The Birthday Present free essay sample

After a year of waiting, it was finally my birthday! I was so excited that morning that I woke up at 7am, cleaned the house, and waited for my mom to wake up, so we could begin decorating. But little did I know my uncle would later ruin my party. This experience taught me how to laugh at myself. As soon as my mom woke up we began to decorate the house with Toy Story party supplies and started to cook the food. My brother’s friend rented jumpers so he let us borrow 2 for free! My dad arrived with the pinatas and cake! While the guests began to arrive I remembered my uncle Hector, who had recently come from Mexico who we had not seen in a very long time, so I decided to invite him. I called him and told him I was having a birthday party and would like him to come. We will write a custom essay sample on The Birthday Present or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He said he’d be at my house at 5:30pm. Did I mention he has a bit of a hearing problem? Everybody was having a great time. We started to serve the food; carne asada, beans, and rice. After eating we broke the pinatas and gave out the candy bags. My uncle finally arrived. He had a confused look on his face. After some party games we cut the cake! Which, incase your wondering, was an ice cream cake. Then it was time for the best part of the party, at least for me, First I opened the biggest box that had Toy Story wrapping paper that said, â€Å"From your uncle Pablo†; it was a Play Station 2! I now invite him to all my birthday parties! Then I opened a blue gift bag with balloon pictures on the side that was from my aunt Martha, it was a Chivas t-shirt! I love my aunt Martha! As I kept on opening presents, I began to get curious about a pink birthday bag that said,†From your uncle Hector. † I thought to myself,†The bag doesn’t matter,† because I know that us Mexicans tend to reuse old gift bags. My cousins, neighbors, and friends watched as I pulled out a Hannah Montana DVD/CD out of that pink bag†¦ I lost it. I grabbed that thing threw it to the floor and stomped on that thing like a mad man! I eventually stopped, saw everybody laughing, thought about what I did, and I laughed so hard, that people started to get worried. Later that night my uncle explained to us that the voice on the phone sounded like a girl’s voice. So he thought it was my sister’s birthday party. I’m not inviting him to my parties no more. So now every time I want to have a good laugh, I watch the video of me destroying Hannah Montana!!! Now laughing at myself and what I do is always easy! I also do a little research on who I invite to my birthday parties!!!

Greece working Conditions Essay Example

Greece working Conditions Essay Example Greece working Conditions Essay Greece working Conditions Essay Introduction Business moralss examine the ethical. moral and principle jobs that occur in a concern environment. and its application applies to all facets of a concern. which include scheme execution. policy preparation. organisational civilization and legal proceedings. merely to advert a few. Business determinations are best explained by the usage of ethical models. which include ; the useful regulation. societal justness. deontology and moralss of virtuousnesss. The undertaking in the presentation is to research working conditions in Greece and so figure out which ethical model is being used by the leaders of that state in that issue. A careful analysis of the affair indicates that the leaders employ the useful model. which states that given two or more picks to take from. a individual must take the 1 that yields maximal benefits to the largest figure of people ( Windelband et. Al. 1958 ) . In other words. if a given pick is traveling to profit a little figure of people. it is of great importance. : John Stuart Mill modified the jurisprudence of utilitarianism and came up with a new useful regulation which stated that. one determines what is right by contrasting the result of all related agents of alternate policy for a peculiar status ( Quinton. 1973 ) . Issue: Greece Working Conditionss To understand the on the job conditions. informations from the Institute of Employment is used. The information was provided by the Social Insurance Foundation and Labor Inspectors in Greece. This institute carried out a research in the twelvemonth 2003. The aim of the research was to look into the wellness and safety statute laws in Greece. Questionnaires handed out to 324 people of assorted fortes. 35. 8 per centum specified that there were no wellness and safety commissariats in the house and 48. 7 % stated that. to their cognition. there was no doctor assigned to the house. A little per centum acknowledges the being of a wellness and safety commission in their house was merely 32. 4 % . In the building sector. 53. 5 % had a wellness and safety proviso papers while 58. 9 % in the fabrication sector had the same. 66. 1 % of the respondents in the populace sector said they lacked such a papers ( Aizenman. 2012 ) . Harmonizing to ( Bentham 1948 ) . it is right to exert what is good for the largest population of people. The survey reveals that the greatest figure of people in the work environment had the wellness and safety papers. Companies in Greece seem to value policies that yield the greatest benefit to the greatest figure of people. However. James Rachel. critic of the useful regulation. would hold argued otherwise. In his unfavorable judgment. he points out that. everyone is equal and that everybody’s felicity is of import ( Rachel. 1986 ) . The group of people who lack the papers in this instance can claim that concerns in Greece did go against the concern moralss. This so violates useful moral model. ’One issue in peculiar is already in danger of being capable to all sorts of populist rhetoric instead than nonsubjective appraisal: free motion of people in general and of workers in peculiar. in the European Union . says President Boroso while turn toing the European crisis. which pioneered legion reforms in Greece labour Torahs. The reforms led to limited protection of workers in the labour market. This aspect profaned concern moralss and indispensable societal rights. Law figure 3863/2010 introduced cardinal alterations in the labour market. The major countries changed included: The period given as a notice to the expiration of white-collar workers significantly shortened. The aureate handshaking for white-collar workers reduced by a half due to the reforms made. Operational costs must be kept between 5 % and 10 % . The minimal pay rates for workers under the age of 25 old ages reduced to 84 % of the set lower limit pay. For minor workers. the minimal pay rate set at 70 % of the set lower limit pay ( Lynn. 2011 ) . Harmonizing to ( Bentham. 1948 ) these alterations can non give maximal benefits to the society because they merely cater for a few persons. In fact. are in contrast with the labour curate. Algimanta Pabedinskiene. vocalizations. and I quote. Tackling NEET jobs will necessitate a assortment of steps easing the passage of these immature people into the universe of employment. or their return to the instruction system. In using these steps. a particular focal point should be placed on vulnerable groups . The jurisprudence set by the authorities aimed at protecting the community from mass unemployment by doing the labour Torahs weak. but by making so. single involvements were non considered. Harmonizing to ( Allison. 1990 ) a rational person wants to do more money from their employment. and the same person does non desire to work in conditions. which make him/her feel underpaid. This is to state that the authorities is making more harm than good by presenting weak labour Torahs. However. the authorities encourages minor working. which is a manner of striping bush leagues their rights. This is non in line with the utilitarianism because it violates the moralss ( Thilly. 1957 ) . Apart from the labour market reforms. the authorities instituted in 2010. service cuts in pension and other of import reforms in the societal security ordinances ( Pryce 2012 ) . The cardinal points to observe are as follows: Zero addition in the current pension over the following 3 old ages For the uninsured individuals over the age of 65. their basic pension standards underwent reforms. The sum of the pension is set at ˆ360. The national budget will finance the pension from the twelvemonth 2018. With regard to minimal rewards. the decrease of wages in now to the full permitted for all workers who are having the minimal pay rate in the state. This is now possible after an understanding in the National General Collective Agreement ( NGCA ) . Signing of the understanding on 15 July 2010 was by the societal spouses. This understanding proof was to be effected after three old ages ( Feldstein. 2011 ) . Salary cut for employees between 25 old ages was set between 22 % and 32 % . The employer can enforce this cut without the consent of the employee. These reforms further demo how the authorities violates useful rule. A salary cut without the consent of employees is unethical. and violates useful regulation. Harmonizing to ( Goodin. 1995 ) . utilitarianism as a public doctrine has been broken. Goodin explains utilitarianism as a rule which should steer political leaders while doing determinations that affect the society at big. He points out that leaders must take into history the impacts of the policies they pass on the full society. other than concentrating on a little group of people. In add-on. ( Copleston. 1975 ) states that people’s determinations and rights must be respected whenever the authorities passes policies that has direct impacts on citizen’s public assistance. He farther states that failure to exert this. the authorities will be conflicting citizen’s rights. which is unethical. Decision The authorities and companies in Greece tend to go through Torahs and policies in line with the useful model. but there are many cases where the leaders go contrary to the rules of the model. Using quotation marks and unfavorable judgments of the jurisprudence and informations collected. it is apparent that there exists violation of the useful regulation. The Government of Greece ought to utilize this analysis to rewrite its policies. It is ironical that the authorities wants zero unemployment while it continues to go through Torahs and ordinances that do non give greatest benefit to the greatest figure of people. The felicity of citizens and their rights must be respected if the authorities aims at cut downing unemployment. Mentions Aizenman. J. ( 2012 ) . Developing countries’ fiscal exposure to the euro crisis an event survey of equity and bond markets. Cambridge. Mass. : National Bureau of Economic Research. Allison. L. ( 1990 ) . The Utilitarian response: the modern-day viability of useful political doctrine. London: Sage Publications. Copleston. F. C. ( 1975 ) . A history of doctrine. Westminster. Md. : Newman Bookshop. Feldstein. M. S. ( 2011 ) . The euro and European economic conditions. Cambridge. Mass. : National Bureau of Economic Research. George. S. K. ( 2005 ) . The moral doctrine of John Steinbeck. Lanham. Md. : Scarecrow Press. Copy A ; PasteParenthetical Goodin. R. E. ( 1995 ) . Utilitarianism as a public doctrine. Cambridge University Press. Havard. W. C. ( 1959 ) . Henry Sidgwick A ; subsequently useful political doctrine. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. Copy A ; Paste Lynn. M. ( 2011 ) . Flop: Greece. the Euro. and the autonomous debt crisis. Hoboken. N. J. : Bloomberg Press. Copy A ; PasteParenthetical Nardo. D. ( 2006 ) . Ancient Greece. Detroit: Aglow Books. Pryce. V. ( 2012 ) . Greekonomics: the Euro crisis and why politicians don’t acquire it. London: Biteback. Copy A ; Pastearenthetical Quinton. A. ( 1973 ) . Utilitarian moralss. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Thilly. F. ( 1957 ) . A history of doctrine ( 3d ed. ) . New York: Holt. Windelband. W. . A ; Tufts. J. H. ( 1958 ) . A history of doctrine. New York: Harper A ; Brothers.

Bureaucratic Control System

In this assignment I will be discussing the discrepancy from the Sandwich Blitz scenario that I watched. I will also be discussing how the issue could have been avoided, how the Bureaucratic Control System could be applied, and the steps with the system. There was an issue with the supervisor allowing an employee to report time that wasnt worked in that specific pay period. By having a control system in place will mitigate many discrepancies that could possibly occur because there would be protocol and disciplinary actions. The bureaucratic Control system is designed to measure progress toward set performance goals and to apply corrective measures. This is essential in running any business. How can you run a business without structure? With this system there are rules and standards that needs to be followed. This is where the four steps of the control system come into play. Setting performance standards is the first step in the control system. These standards clarify what is to be expected from staff. In the case of Sandwich Blitz, Dalman and Lei had no standards put in place so the employees didnt know what was expected of them. This enabled the supervisor to allow a staff member to report hours that were not yet earned. Measuring performance is the second step in the control process. Its basically developing methods to collect and organize what is going on within the company. This is definitely a step that needs to be taken with Dalman and Lei. They need to have a sit down and see what is going on with their payroll. See how much damage that had been done thus far. I would suggest that their middle management report submit lower level staff time on a weekly basis so it can be accounted for accordingly. Comparing performance with the standard, in my words is evaluating the standards that were put in place. This step was actually taken in Sandwich Blitz because this is how Lei identified the discrepancy with the unpaid time. By evaluating employees performance there could be an evaluation for preset standards. Applying this process, Dalman and Lei can see what works for their business and what dont work for them. The last and fourth step is talking action to correct problems and reinforce successes. The in-text meaning of this is to ensure that operations are adjusted to achieve the planned results or to continue exceeding the plain if the manager determines that is possible. (BatmanSnell, 2009 P297) In other words its stating that once the standards are set and we take corrective action to ensure that the methods and standards are corresponding. In summary, following the bureaucratic control system is needed to regulate. Rules and regulations must be put in place to evade unnecessary issues A business needs a formalized structure such as bureaucracy. Standards are the top of the list for me because once that is in place the blue print of operation is in order. Along with follow up and righting wrong, everything else is smooth sailing.

Why Individuals Find Change Difficult to Achieve Case Study - 1

Why Individuals Find Change Difficult to Achieve - Case Study Example As the discussion outlines, people accomplish personal change when they are willing to give up comfortable ways of thinking and acting. Change is ‘hardwired’ if an individual is attempted to it through training, efforts and some practical works. ‘Hardwired’, a term normally used in neuroscience, means that qualities are fixed and are in place when people are born; and these qualities are ready to be activated or triggered by their genetics or in response to their concerned environment. More specifically, people are hardwired if they do not serve willingness to a specific change, but they are ready to change due to special training or hard working on it. It is how change becomes difficult for some people. In attempting to change, often people need to use more information and intense energy in processing new materials. This in turn requires the brain to work hard. People use intense energy if they are less skilled or having less preference. This is also anothe r reason why individuals feel change a difficult attempt. The article stressed that change is always possible, but it needs efforts. Personal change is motivated by pleasure and avoidance of pain. Change is not hardwired when the individual has an aspiration toward a specific role and it requires greater influence. Avoidance of pain is a motivator as an individual is prompted to become compassionate or promoted and thus he tries to change. Personal change occurs only when an individual move through four steps; awareness, analysis, alternative and attack. First, the individual realizes that something is not working, and then reflects on what something needs to change. Next, the individual seeks alternative options for change and then he decides on a course of action. It is well documented from the research findings that individuals and organisations usually resist changes.

EgyptAir Flight 990 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

EgyptAir Flight 990 - Research Paper Example Safety management systems programs have been developed nowadays and implemented in airlines, civil aviation authorities, manufactures, airports, units of air traffic control all over the world. The international organization of civil aviation has insisted on the implementation of safety management systems in the mentioned areas so as to curb the problem off accidents involving aircrafts and those that come as a result of incompetency as well (Rodriguez, Cusick and Wells, 2012). This should therefore be done in all airlines, aviation maintenance organizations and in all airports. Consequently, most airlines should implement the overall objective of achieving and maintaining acceptable standards of safety within the context of raising air traffic, wider competition commercially and a greater center on realization of cost. Hence, successful safety management entails staff at all stages in operations, design and manufacture of aircrafts, control of air traffic, airports, handling and maintenance of ground operations and others like private flights (Dekker, 2007). This therefore, calls for advancement of such better facts in all the aviation organizations so as to curb various problems and failures that might crop up during frequent operations of the airlines. Aviation safety management doctrine has moved from an outdated habitual reactive basis to a recent proactive, from the focus of an organization (Ludwig and Ayres, 2009). Aircraft accidents have become a rare case in today’s history; however, there is no chance for advancement. The safety management program deploys an improved system management assumption and practice to drive the occurrence level of vital safety events to an even lower level. It is essential for each and very individual involve in the safety management systems to deeply understand the meaning of the word safety since this is the key concept in this

Of Mice And Men coursework (Theme Of Loneliness And Friendship) Essay Example for Free

Of Mice And Men coursework (Theme Of Loneliness And Friendship) Essay Consider the theme of loneliness in Of Mice and Men. How does it affect the friendships and relationships in the novel? This novel was written by John Steinbeck which was set in the 1930s in Salinas Soledad which is in California. The novel consists of many historical factors which have affected the characters in this novel and one of them includes, The great depression Which leads the novels inspiration for the famous writer John Steinbeck which he mainly based on his own experience. In those days people travelled a lot differently to how we travel now. In those days migrant workers travelled extravagant distances looking for a job. There are many different themes in which are based throughout the whole book, such as loneliness, happiness, nature, dreams and reality: Which even lead to catastrophe. Many of the people in this novel have very lonely lives mainly because they are migrant workers and as we know they dont have time to make any friends or have any time to spend with their families. There are many characters that are lonely due to age, sex, and race. Two good examples would be Candy because of his age and Crooks because of his race. This novel consists of two main characters George and Lennie, who are an anomalous pair of migrant workers that look after each other. They are completely the reverse of each other. George is the one who has the communicative face and thinks of all of their problems and ideas and tells the other one what to do. Being like this all of the time, in what ever the story it is, always pictures that you would be the small quick one with sharp features. Lennie is the guy that is tall and always does what he is told and has an ill-defined, solid, and powerful body and does not know his own strength. Steinbeck describes him as the one with no shape in his face and his body. Lennie drags his feet when he walks and acts like an animal. In the descriptions of these two men their appearance is completely different. George dresses neat and tidy, while Lennie dresses very scruffy. Just by the description of George and Lennie, you can clearly see that Lennie is the child out of the two men, as you can tell how he talks and acts around George and throughout the whole book. Being a man Lennie lacks a lot of language, which I think that he never attended a lot of school. Examples look George, look what I done! this is immature language. This kind of behaviour makes George the father type figure, so he would be the defender. John Steinbeck relates to Lennie, in the theme of nature, by describing his walk, and some of the things he does in relation to the animals like the way he drinks from the lake as Steinbeck describes him as a horse that puts its whole head into the water and slurps. This links in to the theme of natures, because of the use of animal descriptions that Steinbeck uses throughout the book, which is very important to this novel because in the beginning of the book, Nature was introduced straight away. Steinbecks describes the surroundings in such detail, that he uses a whole page to describe the forest (which is in the beginning of the book) which gives the readers a good imaginative view of what Steinbeck is writing. George and Lennie have an abnormal relationship. They are two friends, one needs the other more .George often gets very frustrated towards Lennie, which also shows that George cares. George loves Lennie very much and will always be a friend to him and so does Lennie. Lennie could not live without him because George does everything for him. Between George and Lennie, George is the one that is mainly in control, he cooks, finds them jobs finds them a place to sleep and because of this, they always travel together, where one goes, the other one follows like a duck and her ducklings. George travels with Lennie because Lennie would not be able to survive on his own. These two men share the same dreams but George knows in reality, it is not going to happen. Later on in the story Candy has now been introduced to the book as the old swapper. He is tall, stooped shoulders and has white whiskers. When you first see him, he is very friendly, although he is a little weary of newcomers. His only friend is his dog that he has had since he was a little boy which symbolises that he is very lonely which refers to the theme of loneliness. When he gets to know people, he begins to trust them; he opens up and strikes a conversation with his new friends just as he did with Lennie. A little further on in the story as they become very close together and even share each others dream. In the future he looses both his dog and Lennie and cant really prevent Lennies death but tries to prevent his dogs death, but this fails. This shatters Candys dreams because he cannot share his dream with his long companion. In Chapter 4, Crooks is introduced. He is the only coloured (black) person on the ranch and this is where the theme of loneliness comes into play. Crooks is a stable buck. He has a crooked spine, and his eyes lay deep in his head, he is lined with deep black wrinkles and has thin tightened lips. Again relating to the theme of loneliness, Crooks lives by himself in a shed because he is the only Black man, this is why he can afford to leave all of his belongings lying around. He has got his own collection of items like books, shoes and his own copy for the California civil code which indicates that he knows his rights and does not want to be taken advantage of. Eventually Crooks and Lennie are talking about if Lennie could live without George and about crooks childhood explaining why his father never let him play with other kids and why he is so lonely. When he is speaking with Lennie about his childhood, he is speaking like it is still happening or it has recently happened. This is a very similar story to his life at that present time. Being the only coloured man, Crooks is treated as an outcast, as racism was very high in those days which forces him to spend his time reading while the others are playing card games. Crooks become very bitter due to the fact that everyone ill treats him which makes him feel hurt. In the next chapter Curley is introduced to the story. He is the bosss son, he has a wife, she has dark hair that reaches down to her shoulders, her eyes are quiet close together and has pink small lips with very pale skin. The book does not mention anything about her name which suggests that she does not know who her parents are and does not have an identity. She behaves like she is not Curleys wife and that she is single so she flirts with a lot of the men behind Curlys back. She would say things like now that were alone what do you want to do. To try and tempt the man. In doing this, all the men try as hard as they can to stay away from her because they know that she is trouble and know how Curley feels about his wife. Curleys wife does this because she wants attention, again, related to the theme of loneliness. All the farmers speak really bad of her because of her being flirtatious they also are frightened to talk to her because they fear Curley, and he would think that something is going on; plus he has the authority to get them fired or to shoot them. She married Curly to get some sort of status and to have an identity but she never liked him anyway. When she describes her life on the ranch, she says that her life is boring, that no one pays any attention to her and that she gets treated like a little girl. Curleys wife often dreams about herself becoming an actress. At the end of the novel, her loneliness causes Lennies death. Before Lennies death, Curleys wife and Lennie were talking in the barn whilst everyone else was playing games. They began talking to each other about each others dreams. They both talked about each others dreams and what they wanted to do in their life. Lennie has a fascination of stroking things. He was stroking Curleys wifes hair, he began to stroke her hair so hard, that he lost control and broke her neck. This has a big impact on George, Lennie and Candys relationship, as Curley wants to kill Lennie. As a result to this, George has to kill Lennie before he gets killed by Curly. Loneliness will always end in tragedy and dreams will rarely become reality. True Friendship never ends.

Essay on Death and Love in The Merchant of Venice -- Merchant of Venic

Death and Love in The Merchant of Venice      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Everyone loves a martyr. He's that guy who not only suffered but died for his cause, his passion, his love. Bassanio may not be the most worthy cause to die for, but in Act IV of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Antonio is resigned to do so. In his final words before Shylock is set to extract his pound of flesh, Antonio has abandoned efforts to prevent his punishment and assures Bassanio that the deed must be done for the benefit of all. Despite the grisly and morbid nature of the procedure, Antonio has many reasons to die under such circumstances.    This is the only way out. Antonio devotedly loves a man who cannot return the affections with the same intensity. Bassanio's love which rightfully belongs to Antonio is shared with Portia, the wife. And who is to compete with the love a man has for his wife? Antonio tells Bassanio, "I am arm'd and well prepar'd," in speaking of his impending death (IV.1.264). He has known that eventually someone would have to be removed from this triangle and he is ready to be the one. In dying he need not take part in conflicts for Bassanio's affections. As the third wheel in a marriage, Antonio would be the source of strife for Portia, seeing as she would have to vie for her husband's love and eventually, the unhappiness of his marriage would cause Bassanio to resent Antonio. But dying ensures him the affections he wants without the pain and bitterness of rejection.    While Antonio is able to see the advantages of martyrdom, he must convince Bassanio that as such a gracious and extraordinary friend, he is willing, even happy to die for him. Humility, is the natural and subtle way to impress, so Antonio speaks of how he is not... ...s reassuring to Bassanio, but he also uses it to reassure himself. He is doing this because the pain of watching Bassanio with another love is unbearable. His life is wholeheartedly offered in order to spare himself the torment of observing the happy couple he will never be a part of.    Death is but a small price to pay for eternal love and admiration Antonio has to gain from Bassanio. Antonio wins when he dies. He wins the battle against Portia for Bassanio's love and he wins an escape from a long and lonely life of jealousy. The martyr is the most extreme illustration of devotion. He cannot be changed and is forever remembered for his selfless devotion.    Work Cited Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. The Riverside Shakespeare. Eds. G. Blakemore Evans and J. J. M. Tobin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. 228-317.         

Bombardier Transportation & the Adtranz Acquisition Essay

Bombardier had evolved from its humble beginnings as a snowmobile manufacturer based in Joseph-Arman an Bombardier’s garage to a global business in which it’s once core recreational products were over shadowed, on a revenue basis at least, by its offerings in transportation, aerospace, and capital. In every segment in which the company operated it was either number 1 or 2 globally. This was not the case for the Transportation group (BT) in Europe, where in 2001 it sat in fourth place behind Alstom, Siemens and Adtranz (AT). However, the AT acquisition presented the opportunity to vault BT to the forefront of the industry. At a price tag of US$715 million (23% of AT’s 2000 revenue) AT was a bargain and an opportunity worth considering for several reasons: Revenue Growth : Unlike all other Bombardier businesses, BT’s revenue was counter-cyclical so growth in the sector would provide better balance to its overall revenue (Figure C1 in Appendix C).With the addition of AT, BT’s annual rail-related revenue could grow to US$7.6 billion in 2001 (up from US$2.2 billion in 2000) with a backlog of US$14.5 billion. 1 While BT was a low margin business it was a cash generator that helped to finance other Bombardier businesses. Geographic Expansion : AT had a presence in a broader range of European markets and the region was viewed as the center of technological development. Asia and South America utilized European engineering and practices so AT provided BT better access to future markets. Completion of Product Portfolio : BT lacked propulsion system and train controls competence. This had been mitigated by outsourcing to competitors and suppliers; however it was a competitive weakness as was exemplified by AT’s exclusion from a key deal in the UK in 2000. AT excelled in these areas, and provided immediate cost synergies and long term strategic strength. Naturally the acquisition was not without its downside. There were many aspects of the deal that warranted consideration: Acquisition Size: While BT had a successfully track record of acquisitions it had never integrated a company of AT’s size. Based on 2000 figures, AT had nearly 40% more employees, just under 50%more in sales, and operated in 60 locales. The differing company structures were also of concern. Financial Performance: AT posted net losses going back 4 years in spite of restructurings. Even at a bargain purchase price, an unsuccessful integration could threaten BT’s income and cash flow. Due Diligence: AT was understandably reticent to let a competitor gain full access to its â€Å"books† should the deal not complete, so BT’s diligence process was not comprehensive. Furthermore BT’s European management had not participated in the deal; only amplifying the potential risks. Customer Loss: The acquisition could trigger the loss of customers or new contracts. Additionally, AT had earned a reputation for poor production and servicing that competitors could exploit. A comprehensive plan would be required to realize the projected synergies, tackle the above noted concerns, and – should the deal clear – anticipate and address regulator stipulations.

Odysseus As An Epic Hero Essay

In the story of the Odyssey, Odysseus was put through many ordeals through which we see his moral and physical characteristics. After evaluating such characteristics we can see that Odysseus is a great epic hero. We can see that not only is he superior to most mortal men, he also shares many of the same desires, therefore fulfilling all the technical requirements of a â€Å"hero†. Odysseus has insight about his own fate and destiny, but lives intertwined with the Olympic Gods. He also shares many of the same desires as the common man, but has more insight and strength to obtain them. Lastly, the story of Odysseus is tragic, and involves both love and death, which then shows his true strength. When Odysseus ventures out on his journey, he is told by Athena that he is destined to be great, and through the whole war he knows that. When the war is finished he continues his journey home to his wife, his mother and his son. On his journey home he is faced with several obstacles put in place by the Gods to prevent his return. The whole time he was detained from retuning to Ithaca he told himself that he was meant to return home; that it was fated to him. When he was trapped on the Island with Calypso, he told her that he was supposed to return home, and that he would do it no matter what stood in his way. Through these acts we can see that he had his own opinions on his destiny, but that he was closely intertwined with the Olympic Gods. Secondly, Odysseus shares many of the same desires as the common man, but he has more insight and strength on how to obtain them. Odysseus wanted more than anything to return home to his family, however, throughout his journey he was constantly held back by the Gods. He was made to observe horrendous things such as visiting Hades, and shortly after he has to witness each of his crewmates be eaten alive. This would have been enough for the common man to give up hope and settle in on Calypso’s island. Odysseus, however, never gave up and always found the strength and the wisdom to carry on. This shows that if put in the same position, Odysseus would succeed over the common man because he is heroic. Lastly, the story of Odysseus is filled with both love and death, which is a main characteristic of a heroic tale. While Odysseus is trying to return home he sees a vision of his dead mother. She explains to him how she took her own life because she could no longer bare waiting for him. On top of this painful information, she discloses that his home; his palace has been taken over by ruthless men who are trying to steal his wife. After learning of this horrible news he continues on his journey even more determined than before. Shortly after this event, he loses his entire crew to monsters that eat each one alive. He still continues on alone. This proves that even through the tragic events that happen in his long journey he manages to stay strong and make it home. Through close evaluation of all events that took place in The Odyssey we can clearly see that Odysseus is in fact a great epic hero. We see that he has insight about his own fate and desires, he shares many of the same desires as the common man, but has greater insight and strength, and lastly he manages to survive through several tragic evens simply for the love of his family. Taking these events into consideration we can deduce that Odysseus is a great epic hero.

Shes the Man Comparison to Twelfth Night Essay Example

Shes the Man Comparison to Twelfth Night Essay Example Shes the Man Comparison to Twelfth Night Paper Shes the Man Comparison to Twelfth Night Paper Essay Topic: Twelfth Night She’s the Man, a modern film that is based on the plot of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The films connections to the play are emphasized through a number of visual and dialogue references. The film is about a young girl named Viola who is a strong and tomboyish. Sebastian is Viola’s twin brother who is going to be starting school at Illyria. Viola is a soccer player and is driven to pretend to be her brother at Illyria once her schools soccer team is cut. Secretly leaving to go to London to play with his band Sebastian makes it easier for Viola to pull of the scheme. With help from her friend Antonio, she in transformed into a replica of her brother. At Illyria, Violas roommate is Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum), who is a popular guy on campus â€Å"Sebastian’s lab partner, Olivia (Laura Ramsey), develops a crush on him, which frustrates Duke, who likes Olivia. In exchange for Sebastians help in getting Olivias attention, Duke agrees to put in extra soccer practice time with him. â€Å"Sebastian† is reminded, by a message from his mother, about the Junior League carnival that he and Viola promised to attend Duke’s mother is also a part of the Junior League, so he will be there too. Sebastian† is forced to switch between himself and Viola the whole time, while trying to avoid her mother and Monique (Sebastian’s Girlfriend) so that she is not discovered as impersonating her brother. Viola and Duke kiss at the â€Å"Kissing Booth† and makes Duke realize he might be crushing not only on Olivia, but on Viola as w ell. Olivia goes on a date with Duke to make Sebastian jealous, remaining far more interested in him than in Duke. Encouraged by Viola, she decides to go directly to Sebastian and tell him how she feels to keep Olivia away from Duke because; Viola herself is actually starting to develop feelings for him. The plot becomes complicated when the real Sebastian returns from London a day early. When he arrives at Illyria, Olivia runs up and kisses him. Duke, seeing this, believes his roommate has betrayed him and after arguing with Sebastian kicks him out. Viola stays in Eunices room and oversleeps, causing the real Sebastian to wind up on the field playing in what should be his sisters spot in the game against Cornwall. Principal Gold (David Cross), who has been told of Violas impersonating Sebastian by Malcolm, stops the game and informs the crowd that Sebastian is a girl. The real Sebastian being present instead, he proves himself to be male by pulling down his shorts and exposing himself. Viola explains the situation to Sebastian and they switch places. After, tension is rising on the soccer field between Duke and â€Å"Sebastian† began starting a fight and then â€Å"Sebastian† reveals herself as Viola. She tells everyone her story and tells Duke that she loves him. Everyone at Illyria celebrates their victory over Cornwall, except for Duke who is hurt at Violas dishonesty. She invites Duke to her debutante ball. They meet in a garden and head to the Debutante ball, where they are introduced, come on stage, and kiss. At the end of the film, Viola and Duke are shown playing on the soccer team of Illyria a year later. The characters of She’s the Man are directly utilized in the same manner as in Twelfth Night.

Binge Drinking on the rise in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Binge Drinking on the rise in the UK - Essay Example Other bits of information are presented more somberly, such as information concerning the amount of alcohol in a standard drink and how fast the body metabolizes alcohol. The source achieves these objectives by providing the information Dr. Hanson has collected from studies over the past forty years. The sections are arranged in a format familiar to young people. Question and answer sessions that are devoid of preaching but flush with scientific fact are easily accessed. Dr. David Hanson has published over 300 scholarly articles on issues related to alcohol consumption over the past forty years. He has written two full length books and appeared on numerous television and radio programs as a recognized expert. He is currently Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York at Potsdam. He clearly states in his biographical information that he receives absolutely no funding for his research from outside sources, so he is beholden to no one. He states that he publishes what logic dictates regardless of who it may offend. This source for information on alcohol consumption is decidedly left of center. The author spends much time debunking myths about alcohol consumption that seem to be near and dear to the heart of right wing discourse concerning alcohol consumption. Most notably, the author makes a strong case for parents to consume alcohol with their children within the home. This is a radical notion in the United States, where a prohibition of alcohol consumption for anyone under the age of 21 is in effect. While more common in Europe, American families rarely drink together until the children are of a legal age to do so. Another segment of the web site that is decidedly left-leaning is the suggestions the author makes concerning the deterrence of drunk driving. The author argues that proactive initiatives such as Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) courts are especially helpful because their outcomes

Young and restless in china Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Young and restless in china - Essay Example doctrine and emergence of open trade economic system based on the capitalism, current Chinese capitalist economy presents immense opportunities for personal growth and prosperity. However, in the process of materialistic growth and development, Chinese youth finds itself stuck in the middle of clashes between traditional Chinese values and rapidly growing Western ideologies in the country (Williams & Dietz, 2008). The documentary has captured this struggle of a young Chinese generation to balance between the old and new virtues through the stories of nine young Chinese people. Out of these nine, the present paper analyzes the story of one character, Miranda Hong who is a successful marketing executive in advertising branch of a mutual fund corporate company (Williams & Dietz, 2008). Miranda Hong is an ambitious, young woman. She has been always dedicated and serious about her life goals, work, and career. However, since the early young age, she had to take some crucial decisions which significantly influenced her career progress. In 2003, Miranda successfully completed her MBA from the business institution in Shanghai, which is considered as one of the topmost and reputed universities in the country. Soon after her graduation, Miranda had to take a critical decision whether to settle in Shanghai or return to Beijing. Miranda’s husband and parents live in Beijing. In terms of her career, Shanghai was the best choice to live as there were vast opportunities. Despite being aware of this fact, Miranda Hong opted to return to her family in Beijing, giving priorities to her family duties and responsibilities rather than own career (Williams & Dietz, 2008). Further, while working in a mutual fund investment company, Miranda faced a dilemma of continuing or quit ting the job. Miranda was working in an advertising section of the company and working on the projects which were meant to promote the company’s mutual fund policies, focusing common and senior citizens.