Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. Present Vision Statement Visa Inc. is an American-based global payments technology corporation that allows the governments, businesses, and consumers to utilize the digital currency. In other words, Visa Inc. is a financial services company that operate worldwide. As premier company in the payment technology industry, the company thrives to enhance its global network that connects numerous financial institutions with millions of cardholders and merchants daily. The company is also committed to making significant contributions to the communities in which they operate. Brief History Visa Inc. has been pioneering payments and being at the core of cashless revolution for over 55 years (Visa Inc. 2017). The company history can be traced back in 1958 after the Bank of America established its initial consumer credit card program for medium to small sized merchants and middle-class consumers in the United States. In 1974, the company had already expanded to the international market, and in 1975, it launched the debit credit. In 1976, the BankAmericard was renamed to Visa. In 2007, regional businesses merged to form a global corporation, Visa Inc. and it went public in 2008. In 2016, the company acquired the Visa Europe. Today, the company has expanded its operations to over 200 countries around the world with its services and products available on devices such as laptops, tablets, cards, and mobile devices (Visa Inc., 2017). Consumers and competitors The main consumers involve individual consumers, financial institutions, businesses, merchants, government entities, and strategic partners. The consumers products and services include debit cards, credit cards, prepaid cards, and commercial cards. The main competitors include MasterCard, American Express, JCB, and Discover Diners Club. In some countries, the evolving regulatory landscape and the technological and innovation advances are changing the scope of competition. This has resulted to emergent of new entrants and enabling processing competition or local and regional networks such as STAR, Pulse, and NYCE in the United States, EFTPOS in Australia, and Interac in Canada (Visa Inc. 2016). Formal organizational structures The company has an established matrix organizational structure with the management team and the board of directors. The reporting relationships follow a matrix or a grid structure, rather than the hierarchical structure. According to Analoui and Karami (2003, p.193), Matrix structures integrates â€Å"both the functional structure and the divisional structure simultaneously.† In this case, the workers in the organization have twofold reporting relationships in which they can report both to the product manager and functional manager. The management team is led by Alfred Kelly, Jr., who is the companys Chief Executive Officer while the Board of Director is led by Robert W. Matchullat, who is an independent chair. The management team collaborates to steer the company through network and product innovation, sales growth, brand management, and operational activities among others (Visa Inc., 2015). Profile its top leadership The company has an inclusive and fearless leadership that is led by Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. who is the Chief Executive Officer and the member of the board of directors. Ryan MClnerney is the president while Kelly Mahon Tullier is the Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary. In the board of directors, the top leaders include independent Chair, Robert W. Matschullat, who is a former Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chairman of The Seagram Company Limited. He is followed by the Lloyd A. Carney, a Chief Executive Officer at Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. Other top leaders include Lynne Biggar, a Chief Marketing and Communications Office and Jim McCarthy a Global Head of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships. The leadership team constitutes a team of individuals who have excellent skills and world-class experienced in corporate management and financial services (Visa Inc., 2015). Factors in the organizations general environment and its impact The main factors in Visas general environment include political, economic, social and technological factors. Political factors The decisions in the public sector have a significant impact on the Visas industry, business, and the communities where they operate. In this case, the company is permitted by law to participate in the political processes to better serve the interest of their employees, shareholders, and other stakeholders. In addition, the positive government attitude in the banking industry and current legislations favor the company. Economic factors The major economic factors that have an impact on Visas operation include consumer credit and spending, unemployment rates, and saving and investment levels among others. For instance, the gross savings have relatively decreases from 24.786 percent in 2014 to 24.746 percent in 2015 and hence pose a small impact on the companys operations (The World Bank, 2016). Socio-cultural factors These factors include a rapid change in lifestyle that demand for high-class services and products such as credit cards. In addition, increase in population and literacy level has also increased the demand for Visas product and hence favoring the business. Technological factors Technological advancement has led to the latest development in automatic voice recorder, automated teller machines, global money transfer, and credit card facility. People now prefer to stay in a cashless society, which promotes the business and operations for Visa, Inc. Task environment Main factors in Visas task environment include competitors, suppliers, and customers. Competitors The main competitors include MasterCard, American Express, JCB, and Discover Diners Club. The technological advancement and regulatory changes are favoring the new entrants in the industry and consequently threatening the profitability and performance of Visas business. Consumers The main customers involve individual consumers, financial institutions, businesses, merchants, government entities, and strategic partners. The cashless society and demand for middle-class products such as credit and debit cards have a positive impact on the profitability of Visa, Inc. Suppliers The company has ensured a positive relationship with the suppliers to grow its brand around the globe. The company has established programs such as iSupplier portal and supplier diversity to create a better connection with the suppliers globally (Visa Inc., 2017). Culture of organization The company promotes the culture of integrity that aligns with the established values and ethical standards. This culture provides every employee an opportunity to participate in decision-making and fell comfortable to raise concern and ask questions. The company also establishes a work culture that inspires others to act with integrity. Other core responsibilities of the managers are to lead by example, discourage retaliation, and keep an open door. For the company to drive the culture of integrity, it requires every employee to demonstrate ethical behavior, respect, trust, and good business judgment (Visa Inc., 2016). The company also embrace the culture of corporate responsibility by promoting the conducive business environment, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, financial inclusion, and working to enhance lives around the globe. Organization heroes According to the report by Jamison et al. (2016), the APIs can be considered as the companys unsung heroes because they connect devices and apps to allow every user to pin, post, and buy anything from different locations. They work as a link between products and the applications (Jamison et al., 2016). These APIs are connectors that exchange date between application, devices, and products. Their function is consistent with the companys slogan, everywhere you want to be. The role of organizations culture As illustrated above, the Visas culture is defined by the actions such as act with integrity, corporate responsibility, continually innovates, inspire others, and value others. As a result, this culture has created a favorable environment for shareholders, employees, community, and other stakeholders to work together towards achieving the organizations goals. In addition, this has resulted in technology transformation within the company that has driven the growth of the companys technology capabilities. Role of innovation The company has developed a series of innovation centers globally and highlight new capabilities, reflect on the future, and co-create with their clients. This has resulted in a multi-year transformation that has led to significant progress. In 2016, the company opened the innovation centers in Singapore, Miami, and Dubai to enhance the development of new technologies (Visa Inc., 2016). Commitment to sustainability The company is committed to minimizing the environmental impact while lowering the costs and increasing efficiencies. The company seeks to restrict paper usage, source the electronics and supplies responsibly, minimize waste on landfills and enhance the culture of sustainability among their employees. The company has established specific initiatives such as reduction of energy through efficient controls and lighting and reduction of water through responsible landscaping and low-flow water fixtures (Visa Inc., 2017). Threats and opportunities Opportunities Customer trend to embrace the use of cashless option such as debit cards is increasing every year. The advancement of internet and mobile payment is enhancing online payment through debit and credit cards. Threats Regulatory issues in some countries are anticipated to minimize the transaction fees on the cashless platform. Innovation and technology have led to the entry of new competitors such as PayPal leading to the highly competitive environment.

Spanish War - 855 Words

1. Was the Spanish American War in fact a splendid little war? What was splendid about it? Yes it was in fact a â€Å"splendid little war†. There were a few things that made the Spanish American Was receive that nickname. The war lasted only 115 days and the death outcome was far less than any other war. The United States gained Puerto Rick as well as Guam and other islands in the pacific. In the book it stated that â€Å"If ever there were a good war, it was the Spanish-American war. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. 2. What impact did the yellow press have on American opinion and expansion in the 1890s? The â€Å"yellow press† was sometimes called â€Å"The Newspaper War† because of the scandal stories that the Yellow†¦show more content†¦Their main goal was to end high tariffs, strict control over transportation. The farmer’s alliances endorsed laws that included the control of the railroads, and to put more money in circulation. The Populist Party wanted a greater role of the government. They supported the increase in the circulation of money and of progressive income tax. They also supported the eight hour week day. It was unsuccessful because higher farming prices meant higher food prices and lower tariffs meant more completion. 2. Discuss the response of the major parties and national leaders to public agitation over tariff, the trusts, and the railroads. The farmers felt desperate and felt that there was no way out for them. They were constantly competing with monopolies and trusts. The railroads where putting the famers into bankruptcy and was impossible for them to make any money. The charge to use the railroads cost far more than the farms made, which lead them to borrow money from the bank and put them on the verge of bankruptcy. Though many groups tried to help the farmers out like the â€Å"Granger Movement† but they were all unsuccessful because monopolies controlled the whole farm industry. 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Companies Focused On Mitigation Of Risks â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Companies Focused On Mitigation Of Risks? Answer: Introduction As the computer industry has evolved so have the security measures used to safeguard data. To start with, there was computer security which involved limiting the level of access of ordinary users to the level that enabled them to only perform their tasks. Information security was the second aspect after users got personal computers and began innovating. The third term was cyber security was developed after the introduction of the digital era. Nowadays, there is cyber resilience that ensures that cyber security is implemented from the top level using the top down approach. Using this strategy, cyber security is not solely the task of the Information Technology (IT) department. Due to an increase cybercrime, companies ought to start embedding resilience protocols in their business models. This should be done through governance and management processes. This is aimed at protecting information in business processes such as product development which not only minimizes risk but also increases efficiency. According to a research carried out by Telstra, Australian companies are recognizing the significance of involving all stakeholders in cyber security (Telstra Cyber Security Report 2017, 2017). In addition, their research indicated that the Information Technology (IT) department was held responsible for the security breaches experienced in 2015 and 2016. However, their research also indicated that the blame has shifted towards top level managers due to an increase from 19 percent in 2015 to 61 percent in 2016 (Telstra Cyber Security Report 2017, 2017). Moreover, there is a rise in the involvement of executives in cyber security initiatives accounting. Methodology The research carried out involved secondary data retrieved from the internet. One of the sources was the Telstra Cyber Security report comprised of findings from a research carried out by Frost Sullivan. The online surveys conducted by Telstra gained 360 responses and 42 percent were from Australia. Additionally, Telstra used data gathered from its security products and partners. Majority of the results were derived from large organizations with more than five hundred employees globally (Telstra Cyber Security Report 2017, 2017). The research focused on the information technology sector, public sector and manufacturing and logistics respectively. The other secondary sources did not involve research findings. Threats Threats can be categories in various ways. First, cybercrime where the aim is to acquire financial rewards directly or indirectly. Second, cyber hackers that are motivated by a belief to achieve a certain goal. Third, cyber espionage which is aimed at getting a strategic or economic advantage. Fourth, business continuity management which includes natural disasters and consequences of human error (Cyber Resilience Best Practices, n.d.). The nature of threats varies depending on the forms of crimes and the tools used. For example, the forms may include, manipulation, blackmail, and theft. On the other hand, the tools used may be malware, spyware, ransomware, and devices (Telstra Cyber Security Report 2017, 2017). In some cases, such as ransomware there are companies that sell these services (Cybersecurity: Threats, Challenges, Opportunities, 2016). To begin with, there is the ransomware which occurs when one is denied access to a device until a ransom is paid. The most common is cryptoware which encrypts files and demands payment to unlock them such as Cryptolocker. Another type is Ranscam where the exhorters claim the file are encrypted while in reality they have been deleted (Cybersecurity: Threats, Challenges, Opportunities, 2016). In such cases, ransom is not supposed to be paid since companies have backups. However, companies choose to pay the ransom if the price is lower than the cost of implementing the backed-up files and resuming normal operation. In some cases, the files are not recovered after payment because they can be sold to third parties or they had been deleted. In Australia, these attacks are common as aforementioned. In 2016, 24 percent of the companies experienced this type of an attack and it took at most five hours to recover (Telstra Cyber Security Report 2017, 2017). A vendor research revealed that along the Asian region ransomware is the most downloaded tool of attack. This is because of the ease of availability on the internet. As a result, only 40 percent of the Australian companies in the research did not undergo such an attack. For those companies that paid the ransom, 33 percent failed to recover their files. Some companies choose to pay the ransom to maintain their reputation. Another form of threat is botnets. A bot is a device that is compromised, controlled remotely and connected to the user such as a webcam. A collection of bots makes up a botnet. With a large number of botnets, one can carry out a distributed denial of service attack such as the attack on the website of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Ecensus in 2016 (Cybersecurity: Threats, Challenges, Opportunities, 2016). Denial of service attacks occur when many messages are sent to a website making normal operation to halt. On the other hand, distributed denial of service attack occurs when many devices are used to deliver this attack (Cybersecurity: Threats, Challenges, Opportunities, 2016). Phishing is form of attack that occurs when a user clicks on a malicious link in an email that had posed as a trusted message and malware is downloaded and executed. An example is a fake shopping invoice phishing for credit card information. Spear phishing attack is when an email targets a certain member of an organization based on research carried out mainly through social media. Another term that is used is whaling which occurs when a phishing attack targets a top senior executive (Telstra Cyber Security Report 2017, 2017). Generally, these forms of attack are can be grouped as social engineering attacks operations (Cyber Resilience Best Practices, n.d.). Adoption of security protocols The findings revealed that most companies use various security measures such as access controls. They also use guidelines from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and Australian Cyber Security Center (Telstra Cyber Security Report 2017, 2017). Mainly, audits are conducted and assist in the formulation of policies on cyber security. There was also an increase in the number of board briefing meetings conducted by companies within a month. These board meetings checked on the effectiveness and efficiency of the security measures being used by the companies. This is proof that many companies are involving the top management in cyber security initiatives. However, there are vital security measures that majority of the companies do not implement. The findings revealed that majority of Australian companies do not conduct cyber drills (Telstra Cyber Security Report 2017, 2017). Cyber security drills are useful for testing the response and continuity plans in case an attack occurs. Further, most companies do not adopt the Payment Card Industry Security Standards which are required to avoid security breaches for those who accept credit cards. This was attributed to lack of awareness, outsourcing of this function and the lack of use by the majority. Finally, there was also a small percentage of companies that failed to check the authenticity of the information provided by their vendors. Framework Cyber resilience is used to ensure the company is able to continue meeting its objectives. This means that the measures employed must be aligned to the objectives. The framework outlined is in the Cyber Resilience Best Practices and is based on the ITIL service management lifecycle (Cyber Resilience Best Practices, n.d.). This approach was developed in 1989 and has continued to deliver effective IT services. This framework can also be used by companies that do not use ITIL in IT service management. The elements of this cyber resilience are clear ownership and responsibility for it by the board and tailored training for the employees. as a result, the companys critical assets and key threats are identified and communicated. The company is also able to assess its cyber resilience strategy. There are also control measures that a company must employ to maintain balance in cyber resilience. The first are preventive controls which are used to prevent incidences that lead to attacks. The second are detective controls that are used to indicate when such incidences occur. The third are corrective controls that respond and correct such incidences. The selection of the right balance depends on the ability of the company to deliver services, maintain customer convenience and mitigate risks. The design and implementation of these controls is done based on the management system the company uses. For example, there is the strategy, design, transition, operation and continued improvement used by ITIL (Cyber Resilience Best Practices, n.d.). The first stage of the cycle is the strategy. Here, the objectives of the company are clearly defined and understood so all the activities that follow are based on them. Then, the critical assets that are information, systems and services are identified. These assets include those that are essential to the stakeholders. The threats and risks that these assets face are also outlined. The second stage is the design. The design is done based on the strategy that was set up. The selection of the appropriate controls, training, and procedures is done. Moreover, the levels of authority for different personnel is identified so everyone knows who has the power to do what (Cyber Resilience Best Practices, n.d.). The third stage is transition where the operation of the controls is tested. This is where the detection occurs since the company through testing knows when an asset is not right through an accident or malicious action. There is also detection of where the attack came from that is internal or external. The fourth stage is operation where controls are operated (Cyber Resilience Best Practices, n.d.). It involves continual testing of the controls, the readiness of a company to respond to attack, minimize the effects and provide the solution within the required time span. The last stage is continual improvement where the strategy must evolve as technology evolves. It must also redefine the whole process once an attack occurs so as to learn from it. Recommendations In order to achieve cyber resilience, the company must identify the types of information it holds and determine what types need to be protected depending on how important the information is. There is sensitive information in every company that must remain confidential such as commercial agreements. For other companies, the integrity of the information is what matters most. Therefore, companies should not aim to protect all information with the same level of security measures. In such cases, there may be some compromises to be made. The decision- making process should involve all stakeholders not only the IT department. In fact, there should be a system where the ownership of information assets is given to those departments that heavily rely on the information. For example, customers personal informations security measures are best identified by the sales and marketing department (Cyber Resilience Best Practices, n.d.). Cyber resilience requires the active participation of other departments. This requires the involvement of the board to oversee this transitioning. In addition, the risk management process but be aligned with the control measures implemented in the cyber resilience practices (Cyber Resilience Best Practices, n.d.). For an effective cyber resilience practice, all stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, and partners must be involved. For example, to implement controls, the procurement department must cooperate to determining the cyber resilience requirements for different suppliers. Similarly, the handling of client information requires the cooperation of the sales and marketing department especially when the information is shared with suppliers. Cyber resilience can also be implemented through sharing of information among organizations. For example, companies can unite and share information about common security threats and attacks (Cyber Resilience Best Practices, n.d.). This can assist those companies that have not been affected to update their security measures. The information shared can also provide the solution on how to detect and remedy such incidences. It can also provide a forum where businesses can acquire training on state of the art technology to handle cybercrime. The government can also formulate standardized policies that must be met to enhance security. Cyber resilience depends on people, processes and technology. The company must provide training to create awareness among employees, suppliers, partners, and customers. This is to ensure security is maintained for all types of information. In the design and implementation of the company, the culture of the company must be considered (Cyber Resilience Best Practices, n.d.). This is because the processes of an organization are governed using clear set rules or loose guidance. The designs chosen should not affect the performance of the company. In regards to technology, the technology and security measures used should cut across different departments and stakeholders. To maintain resilience the company should not only employ various detection and response technologies but also invest in conducting cyber drills. In fact, if those strategies are not tested they are bound to fail. Testing is beneficial for the organization since it needs to use some resources to cater for a threat that has occurred while ensuring all other resources are geared towards providing products and services as before. Therefore, the continuity plans of the organization are vital in case of an attack. If the company uses credit and debit card information it must comply with the PCI security standards (Telstra Cyber Security Report 2017, 2017). Conclusion Conclusively, generally, the policies and frameworks adopted must meet the companys requirements and be aligned with the objectives. As aforementioned, sensitive information is being shared between the business and its partners. This has necessitated the need to include all stakeholders in the cyber resilience practices to achieve efficiency and effectiveness. Companies need to work together with the government to create policies that enhance cyber resilience. Finally, the company should reinvent its business practices to keep up with technological advances and cyber resilience practices. References Cyber Resilience business Practices. (n.d.). [ebook] pp.4-19. Available at: https://www.tsoshop.co.uk/gempdf/RESILIA_Cyber_Resilience_Best_Practices.pdf [Accessed 9 Sep. 2017]. Cybersecurity: Threats, Challenges, Opportunities. (2016). Australian Cyber Security, management. Telstra Cyber Security Report 2017. (2017). Telstra Corporation Limited, pp.4-30.

Metaphors Essays - Love, Emotions, Philosophy Of Love, Romance

Parallel Paths The poem ?Parallel Paths? by Kevin Clark is a metaphorical account of a marriage and the challenges it encounters. It is difficult to follow this story of love and how communication should bring a relationship closer. When considering the title of the poem ?Parallel Paths?, the lines never get closer; they stay separated. There are several metaphors to examine in the poem in order to understand the message. In the first few metaphors, the speaker sets the tone (lines 1-3). ?Today you?re lucky in love with your wife for the first time in weeks, both of you out for a walk in the overgrown garden?. This indicates the relationship has fallen onto hard times and there are difficulties in the marriage. It soon becomes clear that love is not the only thing needed for a long lasting relationship. It takes communication, reasoning and a bit of flexibility from both people in the relationship in order to get through the complexities of a marriage. Relationships and marriage bring something different for everyone, with their own set of issues and problems. Understanding the situation is critical and the one most important thing that brings people together is love so it is very important never to lose the remembrance of the feeling of being in love. The speaker speaks of a park that has not been taken care of which relates this to a marriage that has not been doing well (2-3), ?both of you out for a walk in the overgrown park?. If they do not constantly work to grow the relationship, it can potentially split apart. It is not always easy but if both parties in the relationship open the lines of communication, they will be able to make it through and make it work. When talking about relationships and marriage, if communication is absent then there is little hope that some issues can be resolved as neither person knows the other?s thoughts. The best way to remedy most issues is to spend time communicating and constructively sharing ones true feelings. As the speaker continues, he relays the woman in the relationship is stepping away from trying to work things out because there is no communication and both parties have given up on each other (19-22) ?Now the woman feigns confidence, stepping gracefully away, Two lives irrevocably?. This shows sometimes in a relationship people choose not to work issues out and give up on one another. In the last quarter of the poem the speaker then turns the poem around (31-40) ?Or right now: how all these thoughts have occurred to you in a flash. When you look up, your wife?s vanished, But really she?s there, of course, off the path, among the ancient waist-high grasses, holding out to you a single mutable wildflower burning in its own ochre light. From here to that flower exist no guarantees. Best to get on with it?. It showed that there was still time to save the marriage, when it seemed the relationship was all but over and would not be able to recover. The couple then decided to communicate and work on their relationship and their marriage. It can be said if there is a little bit of fire in the marriage left from both partners, then there is good chance they will be able rekindle their lost love for one another and try to work things out through communication. When the speaker uses the metaphor ?a single mutable wildflower? (37), he is inferring that it is unknown that this relationship will last, but they will at least give it all their effort in communication and remember the love they feel for one another. Being negative about fixing issues in a relationship, or being unwilling to work things out almost guarantees it will not be a lasting relationship. Approaching issues optimistically and showing genuine concern to fix them validates the commitment to the relationship. The speaker took this poem ?Parallel Paths? from one extreme to the other by starting out in a place of no hope, going to the possibility of saving the marriage if they can communicate with one another. It seems in conclusion that people can sometimes go their separate ways in a relationship, but

The Foreshadow Essay

The Foreshadow Essay The Foreshadow Essay The Foreshadow Jane Romness Gardner 1 May 11, 2015 Throughout years of education in writing, English teachers teach their students to attempt to capture their reader’s attention with the first paragraph or even the first sentence. If the reader’s attention is not captured, then the reader would not have an interest in reading the book. Shakespeare helps demonstrate this by trying to hook the reader in the prologue he wrote in Romeo and Juliet that is only fourteen lines long. This passage is very important to the play because of Shakespeare’s attempt to embrace not only the reader of his play, but the attending audience at performances. His unique way of foreshadowing the play in this superb introduction sets the perfect stage for engagement. The first prologue of the drama determines the plot and what is going to happen in the play. This helps the reader and audience watching the play understand key information about the plot. The production of Romeo and Juliet takes place in the city of Verona, Ita ly and is approximately two hours long. In Verona, there are two households who have an on-going rivalry. Specifically, the Montagues and the Capulets have had a tumultuous history. Despite centuries of fighting, their children, Romeo and Juliet fall in love. As lovers, not only are they dangerous to themselves, but they also cause doom to others. Their unfortunate suicides cause the end of their parent’s feud. Of course, a destiny welcomed by no one, especially parents. Shakespeare’s unique prologue is so explicit it basically tells the reader what is going to happen at the end of the book. It’s as if the reader is reading the last paragraph of a book. It ruins the excitement but it seemed to work for Shakespeare, as now Romeo and Juliet is world famous. Characters such as the chorus, the families of the Montague’s and Capulet’s and the star-crossed lovers develop throughout the prologue. First, it demonstrates the role of the chorus. The responsibility of the chorus is not to talk to the characters in the play, but to set the scene of the production. They talk directly to the audience explaining what is going to happen in the play. The chorus is an example of Shakespeare incorporating aspects of Greek drama. Next, the Prologue introduces the two households of the same high class that have a rivalry. The conflict is so extreme that it even involves killing of the other residents. The audience also discovers a youth from each household falls in love with each other. Their love is forbidden and fate mainly influences their future. This foreshadowing, as an introduction of the characters and their legacy, sets the stage for one of the most famous love stories ever. The theme of fate and figurative language can be solicited from the prologue of Romeo and Juliet. The audience knows that the story will end in tragedy due to fate from the beginning. The lover’s lives will end because of unluckiness. Showing that fate will determine their destinies, the chorus tells us these "star-crossed lover’s† relationship are â€Å"death-marked." Another strategy Shakespeare uses to maintain the

Walt Whitmans Take on Slang in America

Walt Whitman's Take on 'Slang in America' Influenced by the 19th-century journalist and philologist William Swinton, poet Walt Whitman celebrated the emergence of a distinctively American language one that introduced new words (and found new uses for old words) to convey the unique qualities of American life. Here, in an essay first published in 1885 in The North American Review, Whitman offers many examples of slang expressions and luxuriant place names all representative of the wholesome fermentation or eructation of those processes eternally active in language. Slang in America was later collected in November Boughs by   David McKay (1888). Slang in America Viewd freely, the English language is the accretion and growth of every dialect, race, and range of time, and is both the free and compacted composition of all. From this point of view, it stands for Language in the largest sense, and is really the greatest of studies. It involves so much; is indeed a sort of universal absorber, combiner, and conqueror. The scope of its etymologies is the scope not only of man and civilization, but the history of Nature in all departments, and of the organic Universe, brought up to date; for all are comprehended in words, and their backgrounds. This is when words become vitaliz’d, and stand for things, as they unerringly and soon come to do, in the mind that enters on their study with fitting spirit, grasp, and appreciation. Slang, profoundly consider’d, is the lawless germinal element, below all words and sentences, and behind all poetry, and proves a certain perennial rankness and protestantism in speech. As the United States inherit by far their most precious possession the language they talk and write from the Old World, under and out of its feudal institutes, I will allow myself to borrow a simile, even of those forms farthest removed from American Democracy. Considering Language then as some mighty potentate, into the majestic audience-hall of the monarch ever enters a personage like one of Shakspere’s clowns, and takes position there, and plays a part even in the stateliest ceremonies. Such is Slang, or indirection, an attempt of common humanity to escape from bald literalism, and express itself illimitably, which in highest walks produces poets and poems, and doubtless in pre-historic times gave the start to, and perfected, the whole immense tangle of the old mythologies. For, cur ious as it may appear, it is strictly the same impulse-source, the same thing. Slang, too, is the wholesome fermentation or eructation of those processes eternally active in language, by which froth and specks are thrown up, mostly to pass away; though occasionally to settle and permanently chrystallize. To make it plainer, it is certain that many of the oldest and solidest words we use, were originally generated from the daring and license of slang. In the processes of word-formation, myriads die, but here and there the attempt attracts superior meanings, becomes valuable and indispensable, and lives forever. Thus the term right means literally only straight. Wrong primarily meant twisted, distorted. Integrity meant oneness. Spirit meant breath, or flame. A supercilious person was one who rais’d his eyebrows. To insult was to leap against. If you influenc’d a man, you but flow’d into him. The Hebrew word which is translated prophesy meant to bubble up and pour forth as a fountain. The enthusiast bubbles up with the Spirit of God within him, and it pours forth from him like a fountain. The word prophecy is misunderstood. Many suppose that it is limited to mere prediction; that is but the lesser portion of prophecy. The greater work is to reveal God. Every true re ligious enthusiast is a prophet. Language, be it remember’d, is not an abstract construction of the learn’d, or of di ctionary-makers, but is something arising out of the work, needs, ties, joys, affections, tastes, of long generations of humanity, and has its bases broad and low, close to the ground. Its final decisions are made by the masses, people nearest the concrete, having most to do with actual land and sea. It impermeates all, the Past as well as the Present, and is the grandest triumph of the human intellect. Those mighty works of art, says Addington Symonds, which we call languages, in the construction of which whole peoples unconsciously co-operated, the forms of which were determin’d not by individual genius, but by the instincts of successive generations, acting to one end, inherent in the nature of the raceThose poems of pure thought and fancy, cadenced not in words, but in living imagery, fountainheads of inspiration, mirrors of the mind of nascent nations, which we call Mytholog iesthese surely are more marvellous in their infantine spontaneity than any more mature production of the races which evolv’d them. Yet we are utterly ignorant of their embryology; the true science of Origins is yet in its cradle. Daring as it is to say so, in the growth of Language it is certain that the retrospect of slang from the start would be the recalling from their nebulous conditions of all that is poetical in the stores of human utterance. Moreover, the honest delving, as of late years, by the German and British workers in   comparative philology, has pierc’d and dispers’d many of the falsest bubbles of centuries; and will disperse many more. It was long recorded that in Scandinavian mythology the heroes in the Norse Paradise drank out of the skulls of their slain enemies. Later investigation proves the word taken for skulls to mean  horns  of beasts slain in the hunt. And what reader had not been exercis’d over the traces of that feudal custom, by which  seigneurs  warm’d their feet in the bowels of serfs, the abdomen being open’d for the purpose? It now is made to appear that the serf was only required to submit his unharm’d abdomen as a foot cush ion while his lord supp’d, and was required to chafe the legs of the  seigneur  with his hands. It is curiously in embryons and childhood, and among the illiterate, we always find the groundwork and start, of this great science, and its noblest products. What a relief most people have in speaking of a man not by his true and formal name, with a Mister to it, but by some odd or homely appellative. The propensity to approach a meaning not directly and squarely, but by circuitous styles of expression, seems indeed a born quality of the common people everywhere, evidenced by nick-names, and the inveterate determination of the masses to bestow sub-titles, sometimes ridiculous, sometimes very apt. Always among the soldiers during the Secession War, one heard of Little Mac (Gen. McClellan), or of Uncle Billy (Gen. Sherman) The old man was, of course, very common. Among the rank and file, both armies, it was very general to speak of the different States they came from by their slang names. Those from Maine were call’d Foxes; New Hampshire, Granite Boys; Massachusetts, Bay Stater s; Vermont, Green Mountain Boys; Rhode Island, Gun Flints; Connecticut, Wooden Nutmegs; New York, Knickerbockers; New Jersey, Clam Catchers; Pennsylvania, Logher Heads; Delaware, Muskrats; Maryland, Claw Thumpers; Virginia, Beagles; North Carolina, Tar Boilers; South Carolina, Weasels; Georgia, Buzzards; Louisiana, Creoles; Alabama, Lizards; Kentucky, Corn Crackers; Ohio, Buckeyes; Michigan, Wolverines; Indiana, Hoosiers; Illinois, Suckers; Missouri, Pukes; Mississippi, Tad Poles; Florida, Fly up the Creeks; Wisconsin, Badgers; Iowa, Hawkeyes; Oregon, Hard Cases. Indeed I am not sure but slang names have more than once made Presidents. Old Hickory, (Gen. Jackson) is one case in point. Tippecanoe, and Tyler too, another. I find the same rule in the people’s conversations everywhere. I heard this among the men of the city horse-cars, where the conductor is often call’d a snatcher (i.e., because his characteristic duty is to constantly pull or snatch the bell-strap, to stop or go on). Two young fellows are having a friendly talk, amid which, says 1st conductor, What did you do before you was a snatcher? Answer of 2d conductor, Nail’d. (Translation of answer: I work’d as carpenter.) What is a boom? says one editor to another. Esteem’d contemporary, says the other, a boom is a bulge. Barefoot whiskey is the Tennessee name for the undiluted stimulant. In the slang of the New York common restaurant waiters a plate of ham and beans is known as stars and stripes, codfish balls as sleeve-buttons, and hash as mystery. The Western States of the Union are, however, as may be supposed, the special areas of slang, not only in conversation, but in names of localities, towns, rivers, etc. A late Oregon traveller says: On your way to Olympia by rail, you cross a river called the Shookum-Chuck; your train stops at places named Newaukum, Tumwater, and Toutle; and if you seek further you will hear of whole counties labell’d Wahkiakum, or Snohomish, or Kitsar, or Klikatat; and Cowlitz, Hookium, and Nenolelops greet and offend you. They complain in Olympia that Washington Territory gets but little immigration; but what wonder? What man, having the whole American continent to choose from, would willingly date his letters from the county of Snohomish or bring up his children in the city of Nenolelops? The village of Tumwater is, as I am ready to bear witness, very pretty indeed; but surely an emigrant would think twice before he establish’d himself either there or at Toutle. Seattle is sufficiently barbarous; Stelicoom is no better; and I suspect that the Northern Pacific Railroad terminus has been fixed at Tacoma because it is one of the few places on Puget Sound whose name does not inspire horror. Then a Nevada paper chronicles the departure of a mining party from Reno: The toughest set of roosters, that ever shook the dust off any town left Reno yesterday for the new mining district of Cornucopia. They came here from Virginia. Among the crowd were four New York cock-fighters, two Chicago murderers, three Baltimore  bruisers, one Philadelphia prize-fighter, four San Francisco hoodlums, three Virginia beats, two Union Pacific roughs, and two check guerrillas. Among the far-west newspapers, have been, or are,  The Fairplay  (Colorado)  Flume,  The Solid Muldoon, of Ouray,  The Tombstone Epitaph, of Nevada,  The Jimplecute, of Texas, and  The Bazoo, of Missouri. Shirttail Bend, Whiskey Flat, Puppytown, Wild Yankee Ranch, Squaw Flat, Rawhide Ranch, Loafer’s Ravine,  Squitch  Gulch, Toenail Lake, are a few of the names of places in Butte  county, Cal. Perhaps indeed no place or term gives more luxuriant illustrations of the fermentation processes I have  mention’d, and their froth and  specks, than those Mississippi and Pacific  coast  regions, at the present day. Hasty and grotesque as are some of the names, others are of an appropriateness and originality unsurpassable. This applies to the Indian words, which are often perfect. Oklahoma is proposed in Congress for the name of one of our new Territories. Hog-eye, Lick-skillet,  Rake-pocket  and Steal-easy are the names of some Texan towns. Miss Bremer found among the aborigines the following names: Men’s, Hornpoint; Round-Wind; Stand-and-look-out; The-Cloud-that-goes-aside; Iron-toe; Seek-the-sun; Iron-flash; Red-bottle; White-spindle; Black-dog; Two-feathers-of-honor; Gray-grass; Bushy-tail; Thunder-face; Go-on-the-burning-sod; Spirits-of-the-dead. Women’s, Keep-the-fire; Spiritual-woman; Second-daughter-of-the-house; Blue-bird. Certainly philologists  have not given enough attention to this element and its results, which, I repeat, can probably be found working  everywhere  to-day, amid modern conditions, with as much life and activity as in far-back Greece or India, under prehistoric ones. Then the witthe rich flashes of humor and genius and poetrydarting out often from a gang of laborers, railroad-men, miners, drivers or boatmen! How often have I  hover’d  at the edge of a crowd of them, to hear their repartees and impromptus! You get more real fun from half an hour with them than from the books of all the American humorists. The science of language has large and close analogies in geological science, with its ceaseless evolution, its fossils, and its numberless submerged layers and hidden strata, the infinite  go-before  of the present. Or, perhaps Language is more like some vast living body, or perennial body of bodies. And slang not only brings the first feeders of  it,  but is afterward the start of fancy,  imagination  and humor, breathing into its nostrils the breath of life.

How we see and read images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How we see and read images - Essay Example While Kilbourne puts more stress on the impact of advertisements on female and teenage representatives, Bordo manages to refer to the impact on both, male and female social groups, providing a reader with a profound historical background as well as real-life cases. Kilbourne’s approach to the advertisement tendencies seems to express a strong feministic point of view according to which women are depicted exclusively either as sex objects or housewives. Bordo’s comments are also valid to this point of view; according to her, such social perception can be explained by men’s desire to bring an uppity woman down to size by reminding her that she is just â€Å"the sex,† even though she has built a successful career† (172). In order to support this point of view Bordo uses different sources of information including historical data, literature reviews as well as personal feelings and experience. Both writers assume that women are constantly exploited through their bodies as well as parts of it as if it is in need of change or improvement (Kilbourne). According to Kilbourne, â€Å"a woman is conditioned to view her face as a mask and her body as an object, as things separate from and more important than her real self, constantly in need of alteration, improvement, and disguise.† Different perception and judgment of man and woman within a society are also discussed by Bordo who refers in her story to the British film The Full Monty. Here, men are playing main roles being exposed to some of the stereotypes women are usually exposed to: â€Å"the naked penis is a symbol for male exposure, vulnerability to an evaluation and judgment that women experience all the time†, either they are closed or naked (Bordo 173). While men merely look undressed for some reason, women are perceived to be in their natural state (Bordo 177). However, further Bordo refers not only to the issue of naked and near naked female

ANIMAL SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ANIMAL SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS - Essay Example According to some scholars of animal life and human survival, there is a danger on human survival if the experiments on the animals will continue. The danger will arise because of the changes that will happen in the food chain. Some of the animals that are used in the experiments are very important in sustaining the food chain that makes it possible for mankind to survive in the environment. The evidence from many fields of science show that when food chains are disrupted, the higher animals are the ones that suffer more because of the consequences. Mankind belongs to the higher animals. Other higher animals such as cows and other mammals will also be affected by the disruption of the food chain. This means that the survival of mankind will be compromised if the lower animals that support the existence of the higher animals are killed in large numbers due to the scientific experiments. Therefore, it is important for scientists to stop the use of animals and to find some alternative w ays of testing their experiments. Millions of animals are killed each year because of these experiments. The number will continue to rise because many scientists are joining in the practice of the experiments for many purposes. This will mean that more animals have to be used in the conducting of the experiments. In the end, it will be difficult for the animals to reproduce to fill the eco-system. Some of the animals which are often used in the experiments are likely to become extinct after some years. Some activists who champion for the rights of animals have argued that the white mice is the most commonly used animal in many of the experiments. Many of the tests that are conducted on the white mice usually result in the death of the animals. According to some people who conduct research on the animals, many of the species of white mice are becoming extinct and must be protected by world governments. There have been proposals for the development of more strict ethical code of condu ct that controls the use of animals in the experiments of science. Some studies have found out that there are no standard methods of conducting experiments on the animals. There are indications that some scientists do not use anesthetics when carrying out experiments on the animals. Such practices are unethical. The practices always cause a lot of pain on the animals. Animals are living things and have senses to feel pain. It is unethical and morally wrong to subject defenseless creatures to pain and torture because of goals that do not serve the interests of the animals (Watson, 2009; Hayhurst, 2000). Those who protest against the use of animals in science experiments have also mentioned the question of religion to support their arguments. According to them, the existence of animals in human societies was God’s plan and should not be disrupted. Usually, mankind is supposed to help animals are considered in religious ideologies to be part of God’s creation. The increas ed killing of animals by scientists is considered as an act of defiance against God’s plans. This matter has often caused many religious bodies to support campaigns for the protection of animals. There are also fears that the use of animals for experiments in science is likely to result in some accidents that can affect

Rachel and her Children essay Essay Example for Free

Rachel and her Children essay Essay We see them almost everywhere! We can hear them around the corner, and we see their shadow from far away. We try to avoid looking directly into their eyes, and we pretend we did not hear them when they talk to us. We walk around the block to avoid them, and walk faster to leave them behind. These people that we consider to be invisible are actually homeless human beings. Homelessness in America remains an issue of deep concern in the 21st century. Without a permanent roof over their head, these people seek refuge in various places such as homeless shelters and tent cities. If they are fortunate they will find a safe place to stay the night. The less fortunate ones are forced to spend their night in public places that are unsafe and unfit to sleep in. Although homelessness is not a new issue to write about, in â€Å"Rachel and her children†, Jonathan Kozol brings us into an entirely new world. A world where the homeless are not just figures with hands held out asking for spare change. He brings us into the lives of these homeless story by story case by case sharing his personal interviews with these unfortunate people. What Kozol describes deeply in the book throughout true incredible stories goes beyond our expectation. Especially in chapter 5,† Distancing ourselves from pain and tears† which is one of the center of the book, the author raises more concern about our attitudes toward poor homeless people. What Kozol means by â€Å"distancing† in the chapter is that people do really care about homelessness. They do understand and feel guilty about what homeless people are suffering day by day. Because of the guiltiness, they try to create a â€Å"distance† by themselves to ignore the responsibility for these homeless people. Instead of blaming the reckless negligence of the government’s welfare system, people end up blaming homelessness for creating their own destitution. In some ways, it is surely that most Americans would have a certain enhanced sympathy toward homeless people. However, not many of us do truly care about them, want to know what the story is behind them becoming homeless, and try to help them get out of their dark side. We do have compassion, but our compassion is not big enough to connect us closer to homeless people. Even though we feel very bad whenever we hear about the poor people, every one of us does have a distance ourselves from homelessness. The first thing that come to my mind and other people’s when thinking about homeless people is that all of them are panhandlers, those who are mentally unstable, and victims of â€Å"dumping† by greedy hospital or drug addiction. Last summer I came to visit my friend who lives in downtown San Francisco. As I was walking down to the bus station, I remember passing an old homeless woman who was asking people for money at the corner of the station. Being careful not to touch her, I dropped a few spare coins in his hand. Automatically assuming that the money I gave her would be used for drugs or alcohol, I looked upon her with contempt. After reading this book, I understand that the woman I saw at the corner of the station could have, at one time, been just like me. Even though being a little proud of just doing something good, I found that I (as well as other people) fail to create a distance from homelessness. At the beginning, Kozol opens his book with the story of Peter and Megan who are living in the Martique homeless shelter. Before ending up being homeless, they had a happy life with their five children. Peter did plumbing and carpentry. He was also a contributing and working. After a fire destroyed the house and all of Peter’s collection of tools he had built up for years, Peter’s family had to struggle in the Martique. By opening with this story, Kozol gives the readers a new vision of homeless people. Stereotypes of the homeless as individuals struggling with mental health issues or substance addictions no longer hold. They used to be normal members in the society just like us, but for some reasons cause them to become destitute. Kozol’s book documents how many homeless were recently employed, cast into homelessness by financial misfortune such as ongoing unemployment, staggering medical bills or medical disabilities. Many homeless people are in their existing condition of living on the streets because of being born poor, while many other homeless people used to have money, fame and property before but lost it all in some big personal or external event. We have never thought what lead those people into their dark sides. We are too hasty to put everyone into the same category. Because of that failure in thinking, we naturally build an invisible distance that separates us from homeless people. There are hundreds of fears which could be called typical of human needs existing inside of us such as: going broke, foreclosure on house, humiliation from public speaking, running out of food, or major disasters†¦. However, a life that is financially is unsecure, and in a depressed economy, the fear of being homeless seems to be considered as the biggest concern for human beings. For those who have been homeless and are now off the street, generally they promise themselves never to let that happen again. Many people now fear being homeless who are close to foreclosure. Too many people bought at the top of the market or re-financed with variable rate deals. Therefore, this fear of being homeless is a real fear. When people are scared of something so much that they cannot face it, they tend to ignore it in order to release the fear that they are going through. We all know that homelessness still exists. We also know that that the number of people who stay in the street as their home, lack of food, tremble because of cold, and carry on so many disease is increasingly higher in every states of the U.S. Since we fear of being homeless, we try to disregard the existence of homelessness. We even blame homeless people for creating their own situation. In order to push away our own â€Å"nightmare†, we unintentionally create the distance between ourselves and homelessness. Not only do we eliminate our â€Å"nightmare† by blaming the homeless people but also we evade our responsibility by making an excuse that there is no â€Å"quick fix† for erasing homelessness in America. That means people who are living in the street have to wait a long time to get a house. Most of us usually think that we already gave a hand for helping homelessness by the tax we pay to the government every year, and that the government themselves have had programs for low-income Americans. However, we do not know that the money the government gives up to help poor people is â€Å"just over a tenth of the federal budget† (131). Yet, that ten percent of the budget was cut into one third by the Reagan budget cuts. In other words, when that amount of money reaches to the homeless people, it means nothing. The question here is: What is the rest of the money gone instead of using to help homeless? The rest of billions of dollars is used for national defense such as: military, weapons, and so-called wars†¦ Without knowing this, we blame homeless people for creating their own destitution instead of the government. The book â€Å"Rachel and her children† incredibly tells stories of homeless people. Each person has his or her own different circumstances, but generally these people used to have the same normal live before they became homeless. Many of us would sympathize with homeless people on the street, but only few truly want to help them get out of their extreme circumstances. In some ways, we still draw ourselves a distance from homelessness either because of our guiltiness or our own fear of being homeless one day. When we confidently give up our little spare coins to homeless people without worrying if they are used for drugs or alcohol, that is when we little by little erase our distance and get closer to these poor homeless human beings. View as multi-pages

Baldwins Father in Notes of a Native Son Essay -- James Baldwin

Playgrounds of Harlem Narrative is a form of writing used by writers to convey their experiences to an audience. James Baldwin is a renowned author for bringing his experience to literature. He grew up Harlem in the 1940’s and 1950’s, a crucial point in history for America due to the escalading conflict between people of different races marked by the race riots of Harlem and Detroit. This environment that Baldwin grew up in inspires and influences him to write the narrative â€Å"Notes of a Native Son,† which is based on his experience with racism and the Jim-Crow Laws. The narrative is about his father and his influence on Baldwin’s life, which he analyzes and compares to his own experiences. When Baldwin comes into contact with the harshness of America, he realizes the problems and conflicts he runs into are the same his father faced, and that they will have the same affect on him as they did his father. Baldwin’s father died a broken and ruined man on July 29th, 1943. This only paralleled the chaos occurring around him at the time, such as the race riots of Detroit and Harlem which Baldwin describes to be as â€Å"spoils of injustice, anarchy, discontent, and hatred.† (63) His father was born in New Orleans, the first generation of â€Å"free men† in a land where â€Å"opportunities, real and fancied, are thicker than anywhere else.† (63) Although free from slavery, African-Americans still faced the hardships of racism and were still oppressed from any opportunities, which is a factor that led Baldwin’s father to going mad and eventually being committed. Baldwin would also later learn how â€Å"†¦white people would do anything to keep a Negro down.† (68) For a preacher, there was little trust and faith his father ... ...his father had acted the way he did, which caused him to be committed. He was facing the same experiences and the same side-effects his father once felt. However, faced with this dilemma between acceptance and equal power, Baldwin looks to the only man he can trust to help him, his father. He trusts his father because he knows that his father went through the same dilemma he is going through, he has seen the same affects in his father’s rage and hate. However, his father already passed away, and what help that could have been gathered from his father is gone; Baldwin can only piece together his memories of his father’s character and life and compare it to his own to see how the two are really alike. Works Cited Baldwin, James. â€Å"Notes of a Native Son.† 1955. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998. 63-84.

Audit plan †Accounts Receivable and Notes Receivable Audit Procedures Essay

1. Obtain an aged trial balance of individual customer accounts. Recalculate the total and trace to the general ledger control account. 2. Review the aging for large and unusual items. 3. Send confirmations to all accounts over $X. Select a random sample of all remaining accounts for confirmation. a.i.1.a.i.1.a. Investigate exceptions reported by customers. a.i.1.a.i.1.b. Perform alternative procedures on accounts that do not respond to positive confirmation requests. a.i.1.a.i.1.b.i. Vouch cash receipts after the confirmation date for subsequent payment. a.i.1.a.i.1.b.ii. Vouch sales invoices and shipping documents. 4. Evaluate the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts. a. Vouch a sample of current amounts in the aged trial balance to sales invoices to determine whether amounts aged current should be aged past due. b. Compare the current-year write-off experience to the prior-year allowance. c. Vouch cash receipts after the balance sheet date for collections on past-due accounts. d. Obtain financial statements or credit reports and discuss with the credit manager collections on large past-due accounts. e. Calculate an allowance estimate using prior relations of write-offs and sales, taking under consideration current economic events. Notes Receivable 5. Review the bank confirmations, loan agreements, and minutes of the board for indications of pledged, discounted, or assigned receivables. 6. Inspect or obtain confirmation of notes receivable. 7. Recalculate interest income and trace to the income account. 8. Obtain written client representations regarding pledge, discount, or assignment of receivables, and about receivables from officers, directors, affiliates, or other related parties. 9. Review the adequacy of control over recording of all charges to customers (completeness)-audited in the sales transaction test of controls audit plan.

Biz Cafe Reflections

My Biz Cafe Simulation Learning Experience Davenport University Abstract This paper will cover a reflection of my experience with the Biz Cafe simulation. After reading this paper, one should have an idea of what I learned from the simulation and how it works. I will be talking about the challenges my team and I dealt with and how we overcame these challenges. Most importantly, I will be talking about how we made Coffee Connection run as a successful coffee shop.In this paper, I will also discuss my thoughts on teamwork and the significant factors of running a small business. My Biz Cafe Simulation Learning Experience Taking part in the Biz Cafe simulation has been one of the most motivating, enjoyable and enriching learning tools that I have ever been given the opportunity to utilize. It actually gives you the surreal feeling that you are really running your own coffee shop business. I appreciate the creativeness of the simulation and the fact that it provided a fun, delightful educ ational experience for me.Biz Cafe has allowed me to become familiar with the significant factors of successfully starting and running a small business. Some of the significant factors include management, marketing, operational and accounting decisions. The Biz Cafe simulation provided hands-on experience that allowed my group members and I to make the imperative business decisions that contribute to the making or breaking of a business. Overall, I have certainly developed a better understanding of the management of a small business and what it possibly feels like to become an owner.Having the opportunity to start and run a simulated coffee shop from a practical standpoint, I have been able to broaden and strengthen my knowledge of the day-to-day operational functions of a small business. With the help of my team, we were able to make the careful decisions needed in order to run as a successful coffee shop business. Coffee Connection In the start-up decisions, the name we chose for our cafe was Coffee Connection. We agreed upon the name, Coffee Connection because we thought that the name was nice and appropriate for our cafe.The furniture we chose for our coffee shop was the used furniture which was cheaper for us. Choosing the used furniture proved to be a good choice that in the long run worked for our coffee shop. We also decided that purchasing the high capacity espresso machine would be very convenient for the business. The machine turned out to be a great investment that served Coffee Connection very well. Challenges We Overcame A challenge that we faced with our coffee shop was making the staffing decisions. We struggled with trying to figure out a sufficient number of managers and servers to hire and an appropriate pay for them.Around the beginning of the simulation, we had a nice amount of servers which resulted in us receiving an award for best staff. After we extended hours, things seemed to go downhill with our staff. As a result, this had an effec t on the overall service of the workers. They were not as happy or productive as we had hoped. Our managers were becoming stressed out and our servers were being overworked and even a couple of our servers quit. This lead to us hiring more servers, another manager and giving our managers a raise. These necessary adjustments were a must in our attempt to increase productivity.We also thought that by giving the managers a pay raise, it would make them feel appreciated and motivate them to work. Recognition is what is needed to inspire employees to do their best. According to Business Now (Shah, 2009), â€Å"People are willing to work—and work hard—if they think their work makes a difference† (p. 284). After all, a company’s employees are their most valuable resource. During each round of the Biz Cafe simulation, we tried to exercise a realistic way of thinking when making important decisions that would have an impact on our business.When purchasing coffee, one thing we did not take advantage of was sales forecasting which was probably our biggest mistake. As a result, our coffee purchases were constantly off. Not taking advantage of sales forecasting caused it to be difficult to determine an adequate amount of coffee to order for just about every round. What Made Us Successful Early on in the beginning of the simulation, I think we did a great job as far as brand awareness. We were sure to take advantage of the radio and newspaper advertisements. Before long, business was booming.The advertisements were one of best decisions we decided upon due to how much business we brought in by simply marketing our cafe and product. By investing in the advertisements, our sales were definitely increased. Good marketing is undeniably one of the keys to the success of a business. As a team, it is most important to always work together if you plan to succeed. Throughout the Biz Cafe simulation, my teammates and I each put forth an awesome team effort by working together. We all brought different ideas and thoughts to the table.Communication is one of the most vital aspects in working as a team. We made it our business to meet on our group’s discussion board to discuss our weekly decisions and goals for our coffee shop. Each of us was determined to run our cafe successfully. It was pretty fun participating in the simulation with them. Constantly keeping track of the other cafes helped us determine where we should be. Our ultimate goal was to grow and run as a successful cafe. Overall, I think we did a good job! References Shah, A. J. (2009). Business Now (p. 284). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Effects of Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) essays

Effects of Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) essays In response to the corporate scandals such as Enron, Adelphia, WorldCom and Tyco, the U.S. Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in an attempt to prevent the assortment of ills related to corporate finance and reporting (Grumet, 2007). This new legislation uses a series of steps designed to ensure that publicly traded corporations instituted adequate financial controls, that they documented those controls, and that they certified their accuracy. SOX enforced its goals with a very big stick: personal liability and the possibility of criminal penalties for corporate financial officers (Montana, 2007). Although a fairly recent piece of legislation, there are recent developments and issues involving SOX, that have come to light over the last two years. Montana (2007) notes that in the intervening years since SOX's inception, there have been a number of high profile events that have captured Congress' attention that has diverted their attention away from SOX. For this reason, he surmises, the Act itself remains un-amended. Regarding SEC regulations, the SEC has not promulgated any substantial new SOX rules since March 2004. Although the rules that were promulgated until that time were the source of much criticism, due to concerns about vagueness, recent tinkering with small bits of existing rules have not been able to adequately address these concerns. Another issue concerning SOX was the cost of compliance, which has been much higher than originally predicted. Of particular concern in the costs to comply with SOX section 404. This section addresses the internal control system certification provision, and has been deemed by many as unfair, especially for smaller businesses. Section 404 requires management at (...) companies to assess the effectiveness of their internal controls over financial reporting and issue their findings in a public report. The legislation also mandates that audito...

Sentence Combining With Adjectives and Adverbs

Sentence Combining With Adjectives and Adverbs In this exercise well apply the basic strategies outlined in Introduction to Sentence Combining. Combine the sentences in each set into a single clear sentence containing at least one adjective or adverb (or both). Omit words that are needlessly repeated, but dont leave out any important details. If you run into any problems, you may find it helpful to review the following pages: Adding Adjectives and Adverbs to the Basic Sentence UnitIntroduction to Sentence Combining After completing the exercise, compare your new sentences with the original sentences in the paragraph on page two. Keep in mind that many combinations are possible, and in some cases you may prefer your own sentences to the original versions. Marthas Departure Martha waited on her front porch.She waited patiently.She wore a bonnet and a calico dress.The bonnet was plain.The bonnet was white.The dress was long.She watched the sun sink beyond the fields.The fields were empty.Then she watched the light in the sky.The light was thin.The light was white.The sky was distant.She listened for the sound.She listened carefully.The sound was soft.The sound was familiar.A ship descended through the evening air.The ship was long.The ship was silver.The ship descended suddenly.The evening air was warm.Martha picked up her purse.The purse was small.The purse was black.She picked it up calmly.The spaceship landed in the field.The spaceship was shiny.It landed smoothly.The field was empty.Martha walked toward the ship.She walked slowly.She walked gracefully.Minutes later, the field was silent again.The field was dark again.The field was empty again. After you have completed the exercise, compare your new sentences with the original sentences in the paragraph on page two. Heres the student paragraph that served as the basis for the sentence combining exercise on page one. Marthas Departure (original paragraph) Martha waited patiently on her front porch. She wore a plain white bonnet and a long calico dress. She watched the sun sink beyond the empty fields. Then she watched the thin, white light in the distant sky. Carefully, she listened for the soft, familiar sound. Suddenly through the warm evening air a long silver ship descended. Martha calmly picked up her small black purse. The shiny spaceship landed smoothly in the empty field. Slowly and gracefully, Martha walked toward the ship. Minutes later, the field was again dark, silent, and empty.

Rights for Autonomy and Protection from Violence Essay

Rights for Autonomy and Protection from Violence - Essay Example Local officials and leaders who are against it see no value for FGM, particularly when human rights are considered. First, FGM violates autonomy. Girls, as young as one year old, are being forced to undergo FGM. It does not even matter if it is a simple â€Å"circumcision,† as Omoigui wrote in her article, â€Å"HB 22 Bill and Genital Mutilation,† where she defended the merits of female genital cutting.   The main point is that these very young children are forced to do something they do not understand and believe in. Second, an increasing number of local officials believe that FGM is a form of violence against women. Diallo remembers how some women pinned her down, as one performed an excruciating circumcision (Poggioli). Her community violated her physically and psychologically. Based on these human rights alone, local officials and leaders can be further compelled to support FGM’s eradication. Numerous leaders from different religious denominations believe t hat FGM is not based on the Holy Scripture. While some Muslims and Christians believe that FGM is written in the Bible, other religious leaders counter these claims (Poggioli). These religious leaders are certain that the Word of God does not espouse the mutilation of young children for the sake of hygiene, culture, or religion. These leaders will be useful in influencing communities and families in changing their mindset toward FGM. For parents of daughters, the arguments that will rally their support further are human rights and love for their children.

Take Home Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Take Home Final Exam - Essay Example This time it’s the Eastern Ukraine that has become center of attention. Each of the region aims at establishing a pro government which would serve its strategic purposes. The recent event of Crimea Crisis has brought the two nations to a strangulating view point in the diplomatic and political activities. As a result the allies on each side have been brought into action as well as subsequently the United Nations Security Council as well. After the formal annexation and troops march in, the Russians have declared it a Crimean Federal District. Although this move has not been approved by the United Nations. The Crimean Peninsula is important on multiple accounts. One of the factors is its multi dimensional and multi ethnic population segmentation, the other factor that has caused the stir and attention is its affiliation and geographical capacity with the Black Sea which has since centuries served as the pivot towards the Russian interests in the region (Pavliï ¸  uï ¸ ¡k and Klympush-Tsintsadze, 68). Surveys conducted in this pursuit to determine the pulse of the people, it was revealed that over 40 percent of the Ukraine population desires becoming part of the E.U, while a meager 14 percent of the population wanted to get enrolled into a pro Russian economic union entity. United States of America cannot allow re occurrence of the Cold War expansionist policy of Russia through the influence establishment in the smaller states of the region. It at the same time does not want the natural resources to fall under the Russian influence as a result it badly wants Ukraine to be enrolled in the European Union. In bid to protect the central part of Ukraine from falling into the shade and influence of Russia, United States of America has released a fund and assistance of one billion dollars on immediate grounds (JOACHIM and WEISMAN). This has been done so to provide assistance to the already frail economy of

Principles of Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Principles of Finance - Essay Example Together, they help promote stability and balance in the behavior of governments and financial institutions through surveillance, financial, and technical assistance. Based on the summary in Table 1, $282.978 trillion was raised in Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. from 2001 to 2006 from IPOs, debt offerings, and mergers and acquisition activities throughout the world. Of this, the U.S. accounted for 26%, while the U.K. had 9.7% and Japan only 2.3%. The declines from 2001 to 2003 resulted from the dotcom bubble explosion and corporate scandals in the late 1990s until 2001, affecting investor confidence and the ability of firms to raise funds. However, the increasing amounts since then signify a steady recovery that continues to hold. The U.K. issues more equity than either the U.S. or Japan, the U.S. issues more debt securities than the other two countries and that in these three countries debt issues are greater than equity issues by an overwhelming factor of almost 280-to-1. What could explain these findings Figures 1 and 2 (IMF, 2006; BIS, 2006) show that most debt issues are from corporations, and that Japanese (101.7% debt-to-equity) and European (69.6% debt-to-equity) corporations have more debt than U.S. companies (43.1% debt-to-equity). This explains why Japan and the U.K. issued lower amounts of debt compared to the U.S. during the period. Second, debt yields are lower in Japan compared to the U.S. and the U.K., and while equity yields are higher in the U.S. than in the U.K. and Japan, debt returns (5 to 11%) are higher than equity returns (-33% to almost 0%) in all three countries, and interest rates are declining. This means debt is more attractive to issuers and investors than equities. For investors, debt returns are higher, so they would rather lend their funds. For companies, debt is also cheaper since the trend for interest rates is flat to declining. Therefore, investors and corporations both prefer debt over equity. Q2: Vodafone plc Case Analysis Vodafone plc (2006: 2-3) is a London-based telecommunications company with total turnover of 29.4 billion, assets of 127 billion, and over 170 million customers worldwide, making it the biggest telecoms firm in the world. With debt of 20.1 billion and stockholders' equity of 86.9 billion, it has a debt-to-equity ratio of 23%. Net debt is 17.3 billion after taking out cash and cash equivalents. Vodafone raises funds in various currencies by issuing debt securities because it has a good financial network in London, the world's financial center. The company's policy (Vodafone, 2006: 41) is to maintain the currency of debt and interest charges in proportion with expected future principal multi-currency cashflows, which explains why 113% of its net debt is in currencies other than sterling: 73% of debt is in Euro, 21% in Yen, 14% in US Dollars, and 5% in other

Principles and Practices of Management Behaviour

Principles and Practices of Management Behaviour An autocratic manager makes decisions without the consultation of others workers, rather serving as a dictator type in communicating orders because they like to be in control of situations. This style of management guides to work getting done on time because there are less people implicate in the decision making process. The problem with this style is that the staffs are going to eventually lost motivation to work. Paternalistic is a leadership style which is quite dictatorial, decisions are taken in the best interests of the workers. This style is known as consultative management. This process can take a bit longer as there are more voices to be heard. The other side of this style of management and leadership is that workers may feel that you do not value their opinion or are too rigid if after all of the feedback is received you go off and make the decision in your own without incorporating of their feedback. Democratic leadership implicates running a business on the basis on the majority of decisions. A democratic manager is willing to share work with the staff by relegate it to get the job done. Staffs love this type of management style in business because they feel involved and part of the process. In democratic style the job performance is probably to be better than in an autocratic setting. This style has close links with McGregors theory X and Y. All this styles have advantages and disadvantages such as: Autocratic styles advantages: quick decision making, effective when employing many low skilled workers; disadvantages: no two-way communication Paternalistic styles advantages: more two-way communication so motivating, workers feel their social needs are being met; disadvantages: slow down decision making, still quite a dictatorial style. Democratic style advantages: useful when complex decisions are required that needs specialist skills; disadvantages: mistakes or errors can be made if workers are not skilled enough. According to Chemers M.(1997) in his book An integrative theory of leadership, Leadership has been described as a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common emerged. Leadership is composing a group of people to achieve common goals. Leadership is important because help to maximise efficiently an organisation and also help the organisation to achieve the goals. Leadership characteristics are: Proactive vs. reactive (a leader is always thinking three steps ahead). Flexible/Adaptable (a good leader will adapt to new surrounding and situations, doing his/her best to adjust). A good communicator Respectful (treating others with respect will ultimately earn respect). Quiet confidence Enthusiastic (when a leader is motivated and excited about the cause people will be more inclined to follow). Open-minded (a leader work to consider all options when making decisions). Resourceful (a leader must to create access to information). Rewarding (an exceptional leader will recognize the efforts of others and reinforce those actions). Well educated (knowledge is power). Open to change (a leader will take into account all points of view and will be willing to change a policy, program, cultural tradition). Interested in feedback (view feedback as a gift to improve) Evaluative (evaluation of events and programs is essential for n organisations to improve or progress). A strong team Theory X and Y was write by Douglas McGregors Theory X leaders believe that: People should be controlled and directed and punished, if necessary, to put them in a real effort at work the workers want to avoid responsibility and has little ambition most of the workers dislike work Theory Y leaders believe that: working is as natural as play or rest for the average workers workers seek responsibility most of employees have creativity and imagination which may be helpful for organisations to achieve their goals The Hertzberg hygiene factors are: supervision, company policy, relationship with supervisor, relationship with peers, and relationship with subordinates, personal life working conditions, status, and security. Evaluate communication processes in selected businesses Communication is the activity of transfer information through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behaviour. Communication is transmitting of information from one person to another. The importance of effective communication is immense in the world of business and in personal life. The communication process begins with the sender and ends with the receiver. The perfect guide toward achieving effective communication is the process of communication Most of us spend about 75 per cent of our hours awake communicating our knowledge, thoughts, and ideas to others people. Verbal communication refers to the use of sounds and language to relay a message. Effective verbal communication is dependent on number of factors and cannot be fully isolated from other important interpersonal skills such as non-verbal communication, listening skills and clarification. Non-verbal communication includes facial expression, eye contact, tone of voice, body posture and motions, positioning within groups. It may also include the way we wear our clothes or the silence we keep. Porters division of non-verbal communication: Physical (this is the personal type of communication); Aesthetic (this is the type of communication that takes place through creative expressions); Signs (this is the mechanical type of communication); Symbolic (type of communication that makes use of religious, status); Static features of non-verbal communication Distance Orientation (side to side, face to face) Posture (standing, seating, legs crossed) Physical contact (touching, holding and shaking hands) Dynamic features of non-verbal communication: Facial expressions (smile, raised eyebrow) Gestures (hand movement) Looking (eye contact) Communication styles: rational, emotive and intuitive Rational communication focuses on objective information data, encourages listening carefully to the ideas and focuses on facts and information, this communication is less comfortable with feeling discussions, in this types of communication prefers to take turns when talking, and there is less variation in tone or gestures. Emotive communication focuses on feelings and tends to be more people oriented and passionate, wide variation in tone and gesture, this type of communication can be interrupt while others are speaking, the same there are feelings in voice and regardless of volume, the decisions are announced in terms of how they will affect people. Intuitive communication is focuses on knowing that comes from experience, decisions are announced without justification, increased experience can lead to more rapid decision making. Communication styles change, depending on the situation and our goals and each of the communication style is used at some point in our lives. We can define top-down communication such as a method of issuing commands or orders within a business using a hierarchical structure. Top-down communication affords a companys managerial structure to control the information and protect that each employment level has necessary information to get done the tasks. The disadvantage of this communication is the risk of orders getting lost in translation; this can cause trouble in a companys project development. We can define bottom up communication such as trebuie sa caut informatie Formal communication is used in professional setting, in this types of communication slang is not use, pronounce of words is correctly. In informal communication we can use slang, can be used short version of words, this type of communication is used with friends and family. Analyse organisational culture and change in selected businesses Organisational culture mains the personality of the organisation, the way the things are done .Organisational culture refers to the fundamental values, beliefs and codes of practice that make a business. Culture according to Schein is A pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group learns as it solves problems. Culture organisation have an important role, the organisation that have strong cultures are capable of increasing revenue, profitability and shareholder value. The same organisation with strong culture finds it easy to change and adapt to market demands. Organisational culture is a focus on culture and process with specific encouragement of collaboration between leaders and members. It is a focus on the human and social side of the origination. Culture has three levels: The artefacts (behaviour of group members) Espoused values (how deal with issues and problems) Basic underlying assumptions Types of organisational culture are: power culture, role culture, task culture and person culture. Power culture depends on central force and a beam of influence from the central figure throughout the organisation, small entrepreneurial organisations. Role culture bureaucracy and works by logic and rationality, role is more important than individual, position is the main source of power. exemple tb sa caut Task culture job and project oriented organisation Personal culture, the individual is in the central focus, when a group of people decide that it is in their own interests to band together. For organisations that manage change effectively, change itself becomes the driving force that leads to future success and growth (Hamlin, Keep and Mullins and Christy,2011). Change is an inevitable and constant feature, an organisation can perform effectively only through interactions with the broader external environmental of which it is part. Factors that influence change in culture are such as: Economic conditions Government interventions Political interests Development in technology Globalisation Other forces of change could be: Demand for high quality goods Customer service Workforce changing nature The main pressure of change is from external forces. Planned change represents an international attempt to improve of the organisation. The objectives of change are: Improving the ability of the organisation Modifying the behavioural patterns of members of the organisationsa mai caut informative sau sa ma uit la handouts Organisational structure is a framework of order and command through which the activities of the organisation can be planned, directed and controlled. The structure defines tasks and responsibilities. Structure is important to any kind of organisation. The objectives of structure are: the economic and efficient performance, monitoring the activities, flexibility in order to respond to future demands. There are three types of organisational structure: Tall hierarchical( large organisation tend to have this type of structure, a tall structure have many different levels of employees all reporting at the top to team leaders and then up to operational management, also have a wide chain of command with narrow set of control. Disadvantage of this type of organisational structure can often lead to slower communication channels and decision-making. Flat hierarchical (is an organisational structure that has fewer layers of management and wider spans of control, this types of structure of organisation gives workers more responsibility for decision-making, and the also we have more motivated workforce. Advantage of this structure is that the business to change rapidly to respond to the market.) Matrix (is the combination of the flat structure with tall structure for the business in order to meet its goals. Matrix structure often is used for specific project). Change management is the set of tools, skills and the processes for managing the people leading to achieve the goals of organisation. LO2 Be able to review own potential as a prospective manager 2.1 Assess own management skills performance For managers to be effective, they must have good management skills. The management skills will ensure that he/she can effectively direct, guide, and delegate. The management skills pyramid: Level 1-this level is basic management skills and includes planning, organizing, directing and controlling. Level 2-build on training and couching, motivational, and employee involvement skills. Level 3-are more complex, developing management career and provides opportunities to advance. Most important management skills are: Project management skills (ability to plan, organize, budget and manage the resources); Time management skills (control of most valuable resource, delegate tasks in minimal time, creating schedules for day/week/month, allocating time according to the task at hand); Conflict management skills (skills to resolve the issue, negotiating and mediating); Self-management skills (ability to make decisions as needed, goals setting, prioritize, self-evaluation, self-motivation, positive attitude); Team management skills (delegate to your team, motivate your team, develop your team, communicate with team); Stress management skills (monitoring performance and behaviour, incorporating effective time management to prevent stress, motivation); People management skills (listening, be motivating and inspiring, handle conflict situations, ask questions that are insightful); Office management skills (storage data, monitor and evaluate the work process, accounting and marketing, budget development); Change management skills (talking to people, being real, be passionate, monitoring progress, critical thinking); The guide line for an effective CV is: Personal details: name, address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, nationality Personal statement, a two-three sentence overview with exceptional qualities and future plans Key skills and abilities Work experience with reverse chronological order(date, organisation name, responsibilities, achievements) Education with reverse chronological order( date, institution, achievements) Hobbies and interests