Productivity Improvement Techniques

These twelve productivity improvement techniques are explained as follows:- 1. Value Engineering (VE) : Value Engineering (VE) is the process of improving the value of a product at every stage of the product life cycle. At the development stage, VE improves the value of a product by reducing the cost without reducing quality. At the maturity stage, VE reduces the cost by replacing the costly components (parts) by cheaper components. VE also tries to improve the value and quality of the product. Value is the satisfaction which the consumer gets by using the product.VE tries to give maximum value for a lowest price. 2. Quality Circles (QC) : The concept of Quality Circles (QC) was introduced in 1960 in Japan. QC is a small group of employees who meet regularly to identify, analyse, and solve problems in their department. The QC members advise the management to implement new methods to solve work-related problems. QC increases the productivity. 3. Financial and Non-Financial Incentives : The organisation must motivate the employees by providing financial and non-financial incentives.The financial incentives include better wages and salaries, bonus, etc. The non-financial incentives include better working conditions, welfare facilities, worker's participation in management, etc. 4. Operations Research (OR) : Operations Research (OR) uses mathematical and scientific methods to solve management problems, including problems of productivity. QR technique uses a scientific method to study the alternative courses of actions and to select the best alternative. OR uses techniques such as linear programming, game theory, etc. to make the right decision. Thus, QR helps to improve productivity. 5. Training : Training is a process of increasing the knowledge and skills of the employees. Training is a must, for new employees and experienced employees. Training increases the efficiency of the employee. Thus, training results in high productivity. 6. Job Enlargement : Job Enlarge ment is a horizontal expansion of a job. It is done to make jobs more interesting and satisfying. It involves increasing the variety of duties. For e. g. typist may be given the job of accounts writing in addition to the typing work. This technique is used for lower level jobs. 7. Job Enrichment : Job Enrichment is a vertical expansion of a job. It makes routine jobs more meaningful and satisfying. It involves providing more challenging tasks, and responsibilities. For e. g. a manager who prepares performance reports is asked to make plans for his department. Job Enrichment technique is used for higher-level jobs. 8. Inventory Control : There must be a proper level of inventory.Overstocking and under stocking of inventories must be avoided. Overstocking of inventories will result in blocking of funds and there are chances of spoilage or misuse of materials. Under stocking of inventories will result in shortages. This will block the smooth flow of production, and so the delivery sche dules will be affected. 9. Materials' management : Materials' management deals with optimum utilisation of materials in the manufacturing process. It involves scientific purchasing, systematic store keeping, proper inventory control, etc.The main objective of materials' management is to purchase the right quantity and quality materials, at the right prices, at the right time, to maintain favourable relations with suppliers, to reduce the cost of production, etc. 10. Quality Control : The main objective of quality control is to produce good quality goods at reasonable prices, to reduce wastages, to locate causes of quality deviation and to correct such deviations, to make the employees quality conscious, etc. 11. Job Evaluation : Job Evaluation is a process of fixing the value of each job in the organisation.It is done to fix the wage rate for each job. A proper job evaluation increases the moral of the employees. This increases the productivity. 12. Human factor engineering : Human factor engineering refers to the man-machine relationship. It is designed to match the technology to a human requirement. The term Ergonomics has originated from the Greek word ‘ergos' meaning ‘Work' and ‘nomikos' meaning ‘Law'. So, it means ‘Law of Work'. It tells us how to fit a job to a man's psychological and physiological characteristics to increase human efficiency and well-being.

Good And Bad Manners Essay

Good Manners have a deep Affect on our minds. As bad manners produce bad results in society, good manners produce good results. Good manners are unconsciously acquired in our childhood, but they can also be cultivated later on. Every human being should be treated with due respect and dignity. The animal instinct in us makes us rough and vulgar, but a cultured and civilized man is gentle and polite. By good manners we understand the way in which a person should behave in society. One is expected to show respect one’s elders. Good manners are necessary for everyone, in every walk of life. It is good manners to thank anybooy who does anything for you. When a waiter brings you a glass of water, you may thank him. â€Å"Friends and good manners will carry you where money won’t go.† Good manners are vital for success in life. Nobody likes a rude person, but good manners endear a man to other. A shopkeeper who behaves rudely with his customers can never flourish in his trade, but one who behaves politely and pleasantly with others attracts a large number of customers. Patients always rush to a doctor who is sympathetic towards them. A leader cannot have a large follower unless he is polite to others. In fact good manners have a magnetic influence over the people. Good manner are not, however, born with us. They have to be cultivated with great care. Childhood is the best period to cultivate good manners and so both parents and teachers have a great role to play. Bad Manners: The Height of Bad Manners is Way too Much To begin with, Bad Manners is defined by lack of polite or well-bred social behavior resulting by ignorance, this may be true, but I don ´t think so, this is because nowadays people are adopting this reprehensive conducts no just by ignorance, but for doing whatever they want, in this bad manner conducts we can see: not respecting adults, farting in front of anybody, not saluting, people that don ´t respect the third age privileges in public places/transport. In the world we can see many of this awful behavior but each day we can see it more in our community its becoming part of our daily life to be disrespectful with others and don ´t minding about if the other  person would feel bad about it. As your parents probably told you not so many years ago this â€Å"Bad Manners Acts† where severally punished with very strict sanction but now we can see a teenager threatening and old man so they give him the spot in the bus.

Fast food Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fast food - Research Paper Example They carried out this study to understand the perceptions among Latino parents on their role(s) in countering the alarming obesity cases among children (Glassman, Figueroa and Irigoyen, 4-13). This study had a sample representation of twenty-six parents and was conducted in New York City with preschool parents. The parents unanimously agreed that they had a critical role in preventing the obesity problem among their children through proper dietary practices. However, there were also some hindrances to the effectiveness of their fight against obesity through issues of societal pressures, family history and interparental / intergenerational issues as well as the adolescence issues. Therefore, the study would reveal the importance of empowering the parents to fight the obesity menace among the children through such mechanisms as family based interventions which are culturally effective and helping them overcome the hindrances outlined above. From such a study as this, it is clear that t hough the problem has a lot to blame on the actual food taken and thus by extension to the fast food industry, the most to blame over the condition are the particular persons taking the food. For instance, the fast food outlets would not be blamed over the increasing obesity conditions among the kids but rather the parents who take the active role of funding the children to get the food or better still taking them to these outlets for meals. Diet is the major cause of obesity as a fact as illustrated from the above excerpt. Nevertheless, genetic structure within families as well as developmental stages of human beings such as the adolescence has critical contribution to the occurrence of such a condition. It is therefore a justified concern to evaluate the role that fast food, as part of regular diet to many people in the modern society, has played in raising the cases of obesity. The fast foods are blamed on having high levels of saturated fats and calories which are interpreted to contribute greatly to adding weight uncontrollably (Sheehan, para 2). This therefore confirms the fears and blames that people often level on fast food on occurrences of obesity. Research has equally played a major role in supporting the claims on causes of obesity where many such study findings support poor dietary practices to be the major cause of the condition. This however does not totally disregard other influential factors that would equally be blamed on the rising cases of obesity among people, especially the Americans. They are therefore justified to level accusations and blame on fast food as a cause to their weight problems; obesity is such an example. Although it is a well-known fact that fast food is commonly unhealthy, the obesity epidemic in America is not caused by the fast food industry, but rather the individuals that make the conscious choice to dine at these restaurants. Discussion Parents and guardians have a most influential role to pay on the habits that the children pick up as they grow, with diet and eating habits being among them. Good parentage entails setting good examples to the young on such aspects as healthy eating and best joints to hang out in among other responsibilities. In this argument, I stand to refute that the availability fast food joints at the proximity of

CLINICALLY DISCUSS THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED FOR NURSING Essay

CLINICALLY DISCUSS THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED FOR NURSING LEADERSHP IN AN INTERPERSONAL TEAM - Essay Example The mental health care sector in United Kingdom has in the last few years focused on transformational leadership as it seeks to improve the quality of service and patients outcome ((Allen, Gilbert & Onyett 2009). Some of the fundamentals of leadership include interpersonal relationship skills, empowerment of individuals, ability to instill confidence in others and ability to apply the problem-solving process. In today’s rapidly changing practice environment, nurse leaders are challenged to exert effective leadership in order to promote effective organization and increase individual productivity. The nurse leadership in UK mental institutions is expected to develop strategies capable of enabling followers to cope with inevitable changes within the mental healthcare setting as well as adapt to such changes in a positive way (Allen, Gilbert & Onyett 2009). This paper explores the knowledge and skills required for nursing leadership in an interpersonal team. Leadership Theories an d Models Effective nurse leadership requires knowledge of various leadership theories, principles and the use of such theories to guide all actions within the healthcare setting. ... Creative leadership can be demonstrated by ability to apply professional knowledge, personal power, and cultivation of appropriate personal values in the process of delivering care. The need for creative leadership has been triggered by increased diversity of staff and clients, significant shift from formal leadership to self-managed teams, and emergence of nurse leaders who serve as team leaders, internal consultants as well as sponsors. Owing to such changes, nurse leaders should demonstrate several competencies including effective, innovative and creative problem solvers, change makers, technology masters, team players, effective communicators, and ambassadors (Clark 2008). These competencies have become a necessity in the current highly dynamic mental health care setting in UK. The common leadership styles or models include the autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire leadership styles. Autocratic leadership styles involves making of decisions at the leadership or individual leve l without consulting other stakeholders within the healthcare setting. This form of leadership has been associated with several negative impacts including bad feelings among other workers, undercover retaliations, increased resistance, conflicts, low morale and low productivity. On the other hand, the democratic approach entails involvement of other people in the decision making process although the final decision may finally come from the leadership after consultations. A democratic leadership style takes into consideration ideas of other stakeholders and factors in such ideas in coming up with the final decision (Nagelkerk 2005). This way, followers are made to feel that they are part of

Can Religion Heal Racism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Can Religion Heal Racism - Research Paper Example For the sake of argument, and since it is true in some cases, it will be said that religion can help to heal racism, but the other side will also be discussed within the content of this paper so the situation can be fairly analyzed by all readers attempting to take a stand. When discussing issues such as these, it is first important to understand the definitions of some key terms. First up is racism. According to the Anti-Defamation League (2010, pg. 1), â€Å"Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. Racial separatism is the belief, most of the time based on racism, that different races should remain segregated and apart from one another. Racism has existed throughout human history. It may be defined as the hatred of one person by another -- or the belief that another person is less than human -- because of skin color, language, cus toms, and place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nations, and legal codes.†" Next, it is important to understand the definition of religion. According to Princeton (2010, pg. 1), religion is "a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality" or an institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him." One thing all religions have in common is a guiding set of morals or principles that lead their followers to believe in a certain way. It is these beliefs that make some hopeful that religion can heal something as horrible as the concept of racism. There are many things that can cause racism, and religion is even one of them. It all depends upon what the followers of a certain religion consider to be right or wrong. Just looking at the plethora of wars that have broken out in the name of religion can show one that these rights and wrongs vary immensely from religion to religion. Racism of any form is condemned by the Church of England and the Catholic Church. Christians are raised to believe that racism is definitely wrong, but it still happens today. Middle Eastern and similar religions obviously have a problem with other people's religious beliefs, along with their races, or the heavy corruption that is there would not exist today. Many places in the Bible teach that racism is wrong and that God shows unconditional love towards his followers, no matter what race they are a part of. The Bible clearly outlines that God loves all people regardless of color or race. This shows that Christian teaching is not racist by any means. It is important to note, however, that Christians do not hate racists; they merely believe they have been misinformed. Racism can be challenged by Christians in a strong fashion. Even though these guidelines are taught to Christians, we have to think about what teachings are given to non-Christians. Certain religions even believe that if a person is of a different race, they are not worthy to be of their religion. Even though the Bible says that racism is wrong, that fact is going to mean nothing to a non-Christian. Those individuals are going to go with what their books and other teachings convey. Reading these passages, whether they comply with one's religion or not with common sense applied will allow them to be understood by virtually anyone with a conscience and a good heart, however. There is a quagmire that exists within the aforementioned concept, however. Christians may believe that God is not a racist, but to other religions, it does not carry

FINANCIAL SERVICES MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

FINANCIAL SERVICES MARKETING - Essay Example The financial service business is more about building a fruitful and beneficial relationship for both the parties. The key to this successful relationship is customer satisfaction, trust and commitment. The customer should be satisfied with the services they are getting from the financial institution they are engaged with and they must have an idea that this is the best which they can get and may not be considering switching to competitors at any point in time. This service industry is Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Customer (B2C) by nature. It requires internal marketing of its values and the ideology about customer satisfaction which needs to be delivered. The staff must be competent enough to understand and satisfy the needs of the customers. It should define the staff clearly that their role is not only to deal with the customers face to face but also to support and assist the customers with the interface. This requires relationship management which is concerned direct ly to cater customers and be interactive with them regarding ongoing purchases and future benefits available about making certain transaction. The financial market is complicated and risky both, so the new entrants must be communicated about the volatility of the market. DIFFERENTIATION To create value of the product for the customer the marketer must first understand the nature of the financial service themselves. They must always seek for opportunities to create differentiation of the product. These opportunities can be sought by understanding the culture and norms of the individuals. Usually all that a marketer can do is to make a value proposition and then the customer will derive value in use from the offerings....Studying about the functionality of various markets can improve that skill of adaptability. This course of Financial Services Marketing has highlighted many areas and challenges which a business of such nature has to face. Learning about these challenges has helped me in assessing all the businesses and their functionality. CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION Today’s job market has become very competitive. Employees have to undergo through several challenges on every walk of their career. Only those individuals who think outside the box become successful. It was creativity and innovation which made Steve Jobs and Bill gates successful. Wait for the right opportunity and avail it when it comes with the right attitude. Following the above mentioned attitude ensures success. Always be prepared for challenges because only those people who get through these challenges accomplish their goal. ENHANCED ANALYTICAL SKILLS Studying Financial Service Marketing has enhanced my analytical skills to great extent. I am positive that this will help increase my chances of future employability. Thorough learning provided me with the opportunity to analyze a large volume of data. This course has prepared me about how to apply various marketing models to analyze or speculate a business. Now, I can deal with problems more effectively and hope to handle problems before they become a major problem.

Management Fad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management Fad - Essay Example Often marketing researchers have associated fads with 'craze'. It is from this definition that TQM adopts fad strategies to maximise the overall profits of their firms. According to Camerer and Knez, the fact that management fashions like Total Quality Management (TQM), organisational culture and Business Process Reengineering is due to adopting managerial tools on a temporary basis, therefore "if the job of TQM is coordinating change then, once the job is done the terminology becomes useless and should make way for a new 'fad'" (Jackson, 2001, p. 21) Therefore in order to class a management idea as a true 'fad', one must study the market and identify the target consumers. Management tools have also become increasingly influential in research practice. For example, the field of brand and marketing consultancy employs techniques deriving from ethnography, as evidenced by press coverage in the UK Sunday Times Business Section (25 August 2002, section 3, p. 8). The author has found that the world's leading advertising agencies increasingly employ interpretive techniques drawn from identifying 'fad' behaviour in their pursuit of penetrating consumer insights. (Hackley, 2003, p. 2) In circumstances where there are umpteen ... According to various researches more or less defined frequently science terms give complexity to science theories with meanings more relevant to firms. Organisation change 'fad' method leads to emergence and empowerment as a tool for management. The record over the past several decades where on one hand presents fad's reasonability, on the other hand states its weaknesses as well. In this context 'fad' is misused on the grounds of legitimacy for management ideas that do not become legitimised by resting on a foundation of high-quality research are quickly replaced by the next fad coming down the pike. (Lissack, 2002, p. 207) It is therefore not necessary that the classification is always reasonable. However it often depends upon consumer external and internal research. If for some reason an organisation has remained unable to identify consumer needs, there is a possibility that 'fad' technique fails. Whether an organisation is aimed to restructure its product or brand management or an organisation is targeted to re-brand strategies, it has to make its 'fad' effective. Therefore in order to make a 'fad' planning effective, the company needs to adopt scenario driven planning and analysis. Scenario Planning In order to put a stoppage to the declining productivity, corporate restructuring is required in the form of scenario-driven planning which acts as a new productivity source for strategy design and implementation. The best thing about scenario planning is that instead of adopting a single alternate to the problem, it lists all the possible alternative techniques and solutions. Scenario Planning or a projected sequence of events begins by identifying variables relevant to a firm's

Personal Essay with current financial status Scholarship

Personal with current financial status - Scholarship Essay Example We both did think of other options too like securing a loan by mortgaging the house. Unfortunately, for me this is not a viable option due to the ongoing recession. However, I have not let my circumstances affect my determination. I am currently and have been the Drum line Captain of my high school since the last for years and the Los Angeles Unified All District Honor Marching Band (LAUSD) with 300-plus members and we have performed in the Rose Bowl Parade. Apart from this, I was the Vice President of the Physics Club for two years. Leadership is my forte. I have also won many awards including the Music Department Award for â€Å"Outstanding Music Performance,† the Instrumental Music Department Award for three years in a row (2005-2007) and the Arizona State University & The Academy Drum & Bugle Corp Summer Marching Academy in 2007. Our band has performed from 2006-2009 in the Rose Bowl Parade, Band Fest and at Disneyland, the Dodgers 50th Anniversary Opening Night in 2007 an d in 2006 for Hilary Clinton’s ‘Keep America Beautiful’ campaign. I do hope that you understand my situation that there is absolutely no way I will be able to pay my tuition fees and enjoy studying the course of my choice unless I receive some financial

The History of surgical Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The History of surgical Technology - Essay Example On the other hand, cutting of the stone refers to perineal lithotomy, suprapubic lithotomy, and transurethral lithotomy. Hippocrates laid the foundation for the practice of modern medicine. His work On Injuries of the Head organized medical and surgical knowledge during the fifth century BC with his original observations and served as a significant guide to surgeons for two millennia. Hence, Hippocrates was revered as the â€Å"Father of Medicine†. Another ancient surgeon, Galen, extensively wrote about surgery during the first century BC, particularly in Tumors Against Nature, regarded as his most significant treatise (Wilkins, 1992; Zimmerman & Veith, 1993) Lambert (n. d.) and , however, revealed there were some serious errors in Galen’s works. During the middle ages, barber-surgeons flourished as a barbers were trained to make salves (i. e., medical ointment), dress wounds and bleed, although Wadd (1827) argued that these surgeons pushed themselves forward much into the practice of surgery. In the mid-fourteenth century, some medical schools were given permission to perform dissections of the human body (Lambert, n. d.). Da Vinci (1982) performed both animal and human dissections around the 16th century and made detailed sketches in his famed notebooks. Meanwhile, Andreas Vesalius distinguished himself in the study of human anatomy, dissection, and as professor of anatomy. His masterpeice De Humani Corporis Fabrica disproved and corrected many of Galen’s theories (Rutkow, 2008). Another Renaissance surgeon, acclaimed as the most celebrated of his time as Ambroise Pare. Pare, himself a barber-surgeon, was also regarded as the â€Å"Father of Modern Surgery†, although the 18th century surgeon John Hunter is also being given the accolate. Among his notable achievements were: the invention of surgical instruments such the hemostat clamp; artificial limbs and eyes; and the truss for use in hernia patients (Zimmerman & Veith, 1993; Lamb ert, n. d.; Kelly, 2009). Nineteenth century surgery experienced much welcome improvements with the discovery of anesthetics with the combined efforts of Humphry Davy, Henry H. Morgan, and James Simpson. Cocaine (1884) and novocaine (1905) were also used for their anesthetic properties. Joseph Lister introduced antiseptic surgery. Robert Lawson Tait successfully saved a women suffering from ectopic pregnancy by surgically removing the fallopian tube. The century ended with another significant discovery by Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen, the X-ray (Lambert, n. d.). More strides in surgery were made in the 20th century with the identification of the different blood types; the invention of the pacemaker and laser; and a series of firsts in surgical history: heart transplant, artificial heart heart and lung transplant, eye surgery, reattachment surgery (Lambert, n. d.). The surgical technologist: a newer addition to the surgical team Ryan-Flynn (2009) described surgical technologists as  "health professionals who work in the surgical suite with surgeons, anesthesiologists, registered nurses and other surgical personnel delivering surgical patient care† (p. 352). The scope of work of a surgical technologist spans three areas: preoperative (before surgery), intraoperative (during surgery) and postoperative (after

Same-Sex Marriage Essay Example for Free

Same-Sex Marriage Essay It is unbelievable that the United States of America, the land of the free, still has laws that ban the marriage of homosexual couples. Many states within the United States have been debating over this issue for years. Massachusetts was the first state to legalize gay marriage in May of 2004. As of November 7, 2012, eight more states made gay marriage legal in the United States. â€Å"I saw with so many of the gay couples, they were so devoted to another. I saw so much love. When this hearing was over, I was a changed person in regard to this issue. I felt that I understood what same-sex couples were looking for† (Kach). Homosexuality occurs in over 450 species. Homophobia only exists in one. Which seems unnatural now? When it comes down to it, we are all people with emotions and feelings regardless of our sexual orientation. We should give homosexuals the right to have marriage without putting labels on it, like a â€Å"civil union† or â€Å"gay marriage†. Legalizing homosexual marriage will stop discrimination, won’t have a negative impact on heterosexual marriages, and will not cause others to ask for outrageous requests to be legal. A marriage is between a spouse and a spouse not a gender and a gender. To deny homosexuals the right to get married is like the United States going back to the times of segregation. As our founding fathers stated in the Declaration of Independence, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.† (Declaration of Independence). If a man’s happiness is to be with another man that he loves, who are we to say it is wrong? Many think that homosexuals should not be allowed to marry because they cannot produce children. However, if having children were to be the case of getting married, why are infertile couples allowed to get married and stay together or why do some couples just not have children at all? Getting married means much more than just having children. It takes devotion and true love for a couple to get married. Not giving homosexuals the right to get married is a form of discrimination and gives people the mindset that it is perfectly fine to bully people that are different from them. Every day I went into school I knew that something new was going to happen. Goodness knows how many times I put a knife to my wrist (Daniel Shepphard). Is it fine for a 13 year old boy to cut himself for being the way he is? No one should feel so out of place and be so bullied that they would want to harm themselves or try to end their life. Almost two-thirds of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) students are scared to go to school because they are bullied. School is a place to learn and be the best that you can be, not a place to battle and stand up for a right that â€Å"straight† people are just given. If we make laws that make homosexual marriage legal, more people will realize that it is not okay to bully someone because of their sexual preference. If the laws of our country stand up for somet hing, so will the people of the country. There is the argument that homosexual marriage does not follow the idea of â€Å"traditional marriages.† In reality, there really are not â€Å"traditional† marriages anymore. In ancient time, traditional marriage consisted of polygamy, communal child-rearing, use of concubines and mistresses, and commonality of prostitution. How can we say that an attraction between two people of the same gender is considered a sin, when all of the things listed about are considered as part of â€Å"traditional† marriage. Marriage in the United States is a dynamic institution and has gone through many changes. Women now have rights in a marriage and there are interracial marriages. Why is it that Kim Kardashian’s marriage that lasted for about 72 days is legal, but Neil Patrick Harris, who has been with his partner for more than 11 years, is still fighting for his right to get married to someone who he has been truly devoted to? It is unfair that â€Å"straight† pe ople take marriage as an advantage, and are getting divorced left and right, while homosexuals would do anything to have the same rights as heterosexual couples. Some people believe that gay marriage is a â€Å"slippery slope†. They say that if people want homosexuals to have marriage rights, then soon people will be asking for polygamous, incestuous, bestial, and other nontraditional rights. â€Å"If we legalize gay marriage, why not polygamy?† (Savage). First of all, marriage requires consent, and animals, children, and people in comas, can’t give consent. As for polygamy, in many parts of the world today, it is completely okay to have more than one spouse. Also, there is a lot of cheating in relationships and marriages in the United States. Marriage and homosexual marriage is the same thing, except for the gender of the spouses. With gay marriage not legal, there are already so many cases of rape. Are we to ban and blame heterosexual marriage for that? No. Homosexual marriage has no negative impact on society. If someone does not want a gay marriage, they are not forced to get one. Making it legal will teach society to not discriminate others that are different than us, which is a very positive impact on our world. The ban of homosexual marriage should be lifted off of the 41 states that have not yet made it legal. It is time for our nation to accept each other despite our differences. Homosexuals do not protest against heterosexual marriages, and they understand why some are against them, but if others do not agree with gay marriage, they are not forced to get one. Gay marriage is now very widely accepted in the United States. 41% of people strongly favor gay marriage. In the past two decades, public support for gay marriage has increased 1% annually. â€Å"Everyone has people in their lives that are gay, lesbian or transgender or bisexual. They may not want to admit it, but I guarantee they know somebody† (King). Gay marriage should be legalized and labels like gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, etc., should be taken off because in the end, we are all just people.

Paramountcy Principle Analysis

Paramountcy Principle Analysis Introduction Section 1(1) of the Children Act 1989 (CA) contains what is commonly referred to as the ‘paramountcy’ or ‘best interests principle’. The section provides: When a court determines any question with respect to— (a) the upbringing of a child; or (b) the administration of a child’s property or the application of any income arising from it,   the child’s welfare shall be the court’s paramount consideration. The paramountcy principle has been a feature of English law for a very long time (Alston Gilmour-Walsh 1996, p3) and from time to time, has been subjected to critical scrutiny (Reece 1996, p 267; Fineman 1988, p727). This essay investigates the extent to which the operation of parental responsibility and the application of the paramountcy principle conflict in private law disputes concerning children. Firstly, I briefly analyse the implications of the paramountcy principle and then I examine the cause of conflict between the application of the paramountcy principle and parental responsibility. In the penultimate section, I proffer an analysis for mitigating the conflict. I make my final observations in the conclusion. Implications of the welfare principle The welfare principle as set out in section 1(1) of the CA requires that the interests of the child are treated as paramount and so the interests of parents or other parties must be subordinated to those of the child. As Lord McDermott explained, the welfare principle, ‘connote[s] a process whereby when all the relevant facts, relationships, claims and wishes of parents, risks, choices and other circumstances are taken into account and weighed, the course to be followed will be that which is most in the interests of the child’s welfare’(Re KD (A Minor) (Wardship: Termination Of Access) [1970] AC 668 at pp710-711). Similarly, the Court of Appeal stated in Re P (Contact: Supervision) ([1996] 2 FLR 314 at p328) that the court is concerned with the interests of the mother and the father only in so far as they bear on the welfare of the child’. This view has been upheld in many other cases (Lowe 1997) like Re O (Contact: Imposition of Conditions) where it was held: It [is]worth statingsome very familiar but none the less fundamental principlesoverriding all elsethe welfare of the child is the paramount consideration it cannot be emphasised too strongly that the court is concerned with the interests of the mother and the father only in so far as they bear on the welfare of the child. Thus, the law’s rendering of the paramountcy principle is individualistic. Hence, the welfare of the child is viewed without consideration for the welfare or interests of the rest of his or her family, friends and community. Parental responsibility and the paramountcy principle Re K D (Minor) (Ward: Termination of Access) ([1988] 2 WLR 398) ) provides a good example of how the individualistic conception of the welfare principle works in actual practice. In that case, Lord Oliver specifically considered the mother’s appeal that the right to access was a parental right protected by article 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 1950 (ECHR) and that to terminate access with her child would result in a breach of her article 8 rights. In deciding the matter, Lord Oliver held: Parenthood [confers]on parents the exclusive privilege of orderingthe upbringing of children of tender age That is a privilege which is circumscribed by many limitations When the jurisdiction of the court is invoked for the protection of the child the parental privileges do not terminate. They do, however, become immediately subservient to the paramount consideration the welfare of the child. The idea of parental responsibility is concomitant with parental rights. Consequently, it has been suggested that the paramountcy principle does not sit well with the idea of parental rights/responsibility because the former is structured along welfarist principles whilst the latter is rights-based. In particular, it has been suggested that the principle goes against article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) which provides a qualified right to respect for private and family life, the home and correspondence. By encapsulating the rights of both parents and children to private and family life, article 8 appears on its face to come into clear conflict with the CA, which renders the child’s interests paramount. This criticism has become particularly compelling since the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) which domesticated Convention rights in the UK (Herring 1999b). However, it is possible (and indeed necessary) to expound an analytical framework which allows the recognition of both principles as being important for the survival and development of the child. Reconciling parental responsibility with the paramountcy principle-a rights-based analysis There is a strong consensus among family law practitioners that section 1(1) of the CA, as it is currently interpreted, reflects a predominantly utilitarian or welfarist approach. Stephen Parker in his seminal piece on family law and legal theory has analysed the movement of family law from a rights-based to a welfare-based approach (Parker 1992, p 311). In this regard, it is emphasised that before the HRA was enacted the rights-based model of family law had, been rejected due to the increasing dominance of the child-centred approach advocated by the paramountcy principle in section 1(1) of the CA. However, the CA, since it identifies the welfare of the child as the sole and decisive consideration, does not correspond to classic utilitarianism: it does not seek to arrive at an outcome which, overall, achieves the best result for the family members or others, but only for the child. In other words, it only requires that the child’s welfare should be paramount, rather than by direct reference to the principle of utility whereby actions that maximise the greatest welfare of the greatest number are preferentially singled out (Herring 1999b pp223-35). The paramountcy principle is not strictly welfarist principle as has been argued by many. At the same time it may be pointed out that the ECHR’s approach cannot be said to be fully rights-based. Although the Convention is clearly a classically or rights-based document since it assumes that certain rights and interests are intrinsically valuable and should prima facie be protected, its adherence to a strictly rights approach may be viewed as undermined in respect of the materially qualified articles such as articles 8-11. These articles proffer a qualified rights-based approach, since the qualifications of their second paragraphs allow the rights to be compromised by sufficiently weighty consideration (Mullender 2000, pp 493-516). Thus, although the Convention’s theoretical underpinnings differ significantly from those of the CA, the differences in their approaches and values may be less irreconcilable than some theorists have cared to acknowledge. However, demonstrating that the approaches between the paramountcy principle and the ECHR are not all that much at odds does not resolve the issue. This is because as it is currently conceived and applied, the paramountcy principle is incompatible with the demands of article 8 of the Convention. There is, therefore, a need for a reinterpretation of the principle under section 3(1) of the HRA in accordance with the interpretative obligation under that section, and of the need for taking account of the relevant Strasbourg jurisprudence under section 2. The term ‘paramount’ in section 1(1) of the CA needs to be redefined, but such redefinition need not be radical because the word ‘paramount’ also suggests the notion of ‘pre-eminency’, rather than the meaning the courts have so far given it under the CA, whereby it has in reality meant ‘sole’. However, given the scope for ambiguity that the courts might discover in the term ‘pre-eminent’, the term ‘primacy’ might be more in line with the ECHR’s provisions as well as the jurisprudence of the Strasbourg institutions. The adoption of that term could be viewed as a possible interpretation of the term ‘paramount’ and would obviate the need for a declaration of incompatibility under section 4 of the HRA. This rendering of the paramountcy principle is also in line with article 3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child which requires that in all actions concerning children, their best interests must be a primary consideration. The use of the article ‘a’ in the Convention suggests that the welfare or best interests of the child are to be considered, but that a number of other factors can also be considered (Alston 1994b). Clearly, these factors include the recognition of parental responsibility. Concluding remarks It is clear from the foregoing that despite its utilitarian foundations, the paramountcy principle can exist side by side with the rights-based approaches required by the application of parental responsibility. A persuasive case may indeed be made for the removal of the primacy principle. However, given the entrenchment of the principle in English law, it is not only desirable but possible to re-interpret the principle in a manner that comport well with the rights-based framework. The extent of dissonance between the two frameworks depends on the extent to which judges and practitioners are willing to accommodate a rights-based approach in dealing with matters that involve the two principles. Bibliography International Conventions Convention on the Rights of the Child European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 1950 Statutes Children Act 1989 Human Rights Act 1998 Cases Re KD (A Minor) (Wardship: Termination of Access) [1970] AC 668 Re P (Contact: Supervision) [1996] 2 FLR 314 Re O (Contact: Imposition of Conditions) Books and articles Alston, P (ed), The best interests of the child: Reconciling culture and human rights, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994a. Alston, P ‘The best interests principle: Towards a reconciliation of culture and human rights’ in Alston, P (ed), The best interests of the child: Reconciling culture and human rights, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994b. Alston, P Gilmour-Walsh, B The best interests of the child: Towards a synthesis rights and cultural values, Florence: Innocenti Studies, 1996. Choudhry, S Fenwick, H ‘Taking the rights of parents and children seriously: Confronting the welfare principle under the Human Rights Act’ 2005 Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 453. Eekelaar, J ‘Beyond the welfare principle’ 2002 Child and Family Law Quarterly 237. Fineman, M ‘Dominant discourse, professional language and legal change in child custody decision-making’ (1988) 101 Harvard LR 727. Fortin, J ‘The HRAs impact on litigation involving children and their families’ (1999) CFLQ 237. Herring, J ‘The Human Rights Act and the welfare principle in family law Conflicting or complementary?’ (1999a) CFLQ 223. Herring, J ‘The welfare principle and parents’ rights’, in A. Bainham, et al (eds) What is a parent? A socio-legal analysis London: Hart Publishing, 1999b. Mullender, R ‘Theorising the third way: Qualified consequentialism, the proportionality principle and the new social democracy’ (2000) 27(4) J. Law and Society 493. Parker, S ‘Rights and utility in Anglo-Australian family law’ (1992) 55 MLR 311. Van Bueren, G The international law on the rights of the child Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1995.

Discrepancy in Media Coverage Essay -- Communication, Influence on Peop

Discrepancy in Media Coverage Name: Course: College: Tutor: Date: Discrepancy in Media Coverage More boys than girls indulge in sports activities in school. This has become a huge source of concern. Male students take active part in sports activities. Girls on the other hand shun such activities. There has been a link between media coverage and the indulgence of girls in sporting activities in schools. This is primarily because; television and other media show sports as a preserve of men. As a result there are few females in the sporting activities on media. Hence female students never have role models to ape in sports. Boys find several sources of, motivation to participate in sports. However, the discrepancy in media coverage is getting better with time. There is a realization of the importance of balanced attention with regard to gender in sports programs. Therefore there are increased efforts to ensure that several sport program s show women participating in games. This will lead to a better perception of sports by girls. Eventually, girls will change their attitude about s ports. The paper takes a keen look at the entire perspective of media coverage and its corresponding effect on the participation of girls in sports activities. Media forums have always been instrumental in preparing a platform for the activities of the society. With regard to sports, it has been often been perceived as a preserve of males. Therefore, supporting programs in television and other forms of media have always featured males. Hence females have been left out. According to my experience as a specialist in the development of children, there is a need for a very positive and active partnership as far as the care of a chi... ...ke sure all of them are on the same page. To instill the culture of working together, Employers should establish that teams are groups that collaborate and share skills in effort to reach common objectives and goals that benefit the overall performance of the company. Every worker should have a different rough idea of what makes a good team. To run and operate efficiently, communication should be open between the employees and the management of the firm. When all of these are implemented, maximization of business values is almost guaranteed. Therefore, the presentation of media has a lot of influence on how people perceive reality. There have been several efforts to put an end to the discrepancy in media. As a result, there has been a significant change in the manner of presenting sports in media outlets. As a matter of fact, media discrepancy is getting better.

Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) - Will it Protect Inv

Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; Will it Protect Investors?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) was created by Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. This board was created to oversee the audit of public companies, subject to the securities laws, in order to protect the interests of investors (15 USC 7201, 2002). It was created in wake of the recent financial scandals of Enron, WorldCom, and Global Crossing to name a few. This â€Å"Act† established by Congress is to create an oversight board, so that such scandals will never occur again. Will this oversight board work and will its work restore public confidence and encourage individuals to invest in the stock market again?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The PCAOB is not a tax-payer funded agency. It is supported by over 8800 companies and mutual funds that benefit from independent audits (Epstein). The PCAOB principle duties are; 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Register public accounting firms that prepare audits. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Establish and/or adopt standards relating to the preparation of audit reports for issuers. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conduct inspections of registered public accounting firms. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conduct investigations and disciplinary proceedings. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Promote high professional standards and improve the quality of audit services offered by registered public accounting firms. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enforce compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley act (15 USC 7201, 2002). Before the establishment of Sarbanes-Oxley and the PCAOB, there was no oversight board. Public accounting firms would perform â€Å"peer reviews† to verify that audits were being performed with due diligence. However, these reviews were not high priority, thus uncovering errors/negligence made by the public accounting firms by peers were rarely discovered. It was only after the massive failures of Enron and WorldCom that this gross negligence by the public accounting firm performing the audit came to light. It was clear that an independent review board was necessary to ensure due diligence is being followed when a public accounting firm audits a corporation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The PCAOB will examine yearly those public accounting firms with more than 100 publicly-traded audit clients. All others will be examined every three years. Any violations of Sarbanes-Oxley or SEC and the PCAOB may fine or disqualify firms from public accounting audits (Epstein). The power to fine or disqualify a public accounting firm from ... ...g profession.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is still too early to tell if the PCAOB will be effective or not. Only time will tell if the actions of the PCAOB and the public accounting firms will restore investor confidence to invest in the stock market, again. Works Cited â€Å"Accountability in the Era of Global Markets.† The Fletcher School. Feb. 2004: Tufts University. 16 May 2004. Calabro, Lori. â€Å"New Attestation Standards for Internal Controls Put More Power in the Hands of Auditors.† CFO Magazine. May 2004: Economist.com. Lexis-Nexis. Baker University. 16 May 2004 . Epstein, Jonathan. â€Å"Watchdog Says Accounting Firms Have Much to do to Restore Credibility.† Buffalo News. 19 April 2004: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Lexis-Nexis. Baker University. 16 May 2004 . Griggs, Linda L. â€Å"Audits of Internal Control over Financial Reporting: What do they Mean?† Prentice Hall Law & Business Insights. 29 April 2004: Lexis-Nexis. Baker University. 16 May 2004 . Michaels, Adrian. â€Å"Accountants Urged to take Moral Stand.† Financial Times. 19 Dec. 2004: Financial Time Limited. Lexis-Nexis. Baker University. 16 May 2004. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Pub. L. 107-204. 30 July 2002. Stat. 116.745

Literary Analysis of Dorian Gray Essay

To describe the walking dead all of the following apply: soulless, insatiable hunger, actions based purely on instinct; these qualities combined, with or without the rotting flesh, make a zombie but also can be readily applied to the main character of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. The novel analyzes the value of beauty and pleasure and poses a very interesting contradiction between the traditional views of morality and quality of life. Dorian, an aesthetic young man, is tempted into vice, thus selling his soul for eternal beauty. In the late 19th century, Saul Kripke: a philosopher, proposed the idea of philosophical zombies. His theory proposed a creature visually and behaviorally the same as a human being that lacks qualia, soul and sentience (Kirk 2). While it is easy for readers to simply write Dorian’s worsening acts of societally rejected behaviors as immoral, it can be argued that the protagonist had no concept of morals to begin with, and thus learns the p ublic’s immoral as moral and vice versa. In the preface of the novel, Wilde asserts that â€Å"There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all† (3). This is a statement that is good to be kept in mind when analyzing the main character’s actions. Subtly, through a number of literary devices – namely characterization, archetypes, and motifs – Wilde forces the reader to experience life in all its glory as well as shame through a zombie’s eyes. To properly analyze the character of Dorian Gray it must first be understood that there is a distinct difference between someone who lacks morals and someone that is immoral; the first is deficient in the qualia that give the concepts of right or wrong, and the second is someone who knows the difference and chooses to act immorally. Dorian Gray is the prior. Upon meeting Dorian, Lord Henry immediately observes â€Å"All the candour of youth was there, as well as all youth’s passionate purity. One felt that he had kept himself unspotted from the world. No wonder Basil Hallward worshipped him† (Wilde 17), the most important word being purity. Dorian does not have a sense of right or wrong at the beginning of the novel  because he simply looks onto the world. It is not reflected on him in anyway because Dorian is, in short, in capable of perceiving on his own, lacking the sentience to do so. He simply does, drifting from (presumably) male figure to male figure seeking some sort of attention and guidance; he does not act, he only responds to the world around him. Basil Hallward, a painter, admires Dorian for his beauty – but it is neither the scarlet lips nor the golden hair that attracts him but rather the blankness of his soul, and that is the first hint that our protagonist is, in fact, as zombie. Basil tells Lord Henry, â€Å"Dorian Gray is to me simply a motive in art. You might see nothing in him. I see everything in him. He is never more present in my work than when no image of him is there† (Wilde 13). Henry will see nothing because nothing is present. He is a walking piece of art, thoughtless, thoug h responding as human might and that is what attracts both Basil Hallward and Lord Henry to Dorian like moths to light. His personality is something that cannot be comprehended by either man, because it lacks the components of personality to begin with. However, as all great novels require a plot, Henry seeks to color the boy’s snow white mind with qualia of the darkest shades, and while doing so, readers begin notice the distinct difference between Dorian and his human friends. This novel is full of archetypes. From inanimate ones, such as the winding staircase in Dorian’s home that represents the journey of life or the tower in which the protagonist hides his decaying portrait that represents the depth of the human soul, to living archetypes, such as Basil Hallward who illustrates Victorian morals and Lord Henry who is the direct opposition. Meanwhile, Dorian simply is. He sits between two extremes, Basil, who believes people are intrinsically kind and, Henry, who believes that all people live their lives abstaining from sin until they inevitably give in. Constantly, their views of right and wrong are imposed on him, ultimately confusing him. His original close friend cautions him from living the way Henry tells him to, but the artist did not impose his own qualia on him from the start. The first views Dorian internalizes are from Henry, the very same man who believes that â€Å"experience holds no ethical value† (Wilde 54) and, â€Å"[likes] persons with no principles most of all† (11). Lord Henry detaches himself from feelings, preferring to be an observer of the limitations of human beings. He tries to see just how much black paint he can smear across  Basil’s blank canvas of a boy, symbolizing the battle of good and evil – an external conscience rather than an internal one. In the end, Dorian is smeared from head to toe in what society views as sin, solidified when he takes Basil’s life. At this point, he has live thirty-eight years, with roughly eighteen of them being influenced by hedonism. Dorian takes those ideas and develops a sense of right and wrong, beauty being the basis for his moral code. The color white is a motif that is repeated throughout the text, from Basil’s first description of Dorian (Wilde 4) to hi s final plea, â€Å"Though your sins be scarlet, [†¦] I will make them white as snow† (140). It is Basil’s love (the running source of homoeroticism in the novel) for Dorian that leads him to appeal for his life one more, but god does not fit into Dorian’s personal view of morality. Pleasures of the flesh, good times and aesthetics are the basis of his virtue and love – a weak and vulnerable emotion, is a dastardly sin. He kills Basil, staining his hands for the first time with real blood. Later he muses on how if it had been Basil, not Lord Henry, who had imposed his views on his blank self that his life may have gone differently, but he does not dwell. He gets rid of the body and continues as though it is nothing at all, because murder does not fall under his perception of immoral. Dorian has a gift, or a curse, to be indifferent to the world once his soul is lost, lord Henry’s views being the qualia he internalizes before selling his soul. He does not age, he does not feel – he thrives off of physical stimuli, namely opium and sex, and the pretty things in life alone. When struck, he cries out, when frustrated, he complains – Dorian Gray functions like a human being, but unlike his friends, the ways of the world do not affect him o n an emotional level; forever young, forever beautiful, life is a series of physical responses to outside stimulus, none of it truly being internalized. Oscar Wilde was known to be a man that challenged the conventions of Victorian society. He never goes into detail about the unscrupulous things that Dorian does throughout the text, and this literary decision spares the readers of sensibilities but also illustrates Dorian’s lack of cognizance. If anything, the protagonist simply records life, rather than earnestly feeling anything at all. Given that he is the opposite of a rotting corpse, Dorian Gray still exists as a zombie: a creature lacking qualia, sentience, and a soul, and Wilde illuminates this very interesting condition through his use of  characterization, motifs and symbolic archetypes. The great playwright reminds readers beginning the novel, â€Å"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or poorly written. That is all† (4), and the same is true of the book’s protagonist. He is not immoral, but rather lacking in morals, borrowing the ideas of Lord Henry before ult imately giving up on functioning without the ability to feel. Through Dorian’s naà ¯ve treading of what is generally accepted as immoral waters, Wilde contests society with many bold statements, challenging the reader to read the pages without bias. A zombie in a human’s world, Dorian ultimately succumbs to stress, but not without painting a beautiful allegory that has stood the test of time. Works Cited Kirk, Robert. â€Å"Zombies†, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2012/entries/zombies/ Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. London: Ward, Lock & Company, 1891. Print.

Comparitive/Contrast Assessment on Fast Food Nation and the Jungle

*Comparative/Contrast Assessment*: Fast Food Nation **and The Jungle Similar to the many real-life stories told by Schlosser in his written depiction of the fast food industry, The Jungleby Upton Sinclair is a notable relation of the same type of horrors. Unlike Schlosser, though, Sinclair writes his book in a fictional story line, in which he included great models of figurative language and imagery that strategically capture the reader in a world full of sympathy and belief. In this manner, he uses the journey of Jurgis Rudkis to depict the conditions in the meat packing industry in the United States. Jurgis, being the main character, was not used only to reveal the harsh and hidden lives of those working and living in Packingtown, however. Sinclair also used Jurgis to portray his personal belief of capitalism being corrosive. The following quote has been taken from a review found at AssociatedContent. com. â€Å"The Jungle shows the effects of economic hardship on an immigrant family in the early 1900's. That is all it is reliably accountable for. This story is a downright attack on capitalism that the author tries to conceal behind a fictional story of a sympathy deriving family of Lithuanian Immigrants† (A Review of The Jungle, 2007). Sinclair’s attacks on the United States’ economic and governmental system immediately point out the radical side of his personality, and from there the doubt that his ideas and story are not radical in and of themselves as well begins to grow. It is with this part of his writing that Sinclair loses his rhetoric flair and ability to produce quality muckraking journalism. In order for me to be able to effectively explain how both Fast Food Nation and The Jungleare poor examples of muckraking journalism, I must first enlighten you with the definition of the actual term â€Å"muckraking†. According to Webster's New World College Dictionary 2009, muckraking is searching for and publicizing, as in newspapers, any real or alleged corruption by public officials, business executives, or other important persons (Muckraking Definition, YourDictionary. com). Muckraking journalism is then defined as the literature that displays these corruptions of society, whether effectively or not. The role of journalism in a democratic society is to report the truth, with minimal harm, and no outside interest. It should also be held accountable to its readers. Journalists are not filling this role by reporting half-truths that send people into a anic, like Fast Food Nation and even The Jungle. Starting with Fast Food Nation, I found by researching that many published book reviews had at least one major commonality: the book covers too many different aspects of the fast food industry that it came to a point where there were too many things to comprehend and analyze all at once while reading . That’s not even everything he talked about either! Throw in a plethora of statistics and facts, and you have some highly confused readers! In his work, Schlosser writes, â€Å"This is a book about fast food, the values it embodies, and the world it has made. However, it is much more than that. It is everything that anybody could ever imagine that somehow, in some unbelievably slight way, has to do with fast food. Eric Schlosser tries to associate everything from armed robbery to political bombings to the spread of a particular strain of Escherichia Coli, all with fast food companies. Schlosser discusses how and why the industry developed, current labor practices in fast food establishments, how the taste of food can now be manipulated, federal regulations (and lack thereof), television and school advertising, health issues, and the spread of fast food abroad. This book is cleverly disguised as being about fast food. It is not about fast food. It is about how evil conservat ives are and how capitalism is the cause of all that is bad in America. It is about how armed robbery has drastically increased. Fast food just happens to be mentioned quite a bit. The author constantly inserts little comments here and there that try to make even very debatable topics out to be unequivocally bad things. In my opinion, this book should come with a warning label and include a free copy of The Communist Manifesto† (Jayson D. White, Socialist Propaganda in Fast Food). Jayson D. White’s perspective here describes what many others were saying as well, telling of how Schlosser strays far and wide, devoting chapters to various aspects of the industry and then referencing other random aspects in unrelated chapters. They do not all fit neatly together, and even the jumbled picture is a frightening one. Schlosser closes Fast Food Nationby saying that â€Å"you can still have it your way† and that consumers have the choice to just say no to fast food. His hope is apparently that, armed with the information he provides, consumers will make the obvious choice and run as fast as they can from any and every fast food joint. Unfortunately, he never really addresses the question of why consumers would (and so often do) choose to purchase the products of these establishments in the first place. He never mentions the opposing argument to his own personal viewpoint, and his credibility drops with that lack of information. Instead, Schlosser inputs more and more seemingly random statistics to show his own views have â€Å"support† behind them, when in all reality, they don’t at all. Schlosser was determined to make a point, and he does so with the uncontrollable urge to exaggerate details, add in supposed â€Å"facts† and numbers, and altogether disregard the opposing viewpoint, something which is of high importance in a persuasive and informative piece of muckraking literature. This shows how Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation is a poor example to use when describing muckraking journalism. Now we can move on to The Jungle and the different viewpoints that have been written regarding the book’s contents and set-up. From the muckraking standpoint, the way Sinclair writes his fictional story is actually quite interesting and as a result a lot more persuasive and believable than Schlosser’s book which is only jam packed with statistics. The following quote is one that I feel really stands out strong from the book in regards to how imaginative and mind-painted creation Sinclair’s writing is as a whole. . The Jungle, on the other hand, is written directly form Sinclair’s personal experience of being in Packingtown for even just a week, and he already was able to smell the horrible scent, even taste the horrible scent! Sinclair’s use of figurative language really appeals to the reader, and that strengthens the reader’s opinion to side with the author. â€Å"Elzbieta sees how the sausage is doctored when she works filling casings in the sausage room. She sees how any random mix of animal parts is ground into â€Å"sausage. † Anything that is spoiled is simply dyed with chemicals like borax and packaged for sale. In addition, she watches as leftovers that have fallen on the floor of the room are scooped up, along with dead rats and other filth, and put into the grinding machine for sausage† (_The Jungle_– Upton Sinclair, Chapter 7). Not only does this quote give the reader a very nice detailed image to let them think over in the back of their minds, it also gets its point across, which is that the meatpacking plants use absolutely anything in their batches of sausages that end up being sold at the super market. As a result, this is a great muckraking example included in the book. Upon reading The Jungle and various critical analyses, I would say that the novel is actually quite nice in its overall appeal to me as a reader. With this novel, being of journalistic muckraking character, I was surprisingly persuaded for the most part with what Upton Sinclair was telling me. . In addition, unlike Fast Food Nation, I felt like the pieces of information and statistics in The Junglewere relevant to the current topic at hand in the novel, rather than just being thrown at the reader in hopes of persuading them that this statistic pertains to the aspect being discussed. Like many of these reviews, I too feel that The Jungle is not perfect; however, I do agree with many critics that the manner in which the story was written was quite appealing. I was particularly attracted to and persuaded with the story line and its continuous rising and falling actions that were filled with suspense, to the point where I actually wanted to read each and every next page so that I could find out what would happenAs a reader, I felt highly pressured to believe what was being told to me while I read Eric Schlosser’s piece of literature, and that if I don’t believe his words then I would be assisting in and attributing towards the awful-sounding statistics that were abundant in Fast Food Nation. While reading Sinclair’s novel, on the other hand, I felt relatively at ease in making my own decision, knowing that there were facts and stories laying out there for me to grasp and believe if I so chose. As a result, I was more directed to believe Sinclair’s words than the numerous statistics and â€Å"facts† trying to be shoved down my throat by Schlosser. Another aspect of The Jungle that helped capture my overall opinion, and presumably many other readers’ as well, was that of the emotional attachment with the portrayed characters and the events they were going through. Sinclair did an excellent job at creating a real life experience for the reader, as if they were the â€Å"Jurgis† in the book, creating distinct emotional reactions to the horrible reality of the meatpacking industry, which in turn establishes his pathos. However, like Schlosser, Sinclair’s downfall was his inclusion of personal political and economic system goals. Upton Sinclair's â€Å"sudden stray from the story and straightforward praise of socialism at the end of the novel reveals his narrow-minded opinion of the economy of the United States and labels him as a radical believer in socialism, just like that of Schlosser in Fast Food Nation. Sinclair’s book also hinders the reader’s knowledge of socialism because it does not reveal its negative effects. Socialism puts complete control of the economy in the hands of the government. It places a barrier on production and decreases the influence to create new products. Socialism is a less severe definition for an economy that supports communism. While Upton Sinclair wrote this novel to ‘find righteousness’ and benefit the American people he fails to foresee the negative effects of his ideas. Sinclair's novel makes it evident that many immigrants and workingmen unjustifiably suffered under capitalism, but an economy influenced by his views would not necessarily be better. † (Associated Content, 2007). By hiding the other side’s opposition, just like what Schlosser did in Fast Food Nation, author Upton Sinclair hushes his audiences’ questions by not answering them whatsoever. As you can see, although each author wrote with a different style, the authors were still not nearly as effective muckraking journalism examples as they would have been. Bibliography Fast Food Nation – by Eric Schlosser The Jungle – by Upton Sinclair http://www. yourdictionary. com/muckraking http://www. amazon. com/Fast-Food-Nation-Eric-Schlosser/product-reviews/0395977894/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1? e=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar http://www. complete-review. com/reviews/food/schlosse. htm http://www. amazon. com/Fast-Food-Nation-Eric-Schlosser/product-reviews/0395977894/ref=cm_cr_pr_link_next_5? ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar&pageNumber=5 http://www. bookrags. com/notes/jun/TOP1. htm http://www. enotes. com/history/q-and-a/how-did-muckraking-journalism-change-u -s-44633 http://mandatorychaos. blogspot. com/2007/11/role-of-journalism-in-democracy. html

Why are some countries in debt?

Why are some countries in debt? What impact does it have on development? What is debt? On an international scale, debt is the owing of money from one country to another or an international organisation as a result of previous borrowing because of need. Why are some countries in debt? Countries can be in debt for different reasons: 1) Trade deficit When a country's imports are worth more than a country's exports, the country loses money and therefore it is forced to borrow money from other countries or international organisations to try and cover the losses. 2) Natural disasters and tied aid After a natural disaster, a country may become dependent on the aid of another country for a short period of time. However sometimes the aid given is tied aid where the country receiving aid may have to pay back the money given (possibly with interest). They are therefore in debt to the donor country/organisation. 3) Money mismanagement If a country mismanages their use of money (most likely through the government) and spends money unnecessarily while taking out loans to cover the cost, the country can end up in debt. The effect of debt on development When a country is in debt, a majority of the money it generates is used to pay back money to the donor country. This means that there is little money being invested into the social infrastructure of the country, so healthcare and education levels remain the same or get worse overall slowing down or sometimes even reverse developing a country as literacy rates may fall and not enough money could be invested in improving healthcare. Ways of solving debt problems Cancelling debt – What are the advantages and disadvantages? Advantages – The advantages of cancelling debt are that it can allow a poor country to start investing the money it gains into its development/ social infrastructure rather than paying back debt to developed countries. This can overall help to fight poverty and reduce the development gap. In 2005, Zambia had $4 million of debt cancelled and in 2006 it had enough money to pay for free healthcare for millions of people living in rural areas, improving the quality of life. In Tanzania, money saved from debt cancellations allowed the government to abolish primary school fees in 2001. As a result, the number of students that go to primary school doubled. These examples show that by cancelling debt, it allows money to be invested in education which can lead to more people getting jobs, overall contributing to a country's economy, improving the GDP and by investing in healthcare, the life expectancy and infant mortality rate can also decrease. Summary: -a country can invest in its development -It reduces poverty and can reduce the development gap -examples include Zambia and Tanzania Disadvantages – Although cancelling debt can help a country to develop, there are also some disadvantages. Firstly, the donor country loses a significant amount of money which can slightly damage its economy. Developing countries which have had their debt cancelled could start taking out more loans, in the hope of having debt gained from that cancelled as well (This however is unlikely as eventually developed countries will eventually see when a country is not worth giving money to and in a time of crisis, nothing will be given) When a loan is taken, the money should be returned and if it is not, it could give the country which did not pay back, a bad reputation. Summary: – The donor country loses money – Countries could take out more loans – A loan should be paid back if taken in the first place Debt for nature swaps Deforestation largely takes place for economical needs of a country to try and pay off debt. A debt for nature swap is an agreement between a developing nation in debt and one or more of its creditors. In a debt for nature swap, the country or organisation owed money, writes off an amount of debt in return for a certain amount of environmental protection. They were first established in the 1980s in the attempt of solving two problems with one agreement: 1) to minimize the debt of developing nations and 2) to minimize the environmental destruction that frequently takes place in developing countries. A company called WWF (world wide fund for nature) which cooperates with countries such as UK and USA has helped to structure and design many debt for nature swaps. In 2008 they helped to structure and facilitate one of the largest debt for nature swaps in Madagascar's history in which 20 million dollars was committed to preserve the country's rich biodiversity. Also in 2008, the USA reduced Peru's debt by $25 million in exchange for conserving its rainforests. Debt for nature swaps are extremely beneficial because they not only cancel the debt of a country allowing them to invest in development, but it helps to protect the environment and conserve some of the world's rainforests. This makes it better than just cancelling debt.

Legalization of Assisted Suicide

For example, if a person is suffering from a horrible disease it would be as if they were living dead. As the article pros and Cons of Assisted Suicide says, † Choosing how we die is a basic human freedom. If an individual's quality of life is terrible, they should h eve the right to stop suffering. † Many people live unhappy knowing that what they have is Inc arable. If assisted suicide is legal they can choose to do it and die in a peaceful way instead of w attaining their final day to come while they still suffer.People may also agree with this topic do to the â€Å"Pain and anguish of the Patti it's family and friends† which can be lessened, and they can say their final goodbyes. † ( Miserly) It is just sad for the family to see one of their loved ones just lying down and suffering. It is not easy for them because they do not know when the â€Å"day' to leave this world will come. This leads to the fact that many of the nurses and doctors taking care of this patient can have a more valuable time with a patient that can and wants to fight their pain. By doing this, these nurse sees and doctors can save more lives.Also, people may argue that getting assisted suicide may save other lives do to the fact that some of the organs in the patients' body can help other patients as said by Miserly. Lastly, a third pro would be that without physician assistance people may co omit suicide in messy, horrifying or traumatic ways. This is worst for the families to get eve r. Imagine walking in, to see something like this and especially if they were suffering so b Daly that they took that decision. Families would feel guilty. People are pushed to do this be cause they are cornered since they are hurting bad and they can't get help.Assisted suicide also has many cons. One of them would be that it would decreed ease the value of human life. This means that people wouldn't really care if someone did sees or lives. People would take this as a normal th ing. Just like what Miserly says, â€Å"For each dead h, we have 12 days of ceremonies, elaborate burials, and months of mourning. † It would me an that anyone could take the life of someone else making life something of no value. This re son is because people would just take it from you just like they would take any object of no v alee.A second con is that doctors are given too much power and can be wrong or unethical says, Joe Miserly. He also says, â€Å"Imagine a doctor who believes there is too m such of a shortage in medical staff & resources to pour extra time & money into elderly people. He may always lean towards the side of â€Å"no hope† when the odds are sketchy. † We always rely on doctors and on their opinions but we got to know that doctors aren't always accurate on what they say . We trust them so much, but who knows that instead of three months of life you have 6? Also, what if that virus is just temporarily or even that they messed up the resul ts.By legalizing t his assisted suicide away it would be like giving doctors the right to choose who they want alive. The last con is that Miracle cures can occur. One can get well from one day to the next. Also, the science is advancing so fast that doctors can make a medicine that c an cure whatever you have. Doctors should always try nothing but their best to keep their Patti ants alive. What if there is actually a cure and the doctors are still not quite aware of it? Miserly says, ‘You have to consider the constant medical and pharmaceutical advances that just might el ad to a miracle recovery.We should never get to a point where we spend more time looking f r a way out of life than for a way to sustain life. † Through this quote we see that it is always beet err to fight for life to keep going and assisted suicide should not be an option In conclusion, people should never give up and take the easy path. Even thou GHz a lot of people suffer at the end maybe everythin g can be worth it. It won't be an easy thing to keep living in pain but giving up and giving the right for someone to kill you not be consider an option. As a result, assisted suicide should not be legalized because no one SSH loud be able to take someone else's life away.

My Experience in Contact Center Essay

Throughout my working experience, I have been a part of the contact centre family for 13 years to date. Today when I look back at how I spent those years and what kind of an individual I have turned out to be, I am glad that I made the right choice because this process has the capability to bring the best out of anyone, anywhere. Imagine getting the opportunity to provide a top draw service on behalf of an organization only by assisting the customer over the phone. Just with a few amendments and clicks, the customers issue is resolved there is self-satisfaction recognition gained from a CSE’s point of view. Besides that, being able to work together with a bunch of supportive colleagues even in unpleasant times, when there is a tense situation for instance and a customer’s call goes to the extent of escalation, I was able to control myself and work with my senior executive to get this issue resolved once and for all. From this experience that I have had, in the past and until today I do not feel abandoned, because I am willing to ask and my fellow colleagues are willing to share their ideas and opinions with me on how to confront the obstacle and make it a learning curve in my career. It is this special family like bond that I have been a part off for so many years now, and I couldn’t wish for any other challenge which constantly educates and provides me with a new direction of approach apart from being here, where I am happy, and best of all, I am home. The Malaysian contact center industry continues to grow despite competitive pressures from other markets like India and the Philippines, even though Contact Center Industry in Malaysia is relatively young but the growth has seen to be very positive. The main reason I believe is because Malaysia has multi language skills ethnics group and this is unique in the region, therefore we offer a good communication infrastructure that is a critical requirement for any good contact center service location. In this industry apart from taking calls, we can utilize as knowledge seeking & career enhancement environment. Providing more humane technical is support with diverse services & products. I feel proud that I am able to do my bit to help more Malaysians aware about broadband which is in line with the government’s National Broadband Initiative (NBI). And the main reason why I choose my career in Contact Center is because I enjoy challenging job that makes me think. I enjoy working with people and this is a job that will help me do that, at the same time my job in the contact center involves helping people meet their full potential.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ECONOMIC INDICATORS - Essay Example Thus, intermediate goods are those which are traded from one industry to another either for reproduction of a final good or for the resale of the value added goods. Since GDP calculated the final value of all the goods and services in a year so, intermediate goods are not accounted for calculating GDP (SURI, 2013). Final Goods: Final goods as term justifies refer to finished product which are available in the market for consumption purposes by individuals or for investment purposes to yield profit. Unlike intermediate goods, final goods are solemnly produced for their own sake because final goods are the ultimate output of all factor implied for production. Final good is the product which is calculated in Gross Domestic Product of the country. Final goods can further be classified into two categories which are consumer goods and producer goods. Final good become consumer goods when it is bought by a customer for his/her domestic usage, this customer good can be durable, semi-durable and sometimes perishable but final goods which serve purpose of reproduction are called capital goods and they are solemnly durable and in turn adds to country’s capital stock. Capital goods comprise of machines, vehicles, building material, electronics and refrigerators etc. so, all such capital goods can be further used for capital accumulation while consumer goods only give utility (Varun, 2013). Intermediate goods and final goods can be distinguished easily. A commodity can be both intermediate and final at the same but its distinction rely upon its usage. Suppose if meat is used by a household then it’s a final good but if meat is used for making meat burger then it is an intermediate good. 2. True/False Statements. Indicate if the statement below is â€Å"True or False†. You must support your answer with a few sentences for each statement. a. Government expenditure is the largest single category of GDP. It is evident from theory that GDP includes Consumpti on, Government Spending, Investments and Net Exports (GDP= C+G+I+Xn). While increase in government spending leads consumption as demand increases with income, consequently investments increases and trade take place. So, it is true that government expenditure is the largest category of GDP. b. Nominal GDP uses current market prices and real GDP measures GDP using base-year prices. Above statement is true because nominal GDP includes all of the changes in market prices that have occurred during the current year due to inflation or deflation. Real GDP is evaluated at the market prices of some base year to analyses the actual growth of economy. c. GDP increases if you purchase General Motors stock. True because any purchase from the domestic industry adds to the sum of goods produced within the border of the country and thus the GDP increases. 3. Define the natural rate of unemployment. Identify three factors that may cause the natural rate to change over time. Natural Rate of Unemploym ent exhibits the equilibrium between aggregate supply of labor with the aggregate demand of labor. It is the point of unemployment where real wages equate the free market level and employment beyond this point is not possible. Natural rate of unemployed is said to be the point where all individuals willing to work are employed at the prevailing real market wage rate (Riley, 2012). In other words NRU is assumed to be the lowest rate of unemployment that an economy can withstand in the long run besides at this point

The Art of Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Art of Analysis - Research Paper Example Dependencies should not be partial on the combined key; this is the main task in this stage. The items in the table must depend on all the combined keys, attributes should not depend on only one of the keys. Sending of normal form fails if this is not attained. Item total price and order total price are derivatives, hence, they should not be a part of the database all these fields, apart from the item quantity, do not fully depend on both order id and item id, hence, the table fails the 2nd normal form standards or requirements. The solution to this is to split the table into two tables so that the items that depend on order id fall in the table with order-id as the primary key, while those items that depend on item-id fall in that table too. Given that item_qty fully depends on order id, item id field and order id field, which is also in the order-item table as primary forming a many to one relation indicated in the diagrams. After this, the table now passed to the 2nd normal form by having field which depends fully on the primary key in the orders table (Diagram 3) but in order-items table the item_price and item_descripition do not depend on order_id as in case with the primary key, hence, further splitting of this table is needed. With diagram 4 all the requirements for the 2nd normalization have been achieved.

Helping to cope with school violence tragedies Essay

Helping to cope with school violence tragedies - Essay Example Unlike the usual stresses and conflicts that are a part of everyday life at home and at work, acute crisis episodes frequently overwhelm traditional human coping skills and result in dysfunctional behavior. This creates a state of disequilibrium that results in intense fears and highly anxious states (Stephens, R. D., 1994). There is growing awareness by school administrators that school violence could occur at their school. Planning and preparation will be necessary to manage those crises and to attend to the emotional as well as physical needs of staff and students. School administrators have a tendency to underestimate the initial and long-term impact of trauma. Children's reactions to trauma, however, would not be impacted by this underplay, and they would typically fall into the following key areas, fear of the future, academic regression, behavioral regression, nightmares and sleeping difficulties. Teachers and parents who are provided with emotional support and who are educated on children's typical reactions to trauma will be much better prepared to assist their students and children. These violent tragedies would not affect the children only, since the school population of students also comprises of adolescents. Adolescents, in particular, who have been traumatized, are more at risk for depress ion, suicide, reckless behavior, and substance abuse. This population demands help to cope up with the disaster or the trauma from the violence. Unfortunately, the mental health services provided by professionals in schools are extremely inadequate (Canada, M. et al., 2007). The CDC reports that 15% of the male students are involved in physical altercations, and males are more likely to fight on school property. Students in lower grades, ninth grade and below, are more likely to be in a fight on school property than students in higher grades. Assaults against teachers are a form of school violence that needs serious attention. Bullying, which has become a serious concern as of late, may include relatively benign forms of social interactions or may even include more serious forms which threaten bodily harm (Poland, S., 2003). School shootings are significant in that they get publicized, and many students are indirectly affected with such a tragedy, and this needs to invoke coping skills to survive the trauma. Literature is sparse in this area, and in 1993, Lockwood had a study done on middle and high school students. This study examined the reasons for, and circumstances of, violence at school in this age group. The findings are significant. The first finding revealed that most violence was the results of minor insults or altercations that escalated until it resulted in extreme violence. The major goal of the violence was revenge or retribution for the insult. Most students polled in this study stated that such use of violence for retribution was morally acceptable and was not considered to be an indication that the violent student had an absence of values (Lockwood, A. T. 1993). This is a matter of concern, and this immediately points to moral values that act as etiologic agents for such incidents. Exami nation of all shootings between 1996 and 1999 reveals a pattern. The shooters are all male. This is not inconsistent with the majority of

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Leadership - Essay Example The problems between Shahid and Harpreet have escalated and it is hurting morale within the team. The inefficiency of the team is causing loss of productivity. The project is at risk of not being completed on time. This report will analyze the problems the team faces and it will give alternative solutions to resolve the situation. The first step toward resolving the situation is improving the communication between the teammates. Opening the lines of communication within the team can help the team accomplish its tasks and deliverables. The team leader will schedule three weekly team meetings with the members to discuss progress made on the project and to force the members to communicate with each other in a professionally setting. Due to the importance of teamwork the others members of the group are going to confront Shahid and Harpreet about the conflict. They have to make it clear to them that their behavior and fighting is hurting the team. Everyone in a team gets hurt by team conf lict. The team members have to recognize the problem they are causing and they must remedy their behavior for the good of the team. Our team has a lot of diversity within its composition. Diversity must be used to the advantage of the team. Currently the team is not taking advantage of the virtues of diversity. One of the benefits of diversity is creativity within the group. For creativity to manifest itself the team members must unite to seek synergy. Synergy occurs when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003). As the team leader I must intervene to stop the conflict between Shahid and Harpreet. The use of conflict resolution techniques can help me accomplish that goal. Five conflict resolution techniques are accommodation, collaboration, compromise, avoidance, and authoritative command. Out of these five options the technique that I chose to help resolve the problem is compromise. The team leader and the two team members with issues will s it down to talk about the problem. I will reiterate to both members their importance for the team. The team members must also know that the project is facing time constraints. All team members must give their best efforts to accomplish their tasks on time and in accordance with the expectations of the project. My role in the compromise process is to be a neutral agent that monitors the negotiation between both parties. The first issue that must be resolve immediately is the racial tension between Shahid and Harpreet. Both team members are going to be sent to a three week sensitivity training with a psychologist. The behavior of those employees was unacceptable and if it continues in the future it will be grounds for dismissal. Mutual respect must be achieved between all members of the team. â€Å"Treating all others in an organization with respect, regardless of rank, will improve communication relationships in the workplace† (Lane, 2013). To increase the efficiency and accou ntability in the team I will take a more active role to provide the team with leadership and support. Each day each team member must submit a short progress report in order document their advancement in completing the assigned tasks. During each morning I will have short meetings with some of the members of the teams based on the needs for support identified in the previous day’s progress reports. At the end of each week I will provide a

Presentation of the Figure of the Slave in the Romance Era Essay

Presentation of the Figure of the Slave in the Romance Era - Essay Example Through his ability to quote John Milton and the Bible, important secular and religious books, he surprised the public with its high literary quality and caused many to seriously question what they'd been told. Approximately ten years after Equiano's work was published, Robert Southeby wrote his poem "The Sailor Who Had Served in the Slave Trade." The poem captures the essence of a lost soul dealing with the guilt of his past treatment of slaves, for his failure to recognize them as humans and also God's chosen creatures. By exposing the progression of the lost sailor's great sin, Southeby provides a glimpse into the general attitudes of the British people, showing a strong shift in understanding from the past to Southeby's present. Both works make use of contrasts to combat common beliefs that Africans were a separate species more like animals by showing them instead to have equal or greater intellectual capacity, to have a civilized frame of mind, and to be included within the Chri stian framework of existence. Evidence of Intellectual Capacity Just the idea that he was able to write his own story, without requiring someone else to transcribe what he said, made Equaino different from many other former slaves whose stories have been immortalized. While all surviving stories of slave experiences are considered valuable: "Their literacy, accompanied with their position as former slaves, provides their narratives with an added sense of authenticity and authority on the subject of the slave trade" (Gunn, 2007: 6), Equiano's was different. He did it with such a high degree of skill that the British, expecting to find a relatively amateur accounting, instead found themselves fully engaged in a thrilling story of adventure... Taken together, Equiano and Southeby provide a clear way to look at the prevailing attitudes and beliefs about slaves at that time. They do this by exploring concepts of individual intellectual pursuit, culture and society, and their characters' position within the framework of the Christian church. Equiano proved he was an intelligent individual, capable of expressing himself to the most educated of English society with skill and persuasively, when he wrote his book. He brought into question whether Africans could be trained to be on a par with white people intellectually speaking, which further questioned whether Africans were truly an inferior, more animal species. Although Southeby's sailor hadn't thought it strange that slaves were flogged to death on a regular basis on the slave ships and had to be forced to touch the slaves in order to make them eat before, he changes his mind after the murder. He is a creature of feelings and emotions, acting on base elements of dominance as he follows through on his captain's orders. Similarly, Equiano shows his society back in Africa to be highly organized and quite civilized, including a rich strand of the arts interwoven into daily life, as compared to the brutality and force depicted in Southeby's world.