Sunday, January 19, 2020

Enron Scandal

Ethics are values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions. If all people lived by this code the world would be a much better place. Having business ethics in the workplaces is very significant to having a truly successful business. Many companies have been forced to suffer losses or even forced to enter bankruptcy. Enron is one of the biggest examples of when making business ethical decisions go wrong.An American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas Enron was a big deal. Employing approximately 20,000 staff and was being one of the world’s leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies. Enron was a company on top on of the reason the fall was so drastic. Since Enron was the largest corporation contributor to the first presidential Bush campaign some people believed it to be a political conspiracy. The people in charge of Enron you can say lost their way, they became more worried about the money instead of the wellbeing of their company and employees.If Enron had stayed in the gray areas or at least the moral minimum then thing might have turned out different for them. Staying in these areas they would have made sure that all there business dealing was in compliance with the law. However just because a business deal is in compliance with the law does not mean it is ethical. Enron is the largest bankruptcy reorganization in American history and also the biggest audit failure of that time. With the using of accounting loopholes, special purpose entities, and poor financial reporting, Enron was able to hide billions in debt from failed deals and projects.Many executives at Enron were indicted for a variety of charges and were later sentenced to prison. Employees and shareholders received limited returns in lawsuits, despite losing billions in pensions and stock prices. As a cons equence of the scandal, new regulations and legislation were enacted to expand the accuracy of financial reporting for public companies. Enron first started sliding down the unethical path when the market to market accounting style was introduced. Market to market accounting allowed Enron to book potential future profit on the day a deal was signed.This is a problem because even if the company did not receive any money that day Enron could make it look anyway they wanted. Due to the large discrepancies of attempting to match profits and cash, investors were typically given false or misleading reports. While using the method, income from projects could be recorded, although they might not have ever received the money, and in turn increasing financial earnings on the books. Enron also had something in place called PRC the performance review committee.It let employees review each other and people that did not meet the requirement you were let go and the better employees were rewarded. Employees constantly looked to start high-volume deals, often disregarding the quality of cash flow or profits, in order to get a higher rating for their performance review. Enron paid out multimillion dollars bonuses to top executive based on imaginary profit. Enron had to find real money to fund them so they merged with Portland General Electric Company. Enron became the largest marketer of natural gas and electricity.Enron and Blockbuster signed a 20 year agreement to introduce video on-demand. After several attempts to get the concept together Enron realized it was not going to work. Enron estimated profits of more than $110 million from the deal, even though analysts questioned the technical viability and market demand of the service. When the network failed to work, Blockbuster pulled out of the contract. Enron continued to recognize future profits, even though the deal resulted in a loss. Enron debt was beginning to catch up with them and raise questions so they found differe nt ways to hide it.One ways was hiding the debt in a lot of dummy corporations. Their purpose was to purpose to raise the company’s stock to make it look like profit was coming in. At this point Enron had thrown business ethics out of the window. Making people invest their money in a company stock that had false value. Enron started using the electricity needs to their advantages having forced black out for the cost of electricity to raise and to make a profit. They did not care what the lack of electricity was doing to the people. When Enron went bankrupt the people lost everything there whole savings where gone and they were now without a job.If people had stop to ask there self is this decision ethical or how it well affect others the Enron scandal could have been avoided. The executive put money over the wellbeing of the company as a whole and the employees. When making the important decisions about your business you should always look at the business, personal and legal side of the deal. Every deal has its outcome it is your job to predict the outcome and deal with the consequences of your actions. Hanshermannhesse3. â€Å"Enron – The Smartest Guys in the Room. † YouTube. YouTube, 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. .

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Political Corruption Essay

Wrongdoing on the part of an authority or powerful party through means that are illegitimate, immoral, or incompatible with ethical standards. Corruption often results from patronage and is associated with bribery. In economy, corruption is payment for services or material which the recipient is not due, under law. This may be called bribery. Way back in 200 B.C., Kautilya meticulously described 40 different kinds of corruption in his Arthashastra. He has aptly commented: â€Å"Just as it is impossible not to taste honey or poison when it is at the tip of the tongue, so it is impossible for a government servant not to eat up a bit of revenue. And just as it cannot be found out whether a fish swimming through water drinks or not so also government servants cannot be found out while taking money for themselves.† Corruption is defined as moral depravity and influencing through bribery. Essentially, corruption is the abuse of trust in the interest of private gain. This normally involves business man and government. The extortive type is the kind where the donor is compelled to bribe in order to avoid harm being inflicted upon his person or his interest. It is not difficult to locate the causes of corruption. Corruption breeds at the top and then gradually filters down to the lower levels. Gone are the days when people who joined politics were imbued with the spirit of serving the nation. Those who plunged themselves into the fight for freedom knew that there were only sacrifices to be made, no return was expected. So only the selfless people came forward. But the modern politicians are of entirely different mould. They are not motivated by any lofty ideals. They win elections at a huge personal cost and then try to make the best of the opportunity they get. Powerful business magnates who are forced to give huge donations to political parties indulge in corrupt practices not only to make up their losses but also to consolidate their gains. Corruption in different fields Collusion is an agreement between two or more persons, sometimes illegal and therefore secretive, to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or  defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair advantage. Collusion is a corrupt activity. The different fields of corruption are 1. Political corruption 2. Police Corruption 3. Corporate corruption 4. Corruption in local Government 1. Political Corruption Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved with the government. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties, is done under color of law or involves trading in influence. Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. While corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, it is not restricted to these activities. The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. For instance, certain political funding practices that are legal in one place may be illegal in another. In some cases, government officials have broad or poorly defined powers, which make it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal actions. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually. A state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy, literally meaning â€Å"rule by thieves†. When people in power indulge in corruption so unabashedly, the common man gets a kind of sanction. Ironically, instead of  fighting against the menace of corruption, our political leaders declare it a worldwide phenomenon and accept it as something inevitable. 2. Police Corruption Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, and/or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest. One common form of police corruption is soliciting and/or accepting bribes in exchange for not reporting organized drug or prostitution rings or other illegal activities. Another example is police officers flouting the police code of conduct in order to secure convictions of suspects — for example, through the use of falsified evidence. More rarely, police officers may deliberately and systematically participate in organized crime themselves. In most major cities there are internal affairs sections to investigate suspected police corruption or misconduct. Similar entities include the British Independent Police Complaints Commission. Police corruption is a significant widespread problem in many third world countries, such as Russia, Ukraine and Mexico. 3. Corporate Corruption Corporate crime refers to crimes committed either by a corporation (i.e., a business entity having a separate legal personality from the natural persons that manage its activities), or by individuals acting on behalf of a corporation or other business entity (see vicarious liability and corporate liability). Some negative behaviours by corporations may not actually be criminal; laws vary between jurisdictions. For example, some jurisdictions allow insider trading. Corporate crime overlaps with: †¢ White-collar crime, because the majority of individuals who may act as or represent the interests of the corporation are white-collar professionals; †¢ Organized crime, because criminals may set up corporations either for the purposes of crime or as vehicles for laundering the proceeds of crime. The world’s gross criminal product has been estimated at 20 percent of world trade. (de Brie 2000); and †¢ State-corporate crime because, in many contexts, the opportunity to commit crime emerges  from the relationship between the corporation and the state. 4. Corruption in Local Governments There are several types of political corruption that occur in local government. Some are more common than others, and some are more prevalent to local governments than to larger segments of government. Local governments may be more susceptible to corruption because interactions between private individuals and officials happen at greater levels of intimacy and with more frequency at more decentralized levels. Forms of corruption pertaining to money like bribery, extortion, embezzlement, and graft are found in local government systems. Other forms of political corruption are nepotism and patronage systems. Bribery Bribery is the offering of something which is most often money but can also be goods or services in order to gain an unfair advantage. Common advantages can be to sway a person’s opinion, action, or decision, reduce amounts fees collected, speed up a government grants, or change outcomes of legal processes. Extortion Extortion is threatening or inflicting harm to a person, their reputation, or their property in order to unjustly obtain money, actions, services, or other goods from that person. Blackmail is a form of extortion. Embezzlement Embezzlement is the illegal taking or appropriation of money or property that has been entrusted to a person but is actually owned by another. In political terms this is called graft which is when a political office holder unlawfully uses public funds for personal purposes. Nepotism Nepotism is the practice or inclination to favor a group or person who is a relative when giving promotions, jobs, raises, and other benefits to employees. This is often based on the concept of familism which believes that a person must always respect and favor family in all situations including those pertaining to politics and business. This leads some political officials to give privileges and positions of authority to  relatives based on relationships and regardless of their actual abilities. Patronage systems Patronage systems consist of the granting favors, contracts, or appointments to positions by a local public office holder or candidate for a political office in return for political support. Many times patronage is used to gain support and votes in elections or in passing legislation. Patronage systems disregard the formal rules of a local government and use personal instead of formalized channels to gain an advantage. Corruption Perceptions Index Since 1995, Transparency International (TI) publishes the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) annually ranking countries â€Å"by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.† The CPI generally defines corruption as â€Å"the misuse of public power for private benefit.† The results of the 2010 edition, as every year, are sobering. No region or country in the world is immune to the damages of corruption, the vast majority of them score below 5. The CPI has played a critical role in branding the issue of corruption on the world’s conscience. It sends a powerful message and national governments have been forced to take notice and act. The demand for public sector governance that keeps the interests of its citizens first with openness and accountability is not limited to a country or region – this is a common goal that transcends borders and cultures. The public sector is just one side of a multi-faceted problem though. Transparency International conducts an array of global research, such as the Global Corruption Barometer, a world wide public opinion survey, and the Bribe Payers Index, which measures the likelihood of firms from leading exporting countries to bribe abroad, which taken together enables us to better comprehend the many sides of corruption. Corruption is notoriously difficult to measure. The complexity and secrecy that shroud corrupt deals mean that it is virtually impossible to quantify the financial cost of corruption. The human expense is clear to see though, and it is the poorest that are most vulnerable. The diversity of victims that seek help from one of TI’s Advocacy and Legal Advice Centers shows that corruption can affect anyone. As we support these individuals, their personal triumphs are translated into systemic change – proving that corruption can be fought and  beaten. It may be that the CPI scores are just a number to you, but for many people around the world it is their daily reality. It need not be so. As Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International, notes, â€Å"These 180 countries in our index are your countries, and their perceived levels of corruption will remain as such until you demand accountability.† India in Corruption Perception Index India’s ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index too has slipped from 84 to 87 in 2010. All this exhibits a problem that is not going anywhere soon and mocks the high moral ground that we aspire to occupy in the international arena. Corruption has afflicted all the organs of our society including the polity, bureaucracy, judiciary, police, businessmen, and even public at large. It has rendered our governance apparatus hollow and ineffective. Countless efforts to combat corruption have not made any significant dent into this hydra headed monster. The public perception of India has been extensively damaged by the corrupt activities of politicians, bureaucrats and business houses. The telecom spectrum allocation scam – the biggest in the history of independent India – for which a minister, an MP and several corporate bosses are in jail and others are expected soon, the Commonwealth Games scandal in which the whole organizing committee, including the chairman are in jail, politicians grabbing prime real estate in housing Society meant for war widows in Mumbai, and the cash-for-vote scam involving parliamentarians have all badly eroded the public faith in government functioning in India. Corruption is silently eating into the vitals of our nation like termite. Bit by bit, it is denting our dignity and compromising our soul. Not only does it affect only individuals but alarmingly it affects our nation as a whole. India Against Corruption India Against Corruption (IAC) is a citizen’s movement to demand strong anti-corruption laws. Lokpal bills were introduced several times since 1968, yet they were never passed by the Indian Parliament. After a fast by veteran social activist Anna Hazare and widespread protests by citizens across India the Government of India constituted a 10-member Joint Committee of ministers  and civil society activists to draft an effective Jan Lokpal Bill. The primary focus of IAC movement is to ensure a strong Lokpal bill. This corruption in India does not lead simply to cabinet portfolio shifts or newspaper headlines, but to massive human deprivation and even more extreme income inequalities. Combating corruption in the region is not just about punishing corrupt politicians and bureaucrats but also saving human lives. The IAC is a strictly voluntary organization and its participants are bound by the IAC code of conduct. India Against Corruption Movement – Code Of Conduct 1. The movement is completely NONVIOLENT & PEACEFUL  2. It is INCLUSIVE & NON-DISCRIMINATORY. Encouraging every community regardless of religion, caste, language, region, culture, sex, age, profession, economic strata, etc. to be part of the movement and be treated equally. 3. The movement is completely SECULAR. Communalism is more dangerous than corruption. Also, the problems of this country cannot be solved without people from all faiths and religions coming together. 4. The volunteers should work in the spirit of SELFLESS SERVICE to fulfill the dream of realizing a strong Jan Lokpal Act for the country without expecting money, name, fame, recognition, etc. for oneself. 5. India Against Corruption is not a Sangathan or an NGO or any institution. It is a people’s movement, a collective expression of the people of India fighting against corruption and seeking a better future. Therefore, the movement cannot have any branches. Rather than an organizational structure, it seeks to develop an efficient communication structure to enable free flow of ideas. Every person participating in the movement does so as a citizen of India with a burning desire to do something for the country. No person is a representative of Anna Hazare or in any other position. 6. FRATERNITY & UNITY. People should work with a feeling of brotherhood and avoid conflicts within a group or across groups. The forces opposite us are so powerful. We must stay united if we have to win over them. Deficiencies in the present anti-corruption systems Central Government level: At central Government level, there is Central Vigilance Commission, Departmental vigilance and CBI. CVC and Departmental vigilance deal with vigilance (disciplinary proceedings) aspect of a corruption case and CBI deals with criminal aspect of that case. Central Vigilance Commission: CVC is the apex body for all vigilance cases in Government of India. †¢ However, it does not have adequate resources commensurate with the large number of complaints that it receives. CVC is a very small set up with a staff strength less than 200. It is supposed to check corruption in more than 1500 central government departments and ministries, some of them being as big as Central Excise, Railways, Income Tax etc. Therefore, it has to depend on the vigilance wings of respective departments and forwards most of the complaints for inquiry and report to them. While it monitors the progress of these complaints, there is delay and the complainants are often disturbed by this. It directly enquires into a few complaints on its own, especially when it suspects motivated delays or where senior officials could be implicated. But given the constraints of manpower, such number is really small. †¢ CVC is merely an advisory body. Central Government Departments seek CVC’s advice on various corruption cases. However, they are free to accept or reject CVC’s advice. Even in those cases, which are directly enquired into by the CVC, it can only advise government. CVC mentions these cases of non-acceptance in its monthly reports and the Annual Report to Parliament. But these are not much in focus in Parliamentary debates or by the media. †¢ Experience shows that CVC’s advice to initiate prosecution is rarely accepted and whenever CVC advised major penalty, it was reduced to minor penalty. Therefore, CVC can hardly be treated as an effective deterrent against corruption. †¢ CVC cannot direct CBI to initiate enquiries against any officer of the level of Joint Secretary and above on its own. The CBI has to seek the permission of that department, which obviously would not be granted if the senior officers of that department are involved and they could delay the case or see to it that permission would not be granted. †¢ CVC does not have powers to register criminal case. It deals only with vigilance or disciplinary matters. †¢ It does not have powers over politicians. If there is an involvement of a politician in any case, CVC could at best bring it to the notice of the Government. There are several cases of serious corruption in which officials and political executive are  involved together. †¢ It does not have any direct powers over departmental vigilance wings. Often it is seen that CVC forwards a complaint to a department and then keeps sending reminders to them to enquire and send report. Many a times, the departments just do not comply. CVC does not have any really effective powers over them to seek compliance of its orders. †¢ CVC does not have administrative control over officials in vigilance wings of various central government departments to which it forwards corruption complaints. Though the government does consult CVC before appointing the Chief Vigilance Officers of various departments, however, the final decision lies with the government. Also, the officials below CVO are appointed/transferred by that department only. Only in exceptional cases, if the CVO chooses to bring it to the notice of CVC, CVC could bring pressure on the Department to revoke orders but again such recommendations are not binding. †¢ Appointments to CVC are directly under the control of ruling political party, though the leader of the Opposition is a member of the Committee to select CVC and VCs. But the Committee only considers names put up before it and that is decided by the Government. The appointments are opaque. †¢ Therefore, though CVC is relatively independent in its functioning, it neither has resources nor powers to enquire and take action on complaints of corruption in a manner that meets the expectations of people or act as an effective deterrence against corruption. Departmental Vigilance Wings: Each Department has a vigilance wing, which is manned by officials from the same department (barring a few which have an outsider as Chief Vigilance Officer. However, all the officers under him belong to the same department). †¢ Since the officers in the vigilance wing of a department are from the same department and they can be posted to any position in that department anytime, it is practically impossible for them to be independent and objective while inquiring into complaints against their colleagues and seniors. If a complaint is received against a senior officer, it is impossible to enquire into that complaint because an officer who is in vigilance today might get posted under that senior officer some time in future. †¢ There have been instances of the officials posted in vigilance wing by that department having had a very corrupt past. While in vigilance, they try to scuttle all cases against themselves. They also turn vigilance wing into a hub of corruption, where cases are closed for  consideration. †¢ Departmental vigilance does not investigate into criminal aspect of any case. It does not have the powers to register an FIR. †¢ They also do not have any powers against politicians. †¢ Since the vigilance wing is directly under the control of the Head of that Department, it is practically impossible for them to enquire against senior officials of that department. †¢ Therefore, , the vigilance wing of any department is seen to softpedal on genuine complaints or used to enquire against † inconvenient† officers. CBI: CBI has powers of a police station to investigate and register FIR. It can investigate any case related to a Central Government department on its own or any case referred to it by any state government or any court. †¢ CBI is overburdened and does not accept cases even where amount of defalcation is alleged to be around Rs 1 crore. †¢ CBI is directly under the administrative control of Central Government. †¢ So, if a complaint pertains to any minister or politician who is part of a ruling coalition or a bureaucrat who is close to them, CBI’s credibility has suffered and there is increasing public perception that it cannot do a fair investigation and that it is influenced to to scuttle these cases. †¢ Again, because CBI is directly under the control of Central Government, CBI is perceived to have been often used to settle scores against inconvenient politicians. Therefore, if a citizen wants to make a complaint about corruption by a politician or an official in the Central Government, there isn’t a single anti-corruption agency which is effective and independent of the government, whose wrongdoings are sought to be investigated. CBI has powers but it is not independent. CVC is independent but it does not have sufficient powers or resources. Conclusion We are all part of this historic movement to eradicate corruption. Together, under the leadership of Anna Hazare, the â€Å"Jan Lokpal Bill† – a strong law to ensure swift and certain punishment to the corrupt political leaders and government officials is being drafted. Jan Lokpal Bill is a Law being made by the people and for the people. The success of this campaign depends entirely on us. So we have to support the fight for effective Jan Lokpal Bill. References http://www.google.co.in/ http://www.wikipedia.org/ http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org

Friday, January 3, 2020

John 1135 Analysis Essay - 1582 Words

The empathy that Jesus held for mankind was never so well summarized in the bible as in John 11:35. Christ’s emotions were narrated very rarely in the Gospel. For the large part of his ministry Christ spent his time teaching instead of expressing his emotions. Christians have for years come to one of three conclusions about why Jesus wept. The first was that Christ (being human) was in fact emotionally disturbed by his friend’s death. Second that Christ mourned with his friends to comfort them. Or that Christ, was disturbed by his friends lack of faith in him. The first conclusion dethrones what philosophers (namely Augustine and Plato) for years have believed about death. The second conclusion portrays Christ as sympathetic, but†¦show more content†¦In this situation he wanted to convey a message through his actions. Christ never mourned death, in the rest of his ministry he was offended by those who did. In Luke 8 Christ is asked to raise a small chi ld from the dead. Upon arriving at the house he found a crowd of mourners surrounding the house. He told them that the child was just sleeping. Christ later in the chapter raised the girl from the dead. There are many other instances in the gospel in which Christ’s reaction to death is the same. Christ appears very hypocritical in John 11 if he was indeed mourning his friends death. As every other time he encountered death, he had commanded mourners to cease their mourning. Christians have interpreted this as a sign of Christ’s humanity. After all, if Christ was entirely human he would have held a fear of death. Or if Christ was human he would have been saddened by his friends death. Jesus had heard of his friends death, before he began to weep. In fact it was not until he had talked with two of Lazarus’s relatives, was he saddened. If he was truly disturbed by his death, why didn’t he weep when he heard of his death? Many Christians have interpreted this passage as a sign of Christ’s deep compassion for his friends. Mathew Henry comments â€Å"Christs tender sympathy with these afflicted friends, appeared by the troubles of his spirit. In all the afflictions of believers he is afflicted. HisShow MoreRelatedThematic Analysis Of The Book Of Acts Essay example1571 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Thematic Analysis Template Student: Copy and paste the down arrow ( ï‚ ¼ ) into boxes to show that a unit of material is continuing. 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Wednesday, December 25, 2019

History of Jamaican Music - 1268 Words

Crystal Hislop Research Paper: Final Submission History of Jamaican Music Contemporary History Professor: Sharon Rodriguez 2/19/12 History of Jamaican Music The history of Jamaican music is inextricably intertwined with the history of the Jamaican people. Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean, and was initially populated by the Arawak people. Christopher Columbus discovered the island on his second voyage to the Americas, and it was settled first by Spanish colonists, and later by English colonists. (Megan, R.) Jamaicans possess a musical heritage that comes from their African and European roots. Reggae music is Jamaica’s best sound. These thumping sounds are rich and infectious and encompass expression†¦show more content†¦Rapping is, in fact, a method of creative expression. The thought that young people can participate in this form of creativity seems to have helped the phenomenal growth of this genre of music and expression. Dancehall is an expressive routine that includes songs, poetry, films and fashion. This art form gives young people the outlet of expressing themselves creatively. (Franksterr) This is old time story telling in song and music. It combines African and latin rhythm, with anglo folksongs...and was very popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Today it is used mainly to entertain visitors coming to the island...giving them a taste of what Jamaican music was like in the past. Listen to it and you will most certainly feel the spirit of the old days. The stories it tell are usually simple and funny everyday happenings in Jamaican life.The instruments are also very simple a gourd shaker, a upright bass, rumba box, fiddle, mandolin, ukulele, or a trumpet. My American friends tend to hang around it for a bit and find themselves certainly laughing and moving to the beat. Ska is simply mento music moving to the next stage! Musicians began playing around with the music - adding a little calypso here and there...a little American jazz, some rhythm amp; blues...and before you know it ska popped out! This new rythm took the 1960 s by storm...until The rude boys of the time slow ed the pace a bit, added a steady rock beat...toShow MoreRelatedJamaica: Land of Inspiration 858 Words   |  4 Pagessee. However, Jamaica was not always a happy and carefree place. The Jamaican people have suffered from war, disease, and slavery. Jamaica is a small and beautiful country that thrives with culture and should be studied by everyone around the world. Geography and Climate Jamaica has a wide range of geography. The geography varies from mountains, to forests, to coastal plains, to scattered hills, and also plateaus (â€Å"History†). Although Jamaica is a small country, it is the largest island of theRead MoreReggae Paper1223 Words   |  5 Pagesfor all Jamaican popular music since 1960, is defined as a ‘West Indian style of music with a strongly accented subsidiary beat† (Chang). Reggae music is a great style of music that was popularized by one of the world’s most famous musicians, Bob Marley. Personally, I never listened to it until I made it to college, and it has quickly become one of my favorite genres. For that reason is why I chose to write this paper on Reggae music. This genre is a very calming and relaxing style of music, whichRead MoreCulture Analysis : Jamaica. Jamaica1394 Words   |  6 Pagesis a creole dialect with West African, Spanish, and French elements. The language today reflects the history of the co untry and its interaction with diverse mixture of cultures from many ethnic, and social backgrounds. The local language is a reflection of a history of contact with variety of speakers, but the official language remains to be standard English (Pryce, 1997). However many Jamaicans feel that if they devalue their native language of patois, then they are devaluing their heritage. TheRead MoreReggae Music : A Musical Genre That Influenced Jamaican Music1268 Words   |  6 Pages Reggae is a musical genre that has revolutionized Jamaican music. Reggae originated in Jamaica in the late sixties, early seventies. It’s slow jerky rhythm and spiritual lyrics have influenced many artists, genres, cultures, and societies throughout the world. This had contributed to the advancement of new counterculture movements, especially in the United States of America, as well as Europe and Africa. In the late seventies, it had impacted western punk and rock/pop cultures, which had resultedRead Mor e Jamaica Essay1199 Words   |  5 PagesCaribbean island, lays the seaside town of Runaway bay. A town filled with deep rooted culture on an island filled with welcoming natives. The pleasant vibes of reggae music and Rastafarian culture flow from the hills to the sandy shores. This island rich with tropical fruits and spices is located in the heart of the Greater Antilles. History tells that the enslaved island once known to its natives as â€Å"Xaymeca†, has come a long way in becoming the independent nation known today as Jamaica. In the Sea ofRead MoreThe Cultural and Human Elements of the Great Bob Marley’s Music1054 Words   |  5 PagesBob Marley’s Music One of the elements of being human in Bob Marley’s life was his religious beliefs in Rastafarianism and the way it influenced his music. Social justice issues, social classes, dialect, the government and economic systems of Jamaica are some of the cultural elements that were a great part of Bob Marley’s music, along with his faith, that helped inspired countless of his musical achievements. In addition to, he weaved these elements together to create his music, his style.Read MoreJamaica, A Large Melting Pot Of Many Cultures And Tourist Attractions1241 Words   |  5 Pagesindependence from England in 1962.The history of Jamaica shaped its culture, as it exhibits influences from the African roots of slave laborers. Since gaining independence, Jamaica has experienced some issues; unemployment increased the 1960s and crime went up (Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates in the world). Despite Jamaica s high crime rates, the nation has managed to spread positivity in others ways, through their rich culture in arts and especially music. Social Cultural Context JamaicaRead MoreThe Evolution Of Rap Music921 Words   |  4 PagesThe Evolution of Rap Rap music is undeniably one of the most popular music genres today. What is rap? Rap is really a very old word. You can find the term popping up as early as the 15th and 16th century in Britain. The word rap actually meant to strike or to hit. After a few centuries a slight variation of this definition appeared which meant to speak or talk. In America around the 1960’s it began to pop up in the black community and was used as a slang word to mean that someone was talking orRead MoreThe Musical Genre Of Reggae900 Words   |  4 Pagesrege-rege – Jamaican for â€Å"rags or ragged clothing† – the genre was used to describe the raggedy music style found in Jamaica at the time. Reggae incorporates the traditional Jamaican music such as mento and ska, rhythm blues, and rocksteady. Ska characteristics such as the walking bass line of the guitar and piano off-beats are used in reggae. However, ska is much faster than reggae, so the use of rocksteady in the genre slows the ska tempo. Reggae songs are heavily backbeated, meaning the music has highlyRead Moreâ€Å"Historic Low Prestige and Seeds of Change: Attitudes Toward Jamaican Creole†1105 Words   |  5 Pagesprestige and seeds of change: Attitudes toward Jamaican Creole† Jamaican Creole (known to its speakers as Patois) is a language of ethnic identification for roughly two and a half million people in the island of Jamaica, and overseas for many thousands of native speakers. The origins of the Jamaican Creole postdate 1660, in the interaction of British colonists and African slaves. Jamaican language and its place in society reflects the brutal history of Jamaica as a British sugar colony until Independence

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv ) - 1855 Words

1. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a fairly common diagnosis with an estimated 1.1 million people in the United stated who carry the infection and is predominantly seen in homosexual Caucasian and black males.1 Prognosis for individuals with HIV is vastly different and is dependent on many different variables. The Center for Disease and Control (CDC) has classified the HIV virus into 3 stages based on the symptoms and the pathological progression of the virus. The first stage of the virus lasts usually one to four weeks, which presents with similar symptoms of mononucleosis (2 p 367). Stage two of the virus roughly lasts about ten years, at which point the CD4+ t cell levels drop to around 1000 cells/microliter (2 p367). During the final stage, stage 3 occurs when the CD4+ T cells levels drop to 200 cells/microliter, and the person is now infected with AIDS and the progression of the infection may be very rapid (2 p367). Ultimately, the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is a complex immune virus that is capable of destroying ones immune system, leaving their body defenseless. 2. HIV can infect people of all ages from infants born with the infection to the elderly. In 2010, the age group of 25-34 year old was seen to have the highest number of new HIV cases. This age group consisted of 31% of all newly reported cases, which was comprised of 14,500 individuals.1 3. During stage one the person may be asymptomatic, but may present with fever, fatigue, sore throat, nightShow MoreRelatedHuman Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv )1359 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper explores the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as well as the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). The virus has infected two million adults and children by the year 2005 already. The virus continues to race around the world, and new HIV infections are at 50,000 per year (Martine Peeters, Matthieu Jung, Ahidjo Ayouba) (2013). The final outcome of the HIV infection is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). There are many treatments that have developed to help the large numberRead MoreHiv And Human Immunodeficiency Virus Essay1208 Words   |  5 PagesHIV has been a pandemic that has affected the world relentlessly for many years in a never-ending circle. HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is the virus that is spread through certain bodily fluids and can lead to AIDS (Acquired I mmunodeficiency Syndrome). HIV attacks the immune system by destroying CD4+ T cells, which leaves the person infected with HIV vulnerable to other infections, diseases, and other complications.1 Once this virus is acquired, the human can never fully rid itself of thisRead MoreHuman Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv )884 Words   |  4 Pages(2010), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that affects the human immune system, leading to a chronic, progressive sickness that leaves people susceptible to opportunistic infections. When the body no longer can fight or resist infections, the condition is at this point referred to as AIDS, which means Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Averagely, it has been found to take more than ten years to develop from initial infection of HIV to AIDS. Though simple in description, HIV and AIDSRead MoreThe Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv )862 Words   |  4 Pagesshown that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the cause of AIDS. More than 33.4 million people worldwide are infected with the HIV virus today. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency virus. HIV is a virus similar to that of the flu or common cold. The differentiating factor is that with the flu and cold, your body will eventually clear the virus out of your system, but with the HIV virus, the immune system cannot clear it. Getting HIV means you have it for life. The virus immediately beginsRead MoreHuman Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv )1261 Words   |  6 PagesHuman Immunodeficiency Virus Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become more commonly seen in the world. It is important to show compassion rather than judging that patient based on a virus. The hygienist plays an important role in making the patient feel comfortable and in a judgment free environment. The patient should not feel as if the disease or virus defines the overall character of the patient. Standards precautions are still the same when treating all patients with or without a compromisingRead MoreThe Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv )948 Words   |  4 PagesThe Uses of Blood by the HIV Virus Blood-borne diseases have contributed greatly to poor health outcomes among individuals and communities. Though blood fulfills various functions to ensure our survival, it can also act as the mechanism through which we become diseased. Understanding the characteristics of such infectious diseases is essential to preventing further cases. In this paper I will discuss how the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uses blood to cause illness within the infected individualRead MoreHiv And Human Immunodeficiency Virus1205 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is HIV? HIV is a fatal disease which stands for â€Å"Human Immunodeficiency Virus† it is a failure to the immune system to protect the body from any infections. This virus causes a condition called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. When HIV is left untreated it leads to another disease called â€Å"AIDS†. It can occur in any age, race, sex or sexual orientation. The highest risk of contracting HIV is having unprotected sex and sha ring needles with others. Another factor are people that have STI’s andRead MoreThe Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv )980 Words   |  4 Pages The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an immune system disorder that can be contracted through sexual activity as well as other types of contact. (Healthy Living, pg. 79) If left untreated this virus can turn into AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). AIDS is the final stage of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). (aids.gov) AIDS is an incurable progressive disease that causes gradual destruction of CD4 T cells by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). (Diseases, pg. 431) A healthyRead MoreHiv, Or Human Immunodeficiency Virus998 Words   |  4 PagesQuestion 1 HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, attacks the human immune system and greatly weakens the body’s ability to fight foreign invaders and infection. HIV first demanded notice in the early 1980s in the United States in homosexual men displaying illnesses like Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Kaposi’s sarcoma. The disease was soon observed in IV drug users, hemophiliacs, and blood transfusion recipients, but became publicized as a â€Å"gay disease,† nicknamed by the media as GRID, or Gay-RelatedRead MoreHuman Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv )1349 Words   |  6 Pages Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retro virus that causes AIDs by infecting the T Helper cells of the body’s immune system. The AIDS virus is the final stages of the HIV virus. HIV is a lentivirus genus, which is a subgroup of the retrovirus that causes the AIDS virus. Even with proper treatment, an infected person has a life expectancy of less than ten years.As the virus weakens t he human immune systems, this effectleaves the patient compromised and at risk to opportunistic infections

Monday, December 9, 2019

Online Streaming And Content Became King †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Online Streaming And Content Became King? Answer: Introducation Netflix was created by Reed Hastings in 1997. The principle was humble: Hastings trusted that he could influence the high-performance ethos and data-drivenness personified by tech businesses to prosper in the DVD-rental-by mail industry. For quite some time, Netflix had dominated the DVD rental market when compared to its competitors. With the onset of the millennia where online streaming and content became king, Netflix was quick to respond as per the decision of Hastings. He separated the DVD rental (Qwikster-later on) and the online streaming content business. The target was to simply capture the market to become the best global entertainment distribution business. And so, it became. Today when compared to its competitors Netflix has 36% capture on market compared to HBO and Hulu. When Hastings separated the streaming service and rebranded the DVD rental business with increased monthly subscriptions, there was a furore it led to the loss of subscribers. It debilitated the brand appreciated by subscribers chiefly for its effective client favourite database expertise and fee arrangement. Amazon posed a challenge by offering customers to view content instantly for a small price. More such competition was beginning to show up and Netflix had to maintain its competitive advantage. Also, the rising content cost presented itself as an opportunity from which HBO and Showtime were gaining. Netflix needed its own exclusive matter. That would allow it to bring back lost value to Netflix and allow long-term growth. In 2017, Netflix has over 40 million subscribers across the globe and over 1 billion hours of TV shows and movies every month (Grant, 2016). P orters five forces model analysis shows us that Risk of new entrants high (Apple, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube) Menace of substitutes high (Apple TV, Hulu) Negotiating power of customers high (lots of choices) Negotiating power of suppliers high (content king) (Walker et al., 2017. pp 1-19) Strength of rivalry high (low entry barriers and presence of big players) Complementors high (Microsoft, Roku, Vizio etc.) The simple SWOT analysis reveals that Strengths data, experience, amount of shows plus movies Weakness costs fixed, debt high, inflexible systems Opportunities Europe, NEM, all original content Threats dynamic technology, price rises, highly competitive market (Rao, C.B., 2017.) An eminent issue as evident from the analysis is that for Netflix, threats of all five forces were high and Netflix was stuck between powers. Netflix strategy was to penetrate markets by building strategies around excellent services and competitive prices. Focus largely on building their own content to maintain the competitive advantage. Thats the reason when we think of Netflix Orange is new black, House of Cards etc. come to our minds but if we think of Amazon or HBO, we draw a blank. They went with the stream only content while profiting off the DVD rental for the next 5 years. It also thrived by steadying its high convenience dispersal approach as well as creating more conglomerates to create impeccable hardware stage for its software. (McGrath, R.G.,2013). IKEA IKEA, found in 1943, is a world-renowned furnishing corporation alleged for vending Scandinavian-style furniture and other household merchandises. The establishment has over 230 stores, with setups in above 42 countries with thriving and over 70, 000 employees. The stores by themselves can house 410 million consumers per year. It is a Swedish established firm built on the notion of offering an extensive array of classy, efficient household furnishing merchandises at such low costs, that most individuals will be capable to afford them. IKEA consumers are aggressively engaged in the shop experience as the IKEA theory trusts on consumers to pick, gather, move and build IKEA products themselves. It has been a triumphant organization for over 70 years. Based on Porters Generic Strategies, IKEA largely shadows the Cost Leadership Strategy. IKEA pursues dealers who could build finely designed subassemblies at the lowermost prices and clienteles want to build the merchandises themselves. This technique might prevent distribution costs for equally manufacturers and patrons. It permits creators dropping a lot of prices as soon as patrons could compensate for the merchandises on a much lesser price with great value and consequently, to obtain diverse sections of consumers. This is moreover IKEAs Focus Strategy on low prices. With the economical price, the business could obtain a huge sooq and effortlessly won the business. Further, IKEA obeys "Differentiation Strategy" to a certain extent. Essentially, the business revolutionised the way individuals procured furniture. Each IKEA store is a sole structure with the renowned product symbol and style. Paralleled to other furnishing stores, IKEA displays their merchandises in sample quarters which are mixed and fashionable. It offers numerous ranges and ideas for patrons to beautify their accommodations. In certain areas, people favour walking in IKEA stores as an amusement because of its designer planned furniture and homely atmosphere. As an effect, IKEA could effortlessly collect their prospective customers. Meanwhile, the establishment concentrates on manufacturing high-quality merchandises with inexpensive rate, which is additional variation unmatched to a maximum of the organizations in the trade. Furthermore, IKEA follows the Focus Strategy on variation (Wagner and Hollenback, 2014). For example, in IKEA stores in China, clients can discover lots of Chinese conventionally planned furniture, which is satisfactory for Chinese customers beautification mandate. The value chain analysis of IKEA (Peteraf et al., 2014) discloses that the company has been able to get and uphold a competitive advantage throughout owing to cost leadership (and letting directory charges to be guaranteed for a year), applying price control mechanism (i.e., recognising decent value substitute materials, dealing with alternative traders, stock chain management, manufacturing calibrated and differentiation/novelty built on market-sensing and acclimating to customers' requirements and likings) and evolving long-term relations with merchants. IKEA, thus, pertained onward and backward incorporation (West et al., 2015). IKEA keeps patrons with more than just low charges, contemporary stuff; other welfares comprise toughness, outstanding, receptive customer service, and environment-friendly merchandises. Extraordinary quality, groundbreaking products, sensible cost, sturdiness, rapid assurances/warranties, well-trained, approachable staff, minimalism and consideration to detail are the crucial features of IKEA's conception of consumer value. To be concise, IKEA respects all Porter's Generic Strategies and it does not get Stuck in the Middle. As the company disconnects the poli cies into diverse trade traits. IKEA discovered the tenet and thats why they got mammoth triumph in the business (Hinterhuber and Lioza, 2014. 57(3),413-23) References Grant, R.M., 2016.Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley Sons. Rao, C.B., 2017.Competitive strategy. Notion Press. McGrath, R.G., 2013.The end of competitive advantage: How to keep your strategy moving as fast as your business. Harvard Business Review Press. Wagner III, J.A. and Hollenbeck, J.R., 2014.Organizational behaviour: Securing competitive advantage. Routledge. Peteraf, M., Gamble, J. and Thompson Jr, A., 2014.Essentials of strategic management: The quest for competitive advantage. McGraw-Hill Education. West, D.C., Ford, J. and Ibrahim, E., 2015.Strategic marketing: creating competitive advantage. Oxford University Press. Journals Walker, R., Walker, R., Jeffery, M., Jeffery, M., So, L., So, L., Sriram, S., Sriram, S., Nathanson, J., Nathanson, J. and Ferreira, J., 2017. Netflix Leading with Data: The Emergence of Data-Driven Video.Kellogg School of Management Cases, pp.1-19. Hinterhuber, A. and Liozu, S.M., 2014. Is innovation in pricing your next source of competitive advantage?.Business Horizons,57(3), p

Monday, December 2, 2019

What Is A Hero Essays - Hero, , Term Papers

What Is A Hero? Random House 255 West 45th Street New York, NY 10022 To Random House Editorial Review Board: What is a hero? Everyone's vision is somewhat different. To me, a hero is someone whom I can look up to as a role model for something he or she has accomplished. These might include tasks that were performed with bravery and unselfishness. This is why I propose to you to enter into Tom Brokaw's new book titled, The Millenium Generation, a person who had shown those around him his courageousness; he is also someone who risked his life to help others. This person is my grandfather, (name). Born in a time when luxuries were minimal, my grandfather coped with the fact that he was unable to live a work-free life. Growing up during the Great Depression, he suffered. Although money was scarce, he found ways to help support his family through working long hours. As one of the fewer fortunate people who survived in this time of grievance, my grandfather, (name)was drafted into World War II at the age of 23. He was instructed to drive the ambulance during the wartime which was fought in the United States. As head ambulette driver, (name) was required to help wounded soldiers. Taking his job very seriously, he exceeded what was required for him to do. He risked his life to rescue injured men in the line of fire. He would carry them to his ambulance and assist to their wounds there. At the end of one battle in a European country, he stumbled upon a child who appeared to need his help. Very concerned, he inquired at the local village as to whom her family was and where they were located. After three continual days of questioning villagers, he finally located her family members. In the mean time, he took care of this child as if she was his own. As a great thanks for finding, taking care of, and returning their stranded little girl, her parents announced throughout the village what my grandfather had heroically done on behalf of their child that they thought was dead. George Angelino was awarded the Congressional medal of honor for his outstanding bravery and unwavering strength to survive and help others live during the terrible time of war. Many people would agree with me that (name), my grandfather, was a hero. I believe that he demonstrated the true significance of the word 'hero', someone whom you can look up to as a role model for what he or she had accomplished. This why I am convinced he deserves recognition in a book which describes heroes, because he truly is one. Yours Truly, (your name) English Essays