Mandatory Military Conscription and Its Effect on Society...

In todays society the war in the Middle East can be considered a controversial topic. The men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan put their lives on the line every day to help keep our country free. No one has forced them to serve in the United States Armed Forces they have made their own conscience decision to serve. However these men and women only make up a small percentage of the United States population. Should all men and women be required to serve in the U.S. armed forces when they graduate from high school or should the United States require mandatory military service? Mandatory military service, or conscription, may be as old as mankind itself. Conscription says that during a time of war all able bodied men and women must†¦show more content†¦During World War I about three fourths of the 3.5 million unit armed forces came from conscription. During this time period many people felt that conscription was unconstitutional. However the United States Supreme court upheld the constitutionality of the draft by stating that Article I of the constitution gives Congress the power to â€Å"raise and support Armies†. In the year 1940 after the fall of France in World War II the United States Congress enacted a peace time draft. If drafted during this time period conscripts were only required to serve one year. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor however congress Smith 3 extended the length of the draft and expanded the draft to me aged 18 to 38. Approximately ten million men were drafted through the Selective Service System as a result. Throughout the Cold War the draft helped to maintain the numbers of the U.S. armed forces. The Selective Service System drafted 1.5 million men during the Korean War. During the Vietnam War, draftees were a minority of the United States armed forces. However they accounted for over half of Army battle deaths. At the time of the Vietnam War many people were against the draft and the war itself. This meant that there were many protests against the draft. Eventually President Nixon reduced the number of draftees and gradually recalled troops from Vietnam. The draft officially ended in1973. There are two very obvious sides to conscription. They are thoseShow MoreRelatedMilitary Should Be Mandatory Essay1137 Words   |  5 PagesIn current times, roughly 99.5% of American citizens don’t serve in th e military in their lifetime. But is something that needs to be changed by force? Some people could argue that service in the United States military should be mandatory for everyone–in reality, though, that is an impossible and overall disastrous idea. Military service is something that only some people can do–not all people can deal with the lasting effects of war, including many mental illnesses and Post-Traumatic Stress DisorderRead MoreMandatory Military Service in South Korea1191 Words   |  5 Pagesforces of a country is referred to as the military. This day and age, the military is a huge aspect of many and almost all of the 196 countries today. The military, composed of men and women, are contributing to defending, protecting, and keeping the country functioning. In some cases, where there are not enough volunteers for the military or a threat nearby, a mandatory service is implemented. This means that certain citizens of such country must serve the military for a certain length of time and commitRead MoreShould Military Service Be Mandatory?1426 Words   |  6 PagesShould Military Service be Mandatory in the United States? In the world today, there is approximately fifty percent of countries that mandate their citizens to serve in their military for an extended period of time. Those countries that do require their citizens to serve base it on the simple fact that they need to be ready for war at a moments notice and if all their citizens know how to fight they will succeed in any battle in which they are placed. Israel, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, GermanyRead Moreâ€Å"The battle for Canadian liberty and autonomy is being fought today on the plains of France and1500 Words   |  6 PagesFrance and Belgium,† Borden said while introducing conscription. (Cook, 2011 3 ed., Vol. 13, p.13) At the beginning of the twentieth century, many Canadians were still adjusting to its new ways and ideas. Then the Greatest War the world had ever seen transformed the map of Europe and changed the nations, and the people, who fought in it forever. In Canada, for example, during the war the government faced great challenges such as the conscription crisis when the Country was divided by politics. InRead MoreThe Art of War by Sun Tzu Essay1256 Words   |  6 Pagesnationwide contagion continues to develop, the result will be a country unable to sustain, govern, or defend itself. The solution is evident: military service. Mandatory military service in the United States for individuals 18 years of age for a period of two years would have numerous benefits, as well as alleviate many problems facing America. Compulsory military service gives a second chance to high school dropouts. StatisticBrain.com reports that 90% of jobs in the States are not available to dropoutsRead MoreMandatory Military Service in the United States Essay1952 Words   |  8 PagesMandatory Military Service in the United States The idea that members of a community have the duty to defend it, is as old as civilization itself (Ruschmann 10). The United States has an extensive history, starting with the original thirteen States of involuntary conscription in time of conflict. Citizen’s service is a standard principle of American military service, which places the obligation of service upon citizens to serve and to ensure that the state require those citizens to serve (DalehiteRead More Divisive, But Effectual: Reinstating the Draft Essay1927 Words   |  8 Pagessignificantly. The U.S. is a major military power in the present world; American soldiers are engaged in many multi-theater positions, consequently dispersing troops over various regions worldwide. As only one in ten citizens has served in the US Army, American knowledge of military conditions is rapidly lessening along with the national harmony that complements such knowledge. Therefore, the comprehension that American security is closely asso ciated with a formidable military never resonated within theRead MoreU.s. Military Draft History1449 Words   |  6 PagesMarch 3, 1863. The Northern 1862 draft was an attempt to let states handle their own conscriptions, instead of the old volunteer militia. The next draft took place on September 16, 1940 for World War I and remained in effect continuously until 1973. The president, Woodrow Wilson, decided that â€Å"A draft was needed and nearly 3,000,000 soldiers were drafted following the Service Act of 1917.† (Understanding the U.S. Military Draft History 1). The reasoning behind President Wilson calling for the draft isRead MoreThe War Of The Vietnam War1475 Words   |  6 Pagesentered the conflict under the claim â€Å"that it was defending South Vietnam against aggression from the North† (Anderson and Bourassa). It wasn’t until 1961 that the United States formed an official treaty with South Vietnam, agreeing to provide â€Å"provide military and eco nomic assistance† (Badertscher and Goodwin) and would later sponsor a coup in 1963 that would result in the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, the first president of South Vietnam. The reason behind American involvement in Vietnam was not entirelyRead MoreCompulsory Public Service Requirement? Essay example2345 Words   |  10 Pagesutilized a compulsory military and/or public service obligation, the United States of America has maintained the notion that one should feel called / led to serve. Outside of the Selected Service, the U.S. has maintained an All-Volunteer Force. With the continued pressures from the decade long war(s) one could argue that the United States adopts a compulsory public service obligation. History of the United States Selective Service System (SSS) The draft first came into effect during the Civil War

A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-two Free Essays

string(52) " at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen\." Arya Her father had been fighting with the council again. Arya could see it on his face when he came to table, late again, as he had been so often. The first course, a thick sweet soup made with pumpkins, had already been taken away when Ned Stark strode into the Small Hall. We will write a custom essay sample on A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-two or any similar topic only for you Order Now They called it that to set it apart from the Great Hall, where the king could feast a thousand, but it was a long room with a high vaulted ceiling and bench space for two hundred at its trestle tables. â€Å"My lord,† Jory said when Father entered. He rose to his feet, and the rest of the guard rose with him. Each man wore a new cloak, heavy grey wool with a white satin border. A hand of beaten silver clutched the woolen folds of each cloak and marked their wearers as men of the Hand’s household guard. There were only fifty of them, so most of the benches were empty. â€Å"Be seated,† Eddard Stark said. â€Å"I see you have started without me. I am pleased to know there are still some men of sense in this city.† He signaled for the meal to resume. The servants began bringing out platters of ribs, roasted in a crust of garlic and herbs. â€Å"The talk in the yard is we shall have a tourney, my lord,† Jory said as he resumed his seat. â€Å"They say that knights will come from all over the realm to joust and feast in honor of your appointment as Hand of the King.† Arya could see that her father was not very happy about that. â€Å"Do they also say this is the last thing in the world I would have wished?† Sansa’s eyes had grown wide as the plates. â€Å"A tourney,† she breathed. She was seated between Septa Mordane and Jeyne Poole, as far from Arya as she could get without drawing a reproach from Father. â€Å"Will we be permitted to go, Father?† â€Å"You know my feelings, Sansa. It seems I must arrange Robert’s games and pretend to be honored for his sake. That does not mean I must subject my daughters to this folly.† â€Å"Oh, please,† Sansa said. â€Å"I want to see.† Septa Mordane spoke up. â€Å"Princess Myrcella will be there, my lord, and her younger than Lady Sansa. All the ladies of the court will be expected at a grand event like this, and as the tourney is in your honor, it would look queer if your family did not attend.† Father looked pained. â€Å"I suppose so. Very well, I shall arrange a place for you, Sansa.† He saw Arya. â€Å"For both of you.† â€Å"I don’t care about their stupid tourney,† Arya said. She knew Prince Joffrey would be there, and she hated Prince Joffrey. Sansa lifted her head. â€Å"It will be a splendid event. You shan’t be wanted.† Anger flashed across Father’s face. â€Å"Enough, Sansa. More of that and you will change my mind. I am weary unto death of this endless war you two are fighting. You are sisters. I expect you to behave like sisters, is that understood?† Sansa bit her lip and nodded. Arya lowered her face to stare sullenly at her plate. She could feel tears stinging her eyes. She rubbed them away angrily, determined not to cry. The only sound was the clatter of knives and forks. â€Å"Pray excuse me,† her father announced to the table. â€Å"I find I have small appetite tonight.† He walked from the hall. After he was gone, Sansa exchanged excited whispers with Jeyne Poole. Down the table Jory laughed at a joke, and Hullen started in about horseflesh. â€Å"Your warhorse, now, he may not be the best one for the joust. Not the same thing, oh, no, not the same at all.† The men had heard it all before; Desmond, Jacks, and Hullen’s son Harwin shouted him down together, and Porther called for more wine. No one talked to Arya. She didn’t care. She liked it that way. She would have eaten her meals alone in her bedchamber if they let her. Sometimes they did, when Father had to dine with the king or some lord or the envoys from this place or that place. The rest of the time, they ate in his solar, just him and her and Sansa. That was when Arya missed her brothers most. She wanted to tease Bran and play with baby Rickon and have Robb smile at her. She wanted Jon to muss up her hair and call her â€Å"little sister† and finish her sentences with her. But all of them were gone. She had no one left but Sansa, and Sansa wouldn’t even talk to her unless Father made her. Back at Winterfell, they had eaten in the Great Hall almost half the time. Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. â€Å"Know the men who follow you,† she heard him tell Robb once, â€Å"and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.† At Winterfell, he always had an extra seat set at his own table, and every day a different man would be asked to join him. One night it would be Vayon Poole, and the talk would be coppers and bread stores and servants. The next time it would be Mikken, and her father would listen to him go on about armor and swords and how hot a forge should be and the best way to temper steel. Another day it might be Hullen with his endless horse talk, or Septon Chayle from the library, or Jory, or Ser Rodrik, or even Old Nan with her stories. Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father’s table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms. She used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen. You read "A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-two" in category "Essay examples" Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their children. Fat Tom used to call her â€Å"Arya Underfoot,† because he said that was where she always was. She’d liked that a lot better than â€Å"Arya Horseface.† Only that was Winterfell, a world away, and now everything was changed. This was the first time they had supped with the men since arriving in King’s Landing. Arya hated it. She hated the sounds of their voices now, the way they laughed, the stories they told. They’d been her friends, she’d felt safe around them, but now she knew that was a lie. They’d let the queen kill Lady, that was horrible enough, but then the Hound found Mycah. Jeyne Poole had told Arya that he’d cut him up in so many pieces that they’d given him back to the butcher in a bag, and at first the poor man had thought it was a pig they’d slaughtered. And no one had raised a voice or drawn a blade or anything, not Harwin who always talked so bold, or Alyn who was going to be a knight, or Jory who was captain of the guard. Not even her father. â€Å"He was my friend,† Arya whispered into her plate, so low that no one could hear. Her ribs sat there untouched, grown cold now, a thin film of grease congealing beneath them on the plate. Arya looked at them and felt ill. She pushed away from the table. â€Å"Pray, where do you think you are going, young lady?† Septa Mordane asked. â€Å"I’m not hungry.† Arya found it an effort to remember her courtesies. â€Å"May I be excused, please?† she recited stiffly. â€Å"You may not,† the septa said. â€Å"You have scarcely touched your food. You will sit down and clean your plate.† â€Å"You clean it!† Before anyone could stop her, Arya bolted for the door as the men laughed and Septa Mordane called loudly after her, her voice rising higher and higher. Fat Tom was at his post, guarding the door to the Tower of the Hand. He blinked when he saw Arya rushing toward him and heard the septa’s shouts. â€Å"Here now, little one, hold on,† he started to say, reaching, but Arya slid between his legs and then she was running up the winding tower steps, her feet hammering on the stone while Fat Tom huffed and puffed behind her. Her bedchamber was the only place that Arya liked in all of King’s Landing, and the thing she liked best about it was the door, a massive slab of dark oak with black iron bands. When she slammed that door and dropped the heavy crossbar, nobody could get into her room, not Septa Mordane or Fat Tom or Sansa or Jory or the Hound, nobody! She slammed it now. When the bar was down, Arya finally felt safe enough to cry. She went to the window seat and sat there, sniffling, hating them all, and herself most of all. It was all her fault, everything bad that had happened. Sansa said so, and Jeyne too. Fat Tom was knocking on her door. â€Å"Arya girl, what’s wrong?† he called out. â€Å"You in there?† â€Å"No!† she shouted. The knocking stopped. A moment later she heard him going away. Fat Tom was always easy to fool. Arya went to the chest at the foot of her bed. She knelt, opened the lid, and began pulling her clothes out with both hands, grabbing handfuls of silk and satin and velvet and wool and tossing them on the floor. It was there at the bottom of the chest, where she’d hidden it. Arya lifted it out almost tenderly and drew the slender blade from its sheath. Needle. She thought of Mycah again and her eyes filled with tears. Her fault, her fault, her fault. If she had never asked him to play at swords with her . . . There was a pounding at her door, louder than before. â€Å"Arya Stark, you open this door at once, do you hear me?† Arya spun around, with Needle in her hand. â€Å"You better not come in here!† she warned. She slashed at the air savagely. â€Å"The Hand will hear of this!† Septa Mordane raged. â€Å"I don’t care,† Arya screamed. â€Å"Go away.† â€Å"You will rue this insolent behavior, young lady, I promise you that.† Arya listened at the door until she heard the sound of the septa’s receding footsteps. She went back to the window, Needle in hand, and looked down into the courtyard below. If only she could climb like Bran, she thought; she would go out the window and down the tower, run away from this horrible place, away from Sansa and Septa Mordane and Prince Joffrey, from all of them. Steal some food from the kitchens, take Needle and her good boots and a warm cloak. She could find Nymeria in the wild woods below the Trident, and together they’d return to Winterfell, or run to Jon on the Wall. She found herself wishing that Jon was here with her now. Then maybe she wouldn’t feel so alone. A soft knock at the door behind her turned Arya away from the window and her dreams of escape. â€Å"Arya,† her father’s voice called out. â€Å"Open the door. We need to talk.† Arya crossed the room and lifted the crossbar. Father was alone. He seemed more sad than angry. That made Arya feel even worse. â€Å"May I come in?† Arya nodded, then dropped her eyes, ashamed. Father closed the door. â€Å"Whose sword is that?† â€Å"Mine.† Arya had almost forgotten Needle, in her hand. â€Å"Give it to me.† Reluctantly Arya surrendered her sword, wondering if she would ever hold it again. Her father turned it in the light, examining both sides of the blade. He tested the point with his thumb. â€Å"A bravo’s blade,† he said. â€Å"Yet it seems to me that I know this maker’s mark. This is Mikken’s work.† Arya could not lie to him. She lowered her eyes. Lord Eddard Stark sighed. â€Å"My nine-year-old daughter is being armed from my own forge, and I know nothing of it. The Hand of the King is expected to rule the Seven Kingdoms, yet it seems I cannot even rule my own household. How is it that you come to own a sword, Arya? Where did you get this?† Arya chewed her lip and said nothing. She would not betray Jon, not even to their father. After a while, Father said, â€Å"I don’t suppose it matters, truly.† He looked down gravely at the sword in his hands. â€Å"This is no toy for children, least of all for a girl. What would Septa Mordane say if she knew you were playing with swords?† â€Å"I wasn’t playing,† Arya insisted. â€Å"I hate Septa Mordane.† â€Å"That’s enough.† Her father’s voice was curt and hard. â€Å"The septa is doing no more than is her duty, though gods know you have made it a struggle for the poor woman. Your mother and I have charged her with the impossible task of making you a lady.† â€Å"I don’t want to be a lady!† Arya flared. â€Å"I ought to snap this toy across my knee here and now, and put an end to this nonsense.† â€Å"Needle wouldn’t break,† Arya said defiantly, but her voice betrayed her words. â€Å"It has a name, does it?† Her father sighed. â€Å"Ah, Arya. You have a wildness in you, child. ‘The wolf blood,’ my father used to call it. Lyanna had a touch of it, and my brother Brandon more than a touch. It brought them both to an early grave.† Arya heard sadness in his voice; he did not often speak of his father, or of the brother and sister who had died before she was born. â€Å"Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You remind me of her sometimes. You even look like her.† â€Å"Lyanna was beautiful,† Arya said, startled. Everybody said so. It was not a thing that was ever said of Arya. â€Å"She was,† Eddard Stark agreed, â€Å"beautiful, and willful, and dead before her time.† He lifted the sword, held it out between them. â€Å"Arya, what did you think to do with this . . . Needle? Who did you hope to skewer? Your sister? Septa Mordane? Do you know the first thing about sword fighting?† All she could think of was the lesson Jon had given her. â€Å"Stick them with the pointy end,† she blurted out. Her father snorted back laughter. â€Å"That is the essence of it, I suppose.† Arya desperately wanted to explain, to make him see. â€Å"I was trying to learn, but . . . † Her eyes filled with tears. â€Å"I asked Mycah to practice with me.† The grief came on her all at once. She turned away, shaking. â€Å"I asked him,† she cried. â€Å"It was my fault, it was me . . . â€Å" Suddenly her father’s arms were around her. He held her gently as she turned to him and sobbed against his chest. â€Å"No, sweet one,† he murmured. â€Å"Grieve for your friend, but never blame yourself. You did not kill the butcher’s boy. That murder lies at the Hound’s door, him and the cruel woman he serves.† â€Å"I hate them,† Arya confided, red-faced, sniffling. â€Å"The Hound and the queen and the king and Prince Joffrey. I hate all of them. Joffrey lied, it wasn’t the way he said. I hate Sansa too. She did remember, she just lied so Joffrey would like her.† â€Å"We all lie,† her father said. â€Å"Or did you truly think I’d believe that Nymeria ran off?† Arya blushed guiltily. â€Å"Jory promised not to tell.† â€Å"Jory kept his word,† her father said with a smile. â€Å"There are some things I do not need to be told. Even a blind man could see that wolf would never have left you willingly.† â€Å"We had to throw rocks,† she said miserably. â€Å"I told her to run, to go be free, that I didn’t want her anymore. There were other wolves for her to play with, we heard them howling, and Jory said the woods were full of game, so she’d have deer to hunt. Only she kept following, and finally we had to throw rocks. I hit her twice. She whined and looked at me and I felt so ‘shamed, but it was right, wasn’t it? The queen would have killed her.† â€Å"It was right,† her father said. â€Å"And even the lie was . . . not without honor.† He’d put Needle aside when he went to Arya to embrace her. Now he took the blade up again and walked to the window, where he stood for a moment, looking out across the courtyard. When he turned back, his eyes were thoughtful. He seated himself on the window seat, Needle across his lap. â€Å"Arya, sit down. I need to try and explain some things to you.† She perched anxiously on the edge of her bed. â€Å"You are too young to be burdened with all my cares,† he told her, â€Å"but you are also a Stark of Winterfell. You know our words.† â€Å"Winter is coming,† Arya whispered. â€Å"The hard cruel times,† her father said. â€Å"We tasted them on the Trident, child, and when Bran fell. You were born in the long summer, sweet one, you’ve never known anything else, but now the winter is truly coming. Remember the sigil of our House, Arya.† â€Å"The direwolf,† she said, thinking of Nymeria. She hugged her knees against her chest, suddenly afraid. â€Å"Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm. Septa Mordane is a good woman, and Sansa . . . Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you . . . and I need both of you, gods help me.† He sounded so tired that it made Arya sad. â€Å"I don’t hate Sansa,† she told him. â€Å"Not truly.† It was only half a lie. â€Å"I do not mean to frighten you, but neither will I lie to you. We have come to a dark dangerous place, child. This is not Winterfell. We have enemies who mean us ill. We cannot fight a war among ourselves. This willfulness of yours, the running off, the angry words, the disobedience . . . at home, these were only the summer games of a child. Here and now, with winter soon upon us, that is a different matter. It is time to begin growing up.† â€Å"I will,† Arya vowed. She had never loved him so much as she did in that instant. â€Å"I can be strong too. I can be as strong as Robb.† He held Needle out to her, hilt first. â€Å"Here.† She looked at the sword with wonder in her eyes. For a moment she was afraid to touch it, afraid that if she reached for it it would be snatched away again, but then her father said, â€Å"Go on, it’s yours,† and she took it in her hand. â€Å"I can keep it?† she said. â€Å"For true?† â€Å"For true.† He smiled. â€Å"If I took it away, no doubt I’d find a morningstar hidden under your pillow within the fortnight. Try not to stab your sister, whatever the provocation.† â€Å"I won’t. I promise.† Arya clutched Needle tightly to her chest as her father took his leave. The next morning, as they broke their fast, she apologized to Septa Mordane and asked for her pardon. The septa peered at her suspiciously, but Father nodded. Three days later, at midday, her father’s steward Vayon Poole sent Arya to the Small Hall. The trestle tables had been dismantled and the benches shoved against the walls. The hall seemed empty, until an unfamiliar voice said, â€Å"You are late, boy.† A slight man with a bald head and a great beak of a nose stepped out of the shadows, holding a pair of slender wooden swords. â€Å"Tomorrow you will be here at midday.† He had an accent, the lilt of the Free Cities, Braavos perhaps, or Myr. â€Å"Who are you?† Arya asked. â€Å"I am your dancing master.† He tossed her one of the wooden blades. She grabbed for it, missed, and heard it clatter to the floor. â€Å"Tomorrow you will catch it. Now pick it up.† It was not just a stick, but a true wooden sword complete with grip and guard and pommel. Arya picked it up and clutched it nervously with both hands, holding it out in front of her. It was heavier than it looked, much heavier than Needle. The bald man clicked his teeth together. â€Å"That is not the way, boy. This is not a greatsword that is needing two hands to swing it. You will take the blade in one hand.† â€Å"It’s too heavy,† Arya said. â€Å"It is heavy as it needs to be to make you strong, and for the balancing. A hollow inside is filled with lead, just so. One hand now is all that is needing.† Arya took her right hand off the grip and wiped her sweaty palm on her pants. She held the sword in her left hand. He seemed to approve. â€Å"The left is good. All is reversed, it will make your enemies more awkward. Now you are standing wrong. Turn your body sideface, yes, so. You are skinny as the shaft of a spear, do you know. That is good too, the target is smaller. Now the grip. Let me see.† He moved closer and peered at her hand, prying her fingers apart, rearranging them. â€Å"Just so, yes. Do not squeeze it so tight, no, the grip must be deft, delicate.† â€Å"What if I drop it?† Arya said. â€Å"The steel must be part of your arm,† the bald man told her. â€Å"Can you drop part of your arm? No. Nine years Syrio Forel was first sword to the Sealord of Braavos, he knows these things. Listen to him, boy.† It was the third time he had called her â€Å"boy.† â€Å"I’m a girl,† Arya objected. â€Å"Boy, girl,† Syrio Forel said. â€Å"You are a sword, that is all.† He clicked his teeth together. â€Å"Just so, that is the grip. You are not holding a battle-axe, you are holding a—† â€Å"—needle,† Arya finished for him, fiercely. â€Å"Just so. Now we will begin the dance. Remember, child, this is not the iron dance of Westeros we are learning, the knight’s dance, hacking and hammering, no. This is the bravo’s dance, the water dance, swift and sudden. All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce them, the water leaks out and they die.† He took a step backward, raised his own wooden blade. â€Å"Now you will try to strike me.† Arya tried to strike him. She tried for four hours, until every muscle in her body was sore and aching, while Syrio Forel clicked his teeth together and told her what to do. The next day their real work began. How to cite A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-two, Essay examples

Major Part Company Investment

Question: What are the major part of any companys investment? Explain. Answer: For any organization, it is very well known that the most important asset are its employees. The major part of any companys investment also comprise of the salary given to its employees. So, it is very important for any company to manage their employees in the best possible manner so that the employees remain motivated to put their complete efforts towards the achievement of the goals of the company. Here the manager play a very important role in managing their employees and hence they should have proper managerial skills which are required. The manager carry a major responsibility to bind the team and get work out of them (Soininen, 2014). They need to be very friendly with their employees, listen to their concerns, and finally resolve if any issues exist. It is the responsibility of the managers to train their employees properly, execute effective performance management, award their better performers and carry out team building activities. This starts from the very first step of hi ring the right people for different jobs in the company. It is the responsibility of the managers to clearly set the expectation from the employees and motivate the employees to achieve more from what is expected (Song, 2014). It is also important for the managers to reward the employees for their contribution, appreciate on a regular basis for better performances and recognizing the good work done by the employees. At the same time, it is also the responsibility of the managers to encourage the employees to take the total ownership of various tasks and take the responsibility if any action is not completed as per the expectation or the deadline is missed. It is one of the most important role of the managers to develop the attitude of accountability among the employees. It is also important that the managers ensure that the employees are being provided safe environment to work. The managers are responsible for the providing a proper career path to the employees and help them grow in the company gradually. They need to provide the employees proper benefits and keep them informed about the employment policies. They should also be given some sort of freedom to work in the way they want (Winston, 2013). What is the importance of a manger in an organization? A manager play a very important role in any organization. Most of the roles has been mentioned in the introduction part. In a nutshell the managers are the ones who enable the normal functioning of a company. They are the building bricks for any company and works as an adhesive who bring together members of any team and get the work out of them. For this it is very important for them to maintain a friendly working environment and ensure that there are no conflicts between the members of any team. The managers has to deal with their employees like a supportive aid and help them with their issues (Dwyer, 2013). The managers have to also manage the training and development of the employees so that the employees should be satisfied with their growth in the organization. They are the people who set up an image of the organization in the eyes of the clients, competitors, employees, investors and the common people (Fung, 2015). Organization Behavior is a very vast topic and basically comprising of the study of the behavior of the people in any organization. As it is already known that that the most important asset for any organization are their employees. It is very important for the organization to keep their employees happy and satisfied so that they can deliver as per their maximum potential. To ensure this happens, it is necessary to understand their behavior and act accordingly (Lange, 2013). It is not an easy task as there are many challenges that are associated with this. Every individual in an organization is different from each other and to manage all of them at once with same rules and guidelines is taxing for the management of any organization. It is very important for any organization that their employees work as a team and deliver. Organization Behavior deals with the study and analysis of behavior of the employees in any organizational environment. It is basically the study of the linkage betw een the organizational setup and related human behavior. The employees send most of their time in the organization, hence they need to have a friendly and vibrant environment for work otherwise it will be a very monotonous and boring schedule (Engle, 2016). For this, every organization should take steps and help the employees to always remain motivated. Are managerial skills involved in the above case study? In such situations what is the responsibility of a manager as a professional? Here we are discussing about the case study of Duke where most of its operating budget i.e. approximately 60% is spent on the employee. Hence it is derived that major part of its investment is on the employees and hence it is really important for the managers at Duke to make sure that this investment gives the maximum returns in the form of the output of the business and developing a good brand in the market (Roussy, 2013). The motive of the Duke Company is to make sure they create an environment which is employee friendly and support them to advance the Dukes mission of education, research and patient care and in the future. In such a company it is very important for the managers to keep their employees satisfied, hire the right people for their institution, help their staff to work to their potential and reward them time to time to keep them motivated to work better every day. The Case study depicts that managers has to perform all their roles which are employee centric and needs t o take care of the employees of Duke as their baby (Smith, 2013). The major roles of the manager for Duke can be shortlisted as below: Lead as an example to set standards for their employees Manage their team very effectively Train and coach the employees with best facilities available Have a robust hiring process to pick the right person for the right position on the organization Measure the performance of the employees through a proper performance management system, Provide rewards, awards to the employees accordingly Help employees to improve their performance Take proper action against low performers. The roles of the manager can also be explained in a form of different stages like (Fletcher, 2016): Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and Controlling where every step involves employees. As a manager of Duke, Is the Manager doing all that is within ones power to affect proper management? The case study shows that the managers are doing a good job in managing their employees effectively. They provide enough freedom to their employees to work in the way they prefer and give them proper guidelines to follow. They make sure they elect the right candidate for different jobs at Duke. The managers are doing their bit to keep the employees motivated and develop different skills among their employees. Duke being such a large company and all its need is to improve the services provided to the employees (Wong, 2014). From the case study, it is depicted that the employees are sticking to the company which shows that managers are doing their part to help employees remain loyal to the company. This can be concluded as they is no mention of the high attrition rate of the company. The work is also effectively done and the results of the company is also satisfactory since last few years. There is no mention of the direct financial results but the effectiveness of the work reveals tha t it must be the case. They are taking care of the following cases: 1) Proper Pay administration 2) Performance management 3) Managing employees time very effectively 4) Employee recognition All the above roles of the managers are properly executed at Duke. There can be areas where there is a little scope of improvement but still the performance of the managers are satisfactory at Duke. Conclusion The Company Duke is doing a good job on the front of the performance because of the proper execution of the roles of their managers. Their investment on employees is huge and they are making sure that this investment is paying off them well. References Soininen, J., Puumalainen, K., Sjgrn, H., Syrj, P., Richter, C. (2014). What drives entrepreneurial orientation in small firms? The roles of owner-manager and financial conditions.International Journal of Business Excellence,8(1), 85-103. Yi, C. R., Song, H. D. (2014). DACUM Job Analysis on Elementary Health Teachers' Roles.Journal of Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing,25(3), 187-197. Winston, R. B., Creamer, D. G., Miller, T. K. (2013).The professional student affairs administrator: Educator, leader, and manager. Routledge. Dwyer, T., Takahashi, T. S. G., Nousiainen, M., NIDT, P. F., NID, V. W., John Semple, N. I. D., Brian Hodges, N. I. D. (2013). roles in orthopedic residents: use of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).Correspondance. Fung, H. P. (2015). Moderating Effects of Project Management Experience, Project Team Size, Project Duration and Project Value Size on the Relationship between Project ManagerS Leadership Roles and Project Team Effectiveness in Malaysia.Journal of Empirical Studies. de Lange, J., Rodic-Wiersma, L. (2013). From waste handler to resource manager: New roles for solid waste management companies in a circular economy. InProceedings of the ISWA World Congress Vienna 2013, 7-11 October 2013, Vienna, Austria. Engle, R. L., Lopez, E. R., Gormley, K. E., Chan, J. A., Charns, M. P., Lukas, C. V. (2016). What roles do middle managers play in implementation of innovative practices?.Health care management review. Roussy, M. (2013). Internal auditors roles: from watchdogs to helpers and protectors of the top manager.Critical Perspectives on Accounting,24(7), 550-571. Smith, B. G. (2013). Exploring Social Media Empowerment of Public Relations: A Case Study of Health Communication Practitioner Roles and the Use of Social Media. InSocial Media and Strategie Communications(pp. 101-118). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Fletcher, L. (2016). How can personal development lead to increased engagement? The roles of meaningfulness and perceived line manager relations.The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1-24. von Knorring, M., Alexanderson, K., Eliasson, M. A. (2016). Healthcare managers construction of the manager role in relation to the medical profession.Journal of health organization and management,30(3), 421-440. Wong, C. A., Laschinger, H. K. S., Cziraki, K. (2014). The Role of Incentives in Nurses Aspirations to Management Roles.Journal of Nursing Administration,44(6), 362-367.

Philippine Century Hence Essay Sample free essay sample

The Philippines a Century Hence is an essay written by our national hero Jose Rizal and it tells the hereafter of the state within a hundred old ages. In this essay. published in La Solidaridad. it starts analysing the assorted causes of the jobs suffered by the Filipino people. One of those jobs is the Spain’s execution of her military policies. because of such Torahs the poorness here in our state became rampant than of all time. And the household as a unit of society was neglected. and overall. in every facet of life of the Filipino was retarded. Next is the devastation of the Filipino civilization. the native Filipino civilization. because of this. the Filipinos started losing assurance in their yesteryear and their heritage. became dubious of their present life style. and finally lost hope in the hereafter and the saving of their race. The Spanish colonisers are the 1 with the most powerful forces and they influenced the civilization of silence among the indigens. We will write a custom essay sample on Philippine Century Hence Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Because of the usage of force. the Filipinos learned to subject themselves to the will of the aliens. Finally. the indigens realized that such subjugation in their society by foreign colonisers must no longer be tolerated. One inquiry Rizal raises in this essay is whether or non Spain can so forestall the advancement of the Philippines. maintaining the people uneducated and nescient had failed. Keeping he people impoverished besides came to no help. Spain. therefore. had no agencies to halt the advancement of the state. What needs to make is to alter colonial policies so that they are in maintaining with the demands of the Philippine society and to the lifting patriotism of the people. What Rizal had envisioned in his essay came true. In 1898. the Americans wrestled with Spain to win the Philippines. and finally took over the state. Theirs was a reign of democracy and autonomy. Five decennaries after Rizal’s decease. the Philippines gained her long-awaited independency. This was in fulfilment of what he had written in his essay: â€Å"History does non enter in its annals any permanent domination by one people over another. of different races. of diverse uses and imposts. of opposite and divergent thoughts. One of the two had to give and yield. †

Free Essays on Changing Teen Relationships Over Time

We live in a world today where everything is faster, more intense, more demanding, and more intimate. These items have combined to put tremendous pressure on relationships today and in some cases create serious problems. The relationships today are significantly more complicated and potentially more stressful than those of fifty years ago. In order to better understand the differences, we must compare the teenage relationships from the 1950s and today, to determine the cases. Terminology over the decades has changed in phrasing, as well as meaning. In the 1950s, â€Å"necking† was defined as â€Å"caresses above the neck,† while in today’s society, it is referred to as â€Å"making out.† Both terms refer to partners kissing and touching above the neck. More serious terms in the fifties were â€Å"petting† and â€Å"heavy petting† which were described as â€Å"caresses below the neck,† often closer to intercourse. Today, both kinds of â€Å"caresses† are referred to as â€Å"hooking up† (Sombat). â€Å"Hooking up† can always mean casual dating, kissing, or engaging in sexual activity with other people. Titles and places have also changed since the 1950s. For example, serious dating used to be referred as â€Å"going steady,† whereas in today’s terms it is referred to as â€Å"going out.† Both terms involve the titles of boyfriend and girlfriend but â€Å"going steady† usually meant the couple was on the path to marriage, whereas â€Å"going out† just means a serious relationship (Sombat). Although the terminology has changed, the meanings are often similar. Some sexual phrases today are not taken as seriously as they were in fifties, but that is how teenage relationships have evolved. Teen relationships are not taken as seriously as they were in the 1950s. When teenagers were dating in the 1950s, it was never acceptable for them to be alone in the house or in a bedroom. Today, it is an almost everyday occurrence that teenage... Free Essays on Changing Teen Relationships Over Time Free Essays on Changing Teen Relationships Over Time We live in a world today where everything is faster, more intense, more demanding, and more intimate. These items have combined to put tremendous pressure on relationships today and in some cases create serious problems. The relationships today are significantly more complicated and potentially more stressful than those of fifty years ago. In order to better understand the differences, we must compare the teenage relationships from the 1950s and today, to determine the cases. Terminology over the decades has changed in phrasing, as well as meaning. In the 1950s, â€Å"necking† was defined as â€Å"caresses above the neck,† while in today’s society, it is referred to as â€Å"making out.† Both terms refer to partners kissing and touching above the neck. More serious terms in the fifties were â€Å"petting† and â€Å"heavy petting† which were described as â€Å"caresses below the neck,† often closer to intercourse. Today, both kinds of â€Å"caresses† are referred to as â€Å"hooking up† (Sombat). â€Å"Hooking up† can always mean casual dating, kissing, or engaging in sexual activity with other people. Titles and places have also changed since the 1950s. For example, serious dating used to be referred as â€Å"going steady,† whereas in today’s terms it is referred to as â€Å"going out.† Both terms involve the titles of boyfriend and girlfriend but â€Å"going steady† usually meant the couple was on the path to marriage, whereas â€Å"going out† just means a serious relationship (Sombat). Although the terminology has changed, the meanings are often similar. Some sexual phrases today are not taken as seriously as they were in fifties, but that is how teenage relationships have evolved. Teen relationships are not taken as seriously as they were in the 1950s. When teenagers were dating in the 1950s, it was never acceptable for them to be alone in the house or in a bedroom. Today, it is an almost everyday occurrence that teenage...

When Words Collide

When Words Collide When Words Collide When Words Collide By Maeve Maddox This use of the verb collide in a newspaper article struck me as odd: One driver was able to stop short of hitting the child but her bike collided into another car. The verb collide is from Latin collidere, to strike or clash together. Its most common use is as an intransitive verb. Used without a prepositional phrase, collide signifies an action in which two moving objects strike one another: Two satellites collide in orbit Two NJ Transit buses collided in the Lincoln Tunnel this morning Two Thai F16 jets collided in mid-air and crashed Collide can also be used figuratively: Southern Politics and Personalities Collide in Old Globes Cornelia, What Happens When Political and Humanitarian Goals Collide? When the colliding objects are not of the same kind, or a contrast between them is desired, a prepositional phrase is employed: Fire Truck Collides With a Van birds collide with airplanes As sea floor spreads from the oceanic ridge, it eventually collides against the continental crust or plate. Insurance rates collide with credit scores Pakistani frigate collides against the dock Jeep collides against tree The prepositions with and against are used to introduce the other object in the collision. The use of with indicates that both objects were moving. The preposition against indicates that one of the objects was stationary. The following headline is redundant: 15 Injured after 2 Buses Collide against each other The OED entry includes a transitive use of collide, but calls it rare or obsolete. Changing technology may call this use back from obsolescence. Here are two recent examples of collide used transitively: I simply want to collide a sprite against the edges of the screen. The simulation has determined they are not moving fast enough to warrant colliding them against each other A Google search turns up millions of examples of collide into, but in most instances, the writer may have been reaching for crashed: RAF Tornados nearly collided into each  other What would happen if a planet collided into the sun? Woman who collided into train tested positive for cocaine Some writers use the word in mysterious ways. In the following examples collide seems to be standing in for combined or coalesced: Can tetanus, meningitis, and chicken pox shots be all collided into 1 shot? Our worlds collided into one chat room. Bottom line: If you find yourself placing into after collide, you may wish to reconsider your use of one of the two words. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your Story40 Synonyms for â€Å"Lie†1,462 Basic Plot Types

Economic policies of Ronald Regean Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic policies of Ronald Regean - Essay Example budget deficit, crisis in the loans and savings markets, etc.) were deemed inconsequential or a consequence of the fact that the Democrats were at the time in charge of the Congress. In contrast, the Democrats maintain that the beneficial economic changes that took place in the 1980s were not a consequence of Reagans policies, whereas any negative alteration was a result of his failed measures. At the time when Ronald Reagan entered office, the American economy was facing one of the highest rates of inflation since 1947. Reagan supported income tax cuts and reductions in social welfare spending, and he focused on reviving the economy, which was suffering a high rate of inflation combined with an economic recession. His fiscal policies are generally referred to as "Reaganomics". As a result of the tax reductions taken and the increase in the defense-related expenditure (consequence of the ongoing Cold War), a great economic growth and expansion was observed together with an improvement of the job market. While these factors made President Reagan very popular among the general population, a fraction of economic experts criticized his measures as too liberal. And they were right: in order to cover federal budget deficits complicated by increased spending by Congress and by the fact that Reagan never submitted a balanced budget to Congress, the US borrowed heavily both domestically and abroad. The deficits in the budget soon became evident creating enormous increases in the national debt, which tripled from $1 to $3 trillion (circa 40% of the domestic gross product, the highest level since 1963); the country owed more to others than it was owed. Similarly, federal tax receipts doubled from $130.2 to $263.7 billion. In order to alleviate the situation, he appointed the Greenspan Commission, which resolved the crisis through a series of reforms which included, for example, increases in the payroll tax. He also reformed the Social

Compare and Contrast Greek and Roman Gods Research Paper

Compare and Contrast Greek and Roman Gods - Research Paper Example He was depicted as a bearded man to symbolize masculinity, where as his body armor symbolized his willingness to go to war for Olympia. He wore golden armor to symbolize his god stature. He was synonymous with the vulture, a bird that preys on dead or decaying animals. It was a symbol for the end of a war or the warning for a coming war. In the case of Roman Mythology, the title of god of war was given to Mars. He was the son of Romulus, who was the creator of Rome. He was in love with Venus, who was the goddess of love. He was considered to be the second most important individual in Roman Mythology, second only to Jupiter (Cartledge, 2002). He was a prominent military god and was admired and respected by the Roman legions. He was considered to be the protector of Rome, and would go to war to increase the power of the Roman Empire. The story of Mars is likened to that of Ares. His story is considered to have been derived from Ares, due to the similarity in their roles and functions in their respective mythologies. The main variation is that the Roman myths is based on the use of humans becoming gods, while in Greek mythology, it is based on the establishment of gods in their own society and group, which was superior to humans in Greek societies. (Dowden, 1992) In Greek Mythology, the king of the gods was Zeus. He was the ruler of mount Olympus as well as the god of the sky, thunder, weather, order, law and fate. He is depicted as a grown man, well built and wielding a thunderbolt. His image is based on royalty, the falcon and the bull which were used to depict or illustrate his character (Wiseman, 2002). The bull was a symbol of Zeus’ strength whereas the falcon was a symbol of his swift nature in judgment, and ability to deal with matters that may concern Olympus. His character was the true definition of a king, and his rule embodied that of a ruthless ruler, who had no

Case Study Gamestop Digital Firm Essay Example for Free

Case Study Gamestop Digital Firm Essay 1.  «GameStop » Digital Firm – Overview In my research I would like to point out gaming industry as a very profitable e-commerce sphere and as an example present a company named  «GameStop ».  «GameStop » was originally founded in 1984 in United States of America, as a small software retailer in Texas region. In 2009,  «GameStop » took a major step by initiating a digital growth strategy that incorporated a Nov. acquisition of Jolt Online Gaming, an Ireland-based publisher of free-to-play titles. In 2011, the company again carried out on its digital expansion strategy, obtaining streaming technology company â€Å"Spawn Labs† and digital sharing service â€Å"Impulse†. At the moment the company operates around 6,700 retail shops around the world and is commited to distribute great video games to customers, despite of how and where they play.  «GameStop » is ranked as one of the worlds largest multichannel game retailer. This organization offers consumers the most up to date hardware, game accessories for next generation video game systems and the PC. In addition, their buy, sell, trade politics creates value for customers while recycling products no longer being played. The motivation on why and to which extent the chosen firm is considered to be digitally operated is due to the fact, that  «GameStop » reported $290 million in sales from its â€Å"digital offerings,† which it said was up 61% year-over-year. That total, which includes sales of subscription cards for online video game services like Xbox Live, as well as PC downloads, still pales in contrast to the company’s general sales, which were around $9.47 billion. 2. Data stored in  «GameStop » database. CRUD model. Data that is stored in  «GameStop »s database contains following information: * Partners and contracts –gaming industry companies that sell their products throught the website * Projects – game concepts, ideas and future development. * Financial records – transactions between customers, partners etc. * Employee records – human resource information. * User/Buyer records – recordings of customers information, their transactions and searchings throughout the website. * Branch records – data about shops and servers that are located in other countries. The part that could be used to power a database enabled website of â€Å"GameStop† may contain following data: financial records, projects, partners and contracts, because through these data company is gaining most of its profit and opportunities for future development. Financial records, contracts and employee records are better to stay internal as they refer more to confidentiallity and most probably it is not needed to be shown on the website. On the Table 1, main users that have certain rights in â€Å"GameStop† are shown. It is necessary to point out the top management, it has all rights that could be engaged in the company’s database, in comparison with guest users, who has the right to read only. Employees have the right to create, read, update. IT technologists are provided with the same rights and gamers who a registered in the website are able to read and update information on the website of â€Å"GameStop†. 3. Two possible computer crimes affecting  «GameStop » digital company. Protection strategies. Two computer crimes could be identified affecting  «GameStop » company. The first and the most dangerous crime that could be pointed out is theft of identity. The second computer crime is Theft of Data. I would like to put emphasis on the fist computer crime – theft of identity. This crime could cause following security threats for the company, which is intrusion by hackers, phishing, spyware and social engineering. Hackers could intrude into the computer network of  «GameStop » and harm the content provided by the web site. Phishing is another threat that can occur; users might receive fake emails that seam to come from the company and try to capture private information about a specific account. Information about users might be secretly gathered while they are surfing the website, that would be a type of malware – spyware. Although the spyware does not specially suppose to to be dangerous for user, because cookies are used to remember infromation automatically by a brwoser and make it easier for customer to login into the website. Social engineering is a possible threat that is represented as shoulder surfing in this case. Someone can stand behind a user and secretly look at the password that he/she is typing. In order to protect its database,  «GameStop » various kinds of strategies and software: * Passwords – a strong 8 characters password that contains not only symbols, but also numbers and head letters. It is also necessary to change it once a month. * Firewall – a standard protection that combines hardware and software, that acts as a filter between private network and external computers. * Antivirus/Antispyware – a software that checks computers for presence of malware and viruses and often elimates it. * VPN – virtual private networks provide a secure channel through the Internet for transmitting messages and data using a private network. * Data Encryption – secure socket layer (SSL) manages secure transmission of transactins through the Internet. * Awareness – employees and users have to be aware of all possible dangers that can occur when using the database. Trainings for employees and warnings for users have to be in place. 4. Sources http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/the-most-successful-digital-companies/13/ http://www.gamestop.com/

Winston Churchill as Man of the Twentieth Century Essay -- Exploratory

Winston Churchill as Man of the Twentieth Century During the twentieth century, there were many people, some well known and others not so well known, who contributed to society in one way or another. When determining which one of these people was the biggest contributor to society during the twentieth century, and, therefore, the person of the twentieth century, their lives as a whole should be taken into consideration. In addition to contributing much to society in various ways, the best candidate for person of the century should also have had struggles and experiences that they overcame or went through and from which they learned. Winston Churchill is the person who contributed the most to society during the twentieth century and made it what it is today. Throughout his life, like other good candidates for person of the century, Winston Churchill had many struggles and experiences that he overcame and from which he learned. One of these major struggles had to do with his family, or more specifically, his parents. Winston was born into a rich and famous family of England. Both his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, and his mother, Lady Randolph Churchill (Jennie Jerome), were well known throughout England. Lord Randolph was a well-known member of Parliament and, because of his popularity, his wife was also well known. Like other well-known people at the time, Winston’s parents were often busy with political and social meetings and didn’t have time to care for him. Mrs. Everest, a nurse/nanny to Winston and his brother, Jack, took care of him as he grew up. As one author writes, â€Å"It was to her [Mrs. Everest] that Winston turned when in need, and he always remembered her with affection† (Bailey 8). It wasn’ t that Winston was... ...h birthday, he died. People from all over the world paid tribute to him for all he had done for society (Bailey 60-63). Sir Winston Churchill fits the perfect description for man of the century. He used the abilities and qualities to not only lead England (and the other Allies) in a defeat against Hitler, but also prevent civilization from becoming to a more evil civilization, tainted with the evil of Hitler. Bibliography Bailey, Eva. Churchill. East Sussex: Wayland Publishers Limited, 1981. â€Å"Famous Quotes & Stories of Winston Churchill.† (Online). Available http://www.winstonchurchill.org/bonmots.htm, May 12, 2001. Microsoft Corporation. â€Å"Churchill, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer.† 2000. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. CD-ROM. Sandys, Celia. The Young Churchill: The Early Years of Winston Churchill. United States of America: Dutton, 1995. Winston Churchill as Man of the Twentieth Century Essay -- Exploratory Winston Churchill as Man of the Twentieth Century During the twentieth century, there were many people, some well known and others not so well known, who contributed to society in one way or another. When determining which one of these people was the biggest contributor to society during the twentieth century, and, therefore, the person of the twentieth century, their lives as a whole should be taken into consideration. In addition to contributing much to society in various ways, the best candidate for person of the century should also have had struggles and experiences that they overcame or went through and from which they learned. Winston Churchill is the person who contributed the most to society during the twentieth century and made it what it is today. Throughout his life, like other good candidates for person of the century, Winston Churchill had many struggles and experiences that he overcame and from which he learned. One of these major struggles had to do with his family, or more specifically, his parents. Winston was born into a rich and famous family of England. Both his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, and his mother, Lady Randolph Churchill (Jennie Jerome), were well known throughout England. Lord Randolph was a well-known member of Parliament and, because of his popularity, his wife was also well known. Like other well-known people at the time, Winston’s parents were often busy with political and social meetings and didn’t have time to care for him. Mrs. Everest, a nurse/nanny to Winston and his brother, Jack, took care of him as he grew up. As one author writes, â€Å"It was to her [Mrs. Everest] that Winston turned when in need, and he always remembered her with affection† (Bailey 8). It wasn’ t that Winston was... ...h birthday, he died. People from all over the world paid tribute to him for all he had done for society (Bailey 60-63). Sir Winston Churchill fits the perfect description for man of the century. He used the abilities and qualities to not only lead England (and the other Allies) in a defeat against Hitler, but also prevent civilization from becoming to a more evil civilization, tainted with the evil of Hitler. Bibliography Bailey, Eva. Churchill. East Sussex: Wayland Publishers Limited, 1981. â€Å"Famous Quotes & Stories of Winston Churchill.† (Online). Available http://www.winstonchurchill.org/bonmots.htm, May 12, 2001. Microsoft Corporation. â€Å"Churchill, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer.† 2000. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. CD-ROM. Sandys, Celia. The Young Churchill: The Early Years of Winston Churchill. United States of America: Dutton, 1995.

Business Finance Written Assignment

Q1. Define an â€Å"efficient market† and the three forms of market efficiency. Explain how each of the forms differs from a perfect market. Define arbitrage and explain what kind of information is needed for you to obtain arbitrage in each of the forms of market efficiency. (5 points) Q2. Please compare the advantages and disadvantages of the following investment rules: Net Present Value (NPV), Payback Period, Discounted Payback Period, Average Accounting Return, Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Profitability Index (PI). You can start by considering the following questions for each investment rule: Does it use cash flows or accounting earnings? Does it consider all cash flows or not? Does it apply a proper discount rate? Whether the acceptance criteria are clear and reasonable? In what situation it can be applied? What kind of weakness does it have? ) (5 points) Question 1 An efficient market is advocated by a hypothesis that under free movement of information, the true valu e of securities are fairly priced, which immediately and accurately reflect all information available to investors.By the assumptions that rational investors evaluate the price by ascertained future cash flows, and are able to learn and react quickly to new information once delivered, investors do not expect to achieve returns in excess of average market returns. The three forms of market efficiency are weak, semi-strong, and strong. Different degree of information is reflected by price in different forms. Under weak form, the prices reflect all past publicly available information, like historical prices movements. Under semi-strong form, the prices reflect all publicly available information, like financial statements and news reports.Under strong form, the prices reflect all public and private information. Generally, because of quick reflection of information in price and quick response of investors to the market, it is impossible for investors to obtain or use new information to f ind undervalued stocks. To illustrate, in weak form, using past prices for technical analysis is useless to predict future trend as past information is irrelevant to the future. In semi-strong form, using fundamental analysis is not useful as the prices are immediately adjusted once the information widely circulated in the market.In strong form, finding undervalued stocks is not consistent as all information is well known. Thus, no investors can earn excess return by trading the information or selling the stocks with too high expected returns. A perfect market is where no arbitrage opportunities occur (i. e. Law of One Price) because complete information is shared among all investors. Compared with efficient market, no distinction in degree of information is reflected in price here. Arbitrage means the practice of buying and selling equivalent goods in different markets to take advantage of a price difference.An arbitrage opportunity occurs if making a profit without taking any risk . An efficient market does not necessarily mean investors cannot yield excess return. Instead, an arbitrage opportunity does exist if they ask for appropriate information quickly. If a market achieves strong form efficiency given that it is mature enough, no investor can yield any excess return in long run. Thus, no more information is needed. On the other hand, private and latest public information are needed to obtain arbitrage in semi-strong and weak form efficiency respectively. (395 words) Question 2 Use of cash flows and discount rateAll investment rules are determined by estimated cash flows but only NPV, IRR and PI consider all cash flows throughout the project’s life. Except payback period, the cash flows are discounted by proper discount rate under each rule. A positive NPV expects the project adding value to firm and shareholders’ wealth. All discounted expected future cash flows are taken into consideration compared with the initial cost. The discount rate estimates the risk level and the return and thus it is appropriate. Thus, NPV is the best because it accounts for time value of money and risk of cash flows.IRR is the return that set NPV to zero. Similarly, the calculation is based on cash flows and discount rate (i. e. same benefit as NPV). It provides a simple tool without estimating all details but intuitively appealing to know. If IRR is high enough, the time spent on estimating a required cost of capital is avoidable. PI measures benefit per unit cost based on time value of money to estimate an additional value to firm. Two versions of PI provide same decision and both are easy to understand and communicate. For calculating PI, NPV calculation is used and thus PI’s advantage is same as NPV’s.Payback period is the amount of time for future cash flows taken to recover the initial investment. It is a scanning tool for uncertain cash flows. However, it ignores cost of capital and time value of money since only cash f lows for that current period are concerned. Also, not all cash flows are considered as cash flows beyond payback period are ignored. Similar to payback period, the only difference is discounted payback period better considers discount rate (i. e. time value of money). Therefore, payback period on a discounted basis will be longer. Clearness and reasonableness of acceptance criteriaNPV, IRR and PI can provide clear and reasonable criteria while only NPV can be applied to all situations. The NPV rule is to accept a stand-alone project with positive NPV or a mutually exclusive project with the highest NPV. As NPV is estimated absolutely, the rule can still be applied despite of different scale of projects. The IRR rule is to accept a stand-alone project with IRR greater than cost of capital or a mutually exclusive project with the highest IRR. However, IRR rule is consistent with NPV rule only if all negative cash flows precede positive cash flows. In other words, the conflict is due t o non-conventional ash flows and change in signs more than once. Thus, non-existent or multiple IRR(s) may cause uncertainty in decision making. IRR is unreliable when mutually exclusive projects are different in scale, risk and time horizon. PI is closely related to NPV, generally leading to identical decisions. PI helps evaluate and identify the optimal combination under resource constraint, especially for limited budget. The project with the highest PI should be chosen first. Nevertheless, it ignores the size factor and thus leads to incorrect decisions among mutually exclusive projects.Moreover, PI cannot be applied during multiple resource constraints. The rule of (discounted) payback period is to accept the project if it is less than a pre-specified length of time. It is easily understood and simply used because of clear acceptance criteria. However, an arbitrary cutoff point is required for determination. It is subjective since ignoring the impact of cash flows after payback period favors short –term projects and biases against long –term projects. Conclusion NPV is the most commonly used investment criteria and true at any time. If any conflicts exist among the investment rules, NPV rule should prevail. 605 words) Reference 1. Hong Kong Institute of Investors (2001), â€Å"Efficient Market Hypothesis†, retrieved 1 April 2012, from http://td. hkii. org/investu/168ch7/7-5. php 2. NYU Stern, â€Å"Market Efficiency – Definition and Tests†, retrieved 1 April 2012, from http://pages. stern. nyu. edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/invemgmt/effdefn. htm 3. Wikipedia, â€Å"Efficient-market hypothesis†, retrieved 1 April 2012, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Efficient-market_hypothesis 4. Wretch (21 February 2006), â€Å"Efficient Market Hypothesis†, retrieved 1 April 2012, from http://www. wretch. cc/blog/jeysafe/3421966

Outsiders Book and Movie Comparison Essay

The book and the movie of the Outsiders are two very different stories. The book has so much more detail then the movie. The movie is not the most detailed but it does get its point across. There are may similarities and also many differences between the two the book is by far more interesting and more detailed then the movie. I enjoyed the book a lot and the movies a lot but the movie was missing a lot. A few similarities between the movie and book are that the movie still has the complete Greaser gang Pony, Johnny, Soda, Darry, Dally, Two-Bit and Steve. They still have some of the more sad part like when Johnny and Dally die. There is still lots of conflict between the Greasers and the Soc’s. There is still the situation where Johnny kills one of the Soc’s and Johnny and Ponyboy both skip town. They still go to the church and hide out for 5 days. They still save the little kids from the burning church house. They still have the rumble and they also still win it. The settings are both still the same they both take place in Tulsa Oklahoma in the mid 1960’s. They both still have the same conflicts and the same out comes to the conflicts. Both the book and the movies are very much alike. There are still a few differences like in the book, there is a rich west side and a poor east side. In the movie, there is a rich south side Soc and a poor north side Greaser. Darry doesn’t treat Pony as bad in the movie as he did in the book . Pony takes the death of Johnny and Dally a little less harder the movie then he did in the book. The movie dosen’t mention Sodapops horse Mickey Mouse. Sodapop and Dally aren’t blonds like they are in the book, instead they are brunettes in the movie. The church that Ponyboy and Johnny run away to isn’t on a hill it is just out there. The movie also never mentions sodapops girl friend. In the book Soda gives Ponyboy money while in the book he didn’t. Also the book was written in Ponyboy’s perspective and the movie was not, the movie was written in everyone’s perspective. In the Movie the Socs were from the South instead of the West. Ponyboy doesn’t smoke as much in the movie as they said so in the book. Ponyboy Curtis in the fourteen-year-old boy that explains the story in both the book and the movie, and also the youngest of the greasers. Ponyboy is ery intelligent compared to the rest of the gang he is most defenatly the smartest to them all. Because his parents have died in a car accident, Ponyboy lives with his two brothers Darry and Sodapop in both the book and movie. Darry repeatedly accuses Ponyboy of lacking common sense in the book more so then in the movie, but Ponyboy is a much brighter then his brother takes him for. Throughout the novel, Ponyboy struggles with class division, violence, innocence, and familial love but in the movie they dont focus on his school as much. He matures over the course of the book and the movie both. Darrel Curtis Ponyboy’s oldest brother. Darrel, known as â€Å"Darry,† both in the book and in the movie. He is a twenty-year-old greaser who is raising Ponyboy because their parents have died in a car crash. Strong, athletic, and intelligent, Darry has quit school in the book and in the movie. He works two jobs to hold the family together. One of the leader of the greasers, he becomes an parent role model for Ponyboy. He also makes good chocolate cake, which he and his brothers eat every day for breakfast in the book but the movie really does not mention it. The other greasers call him â€Å"Superman. † Sodapop Curtis Ponyboy’s fun, intergetic, handsome brother. Sodapop is the middle Curtis boy. Ponyboy admires Sodapop’s good looks and charm. Sodapop is really a great person in both the book and the movie his plans are to marry Sandy , a greaser girl. Two-Bit Mathews The joker of Ponyboy’s group. Two-Bit, whose real name is Keith, is a wise-cracking greaser who regularly shoplift he gets in trouble a lot more in the movie more so then in the book. He loves his sleek black-handled switchblade so much in both the book and the movie. Dallas Winston the toughest hood in Ponyboy’s group of greasers. Dallas, known as â€Å"Dally,† is a big bad teen who used to run with gangs in New York shown both in the book and the movie. He has an elfin face and icy blue eyes and, unlike the others he do not put grease in his white-blond hair. Dally’s violent tendencies make him more dangerous than the other greasers in both the book and the movie, and he takes pride in his criminal record more so in the book then the movie. Sandy is Sodapop’s girlfriend in both the book and the movie. Sandy is pregnant with another boys child and moves to Florida to live with her grandmother in both the book and the movie. Like the other greaser girls, Sandy only is shown in the book and the movie when the boys mention her. Cherry Valance Bob’s girlfriend, she is a Soc cheerleader. When one night Ponyboy meets her at the movies in both the book and the movie. Cherry’s real name is Sheri, but people call her Cherry because of her red hair. Ponyboy and Cherry have so much in common, and Ponyboy feels comfortable talking to her more so mentioned in the book then in the movie. This is why I say the book of the Outsiders is far better then the movie. The movie is missing lots of detail and the book is far more interesting then the movie.

Venezuela Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers

Venezuela Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers Venezuela THE THIRD WORLD NATION OF VENEZUELA Venezuela, officially Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is the sixth largest country in South America, unique in landscape, flora, fauna, and wild life that rivals the larger nations in South America. In fact, due to it's uniqueness, Venezuela is as much a Caribbean country as it is a South American one. Venezuela lies at the northern extreme of South America, bordered by Columbia to the West, Brazil to the South, Guyana to the East, and the Caribbean Sea to the North. The country is just over 900,000 square kilometers , divided into 23 states. The area includes stretches of the Andes Mountains, huge areas of Amazonian rain forest, fertile plains, miles of Caribbean shoreline and even a small desert. The nation also has two geographical superlatives, the world's highest waterfall and South America's biggest lake. Because of its proximity to the Equator, Venezuela experiences few climatic variations, just two seasons, dry [December to April] and wet [May to November] and an average temperature of 27C. Whatever economic development has occurred in Venezuela, is largely due to the enormous natural

How Does the Scoring Curve Work for the ACT?

The ACT is a standardized exam most commonly taken by juniors and seniors in the United States. Many college admissions committees require either an ACT or SAT score, and some states now use the ACT as a high school graduation requirement. The test is well known nationally and its results are recognized by the most competitive colleges and universities in the country. For this reason, it comes as a bit of a surprise that ACT scores are not as commonly understood as one might expect. In fact, there are many misconceptions about ACT scores and their meaning, including the idea of an ACT scoring curve.       In this post, we will outline how ACTs are scored and what the implications of this scoring are on testing decisions and score comparisons. Read on to learn more about how the ACT scoring curve works. The ACT is offered in the United States six times per year, and while it’s common to think that your test will be scored on a curve in relation to the other tests taken on your test date, this is actually incorrect.   Your ACT is scored through a series of careful calculations. First, the number of questions you got right on each separate section is tallied. This results in what is known as a raw score. The raw score is simply the number of correct answers you submitted, and this number is not readily apparent on your score report. Instead, you see a score that is scaled. Your raw score is converted to a scaled score ranging from 1-36. These are the scores headlining your score report and are the numbers you’re probably most familiar with if you’ve researched ACT averages or benchmarks. Your scaled scores for each separate section are then averaged to calculate your composite score. Fractions more than or equal to one half are rounded up to the nearest whole number, while fractions under one half are rounded down to the nearest whole number. Your composite score is the first number that appears on your score report and is widely accepted as the most important indicator of your success on the test. Raw scores are converted to scaled scores by using a test-specific curve designed to correct for slight variations in the difficulty of each test. The curve is not based in any way on the performance of your peers. While we’re most accustomed to hearing about curves that are plotted in relation to other scores on the test, for the ACT this is not the case. Instead, the curve is calculated based on the specific difficulty of the ACT that you took. Because there are multiple versions of the test administered each year, it’s necessary to account for slight variations in how difficult each test is. Questions are weighted by difficulty and each test’s specific curve will take this into account. Again, multiple versions of the ACT are administered throughout the year and the difficulty of each test will vary. But generally, there is no single test administration that is easier than another. Even if a single test was easier, the score conversion process is designed to negate this difference on your scaled score. That is to say, if you did happen to take a slightly easier version of the exam, the scale to convert your raw score would be slightly steeper, making any mistakes more significant than they would be on a harder version of the test. Because many people do not understand the scaling process, there are some misconceptions about choosing a specific test date. One common misconception is that you should avoid taking the test during a particular month if there may be a large group of strong students taking the test, since this would throw off the scoring curve. Some people might say that the October test date is typically the most competitive, since many high school seniors are taking the test for the last time. But this idea is actually false, since the scoring curve does not depend on the scores achieved by other students taking the test at the same time as you. For example, if you take the ACT during a month when many strong students are also testing, and many of them score a perfect 36, your score will be the same as it would have been had they not taken the test. Your scaled score is dependent only on the independent difficulty of the particular version of the ACT that you took. The performance of your peers bears no weight on your converted score. Unless you have an official ACT Converted Score Chart produced specifically for the version of the test that you’re trying to score, you cannot convert your own raw score to the scaled score. On official practice tests, you are given a conversion chart made specifically for that test. While the chart changes only slightly from one version of the test to another, it cannot be reliably used to convert scores from other versions of the ACT. To get an idea of what the converted score chart looks like, and the process for scoring an ACT, check out page 60 of the official Preparing for the ACT Test booklet, which contains a complete practice test and its specific ACT Converted Score Chart. There is no magic formula when it comes to scoring well on the ACT. No test dates are easier than others, no test facilities will administer an easier test on any given day, and no amount of peer influence will change the way your raw score is converted to the 36-point scale. The only way to ensure that you receive the highest ACT score you’re capable of is to maximize your studying and test preparations. Some students find a study group helps to keep them on track and hold them accountable. Other students find that a personal ACT tutor is the most effective means of preparing. Still others prefer studying independently. Whatever the case may be for you, make sure to begin your test preparations well ahead of time. Here are some study guides to get you started: In addition to studying the test content, be sure to study test strategy and format as well. You should go into the test knowing exactly what to expect on test day so that there are no surprises to throw you off your game. Be familiar with the instructions for each individual section, the pacing of each section, and the general content knowledge required. While there is no single test date or facility that will magically transform your ACT score from drab to fab, there are certainly measures that you can take in advance to set yourself up for the most successful testing experience possible. Don’t overlook the value of proper planning and prior preparation as you get ready for your ACT test day. To learn more about the ACT test, check out these posts: With our free ACT checklist, you’ll get tips on how to strategize and get ready for the ACT. Enter your name and email below to download the checklist.

Tesco Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Tesco Assignment - Case Study Example In this regard, frameworks of strategic management like, PESTLE, Porter’s competitive forces and value chain analysis, has been employed. The first part of the report discusses macro environmental issues, which affects the U.K. food retail industry. This is followed by analysis of Porter’s competitive forces to evaluate parameters that affect competitiveness of the business. The section of the report containing the internal strategic analysis deals with financial appraisal, resource appraisal and value chain analysis. The penultimate section of the report comprises ethical practices that have been adopted by the Tesco. The last section presents the recommendations that can be adopted by Tesco so as to overcome current issues that are being faced by the company and maintain its position as the market leader. The findings from the report indicate that weak economic conditions in Europe can dampen future growth of the business. The first recommendation for the company is to introduce lower costs and discounts in the future in order to retain market share. The changing pattern of food consumption in U.K. and rising popularity of organic food will be essential determining factors for growth of the food retail industry. So, the second recommendation focuses on increasing availability of cheap organic food. The analysis from the report has shown that sale in U.K. has dropped for Tesco. This paper suggests that increasing promotional measures can raise the sales. Owing to increasing concern of the government regarding environmental issues, this paper recommends that further sustainability can be attained by adopting energy saving practices. Finally, the analysis has also revealed that dialogue with the customers have weakened, which is hindering business growth. The final recommendation of the report is that engagement with the customers must be strengthened in way of modifying existing practices or adopting new ones. In any modern industry,