Materialism in The Great Gatsby Essay - 515 Words

We are living in a material world. This famous line in one of Madonnas songs entitled Material Girl will never outgrow itself. Ever since the beginnings of monetary means, the main focus of living is getting more money and to be as successful as possible. This became a huge issue during the 1920s. In this era, people made money from the stock market, illegal bootlegging and so forth. With these people hitting the jackpot, this then created a new rank called `new money. This rank, however, never overpowered `old money the most wealthiest, well-known and respected class. The possession of material wealth however, cant bring true happiness. Love is an important factor in this equation; when you dont have love, it is hard to say†¦show more content†¦Though they seemed very close with each other, marriage wasnt in the picture. `Gatsby sprang to his feet, vivid with excitement. `She [Daisy] never loved you [Tom], do you hear? he cried. She only married you because I was poor and s he was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me!(137). Even though love did seem important for Daisy, it didnt top the fact that Gatsby had no money to support the both of them. This is one way that materialism proves itself to be on top. Another way is the superficial relationship that Tom and Daisy have. They are hardly Communicable towards each other and the way this is described is obvious.Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table with a plate of cold fried chicken between them and two bottles of ale. He was talking intently across the table at her hand and in his earnestness his hand had fallen upon and covered her own. Once in awhile she looked up at him and nodded in agreement. They werent happy, and neither of them had touched the chicken or ale-and yet they werent unhappy either (152). Daisy and Tom have been married for five years and this happiness and unhappiness they do and dont feel deals primarily with the fact that their relationship is not based on love. They dont look as if they share a deep connection-a connection such as Daisy and Gatsbys. Daisy and Toms happiness is based on both of them coming from money,Show MoreRelatedMaterialism - the Great Gatsby1732 Words   |  7 PagesMaterialism America has been labeled The land of opportunity, a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. This state of mind is known as The American Dream. The American Dream provides a sense of hope and faith that looks forward to the fulfillment of human wishes and desires. This dream, however, originates from a desire for spiritual and material improvement. Unfortunately, the acquisition of material has been tied together with happiness in America. AlthoughRead More Materialism in The Great Gatsby Essay1075 Words   |  5 PagesMaterialism may be defined as attention to or emphasis on material objects, needs or considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual values. The acquisition of material wealth is often equated with happiness in this country. This is true today, and it was true during the 1920s, the setting of F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby. That the majority of Americans believe that wealth and happiness are the same is a result of our market economy that encourages consumption and conditionsRead MoreEssay on Materialism in the Great Gatsby905 Words   |  4 Pagessuch as money in The Great Gatsby. Daisy falls in love with Gatsby, who is a poor man at the time, and when Gatsby leaves for the war, Daisy marries Tom Buchanan, who is a rich man, because he is â€Å"old money,† meaning he will always have the money and status to support Daisy. When Gatsby returns from the war, his pursuit of Daisy’s love reveals his materialism and he eventually becomes rich for Daisy and believes that he can win her back because he now has money. The Great Gatsby demonstrates the wayRead More Materialism - The Great Gatsby Essay1687 Wor ds   |  7 Pages Materialism nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;America has been labeled quot;The land of opportunity,quot; a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. This state of mind is known as quot;The American Dream.quot; The American Dream provides a sense of hope and faith that looks forward to the fulfillment of human wishes and desires. This dream, however, originates from a desire for spiritual and material improvement. Unfortunately, the acquisitionRead MoreMaterialism In The Great Gatsby Analysis824 Words   |  4 PagesMaterialism The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, illustrates the different lifestyles in regards to the upper and lower classes. The upper class is represented by â€Å"Old Money†, the people who inherited their wealth. Another part of the upper class is represented by â€Å"New Money†, the people who obtained wealth over time. Old money is more fancy and elegant, whereas new money is more showy and extravagant. Because of this, old money is considered superior to new money. The lower class isRead MoreThe Madness Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby996 Words   |  4 Pagesarticle â€Å"The Madness of Materialism† by Steve Taylor discusses psychological discord and talks about people always wanting certain objects, that they might not be a necessity (Taylor). This article is similar to the novel, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald because both discuss the idea of wants versus needs. Gatsby is the main character, however Nick Carraway is the narrator througho ut the entire story. They have been neighbors ever since Nick moved to West Egg. Nick and Gatsby become close friendsRead MoreEssay On Greed And Materialism In The Great Gatsby1014 Words   |  5 Pagesgrowth in an economic forum. This caused many Americans to move into the uncharted territory of the city, and make the transition into a prosperous and foreign â€Å"consumer society† (History.com). In addition, the traits of greed and materialism are ubiquitous in The Great Gatsby, as well as in the flashy 1920’s. These two characteristics give one confidence, but as demonstrated in the novel, it brings nothing but short-term satisfaction. After that, feelings of desperation to childish behaviors can accompanyRead MoreGreed And Materialism In The Great Gatsby Analysis1311 Words   |  6 Pagesprosperous and previously foreign â€Å"consumer society† (History.com). The traits of greed and materialism are ubiquitous in The Great Gatsby, as well as in the Art Deco era of the 1920’s. These two characteristics can give one confidence, but as demonstrated in the novel, they bring nothing but short-term satisfaction. After which, feelings can run the gamut from desperation to childish behaviors. While greed and materialism have the power to seem favorable, bringing an amplification of social status, theyRead MoreEssay On Money And Materialism In The Great Gatsby1994 Words   |  8 Pages Money and materialism play a large role in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, which takes place on Long Island in the summer of 1922. The book follows a man by the name of Jay Gatsby who centers his life around one goal, winning back the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, who he lost five years earlier. His quest leads him from rags-to-riches into the arms of the one he loves, and ultimately, to death. This book is written from a Marxist point of view based on the fact that the bookRead MoreEssay on Love vs. Materialism in the Great Gatsby1131 Words   |  5 PagesVs. Materialism The Great Gatsby does not offer a definition of love, or a contrast between love and romance. Rather it suggests that what people believe to be love is normally only a dream. America in the 1920s was a country where moral values were slowly crumbling and Americans soon only had one dream and objective to achieve, success. Distorted love is one theme in the novel The Great Gatsby, present among all of the characters relationships; Daisy and Tom, Tom and Myrtle, Daisy and Gatsby, and

Business Law Donoghue V Stevenson Case Study Essay

Section A Question 1) a) In the case of Donohue v Stevenson[1], Donohue won the case. The ratio decidendi in the case was that the liability of negligence did not depend on the contractual relationship and that Stevenson owed the duty of care to Donohue as a manufacturer, not to cause foreseeable injuries to the users of the products. As there was an owed duty, Stevenson failed to practice the appropriate standard of care and in turn, the negligent act had caused the injuries to Donohue. Therefore, Stevenson loss the case. b) Regarding to the obiter dicta of the case, Lord Atkin, one of the case’s judges, had mentioned the â€Å"Neighbour Principle†, stated that a person is responsible not to harm another party or parties if he or†¦show more content†¦The agent is given the power to establish a legal relationship with the third party on behalf of the principle. Hence, the agent obtains authority to act as an agent by getting an authority from the principle as his representative[4]. Once he gets the authority, the contracts that he makes with the third party become the contract between principle and the third party. For example, an agent makes a contract with John whom is the third party. John wanted to buy Steven’s car. By signing the contract, it means that John has agreed that he will buy Steven’s car even though they never meet each other. Contractual relationship is a legal relationship between a third party and the principal. This relationship is significant once the agent have a contract with third parties where the principals can be revealed. Usually, the third party does not know about the existence of the principal when making a contract. The agent work as If he is working for him self to sell the thing. The general rule is that where the agent conceal the existence and the identity of his principal, the agent is also not responsible for the contract between principal and the third party. Section B Question (a) I have researched about this case and I finally found out that a Srilankan couple was trying to sue Qantas for their negligence action. Sam Samaratunga and his wife Rani say they were thrown around the cabin over WesternShow MoreRelatedCase Analysis : International Business Law4792 Words   |  20 PagesLLM International Business Law LAWS 7100 Advanced Legal Skills End of module assessment: Case analysis Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 Written by: David T. Dickson Introduction The purpose of this assignment is to discuss the creation and application the case law resulting from the decision in Donoghue v Stevenson . This decision is often cited in relation to the tort of negligence and a duty of care. As such it could be misunderstood as being the preeminent case for the principlesRead MoreApplication Of Act Of The Civil Liability Act2623 Words   |  11 Pagesintended to cause harm. The following cases deal with alleged negligence and do not fall into any of the categories. Thus the CLA applies to all four cases. Maurice v Fire Regulation Authority (FRA) Issue Whether or not FRA owes a duty of care to Maurice for pure psychiatric harm. Application of Act Maurice claimed for damages for mental harm caused by negligence, which satisfies the circumstances addressed in s 28 of the CLA. Thus Part 3 of the CLA applies to this case. 1.1 Reasonable ForeseeabilityRead MoreThe Case Of Burmah Oil Ltd V Lord Advocate2304 Words   |  10 PagesParliamentary sovereignty translates to the fact that parliament can pass any law subject to rules of statutory interpretation. This means that Parliament is the supreme law making body in the UK and therefore has the ability to make any laws based on any affair. As a result, British courts are bound to enforce these laws and can not question their effectiveness or legitimacy. Regardless of whether a law passed by Parliament withdraws citizen’s civil rights and/or chooses to imprison citizens withoutRead MoreSale of Goods Act2514 Words   |  11 PagesCase Study 1 Question 1 Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979, A contract of Sale is a contract where a seller transfers or agrees to transfer goods or a service to a buyer for money, in the course of a business. The transfer must be for money, barter or exchange are not covered. The Act covers sales and agreements to sell. QuestionRead MoreGeneral Tortious Liability Comparing And Contrasting4355 Words   |  18 PagesNORTHERN REGIONAL COLLEGEHND BUSINESS 2012/13 Common Law I Assignment 2 Nelson Adaes 6/3/2015 â€Æ' Tort Law Task 3 Describe general tortious liability comparing and contrasting this to contractual liability Definition of Tort: According to Prof. P H Winfield, Tortious Liability arises from breach of a duty primarily fixed by law; this duty is towards persons generally and its breach is redressable by an action for unliquidated damages. Sir John Salmond defined Tort as a civil wrong for whichRead MoreThe Liability Requirements Of The Tort Of Negligence4678 Words   |  19 Pagessections which are concepts of duty; breach of duty and damages, the definition of negligence is failure of taking care of something or someone. Tort of negligence develops over time the reason for this is because there have been a variety of new cases involving tort of negligence. Duty of care is a duty an individual has for another person’s wellbeing for example a doctor has a duty of ensuring he/she is prescribing the patient with the right medicine, another example is a duty a teacher has towardsRead MoreDiploma leve 6 Part D assignment Essay14002 Words   |  57 Pagesrevise the Health and Safety strategies currently in operation. By setting aims and objectives and showing strong, visible leadership, management can send out a strong message that the Health, Safety and Welfare of employees is aligned with other business objectives, and can in fact improve the overall performance of PSEL. By implementing the recommendations of this report, employees can make key contributions which may improve individual and group values, attitudes, competencies and perceptions,Read More4222-305 Understand Positive Risk Taking for Individuals with Disabilities (Ld 305)7686 Words   |  31 Pagesdoing and the consequences, is bound by British Law. Risks are not just about accidents that may happen; they are also about behaviour and social awareness. When a person is not acting in a socially acceptable manner, members of the public may complain or at least interfere. They may get hurt, or their belongings damaged. There is a tension between the concept of â€Å"duty of care† and â€Å"empowerment and inclusion†. It is not legal under British Law to put vulnerable people into a place of risk.

Falling Leaves free essay sample

Falling Leaves Sitting in the woods all by myself was pretty wonderful. The morning was almost perfect. The sun was slowly rising to my left, peeking through the trees and lighting up the whole woods. To my right there was the lake. It was bright blue and had small ripples moving across the top. A cool breeze from the lake made my cheeks and nose cold. It was whistling through the woods, causing water drip from the trees which was making my paper wet. It also made leaves slowly drift down from the trees, almost if they were dancing in the air. One of my favorite things to see are the vibrant orange, yellow, red, brown and green leaves. They are so bright up in the sky. Anywhere I looked it was a new painting waiting to be made. The rising sun made the wet leaves shimmer brightly. Below my feet there were dead, brown leaves all around. We will write a custom essay sample on Falling Leaves or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It made me realize that even though these trees are very pretty and probably the best looking that they will ever be, they will still fall. Not everything can stay at its best for ever. Every year tree leaves fall. The trees become ugly and look depressing. This can happen in life, too. Maybe it’s a bad test score or an event didn’t go like you wanted it to or something tragic occurs. Life become sad and unhappy. It seems like nothing is good about it. The thing about trees though is that the leaves always grow back. Thick and green and almost better than before. By just giving it time, life can completely come around, just how the leaves come back. There always will be a time when the leaves become dull. There will always be a time when life becomes dull. It just happens. And just like the leaves, all it needs is a little time, patience, and some determination. It’s just how life is. This happens to everyone. No matter what people say or what they seem like, w e all have our lows. I have had those lows. When no matter what I did it seemed like it was wrong. It can be hard because you think youre doing something good, but then it just doesn’t turn out. Things like grades, sports, almost everything. It’s sad and I just really don’t like it. I havent had many lows in my life, but when I have my life has always come around. After a little while, things seem to click back into place and start to work out. Its just one of those things that happens to everyone no matter who you are. We just need to remember that things will turn around, it just might take some time. While I was sitting in the woods, looking up at the colorful trees, I looked at the ground covered with dead leaves. It to me was a reminder of the downs in life. When we are having ups in our life, we have to remember about our downs. If we remember them, it gives us something to think about so we try to stay away from the downs. Lows in our lives can be impossi ble to avoid. If we have reminders about the lows though, then we can really cherish the ups. The more you sit and the more you let yourself completely be just with the woods the more you will be able to learn from it. All the sounds, animals, trees and plants you can notice. It’s so quiet and calm but yet so lively. Now that I have sat here for awhile, the sun has gotten higher up in the sky and is no longer peeping through the trees. I can feel the air slowly getting warmer. The dew has dried on the ground and on the leaves. The wind still blows a cold breeze through the woods, rustling the leaves. The changing leaves fall lightly. A red one. A green one. A yellow one. All falling to be at their lowest. But then I remember that soon everything will be back, all green and pretty. I can’t forget that it will always get better.

Stephen Leacocks Arcadian Adventures with the Idl Essay Example For Students

Stephen Leacocks Arcadian Adventures with the Idl Essay e Rich Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich EssaysStephen Leacocks Arcadian Adventures with the Idle RichJonathan Swift has suggested that Satire is a sort ofGlass, wherein Beholders do generally discover every bodys Facetheir own; which is the chief reasonthat so few are offendedwith it. Richard Garnett suggests that, Without humour, satireis invictive; without literary form, and it is mere clownishjeering. (Encyclopaedia Britannica 14th ed. vol. 20 p. 5). Whereas Swifts statement suggests that people are not offendedby satire because readers identify the characters faults withtheir own faults; Garnett suggests that humour is the key elementthat does not make satire offensive. With any satire someone isbound to be offended, but the technique the author uses canchange something offensive into something embarrassing. Stephen Leacocks Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich isa nonthreatening, humorous, and revealing satire of the moralfaults of upper class society. The satire acts as a moralinstrument to expose the effect money can have on religion,government, and anything within its touch. Writing about suchtopics is hard to do without offending people. Leacockstechnique combines money with humour, and accompanies his moralmessage with ironic characters; their exaggerated actions, and aconstant comical tone to prevent readers from being offended. We will write a custom essay on Stephen Leacocks Arcadian Adventures with the Idl specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Leacocks utopian world is filled with humorous labels thatrepresent the Plutonians personalities. Ourselves Monthly; amagazine for the modern self-centered, is a Plutonian favourite. To fill their idle days, the Plutonian women are in an endlesssearch for trends in literature and religion. Without thedistractions of club luncheons and trying to achieve the HigherIndifference, the women would have to do something productive. Readers that identify themselves with the class of people thePlutonians represent would be embarrassed rather than offended byLeacocks satirical portrayal of them. The Yahi-Bahi Oriental Society exaggerates the stupidityof the Plutonians to a point where the reader laughs at thecharacters misfortunes. The con men give ridiculous propheciessuch as Many things are yet to happen before others begin.(Leacock 87), and eventually take their money and jewelry. Theexaggeration increases the humour while the moral message isdisplayed. The characters of the novel are ironic in the sence thatthey percieve themselves as being the pinicle of society, yetLeacock makes the look like fools. For someone who pridesthemself on being an expert on just about everything, Mr. Lucullus Fyshes (as slimmy and cold as his name represents)perceptions are proven false. Mr. Fyshe makes hypocraticstatments about ruling class tyranny, while barking down the neckof a poor waiter for serving cold asparagus. Leacock exposes the whole Plutonian buisness world to befools by the their encounter with Mr. Tomlinson. A man who knowslive-stock; not stock market, is percieved as a finacial genius. When Mr. Tomlinson replies that he does know about an investment,the Plutonian reaction is:He said he didnt Know! repeated the listener, in a tone of amazement and respect. By Jove! eh? he said he didnt know! The mans a wizard!And he looked as if he didnt! went on Mr. Fyshe. (Leacock 47)After Mr. Tomlinson is discovered to be a plain farmer, and hisfortune falls, the Plutorians are seen eating their words:Now , I said , for I wanted to test the fellow, `tellme what that means? Would you believe me, he looked me right in the face in that stupid way of his, and hesaid, `I dont know!'He said he didnt know! repeated the listener contemptuously; the man is a fool! (leacock 66)On Plutoria avenue money makes the man and the fool. .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a , .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a .postImageUrl , .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a , .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a:hover , .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a:visited , .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a:active { border:0!important; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a:active , .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6987bfb34449ef82602f7e22612f5f6a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Linking Media with Fitness Perceptions: A Study on EssayWorth and expense are important for the inhabitants ofPlutoria avenue. Even the birds are the most expensive kind ofbirds (Leacock 7). The innocents, Mr. Tomlinson and his family,show that for Plutorians personal worth is based on the amount ofmoney an individual has. The media builds up Mr. Tomlinson to bea financial genius, because of his great amount of money and hismysterious look. His look is a confused man caught in a worldof which he has no understanding, but the money makes him theGreat dominating character of the newest and highest finance.(Leacock 36). Mr. Tomlinsons wife is described by the media assetting new trends, and shaking the fashion world. She could haveworn a garbage bag in public, and probably received the samereview. Leacock exaggerates the obsession of money to a humorouspoint that not even religion is spared. Religion is a social event and business opportunity forPlutonians. Rather than spiritual worth, St. Asaph and St. Osophchurches are humorously described by mortgages, dollars persquare feet, and Bible give away debits. Priests work for thechurch that offers them the most money, and has the best sociallife. It would not be surprising if the two churches soldindulgences. In the real world corruption of the church would beoffensive to allot of people, but when desguised in humourLeacock shields the readers from personal offence. Leacock touches on the controvesal topic of updating churchdoctrine by creating a humorous misunderstanding between Rev. Furlong and his father:Now we, he went on, I mean the Hymnal Supply Corporation, have an idea for bringing out an entirely newBible. /A new Bible! he gasped. Precisely! said his father, a new Bible! This one and we find it every day in our business is all wrong.All wrong! said the rector with horror on his face. /For the market of to-day this Bible and he poised it again on his hand, as to test its weight, is too heavy. The people of to-day want something lighter, something easier to get hold of. (Leacock 149). The humorous exchange is not offensive, yet maintains its moralundertone. Satires primary use is to expose. If no one was offendedor embarrassed by it then the work and the humour is an end initself. Leacocks technique creates a Works citedGarnett, Richard. Encyclopedia Brtannica, 14th ed. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1959. Leacock, Stephen. Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1989. Works consultedAllen and Stephens. Satire, Theory and Practice. ed. Allen and Stephens. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company,Inc., 1962.

Bernard Cornwells Sharpe Books in Chronological Order

Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe Books in Chronological Order Bernard Cornwells books about the adventures of British soldier Richard Sharpe during the Napoleonic Wars have been enjoyed by millions, mixing – as they do – a combination of action, combat, and historical research. However, readers can have difficulty putting the many volumes into chronological order, especially as the author has written many prequels and sequels. The following is the correct historical order, although they all stand alone. As youll see by scanning below, the Sharpe series now begins with adventures in India, before moving on to the Napoleonic setting that made Cornwells name; theres also a post-Napoleonic book at the end. All of which begs the question, where is it recommended you start? If you intend to read the whole series, then starting with Sharpes Tiger is a good idea because you can then go through in order as Sharpe grows. But if you want to see if you like the books, or if you want to jump into the Napoleonic Wars, then we actually recommend Sharpes Eagle. Its a strong story and its quintessential Cornwell. TV Adaptations Its also worth pointing out that the main volumes were all filmed for television in the 1990s. Although the signs of a modest budget are present, these visual adaptions are very good, and the boxset is also highly recommended by me. What might confuse people is there were later television shows using the now older actor, but drawing on the prequel books - none of which are essential. Sharpe in Chronological Order Sharpes Tiger: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Seringapatam, 1799Sharpes Triumph: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803Sharpes Fortress: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Gawilghur, December 1803Sharpes Trafalgar: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Trafalgar, October 1805Sharpes Prey: Richard Sharpe and the Expedition to Copenhagen 1807Sharpes Rifles: Richard Sharpe and the French Invasion of Galicia, January 1809Sharpes Havoc: Richard Sharpe and the Campaign in Northern Portugal, Spring 1809Sharpes Eagle: Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign July 1809Sharpes Gold: Richard Sharpe and the Destruction of AlmeidaSharpes Escape: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Busaco, 1810Sharpes Fury: Richard Sharpe the Battle of BarrosaSharpes Battle: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Fuentes de OÃ ±oro, May 1811Sharpes Company: The Siege of BadajozSharpes Sword: Richard Sharpe and the Salamanca Campaign June and July 1812Sharpes Skirmish (short story): Richard Sharpe and the Defens e of the Tormes, August 1812 Sharpes Enemy: Richard Sharpe and the Defense of Portugal, Christmas 1812Sharpes Honour: Richard Sharpe and the Vitoria Campaign, February to June 1813Sharpes Regiment: Richard Sharpe and the Invasion of France, June to November 1813Sharpes Christmas (short story)Sharpes Siege: Richard Sharpe and the Winter Campaign, 1814Sharpes Revenge: Richard Sharpe and the Peace of 1814Sharpes Waterloo: Richard Sharpe and the Waterloo Campaign 15 June to 18 June 1815Sharpes Ransom (short story, appears in Sharpes Christmas)Sharpes Devil: Richard Sharpe and the Emperor, 1820-21

Profile of Serial Rapist and Killer Richard Ramirez, The Night Stalker

Profile of Serial Rapist and Killer Richard Ramirez, The Night Stalker Richard Ramirez, also known as Ricardo Leyva Muà ±oz Ramà ­rez, was a serial rapist and killer who operated in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas from 1984 until his capture in August 1985. Dubbed the Night Stalker by the news media, Ramirez was one of the most vicious killers in U.S. history. Early Life of Richard Ramirez Ricardo Leyva, also known as Richard Ramirez, was born in El Paso, Texas, on February 28, 1960, to Julian and Mercedes Ramirez. Richard was the youngest child of six, epileptic, and described by his father as being a good boy, until his involvement with drugs. Ramirez admired his father, but at the age of 12, he found a new hero, his cousin Mike, a Vietnam veteran and ex-Green Beret. Mike, home from Vietnam, shared gruesome pictures of rape and human torture with Ramirez, who became fascinated with the pictorial brutality. The two spent a lot of time together, smoking pot and talking about war. On one such day, Mikes wife began to complain about her husbands laziness. Mikes reaction was to kill her by shooting her in the face, in front of Richard. He was sentenced to seven years for the murder Drugs, Candy and Satanism: By the age of 18, Richard was a habitual drug user and chronic candy eater, resulting in tooth decay and extreme halitosis. He also became involved in Satan worshipping and his general poor appearance enhanced his satanic persona. Already arrested on numerous drug and theft charges, Ramirez decided to move to southern California. There he advanced from simple theft to burglarizing homes. He became very proficient at it and eventually started to linger in the homes of his victims. On June 28, 1984, his burglaries turned into something far eviler. Ramirez entered through an opened window of Glassel Park resident, Jennie Vincow, age 79. According to Philip Carlos book, The Night Stalker, he became angry after not finding anything of value to steal, and began stabbing the sleeping Vincow, eventually slitting her throat. The act of killing aroused him sexually, and he had sex with the corpse before leaving. Savored Memories Fade: Ramirez remained quiet for eight months, but the memory he savored of his last killing had run dry. He needed more. On March 17, 1985, Ramirez jumped 22-year-old Angela Barrio outside her condo. He shot her, kicked her out of the way, and headed into her condo. Inside, was her  roommate, Dayle Okazaki, age 34, who Ramirez immediately shot and killed. Barrio remained alive out of pure luck. The bullet had ricocheted off the keys she held in her hands, as she lifted them to protect herself. Within an hour of killing Okazaki, Ramirez struck again in Monterey Park. He jumped 30-year-old Tsai-Lian Yu and pulled her out of her car onto the road. He shot several bullets into her and fled. A policeman found her still breathing, but she died before the ambulance arrived. Ramirezs thirst was not quenched. He then murdered an eight-year-old girl from Eagle Rock, just three days after killing Tsai-Lian Yu. Post-mortem Mutilations Become His Mark: On March 27, Ramirez shot Vincent Zazarra, age 64, and his wife Maxine, age 44. Mrs. Zazzaras body was mutilated with several stab wounds, a T-carving on her left breast, and her eyes were gouged out. The autopsy determined that the mutilations were post-mortem. Ramirez left footprints in the flower beds, which the police photographed and cast. Bullets found at the scene were matched to those found at previous attacks, and the police realized a serial killer was on the loose. Two months after killing the Zazzara couple, Ramirez attacked again. Harold Wu, age 66, was shot in the head, and his wife, Jean Wu, age 63, was punched, bound, and then violently raped. For unknown reasons, Ramirez decided to let her live. Ramirezs attacks were now in full throttle. He left behind more clues to his identity and was named, The Night Stalker, by the media. Those who survived his attacks provided the police with a description - Hispanic, long dark hair, and foul smelling. Pentagrams Found at the Crime Scene: On May 29, 1985, Ramirez attacked Malvial Keller, 83, and her invalid sister, Blanche Wolfe, 80, beating each with a hammer. Ramirez attempted to rape Keller, but failed. Using lipstick, he drew a pentagram on Kellers thigh and the wall in the bedroom. Blanche survived the attack. The next day, Ruth Wilson, 41, was bound, raped, and sodomized by Ramirez, while her 12-year old son was locked in a closet. Ramirez slashed Wilson once, and then bound her and her son together, and left. Ramirezs was like a savage animal as he continued raping and killing throughout 1985. The victims included: June 27, 1985 - Ramirez raped a 6-year-old girl in Acadia.June 28, 1985 - Patty Higgins, age 32, was beaten and her throat slit.July 2, 1985 - Mary Cannon, age 75, was beaten and her throat slit.July 5, 1985 - Deidre Palmer, age 16, survived being beaten with a tire iron.July 7, 1985 - Joyce Lucille Nelson, 61, was bludgeoned to death.July 7, 1985 - Linda Fortuna, 63, was attacked and Ramirez tried to rape her, but failed.July 20, 1985 - Maxson Kneiling, 66, and his wife Lela, also 66, were shot and their corpses, mutilated.July 20, 1985 - Chitat Assawahem, 31, was shot and his wife Sakima, 29, was beaten then forced to perform oral sex. Ramirez then collected $30,000 in valuables, but before leaving, he sodomized the couples eight-year-old son.August 6, 1985 - Ramirez shot both Christopher Petersen, 38, and his wife, Virginia, 27, in the head. Both somehow survived.August 8, 1985 - Ramirez shot Ahmed Zia, 35, and raped and sodomized his wife, Suu Kyi, 28, and forced her to perform o ral sex on him. Bill  Carns and Inez Erickson On Aug. 24, 1985, Ramirez traveled 50 miles south of Los Angeles and broke into the home of Bill Carns, 29, and his fiancà ©e, Inez Erickson, 27. Ramirez shot Carns in the head and raped Erickson. He demanded she swear her love for Satan and afterward, forced her to perform oral sex on him. He then tied her and left. Erickson struggled to the window and saw the car Ramirez was driving. A teenager wrote down the license plate number of the same car, after noticing it cruising suspiciously in the neighborhood. The information from Erickson and the young man enabled police to locate the abandoned car and get fingerprints from inside. A computer match was made of the prints, and identification of the Night Stalker became known. On August 30, 1985, the arrest warrant for Richard Ramirez was issued and his picture released to the public. Next The End of the Night Stalker - Richard Ramirez   Sources Carlo, Philip. The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez. Reprint edition, Citadel, August 30, 2016. Hare, Robert D. Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us. 1 edition, The Guilford Press, January 8, 1999.

World cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World cultures - Essay Example The Mayan civilization consisted of powerful city-states that spread from southern Mexico to northern Honduras. Scientists in Mayan civilization cite that drought theory plays a pivotal role where the people cut down the jungle canopy to accelerate the problem`. A climate model simulation depicts the aggregation of drought caused by deforestation. The pale climate records show that the collapse of Mayan socio-political structure links to Terminal Classical Drought (TCD). The efforts to assess the effects of climate change on prehistoric societies leads to controversies on the future climate change in the modern societies. Lane et al (2014) present evidence of TCD along the Caribbean Island of Hispaniola, Laguna Castilla, and other areas of the Dominican Republic. The flowering with the rain theory analyzes the cavern stalagmites on the cave floors to link the climate swings that lead to the fall of the empire. Belizean stalagmites in the early Classical Maya are unusually wet since the population proliferation aid the process. Sophistication of monumental architecture, political systems, and complex religion fall in the full flower era. Scientists provide a warfare theory that could have shattered the entire people. The stone carving depict vicious images such as Tikal, Quirigua, and Dos Pilas. It is possible cites went to war with each other. As Dos Pilas invasion took place in 760 A.D (Lane et al. 2014). One cannot rule out the possibility of war that brought economic disaster and a domino effect in the Maya cities. At the apex of their power, things started to unravel just like the stock market zigzag into uncharted territory. Carroll (2013) explains that the ancients built an advanced society where they were undone by their own success. The population of the people continued to escalate stretching the natural resources to a breaking point. The political leaders

Organisational Behaviour Theories and Modern Learning Organisation Essay

Organisational Behaviour Theories and Modern Learning Organisation - Essay Example Specifically, it offers a wide-ranging tactical support within which abilities, instructing and growth strategies can be placed, thus providing teaching and HRM professionals with a tactic for advertising their products to higher management. Instead of training and capabilities being a bolt-on extra, learning transfers to centre stage and grows to be the principal organisational standard around which business policy and viable gain can be developed. Put plainly, there are said to be 3 different shapes of learning within an association: folks within an organisation learning belongings; organisational learning - where the organisation as a unit begins to develop means in which it can learn lectures in a group; and lastly the learning organisation - where the vital organisational objective is complete learning. The nature of the amendments needed becomes understandable as we look at the five-step prototype of development of a learning organisation submitted by Johnson (2002, pp. 241-249 ). The initial three steps of the model (Foundation, Formation and Prolongation) are taken to characterise a state of organisational learning. Phases 4 and 5 (Renovation and Transfiguration) represent evolution and conversion to becoming an entirely driven learning organisation. Foundation: Essential talents development, plus providing beginners with practices and eagerness to learn further. Basic human resources development plans to stimulate and put up self-belief for advance knowledge. Formation: Organisation promotes and develops skills for self-studying and self-development assists individual discover about the organisation and their position in it. Likelihoods and resources are set aside to meet requirement for learning. Renovation: An absolute transform in the form, look and traits or traditions of the organisation.

American Express Company Essay Example for Free

American Express Company Essay American Express Company, sometimes known as AmEx, is a diversified global financial services company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. At present, there are 58,300 employees worldwide working in American Express earning annual revenue of $24. 5 billion. Its assets are valued at $124 billion, with $620 billion in annual purchase volume on American Express Cards and $87. 9 million cards-in-force. Each day, American Express makes it easier, safer and more rewarding for consumers and businesses to purchase the things they need and for merchants to sell their goods and services. An engine of commerce, American Express provides innovative payment, travel and expense management solutions for individuals and businesses of all sizes. Most of all, it helps the customers realize their dreams and aspirations through industry-leading benefits, access to unique experiences, business-building insights, and global customer care. It enables its customers to do more and achieve more. The vision of American Express is to work hard every day to make American Express the world’s most respected service brand. â€Å"Living up to our values is our first priority. † They believe in three operating principles they are: Offer superior value propositions to all of the customers Operate with best-in-class economics Support the American Express brand American Express is the worlds largest card issuer by purchase volume. They process millions of transactions daily as the premium network for high-spending card-members. The American Express is also known for helping mall business owners succeed by delivering purchasing power, flexibility and financial control. Adding on to its roles American Express also provides commercial payment tools and expertise that help companies control their spending and save billions of dollars, offer marketing and information management insights that help merchants build their businesses. The American Express employees are customer loyal experts with industry-leading rewards programs and platforms. They operate the world’s largest travel network serving consumers and businesses and are recognized as the most innovative company in our industries. They are dedicated to serving their customers, 24/7, around the world. The Values which they operate on reflect who the company is and what it stands for as a company. They believe in Customer Commitment, Quality, Integrity, Teamwork, Respect for People, Good Citizenship, Will to Win Personal and Accountability. Human Resource Practices at American Express Being a service industry firm, the employees form the base of all its operations and so the company gives a lot of importance to its HR practices which starts from assessing the need for new employees or new recruits. At American Express it starts with Projecting head counts, Assigning requisition number, identifying relevant profiles and estimating the number of candidates. The recruitment process starts with projecting the head counts i. e. by assessing how many candidates are required at a particular point in time in various departments. As per the requirements identified for different departments the company assigns a Requisition Number which differentiates various job requirements from one other. The Requisition Number is a unique code assigned by the company to different jobs which consists of the job description, minimum requirement for the job and the selection criteria. American Express then identifies the profiles that are relevant as per the requirements given by the Requisition Number and then estimates as to how many candidates will actually appear for the selection process. The company uses different sourcing channels for identifying relevant profiles as per its requirements. American Express uses both internal as well as external sources of recruitment. The Internal sources of the company consist of Employee Referral and Internal Sourcing Team under which the HR department asks its employees to refer the suitable candidates as per the job requirement. A candidate selected via an Employee Referral leads to the Employees getting a specific amount as a form of reward for contributing a resource to the Organization. As a part of the External sources the company contacts with External Vendors and Consultants and also goes to colleges for hiring. Beside this the company uses Job Postings also by advertising in job portals like www. Naukri. com, www. monsterindia. com etc. American Express also uses Social Networking Sites for inviting application by posting on www. facebook. com and www. linkedin. com . Beside the electronic media the company also advertise in newspapers like Times of India and Hindustan Times. American Express, for certain type of jobs, also invites walk-ins. After deciding when to hire and selecting different profiles as per the job advertisement given, the company goes for recruitment. For the recruitment process American Express generally prefers face to face interview. Face to face interview is given preference because of the fact that American Express being a service firm needs to test a candidate’s personality , his/her body language as how the person carries himself/ herself and his attitude towards work and also how he/she interacts with people. Face to face interview besides acting as a platform for assessing an applicant on the above mentioned parameters also allows the company to check the data provided by the candidate. The decisions regarding entry level staffing depends upon the attrition level of the company at a particular period of time. The entry level staffing is done in the form of bulk hiring and contacts from employment agencies are also utilized for the same. Wherein the company sends the required qualifications along with the Requisition Numbers for the vacant positions and then these requirements are matched up with the available candidates’ profiles. American Express hires students from across Campuses of local colleges if they are invited for the same by that particular college for recruitment else they don’t go for hiring in campuses by their own judgement. The interviews are usually held on Fridays, but as the need may be, sometimes they are conducted on Saturdays and Sundays as well. The turn ups on weekend drive ranges from 300-350 for Non Voice Requirements and 150-200 for Voice Requirements. For executive hiring American Express has tie ups with employment agencies wherein experienced people are searched for the Organization. Along with executive hiring American Express is into head hunting as one of its processes for executive hiring to have talented pool of people for the organization. American Express also prefers people from IITs IIMs for filling up their executive positions. In case of executive hiring American Express generally sells its profile to have good resources for the organization. Once the selection mode is finalized then the series of face to face interviews gets started as the further steps of selection process. Executive hiring is process which requires time duration of 3-4 months at least. American Express is into Bulk Hiring for Voice Process as well as Non-Voice Process. Apart from Bulk Hiring it is also into Executive Hiring. American Express follows a set process for conducting these various levels of interview. Since the number of turn ups for the Voice Non-Voice Processes are largely high they avoid taking an initial HR Screening Process; the reason behind this is lack of time. The Requisition Numbers that they get have a deadline that need to be met hence a HR Screening Process becomes too time consuming so it is avoided in the cases of Bulk Hiring. American Express is very staunch when it comes to hiring any candidate per se. Hence they believe that a Face to Face Interview interaction would be an ideal way to judge the candidate. The American Express has four Levels of Interview. First, Personal Introduction Round, where the candidate is required to give an elaborate insight into his Educational Background, his past Work Experience, a glimpse into his personality the Attitudes and abilities he possesses. Next step is the Voice Assessment Test for Voice Process and the Written Test for the Non-Voice Process. Wherein the candidates are judged upon various parameters like, their Communication, Accent, Voice Modulation, Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammer etc. The reason behind doing these tests is to find the right candidate for the right role i. e. f one would suit for a Voice or a Non-Voice Process. The third step is the Operational or the Technical Round. In this the candidate is assessed on the skills that they possess and that are crucial to meet that particular job requirements. The candidate is interviewed on his Technical competencies abilities. Finally, they have something called the Offer Round. It is also called the Salary Negotiation Round. This round is all about the Compensation Discussion, a discussion between the HR Manager the Candidate over the expected compensation the industry set Compensation Level. Once this discussion comes to a pause a final compensation is decided and an offer is rolled out to the candidate. The Levels of Interview slightly differ in the case of Executive Hiring. The First step in Executive Hiring is matching the profile according to the Requisition Number. Here the one thing that we need to make a note of is the fact that, a stringent HR Screening Process is followed, where the HR Manager strictly follows an HR Screening Checklist, to check whether the candidate matches the requirement as has been mentioned in and by the Requisition Number and the Job Description. All the other levels and steps being the same the only difference lies in the fact that they do not take any Written Test or Voice Assessment Test. This Step is eliminated from the process of Executive Hiring. The reason being that, this level generally constitutes of Top Level Management Employees Officials and their mode of operation differs from the base or Ground level Employees. Rest they go through the same levels and steps of the Interview Selection Process. American Express believes in On the Spot job offer for Bulk Hiring wherein once the interview process is completed the candidate is given an offer letter. Executive Hiring or Non Bulk Hiring Offer is rolled out in 2days. (Within which the Candidate’s Confirmation is required). When the company hires the candidates in bulk then the entire process of interviewing to offer takes around 2 days and after the completion all the selected candidates are offered a job-letter. To close each Requisition an Average of 2 months is required starting from the process of selecting the forms, short-listing the candidates then conducting group discussion and PI and finally closing up of interview takes around 2 months. Niche Skills and Top Level Security Profiles take approximately an average of 3-4months. The technical skills which are niche, uncommon and difficult in nature to find takes approximately around 3 months because in this the company looks for a specific quality which can be used for further growth and development of the organization. Profiles of Vanilla Skills take 2 months to close. The American Express conducts a thorough Criminal Background Check, education verification and work experience. All portions of the check are completed before the Employee can begin his/her employment with the Organization. These checks are often used by American Express as a means of objectively evaluating a job candidates qualifications, character, fitness, and to identify potential hiring risks for safety and security reasons. The Background check at American Express is also used to thoroughly investigate the Employees Background and past information in order to get a security clearance. So this background check is extremely crucial in American Express recruitment process. They give huge importance in the same. If any of the above mentioned criteria doesn’t match in this process or a failure to adhere to the background check norms could eventually lead to the cancellation of the Candidates offer and Blacklisting of the candidate. Wherein the company cancels the application of the candidate or the candidate’s selection is being closed. Information’s which are being written in the resume has to be genuine and should be according to the actual background, experience of the candidate and basically those perfect information reflects the personality the ability of the candidate. It is very easy for the candidate to prove or perform the same on the spot and simultaneously differentiate himself as the able candidate for the respective post. The American Express out sources its Background Check process to various firms. These are Syndicate firms which does the background check for its new hires in return for a fee amount. The On-Boarding Process begins when Candidate joins them for an informative first–day orientation where they learn the ins and outs of American Express history and culture. On-Boarding involves integrating and acculturating new employees into the organisation and providing them with the tools, resources, and knowledge to become successful and productive. It is a 2 day process. On boarding includes orientation collection of documents such as the Experience Certificate or Letter, Reference Letter, Educational Documents, Identification Proof etc. Orientation at American Express is a social function which serves as a familiarization programme provided to new employees. It stands as a ‘getting to know us’ programme. So they give information about their policies and working culture means how to work with American Express. In this on boarding process the new joiners are also made to fill various forms such as the provident fund and gratuity. A Separate Training Department with group or individual training in specified areas focused on carrying out assignments connected with related field they are working in which helps in improving the skills and knowledge of the employees. Special training is given to all the candidates from Campus Recruits to Bulk Hires to Executives who are recruited. This training focuses mainly on the rules and regulations the company follows and what all are the objectives the company has to achieve. The Training Methods or Forms of Training that American Express uses are vast. It comprises of Formal Training, for all employees whether they are new hires of existing employees. All and one have to undergo a formal training session in American Express. Another form of Training that American Express follows is Lectures and Classroom Trainings where in the Employees obtain training in a traditional classroom environment as per their convenience and time. It provides the employees with an environment that includes a lab, an instructor, and a structured approach to teaching. Another mode of Training that it follows is Online Training. This method is generally used in case of training the Top Level Officials and Managers. American Express Values every second of its Employees time especially when it is related to the Top management because they are involved with the major operations of the organization. So instead of disrespecting their time by calling them for a classroom session it looks for their convenience. They take up their training programs online which is quicker, simpler and convenient for them. The next form of Training method that they apply is Questionnaire. Where in the HR Manager floats a Questionnaire to it Employees / Trainees and they collect their responses and give them the feedback. â€Å"An unusual method of training its employees but it tends to be more effective than classroom sessions† says Saumyajit K. Pal, HR Manager (MIS Analytics), American Express.

Stephen Kings Influence On American Literature Essay -- essays researc

Stephen King is one of the most influential authors of today. His award-winning novels and short stories are known world -wide. His many awards and nominations have created a space for him in the literary world. King is a true â€Å"Horror King†, for his books, turned movies, have scared millions world- wide. Stephen King has helped bring America to prominence through his many books, essays and short stories. Stephen Edwin King was born on September 21, 1947 at the Maine General Hospital in Portland, Maine. His parents were Donald Edwin King and Ruth Pillsbury King. Stephen being the only natural born child in the family and his older brother David having been adopted at birth two years earlier. â€Å"The Kings were the typical, â€Å"nuclear† family of the fifties until one night when Donald King said he was stepping out for cigarettes and was never heard from again.† At this point Ruth took over raising the family with help from other relatives of the family. They traveled throughout many states over several years finally moving back to Durham, Maine in 1958. (P.R. 5 pg.1) Stephen King began his actual writing career in January of 1959 when David King and Stephen decided to publish their own local town newspaper named Dave's Rag. David bought a mimeograph and they created a paper that sold for five cents an issue. Stephen King attended Lisbon High School, in Lisbon, Maine in 1962. Collaborating with his best friend Chris Chesley, in 1963 they published a collection of 18 short stories called People, Places, and Things-Volume I. King's stories included "Hotel at the End of the Road", "I've Got to Get Away!† "The Dimension Warp", "The Thing at the Bottom of the Well", "The Stranger", "I'm Falling", "The Cursed Expedition", and "The Other Side of the Fog." A year later King's amateur press Triad and Gaslight Books, published a two part book titled "The Star Invaders". Stephen King made his first actual published appearance in 1965 in the magazine Comics Review with his story "I Was a Teenage Grave Robber." The story ran about 6,000 words in length. In 1966, Stephen King graduated from high school and took a scholarship to attend the University of Maine. Looking back on his high school days, King recalled that "my high school career was totally undistinguished. I was not ... ...p; In conclusion, Stephen King is not an easy person to write about. There are thousands of websites and books devoted to him and yet, none mention his international fame. Though my findings were slim, I feel that, given the information available, I have successfully proved that Stephen King has helped bring America into prominence through his writings. King is a dedicated writer and there is no end to his writing in site. â€Å"†¦And aside from being a force of nature, he’s a pretty good guy.† As said by Robert Parker, introducer of speakers at a benefit, Voices Louder Than Words, at Harvard. (P.R. 1 Pg. 161) 1. Beahm, George. America’s Best Loved Boogeyman Stephen King. Andrews McMeel Publishing Kansas City 1998. 2. Beahm, George. The Stephen King Story. Andrew’s McMeel Publishing Kansas City 1991. 3. â€Å"Accident Recovery Update.† Stephen King Official Web Presence. http://www.stephenking.com (30 Jan. 2000) 4. â€Å"Novel Database.† http:///www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/1947/kingworks.htm (10 Feb. 2000) 5. â€Å"Stephen King Biography.† http://utopianweb.com/king/bio.html (10 Feb. 2000) 6. King, Stephen. ‘Salems Lot. Doubleday and Company New York 1975.

The Business Activities Study

This case study is related to the business activities of a hedge fund which performs a macro investment strategy. Its investment manager Troy Dexter seeks for profits which arise from shifts in the real economy. As he considers an end of the Australian housing market boom as likely, he anticipates that Australia's overall economic growth will slow down, whereas the prices for energy will go up. In reaction to those expectations he decides to purchase treasury bonds and stocks of energy companies Against this background Case Study 1 is aimed at classifying Troy Dexter's two investment decisions as either direct or indirect investments. Such a classification provides different results depending on the party from whose perspective it is assessed. Thus, it is the purpose of the following section of this work to distinguish between the terms direct and indirect investment based on the corresponding point of view using practical illustrations whenever possible. This is to be done after clarifying key terms associated therewith first. Term definition A hedge fund is an alternative investment vehicle which excessively uses financial instruments such as derivatives and leverage and in which an aggressive management strategy is usually applied (Fung & Hsieh, 2004). As Capocci and Hà ¼bner (2004) state, a hedge fund's major purpose is to generate active return (called alpha) for its typically wealthy investor base. As hedge funds are less exposed to capital market regulation than other fund types, they are able to generate – on average – higher returns, but associated with higher levels of risk as well (Lederman, 2012). Troy's decision to purchase energy stocks is related to his expectation of rising oil prices. Given his expectation turns out to be correct, the share price of oil producing companies will increase. The term â€Å"energy stock market†, however, comprises not only oil producing companies, but all other kinds of energy producing firms, as well as energy infrastructure and energy service providers, too (Henriques & Sadorsky, 2008). As Henriques and Sadorsky (2008) note, a rise in the oil price will not only increase the share price of oil and gas producers, but also the market value of those firms which offer substitutes (e.g. solar and wind energy) will increase. This holds as their products become more competitive in such an environment and their turnover is likely to increase. Stockholders who have purchased such stocks directly for their own stock portfolio before a rise in the oil price has taken place, will profit. Their profits, on the one hand, consist of the 4 chance to sell those shares at a higher price at the stock market and, on the other hand, of (increased) dividend payments (Bodie, 2013). Treasury bonds purchased in the debt market are usually characterized by less risk than any kind of stock market investment (Sharpe et al., 1999). Given Troy's expectation about the future economic environment of Australia, his decision to purchase such long-term fixed interest debt instruments is reasonable. This holds as they are issued by the Australian government which is very unlikely to default (Chaudhuri ; Smiles, 2004). On the contrary, as the Australian government has several tools at hand which allows it to make interest payments as promised (e.g. increase taxes), a treasury bond is considered as one of the safest investment forms available in the market (Hull et al., 2005). Investors who have decided to hold treasury bonds in their stock portfolio (direct security investment) can expect a fixed interest on their investment. The historic development of the Australian 10-year treasury bond is illustrated below.   Source: Reserve Bank of Australia, 2017. From this graph it can be derived that the long term trend of Australian treasury bonds is downward sloping. Starting from a level of more than 10.0% in 1995, the interest rate went down to about 3.0% in 2013. Interest rates in the short run are stagnating on a relatively low level of about 3.0%. Based on the fact that Troy Dexter has founded the hedge fund in 2009, it can be stated that his decision was right in the short run: Interest rates, indeed, went up from 4.0% to 6.0% between January 2009 and January 2010. However, it has to be noted that in the subsequent years his expectation turned out to be incorrect: Starting from January 2011, interest rates on the Australian 10-year treasury bond went down to about 3.0% in January 2013. This implies for Troy Dexter as the fund manager that his hedge fund may have generated losses from 2011 onwards as the interest rate of Australian treasury bonds have lacked his expectations. The figure adds value to the topic of this work as it illustrates that the fund manager's decision to invest in treasury bonds could not have been a smart decision in the long run: Fund investors are indirectly suffering from this decision as they have decided to provide Troy Dexter with parts of their funds which are now invested in a non-optimal security. 1. Direct vs. indirect securities – Northwest Capital Management perspective In order to classify Northwest Capital Management's investments in treasury bonds and energy stocks from the firm's perspective, one has to understand the business concept of capital management firms first. Firms such as Troy Dexter's hedge fund business aim at professionally managing private investor's funds. They do so by investing customers' money in a broad range of asset classes, restricted by particular investment goals (Fung ; Hsieh, 2001). However, as Brav et al. (2010) notice, the service such firms provide is not just related to the optimum asset allocation, but financial statement analysis as well as the monitoring of existing investments plays an important role, too. Hedge funds – in contrast to more conservative capital management firms – invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in risky asset classes such as the stock market of even emerging market economies (Jansen et al., 1998). The portfolio composition of an exemplary hedge fund is illustrated in the graph below. Source: Blair, 2001. The figure above already reveals that it is the hedge fund manager Troy Dexter who is responsible for the investment decisions of his fund and who chooses between the above asset classes (asset allocation). It is important to understand that the private investor is not involved in the daily investment process of the hedge fund, but hands over any responsibility for the invested amount of money to Troy Dexter. 0.50% 0.50% 31% 19% 15% 14% 7% 6% 3% 2% 2% Strategy composition of a hedge fund Short selling Other Equity long/short Macro Relative value arbitrage Event driven Fixed income Convertible arbitrage Distressed securities/high yield Equity markets neutral Emerging markets 6 Derived from this line of reasoning it can be stated that Troy Dexter's intended purchase of treasury bonds and energy stocks can be considered as a direct securities investment from the firm's point of view. This holds, because there is no third party involved in Troy's securities acquisition process (Bodie, 2013). In contrast, it is likely to be assumed that Troy himself owns a trading platform which he can use to exercise any stock market transactions personally and immediately. Even if Troy does not own such a trading platform, the consultation of a stock broker can still be considered as a direct securities investment from Northwest Capital Management's point of view. This holds because a stock broker can simply be considered as an entity which executes buy and sell orders on behalf of someone else for a particular fee or commission (Pollock et al., 2004). As Pollock et al. (2014) note, brokers are not allowed to alter the order, but execute the transaction only. 2. Direct vs. indirect securities – Investor perspective Taking the viewpoint of an investor in Troy Dexter's hedge fund, Troy's investment decisions can clearly be considered as indirect investments. As stated above, the fund manager decides about the allocation across available asset classes. The investor knows about the financial risks tied to Troy's investment decisions from the prospectus and may have expectations about a desired return, but cannot alter Troy's daily sell and buy orders. However, this would be a vitally important characteristic of a direct securities investment. As soon as customers have decided to invest in the fund, they have to sign a declaration of consent in which they transfer the responsibility for managing their funds to the portfolio management team (in our case to Troy Dexter) (Philpot ; Jonson, 2007). Not the investors themselves engage a broker who carries out financial market transactions, but Troy Dexter does that on behalf of them using his financial market knowledge. In this context it is important to note that – although restrictions are less strict in a hedge fund – fund managers have to stick to the proposed fund objective and are not allowed to invest in anything which is not related to the praised goal of the fund, although it may be a lucrative investment (Philpot ; Jonson, 2007). This assignment of any kind of right to alter the investment decision related to maximizing investors' own monetary wealth underpins the indirect nature of a fund investment from an investor's point of view. The incentives for customers of Northwest Capital Management to provide Troy Dexter with the rights to manage their savings on behalf of them (indirect investment) is related to Troy Dexter's expertise about financial markets (Capon et al., 1996). Additionally, as Capon et al. (1996) state, the pooling of large amounts of money in the hedge fund provides customers with a lot more market power than they would have when investing on their own. This shows that although private investors cannot actively decide about each investment decision on their own, the indirect securities investment through Troy Dexter's Northwest Capital Management is utterly worthwhile for its investor base. It can be summarized that investing in a hedge fund implies no direct securities investment from the private investors' perspective. This is compounded by the fact that private investors of a hedge fund do not own any securities themselves (Droms & Walker, 1996). Instead, those securities are entirely controlled by the fund managers who either own a trading platform themselves or contact brokers to carry out deals which are likely to benefit the fund's investor base. Shareholders are not able to access the fund's existing investments on a daily basis, but have to rely on the fund managers' expertise (Droms ; Walker, 1996). This trust, however, may be the basis for higher returns compared to investing individually on any kind of capital market. 7 Furthermore, the indirect securities investment from the investor's point of view implies that each single investor gains or loses proportionally to his or her investment in Troy Dexter's hedge fund. This fact stands in sharp contrast to a direct securities investment in which an investor is on his own and has a claim on any gains and losses related to this investment (Bodie, 2013). Instead of having the chance to convert profits right away in a direct securities investment, an indirect investment via a fund prohibits an investor from this right and makes him dependent on the decisions of the fund manager. Recommendations: A common way of how to classify securities is to divide them into either direct or indirect securities. In this context it is of particular importance to distinguish between either an investment manager's or a private investor's perspective (Davis, 2004). Conclusion: The statements above have shown that the classification of any kind of investment as being either direct or indirect depends on the party from whose perspective such a classification is made. In the case of a hedge fund one can categorize an investment as an indirect one from the investor perspective and as a direct one from the fund manager's perspective. This holds as it is not the investor who makes any kind of investment decision, but the fund manager on his behalf. The investor puts trust in the fund manager's capital market expertise when deciding to invest in a fund and – at the same time – cedes any kind of rights to alter the fund manager's perspective on the future development of the capital market. In contrast, the fund manager, on a daily basis, has to directly â€Å"step† in the capital market and has to sell or buy certain types of investments. References Blair, F. (2001): Managing the equity portfolio: South-Western College Publishing. Bodie, Z. (2013): Investments: McGraw-Hill. Brav, A.; Jiang, W.; Kim, H. (2010): Hedge fund activism. A review. In: Foundations and Trends in Finance 4(3), p. 185–246. Capocci, D.; Hà ¼bner, G. (2004): Analysis of hedge fund performance. In: Journal of Empirical Finance 11(1), p. 55–89. Capon, N.; Fitzsimons, G. J.; Prince, R. A. (1996): An individual level analysis of the mutual fund investment decision. In: Journal of Financial Services Research 10(1), p. 59–82. Chaudhuri, K.; Smiles, S. (2004): Stock market and aggregate economic activity. Evidence from Australia. In: Applied Financial Economics 14(2), p. 121–129. 8 Cristodoulou, A. (2016): The internal rate of return problems and manners of solution. In: Prospettive e Proposte Mediterranee-Rivista di Economia, Agricoltura e Ambiente. Online available at http://www.iamb.it/share/img_new_medit_articoli/802_32cristodoulou.pdf. Davis, E. P. (2004): Institutional investors. In: MIT press. Droms, W. G.; Walker, D. A. (1996): Mutual fund investment performance. In: The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance 36(3), p. 347–363. Fung, W.; Hsieh, D. A. (2001): The risk in hedge fund strategies. Theory and evidence from trend followers. In: Review of Financial Studies 14(2), p. 313–341. Fung, W.; Hsieh, D. A. (2004): Hedge fund benchmarks. A risk-based approach. In: Financial Analysts Journal 60(5), p. 65–80. Hasan M. (2013): Capital budgeting Techniques used by small manufacturing companies. In: Journal of Service Science and Management. Henriques, I.; Sadorsky, P. (2008): Oil prices and the stock prices of alternative energy companies. In: Energy Economics 30(3), p. 998–1010. Hull, J. C.; Preduescu, M.; White, A. (2005): Bond prices, default probabilities and risk premiums. In: Working paper. Jansen, A.; Mathieson, M. D. J.; Eichengreen, M. B. J.; Kodres, M. L. E.; Chadha, M. B.; Sharma, M. S. (1998): Hedge funds and financial market dynamics 166. Jung, K.; Yong-Cheol, K.; Stulz, R. M. (1996): Timing, investment opportunities, managerial discretion, and the security issue decision. In: Journal of Financial Economics 42(2), p. 159-186. Layton, A., Robinson, T., & Tucker, I. (2015): Economics for today (5th ed.). Thomson, South Melbourne, Australia. Lederman, S. J. (2012): Hedge fund regulation. Philpot, J.; Jonson, D. T. (2007): Mutual fund performance and fund prospectus clarity. In: Journal of Financial Services Marketing 11(3), p. 211–216. Pollock, T. G.; Porac, J. F.; Wade, J. B. (2004): Constructing deal networks. Brokers as network architects in the US IPO market and other examples. In: Academy of Management Review 29(1), p. 50–72. Reserve Bank of Australia (2017). Online available at http://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/historicaldata.html. Rudolph, S. (2008): Net Present Value Rule in comparison to the payback and internal rate of return methods. In: Working Paper. Sharpe, W. F.; Alexander, G. J.; Bailey, J. V. (1999): Investments: Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall 6. Titman, Sheridan (2015): Financial Management. Principles and Applications. (7th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson.

Puritan Irony in Early Colonies Essay

Irony is when there is a situation that is strange because things happen in a way that seems to be the opposite of what you expected. A good example of the word ironic was when New England was settled. Two good examples of the irony during the settlement of New England were the religious and political repressions. The religious repression in New England was a great example of irony. This is so because Puritan separatist groups moved across an ocean to find religious freedom. Some went to Holland, but they quickly realized that Dutch culture was not for them. In consequence, some separatists moved to the New World. When they got to New England and landed at Plymouth Rock, they created a theocratic government. One would be inclined to believe that if you left one-or in some cases, two different countries and sailed all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to find Religious freedom, you would in turn offer it to the inhabitants of your new settlement. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. When New England began to expand and grow more popular, obviously it became more diverse. At this time, there were people moving into New England that did not fit the criteria that the puritans who described themselves as â€Å"saints† did. Since they were a theological government, if those not so pure colonists living in New England were not part of the church, they in turn were not a part of the government. These new immigrants now faced a decision. Stay and adapt to the ways of the strict puritans in some of the colonies of New England, or move to a place more tolerant of religious freedom. It is extremely ironic that the same people who moved thousands of miles away to find a place more accepting to their religion did not feel empathy towards the newcomers that were not the same religion as them, they turned them away at the door. In hand with the religious repression, the political repression was another good example of irony. During the four month ship-ride to the New World, the puritan â€Å"saints† signed a document called the Mayflower Compact. In it, they stated that they would create a civil government. To an extent, they did just that. The civil government that they created just happened to also be a theocratic government. Like it says above, the puritan â€Å"saints† were not open to other religions having any freedom. Since it was a theocratic government, once more people began to move to New England, the government was not a civil government anymore, because you had to be a member of the church to be able to vote or have political power. However, a man named Roger Williams changed that in what came to be Rhode Island. He argued that there must be a separation of church and state to keep the church free from the corruption that comes along with politics. He was banned from Massachusetts,because the church was threatened by his ideology, but that did not stop him. He then made Rhode Island the only colony at that point in time to have true religious freedom. In time, all of the colonies had religious freedom. For a good stretch of time though the â€Å"civil† government that the puritan â€Å"saints† claimed they had created was in fact not civil because you had to be a member of the church to have any say at all. In all, the puritan â€Å"saints† that founded New England portrayed two different situations of irony- the religious and political repressions. The religious repression showed irony because they moved countries to find religious freedom, and then did not offer it to the people moving into their settlements. The political repression was a good example of irony because the puritan â€Å"saints† had a â€Å"civil† government that required you be a member of the church to even be able to vote, let alone be a politician.

Essay on The African-American Odyssey

Essay on The African-American Odyssey Essay on The African-American Odyssey Essay on The African-American OdysseyThe 1920-1930s were the time of consistent changes in the life of the US society and African Americans in particular. This was the time of the fast urbanization that contributed to the growth of the urban population and growth of the African American population in American cities. The 1920s – 1930s were accompanied by the growing oppression of African Americans by means of Jim Crow’s laws which limited rights of African Americans and contributed to their segregation. In response to the oppression, African Americans moved to large cities and settled in their communities creating large African American communities (Hine 114). The urbanization and formation of large African American communities contributed to the rise of their role as the community that can take an active part in the political, social and economic life. The large urban communities became important actors in the life of large American cities and white Americans could not just oppress them because African Americans grew aware of their power in their unity (Weiner Knopf 169). In addition, the rise of the organized struggle of African Americans for their rights contributed to the enhancement of their position as a new power that policy makers have to take into consideration. As a result, in spite of Jim Crow’s laws, Africans still managed to organize their community and conduct the successful struggle for their rights. In actuality, this experience is still valuable because problems of the inner city are obvious (Hine, 201). Their resolution should start from African Americans because policy makers will not change their life, unless African Americans launch a large scale civil rights movement or any other form of the organized but legal struggle as was the case of half a century ago.

Life and Art of Anni Albers, Modernist Weaver

Life and Art of Anni Albers, Modernist Weaver Born Anneliese Fleischmann in 1899 to an affluent German family, Anni Albers was expected to live the tranquil life of a housewife. Yet Anni was determined to become an artist. Known for her masterful textile work and influential ideas about design, Albers went on to establish weaving as a new medium for modern art. Fast Facts: Anni Albers Full Name: Anneliese Fleischmann AlbersBorn: June 12, 1899 in Berlin, German EmpireEducation: BauhausDied: May 9, 1994 in Orange, Connecticut, U.S.Spouses Name: Josef Albers (m. 1925)Key Accomplishments: First textile designer to receive a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art. Early Life As a teenager, Anni knocked on famed Expressionist painter Oskar Kokoschka’s door and asked him if she could apprentice under him. In response to the young woman and the paintings she had brought with her, Kokoschka scoffed, barely giving  her the time of day. Undiscouraged, Anni turned to the newly founded Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany where, under the guidance of architect Walter Gropius, a new philosophy of design was being developed. Bauhaus Years Anni met her future husband Josef Albers, eleven years her senior, in 1922. According to Anni, she asked to be placed as a student in the Bauhaus glassmaking studio because she had seen a handsome-looking man at work there, and she hoped he could be her teacher. Though she was denied placement in the glass workshop, she nevertheless found a lifelong partner in the man: Josef Albers. They married in 1925 and would remain married  for more than 50 years, until Josef’s death in 1976. Though the Bauhaus preached inclusivity, women were  allowed entrance only into the bookmaking studio and the weaving workshop. And as the bookmaking workshop shuttered soon after the Bauhaus’ founding, women found that their only option was to enter as weavers. (Ironically, it was the commercial sale of the fabrics they produced that kept the Bauhaus financially secure.) Albers excelled in the program and eventually became head of the workshop.  Ã‚   At the Bauhaus, Albers exhibited a remarkable ability to innovate with a variety of materials. For her diploma project, she was charged with creating fabric to line the walls of an auditorium. Using cellophane and cotton, she made a material which could reflect light and absorb sound, and could not be stained. Black Mountain College In 1933, the Nazi Party came to power in Germany. The Bauhaus project came to an end under pressure from the regime. As Anni had Jewish roots (though her family had converted to Christianity in her youth), she and Josef believed it best to flee Germany. Rather serendipitously, Josef was offered a job at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, by way of a recommendation of Philip Johnson, a trustee at the Museum of Modern Art. Black Mountain College was an experiment in education, inspired by the writings and teachings of John Dewey. Dewey’s philosophy preached of an artistic education as the means to educating democratic citizens capable of exercising individual judgment. Josef’s pedagogical skill was soon an invaluable part of the curriculum of Black Mountain, where he taught the importance of understanding material, color, and line through the pure act of seeing. Anni Albers was an assistant instructor at Black Mountain, where she taught students in the weaving studio. Her own philosophy was derived from the importance of understanding of material. We touch things to put ourselves in close contact with reality, to remind ourselves we are in the world, not above it, she wrote.   Annie Albers, Knot (1947). Courtesy of David Zwirner As her husband spoke little English upon arrival to the United States (and in fact would never speak it fluently despite forty years in America), Anni acted as his translator, having learned English from the Irish governess with whom she grew up in Berlin. Her command of the language was remarkable, as is apparent when reading any of her extensive writings, either in numerous publications for the Black Mountain newsletter, or in her own published works. Peru, Mexico, and Yale From Black Mountain, Anni and Josef would drive to Mexico, sometimes with friends, where they would study the ancient culture through sculpture, architecture, and craft. Both had much to learn and began collecting figurines and examples of ancient cloths and ceramics. They would also bring home the memory of South America’s color and light, which both would incorporate into their practices. Josef would seek to capture the pure desert oranges and reds, while Anni would mimic the monolithic forms she discovered in the ruins of ancient civilizations, incorporating them into works like  Ancient Writing  (1936)  and  La Luz  (1958). In 1949, due to disagreements with the administration of Black Mountain, Josef and Anni Albers left Black Mountain College for New York City, and then went on to Connecticut, where Josef was offered a position at the Yale School of Art. In the same year, Albers was given the first solo show dedicated to a textile artist at the Museum of Modern Art.   Writings Anni Albers was a prolific writer, often publishing in crafts journals about weaving. She was also the author of the  Encyclopedia Brittanica’s entry on hand weaving, with which she begins her seminal text,  On Weaving, first published in 1965. (An updated, color version of this work was reissued by Princeton University Press in 2017.)  On Weaving  was only in part an instruction manual, but is more accurately described as an homage to a medium. In it, Albers extols the pleasures of the process of weaving, revels in the importance of its materiality, and explores its lengthy history. She dedicates the work to the ancient weavers of Peru, whom she calls her â€Å"teachers,† as she believed the medium reached its highest heights in that civilization. Anni Albers, Open Letter (1958). Courtesy David Zwirner Albers sold her loom by 1968 after producing her last weaving, appropriately titled  Epitaph. When accompanying her husband to a residency at a college in California, she refused to be the wife who sat idly by, so she found a means to be productive. She used the school’s art studios to produce silkscreens, which would soon dominate her practice and often mimicked the geometries she developed in her woven works. Death and Legacy Before Anni Albers’ death May 9, 1994, the German government paid Mrs. Albers reparations for the confiscation of her parents’ successful furniture business in the 1930s, which was shut down due to the family’s Jewish roots. Albers put the resulting sum into a foundation, which manages the Albers estate today. It includes the couple’s archive, as well as the papers relating to  a few of their students from Black Mountain, among them wire sculptor  Ruth Asawa. Sources Albers, A. (1965).  On Weaving.  Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.Danilowitz, B.  and  Liesbrock, H. (eds.). (2007).  Anni and Josef Albers: Latin AmericanJourneys. Berlin: Hatje Cantz.Fox  Weber, N.  and  Ã‚  Tabatabai Asbaghi, P. (1999).  Anni Albers.  Venice: Guggenheim Museum.​Smith, T. (21014).  Bauhaus Weaving Theory: From Feminine Craft to Mode of DesignBauhaus. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

ETHICS PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ETHICS PAPER - Essay Example To begin with, one should point out that the role of a strategic plan is to outline the principles that will guide an organization in the long term perspective. It is quite obvious that if a company adopts principles that are unethical, the result will be disastrous: it will be a target of criticism of the public and the entire business as at risk. Contrary to that, if ethical principles were enshrined in the course of developing a strategic plan, then it will allow an organization to find the correct solution to every problem that it faces. In addition to that, the concept of social responsibility is the one that is closely tied to application of ethical principles in a strategic plan. Indeed, the force that should drive an organization to improve one’s performance and make it more sustainable is the acknowledgement of the impact that it has on the social environment and accepting responsibility for these actions. This means that such a strategic plan would urge the organization to minimize its negative impact on the environment in case it has any. Moreover, it will provide effective ways to adjust the current practices in order to make sure that the performance does not cause any damage. However, it must be noted that while applying ethics and accepting social responsibility, the company should also take into consideration the needs of stakeholders. By definition, stakeholders are the people for whom certain actions make essential difference (Freeman, 2010, 44). One should keep in mind that stakeholders are often found not only inside an organization, but outside of it as well. That is why the most essential part of developing a strategic plan that would be both ethical and socially responsible is not to overlook needs of any stakeholders. This means that a company should carry out an objective investigation of the state of affairs and identify the primary