimental to the interests of others. The ethical issues highlighted also indicates as to how Bud Fox was lured into doing business with Garden Gekko and over the period of time lost his innocence and concerns for the rule of law and abiding the principles laid down by SEC. As things move on, Bud Fox seems to involve his friends also in the process of making money. This has shown that instinctively, being professionals, we can bet on the money of those who supported us in difficult times; as such, our relationships may be come driven more by the money rather than the feelings of love and compassion which as individuals fee for each other in our relationships. The ethical failings of Bud and Gekko may be in their tendency to be lured away by earning more money and in that process of earning more money lose sight of what is right and what is wrong. ... Best consequences always suggest that actions should be such that they are helpful and maximize utility for most number of people. Accordingly, any action which is considered to bring more happiness or bring greatest good is considered as an ethical and moral action regardless of the actual consequences. Utilitarianism however, counts those acts as unethical which are done in a manner that can provide maximum utility to individuals and create harm for others. The notion of greatest good for the greatest number of people, therefore, prevails in utilitarianism, as well as how individual and collective actions should be driven ethically. (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell) The situation described in the movie clearly indicates that the actions of both characters are actually offering greatest happiness to them only. This limits the positive consequences of their actions to themselves only, whereas the negative consequences of their actions are spilled over to the general public. The way fi nancial institutions are managed and the kind of speculative activities are taking place indicate that financial managers may be taking bets rather than calculated risks. Taking bets without actually involving rational, prudent and conservative investment approach results into greater losses for the investors and the society as a whole. Using utilitarian approach, therefore, outlines that the characters actually engaged into activities which were speculative in nature and were detrimental to not only the financial services industry as a whole but for the society in general also. The current financial meltdown is often considered as the result of the imprudent actions

Firm Research Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Firm Research - Term Paper Example In order to spread its business across the United States, the company follows a franchising business expansion strategy. Five Guys increased its number of locations 6 in 2002 to more than 670 in 2010 (Restaurant News.com, 2011). The company has received several awards for its quality foods and service efficiency. Although Five Guys was rated as one of the fast developing and most profitable food chains in US in recent years, it still does little amount of business the federal government. Since Five Guys is a small business, the company has to take several actions to be able to participate in federal government contracting actions. Firstly, Five Guys has to register with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) in order to be a federal contractor. The CCR is an online data-base of companies maintained by the federal government so as to find firms wanted to do business with the government. Governmental agencies will search this database to choose prospective partners. Once this registration process is completed, the company should enter its business profile information on the Dynamic Small Business Search page. As per SBA guidelines, by creating a business profile in CCR and Dynamic Small Business Search and keeping the profile information up to date, Five Guys can ensure that it has access to various federal contracting opportunities. Five Guys’ business profile containing detailed business information would assist contracting officers, prime contractors, and state and local government buyers to learn well about the organization. If the organization has competitive strengths and capabilities over other, it will be chosen immediately (U. S. Small Business Administration, n.d). It is a general misconception that small business organizations have to compete head to head with large corporations to win contracts. In reality, the federal government has created wide categories of

Wall Street Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wall Street Film - Essay Example Greed to earn more and achieve the fame and fortune forces Bud Fox and Garden Gekko to actually start to prefer self over the family and indulge into actions which may be against the law. Garden Gekko openly said that greed is good, thus, giving the impression that earning money regardless of whether it comes from ethical ways is always a good thing to do in life. The movie shows that the characters deliberately broke the law and engaged into activities which were detrimental to the interests of others. The ethical issues highlighted also indicates as to how Bud Fox was lured into doing business with Garden Gekko and over the period of time lost his innocence and concerns for the rule of law and abiding the principles laid down by SEC. As things move on, Bud Fox seems to involve his friends also in the process of making money. This has shown that instinctively, being professionals, we can bet on the money of those who supported us in difficult times; as such, our relationships may be come driven more by the money rather than the feelings of love and compassion which as individuals fee for each other in our relationships. The ethical failings of Bud and Gekko may be in their tendency to be lured away by earning more money and in that process of earning more money lose sight of what is right and what is wrong. ... Best consequences always suggest that actions should be such that they are helpful and maximize utility for most number of people. Accordingly, any action which is considered to bring more happiness or bring greatest good is considered as an ethical and moral action regardless of the actual consequences. Utilitarianism however, counts those acts as unethical which are done in a manner that can provide maximum utility to individuals and create harm for others. The notion of greatest good for the greatest number of people, therefore, prevails in utilitarianism, as well as how individual and collective actions should be driven ethically. (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell) The situation described in the movie clearly indicates that the actions of both characters are actually offering greatest happiness to them only. This limits the positive consequences of their actions to themselves only, whereas the negative consequences of their actions are spilled over to the general public. The way fi nancial institutions are managed and the kind of speculative activities are taking place indicate that financial managers may be taking bets rather than calculated risks. Taking bets without actually involving rational, prudent and conservative investment approach results into greater losses for the investors and the society as a whole. Using utilitarian approach, therefore, outlines that the characters actually engaged into activities which were speculative in nature and were detrimental to not only the financial services industry as a whole but for the society in general also. The current financial meltdown is often considered as the result of the imprudent actions

Biometrics - Careers, Technology and Contribution to Business Competit Research Paper

Biometrics - Careers, Technology and Contribution to Business Competitive Advantage - Research Paper Example The acquisition device extracts a feature from the provided sample to produce a reference template which would undergo matching with a match- template to generate a score (Barcode.ro, 2014). There is always a predetermined threshold based on which the score of the biometric score gets measured to reach a decision; conclusion on the degree of match. Majors in the field of biometrics stand a chance of securing jobs in organizations such as police forces, government agencies and intelligence services, corporate investigation companies and forensic computing firms. Biometric specialists can be employed in these organizations for a range of job titles including cryptographers, who work towards hiding the kind of information that should be kept secret, for example, bank account PINs (Kent.ac.uk, 2014). Another job title in this profession is a software developer whose job description is to encrypt software and offer data compression services. Network software developers play the role of designing software for media companies. Biometrics as a technology is applied for different reasons that vary depending on the type of organization. The employability is however limited to verification of identification for either enterprise or document security (detection of fraud). Identification is essential to addressing loyalty and theft in a business environment (Opara, Rob & Etnyre, 2006). It is also widely applied in forensics, for instance, prison security and criminal identification. Many businesses are sluggish in the adoption of Biometric technologies into their operations. Reports show that the slow adoption is mainly attributed to the high financial costs associated with the installation and maintenance of biometric equipment. However, Biometrics is the most reliable option that any business will ever resolve. Its adoption is associated with plenty of competitive advantages in an increasingly competitive market.  Ã‚  

Are Automotive Manufacturers more Socially Responsible?

Are Automotive Manufacturers more Socially Responsible? To what extent are car manufacturing firms operating in a more socially responsible manner when designing environmentally friendly cars? Abstract Social responsibility is one of the key differentiators between modern corporations, and is seen by many analysts as an antidote to the past few years trend towards the demonisation of corporate institutions. The recent economic crisis, in particular, has led many observers to argue that corporations that fail to address issues of social responsibility will struggle to survive. However, other observers question whether this phenomenon is anything more than a superficial consumer trend, and whether the world economy in general can seriously contemplate a corporate system in which the profit motive is subservient to the need for corporate social responsibility. This dissertation examines social responsibility in terms of the car manufacturing industry, and looks in particular at the question of whether or not the move towards environmentally friendly cars is anything more than a passing phase in an industry that is extremely sensitive to public opinion. Ultimately, the aim of the disse rtation is to determine whether or not corporate social responsibility within the car manufacturing industry is a genuine change, or whether it is simply a superficial response to a passing public trend. Introduction The concept of corporate social responsibility has been one of the dominant themes of the past decade, with consumer recognition of a corporations social responsibility being increasingly seen as a lucrative phenomenon. In the west, in particular, increasing levels of affluence have led to a trend that has seen more customers show willingness to pay more for products that are designed according to theories of social responsibility., and this shift has been nowhere more apparent than in the automobile manufacturing industry. This trend has inter-cut with a recognition (in some quarters) of the need to ensure a more environmentally-friendly approach to industrial production and consumption, and a number of corporations have secured dramatically enhanced public images through a focus on affordable but socially responsible products. However, critics argue that since the primary aim of these corporations is to increase their profits, the appearance of social responsibility has been more o f a cosmetic change than a substantial alteration of core business practices; many critics believe that corporations have, in most cases, merely become better at packaging their products as a more socially responsible, environmentally friendly alternative. Despite the recent financial crisis, the automobile manufacturing industry remains a bellwether for the global economy, and any genuine global industrial changes regarding social responsibility will likely be evident in the automobile industry at an early stage. This dissertation will examine the behaviour of car manufacturing firms and will ask whether they have genuinely become more socially responsible when designing environmentally friendly cars, or whether this is merely a superficial smokescreen designed to generate improved public exposure without leading to genuine changes in design and production philosophies. In particular, the difference between the industrys approach before and after the onset of the recent economic crisis will be examined, and these differences will be used to determine whether or not the move towards social responsibility represented a genuine change to production systems or was merely an attempt to capture the early twenty-first century zeitgeist. Furthermore, the dissertation will examine the extent to which social responsibility and environmental awareness have affected not only above-the-line (i.e. visible to the public) areas of the industry, but also below-the-line (i.e. internal corporate) systems; the d issertation will argue that firms can only be said to have adopted a greater level of social responsibility if their attempts to tackle this issue extend to below-the-line activities. The dissertation will use a series of core examples in order to determine both the hyperbole (i.e. the claims made to the public) and the core below-the-line changes that may, or in some cases may not, reflect the car manufacturing industrys more socially responsible, environmentally friendly approach to business and production. Literature Review Corporate Social Responsibility Social responsibility has been one of the key growth areas in recent years. Crane et al. (2007) define social responsibility, in the corporate context, as a companys ability to put aside the profit motive in order to perform tasks that have a beneficial effect not on the company itself in terms of capital but in terms of an entirely separate social group (Crane et al., 2007, p. 6). In this context, social responsibility can be seen as something that companies are expected to do unbidden, in much the same way as many people choose to donate their time and volunteer to help charities. In some ways, therefore, social responsibility can be seen as an attempt to anthropomorphise corporations by rendering them indebted to a cultural belief that they should act in a more ethical and moral manner. This is in some ways a cultural corrective to the idea of corporations as solely capitalistic, profit-orientated organisations. May et al. (2007) suggest that corporate social responsibility is a popular construct that seeks to imbue corporations with humanistic traits regardless of whether those traits are present or not (May et al., 2007, p. 118). In order for public recognition of these traits to be tangible, there must be a relative relationship between different corporations, so some must be seen to be exercising a great deal of social responsibility, while other must be seen to be doing very little. This is, in effect, the classic polar relationship between good and bad, and it allows consumers to associate themselves with positive, socially responsible companies purely by making certain purchasing decisions. Both sides therefore have a vested interest in social responsibility: consumers feel good if they reward socially responsible companies with their custom, and can use such purchases as a form of status symbol; corporations, meanwhile, can try to generate a larger, more loyal customer base. While some critics argue that social responsibility is a trend that will wax and wane according to various social and economic factors (May et al., 2007, p. 119), others believe that the emergence of social responsibility as a major business factor in the past decade is in fact a permanent change. Crane et al. note that growing awareness of environmental issues has led many people to recognise the importance of social responsibility (Crane et al., 2007, p. 10), and although the recent economic crisis may have led many to hold back on the spending that they would otherwise have directed towards socially responsible corporations, there still appears to be a broad consensus that social responsibility is one of the most important factors in modern business. Consequently, many companies have sought to strengthen their social policy credentials. Environmental Policy One of the key elements of social responsibility is the environment. For more than twenty years, there have been warnings about the effects of global warming. Many corporations choose to exhibit their social responsibility through one of a number of environmentally friendly policies: Reducing the environmental cost of production distribution. Reducing the environmental cost of consumption. Reducing the environmental cost of disposal. Using more environmentally-friendly materials. Reducing packaging and other superfluous elements of a product. Instigating specific environmentally-friendly technological elements. Funding research and education programs. Carbon and pollution off-setting. All of these options and more are regularly employed by companies that want to emphasise their environmental credentials. Large companies tend to focus on methods that require little more effort than throwing money at the problem, e.g. by funding research or off-setting their carbon emissions. However, some other companies are far more inventive, and genuinely try to reduce their environmental impact. Social Responsibility Aside from the environmental factors noted above, companies have found a number of ways of demonstrating their corporate social responsibility: Funding education programs. Providing services, e.g. transportation for school and disabled groups. Promoting volunteerism among their own workers. Donating money to charities. Working to eliminate abuse in the chain of production. The globalised corporate environment makes it more difficult than ever for companies to hide practices that might be unpopular in their domestic markets. For example, if a company seeks to use cheap labour in third world countries, it can make a short-term impact but will usually be exposed eventually. In other words, companies find it increasingly difficult to hide any non-socially responsible behaviour. The Car Manufacturing Industry The vast majority of manufacturers are global in terms of production facilities. The leading US and Japanese manufacturers, for example, tend to have dozens of factories, with at the top five companies all having at least one factory in each of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. As such, the industry can be said to be truly global in terms of both customer reach and production. Furthermore, companies often experience great success in non-domestic markets, e.g. Japans Toyota also sells many cars in the US, and Germanys BMW is extremely popular in the UK; the only major exceptions to this rule are two of the three big US companies, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler, both of which have been criticised for their focus on the US market. The Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Car Manufacturing Industry All the worlds car manufacturers have in recent years suffered from the global economic downturn. In the US, the big three manufacturers Ford, Chrysler and General Motors (GM) have all come close to bankruptcy, and GM has been forced to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Around the world, companies have suffered similar problems, although in most cases not to the extent of the major US companies. In Japan, both Honda and Toyota have suffered heavy losses and have been forced to reconsolidate their core business areas. As a result, the automobile industry has been undergoing a period of immense uncertainty, and this has led many consumers to believe that they can no longer rely on the continued presence of the big names. Apart from the well-publicised problems for the big three US companies GM, Ford and Chrysler, almost every other major car manufacturer around the world has suffered a slump in profits in the past two years, and many have incurred legacy debts during this period that will impact upon their performance for decades to come. Toyota reported a massive $1.7bn loss (Fackler, 2008) and, like most other manufacturers, was forced to re-focus activities on core revenue streams. As one of the key figures in the green car revolution, Toyota had been investing heavily in environmentally-friendly cars, and had been happy to make such investments since it believe there would be massive financial benefits in the long run. However, the financial crisis crippled Toyotas ability to consider the long term implications of its current activities, and forced the company to focus on its core business. As Satoshi Hino notes, Toyota has long been one of the more adventurous companies when it comes to placing substantial industrial bets on future changes in the automobile market, but these have always been backed by strong performances in the companys core activities (Hino, 2005, p. 41). The companys move into electric and hybrid cars seen by many as a key element in the push towards greener automobiles has largely been financed by success in core diesel machines, with the pay-off for this front-end investment expected to arrive between 2010 and 2015. However, with the core business model threatened by double-digit year-on-year sales drops, Toyota was forced in 2009 to consolidate its activities and re-focus on the most profitable elements of its production line. This decision by the company served as dramatic proof that while there was clearly a high degree of confidence in terms of the potential for socially responsible cars to provide a significant pay-off in the medium to long term, this confidence was not strong enough to allow the company to rely on such vehicles during a time of economic crisis. Clearly, therefore, market forces are not yet dictating the need for social responsibility in sufficient numbers, or with sufficient support via purchasing decisions . Research Methodology Research Approach The research will take two key approaches: a questionnaire will be used to conduct primary research into consumer awareness of the question of social responsibility in the car manufacturing industry, and two case studies will be used to determine how two of the worlds biggest manufacturers GM and Toyota deal with this issue. In order to assess the impact of the social responsibility policies of both GM and Toyota, the questionnaires will be designed to measure the impact of such policies (or the lack of them) and the degree to which they change public opinion and have the effect for which they were designed. These questionnaires will be vital in terms of bridging the gap between the theory and reality, and will expose the limitations inherent in this approach. In order to increase the likely response rate, and to comply with ethical considerations regarding privacy, the questionnaires were left anonymous and respondents were told that they could ignore any individual questions that they would prefer not to answer. The secondary research will focus on two case studies, one looking at the leading US car manufacturer (General Motors) and the other looking at the worlds leading car manufacturer, by sales (Toyota). These companies have been chosen for specific reasons. General Motors (GM) has had a difficult economic history over the past two decades, almost filing for bankruptcy in the 1990s before going on to enjoy considerable success with a series of non-environmentally friendly cars (SUVs) while professing to hold social responsibility as a key philosophical point, and then suffering a massive collapse that resulted in the company filing for the fourth largest bankruptcy in US history (see chapter 4). Toyota, meanwhile, has made a name for itself with a series of advanced hybrid cars, but has also suffered during the recent financial crisis (see chapter 5). In other words, GM is seen by many as one of the worlds least socially responsible manufacturers, and Toyota is seen by many as one of the worlds most socially responsible manufacturers. By comparing and contrasting their approaches and fortunes, it should be possible to develop a clear understanding of the extent to which major car manufacturers have been socially responsible in pursuing an environmentally friendly agenda. Research Questions The research is based on the following key questions: To what extent do car manufacturing companies act with a high degree of social responsibility when designing environmentally friendly cars? How important is consumer behaviour to car manufacturers interest in social responsibility? Do consumers drive companies behaviour, or vice versa? What different approaches to the subject of environmentally friendly, socially responsible cars have been taken by different companies? How has the recent economic crisis affected manufacturers interest in social responsibility? Is social responsibility progressing according to narrative trends? Is this a major change to business, or merely a passing trend? Research Limitations Any research project contains inherent limitations. If these limitations are ignored, they do not go away; rather, they linger and negatively impact the reliability of the overall project. Consequently, the best approach is to recognise these limitations from the start and to work to ensure that they are factored out of the equation as much as possible. As Saunders et al. note, its only by recognising the limitations of any research program that the problems that always affect any research project can be brought into the open, addressed and contextualised and, in some cases, turned into positives (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 51). The research limits of this project are as follows: Social responsibility is an inherently subjective matter. Something that is socially responsible in the view of one person may be socially irresponsible in the view of another. Many of the relevant subjects, such as global warming, are not universally recognised. Its therefore important to reflect the fact that there is ongoing debate. There is insufficient time and space to analyse the entire market. Therefore, key examples must be selected for the case studies. As noted in 3.1, the subjects for these case studies were chosen for very specific reasons. Questionnaires must be brief and simple to understand, yet they must also focus on the key points. Persuading respondents to fill in questionnaires can be difficult. All these limitations can be overcome, to various extents. The subjectivity inherent in the research subject is in fact relevant to the continuing social, cultural and political debates regarding the extent to which car companies should, and can, adopt socially responsible roles; some critics argue that this can only be achieved if consumers adopt socially responsible approaches to their purchasing patterns, which will inevitably force corporations to adapt to face this trend. Similarly, the continuing debate over global warming although settled in many peoples view continues to cause debate in many parts of the world. Finally, the limitations of time and space mean that the case study subjects must be analysed extremely closely, and the choices of company must be made carefully. Results Analysis Response 200 questionnaires were sent out. The expected response rate was 40-50%, as per the suggestion by Saunders et al. that any questionnaire-based research project that prompts between a third and a half of targets to respond can be said to have performed averagely (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 102). In the event, 81 questionnaires were returned, representing 40.5%, which is just within the expected range. This gives a statistically relevant sample group. Demographic Information Demographic details are important in research concerning attitudes to consumer activity and the environment, since both of these factors can impact upon an individuals view of these issues. Question 1 concerned the age of the respondents: How old are you? The majority of respondents were in their teens and twenties, with a total of three quarters being under 40. This makes the questionnaire more relevant in terms of analysing the attitudes of younger people. The second question concerned the occupation of the respondents. It was decided to provide broad categories rather than to request specific details. For one thing, this emphasised the confidentiality and privacy of the research, and for another it allowed for easy and effective categorisation of answers: What is your occupation? Around two thirds of the respondents were employed, self-employed or in part-time work, with the rest being students, retired or unemployed. Awareness of Social Responsibility among Car Manufacturers The next question asked respondents if they believed the car manufacturing industry, as a whole, to be socially responsible. A brief explanation was appended to this question, defining social responsibility as an awareness of their impact on society, including the environment, and their efforts to ensure that this impact has a positive rather than a negative effect: How responsible do you think car manufacturers are? An overwhelming majority (67.9%) considered car manufacturers to be either not very or not at all responsible. Breaking these results down according to age and occupation gave the following results: Appreciation of manufacturers social awareness, broken down by age range Clearly, levels of appreciation appear to be at least partly linked to age, with these levels peaking for individuals in their fifties. There are numerous possible reasons for this, including: Media exposure: different age groups are exposed to very different media forms and sources, each of which will likely carry very different stories concerning manufacturers levels of social awareness. Learned behaviour: older respondents will have spent longer living in a time when many of the relevant issues, particularly environmental impact, were not considered. Environmental awareness: some of the answers may be influenced by a lack of belief in the various arguments concerning the environment and, in particular, the car industrys contribution to global warming. Clearly, therefore, awareness of social responsibility is a dynamic factor that reflects a number of different viewpoints, and this factors is by no means viewed the same by different age groups. The clear correlation between age and awareness indicates that manufacturers must ensure that they operate multiple simultaneous social responsibility programs if they are to reach all these groups. However, the next question sought to determine whether or not it was strictly necessary for the manufacturers to try to appeal to everyone, and asked how important social responsibility is to purchasing decisions. First, in terms of the overall response, the result was as follows: How important is a manufacturers social responsibility for you when choosing what car to buy? Almost half (48.1%) claimed that social responsibility was either very or quite important, with just over half (51.9%) claiming that it was not very or not at all important. Given the relatively small sample group for this research project, the difference is small enough to be statistically irrelevant, and broadly indicates a 50-50 split in terms of opinion on this subject. However, looking at the results in terms of an age-related breakdown results in a very different set of results: Importance of social responsibility of manufacturers, by age The data shows a clear depreciation of the importance of social responsibility for older consumers, although there is evidence of an increase for consumers in their 50s and above. In order to determine a link between awareness of social responsibility in the industry and the importance of social responsibility in purchasing decisions, the results from figures 4 and 6 were then combined: Importance, and awareness, of social responsibility in the car manufacturing industry There is clearly an inverse relationship between awareness of social responsibility as a factor in the industry, and belief in the importance of social responsibility. For example, younger people are most likely to believe that social responsibility is an important factor when making purchasing decisions, but are the least appreciative of any efforts that have so far been made. To an extent, this can be seen to be a matter of perception, but theres also clearly a problem for the industry in terms of persuading parts of the consumer base that its intentions are genuine. In order to measure the degree to which various manufacturers have succeeded in their aim of seeming more socially responsible, respondents were next asked whether they thought the industry had become more socially responsible over the past decade: Do you think the car industry has become more socially responsible over the past decade, less socially responsible, or it has stayed mostly the same? The vast majority of respondents believe there has been no real change, strongly suggesting that either the message from the manufacturers has not got through to the public, or that there is a deep level of cynicism in terms of whether the public believe that the rhetoric has translated into genuine action. Finally, respondents were given a range of options and were asked to indicate which they believed were most important in terms of social responsibility. They were asked to tick two or three options, with the aim being to allow them to indicate the elements of corporate social responsibility that were deemed most important: Most important elements of social responsibility Clearly, the vast majority of consumers overwhelmingly equate social responsibility with environmental issues. The only other factor to come close to this in terms of relevance was making donations to charitable causes, which to an extent also involves the environment. Social responsibility is not purely about the environment, and encompasses a range of other activities that can improve society. However, for the consumers canvassed for this research project, environmental issues were by far the most important, and its therefore possible to argue that the environment has overtaken all other elements of social responsibility and has become the single most important issue. Although manufacturers could fight against this perception and attempt to focus attention on other factors, the best approach might be to accept that when it comes to social responsibility, most consumers overwhelmingly focus on the environment. Case Study 1: General Motors (US) Background General Motors (GM) is the largest US car manufacturer, and the second largest in the world (after Toyota) (Trott, 2009). The company relies heavily on four key brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. Each of these brands has a distinctive presence in the US market, but critics have argued that GM has lacked focus on the non-US markets, leaving it particularly vulnerable to domestic turmoil and economic volatility. In 1994, GM came close to bankruptcy following a $4.5bn loss, but cost-cutting measures and management changes ensured its survival. The company was one of the key instigators of the huge rise in sales for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in the 1990s, a trend that was highly lucrative for GM but which resulted in criticism from environmental campaigners. Between 1998 and 2001, GM and Ford vied for the top spot in the US market, primarily through massively increasing sales in the SUV market. However, the downturn which followed the September 11th 2001 attacks saw GM suff er particularly hard, even compared to Ford, with the latter at least having a strong European heartland on which to rely during difficult trading conditions in the US. Nevertheless, GM bounced back and by 2005 was recording strong sales figures and was eyeing major expansion into overseas markets. However, the recent economic crisis virtually crippled GM, as well as its two key domestic rivals, Ford and Chrysler. GM lost $38.7bn in the 2007 fiscal year (Wearden, 2009), and an almost 50% drop in sales. The following year, GM predicted that it would run out of money in mid-2009 without a substantial re-financing program, and called for government help. In November 2008, the company joined with Ford and Chrysler in formally requesting help from the US government in order to stave off bankruptcy. Even in the context of the financial crisis, this move was massive, since it represented the genuine possibility of the USs three major car companies going bust almost simultaneously. Although the US government, under outgoing president George W. Bush, was initially reluctant to provide money at a time when many other businesses also had legitimate claims for government help, in December 2008 a bridging loan was finally offered. Despite numerous attempts to cut costs and reorganise the co mpany over the next six months, in June 2009 GM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. After Lehman Brothers, Worldcom and Washington Mutual, this was the fourth largest bankruptcy filing in US history. Eventually, on July 10th 2009, the US government helped to finance a new company, NGMCO Inc., that took on the majority of the old GM assets. The old GM changed its name to Motors Liquidation Company, and the new Vehicle Acquisition Holdings company changed its name to General Motors Company, thereby bringing GM back to life. The new version of GM is mostly owned by the US government, while the old GM Motors Liquidation Company continues to go through the process of the bankruptcy filing. Social Responsibility Both the old and the new GM have been involved in programs to emphasise their social responsibility. Since 1996, GM has financed the Safe Kids USA Buckle Up program, designed to encourage children to use seatbelts. The company has also contributed to a consortium that has donated over $1.2bn to fund education for engineering graduates, a scheme that has recently been extended worldwide. GM has also donated more than $200m in the past decade to charitable causes, and has supported both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates often simultaneously. The companys more recent philanthropic activities include a new global aid program (GM, 2009) and a number of smaller, local community projects designed to improve provisions mostly for children in areas surrounding the companys main factories. These projects have, for the most part, been maintained despite the continued financial uncertainty and the chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings that took place in mid-2009. GM has also launched a major program called I Am GM, designed to showcase the companys strong workplace diversity policies. The program involves placing adverts in newspapers and magazines, and on television, in which GM employees from different ethnic backgrounds talk about their pride in the company. As well as reinforcing the idea of GM as an equal opportunities, ethnically diverse employer, the campaign is designed to show how GM works towards engineering a higher degree of diversity in society. Linked to this program is the companys renewed focus on safety, which has seen not only improvements designed to help children in the event of an accident, but also high-profile campaigns to reinforce the companys vehicles in order to make them withstand bigger crashes. The Buckle Up program has been maintained, and GM has expanded this campaign since 2008 by taking the message to schools around the US. The company claims that corporate responsibility is about more than just words its an acknowledgement that our actions shape our reputation (GM, 2009). Environmentally-Friendly Technology During the 1990s, a number of scandals saw the company accused of poor environmental management, including an accusation that sediments have been stored in unsafe conditions. In 2006, GM was one of a number of manufacturers from around the world named in a suit brought by the State of California over the issue of pollution. The case was dismissed a year later, but the damage to GMs reputation had already been done. In 2008, the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) ranked GM 18th on its list of the USs worst polluters, giving the company a toxic score of 73,248, set against the no. 1 polluter, E.I. du Pont de Nemours, which scored 285,661 (PERI, 2008). Meanwhile, in the same year, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) ranked GM 7th out of the worlds largest car manufacturers

pipes and cigars :: essays research papers

Pipes and Cigars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The 1991 edition of The World Book Encyclopedia defines a cigar exactly as follows â€Å"Cigar is a tight roll of dried tobacco used for smoking. Cigars range in size from short, slim cigarillos to long, slender panetelas and large, fat coronas. The majority of cigars are made by machines, but the more expensive ones are hand-rolled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most cigars consist of three parts and three types of tobaccos. Folded filler tobacco leaves make up most of the body of a cigar. The filler is held together and surrounded by a binder leaf. A wrapper leaf is wound around the binder. Some inexpensive cigars have as their binders or wrappers reconstituted tobacco sheets. These sheets are made of coarse or damaged tobacco leaves that have been ground up and mixed with adhesive.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And in the definition of pipes it says in a short summary that a pipe is used for smoking tobacco. It has been around for over 2,000 years they were brought to Europe in the 1500’s. Indians smoked pipes during celebrations and religious ceremonies and used it as a symbol of peace. Pipes are made of briar, which is a hard wood. Meerschaum is a white clay used to make pipes. Porcelain is also used to make pipes. In the Middle East the hookah or water pipe is popular. Pipes have been collected and smoked for many years and there are clubs that meet to buy sell and trade old and new pipes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These articles inform you but not well. Other articles on drugs or even cigarettes contain dangers and health risks, and as I looked for more information on the internet I found only shops and clubs. Then I realized that the dangers of pipes and cigars aren’t very well known and the only places that had them were health organizations and what they had surprised me because I didn’t know much about it either.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When compared to non-smokers, cigar smokers have about four times greater risk of dying of lung cancer.

Eating Disorders - Body Image in the Media Essay -- Argumentative Pers

Body Image in the Media      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Plato once said, "We behold beauty in the eye of the mind...." What some people consider beauty others may not. From the actresses that are shown on television, movies, models that are in magazines, and the pop stars that create hip and modern music videos, one could be under the impression that to be beautiful you must thin. Actresses such as Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Michelle Gheller, Clarista Flockheart, Courtney Cox and Debra Messing all have staring roles in their own television shows and are all extremely thin. The audiences of these shows being mostly women and adolescent girls, what kind of message about body image are they sending out?    The stars of Hollywood are considered to be the most beautiful and elegant in the world. A vast majority of the population wants to have their bodies resemble those of the stars. These women and girls will go to extreme lengths have this happen. What these women don't understand is, these actresses have professionals to help them look "beautiful." They have professional hair and makeup artists, fashion experts to help them dress, and lighting experts to make the women glow on the screen. These actresses and models will go through painful plastic surgeries to enhance their "beauty" because they feel as though they are not beautiful enough. "Fashion magazines are filled with air brushed photos of emaciated models with breast implants" (Schneider, Shelly 2). Not even famous actresses feel as though they are beautiful enough. "I have never worked with a beautiful young woman who thought she was A) beautiful or B) thin enough." (Schumacher 1) This director, Joel Schumacher, has worked wit h actresses like Demi Moore, Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock. ... ...the women who aren't on television really do have it easier. Women who are not in the spotlight don't have to worry about thousands to millions of people looking and analyzing them. Women who are not in the spotlight do not having people telling them they are over weight or not pretty enough to be televised. All females should appreciate each other for the special features that each of us possesses. If we could focus on the positive instead of the negative maybe we could go help the problem of people having low self-esteem and body issues.    Work Cited "Children, Adolescents, and Television." Pediatrics. 107. (2001): 423-427 Erokan, Laney. "Negative Body Image Influences Eating Disorders." Lycos Network. 30 Aug. 2000. <http://www.studentadvantage.lycos.com> Schenider, Karen S. Shelley Levitt. "Mission Impossible." People. 3 June 1996. : 64-73

Disruptions of Meanings in Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby”

Despite its brevity Kate Chopin’s â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† offers a rich account of the disruptions of meaning within literary texts. Such disruptions were achieved by Chopin through the use of Desiree Aubigny. The possibility of such is evident if one considers that Desiree Aubigny [as the main protagonist] enabled a more complex understanding of the meanings embedded within the concepts of race, sex, and class. In lieu of this, what follows is an analysis of Desiree Aubigny in Kate Chopin’s â€Å"Desiree’s Baby†. In this drama of misinterpretations, Desiree undermines certainty about the ability to read signs [e. . skin color] as clear evidence about how to categorize people. The disruption culminates when Desiree, whom everyone considers white, has a baby boy who looks partly black. When she is rejected by her husband, Armand, she takes the infant, disappears into the bayou, and does not return. Armand later finds out, however, that he himsel f is black, on his mother's side. This, though unintentional has devastated him by means of these two surprises, one concerning her supposed race and one concerning his own. In order to fully understand this, it is necessary to present an analysis of how the story unfolds. The story takes place in an antebellum Creole community ruled by institutions based on apparently clear dualities [master over slave, white over black, and man over woman]. Complacently deciphering the unruffled surface of this symbolic system, the characters feel confident that they know who belongs in which category and what signifies membership in each category. It is important to note that within the story the aforementioned dualities parallel each other as critiques of their hierarchical structures. Within this system of race, sex, and class, the most complacent representative is Armand Aubigny. Confident that he is a white, a male, and a master, he feels in control of the system. However, such confidence will later be challenged by his wife Desiree. In order to understand how his wife challenged the hierarchical representation of signification [and hence that of meaning], we must take a closer look at the surprises that Armand encounters. The tale begins with a flashback about Desiree’s childhood and courtship. She was a foundling adopted by childless Madame and Monsieur Valmonde. Like a queen and king in a fairy tale, they were delighted by her mysterious arrival and named her Desiree. It is important to note that Desiree means â€Å"the wished-for one† or â€Å"the desired one†. Desiree in this sense was depicted like a fairy-tale princess who â€Å"grew to be beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere,-the idol of Valmonde† (Chopin, 1995, p. 160). When she grew up, she was noticed by Armand, the dashing owner of a nearby plantation. He fell in love immediately and married her. She â€Å"loved him desperately. When he frowned she trembled, but loved him. When he smiled, she asked no greater blessing of God† (Chopin, 1995, p. 162). They were not to live happily ever after, however. Thus occurs the initial subversion of meaning resulting from the reversal of the accustomed â€Å"happy ending† that usually concludes such fairy tales. It is important to note that the short story initially started with the depiction of the figures [Desiree and Armand] in such a fashion as that of fairy tale figures despite of such an initial description and depiction of their situation, the ending [or rather the later parts of the story] shows that such an ending as that which is warranted by such stories which takes the aforementioned form [fairy tale stories] was to be subverted within the aforementioned tale. Soon after the story proper opens, Armand meets with the first surprise. He, other people, and finally Desiree see something unusual in her infant son's appearance. She asks her husband what it means, and he replies, â€Å"It means . . . that the child is not white; it means that you are not white† (Chopin, 1995, p. 163). Desiree writes Madame Valmonde a letter pleading that her adoptive mother deny Armand's accusation. The older woman cannot do so but asks Desiree to come home with her baby. When Armand tells his wife he wants her to go, she takes the child and disappears forever into the bayou. Thus, Armand's first surprise comes when he interprets his baby's appearance to mean that the child and its mother are not white. What seemed white now seems black. Desiree, with the child she has brought Armand, has apparently uncovered a weakness in her husband's ability to decipher the symbols around him. Ironically, Desiree's power comes from the fact that she seems malleable. Into an established, ostensibly secure system, she came as a child apparently without a past. As a wild card, to those around her the girl appeared blank, or appeared to possess nonthreatening traits such as submissiveness. Desiree seemed to invite projection [as Madame Valmonde’s desired child, Armand’s desired wife]. Both [Madame Valmonde and Armand], however, deceived themselves into believing they could safely project their desires onto Desiree, the undifferentiated blank slate. Actually, however, her blankness should be read as a warning about the fragility of representation. One aspect of Desiree’s blankness is her initial namelessness. As a foundling, she has lost her original last name and has received one that is hers only by adoption. Even foundlings usually receive a first name of their own, but in a sense, Desiree also lacks that, for her first name merely reflects others individuals’ desires. In addition, namelessness has a particularly female cast in this society, since women, including Desiree, lose their last name at marriage. Namelessness connotes not only femaleness but also blackness in antebellum society, where white masters can deprive black slaves of their names. Although Desiree’s namelessness literally results only from her status as a foundling and a married woman, her lack of a name could serve figuratively as a warning to Armand that she might be black. Concerning sex, race, and class, Desiree upsets systems of meaning but-by failing to connect the personal with the political-stops short of attacking hierarchical power structures. Disruption of meaning could lead to, and may be necessary for, political disruption, but Desiree does not take the political step. Instead of attacking the meaningfulness of racial difference as a criterion for human rights, Desiree takes a more limited step as she reveals that racial difference is more difficult to detect than is commonly supposed [e. g. through physical traits]. In this view, suffering can result if people classify each other too hastily or if, having finished the sorting process, people treat their inferiors cruelly. However, the system of racial difference, with its built-in hierarchy, persists. In this system, superiority is still meaningful; the only difficulty lies in detecting it. The importance of Chopin’s aforementioned story is thereby evident if one considers that it presents three reasons [unconsciousness, negativeness, and lack of solidarity] to help explain why Desiree does reveal her society's lack of knowledge but fails to change its ideological values, much less its actual power hierarchies. She poses so little threat to the dominant power structures that she holds a relatively privileged position for most of her life. Yet subversiveness need not be bound so tightly to traits such as unconsciousness that makes it self-limiting. Desiree’s existence as enabling the subversion of meaning must thereby be taken seriously if one is to consider that Chopin through the aforementioned character and her story enabled to show that explicit meanings although necessary are not sufficient means for understanding the underlying conditions implicit in existence. In a sense, Desiree serves as a reminder for individuals to continually consider what lies beneath the implicit assumptions that generates meanings [and hence stereotypes or modes of classification] within society.