Human sexual behavior Essay

Sexual assault takes many forms including attacks such as rape or attempted contacts or threats. Usually a sexual assault occurs when someone touches you in a way, even through clothes, without that person’s consent. Some types of sexual assault include forced sexual intercourse, sodomy, or fondling and attempted rape. Sexual assault in any form is often a devastating acquaintances, friends, or family members. Assailants commit sexual assault through manipulation, pressure or tricks. Drinking and sexual assault, alcohol is often a contributing factor in sexual assault. A perpetrator may even buy a person drinks to intentionally increase the chances of being manipulate the senses and their judgment. Even if we pick up a danger sign or trust them. Tisa advisable to avoid having sex when you’ve had a lot to drink, because even if you have a condom, you’ll be much less likely to use it correctly and therefore face another consequence. Movies, television shows and music are full of sex. It seems that the world is all about sex. Parents and students both need to know what is happening in the worlds and among themselves. Talking about sex seems like a good way to begin by educating our children of the rights and wrong of such sexual activity. When it come to children being involved with sex; Now on child abuse cases, I believe that no single act such strong emotions as the act of child sexual abuse. Child molesters can not even find refuge in prisons where rapist and murderers are commonplace. These offenders are shut out in aspect of our society, yet there are no reasons as to the causes of this behavior. Sexual abuse of children is not new, and has not always been socially taboo. Back in the days it was a commonplace for adolescent males to be forced into sexual relationship with mature males. This behavior was normal and not objected to by the child’s parents but sex with children in the modern era is alive and well, the power of an older person is so great that their young victim often never tell of the horrors that they have experienced. It is just like the pedophiles who confessed that they insist that their behavior is not wrong. Because of the extreme sensitivity of this subject, research has been really difficult and quite hard to develop. In the case of the pedophiles in order for the community or society to go into further deepest they must first attempt to gain an understanding of WHY? Pedophiles can be classified into different categories by several issues, the most common of which are causation and victim-realtionship.Howerever; pedophiles can be separated by those who sexually abuse members of their own family and those who abuse non family members. The reasons rapists are going free is when will the men and woman of our world be able to live their lives without being raped by another person? I feel many men and woman are getting away with harming another person through sexual confrontation without their permission. Men as well as woman can be raped, but fewer men will the police about it they would rather keep it under because they are being criticized for being weak which are untrue. Both, men and woman are the scary thing is that there is a possibility that their cases will not be product of their rape kits are not being processed efficiently. These are the ones that are not being brought to trail. Going back to the Megan’s Law when people think of their neighbors, do they think of violent sex crimes? Many people have to deal with this everyday of life. There are no laws forcing people of a community when a sex crime offender moves into their town. Said to keep violent sex crimes offenders from staking again, but do we ask ourselves this questions? The answer all depends on the opinion of the person who is being asked. Many supporters of the Megan’s law say that the law is keeping some predators from striking again, but many critics says that the laws is unethical and many agreements come from that. This is another question proposed when the topic of sexual offenders brought up, is it breaking any of the amendments or is it necessary for co workers to know whether a sex crime offender is living in their neighbors. Are you a juvenile or an adult? Megan’s law makes this question very complicated. Some times we might think we are juvenile’s, but by law we can be and treated as an adult. At the age of 13, you can go to some health clinics and get some medical treatments and testing done without your parent’s permission, such as pregnancy, alcohol/drug, and sexual transmitted diseases. Most of the time, if you are under 18, you need your parents permission, unless you are married, or in the military. At 15 Â ½ you can get a special permit to drive with a legal guardian, but if you break a traffic law you are considered an adult if you commit crime, such as killing, drug related, rape, repeated offenses, or stealing a car. If you are under 18, and are picked up by a police officer and taken to juvenile court, a juvenile officer will decide how to handle your case. Then a juvenile judge hears the evidence with you and your parents. The judge studies the whole complete picture of you, and your crime, and then decides as to whether or not your case will be held in juvenile Court or in Adult Court. If your cases are held in Juvenile Court and you are found guilty, and since he has made a complete study of you and your case, he will be the one to decide how and what will happen to you. If you are tired as an adult and found guilty, naturally the punishment will be more severe.

Compare and Contrast the Characters of the Loman Brothers

The audience are first introduced to the Loman brothers as they are staying at their parents home in Brooklyn. The brothers are woken by their father, and begin an incredibly deep conversation concerning their lives. This conversation reveals a lot about Biff and Happy and their outlook on life. Firstly, an immediate contrast is made in how the pair treat women. Happy has an incredibly degrading attitude, in which he thinks that he is entitled to any women that he wants, despite being aware that they are engaged to executives at his work.Not only this, he claims that he doesn’t â€Å"want the girl, and, still, I take it†. Firstly, the fact that he cannot address the woman by her name, and instead â€Å"it† shows how little he thinks of women and how they are made to feel by being given the false hope of being â€Å"wanted† by this womanizing character. Biff and Happy remember when they were young, and Happy refers to his â€Å"first time† as a †Å"pig†. This accentuates how little respect he has for women, and how he judges them on merely their looks.Biff, on the other hand, seems to feel differently to Happy, ignoring his derogatory comments and admitting, â€Å"I’d like to find a girl – steady, somebody with substance†. He clearly used to have the same tendencies with women, as he â€Å"taught† Happy everything he knows about women. However, Biff has clearly matured and grown out of his phase of seeking women as if it was a sport, as his brother still does. A similarity between Biff and Happy are that they are both concerned for their father’s recent behaviour, and discuss things that they have both noticed about him.Happy tells Biff that he is â€Å"getting nervous about im†. Despite having their differences with their father, they both care a lot for him and can immediately notice when he begins to act differently. Biff is also clearly concerned about his mother and how sh e is coping. When Willy is talking to himself, he is (growing angry) and asks rhetorically â€Å"Doesn’t he know Mom can hear that? † This portrays how Biff seeks to protect his mother.On the other hand, it seems that Happy seems to care more about his fathers opinions then Biff, as he tells Biff that â€Å"I wish you’d have a talk with him†. He does not like the conflict between his brother and his father, and perhaps believes that this conflict is what is making him act strangely. Biff on the other hand, see’s his how his father is behaving as â€Å"selfish† and â€Å"stupid†. He is still frustrated with the conversation between him and his father, concerning Biffs’ future plans (or lack of them).During Willy’s mobile concurrency, Biff and Willy are seen in their youth. Here, it is shown that Happy is often over shadowed by his older brother Biff and ignored by his parents. As a result of growing up in Biff's shadow, H appy is always striving for Willy's attention, but has never really got it. This is shown when the young Happy is repeatedly tells his father, â€Å"I'm losing weight, you notice, Pop? † Willy brushes Happy off here, and this hint of favouritism may be why Happy feels that he should aim to be in a job like his fathers to impress him, whereas Biff does not.

New York City Project Part 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New York City Project Part 1 - Essay Example Due to lack of adequate money to do it all, the budget reflects the priorities of the city’s elected representatives. And I consider the city council of New York City has a comprehensive plan because that the New York City Charter ("the Charter") vests the responsibility for preparing an annual expense and capital budget with the mayor. The mayor must then submit the expense and capital budget to the City Council for its review and adoption. It shows that the process of making a budget has to be rigorous enough to be implemented (Christine, 2013). Besides, each budget must consist of several parts: the expense budget, which sets forth proposed appropriations for the operating expenditures for municipal services including debt service; the capital budget and program, which sets forth proposed appropriations for capital projects for the ensuing fiscal year and the three succeeding fiscal years; and the revenue budget, which shall set forth the estimated revenues and receipts of the city. In addition, the expense budget is further broken down into a contract budget, which can be viewed as a detailed portion of each agencies' other than personal services expenditures for contractual services that are personal service in nature (Christine, 2013). ... Private employment rose by 9,000 in August 2013 after an increase of 13,000 in July. The unemployment rate rose to 8.6 percent in August from 8.4 percent in July. House market is a significant factor in the New York City’s economy. Some of the most expensive office space in the United States is located in New York City. For example, the world’s third expensive office building-Bank of America tower was value $1 billion in New York City. Department of building’s Fiscal 2014 Preliminary Budget is $93.7 million, which is approximately $2.6 million less than the $96.4 million Fiscal 2013 Adopted Budget (Christine, 2013). This is primarily due to revenue increases from construction related fees. Budgeting Methods Budgeting is a very important management tool in every organization. New York City plays a very important role in the economy of United State. The constitution of United State gives the city council of New York the power to make budget. This budget ensure that the city continue to support the economy. The city is headed by a mayor who manages the city with the assist of a council, which is commonly called city council (Clarke, 1978). The city council of New York uses a master budget in running the activities of the city. The city council uses this approach because it can project all the activities that need a budget allocation. The line items in the master budget include transport expenses, salaries and allowances. The performance of the city’s budget is monitored on monthly bases by its chief financial officer to ensure accountability. The city has various departments such as health, education and waste management (Eltis, 1993). Expenditure is distributed as per the departments'

THERE NO SPECIFIC TOPIC, BUT SHOULD RELEVANT TO CORPORATE Research Paper - 1

THERE NO SPECIFIC TOPIC, BUT SHOULD RELEVANT TO CORPORATE COMMUNICATION OR COMMUNICATION SCIENCE - Research Paper Example Besides, there has been a shift from the traditional communication channels to the use of internet services leading to an incredible impact. Certainly, information technology has transformed corporate operation in many ways; communication has been the greatest area of corporate evolution. Initially, corporate bodies used written communication as the sole communication tool either internally or external. Over the last two decades, the advent of social media and organizational internet use has posed significant reforms in the marketing, product promotion, and internal communication1. The creation business technology department in many organizations is an example of structural adjustment that has been introduced by adoption of internet connection. In addition, it has led to the creation of an exclusive online business leading to the emergence of e-commerce, a concept that has been integrated into modern businesses. Notably, majority of the companies including Star buck, Caterpillar Inc., Deere and many others have created an automated platform where consumers can make orders and receive deliveries within the shortest time possible2. Communication experts see the advent of the internet in communication as a recipe or business growth since it discourages the long and traditional communication channels. Effective communication involves receiving sending of information and receiving feedback; the internet platform provides an excellent medium that allows a direct link with the business operations. Today, a consumer can make orders or inquiries from the comfort of their rooms and receive feedback almost immediately. However, corporate communication through internet has created business platforms that do not allow personal interaction. It has introduced use of personal computers, cash register systems, server storage, and point-of-sale technological avenues. Following increasing competition in the business operations, some of the businesses have

Reality television show is presumbly bad for American society Essay

Reality television show is presumbly bad for American society - Essay Example Reality television can be defined as unscripted form of drama or actual events that do not follow any form of sequence involving ordinary people, instead of actors who are professionally trained (Boyd and Emily 2). The origin of reality television is not very vivid in that several undocumented films or television programs have been done in the past some dating back as early as 1950’s (Dimare and Philips 914). However, in 1999 to 2000 reality television become one of the fastest growing television programming in the entertainment scene. In as much as reality television has some positive significance in the lives of several Americans, it is also possible that the same show has numerous effects that are extremely dire to the lives of the entire American population. Scholars and television producers have constantly argued in favor of reality television, terming it as the best for regular television programming. This is because people want to see other ordinary people just acting normal without having to read from a script. Moreover, they can easily relate to such television programming, since it involves ordinary people placed in an exotic place. During the stay, they carry on with their lives as normal, although their actions aired on national or international television channels (Kirszner and Mandell 215). For instance, one of the flourishing and helpful reality television programs that support this argument is â€Å"Extreme Make Over home edition.† This is because they enable real families to own homes, built by an extremely talented crew. Such reality television serves two purposes; it entertains the viewer and utterly transforms the lives of American families who do not have decent living conditions. It has also encouraged viewers to express their opinions and, in some cases, vote for their favorite contestant. As a result, the viewers get involved in the show, and they feel that they have the ability to

Paper 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Paper 2 - Essay Example At the beginning of the story the readers are mislead to believe that Mrs. Mallard â€Å"was afflicted with a heart trouble† (Chopin 2009). Within the context of the whole story â€Å"heart trouble† has a double meaning. The author here tries to hint that the heart trouble might not be the heart disease that Mrs. Mallard is thought to suffer from. Besides the literal meaning, heart troubles are also connected to the feelings and inner spirituality of people. The use of the passive voice â€Å"was afflicted† speaks about the impossibility of Mrs. Mallard to act as she wishes. And because of her faint heart Josephine – her sister and Richards – a close family friend, reveal her â€Å"gently† the heart-breaking news of her husband’s death. They way in which her sister delivers her the news is in â€Å"broken sentences†. Broken sentences contrast with the fear of her family to break her heart. The use of oxymoron – â€Å"rev ealed in half concealing† suggests that the revelation of the death of her husband, conceals Mrs. Mallard’s inner feelings. Someone else’s feelings are also concealed in this paragraph. Mrs. Mallard’s husband’s friend Richards is depicted as impatient. Unclear clues are scattered throughout the paragraph. Richards assures himself of the truth, he hastens to Mrs. Mallard’s home and uses â€Å"less careful, less tender† language to bear her the â€Å"sad message†. There is an opposition here. â€Å"Less careful† might mean that Richards is both clumsy and rough man, but it can mean that he also conceals his feelings for Mrs. Mallard, as she is already married. By being less tender he will show to Mrs. Mallard that he has a strong personality and emotions to her. The â€Å"sad message† is employed ironically here. It is both ironic and sarcastic that sad message can bring happiness to two people

Assess the relationship between American security policy and American Essay

Assess the relationship between American security policy and American international economic policy during the Cold War - Essay Example The nuclear arms race was primarily focused on the two world superpowers at the time: the United States and the Soviet Union. Both countries, being at odds in terms of political and economic structures, were trying to prove the worth of democracy (in the US) and of communism (in the USSR) and this was the central point in the Cold War. Given the international power of both countries in terms of military might and global alliances, both the Soviet Union and the United States lived in constant fear of the other and subsequently both nations became involved in the so-called arms race to obtain as many nuclear bombs as possible. This was a deterrent tactic on the part of both countries whereby it became clear that if either were to strike in an act of war, the other would retaliate to the fullest extent and cause maximum damage. Ironically it was the huge stores of nuclear bombs that were meant to keep the United States and the Soviet Union from attacking one another and turning the Cold War into a real war. Ano Another security policy employed in the United States during the Cold War was networking (Sumi and Salla 103). The main objective of the American government at this time was the containment of communism around the world, and to stop the spread of an ideology it viewed as fundamentally flawed and dangerous, the US did its best to form alliances or simply maintain friendly relationships with those countries that were in close proximity to the Soviet Union. For the most part, this meant the close observation of western European nations and in particular a high interest in the economic status of both West and East Germany. Since World War II Germany was a divided nation, with the West side adopting capitalism and democracy while the East remained communist. Like the Korean and Vietnam wars, the struggles of West and East Germany became a physical battlefield for the ideals of a Cold War between two nations that would never formally take action (Ball and Arnold 132). The goal of the United States being to remain a safe country while simultaneously oppressing communism meant that international networking was key, and this is why security policies and international economic policies were connected so closely during the Cold War. The major influence of the United States over key western European nations came because of the War; in the aftermath of World War II a great deal of infrastructure and structural damage had been done to countries like the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Norway and Sweden, and with the conception of the Marshall Plan the US had figured out how to use international foreign economic policy to its direct advantage over the Soviets (Bonds 180). The Marshall Plan, otherwise known as the European Recovery Plan, channeled funds to ailing economies who promised to support capitalism and democracy in return. For the most part these countries were already pro-democracy and had no interest in

Journalism - The Economic Crisis Research Paper

Journalism - The Economic Crisis - Research Paper Example The people I interviewed gave varied responses to the causes of the economic crisis but from the interviews it was clear that it affected people’s living standards since inflation hit hard ion people s pockets and they could no longer live the way they used to do before. People feel that the economic crisis was caused by the debts that most people in the United States live with. The rate of profit of the economy had fallen and this meant that there was a high rate of inflation. Businesses were forced to adjust to the crisis by laying off workers so that they could continue being in existence. The rate of unemployment also increased as a result and this meant that the unemployed people could not get money to meet their daily needs. The decline in profits cased investments to reduce and since the economy depends on returns from business, the economy was set on the crisis. Other people feel that mortgage lending caused the economic crisis since the cost of housing increased signi ficantly during the crisis. This is because people had to pay a lot of money for their housing units and they were left with little money to meet their other needs. People feelings about the economic mess are varied but most people feel that it ruined the lifestyles as they had to budget their finances so that they could be able to survive with the money they had. ... The crisis caused people to move in to smaller houses since paying mortgages was expensive as interest rates were on the all time high and paying them was a task. People feel that the government is to blame for the crisis since it did not set the necessary policies to see that the value of the dollar is maintained. The government did not respond to crisis early enough as if it had it would have set out policies that would ensure that interest rates are at a good enough level to further development. People are dependant on credit and when the interest rates are too high, it means that they will not be able to get credit at reasonable interest rates hence levels of poverty will increase. Had the government ensured that interest rates were at a fair rate, it would make people get more credit and use it for their own development and for that of the country. People feel that government spending also had a great role to play in the crisis the economy was so much in debt and the high rate o f inflation meant that more money had to be used to pay the debt. The government spent a lot of money on the war against terrorism and there was no money being injected into the economy from the war. The cost incurred during the war depleted the economy of funds, which could be used for development purposes. Everyone was affected by the crisis and people complained on the adverse effects it had on their daily routines. There were high rates of unemployment since businesses could not employ people due to the decreased levels of profit. Those who were lucky to get jobs had to work on two or more jobs since they could not get enough from one job. Since the cost of gas also increased people’s travelling habits also

Is Cyber Love a Degraded Form of Real Life Love Essay

Is Cyber Love a Degraded Form of Real Life Love - Essay Example After chatting for several days, they realize that both of them cannot sleep tight without talking to their cyber friend or without saying goodnight to each other. The feeling of love develops when people are attracted towards each other or when the interest and hobbies match. When love happens online, it can then be tagged as cyber love. Cyber love results when couples chat with each other for months (Theng, 2009). There are various perceptions that people hold about cyber love. Most of them think that cyber love is unreal as people are not exactly aware of the identity of the person they are chatting with. Especially parents get scared for their children involved in online relationship. They are aware of the fact that cyber is a virtual world; therefore, one cannot trust people for their identity. Now the question arises if cyber love is a â€Å"degraded form† of real love. Before evaluating the phrase â€Å"cyber love†, there is a need to look at it through several p erspectives. Lately, there is an increasing trend in singles who are involved in cyber dating. Talk shows are a mean of creating hype for the cyber chatting. The movie You’ve Got Mail also contributed toward increasing the trend of cyber dating. Cyber love is, however, very different from real relationship. The cyber environment is quite restricted in comparison to the natural one. For a new cyber user, online chatting environment may be daunting (Grant, 2013). For new internet users, communicating through a cyber chat room is an obstacle at first. There are certain protocols which are followed online, for example, to avoid offending people and to in case of chatting with someone who recurs to the help of sarcasm. There is no non-verbal communication involved in chatting; typed words are the only mean through which a person may communicate and express his or her feeling for others. A newbie, before starting their chatting experience, observes other users interacting with each other. In this way, the newbie observes the internet chatting culture before they feel comfortable while interacting with others. To some degree, every internet user is mesmerised by the fantasy that it provides. The internet users must realise the fact that there is a certain level of sensitivity which is required to interact with others. There is a huge difference between interacting with people online and interacting with them in person. When two people continuously interact with one another through online chat room, they often fantasise that they have fallen in love. The chat room partners often plan to meet each on a specific day at a specific place. This is where reality meets fantasy. Several experiences have been shared by people where they have reported that their chat room partner was totally different from the one whose picture was displayed on the chat profile of their partner. After going through a period of disillusionment, people have understood how to use the intern et wisely and safely. Sherry Turkle, a sociology professor, studied the relationship that people share with computers, in his book Life on the Screen. He also defined the aspects of how people today relate themselves to the internet culture. According to professor Turkle, an individual builds one individual image of him/herself by cycling through several images.

Film Analysis Update Essay Example for Free

Film Analysis Update Essay I have selected the film â€Å"Elizabeth: the Golden Age† because I became extremely fascinated on why of all the monarchs who have ruled England, she is the monarch that has been included in various forms of literature as well as having an era in England’s history named after her. After selecting the film for this paper, I first watched the entire movie without pausing and just noting down scenes that I considered as the most important. After that I watched the film again carefully so much so that I would pause the film once in a while in order to note down important parts of the film. My next step was to go to the Library and began to study the book â€Å"England’s Elizabeth: an Afterlife in Fame and Fantasy† by Michael Dobson and Nicola J. Watson in order to get a better understanding how authors, poets and filmmakers have depicted Queen Elizabeth I in various forms of literature and productions. The best resource materials I came across were â€Å"Behind the Mask: the Life of Queen Elizabeth I† by Jane Rush Thomas since it gave a very objective outlook on the life of Queen Elizabeth I. In the paper, the summary of the film would first be presented on the paper followed by the presentation of information from resource materials which would either support or challenge certain scenes in the movie, specifically the role of Mary Stuart in the attempted assassination of Queen Elizabeth I and the war between Spain and England. From there a comparison on the accuracy of the depiction of this chapter in the life of Queen Elizabeth I in the film will be analyzed since there were some events shown in the film that appear to contradict historical documentations.

A History of Schlumberger

A History of Schlumberger Introduction Schlumberger is one of the world’s largest oil and gas industry. Where Schlumberger employs roughly 123,000 people in their company which representing over 140 nationalities and also working in more than 85 countries. It has its principal offices in Houston, Paris and Hague. Furthermore, Schlumberger provide the widest range of products in the industry and also the service from exploration through production. Hence, Schlumberger not just an innovation company but also invent, design, engineer, and apply technologies which help customers to find and produce oil and gas more efficient and safe. Schlumberger was founded in 1926 by the French brothers called Conrad and Marcel Schlumberger as the Electric prospecting company. They recorded the first-ever electrical resistivity well log also called borehole log which enable the recording of geologic formations penetrated by the borehole, in Merkwiller-Pechelbronn of France in 1927. In 1929, the company starts to grow quickly and logged its first well in the California, United States. Also they logged their first electrical logging in Japan in 1936. Schlumberger invested heavily in research industries, and it inaugurating the Schlumberger Research Center in Ridgefield, United States. In 1956, Schlumberger Limited was incorporated to hold the shares of multiple companies as a holding company for all Schlumberger businesses. Later on, Schlumberger continued to expand over years. In 1960, they formed Dowell Schlumberger consists of half of Schlumberger and half of Dow Chemical which expert in pumping services for oil industry. In 1962, the Schlumberger Limited appeared in the list on the New York Stock Exchange, the largest stock exchange in the world. Meanwhile, Schlumberger purchased an electronic instruments manufacturer, Daystorm in South Boston, Virginia which was sold to Sperry Hutchinson in 1971. In 1964, Schlumberger also purchased 50% of Forex and then created the Neptune Drilling Company by merging Forex with 50% of Languedocienne. The first computerized reservoir analysis program SARABAND, was introduced n the year of 1970. The remaining half of Forex was purchased by the following year, the name Neptune was changed to Forex Neptune Drilling Company. In 1979, Fairchild Camera and Instrument also joined the Schlumberger Limited included Fairchild Semiconductor. In 1981, Schlumberger also established its first international data links with e-mail. In 1983, Cambridge Research Center in Cambridge, England was inaugurated by Schlumberger and later on it was renamed as Schlumberger Gould Research Center after Andrew Gould, the former CEO of Schlumberger. In 1984, the SEDCO drilling company and 50% of Dowell of North America were purchased. Then Anadrill drilling segment was created by combining Dowell and The Analysts’ drilling segments. In 1985, Forex Neptune was merged with SEDCO to form the Sedco Forex Drilling Company and Schlumberger acquired Merlin and half of GECO at the meanwhile. In 1987, Schlumberger successfully complete their purchase on Neptune from North America, Bosco and Cori from Itali, and Allmess from Germany. Meanwhile, Fairchild Semiconductor under Schlumberger was acquired by National Semiconductor for 122 million dollars. In 1991, Schlumberger also purchased PRAKLA-SEISMOS and first created the use of geosteering to drill a borehole well more effectively. In 1992, Schlumberger purchased the software company GeoQuest System. In the 1990s Schlumberger also bought out the petroleum division, AEG meter and the ECLIPSE reservoir study team Intera Tehnologies Corporation. Furthermore, Oilphase and Camco International were also acquired by Schlumberger. Then a joint venture was formed between Schlumberger and Cable Wireless created Omnes, they will handle all Schlumberger’s internal IT business. In 2000, WesternGeco was created by merging Geco-Prakla division and Western Geophysical which Schlumberger held a stake of 70% and remaining for its competitor Baker Hughes. In the same year, Sedco Forex was left and merged with Transocean Drilling company. In 2001, Schlumberger spend 5.2 billion dollars to acquire the IT consultancy company Sema plc. In 2004, Schlumberger Business Consulting act as the companys management consultancy arm was launched. In 2005, Waterloo Hydrogeologic was acquired by Schlumberger which was followed by a few other groundwater industry related companies, for example Westbay Instruments and Van Essen Instruments. Schlumberger also relocated its corporate offices from New York to Houston. In 2006, Schlumberger complete purchased the remaining 30% of WesternGeco from its competitor Baked Hughes for 2.4 billion dollars. In the same year, the Schlumberger-Doll Research Center was moved to a newly built facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The facility united few other research centers run by the company in Cambridge, England; Moscow, Russia; Stavanger, Norway; and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. In 2010, Schlumberger announced the acquisition of Smith International in an all stock deal priced at 11.3 billion dollars. This is the highest purchase in Schlumberger history. Schlumberger also announced planning to acquire the French-based company Geoservices which specialized in energy services, at the cost of 1.1 billion dollars with debt included. Schlumberger becomes the world leading oilfield company because of it can perform complete service in its field, including reservoir scouting, characterization, high technology drilling system, own production group and so on. Schlumberger owns a lots of daughter company which specialized in different field, and providing solutions. It also invested heavily in different research companies who improve high performance drilling equipments which can endure high pressure and temperature during drilling process. Sun Zi’s Art of War Theory Moral influence refers to measures and policies that align the people with the sovereign so as to be in complete agreement and harmony with each other. Weather refers to the contrasting changes of night and day, the coldness of winter and the heat of summer, and seasonal changes. Terrain means by distance, whether the ground is traversed with ease or difficulty, whether it is open or constricted and the chances of life or death (of an army). Generalship refer as the general’s qualities wisdom, trustworthiness, benevolence, courage and discipline. Doctrine law Refer to organization and control, management systems and procedures, and the command and control structure for the deployment of resources SWOT Analysis Strengths Schlumberger is the world’s largest leading oilfield services providers and one the global market leader in it industry which brings many benefits to it company. Generally, Schlumberger possess good company names, economies of scale, higher margins, revenues and other substantial benefits. Schlumberger not just the top 1 biggest oilfield services company, but also company that worldwide recognize in the oilfield industry. For example, Schlumberger ranked in the top 50 of the Engineering category of â€Å" The 2012 World’s Most Attractive Employers† that reflects all the students and professionals will try to seek job opportunities with the company. Besides that, Schlumberger also a company that consist excellent technology that strengthen the company’s name. Hence, it has technology innovation with 125 research and engineering facilities worldwide. It place strong importance on the developing innovation technology that increase the quality of product. In example, Schlumberger firmly holds their professionalism through years of experience in it field which to fulfil the customer needs and satisfaction by using its strong technologies. In addition, it creates more stable business and more likely to obtain other businesses as opportunities comes. Furthermore, Schlumberger has strong research capabilities which they always invested significant time and money on research and engineering as a long-term strategy to support and to expand their technology leadership. Schlumberger increase their services, products, tools, and equipment to maximize and extend production for the life of the reservoir. Schlumberger supplies various products and services including seismic, drilling services, well testing, well completions, subsea production, well production, and well intervention. Based from world energy news, Schlumberger generated 10.67 billion dollars in oil field services revenue with year to year increasing of eight percent. With these kind of technologies that Schlumberger can kind provide, it able to highly strength their company income and also it can evolve to superior technology in days to come. In a nut shell, the deep knowledge of exploration and production that gained through more than 80 years of experience by Schlumberger enable it to have much higher company standard in oil and gas industry. With the company’s history, it consist a strong brand equity with worldwide recognition. Thus, the deep knowledge that gain the company but as the company obtain a great profits and revenues that have empower the company to achieve one the world’s leading oilfield company. Weaknesses Schlumberger is a company with many strength as in the oilfield industry. But doesn’t mean it don’t have any weaknesses in its field. Schlumberger have daughter companies over 140 nationalities, which give it a wide range of production and exploration. But with so many daughter companies, there is lots of possibility an error can occur in certain company. It is hard to tracking down the progress in each of the daughter company. For example, in certain daughter company may consist of drilling failure. This may cause inconvenience not just to the customer but also the company itself. On the other hand, there also legal issues involve with Schlumberger with the accusation of fracking price. According to the Bloomberg news, where the company were sued over claims Schlumberger and other oilfield industry which Halliburton and Baker Hughes collaborated to raise prices and crush oilfield service competitors in the booming U.S. market for hydraulic fracturing services. Therefore, with this kind of legal issue involve with the company will affected on the company’s good name and may worsen some relationship with certain company collaboration. Schlumberger may also contain another weakness that is not active in social media besides facebook and twitter. The company doesn’t use much of the social media to evolve their company’s name. For example, the company doesn’t promote much of commercialize video on it new innovative technologies or production to fascinate viewer or even new customers. Therefore, without increase the participation of social media will influence the good name of the company. Schlumberger announce for the full year result of oil field services in year 2013, land revenue decline 2% in the North America Area. Where land businesses experience some weakness in drilling, stimulation and wireline services. The cause of the weakness can be related to the company’s innovation technology has reach its limit. Hence, this kind of inconvenience the company facing would lead to decline revenues. The company able to increased service concentration, improve efficiency, market share gains, and new advanced technology. Opportunities Schlumberger consist plenty opportunities based from the company global market leader in the oil field industry. The company can acquire higher percentage of oil discovery. The company technologies additional innovative workflows, advance software, and technical experts to help the company clients to enhance characteristics of uncertain exploration. Thus the company deep understanding of the geology of their prospective areas which the company exploration crew can extract the maximum value from their exploration asset. Moreover, Schlumberger also have acquisitions by buying out their competitor which the company could offer a higher level of project management and integrated solution for oil and gas companies. While others individual suppliers involved with exploration and production add excessive cost that increase complexities. As an alternative, Schlumberger decided to work on that by broadening its technical capacity and also approach greater integration capabilities. Schlumberger also have better exposed to expand in international markets rather than their competitor. For example, Schlumberger exposure to Gulf of Mexico proved to be important, aiding the 3 percent revenue growth in North America. While Schlumberger also has been awarded an 18 moth multiple services contract by Oil India for designing, drilling, and completing six horizontal wells. Where Schlumberger consist of high probability making a bigger foray into other countries in the near future. Besides that, Schlumberger contain the peak of increasing oil supply which will happen in the future. This enable increasing the demand for oil extracting companies and outlying technologies that can discover oil in difficult locations. Manufacture of oil from coal and natural gas is potential benefits of peak in oil supplies which Schlumberger gained. In future, the importance of oil will increase and the demand for these sources will be more expensive. Threats Schlumberger have one of the best technology in the oil field services industry. Thus, the company maintain the service industry’s longest commitment to technology and innovation. But there are many challenges ahead towards the company that highly competition with other oil field services companies, with great technology in the company that some customers will need to consider on the budget. Because great quality also comes with a high price. Therefore, other competitor may provide much average technology cheaper budget that can already satisfy the technologies needed of several customers. Hence, that will enable the competitor to attract some the Schlumberger’s previous customer to dealt further businesses with competitor. Schlumberger will not only deal with other oil field services companies of the budget on technologies but also the products and services of the company. Where Schlumberger’s competitor Halliburton supplies oil and gas companies equipment and service that helps extract unprocessed oil and gas from the ground. Hence, they may offer the same products and services which also allow easier attract of new customer. Plus they will analyse and came up with new innovation technology to deal with Schlumberger. Furthermore, Schlumberger also concern about economic slowdown occur on it company. For example, the SchlumbergerSema revenue of 870 million USD for the quarter decreased 3 percent consecutively as a result of a 17 percent decrease in Cards revenue following lower demand in Europe. This economic slowdown can cause weak oil and gas demand and also will influence the pricing reduction in the company worldwide rig. In addition, it will also effect on the company’s production and exploration spending. In order to overcome economic slowdown, one of the method is by expand the company areas and attract new customer to sustain the company’s business which able to use various type of business commercialization strategies. Apart from that, the energy producers rising costs for raw materials such as steel had help Schlumberger contributed to 120 percent growth in production and exploration spending between year 2004 and 2007.Schlumberger also concern regarding the high energy prices have prompted governments worldwide to increase taxes and change investment terms to producer’s profits to gain a bigger share. Which can cause underinvestment and simply exacerbate the problems for the company. Conclusion Today Schlumberger is the world’s largest oilfield services provider, with employees representing over 140 nationalities. The company rapidly developed international origins and a worldwide presence, becoming the leading provider of subsurface surveys. Schlumberger is faithful to its legacy of technological innovation. After initially leading the industry with its subsurface survey methods, the company now offer a wide portfolio of leading technologies to meet the needs of our customers in the oil and gas industry. Schlumberger has grown both organically and through outside acquisitions. Along with new technologies and opportunities. Certainly, Knowledge, technological innovation and a truly global workforce remain the symbols of Schlumberger today. Based from the whole process, Schlumberger is the global market leader in oil and gas industry that consist a strong business strategies plan. The company is accurate in grasping the opportunities with their leading innovative technologies. Hence expand the company’s exploration and production and improve their revenue in the global market. Besides that, the company also amplifying their company by using the history of the company and the excellent name in their industry to maintain their leadership in global market. In fact, Schlumberger committed to providing services and products that enhance their customer’s performance. Schlumberger delivers excellence to their customers which the company treat all their customers in a consistent and transparent way. With their extensive experience in developing and deploying innovative technology solutions, its enable to maintain the satisfaction of the customer and also shareholders. Furthermore, Schlumberger also enable to maintain a greater oil service between their competitor with the company understand and support the direction ahead. In other hand, the company strongly apply service focus, continuous improvement, and self- development. Lastly, Schlumberger consist of a strong integrity which the company recognize the boundaries and have the courage to act responsibly and sincerely. Decision making is one the company integrity, the company observe the right time and also the risk before move forward to a certain exploration and production. The high responsibility also holds firmly by the company to able to gained greater trust from collaboration group and customers.

Strong Horse Tea, by Alice Walker and The Suicides of Private Greaves, by James Moffett :: Strong Horse Tea Suicides of Private Greaves

Characterization in "Strong Horse Tea," by Alice Walker and "The Suicides of Private Greaves," by James Moffett Characterization is the change that occurs in a character throughout the story. The change can be either a physical one or an emotional one. In the stories "Strong Horse Tea," by Alice Walker and "The Suicides of Private Greaves," by James Moffett, the characters involved go through changes that effect both stories ending. Characterization also occurs in stories through the eyes of other characters and how they view the main person in a story. A character's change in the story will eventually lead to the resolution, and inevitably the end of the story. In "Strong Horse Tea" the main characters change is very evident. Rannie Mae Toomer's change in the story is apparent to the reader and audience. She (Rannie) goes through both an emotional change as well as a change in her beliefs (both spiritually and on how she viewed people.) Rannie is a black woman living in America during its oppressive years, with her only salvation being her infant son, Snooks. Her son is very sick and in desperate need of medicine. Rannie is convinced that a white doctor will come and visit her and take care of her son. Rannie, however, does not realize her situation, and hopes still that a doctor will come. "Lawd, why don't that doctor come on here?" Rannie keeps on hoping, and not allowing Sarah, the witch doctor to help her. Rannie believes that Sarah help will be evil, and that the white doctor will soon come. 'We going to have us a doctor,' Rannie Toomer said fiercly, walking over to shoo a fat winter fly from her child's forehead. 'I don't belive in none of that swamp magic.' Rannie is unaware of who she is and how others view her. She does not realize that the color of her skin is oppressing her. Rannie is convinced that the mailman (her only connection to the outside world) can help her out. The mailman, however, has other views about Rannie. He sees her as an animal ("Rannie Mae, leaning over him out of the rain smelt like a wet goat." ) with absolutely no intelligence ("Today he thought she looked more ignorant than usual^. ) Rannie is convinced that the mailman will get her doctor for her, but as the time passes she comes to the realization that Sarah is her only hope. 'But I told you,' Rannie Toomer said in exasperation, as if explaining something to

Gender and Society :: essays research papers

Gender is one of the universal dimensions on which status differences are based. Gender is a social construct specifying the socially and culturally prescribed roles that men and women are to follow. Men have subordinated women. All other discriminations are insipid by construct. Why does society segregate the workforce by gender? Women have been single out against in the workforce as minorities, not as women, because they are relatively powerless. Men see women as less profitable. Society stereotype that women are less capable, less productive, and less dedicated to their employers. Women therefore are assigned jobs that are more mind numbing and are paid less. Women are place in the underpaid and underutilized pool of marginal labor works. Women have always had a lower status than men have, but the extent of the gap between genders varies across cultures and time. American women in 1999 earned approximately 77% of what men made, in 2000, according to the Department of Labor. Societies do not consistently define most tasks as either feminine or masculine. With industrialization the importance of muscle power is declining, thus leaving more options and gender differences to further condensed (Nolan & Lenski, 1999). Women do confront barriers in the marketplace, and in some industries, marginal pools of labor are profitable. Gender stratification is unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between men and women. Women were denied the right to vote because many believe that women lacked sufficient intelligence and political interest. (1848) Most people in 1925, doubted that the best women runners could ever finish a marathon anywhere near the time men could. Only ten minutes separate the current world marathon records for women (set in 2003) and for men (set in 2002). This shows most differences between men and women or gender turn out to be socially created. Even the military has an issue with gender. At the outset of World War II, 1940, only two percent of armed forces personnel were women. The War in Iraq by 2003, women represented seven percent of all deployed U.S. troops. Out of that seven percent eight were casualties leaving 452 male casualties. The Coast Guard is the only branch that all assignments are open to women, whereas, the Marines denies women access to two-thirds of their jobs.

Analysis of Tide Advertisements Essay examples -- Advertising, Marketi

Tide advertisements from the around the 1970’s only portrayed woman as washing the laundry. Perhaps our civilization has the image set that only women are the ones that do laundry and other household activities. What about men? Men are just as capable to wash their own clothes and clean the house. Tide ads from the 1970’s fit right into the category of women being somewhat degrading in comparison to men. â€Å"Equal opportunity regulations require the upgrading of women into high positions, but may woman who were offered positions had turned them down.† (DeSole 9) What this means is that in the 1970’s women were mainly advertised as being inferior to men. Women were apparently the only ones who use laundry detergents to wash all of their families’ clothes. But this is not only argument in Tide ads. Advertisements in general have changed drastically over the years. Ads have gone from simple black and white prints to prints with every color of the r ainbow, from having so many details on one page to just the image of the ad being sold. Ads in general have gone from being a story on a page to a general image that catches the readers’ immediate attention. Tide ads have come a long way from the 1970’s to 2009. Around the 1970’s Tide ads were very verbose and mostly on cartoons. Women would be in the ads cleaning and showing off the 2 â€Å"miracle tide.† Now when looking at Tide ads, women are not singled out. The Tide product is being advertised on the paper print ad alone. The older Tide ad can be viewed from a feminist prospection and can also be asked why vintage advertisements are so different than new advertisements. Why is it that Tide ads have changed their ways and gone from a woman’s story about the greatest laundry detergent... ...Service=showArticle >. Gloria, DeSole, and Dora Odarenko. "Notes toward an Analysis of Discrimination." Women's Studies Newsletter 3.3/4 (1975): 1-10. Web. 14 Oct 2009. . Prinsloo, Jeanne. "Where Are the Women?." Agenda 31 (1996): 40-49. Web. 14 Oct 2009. .

Do you think that Curley and his Wife Make a Good Couple? Essay

Over the course of the novel it becomes clear that the relationship between Curley and his wife is far from the typical picture perfect hearts and flowers romance that a â€Å"good† marriage should be. Through their insecurities and loneliness they are bonded, yet in their character and emotional state, they are completely separate. Steinbeck’s novel is set during the American depression, a time in which ranching became the crucial way of life for a large proportion of the population. At the time, the ranch owner – â€Å"the Boss†, held a huge amount of power that shaped the lives of the men who worked for him. He provided accommodation, paid wages and offered an alternative to the completely bleak and lonely existence that these mostly single men, without a family and without any other companion, would otherwise face. It could be said that he had the power of life or death over these men. Curley, being the Boss’ son, understood that he had an authority over the other men that allowed him to be the â€Å"mean little bastard† that he was. â€Å"He hates big guys†, Candy tells George after Curley tries to â€Å"take after Lennie†. His reputation in the ring makes him overly confident and turns him into a bully that sees everyone as a potential opponent. He picks on guys bigger than him to fill some lonely pit of insecurity within himself that wants the world against which he has a grudge to know that he is a â€Å"big man† despite his appearance. All the anger and hate within Curley, clearly have an effect on the relationship he shares with his wife. When confiding in Lennie, in the final scene of act 5, she tells him â€Å"I don’t like Curley. He aint a nice fella.† For most of the novel, Curley’s wife is depicted as the â€Å"tramp† â€Å"tart† and â€Å"loo loo† that the men perceive her to be. We are not allowed a deeper insight into her personality, her thoughts or indeed her dreams until later in novel when she opens up fully to Lennie- the one character without any prejudice and too naive to honestly believe her to be the jail bait the other claimed she was. We see her as a complex character with dreams and ambitions- â€Å"I coulda been in the movies†- a far cry from the stereotypical vixen out to seduce all of mankind! She is one of the most tragic personalities in â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, nameless and without identity we see her not as a person, a human being with character and emotions, rather a possession of Curley’s. â€Å"Curley’s wife†. That is her only role within the novel and being an underdog, she uses as her only advantage over the ranch men. â€Å"Listen, Nigger, you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?†, she threatens Crooks, the crippled black stable buck with her authority over him as Curley’s wife and her superiority as a white female. This reveals a nastier, darker side to her personality, one that makes it clear that she will do whatever she must to get by in a world dominated by men. This aspect of her nature is in stark contrast to the girly, high spirited and hopeful side we see as she talks of â€Å"making the pitchers† and of the guy who said â€Å"he was gonna put me in the movies† and â€Å"soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it.† Here she seems vulnerable and full of emotion- so much more human than the woman who only moments previously threatened to get Crooks lynched. We know that the relationship between Curley and his wife is far from perfect; one is always out looking for the other. Though this may be an excuse for his wife to talk to the ranch hands, the very fact that she has become this desperate for company highlights the gulf between them. The lack of communication between them means that the only relationship that they share is one of a physical nature. â€Å"Glove fulla Vaseline†, Curley keeps his hand â€Å"soft† for his wife- because he wishes to â€Å"show off his manliness†, this in no way is considerate towards her, it simply underlines yet another defect in their relationship. Curley’s wife tells Lennie how the two came to meet one another and ended up married. Curley was what she was left with, her only alternative to the high life of glitz and glamour that had no chance of turning into reality. She did not love him. In fact, she didn’t even like him â€Å"I don’t like Curley†. Her dislike for Curley and lack of concern for him again is evident when she â€Å"grows interested† whilst questioning Candy, Crooks and Lennie about how Curley came to break his hand. She shows no concern as a loving wife would, â€Å"Say- what happened to Curley’s han† She is merely curious and laughs when they tell her it was â€Å"caught in the machine†, â€Å"Baloney!† she cries. Another point to be made is that Steinbeck never places Curley and his wife together in the sae scene, other than the occasion on which Curley stood before his wife’s body- a time at which he was further away from her then he ever was when she was alive. They are mentioned together on many occasions, but are inevitably presented as two separate, different individuals. So close to one another, yet so far. Curley’s wife belongs to Curley. But she is not a part of him, just as he is not a part of her. A major reason as to why the relationship between Curley and his wife is so weak is because both characters are within themselves weak and insecure. Neither Curley, nor his wife has the power, the strength of personality or the will to go on without â€Å"support† or at least love. Curley is depicted as a character with an evil, twisted temperament who thrives upon power. Although our first impression of his wife is far from â€Å"good†, she is not evil- she is merely used to emphasise Steinbeck’s depiction of women as being trouble makers that bring ruin on man- Curley’s temper having worsened since their marriage and her role as a temptress being solely to get men locked up, or lynched. However different to one another, both characters are emotionally unstable, they don’t have the strength to support one another and so the chances of a relationship between the two working out are minimal. Indeed, at the end of the novel, when Curley realises that his wife is dead, instead of a feeling of deep hurt or loss that one usually feels after losing a close one, he immediately feels the need for revenge and so goes ahead to hunt Lennie down- his feelings of anger and to â€Å"get his own back† being stronger than the love he felt for his wife or sorrow ar her loss.

Best source of funding for research organization Essay

There are a number of ways of funding research programs to help medical clinics; we may have an aspect where the government lends a hand or seeking the indulgence of the pharmaceutical companies. (NCSL, 2014) The above stated are two of those ways. Acceptance of offers to carry out research depends on the wishes of beneficiaries; they get to choose whom they perceive to be their best options. (U.S. Congress, 2006) Grants by the federal government may be defined as the assistance in monetary terms offered by the American government. (NIST, 2014)The government assistance has to conform to the laws and regulations set about by the federal agencies. (USA Government, n.d.)Grants offered by the pharmaceutical companies; to conduct clinical research is one of the common ways of sourcing for money to carry out research activities for clinics. (Canadian Business Network, n.d) Pharmaceutical companies are private entities which may not be put under tight regulations as compared to public insti tutions. (Federal Grants, n.d)The financing pharmaceutical company may fund a research project they deem to be in line with what they find necessary for them. (D.o.J., 1998) Advantages of using government grants to fund research projects Government or federal grants are a good way of sourcing for funds; even though the central government may impose very strict measures to go about using the cash. (Cornell University, n.d.) Once a government agency has given the nod for one to conduct the research alongside the funds allocation; a research organization is left to conduct its affairs in the required time they find ample. (UCONN, n.d.) Pharmaceutical companies may impose timelines so that they launch their products for commercial gains. (The Arc, n.d.)Pharmaceutical companies may continue funding a project based on interests to be fulfilled; some may be under pressure to churn out products that cause a buzz within markets. (Grant Space, n.d.)Another risk involved with pharmaceuticals funding projects would be purely to spite their competitors and caress enormous egos of company executives and owners. (TGCI, n.d.) Government does not engage in competition; but their mandate is to look out for the welfare of their citizen s. (The White House, n.d.)It’s with the above stated reasons that governmental funding looks more appealing as compared to funding from private entities. (Homeland Security, n.d.)There would not be conflicts or interests as well as undue pressure. (FELDESMAN+TUCKER+LEIFER+FIDELL, n.d.) References NCSL. (2014). NCSL. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/american-health-benefit-exchanges.aspxU.S. Congress. (2006, October). Research and Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Retrieved from https://cbo.gov/sites/†¦/10-02-drugr-d.pdfCanadian Business Network. (n.d.). Canadian Business Network. Retrieved from http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/page/2740/National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States Department of Commerce (DoC). (2014, February 25). ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (FFO) Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) Research Grant Programs. Retrieved from www.nist.gov/†¦/grants/USA Government. (n.d.). Benefits, Grants, and Loans. Retrieved from http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Benefits.shtmlFederal Grants. (n.d.). Federal Grants. Retrieved from http://www.federalgrants.com/D.o.J. (1998, September). The United States Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/crt/grants_statutes/legalman.phpC ornell University. (n.d.). Cornell University. Retrieved from http://www.irb.cornell.edu/faq/UCONN. (n.d.). University of Connecticut. Retrieved from http://research.uconn.edu/The Arc. (n.d.). Public Policy. Retrieved from http://www.thearc.org/what-we-do/public-policy/know-your-rights/federal-lawsGrant Space. (n.d.). Knowledge Base. Retrieved from http://grantspace.org/tools/knowledge-base/Funding-Resources/Government-Funders/government-grantsTGCI. (n.d.). Thw Grantsmanship Center. Retrieved from http://www.tgci.com/training/competing-federal-grants-5-dayThe White House. (n.d.). Office of Mnagement and Budget. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_defaultHomeland Security. (n.d.). Title VI Overview for Recipients of DHS Financial Assistance. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.gov/title-vi-overview-recipients-dhs-financial-assistanceFELDESMAN+TUCKER+LEIFER+FIDELL. (n.d.). Federal Grants. Retrieved from http://www.feldesmantucker.com/federal-grants/ Source document

Incomplete

Froes explains that the â€Å"One Lesson of Business† is that, â€Å"Wealth is created when assets move from lower to higher-valued uses. † (p. 12) Froes goes on to spend most of the chapter talking about how taxation destroys wealth and that government subsidies (and all government spending is a subsist) also destroys wealth. Apply Frost's â€Å"one lesson of business† to a specific government tax-and- spend decision that you support or else use the â€Å"one lesson of business† to explain why you are an anarchist.AY) If you are not an anarchist, then explain how the government creates wealth by axing-and-spending to produce some program somewhere that you support. Why do you think that the tax dollars are worth less to taxpayers than the value of the government program you selected? This can't be a zero-sum game that happens to benefit you personally. The â€Å"One Lesson of Business† is about wealth creation. For example, I can't simply defend Me dicare because I like that it pays for my mother's healthcare. That doesn't explain whether Medicare creates wealth.I would need to justify whether Medicare's total benefits to society are greater than its cost to society. If government doesn't create value somewhere, then we would be better off without it and we should be anarchists. AY) If you are an anarchist, then explain why all taxation and government spending (subsidies) should be eliminated. In particular, you should take on the biggest spending programs of government: defense, healthcare (mostly Medicare), pensions (mostly Social Security), and education.These programs account for over 2/3 of total government spending (including state and local government), so if you are an anarchist, you should focus on where most of the money goes. . Froes says that businesses that are less bureaucratic and more free-market will be more successful. For example, on page 16, Froes says that, â€Å"Organizations impose ‘taxes,' Ã¢â‚¬Ë œsubsidies,' and ‘price controls' within their companies that lead to unprofitable decisions. Pick one of the following questions and indicate whether you have chosen to address X or Y: X) How do corporations and other organizations â€Å"tax† the individuals, divisions, and/pr departments within the organization? Give a specific example. Do not use any government mandated taxes as your example. Would the organization be better off if it completely avoided the kind of ‘taxation' in your example? Y) How do organizations impose â€Å"price controls†? Give an example where a bureaucrat (manager) imposes a price control (a pre-determined, fixed price) upon the people in the organization.Explain whether it is better to eliminate this particular price control. 7. Suppose you have capital that is currently worth $1,000 and your cost of capital (WAC) is 10%/year. How much operating profit per year would you need to earn to be generating economic value by staying in business according to EVA? 8. Think of a pacific example outside of the textbook where someone in an organization (team, school, business, government, etc. ) made a bad decision and use Frost's rational actor paradigm to diagnose the problem. A) What is the problem (very briefly)? B) What caused the bad decision?C) How could you fix the problem? Could anyone change the organizational structure, information, incentives, (or culture)? How well would your proposed change solve the problem? 9. You traveled to Memphis over the weekend but need to return to work in Columbus early Monday morning. On Sunday afternoon, your flight is postponed until Monday night due to hurricane Eke. Since this is a pleasure trip, you bought a non-refundable ticket for $250. You can still get a ticket on a Greyhound bus for $90 and still get home by 6:AMA. Under what circumstances should you buy the Greyhound ticket and â€Å"ride the dog† overnight? 0. You are the production manager for Widgets, Inc . Current production is 1,000 widgets and all have been ordered by your regular customers. The phone rings and a new customer wants to buy 1 more widget and offers you $1,000 if you increase production to 1,001 widgets. Should you accept this offer? Remember that it is often harder to make decisions if you Just try o estimate the cost than if you figure out the total profit. You do not need to know what the other customers paid. Below are your average total cost which is the total cost divided by the quantity of widgets.Quantity Average Total Cost Current Production 1 ,oho $200 Make One More? 1,001 $201 A) What is the marginal revenue of selling one more? B) What is the total cost currently (selling 1000 units) C) What would the total cost be if you sell 1001 units? D) What is the marginal cost of producing the 1st widget? E) What do you tell the new customer? 11. A) Your firm received an REP (request for proposal) on a wire harness from GM hat will require an investment with fixed costs of $1 million and a constant marginal cost per unit of $1 with expected sales of 1 million units.What is the break-even price per unit that you will need to quote in order to avoid losing money? B) GM agrees to the price you quoted, and then hands you with a POP (purchase order) for 0. 5 million units, what do you say? Why? 12. You have fixed costs of $100/year, and you can produce and sell 100 units per year but you sell a commodity, so you are at the mercy of the going market price and you cannot raise your price above whatever price the market is currently at. Your marginal cost is $5. If the market price declines, what is your break-even price below which you will shut down?Note that there are two different answers for two different possible scenarios. Give both possible answers for full credit. Don't worry about the opportunity cost of capital (WAC). Assume that that is included within the fixed cost figure. 13. Suppose there are two technologies for producing pizzas in M acaque. The solar oven requires $100 in fixed costs, but $9 in marginal costs versus the electric oven which requires $50 in fixed costs but $10 in marginal costs due to the high cost f electricity.What quantity of production will make you indifferent between the two different technologies? This is useful because in making capital expenditure decisions there is often this tradeoff and finding the break-even quantity helps strategies about which investment will be most profitable. The idea is that for small quantities one technology will have higher total costs and for large quantities the other technology will have higher total costs. Your Job is to see what quantity makes you indifferent between the two technologies because they have the same total cost.

Internal Control for Outflows: Cash Disbursements and Investments Essay

Cash Disbursements  · Budgeting and Supervision The first step towards any business activity is planning and budgeting. The expenditure that is likely to be incurred for each activity or each department must be estimated and included in a budget for that activity/department. Not only the amount but also the type of expenditure that is applicable to the activity ought to be defined. Once the budget has been formulated and approved by the Board, it must be ensured that the disbursements are used only for those purposes that are defined in the budget. Any expenses outside the budget must require special approval.  · Proper Authorization The person or persons that are entitled to make authorizations for cash disbursements must be determined beforehand, clearly and unambiguously. It will be wise if one individual from the organization, generally the executive director, or the head of each department possesses this right. Other than these people, no other person should be allowed to sanction cash disbursements.  · Segregation of Duties Different persons must be responsible for different duties related to cash disbursements. For instance, there should be a different person authorizing the payments, another one signing the check and another person making the entry in the books of accounts. This will reduce chances of fraud.  · Two Signatories for Larger Checks If the check is for an amount larger than a stipulated one, it should require the signature of two persons, who operate at a higher level in the organization.  · Documentation and Accounting Bills or receipts supporting each cash disbursement must be present. The cash disbursement must be properly entered in the books of accounts by the book keeper or cash manager.  · Periodical Internal Audit An internal audit must be conducted periodically to ensure that all accounts relating to cash are accurate, in compliance with the policies and there are no other discrepancies. Investments  · Investment Policy The organization should have a proper investment policy containing details of the type and quantum of investments it would like to make during a specified period of time, generally a year. Further the policy should also provide particulars as to the financial instruments/products and financial institutions approved for investment purposes.  · Transfer of Money The money involved in the sale and/or purchase of investments must be monitored. Wire transfers should be regulated with an appropriate set of regulations and security measures. Banks should be make aware of these regulations and should be required to provide written notifications of wire transfers as well as other investment transactions.  · Segregation of Duties The persons responsible for approving investments, signing the checks, signing the receipts, supervising the process of investment and documenting the investment must all be different.  · Recording and Documentation The sanction provided, the process followed and other information in relation to the purchase and/or sale of investments should be accurately recorded and documented by the investment manager.  · Periodical Statements Reports and statements must be compiled from time to time, preferably annually containing details about the total investments of the organization, the various forms of investments, their market value, interest rates, maturity dates and other important particulars, if any.  · Periodical Internal Audit An internal audit must be conducted periodically to ensure that all accounts relating to investments are accurate, in compliance with the investment policy and there are no other discrepancies.

Does technology reflect progress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Does technology reflect progress - Essay Example At this time technology did not carry personal vested interests. With the industrial revolution, came a change. Technology introduced power and a common man got so indulged into it that he began to view it as an end in itself rather than a means leading to some social goal. This was the point in time which actually raised the question posed in the beginning of this essay. There is no doubt that technology makes things easier, quicker and saves human labor. But is it progress? It gives a manpower and helps in achieving many material goals and mental satisfaction. But it does so, only for a certain class in the society. What of the poor laborers who become jobless due to technology? What of the fishermen who lose their catch because of technology? I think progress of a society has nothing to do with the fulfillment of vested interests of one class of the society. Progress on the societal level has to be collective to be called progress. Technology has definitely helped in improving the living standard of man all around the globe. I am not against technology. It is not possible to imagine even the earliest mankind without technology.

MGT499 Mod 2 Case - Strategic Management External Analysis Coursework

MGT499 Mod 2 Case - Strategic Management External Analysis - Coursework Example The responsibility drawn towards the natural role played by the strategic management committee does not only oversee the company’s internal management, but it extends the boundary into external marketing issues that affects the company’s marketing and operations. Although diversification in the field of technology has produced competitive edges in the motor industry, the organization has continued to thrive in its domestic markets. What if the management wanted to thrive into better and bigger competitive markets in abroad? Does it have the necessary resources and leadership criteria to improve its development and market development? Therefore in this thesis development looking into Harley-Davidson Corporation will help us develop proper understanding towards the understanding if the company’s resources can support it venture into the international markets and it can fair with the intensified competition, McBee, R. D. (2011). To define the necessary steps that ca n be taken by the HD Executives in making worthy decision making, the PEST analysis model will provide different support alternative to substitute in the basic strategic decision making by the company. This is going to create light and provide direction towards the understanding of the national factors that can affect the development a better ground breaking strategy by the company. The porter 5’s analysis tools are essential in defining what goes and how the company will fight against the external factors such as economy and price fluctuations to fit in their agendas and budgets. In general it is all about what the company will in order to curb the many external factors that may affect the operations of the company. Importance of PEST and Porter’s 5 Forces analysis in Harley-Davidson Corporation These are the main models that can help the organization in their daily findings and operations. In order to maintain their competitive edge they have demonstrated over the ti me, different issues have to be taken into considerations. Technology and price fluctuations The two models try to define the main important factors affects new and better ventures for any business company that wants to improve it operations. Looking at the corporation of HD, many subsidiaries have been established due to the rapid diversification in the field of motor manufacturing. This has developed many different versions of motors in the market. The many versions and technology trends tend to change the supplier and buying power of certain products relatively in accordance to corporation brands. Technology has changed the way redesigning and management of the aspects is planned and developed through operations, supplying to the market and price dependency, Bonham, S. S. (2008). Therefore the main strategic organization of the company should view and developed the necessary decisions in regard to technological changes in the region and market. Rapid development and establishment of different processing and marketing outlets in the market can affect the normal way a company runs its operation. Through the necessary procedures and steps taken by the marketing and producing departments of the corporation, it is important to change the aspect of supply, design and price variance in its products.

Project Planning and Management for Fire Company Essay

Project Planning and Management for Fire Company - Essay Example Formulation of the business strategies involves strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation. Various evaluation techniques include SWOT, STEEL PEST, and PISTEL. PISTEL helps in simple evaluation and is easy to use and understand. Fire is one of the most important facilities in our daily lives; it provides energy for transformation of goods to more usable and sellable products. It is also used for generation of electrical energy and other forms of energy that help in the manufacturer of goods and services. The great saying that fire is a useful servant but a bad master holds. Uncontrolled fire leads to destruction of property, loss of lives as well as causing major and minor injuries on the victims. To counter the negative effects of fire, various methods have been adapted by man, first is the insurance against the effects of fire. This insurance policy guarantees compensations if such losses occur. The insured person is compensated for loss of life, loss of property and any other loss that he may experience during the fire outbreak provided it is stipulated in the policy. Secondly, the company or individual may also install protective mechanism that helps suppressing the fire when it occurs. ... If the fire fighting company does not have enough facilities to fight with the fire, or if the staff are not well organized, or if other circumstance delay their response. Their services might be affected and this may lead cancellation of the contract and loses by the fire company. The fire firm must be well managed for it to be successful in its operations (Ash & Burn, 2002). The development of a strategic plan is very important in the overall success of the fire company. Careful evaluation need to be done by the firm to ensure that it offers very good services to its clients and also stimulate its employees to perform well. For the company to perform well, it must first develop it mission, vision and objectives clearly. The firm then must work towards fulfilling these goals. To archive these goals the firm must develop plans and policies which will aid it to archive the set goals. STRATEGY FORMULATION This is the first step is the formulation of the strategy, to formulate this strategy the following are necessary. Situation analysis This is the evaluation of the nature of the situation around the geographical area where the company wishes to establish the business. For the fire company the is need to evaluate if there are companies or individuals which need fire protection services, the events of previous fire outbreaks are also necessary as they help during the marketing stage of the service and fire fighting equipment. For example selling of fire fighting equipment and offering fire protection services in a town with numerous fire outbreaks is very profiting. The company management needs to carry out this situational analysis's in order to evaluate the feasibility of the project. The size of the market is also paramount during situational

How to Invest $1,000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How to Invest $1,000 - Essay Example This change may be an increase or decrease. If it increases, it may exceed the amount of EMV. However, if the probabilities are not 50/50, for instance 40/60 or 60/40, the EMV changes. Therefore to summarize the analysis, there are two variables which may affect Jim's decision to move. These include the probabilities of the chance of getting a higher paying job and the chance of leading to a lower paying job and the current salary (Jones, 1999). Jim's decision theoretically depends on the amount of EMV compared to his current salary. Judging upon the changes in the variables which may take effect, both the options of staying in his current job and moving may be a good alternative. If the expected value or EMV of the option of moving is greater than his current salary, then it would probably best for Jim to take the risk and move. In the contrary, if the EMV of moving is less than his current salary, then the option of staying in his current job would be better. Still, his decision must involve a comprehensive analysis of the probabilities of getting a higher or a lower paying job.

Analyzing Ragged Dick and comparing its depiction of status and Essay

Analyzing Ragged Dick and comparing its depiction of status and identity with that of Black Protest and the Great Migration and - Essay Example The boundaries which are created through each story show how culture is based on creating divisions within society because of stereotypes, status and ways in which relates to material goods. The first concept related to identity and status and the divisions which this creates in American society comes from the ideal of class. In each of the stories, there is a division of class which occurs, specifically between the lower, middle and higher classes. The point which is made with each of these classes shows that this is based on wealth and money, which allows any individual to change their class if they can make wealth. When these specific classes clash or the information about wealth is recognized, then it creates the division. For instance, in â€Å"Ragged Dick,† Dick is known to have lived on the streets and without a home; however, if this is disclosed to those in the middle class, which he is trying to turn to through wealth and money, then it will create division. For inst ance, when he is seen walking with Frank, there is recognition that Frank has a wealthy home while Dick has been on the streets.1 This information shows the divisions between class and how it turns from financial situations into social status. The concept of social status and the relationship to wealth is not only important in determining divisions between rich and poor. The concept of status created more divisions that were based on other stereotypes created within American society. One’s identity was furthered with divisions of color, race and the area which one was from, such as displayed in â€Å"The Great Migration†.2 This story is similar to that of Dick’s, specifically because the looks which one has and the ethnicity which they belong to create the same division. The identity then relates to the class which one belongs to. The revelation in this story is important because it defines not only divisions created in American society through race, but shows h ow society has created the boundaries of identity beginning with stereotypes of race, then leading to wealth expectations, neighborhoods which one should live in and the lifestyles which one has. Each of these attributes of division are seen with the movie â€Å"Lady and the Tramp† as a way of showing how the identity and status become a sense of conflict. The main plot of this story shows how a dog from the other side of the tracks falls in love with a mongrel from the other side of town. When looking at the division between these two, it can be seen that there are complexities with wealth, looks, race and the class divisions between the two. The boundaries are based on the identification of several attributes which are incorrect in the two being together3. This creates the central conflict in the story and shows how division is based on the superficial identities which are created in society. The differences which occurred within in society and identity, all which are divid ed according to the wealth, ethnicity and identity of an individual, come into conflict when the stereotypes of class are no longer effective. The economic, social and political concepts tie together, specifically because of the status which is held. If one has a specific social status based on wealth, then begins to change into a

(Government) Towns and Township Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

(Government) Towns and Township - Essay Example rchase Information for South Carolina, Motor Fuel online Filing System, Check Out eSales, Electronic Payment System and South Carolina Withholding Reconciliation Tax Return. The collective performance of these departments makes South Carolina Department of Revenue a successful organization (Welcome to the South Carolina Department of Revenue, n.d). South Carolina Business One Stop is an online business portal that aids businessmen through the state. South Carolina Business One Stop offers businessmen a portal between the businesses and the government. This online web portal allows people to apply and pay for licenses online, registrations, permits and other official filings. A few of the services the organization provides is to establish business entity with secretary of state, registration for corporate taxes, submit filings to inform secretary of state about changes, apply for renewal of alcohol beverage license and applying for renewal of department of consumer affairs (SCBOS, n.d.). South Carolina Department of Revenue is responsible for collection of Use Tax. Use Tax is the tax which is imposed on purchase of items made outside of South Carolina. The USE TAX is paid to South Carolina Department of Revenue. The items on which USE TAX is applicable are items purchased on mail order, catalogs, and shopping networks and on any items bought on the internet. Online items which are bought include books, electronic, clothing and jewelry (All About Use Tax, n.d). South Carolina Department of Revenue has an electronic sales taxing system which has been made to make taxpayers a fast, free, electronic and secure way to submit taxes and revenues. This online electrical system gives people an option to make payments online without the need to leave your homes (What is the Sales and Use Tax System, n.d). Another online forum working to collect tax is â€Å"South Carolina Department of Revenue Electronic Withholding System† is made specifically to provide the individuals

Company law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Company law - Essay Example The duties as well as the obligations of the directors, workers and the other officers are encompassed in Sec 179 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Australian Company Incorporation Services 2012). The Corporations Act 2001 (CTH) is regarded as the company law that exists in Australia. The responsibilities as well as the duties of the directors are specifically mentioned under the law which needs to be abided by the directors of the companies. The laws that are believed to preside over the duties as well as responsibilities of the directors are considered to source or originate from three different areas. The stated areas have been identified as the statute law that is encompassed by the Corporations Act 2001 (CTH), the law made by the judges or common law and the constitution of a particular company (Australian Company Incorporation Services 2012). ... he common law entail that they need to primarily carry out their activities in relation or compliance with the best possible interests concerning the company. The directors should not indulge themselves in any kind of activities that does not represent a proper or appropriate intention. The behavior of the director needs to be performed with care as well as adequate meticulousness. The directors are stated by the law to act in certain ways with the intention to keep away from any kind of disagreements relating to interests. It is also considered quite imperative for the directors to avoid or not get engaged in an activity that involves taking inappropriate advantage of their respective positions as well as information. Finally, it is expected from them to refrain from entering into any kind of business dealings while they are considered to be insolvent (Australian Company Incorporation Services 2012). Qualifying as a director under the Corporations Act 2001 (CTH) implies that few def inite obligations as well as duties need to mandatorily perform by the directors. The violation of the mentioned obligations under the law would lead to strict legal actions against the directors. The directors are also required to discharge few fiduciary duties that are stated under the mentioned law. These kinds of duties that need to be carried out by the directors of the companies entail the rule out of misusing the position of the directors in order to attain any kind of an advantage with regard to their personal interests or even for some other individual. They need to take enough precaution while performing their activities in order to avoid any damage or loss with respect to the related corporation (Australian Company Incorporation Services 2012). The fiduciary duties prohibit the

Greek Tragedy Essay Example for Free

Greek Tragedy Essay Art and literature has existed throughout time to represent and express cultural values, ideals and perceptions. It often portrays the forces that push ones particular culture onward, mentally stimulating and expanding individual mind and thought. In ancient Greek culture, Art and Literature is combined in a way that represented all of these things to its people. This combination is what we know as ancient Greek Theater, an art of drama and song, with the structure of spoken portions interlaced with choral lyrics, all concerned with mans fate. 1 Greek tragedy is credited to have developed around 534 B. C when the Greek Thespis created drama in which a main actor conversed with the leader of the chorus (this is where the term thespian originated, it has been used to describe an actor since the early 19th century). 2 Aeschylus, the first of the great 3 tragic poets, added a second actor to his plays and had a chorus of around 12. Sophocles, the second of the great poets, added the third actor and increased the chorus to 15 members. Sophocles is considered to model Greek tragedy, with Aeschylus marking the preparation and Eudripidies the decline. 3 These plays where preformed at Festivals in open-air theaters in which poets competed for prizes. It is widely accepted that these festivals where religious, and honored the Greek god Dionysius (God of Wine). All plays where developed around well-known ancient Greek myth, it was the Poets job to develop character and deepen plot. Each festival included 3 tragic poets to present a tetrology. (A group of 4 plays) which consisted of 3 tragedies and one satyr. 4 Each play would include anywhere from two to four actors, and an assembly of 12-15 choral members. It was each actors responsibility to display the plot through speech, however they where also responsible for singing solos. The chorus was an important tool in Greek tragedy as they commented on each scene and proposed subtleties to the audience, their song also heightened the emotion and atmosphere of the play. 5 Aristotles Poetics is considered the most valuable source of guidance for Greek tragedy. Aristotle defines tragedy as a drama which concerned better than average people (heros, kings, gods) who suffer a transition from good fortune to bad fortune and who speak in an elevated language. 6 It is also defined as a literary composition written to be preformed by actors in which a central character, called the tragic protagonist or hero, suffers some serious misfortune which is significant in that the misfortune is logically connected with the heros actions. 7 The hero is often host to some tragic flaw (hermatia) for which he himself is responsible, and which leads to his eventual downfall. However, Aristotle describes this tragic flaw to lead to a mistake in which the Protagonist is not aware. The heros destruction is often due to his self-ignorance. It is important to understand what Aristotle believes is the purpose for Greek tragedy in order to completely understand some of its main aspects. In Aristotles opinion, one of the marks of great tragedy is its ability to create a Cartharsis, the act of purging the soul of fear and pity. 8 Through creating a complex protagonist, a character who is seen as a great man, or hero, the audience in turn creates respect. Through this characters tragic flaw, and ignorance to his actions, the audience is drawn and starts to pitty the hero. The audience imagines themselves in the heros situation, and although they know the outcome of the story (as all Greek tragedy is bases on well-known Greek myth) they suspensefuly await the heros reaction to his fate. So this purging allows the audience to shed excess fear, refreshing their conscience so that it can exist in a healthy balance. Aristotle theorized that tragedy is rooted in the fundamental order of the universe. 9 Tragedy is a worse case scenario, which describes the possible effects of simple probability. It creates a cause-and-effect chain in which any individual can envision themselves as part of. We can now understand the importance of certain aspects of the tragic heros character and his responsibility to uphold the plot. A hero, in the Greek sense, is a man who by his extraordinary career has pushed back the horizons of what is possible for humanity and is then deemed worthy of commendation after his death. 10 As we know, this hero is not flawless. However, it is important to realise that in what Aristotle values as good tragedy, these flaws often contribute to the very virtues which allow our protagonist to become a hero in the first place. In other words, tragic irony is implicated, and it is the same incidents and qualities of a man which catapult him to hero stature as those which drag him down. Tragedy is concerned with the fate of big men. 11 Aristotle believed that Sophocles, Oedipus Rex was the perfect tragedy. Why was Oedipus Rex in effect the perfect tragic hero? Oedipus was a great man and King of Thebes. He was self righteous, hasty and suspicious of his friends, but we also see that if it where not for these qualities Oedipus would not have continued with his inquiries. His heroic nature is magnified in his persistence for the truth despite the fact that it became quite obvious that gaining further knowledge would end in disaster and self-destruction. 12 Peripeteia is when a character produces an effect opposite to that which he intended to produce. 13Aristotle firmly believed that all good tragedy proposed some peripeteia within its plot. This is perfectly represented within Oedipus Rex. Oedipus promises his people that he will find the root of the plague that gripped his kingdom. In ancient Greek times, it was believed that illness and plague where signs from the gods that they where upset or a crime against their godly standards had been committed. So as any noble hero would do, Oedipus sets out on a quest for this knowledge. He soon discovers that the murder of Thebes prior king, Laius, is the root off his citys pollution. He vows to discover the murderer, and sets the punishment of death or banishment to whomever was found guilty. This was his intention. We can also see again that Oedipus is a noble hero, as he is a king and he is willing to go to any ends for his people. These traits would have invoked feelings of respect in the minds of the audience. As Oedipus discovers more information, he draws nearer to the conclusion that it is possible that through self-blindness and ignorance, Oedipus himself is the likely murderer of Laius. Through this step in the play we see that again Oedipus carries the qualities of a tragic hero; his murdering of Laius was due to his self-arrogance and lack of knowledge that the man who he was killing was of high status. This murder was indeed due to Oedipuss tragic flaw of Hubris (arrogant disregard for the rights of others, or overbearing pride or presumption 14) but he was unaware of the consequences and the murder was quite spontaneous. Oedipus continues to search for the truth despite his possible self-guilt, as he states that he must be sure that he is indeed Leuiss murderer. This, according to human standards, Oedipus not only behaved well in this situation, but he is known to have asserted the dignity of manhood. Alas, more investigation does lead to his definite guilt, and also leads to what is known as an Agagnorisis, or a change from ignorance to knowledge. 15 Oedipus had not been born heir to the throne of Thebes. After learning of a prophecy that he would one-day murder his father and marry his mother, he ran away from his parents to escape this fate. He had arrived in Thebes just after the time of Laiuss death. A sphinx was afflicting the city at the time, and he defeated it, there-for winning the admiration of the Thebans and stealing the heart of newly widowed queen, Jocasta. Their marriage was nearly instant, and they lived in happiness for some years and produced a number of children. So it was at this agagnorisis when Oedipus learnt that he had been adopted, and that Laius had been his father, and Jocasta his mother. They had discarded him apon a hill after hearing the very same prophocy, hoping they too could escape their fate. This unraveling of the plot is called the lusis. 16 This is where the Peripeteia is for filled. Although Oedipus had always intended to catch and punish the murderer of Leius, he in no way intended that it would be himself who was responsible. This is also ironic in the sense that twice he had unknowingly set the path for his own destruction. Another form of Greek tragedy is the decision that the tragic hero must face once he has reached his agagnorisis. 17 Oedipus had a choice, to continue to live in sin with his mother/wife and perpetuate the slow destruction of Thebes, or to uphold the little dignity he had left, finally accept his fate and finalize the promises he made to his people. Oedipus chooses to do what any hero would do, accept responsibility for his actions and punish himself as he promised to do in the beginning of the play. The knowledge of his sin against his father and mother causes him to blind himself, as he could not bear to look upon the world any longer. This fact again adds irony to the story, as when Oedipus was able to see physically, he was still blind to his past and the consequences of his actions. Through his blinding, he was self-knowing, and he had for the first time accepted his fate. He left Thebes as a blind beggar. Although in some respects Oedipus is now seen as no longer a hero, the audience would have respected his final decisions, and in some way he had corrected his moral flaw through his self-punishment. We can now question the belief of fate and pre-determination. Greek tragedy did indeed deal with the role of the gods in mortal life and to the extend that mortals controlled their actions. Oedipus was responsible for his deeds, as it was by no accident that Laius died, and Oedipus did have a tragic flaw, which led to this murder. But we can also examine the fact that a prophecy existed which laid out the steps that Oedipus would take through out his life. If it where not for Oedipuss knowledge of this prophecy, would he have ever left his home in Corinth, would he have ever murdered Laius, and married his mother? Or we can look even further into Oedipuss past; if Jocasta and Leius had not known of this prophecy, they would never had abandoned Oedipus, and perhaps he would never had committed the sins which it seems he was destined to commit. So again we see a cause and effect chain, knowledge leading to ignorance, ignorance in turn leading to knowledge, blindness to sight, sight to blindness. It is also argued that it was the individuals attempt to escape their fate which was the true crime against the gods. It is at this point we can see how the Cultural Revolution, known as The Greek Enlightenment, effected these dramas. It was from this new atmosphere of questioning and individualism in which man started to question the meaning of life beyond the restraints of God rules man. And not only did Greek tragedy come to question the gods, it also questioned what it meant to be human. 18 1 The Complete Plays of Sophocles. 2 http://www. stemnet. nf. ca/~hblake/tragedy1. html 3 http://www. classics. cam. ac. uk/Faculty/tragedy. html 4 www.depthame. brooklyn. cuny. edu 5 15 Greek Plays 6 The Complete Plays of Sophocles 7 www. depthame. brooklyn. cuny. edu 8 9 www. cnr. edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics. html 10 The Complete Plays of Sophocles. 11 The Complete Plays of Sophocles 12 The Complete Plays of Sophocles 13 www. depthame. brooklyn. cuny. edu 12 American Heritage dictionary 15 www. cnr. edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics. html 16 www. cnr. edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics. html 17 http://www. stemnet. nf. ca/~hblake/tragedy1. html 18 http://www. stemnet. nf. ca/~hblake/tragedy1. html.