Atanarjuat: the Fast Runner Essay

The role of religion has been a major factor of every culture for as long as anyone can remember. The feeling of togetherness that comes with belonging to a group of people that believe in the same ideas and a central entity defines a person and the way they see the world. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner  shows the impact of a certain belief on a tribe of Eskimos in Igloolik, a village in  Eastern Arctic wilderness, at the dawn of the first millennium. An evil curse was said to be following one member of the tribe, Oki, because of his jealousy of Atanarjuat. The film follows the lives of these two men and the conflicts they have as they grow older. It also focuses on the spiritual ideas that drive both Oki and Atanarjuat, and their other tribe members, to drastic actions. From the beginning, the curse is embedded into the film successfully, as it helps explain why certain things happened to Atanarjuat and Oki. The curse was portrayed by a sound effect whenever a person was affected by it. Without that effect, the idea of the curse may not have come across as well, and might even have been forgotten until the end. As well as the curse was portrayed, the reason for it coming about was a bit confusing for viewers who were not used to the language and style of the film. Years before the story of Atanarjuat and Oki, a shaman predicts that a curse will be brought on by Tulimaq. By no coincidence, camp leader, Kumaglak, died in a duel and his rightful successor, Tulimaq, was passed over and Sauri was given the title. Tulimaq does not take this well, accusing Sauri of helping murder his father. Tulimaq becomes a laughing stock and cannot feed his wife and kids, Atanarjuat and Amaqjuaq, though he gets help from his friend, Panikpak, widow of Kumaglak. It was hard to understand what exactly caused the curse and why Tulimaq was the one burdened by it with the way the story was told. The quick scenes and unclear dialogue were not exactly helping in telling this story, especially since it was from a culture that most viewers would not be familiar with. Overall, the film was effective in describing the actions and beliefs brought on by Tulimaq’s curse. The power the idea that the curse is what causes the constant conflict between Atanarjuat and Oki is portrayed skillfully. In the beginning a tribe member, Qulitalik, is shown leaving the village in fear of the curse, but promises to return if his sister, Panikpak, ever needed his help. This promise is so strong that, decades later, when Atanarjuat needs help hiding and defeating Oki, Qulitalik is the person that aids in ending the curse. This brings in the idea of loyalty to family and community and shows that these were vital beliefs of the tribe. Another aspect of the film that greatly helped illustrate the importance of both the tribe’s beliefs and conviction of the curse was symbolism. Throughout the film, certain symbols and symbolic gestures were used to show the tribe’s belief in a certain idea. Right before her husband dies, Panikpak witnesses a stone lamp fall and break in half, which foreshadowed the bad events that were to come. A walrus-tooth necklace was introduced in the beginning of the film as a sort of heirloom of Kumaglak. It was given to Sauri as a symbol of his new power as the new chief. Although it is just an object, it revealed the tribe’s faith in what it represented because at the end of the film, once the necklace was returned to Tulimaq’s spirit, its rightful owner, peace is brought back to the village. This film shows how greatly this tribe of Eskimos are effected by their beliefs and rituals, although the viewers may not be familiar with them. In the ethnography Never In Anger by Jean Briggs, she describes the difference in gender roles in Utku tribe. They were very similar to those of the tribe of Igloolik. The women were the caretakers, doing housework, tending to animal hides, looking after children, and cooking, while the men fished, hunted, and built igloos as shelter. Each sex was separated during meals and women were submissive to men. This played an integral part in the film, especially for the character, Puja. She did not seem to want to conform to the ideals of what women were supposed to do in the tribe, and was seen as lazy and spoiled. She also seemed to believe she could have more than one man, as men were allowed to have more than one wife, and challenged this idea when she seduces Atanarjuat’s brother, Amaqjuaq. The women’s role in the village was a catalyst for certain actions taken by the males. For example, Atanarjuat and Oki had their first conflict over Atuat when she and Atanarjuat fell in love while she was betrothed to Oki. Oki goes after Atanarjuat once again when Puja lies about his brother hitting her for no reason, when in fact it was because she was caught cheating on her husband with him. Although women were not in charge of the actions of the tribe or important decisions of the tribe, it is shown that they do have importance in another sense. They can influence the men’s actions individually and in terms of the tribe as a whole. The film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner definitely has some aspects that need improvement for viewers who are not familiar with the Eskimo culture to understand. However, in terms of portraying the culture and beliefs, this film gives its audience something they can identify with. No matter where they are from, they can sympathize with what believing in a supernatural notion can make one do, and how family and community loyalty influences ones decisions.

Indian Civilization

INDIAN CIVILIZATION Also called Indus Valley Civilization; the earliest in South Asia Contemporary with Bronze Age civilizations in pre-dynastic Egypt, Mesopotamia Compared to the other Bronze Age civilizations, Indus Valley Civilization was unspectacular Early civilizations of the Indian sub-continent were centred on two major river valleys: The Indus River and its tributaries, especially the Saraswati River Valley (2600-1500BCE) – associated with Dravidians. Called Harappan Culture The Ganges River Valley (1500-500BCE) – associated with the Aryans. Called the Vedic Age. Along the Indus & Saraswati, there were two major centres of this civilization: Mohenjodaro and Harappa hence Harappan Culture Other cities of this civilization include Kalibagan, Chanhudaro & Doraji in Gujerat Origins and Development This civilization appears as fully developed & distinctive culture; little is known about the cultures that came before it or the factors that led to its development Recent research indicates that antecedents of this civilization can be found at Mehrgarh on the western edge of the Indus plains Evidence that domestication of plants & animals, pottery production and village life began here Around 3200 – 2600 BCE, several pre-urban cultures existed in Indus Plains and the western hill valleys that show aspects of the Harappan culture HARAPPAN CULTURE: CHARACTERISTICS Built on irrigation-based agriculture. Irrigation based on dikes and drains. Barley and wheat the most important crops; grains stored in granaries in Harappa and Mohenjodaro (as a form of tax? ) Domesticated animals cattle, water buffalo, goats, pigs, donkeys Trade was very important; extensive trade connections with areas around the Arabian Sea & up the Persian Gulf to Mesoptamia Fortified cities; well-planned with straight streets intersecting at right angles; a system of underground drains and sewers Buildings made of baked bricks. At Mohenjodaro, multi-roomed houses have been recorded Thickness of walls and remains of staircases point to the existence of upper floors Skilled artisans including bead makers, metal workers, cotton weavers and potters Potters made painted pots decorated with nimal figures, water jars, cooking & drinking vessels & storage vessels Metal workers produced copper and bronze vessels, silver and gold ornaments Other artisans produced the square and rectangular seals from steatite & other soft rocks Seals had an animal carved in negative relief and a line of script that could be read when the seal was stamped on wet tablet Seals were used to authenticate messages. The script on the seals revealed the name, lineage, social identity or the public office held by seal-owner Seals could also have been worn as talismans or amulets They are the only examples of writing from this period 400 pictographs/characters have been identified so far, but the script is not fully deciphered RELIGION Little is known about the early religions of the Indus River Valley in these early times However, many elements of India’s religious heritage today are evident from some seals from Harappa and Mohenjodaro. A seal from Mohenjodaro has a human-like figure with three heads wearing a headdress and sitting in the Yoga position. He is surrounded by animals: elephants, rhinos, water buffalo, deer etc. Thought to be a Prototype of the popular Hindu god, Shiva (the Lord of Beasts) Seal impressions and clay figurines from Harappa depict a female deity with conspicous sexual organs = thought to represent the goddess of fertility FALL & DECLINE Harappan Culture declined and fell around 1500 BCE; Harappa, Mohenjodaro and other cities were abandoned and their populations dispersed into smaller settlements There was a reversal of achievements: writing was forgotten and much of northern India returned to village life REASONS FOR DECLINE/FALL 1. Possible flooding along the Indus, affecting the densely populated areas and cities 2. Shifts in patterns of long distance trade with Mesopotamia and other regions 3. Changes in subsistence farming; rice cultivation was introduced along the Ganges Basin and had taken root by 1500BCE; millet was introduced in Gujerat. So new environments were opened for farming where conditions were unsuitable for wheat and barley 4. Major geological disturbances near the source of Saraswati river, causing it to dry up, catastrophically disrupting agriculture downstream. 5. Invasion by the Aryans (Arya = noble) who came from the northern steppes of Europe REASONS FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE ARYANS A highly developed spoken language that tended to displace other tongues that it encountered Better military organization: horse-drawn war chariots and weapons made from iron which was superior to bronze GANGES RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS Aryans became sedentary landowners along the Ganges; others became traders on the river Crafts became more specialized & increased in complexity; produced iron ploughs, luxury items for trade Urban centres re-emerged with substantial populations of artisans, traders, resident landowners, priests, warriors Major metropolises along the Ganges include Patna, Benares (which is still a holy city for Hindus even today) SOCIAL ORGANIZATION Early Indian societies were matriarchal (i. e. headed by women) and matrilineal (inheritance was through the female side of the family). This changed with the coming of the Aryans who were patriarchal Before the Aryans, husbands lived with the wife’s family; the wife’s family paid dowry. After Aryans, wife’s were required to move to the husband’s family, bring substantial dowries and accept husband’s authority The caste system was introduced at this time. Basis for caste division was social and economic rather than racial Originally there were four castes: 1. Sudras = cultivators of land, manual labourers, domestic servants 2. Vaisyas = landowners, artisans, herdsmen, merchants . Kshatriyas = the warrior nobility 4. Brahmans = priests, scholars The caste system became a dominant factor in shaping Indian society Economic specialization & division of labour played a role in the evolution of the caste e. g. Brahmans engage freely in other occupation, avoiding those considered to be polluting The hierarchy embodied in the caste system also applies to the cosmic order; the ranking order o f the caste (from pure to impure) corresponded to the ascending order of the divinities as well POLITICAL ORGANIZATION Not much is known about the political organization in India before the coming of the Aryans However, we know that Harappans had adopted the city as a means of organizing & controlling their civilization Up to five major Harappan cities are known: Harappa after which the civilization is named; Mohenjodaro, Kalibagan, Chanhudaro & Doraji Aryans were loosely organized into families, clans and tribes. Tribes were headed by chiefs/kings called Rajas, most of whom were elected or chosen by rotation from the leading families Rajas shared political power with councils of elders & assemblies of adult males There were two forms of states in India: Republics and Kingdoms In the Republics, rajas continued to rule in conjunction with powerful councils and the assemblies while in the Kingdoms, the power of the rajas grew at the expense of the councils & the assemblies. Most often, power became hereditary Monarchies developed administrative systems headed by chief priests and military leaders Close alliance between kings & priests; Brahmans were involved in the consecration of new kings; the kings supported the emerging Hindu priesthoods RELIGION Again, little is known about early religion in Harappan India. However, we know that religion in early India was a form of polytheism People of Harappan culture worshipped a goddess whose clay figurines have been recovered in Harappa & Mohenjodaro Aryans introduced new gods including: Indra = the god of war Agni = The spirit of the sacrificial fire Varuna = the lord of the big sky Aryans sacrificed to these divinities by slaughtering dozens, even hundreds of animals & sometimes humans too Sacrifices were accompanied by hymns, prayers & rituals. The hymns were passed on through generations to become core of the Hindu scriptures, the vedas HINDUISM Hinduism emerged from the merging of the gods of the Aryans and those of the conquered Dravidians Early Hindus saw some of their gods in the shape of animals (anthropomorphic divinities) such as snakes, the sacred cow etc However, Hinduism did evolve to engage in philosophical search for the deepest spiritual principle of the universe The most important gods of the Hindu faith are: Brahma = the creator god; also called the Absolute Being or the World/Universal Soul Vishnu = the preserver of the universe Shiva = the dancing divinity with four arms and the destroyer of all things; also the Lord of Beasts The concept of Brahma later subsumed all the three gods (Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva). Brahma personified the concept of a deity that could be worshipped; Brahman (as the title for the priestly class) is a derivative of the same word Brahman can also be described as the universal principle that underlies all that exists, the spiritual essence permeating the entire cosmos & the one hidden in all things; hence reincarnation THE VEDAS Today, Hinduism is based on the vedas, the sacred books of the Hindu religion. Vedas are believed to have been divinely inspired. There are four vedas: 1. Yajurveda: a manual of sacrifice for the officiating priest 2. Atharvaveda: a catalogue of charms & spells supposed to be effective in curing illnesses, arousing passion in the object of one’s desire or in destroying one’s enemies 3. Rig Veda (means â€Å"verses of wisdom† or â€Å"knowledge†): a compilation of more than 1000 poems composed between 1500-900 BCE, addressed to various Aryan gods. For example one of the poems is dedicated to Indra who is described as the god of thunder who pierced the bellies of the mountains to release waters (possibly referring to annual floods caused by the melting of snow in the Himalayas). Another poem appeals for protection of goddess Night whose radiance was believed to drive away darkness Another poem is by a gambler lamenting an unlucky throw of the dice which has caused his wife to repel him and his mother-in-law to hate him. 4. Upanishads (meaning â€Å"sitting down near†): These are philosophical treatises in prose and verse. They are cast in the form of dialogues between teacher and student They examine the nature of reality and the problem of man’s place in the universe. They reveal a genius for conceptual reasoning still admired today. †¢Upanishads teach that evil is the fruit of ignorance; that the pursuit of wisdom is pursuit of the highest possible good and that attainment of wisdom bestows both power and virtue †¢Main Teachings: The Absolute Being/World Soul is the only supreme reality Material world is an illusion (or maya); it is not permanent †¢That individual souls go through a cycle of rebirth; the soul seeks to reach nivarna (spiritual liberation) †¢That the soul can escape the cycle of rebirth by union with the Absolute Being. The individual soul (atman) is actually a fragment of Brahman, the Universal Soul. OTHER ASPECTS OF HINDUISM The concept of brotherhood of all living things embodied in the concepts of reincarnation and transmigration of souls, karma and ahimsa The Hindu faith holds that each human soul is reborn/reincarnated in the body of some other creature – human, animal, plant or even supernatural being over & over again The precise form one takes on reincarnation depends on karma or the actions one takes in the present life Good and pious life – you may be reborn as a Brahman or other high caste; a life of self-indulgence & sin – you may live your next life as a worm, dog or something else Members of lowly castes were encouraged to diligently do their duties to be born to higher status Dharma (faithful performance of one’s assigned role) and Karma (merits and demerits earned as a result of action) cemented loyalty to the prescriptions of caste. Thus doctrine of transmigration of souls reinforced the caste system Ahimsa refers to the doctrine of nonviolence; first emerged among the Jains before adoption by others in Indian society Meditation – Hindus belief that one might escape endless rounds of lives filled in with human suffering through meditation (i. e. the mystical concentration of all psychic forces) The goal of Yogi meditation is the submergence of one’s ego in the supreme unity of Brahman. This is achieved through spiritual enlightenment: that all differences are illusions (or maya) & that all that really exists is the totality of Brahman, the Absolute Being BUDDHISM Has origins in religious reforms in Indian society in the 6th century BCE. These reforms produced the spiritual teachers or gurus The gurus were later described as the naked philosophers (or the gymnosophists) because they walked naked in the rain and the sun to discipline the flesh Also fasted for long periods of time & engaged in exhausting exersices that developed into the sacred discipline of yoga Two leading gurus were Mahavira (540-476 BCE) & Prince Siddartha or Gautama (563-483 BCE) Mahavira founded Jainism & Gautama founded Buddhism Gautama was given the title of Buddha (the Enlightened One) by his followers; was born in the Himalayas, present day Nepal GAUTAMA’S TEACHINGS He denied the existence of a soul; taught that only matter existed (in opposition to teaching of Upanishads) Because matter was always in a state of flux, he recognized no Absolute Being or any fixed universal principle other than constant change Even gods were subject to laws of growth & decay; the universe is forever becoming He retained the concept of karma; he believed that the root of suffering is desire (i. e. he pursuit of unattainable goals because the objects sought are fleeting & unreal) In this sense, he agreed with orthodox Hinduism that worldly things are an illusion or maya To reach Nivarna, one should recognize & reject worldly desires as blind follies; cultivate unselfishness, compassion & honesty; reject injury to others such as murder, theft & adultery; choose a life that does not bring harm to other living things 500 years after Buddhism was founded, it split into two major divisions: Hinayana School ( the Lesser Vehicle) and Mahayana School (the Greater Vehicle) HINAYANA SCHOOL So called because it emphasized individual salvation; claimed that a diligent person could attain nivarna in three lifetimes Bodhisattva – successive incarnations of the Buddha Denied existence of a soul; does not recognize the founder of Buddhism as a god. However, prayers, gifts of flowers & incense may be offered to his image Found in Sri Lanka, Bu rma (Myanmar), Thailand, Cambodia & Laos MAHAYANA SCHOOL Mahayana sets as its goal the redemption of the entire human race; worships Buddha as a god The concept of Bodhisattva – represents the Buddha-elect, an individual who has won enlightenment but chooses to remain in the world for the liberation of others; agreeing to suffer as ransom for all human beings Everyone is potentially a Bodhisattva & may become a Buddha. It embodied as cardinal virtues love, piety, joy & serenity Mahayana Buddhism found in China, Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal & Japan, but it disappeared in India in later centuries JAINISM Founded by Mahavira; it is contemporary with & in many respects parallel to Buddhism. Mahavira broke radically with traditional religions, rejected both their deities and their scriptures Doctrines of Jainism To Mahavira, the material universe is real, but it is filled with an infinite number of souls lodged in living creatures & inanimate things Rejected the concept of an overriding World Soul & taught that individual souls are held in bondage by matter; this bondage is perpetuated through successive births by operation of karma Because every action produces karma and karma adds weight to the chains of bondage, the only route to escape is to avoid action altogether; thus nivarna represents a place of absolute passivity Mahavira prescribed a regime of extreme asceticism, ideally culminating in death through self-starvation. Despite its atheistic tendencies, Jainism did resemble a true religion with prayers, holy scriptures and gods. Today, there are about 2 million Jains in southern and western India Prominent in Jain faith is the doctrine of ahimsa or non-injury to living things; it imposes taboos against slaughter of not only of animals but even insects. Ahimsa contributed ethical suppo rt to the ideal of pacifism Since Jainism ruled out the practice of agriculture, Jains turned to trade & money-lending, becoming some of the wealthiest in Indian society ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE VEDIC AGE Medicine: dissection, delicate surgeries; thorough knowledge of human anatomy; study of embryology Knowledge of astronomy: the first to suggest that the earth revolves on its axis & that the earth rotates around the sun Mathematics: were the first to extract square & cube roots; used the decimal system; invented the principle of zero, eventually adopted by the rest of the world; Arabic numbers in use today originated in India; advances in algebra Literature: Two epic poems: Mahabharata & Ramayana Mahabharata – the longest poem in the world with over 10,000 verses. About the struggle between two powerful Indian clans, but gods were involved also Ramayana – a romantic story of Prince Rama who rescues his lovely wife Sita fromRavana, the demon king of Ceylon Arthasastra a political commentary

A Financial Analysis of Coca Cola

The Coca-Cola Company is the world largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the company markets four of the world’s top 5 non-alcoholic sparkling brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, and Sprite. Consumers in more than 200 countries are enjoying the company’s beverages at a rate exceeding 1. 4 billion servings each day. The Coca-Cola Company engages in the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups worldwide. The company offers nonalcoholic beverages, principally carbonated soft drinks, as well as noncarbonated beverages. Its beverage products comprise bottled and canned soft drinks and beverages products. The companys products also include beverage concentrates, such as flavoring ingredients and sweeteners; syrups, the beverage ingredients produced by combining concentrates, sweeteners, and added water; and fountain syrups that use equipment for mixing the syrups with carbonated or noncarbonated water for immediate consumption, and are sold to fountain retailers, such as restaurants. The Coca-Cola Company owns or licenses more than 400 brands, which consists of noncarbonated beverages, including waters and flavored waters, juice and juice drinks, energy and sports drinks, teas, and coffees. It also has ownership interests in numerous bottling and canning operations. Finished beverage products bearing the CompanyGCOs trademarks are sold in more than 200 countries. As of December 31, 2006, the Company operated through eight segments: Africa; East, South Asia and Pacific Rim; European Union; Latin America; North America; North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East; Bottling Investments, and Corporate. In June 2007, the Company completed the acquisition of Energy Brands, Inc. , known as glaceau. The company markets its nonalcoholic beverages under various brand names, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, and Sprite. It sells its finished beverage products primarily to distributors. The company sells its beverage concentrates and syrups to bottling and canning operators, distributors, fountain wholesalers, and fountain retailers. History In May 1886 Coca-Cola was invented by John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia. John Pemberton concocted the Coca Cola formula in a three legged brass kettle in his backyard. The name was a suggestion given by his bookkeeper Frank Robinson who also scripted the famous logo . The soft drink was first sold to the public at the soda fountain in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta. Until 1905, the soft drink, marketed as a tonic, contained extracts of cocaine as well as cocoa nut. In 1887, Asa Candler, his partrner bought the formula from Mr. Pemberton for $2,300. By thelate 1890s, Coca Cola was one of the America’s best selling drinks, largely due to Candler’s aggressive marketing of the product. Under Candler’s ownership the company increased its sales by over 4000% between 1890 and 1900. Mission,Vision Values Mission The Coca-Cola Company in everything they do is inspired by their enduring mission: †¢To Refresh the World in body, mind, and spirit. †¢To Inspire Moments of Optimism through our brands and our actions. †¢To Create Value and Make a Difference everywhere we engage. Vision To achieve sustainable growth, they have established a vision with clear goals. †¢Profit: Maximizing return to shareowners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities. People: Being a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be. Taken together, these statements will give an accounting picture of the firm’s operations and financial position. Detailed data will be provided to show what has actually happened to assets, earnings, and dividends over the past few years and somehow include some verbal statements to explain somehow why things turned out the way they did. Furthermore, we will also be presenting the following measures or indices to provide clear insights of the management and how well they have performed in maximizing shareholder wealth. 1. Net Operating Working Capital (NOWC) 2. Total Net Operating Capital (TNOC) 3. Net Operating Profit After Taxes (NOPAT) 4. Free Cash Flow (FCF) 5. Net Investment in Operating Capital (NIOC) 6. Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) 7. Economic Value Added (EVA) 8. Market Value Added (MVA) Balance Sheets Table 1 shows The Coca-Cola Company’s most recent five-year balance sheets, which represent â€Å"snapshots† of its financial position on the last day of each year. The Balance Sheet presents a picture of the business net worth at a particular point in time. It summarizes all the financial data about the company business, breaking that data into 3 categories; assets, liabilities, and equity. The relationship between them is expressed in this equation: Assets = Liabilities + Equity. Assets are what a company uses to operate its business, while its liabilities and equity are two sources that support these assets. Owner’s equity, referred to as shareholders’ equity in a publicly traded company, is the amount of money initially invested into the company plus any retained earnings, and it represents a source of funding for the business. Table 1. The Coca Cola Company 5 Year Balance Sheet Analysis of Total Assets As shown above, the total assets of the company is consistently depict an increasing trend, which shows that it is financially stable and has been profitable. The increase in cash and cash equivalent in 2004 compared to 2003 was due primarily to net cash provided by operating activities of $5,968 million. A significant portion of this cash was generated in locations outside the US. The decrease in cash and cash equivalent in 2006 compared to 2005 was due to increase in property, plant and equipment amounting to almost 1. million brought about by acquisitions and purchases which consequently increases the net fixed assets and other non current assets. Along with the assets, the total liabilities and stockholder’s equity also increased throughout the past 5 years. Based on the company’s annual report, the increase in loans and notes payable of $1,948 million in 2004 was due to the issuance of commercial p aper to meet short-term cash needs in the US, including the quarterly dividend payments and repurchases of common stock. The decrease in loans and notes payable in 2006 compared to 2005 was primarily due to the net repayment of commercial paper and short term debts. Income Statement The Coca Cola Company’s income statement for the past 5-year as shown on Table 2, reflects the company’s performance during these period unlike the balance sheet that provides snapshot of a firm at point in time. The Income Statement is also known as Profit and Loss Statement (PL). The Income Statement shows your Revenues, Expenses, and Profit for a particular period. Its a snapshot of the company that shows whether or not your business is profitable at that point in time. Below is a simple illustration of the PL: Revenue Expenses = Profit/Loss. This is very useful for internal use as well as to external users for it shows whether the company made or lost money during the period being reported. Through this income statement, investors and creditors would be able to forecast future performance, assess the risk of achieving future cash flows. As shown on Figure 1 and Table 2, the Coca Cola Company had experienced a consistently profits for the past five years. Thus, it projects that they operate profitably and demonstrates its ability to use borrowed and invested funds in a successful manner. This positive result that was manifested in the Coca Cola Company’s PL is synonymous to company’s ability to operate profitably which benefits its employees particularly the management, shareholders, as it’s also equally important to creditors particularly current lenders and investors The increase in cash and cash equivalent in 2004 compared to 2003 was due primarily to net cash provided by operating activities of $5,968 million. A significant portion of this cash was generated in locations outside the US. The decrease in cash and cash equivalent in 2006 compared to 2005 was due to increase in property, plant and equipment amounting to almost 1. 9 million brought about by acquisitions and purchases which consequently increases the net fixed assets and other non current assets. Figure 1 The following table indicates, on a percentage basis, the estimated impact of key factors resulting in significant increases (decreases) in net operating revenues: Percent Change Year Ended December 31 2006 vs 20052005 vs 20042004 vs 20032003 vs 2002 Increase in gallon sales4%3%2%3% Structural cahnges-20-3-1 Price and product/geographic mix2101 Impact of currency fluctuations versus the US dollar 0255 Total Percentage increase 4%6%4%8% Net Cash Flow The net cash flow differs from accounting profit because some of the revenues and expenses reflected in accounting profits may not have been received or paid out in cash during the year. Depreciation is typically the largest noncash item, so net cash flow is Table 2 – Income Statement ften expressed as net income plus depreciation. Investors are at least as interested in a firm’s projected net cash flow as in reported earnings because it is cash, not paper profit, that is paid out as dividends and plowed back into business to produce growth. Figure 2 – Net Cash Flow The above calculations are in accordance to the income statements and balance sheets. As exhibited, the net cash flow is continuo usly increasing which strongly suggests that the Coca-Cola Company’s ability to generate cash from operations is one of the fundamental financial strength Free Cash Flow (FCF) This is the cash flow that is actually available for distribution to investors after the company has made all the investments in fixed assets and working capital necessary to sustain ongoing operations. Figure 3 – Free Cash Flow (FCF) As shown in Fig. 3 that in 2004 the FCF of the company plummeted but this was primarily the impact of the major acquisition of plants and bottling companies in Germany, South Africa including the big purchase of San Miguel Corporation, the biggest bottling company in the Philippines. And in year 2005, the company was able to bounced back in their FCF, a significant increase from -$236. 0 millions to almost 6 billion. Net Operating Working Capital (NOWC) This is a traditional measure of company’s liquidity and potential for growth. Net operating working capital is defined as non-interest bearing current assets minus non-interest charging liabilities. This also known as â€Å"investor-supplied capital†, which is equal to cash, account s receivables, and inventories less accounts payable and accruals. This particular measure is not being used when assessing management’s performance as it is not including natural or human capital in its calculation. Total Net Operating Capital (TNOC) It is defined as the sum of net operating working capital and operating long-term assets (liabilities). Other way of calculating this is by adding up the funds provided by investors, such as notes payables, long-term bonds, preferred stock, and common stock. Year 2004 always shows a major changes among the five years operation of the company. The company increased its operating capital to $25,248 from $21,593, or by almost $4 billion, during 2004. Furthermore, most of this increase went into working capital, which rose from $2,647 to $6,015 million, or by almost $4 billion. This is again caused by the aforementioned major acquisition. CONCLUSION Performing this research on Coca-Cola was very hard work. It took a lot of time and dedication to put all of this information together. Coca-Cola can be seen as a group of individuals working together to become stronger and the best. If one individual appears to be weak, the others must pull together to help compensate for the weakness being presented. Working as a team on this project is similar to how we view Coca-Cola. We were a group of individuals working together to become stronger and the best. We fed off of each others energy to achieve a good project in the end. By doing this research, I found out that Coca-Cola makes Odwalla, which I believe is well-known in Africa and was recently introduced in the United States. I learned that Coca-Cola has used commercial paper throughout various years. For those who do not know what commercial paper is, keep reading. Commercial paper is a type of unsecured promissory note issued by large, strong firms and sold primarily to other business firms, to insurance companies, to pension funds, to money market mutual funds, and to banks (Brigham, page 803). This came as a surprise to me at first, but then I realized that even successful firms need help along the way. Coca-Cola appears to be doing well with its current operations. Since Coca-Cola has done well in the past, I believe that they will continue to do well in the future. The non-alcoholic beverage industry seems to be growing with each passing societal change-from people wanting to have soda, but with fewer calories, from people wanting water with a kick, from people wanting energy, and for moms who want their kids to drink things that are good for them. Coca-Cola will be able to keep up with these changes as long as they keep inspiring and letting their employees to be the best they can be. With success comes hard times trying to stay the best and Coca-Cola is living proof of that. Coca-Cola has been around for more than 200 years and counting. With business of this longevity, they must be doing something right. After all, a building is only as strong as its foundation. Coca-Cola was built on a foundation of being the best at what they do and they have not fallen as of yet, so keep up the good work.

Human Resource Management in Context Assignment - 1

Human Resource Management in Context - Assignment Example The significance of understanding the business environment in promoting employee retention, career advancement and job security has been highlighted. The advantages and practical difficulties with doing this as well as ways of overcoming these difficulties have been discussed, emphasizing on PESTEL analysis as a significant strategy that can assist HR professionals to understand the external business environment. 2.0 Introduction Human resource management is concerned with the advancement of human capital through a tactical and articulate approach to the management of workers, who are the most treasured assets that are considered to be the underpinning element in the accomplishment of the organizational goals. It involves empowering people to utilize their potential to the maximum in line with the organizational objectives. The activities in strategic human resource management entail measures for improving the workplace environment, recruitment, performance and reward management amon g other activities that enhance the productivity of employees. Businesses maintain competitiveness through inventiveness and uniqueness in their operations. In the contemporary operating environment they have been compelled to maintain continuous changes to cope with the political, economic, social and technological needs. This development has made it necessary for human resource professionals to assume the role of business partners. As such, they need to be aware of changes and development in the business environment in order to support the business. 3.0 Significance of Understanding the Business Environment 3.0.1 Changing Technology The constantly changing technological landscape requires regular upgrading of skills to ensure the business maintains a competent workforce. It is important for HR professionals to understand the technological changes and their impact on employee motivation and productivity. Employees need to be kept informed regarding the new developments in technolog y for them to be capable of effectively utilizing the emergent technology (Viswesvaran & Ones, 2000). Increased innovations in information technology have led human resource managers to encourage workers to acquire computer skills for greater productivity. It is important for HR professionals to encourage leaning in the work place. This is accomplished through training and development, especially when an organization operates in a dynamic environment where technological advancements are constantly occurring. The faster the organization grows, the more training it requires for employees to cope with the rapidly changing operating environment (William, 2004). Training and development allows employees to acquire essential knowledge that is important in the accomplishment of tasks in the workplace. The human resource management’s role is to ensure that employees are exposed to training opportunities. It is therefore important to maintain focused on any opportunities for employees to learn that may arise in the operating environment (Viswesvaran & Ones, 2000). The skills acquired from this kind of training allow the employees to understand the operating environment better and to be aware of the business goals as well as the practices that can lead to their successful accomplishment. Employees gain confidence in undertaking their tasks when they realize

Respiratory failure Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Respiratory failure - Case Study Example A fall arterial oxygen tension (Pa, O2) of 6.0 kPa (45 mmHg) or both, is indicative of respiratory failure (Roussos and Koutsoukou, 2003). Respiratory failure may be acute or chronic. In case of Wilson, the respiratory failure is acute and this is indicated by the drastic change in the acid-base status (pH= 7.3). The cause of respiratory failure in him is the right lower lobe collapse-consolidation secondary to pneumonia. Lower respiratory tract infection is known as pneumonia. The pathology lies in the parenchyma of the lungs which consist of alveolar sacs. There are several causes of pneumonia, the most common of which is bacterial (Stephen, 2009). Bacterial pneumonia can be community acquired or hospital-acquired. In case of Wilson, the pneumonia is hospital acquired. Â  Decreased oxygen saturation: Acute respiratory failure occurs when the body is unable to maintain gas exchange at a rate on par with the demands of the body like in pneumonia. The damage to lung parenchyma in pneumonia results in the release of inflammatory mediators and fluids because of which intrapulmonary shunting, ventilation-perfusion mismatching, hypoventilation and diffusion defects occur (Stephen, 2009). All these eventually lead to hypoxemia which is evident in the blood gas analysis of Wilson (Ranjit, 2001). In ventilation-perfusion mismatch, areas which have lower ventilation as against perfusion contribute to hypoxemia.

Is the MPAA Rating System Fair Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Is the MPAA Rating System Fair - Essay Example rating system should not be ruled out, it would be appropriate to follow a fair open system rather than conforming to the outdated societal norms and beliefs. Unless and otherwise a renovation is made to the system, the whole thing seems to be of no worth to the film industry and its audience. Tracking back to the history of MPAA; in 1930, they crested the ‘Hays Code’ holding just two categories, ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’, which were later overhauled by the current 5-rating system in 1968, comprising of G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 ratings. â€Å"For almost 40 years the US film industry was governed by the Motion Picture Production Code, which banned nudity, drug use, religious ridicule, disrespect for the law and other depictions in film that would have the effect of lowering society’s moral standards.† (Fieser, 2011). The system’s ultimate goal was to defend the artistic freedom of the filmmakers, at the same time, fulfilling the parent’s need to determine the film’s appropriateness for their children. Recently, there have been claims that the MPAA is not fair and is too conservative in its ratings. It is also criticized of being arbitrary in its rating decisions, consequently affecting numerous filmmakers with its random sexually-obsessed and biased judgments. This issue is well-portrayed in This Film Is Not Yet Rated, as it exposes the reasons and rules of ratings behind the mysterious organization, its membership and its bias in rating the films. To top of that, the film also uncovers the entity’s secrecy, its specific functioning and its rules. According to the film, the board does not have any specific members or guidelines but adheres to the so-called norms of an outdated system, which has turned out to be a mess. The entire concept of MPAA seems to be absurd in many cases. Normally, the NC-17 rating is regarded to have explicit sexual content, regardless of the scale of violence portrayed. What makes the issue harsher is that

Planning in my neighborhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Planning in my neighborhood - Essay Example The neighbourhood has also been envisioned with curvilinear streets, its area about 160 acres, with 10 units per acre and with about 5,000 to 9,000 residents (Perry, 1948). It is also ideal that the neighbourhood has about 10% of its area as parks or open space for recreation and enjoyment, and the school should have a play area, a community centre and church. My neighbourhood – Darling Heights, a suburb in Toowoomba City, Queensland, has about 5,035 2006 population (Australia Bureau of Statistics). Darling Heights is bordered by Drayton in the west, Kearneys Spring to the east, and Harristown to the north. Its local government is the Toowoomba Region. Toowoomba is a mountain city located southeast of Queensland and about 127 km west of the capital Brisbane. The climate is pleasant and has an altitude of an average 700 metres above sea level (Toowoomba, 2009). *How was it developed: what is the history of your neighbourhood? Hall (1975) acknowledged that â€Å"Modern urban an d regional planning has arisen in response to specific social and economic problems which in turn were triggered off by the Industrial Revolution at the end of the 18th century.† The earliest human settlements were near rivers or bodies of water. These are villages with houses grouped together around a square. The square served as a meeting place or for religious purposes. It may have a shrine and the settlement may be surrounded by a wall for protection. The water source provides water supply or fertile land if not rich hunting grounds. These were seen as early examples of town planning of which location and design suited the purposes of the community (Lecture). Morris (1979) suggested that the oldest planned settlements are Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa in Pakistan. The history of Darling Heights is closely linked with Toowoomba. It dates back to 1827 when English explorer Allan Cunningham discovered a rich Farming Land and named it Darling Downs (Toowoomba, 2009). Drayton, a nea rby suburb, was settled as early as 1842. Toowoomba was earlier called the Swamp, and it was listed a municipality in 1860, a township in 19892, and a city by 1904 (Toowoomba, 2009). The Toowoomba Regional Council is tasked at planning and managing the Darling Heights and other areas of Toowoomba. They oversee building and development, infrastructure planning as well as delivery and local area planning. It consults with the community to ensure that council planning reflects their ideal vision for the region. Coverage includes the schemes and infrastructure for stormwater, sewerage, transport and water supply networks (Toowoomba Regional Council, 2011). *How well does it work – i.e. legibility, connectivity, accessibility, etc.? My neighbourhood in Darling Heights has a comprehensively planned lay-out. Within an estimated 170 acres area, this Toowoomba neighbourhood has a church, a school, some small commercial establishments, as well as a few large ones. Within the community, there are small streets that allow pedestrians. However, there are major streets that cross within the community which provides risks for residents. Connectivity is the ease or manner of which residents in an area move from one point to another or access areas which may have direct or indirect implication in their community life and existence (Saura and Pascual-Hortal, 2006). The

The Sensory Nervous System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Sensory Nervous System - Essay Example The basic unit of the entire nervous system is the neuron. The neurons themselves have three parts 1) the dendrite-which receive message impulses from other cells and transmits it to the cell body 2) the cell body 3) the axon-which transmits messages away from the cell body. There are three types of neurons namely sensory or afferent neurons, motor or efferent neurons and intermediate neurons. The sensory neurons are responsible for the transmission of messages from the various sensory receptors or organs in the human body, which receive the external stimulus, to the central nervous system. The intermediate or relay neurons are present only in the CNS. The motor neurons transmit the message impulses from the CNS to the corresponding effector organ which might be a muscle or a gland which responds to the received impulse. The plasma membrane of the neuron has an unequal distribution of electrical charges between its inner and the outer surfaces, i.e., positive on the inner membrane an d negative on the outer membrane. When a message impulse is to be transmitted the polarities reverse temporarily resulting in what is known as an action potential. This action potential which begins in one spot spreads to the adjacent membranes thereby transmitting the message across a neuron. While the action potential allows transmission within a neuron neurotransmitters allow the transmission of messages between different neurons through the synaptic cleft. The synapse is the space between two nerve cells. (Farabee, 1992). Depending on the type of external stimuli, various parts of the brain are targeted through various pathways through the spinal cord. For example the somatosensory system has three modalities. One particular modality being the discriminatory touch enables the human body to perceive shapes and sizes by touch alone. In this system sensory inputs are provided

SWFRSs Resource Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

SWFRSs Resource Management - Case Study Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that SWFRS has numerous resources including financial resources, operational resources, human resources, equipment and appliances, extinguishing media and communications resources. SWFRS came to the realization that human resource is the most important resource that an organization can ever have; an organization cannot succeed without effective management of its human resource. The service has always strived to create a strong corporate culture. SWFRS has been creating a strong corporate culture by encouraging co-operation and integration across the service and establishing quantitative performance measurements. Much of SWFRS’s procurement process is computerized. This is in line with its policy of making its operations more efficient and effective. This has helped in ensuring the effective management of its resources. The service strives to ensure continuous improvement of its operations in line with its objectives. To achieve this, t he service has strengthened and reinforced its evaluation function. Implementing these policies have helped in ensuring that the service conforms to international standards. SWFRS has contributed greatly to the efficiency effectiveness in fighting the fire and saving a life. This can be attributed to its integration of information and communications technology into its operations. SWF's management of its resources has also been very efficient at all levels (South Wales Website, 2009).  The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, SWFRS, was established by the Wales Local Government Act (1994) in 1996, with the aim of reforming the Welsh local government (South Wales Website, 2009). SWFRS was created by merging previous fire brigades such as Gwent, South Glamorgan, and Mid Glamorgan. It covers about 3,000 square kilometers and about 1.5 million people. The fire authority running this service is a board comprising councilors from ten key areas covered by this service. SWFRS, being one o f the UK’s biggest fire services, employs about 1,600 fire-fighters in over fifty stations.

Perceive Social Effects of Handheld Gadgets Essay Example for Free

Perceive Social Effects of Handheld Gadgets Essay The Problem and Its Setting INTRODUCTION Gadgets are small mechanicals or electronic devices with a practical use. Electronic gadgets are very essential and useful to the world today. Gadgets are needed to do business, to have some regeneration and help people get through their daily lives. They have made life a lot simpler for businessmen, corporate executives and entrepreneurs as they can monitor their business and work while they are away, but according to a research conducted previously in America, infants and youngsters should not have any exposure to technology yet. According to Oxford English Dictionary the 11th Edition (2014) perceive is from a variant of Old French â€Å"Percoiver† and from Latin â€Å"Percipere† which is to understand. Effects of an event or something used are often tested through tests. As to this, the group will conduct a survey to test the social effects caused by gadgets to children, especially  to the students of Philippine School Doha. Background of the Study Today, there are many people who seek to find new uses for different things. Luckily, students are tasked by their respective Science teacher to conduct a research to seek new inventions and discoveries that might help the community. One of the main topics of the researchers is the essential use of gadgets and its perceive social effects to children. The students found a research regarding handheld gadgets and its uses and effects to human beings, especially to the young ones. The group decided to conduct a survey regarding the harmful effects of abusive use of handheld gadgets to selected students of their school. This research seeks for a change and answer to why gadgets have harmful effects and what are the effects especially to the young ones and their social life. Statement of the Problem This study aimed to prove the social effects of overuse of handheld gadgets. Specifically, this aimed to answer the following questions: 1) What are the harmful effects of handheld devices to human beings? 2) What are its advantages and disadvantages? 3) What will be the after effect of the research or survey to the students of Philippine School Doha?

The Salmonella Outbreak In Usa Commerce Essay

The Salmonella Outbreak In Usa Commerce Essay The Peanut Corporation of America was formally a family-owned peanut processing business and maker of peanut butter for bulk distribution to institutions, food service industries, and private label food companies. The company was founded in 1977 by Stewart Parnell along with his father, Hugh, and two younger brothers, Hugh, Jr. and Mike (Business Yellow Page, 2009). The company was headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia, where they started the business working out of their home (Business Yellow Page, 2009). By 1994 the family turned a slow growing peanut roasting operation into a company with sales that surpassed 30 million dollars and employed over 95 permanent employees (Business Yellow Page, 2009). In 1995 the business was sold to a large commodities corporation while Parnells father, Hugh, retired from the peanut industry (Business Yellow Page, 2009). Stewart Parnell and his two brothers were kept as management consultants by the companys new corporate owner (Business Yellow Page 2009). The company manufactured roughly 2.5 percent of the nations processed peanuts (Chapman Newkirk, 2009). Stewart Parnell served as a peanut-quality adviser to the U.S. Department of Agriculture until he was removed from the board Februay of 2009 (Chapman Newkirk, 2009). PCA operated processing facilities located in Blakely, Georgia; Suffolk, Virginia; and Plainview, Texas (Business Yellow Page, 2009). As indicated by Layton and Miroff (2009), PCA supplied ingredients to some of the biggest names on supermarket shelves: Kellogg, Sara Lee, Little Debbie. The federal government was a customer, too, buying his peanuts for poor school children, disaster victims and military troops. PCAs products were not sold directly to consumers, but shipped to other manufactures that used their products as ingredients to make cookies, crackers, pet treats, energy bars, ice cream, and other products (Consumer Affairs 2009). Products ranged from peanut butter, peanut paste and peanut oil (msnbc, 2009). Peanut Corporation of Americas scandal began when the company allegedly shipped its peanut butter products knowing they could be contaminated with salmonella which resulted in the outbreak of 2008 (McCormick, 2009). According to Mundy (2009), who interviewed Ron Simon a criminal trial Lawyer for victims of PCA negligence, remarks that PCA knowingly shipped contaminated products which were positively tested for salmonella by two independent labs the company hired. These contaminated shipments were sent to nursing homes, school cafeterias, grocery stores and wholesale outlets. Since the beginning of the peanut salmonella outbreak in September 2008, more than 714 people became ill in 46 U.S. states and one Canadian province, which contributed to at least 9 deaths (Lawyers and Settlements.com, 2009). Its among the largest recalls that weve had, said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDAs Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (msnbc, 2009). The illness was traced back to the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) processing plants in Blakely, GA and Plainview, TX according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Lawyers and Settlements.com, 2009). PCA was no stranger to of selling contaminated products; its Blakely plant was discovered with salmonella in 2006 as a possible result of imported organic peanuts from China according to a letter released by the committee on Nov. 2, 2006 (Zhang and Jargon, 2009). Mr. Parnell was also informed via letter by Darlene Cowart, President of JLA USA testing service that it was likely that the organic peanuts imported from Chinese could be a source for microbial hazards based on the type of fertilizers that was used on the organic product (Zhang and Jargon, 2009). Ms. Cowart also testified that Peanut Corp. samples were tested positive for salmonella between 2007 and 2008 (Zhang and Jargon, 2009). FDA requested a recall for all products containing peanut butter, peanut paste and peanut oil manufactured since January 1, 2007, at the Blakely, Georgia processing center (msnbc, 2009). Federal inspectors found mold, roaches and a leaking roof at the Georgia peanut factory, Dow Jones Newswires reports (Rubenstei, 2009). There are two forms of stakeholders in business ethics, specifically, primary and secondary stakeholders which the Peanut Corporation of Americas case affected. Primary stakeholders are necessary for a firms survial and include employees, customers, investors, shareholders, as well as, businesses, large or small (such as small businesses that used PCAs product as raw material to make product and later market to consumers) (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2008, p. 32). Whereas, secondary stakeholders are not essential for a companys survival; these include the media, trade association and special-interest groups (for example, the American Association of Retired People AARP) (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2008, p. 32). Two primary stakeholders at PCA were Stewart Parnell, president and CEO, and Sammy Lightsey, the plant manager of the Blakely, Georgia plant . Several email were exchanged between Parnell, Lightsey (plant manager of Blakely, GA) and Mary Wilkerson (employee at the Blakely plant) regarding batches of peanut products that tested positive for salmonella by two independent laboratories, J. Leek Associates being one company and Deibel being the other and ignored (Committee on Energy and Commerce 2009). Because of this many stakeholders, both primary and secondary were affected by Peanut Corporation of Americas unethical decision-making. The medias impact on the Peanut Corporation of America brought awareness to members of the community by revealing incidents of PCA as it become known, brought awareness to consumers about the actions of PCA. Managers should be mindful of secondary stakeholders and express thoughtfulness in making ethical decisions. In general, both primary and secondary stakeholders embrace specific values and standards which govern anything that is deemed acceptable or unacceptable corporate behaviors (Ferrell, Fraedrich Ferrell, pp.32-33). Peanut Corporation of America was sued by American Candy Company after the FDA discovered in 1990 that Peanut Corporation of Americas peanut butter exceeded the FDA tolerance level for aflatoxin, a toxic mold (Blackwell, 2009). Another lawsuit against Peanut Corporation of America was brought by Zachary Confections, Inc. of Frankfort, Indiana in 1991 after a 40,020-pound shipment of nuts from Peanut Corporation of America was found to have an unacceptably high l evel of aflatoxin (Blackwell, 2009). Because of the unethical decisions made by PCA in January of 2009, all but three of the 46 employees at the Blakely plant were laid off (wsbtv.com 2, 2009). And on February 12, 2009 the Plainview, Texas plant, which employeed approximately 30 employees, was ordered to shut down by the state health officials (Relative, 2009). These employees, because of their assocation with PCA, lost their jobs. On Janaury 10, 2009, another primary stakeholder, the Solon, OH based King Nut Company, recalled its King Nut and Parnells Pride peanut butter brands that were manufactured by PCA to a distribution chain involving institutions such as hospitals, schools, restaurants and nursing homes (Ashcraft Gerel, LLP, 2009). Now PCAs insurer, Hartford Insurance has filed a lawsuit against PCA to determine if they are responsible for claims filed by victims of this nationwide salmonella outbreak and has asked the court to determine whether the terms of the companys policy exclude coverage for salmonella c laims, along with its obligation to Peanut Corp. (Lindsey, 2009). Peanut Corporation of Americas dishonest behavior seriously affected the primary stakeholders because of the unethical decisions made by the companys leaders and partners of the corporation. The unethical decisions as stated earlier by PCA negatively affected the lives of their employees by the loss of their jobs and the disgrace of being previously employed by PCA put employees in an insecure situation with potential employers. In this situation the people that were sicken, the people that died, the states that were affected, and the companies that had to recall products were all stakeholders in one form or another. Investors and shareholders who gave out money to PCA were also affected by the indiscretions of PCAs mismanagement. Executives and managers of PCA shared in a large gamble which impacted and changed the lives of many individuals and corporations both large and small. Peanut Corporation of America, the company at the center of the nationwide salmonella scare, filed for Chapter 7 in February 2009 (Miroff and Lyndsey, 2009). The filing of bankruptcy negatively affected its investors and shareholders. Others affected by the bankruptcy are secondary stakeholders; government, management agencies and the media. The government was negatively impacted in taxation because of plant closures in the form of income tax and lost sales tax because of lost product sales. The Peanut Corporation of America had its general liability insurance with The Hartford Casualty Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut. According to Simon (2009),  PCA has $24 million dollars in insurance from The Hartford Casualty Insurance Company which is specifically dedicated to  covering  the food poisoning claims. The insurance coverage is broken up into two policy periods, 10/1/07 9/30/08 and 10/1/08 9/30/09 (Simon, 2009). The The Hartford Casualty Insurance Company rushed to court to limit what it might have to pay on lawsuits (Levick, 2009).They asked a federal court in Virginia to determine what the responsibility is on three years of policies that was issued to PCA (Levick, 2009). Legal analysis The Peanut Corporation of Americas lack of respect and nonconformity for the consumer protection laws was one of the key legal issues relating to the salmonella outbreak. That was one of the contributing factor that led them to be non-compliant with the law. Another, the corporations primary focus was that of making profit and showing complete disregard for consumers and the law thereof. According to Mundy (2009), PCA avoided taking necessary safety measures in safeguarding its facilities which resulted in leaking roofs. Not only did that PCA spend $60,000 in August 2008 to repair a leaky roof in the plant, Ron Simon a trial lawyer stated that the roof was already leaking bird feces before it was repairedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, a clear indication that PCA allegedly failed to maintain proper conditions and practices conducive for managing safety protocols at their facilities (Mundy, 2009). Consumer Protection is government regulations to protect the interests of consumers (Lawyers.com, 2009) . The law refers to state and federal consumer protection and product safety statutes and regulatons that restrict or prohibit deceptive trade practices such as the Consumer Protection Act (Lawyers.com, 2009). The Federal Trade Commission is the main agency enforcing consumer protection statutes (Lawyers.com, 2009). It was established in 1914, for the purpose of supporting consumer protection to drive and control unfair or harmful business practices; it exercises consumer rights and prevents them from being swindled and aids against fraud and deception and enables consumers to make well-informed decisions about products and how they spend their money (www.ftc.gov). The state courts (and some federal courts) in the 1930s placed restrictions on the freedom-to-contract doctrine by establishing rules of public policy and doctrines of unconscionability and fundamental breach that allow the courts to interfere in contractual relationships (Brennan, Browne Kubasek, pp.772). Likewise, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established in the 1930s, as a part of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services to regulate products which accounted for approximately 25% of the U.S gross national prod uct. As stated by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. The companys actions can only be described as reprehensible and criminal, not only did this company knowingly sell tainted products, it shopped for a laboratory that would provide the acceptable results they were seeking. This behavior represents the worst of our current food safety regulatory system (KDKA2, 2009). The company had previously told the FDA that some lots of peanut butter had initially tested positive for the bacterium, then were retested and found to be negative before they were shipped. But further investigation showed that the company actually shipped some of the lots before the second tests were completed. Other lots were shipped without testing and, in some cases, no second test was performed even after the first one came back positive (Maugh and Engel, 2009). The company did not initially disclose that to investigators trying to solve the current salmonella outbreak (KDKA2, 2009). The FDA did not formally announce the new findings about the companys testing, but rather made small revisions Thursday to an online report about the investigation (Maugh and Engel, 2009. It was only when a Washington Post reporter discovered the changes and the news become more widely known (Maugh and Engel, 2009). Ethical Analysis The Peanut Corporation bottom line was to make a profit and not care about social responsibility to the public. The company continued to ship product they knew was contaminated. T he ethical behavior of the company and Stewart Parnell was to keep production going no matter at what cost. This transmitted a lack of morals and value by upper management by keeping their employees working and meeting their shipping demands. The company also continued to run his plants in an unclean manner which put consumer food safety at risk. There are three ethical perspectives that I will focus on as they exhibit both ethical and unethical behavior. The first being consequential theory, this theory brings out questions of moral issues. Under the consequential theory acts are judged ethically good or bad based on whether the acts have achieved their desired results and the acts are looked at as right or wrong on whether the results can be rationalized (Kubasek, Brennan Browne, 2009, p. 223). When examining the scandal of the Peanut Corporation of America the consequential utilitarianism school of thought can be applied. Stewart Parnell thought process can be viewed as being both ethical and unethical. The main issue in this case study was Parnell shipping products that were tainted. For the argument of ethics it could be assumed that Parnell was seeking the best interest of his company to obtain a profit. Parnells rational included keeping and production flowing and employees working while, the unethical can be argued that a desired outcome was not obtained as a result of the deaths and illnesses of consumers and inability for Peanut Corporation of American to remain in business. Parnell should have had a strategy in place that should have been customers first then his employees. The second ethical perspective is the deontological theory which is derived from the Greek word meaning ethics refers to moral philosophies that focus on the rights of individuals and on the intentions associated with a particular behavior rather than on its consequences (Ferrell, Fraedich, Ferrell, 2008, p.153). Deontological theory is also from the Greek word duty, in which actions can be judged ethically good or bad based on rules and principles arrived at by human reason regardless of the action and whether net happiness is reached (Kubasek, Brennan Browne, 2009, p. 225). Based on email that Mary Wilkerson sent to Stewart Parnell on June 6, 2008, Peanut Corporation of American used two outside laboratories for testing (Committee on Energy and Commerce, 2009). Because Peanut Corporation of American testested and re-tested their producted until they received the results they needed, this could be considered ethical or unethical. Ethical because Mr. Parnell needed to receive a neg ative result so that he could continue his production and shipping of his product. It also could be a means of the company double checking results for consumer protection. On the other hand because Parnell sent samples to multiple laboratories until they found their desired results of the product testing to be negative for salmnella poisioning could be considered unethical. An facet of the deontological theory is that a person should engage only in acts that he or she could see becoming a universal standard (Kubasek, Brennan Browne, 2009, p. 225). Another email sent to Sammy Lightsey from Parnell also shows Parnells unethical behavior. According to the email Parnell sent to Sammy Lightsey, he instructed Sammy to ship the tainted product by stating, okay, lets turn them loose then (Committee on Energy and Commerce, 2009). The third school of thought, humanist theory, where actions are evaluated as ethically good or bad based on whether they contribute to improving inherent human capacities as it pertains to intelligence, wisdom, and self restraint (Browne, Brennan, Kubasek, p.226). According to the USDA, Parnells previous position on the U.S. Department of Agricultures Peanut Standards Boards, which sets the quality and handling standards, intended to assure that satisfactory quality and wholesome peanuts are used in the domestic and import peanut markets (Keefe, 2009). Parnell was first appointed to the USDAs Peanut Standards Board in July 2005 and was reappointed for another term that would have expired in 2011 (Keefe, 2009). On February 5, 2009, the USDA announced that the new Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had removed Parnell from the board (Akre, 2009). Mr. Parnells ethical behavior based on the humanist theory put him in a great position to help improve quality and handling standards for pea nuts grown and marketed domestically and imported. Parnells unethical behavior could be considered as a conflict of interest because he did not follow those standards within his own company, which caused his own plants to suffer miserably in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions. It is obvious that Parnell didnt have the understanding, Knowledge, intelligence or even discipline to run a processing plant. Contributing Factors The companys culture encouraged unethical behavior and did everything to undermine anything ethical, stemming from sanitation conditions from the beginning because of the history of the overall business operation and that of Mr. Parnells upbringing. David Brooks, a former buyer for a snack company who was familiar with the conditions of PCAs business operation (Layton Miroff, 2009, p.2). Brooks also noted that on three occasions in the mid 1980s, he inspected PCAs Gorman plant to determine whether to buy its peanut products and each time, he gave the plant a failing grade (Layton Miroff, 2009, p. 2). According to Brooks, It was just filthy; Dust was all over the beams, the braces of the building. The roofs leaked, the windows would be open, and birds would fly through the building . . . It was just a time bomb waiting to go off, and everybody in the peanut industry in Georgia, Virginia and Texas they all knew (Layton and Miroff, 2009). According to two former Blakely employees, one recalls opening a tote of peanuts at the processing plant in this small Georgia town and seeing baby mice in it. It was filthy and nasty all around the place, (Glover, 2009). Unethical behavior of upper management and Stewart Parnell were more concerned about profits instead of the lives of the consumers who were vulnerable to harm and the employees who were deliberately deceived about the true results of the contaminated products. The PCA Georgia Plant contributed to the sanitation problem. There were ethical issues throughout the plant that lead to the tainted products. There were peanuts stored next to the finished peanut butter (Smalley, 2009). The roaster they used was not calibrated to kill deadly germs (Smalley, 2009). Dispirited workers on minimum wage, supplied by temp agencies, donned their uniforms at home, potentially dragging contaminants into the plant, which also had rodents (Smalley, 2009). The roof of the PCA plant in Georgia leaked when it rained which is a big risk; given that salmonella thrives in water and the facility should have been dry (Smalley, 2009). The Federal officials in Texas did not even know PCAs Plainview facility existed until after they started investigating the Blakely plant (Layton Miroff, 2009). It was unlicensed and had been uninspected by the government for four years (Layton Miroff, 2009). This company has shown a manner of disrespect for the consumer right laws and obvious disregard for consumer safety that filtered from the top of the corporation down through management. The impatience of not waiting on the results of the test and conducting several re-test to obtain a favorable result was in poor judgment and a sure sign that problems were being ignored and standardized procedures were not being followed by these leaders. They were comfortable wallowing in filth and infestations within their food processing plants for thirty years. Thats a culture that will and did breed all types of legal and unethical problems that was bound to catch up with them. It seemed that they all lacked insight and did not think thoroughly about the results of their actions or to make ethical decisions. They may not have cared about the Consumer Protection Law but they should have been worried about Murphys Law. Ethical decision factors to consider There are three factors to be addressed relating to the ethical theories previously discussed in this case analysis. Based on perspectives of consequential theory where acts are judged as ethically good or bad based on whether the acts have achieved their desired results (Brennan, Browne, Kubasek, 2009, p. 223-224). Under the consequential theory this ethical issue reiterates Parnells actions for shipping products that he knew was contaminated, to keep production flowing and their plants making a profit. The company also had a lack of concern for the consumers health and management continued filling orders with tainted products. The golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, is the hallmark of the deontological theory (Brennan, Browne, Kubasek, 2009, p. 225). Under the deontological theory the ethical issue was lab shopping. Parnells persistence of conducting multiple tests in order to obtain results pleasing to his satisfaction without thought of the unforeseen consequences. The ethical decision factor to be considered in this situation is the need for ethical policies for quality control checking. All companies should have this process in place for products we consume. This way it wont be misinterpreted as lab shopping. And the third school of thought, humanist theory evaluated actions s good or bad depending on whether they contribute to improving inherent human capacities such as intelligence, wisdom, and self-restraint (Brennan, Brown, Kubasek, 2009, p. 226). Under the humanist theory the ethical issue was Parnells conflict of interest based on his previous held position on the U.S. Department of Agricultures Peanut Standards Boards. The ethical decision factors to be considered in this situation are showing little intelligence, wisdom or self-restrain, sitting on the board that he was clearly not qualified for. Recommended corrective action Outbreaks of salmonella are not unfamiliar to the FDA and Peanut Corporation of America was not the first company to be confronted with this issue. In 2005, a ConAgra Foods factory in Georgia was inspected by the FDA due to complaints about a salmonella contamination (Glover, 2009). Spinach contaminated with salmonella followed by peppers and tomatoes was the big scare of 2006 (Shvartsman, 2009). In June, 2009, Nestle Toll House cookie dough and 380,000 pounds of beef produced by JBS Swift Beef Company were recalled due to E. coli contamination (Shvartsman, 2009). Peanut Corporation of America filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection and closed its doors and is now in legal proceedings (Miroff Layton, 2009). ConAgra can be considered the industry leader in setting examples for what should be done when product may be tainted. Therefore, there should be no reason why Peanut Corporation would not know how what to do in a situation such as this. PCA like ConAgra could have voluntarily issued recall voluntarily upon learning about the products which were tested positively for salmonella. PCA could have prevented this tragic end to its business and the lives of those lost if they had attempted to rectify the situation properly and address the root of the problems which were many. It may be too late for implementation of a corrective action for Peanut Corporation of America, but not too late for a corrective action for the remainder of the food processing industry. Food processing plants and warehouses should base their policies and procedures off the guidelines for food safety set forth by the Food and Drug Administration. As part of a new regulation, Obama administration is working on toughening food safety standards. A bill that recommends a proactive stance in preventing food contamination was approved by the House (Shvartsman, 2009). The bill will step up inspections of high risk facilities every six months, or at least once a year (Shvartsman, 2009). This change will dramatically lower food recalls. The final regulation will come in the fall when the Senate votes on the bill (Shvartsman, 2009). The House voted to empower the FDA to order recalls (Shvartsman, 2009). Food safety advocates have been lobbying Congress to give the FDA more regulatory power over the food supply, a vast and growing network crossing state lines and international borders (Shvartsman, 2009). As stated earlier PCA had plants in Georgia, Texas and Virginia. This new bill will provide the FDA the power to police companies that have locations in multiple states (Shvartsman, 2009). PCA was unlikely to remain in business given Mr. Parnells inherent behavior along with those who were a part of his management. PCA was unlikely to remain in business under the direction of Stewart Parnell. Parnells inherent behavior along with those who were a part of his management did not act in an ethical manner towards the community. Mr. Parnell consistently put profits ahead of public safety and acted in a manner that proved to be detrimental to society. Therefore, it can be concluded that PCA lacked business ethics and morals and how they portrayed the companys image and conveyed disregard for their employees and members of the community.

Jarroc: The Admiral and Father :: Star Trek Defector Essays Papers

Jarroc: The Admiral and Father During the episode of Star Trek, "The Defector", Jarroc clearly shows that he is not a traitor. He does not properly fit the definition of a traitor and while it can be argued that he was one, his inner motives must be taken into account. It is these motives which make all the difference. The Webster's dictionary from the On-line Library defines a traitor as, "one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty: one who commits treason."(gop). As an admiral, Jarroc was privileged to see many top secret documents. Some of these were accounts of the space station on Nelvana 3. The supposed betrayal of trust occurred when he took this information and gave it to the Federation. We were told that since the birth of his daughter Jarroc had become less inclined to the idea of a war with the Federation. He began to question the decisions of his superiors. He didn't do this out of anger but out of a concern for the future of his world and of his family. Even though he was an admiral and a past war hero, he disobeyed his orders and went over to the Federation space and gave them his secrets. Without looking at his reasons, it would be easy to call him a traitor. But there are always two sides to every story, and the question must be raised of to whom was Jarroc being loyal when he decided to leave the Romulan sector. He could have been responding to his own feelings, possibly to his own government as a spy, or he could have been acting for the future of his worlds. After doing a little research on the web I discovered a few pages devoted to Romulan history. One of the more pertinent facts was that they had a government with a Senate which elected their chain of high command(www.tos...). This implies a type of democratic government, which even further implies a sense of the government being responsible to the people. This is the way things are supposed to work over here anyway. What this meant was that the government owed a responsibility to keep their people safe. Jarroc clearly saw what a war could do to his people. Even though the government was willing to forsake their people for war, Jarroc was not willing to let that happen.

The Kitchen Gods Wife and The Bingo Palace :: comparison compare contrast essays

Mythology, Luck, and Fate in The Kitchen God's Wife and The Bingo Palace  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In Amy Tan's novel, The Kitchen God's Wife, the author weaves Chinese mythology and beliefs through a woman's struggle to explain and come to terms with her harrowing past, to her American daughter, Pearl. Aside from the horror invoked by Winnie's tale of her life in Pre-Communist/Feudal China, the thing that struck me the most about this book was how often the themes of luck and fate crop up in the story. I often found that Winnie reminded me of the character Lipsha from Louise Erdrich's novel, The Bingo Palace in that both characters seemed to believe that their lives were controlled more by luck/fate than by their own will. While the similarities between the two books do exist, they are very different stories dealing with two cultures far removed from each other in location, beliefs and ways of life. I decided that for this paper, it would be interesting to look at how the ideas of mythology, luck and fate pertain to the culture of the Chinese and Native Americans in these two books. I would also like to look at how Asian Americans and Native Americans assimilate and change their cultural beliefs and practices into the larger "culture" of the United States. The Oxford Dictionary defines fate as: "1 a power regarded as predetermining events unalterably. 2 a the future regarded as determined by such a power. b an individual's appointed lot. C the ultimate condition or end of a person or thing (that sealed our fate)". The aspect of the story that especially stood out for me was the way in which Winnie chalked up everything that happened to her, good and bad, to the state of her luck at the time. It seems as if Winnie believed that she was fated to have bad luck from beginning of her life because of her mother. She tells of her mother marrying into a family where she became the "double second wife" which means she replaced the first "second" wife who had died. Replacing a dead wife was believed to put a woman into a bad-luck position, so perhaps Winnie believed she had inherited her bad luck from her mother and was "doomed" from birth. Winnie even attributes her horrible marriage to Wen Fu as a result of her bad luck.

Norman Mailers An American Dream: The Character of Steven Rojack :: essays papers

Norman Mailer's An American Dream: The Character of Steven Rojack In almost every genre of literature there is the classic antagonist, and the classic protagonist. When examining these characters, there are certain guidelines which authors follow. However, there are times in literature when the classic guidelines are broken, and a new prototype emerges. Contemporary writer Norman Mailer broke the mold of the classic character(s) when writing the novel, An American Dream. In An American Dream, there is no set protagonist or antagonist. In fact, Mailer has taken these two separate identities and merged them into one character. The product is the main character of the novel, Steven Rojack. Throughout the novel the reader isn't sure if they want him to succeed, or fail. This is due to Rojack's ever-changing personality. He first seems like the perfect man, a decorated war hero who knows all the right people. However, shortly after this impression is made another is formed. He murders his wife in cold blood and lies to the police, claimi! ng she committed suicide. As the novel continues however, Rojack realizes the horror of his crime and even confesses what he has done to a woman he loves. Due to the realization of his crime, he is redeemed in the eye of the reader. From this point on, the reader wants Rojack to succeed. However, before final judgement can be passed, it is imperative that Rojack^s entire character be explored. Steven Rojack is first introduced as a prominent man in society who becomes recognized due to his decoration in military service. Through this service he became close with many famous politicians, Jack Kennedy being one. It is through Jack that Rojack meets his first wife, Deborah, a woman who he describes ^would be bored with a diamond as big as the Ritz^ (1) After serving a term in Congress, he and Deborah marry. Unfortunately, the relationship they have is one in which Deborah has full control. As he continues to describe the relationship with his wife it is often filled with bitter memories. He remembers going to parties where she would compare his worth to that of another man^s. It is from this that a bitter hatred stems towards Deborah. Finally, after seven years of marriage, they separate. However, after the separation, Deborah^s needs are still covered by Steven, who is now a college professor and the host of a popular TV show. In addition to this Deborah main! tains a close contact with him, seeing him whenever she desires.

Is Pvc Acceptable for Gas Furnace Flue?

Is PVC an acceptable vent material for flue gases? Installing a new water heater or furnace can be tricky for the novice HVAC technician. There are many checks that need to be done and codes that need to be followed. While not being complete with the internals can lead to a harmful situation, one of the most important decisions that you will have to make is what material you should make the flue out of. Most furnace flues are made out of a metal material which is a proper decision do the high temperatures released through the flue during the use of the furnace.Due to the cost of metal, some technicians have chosen to use PVC pipe as material for furnace flues as a less expensive alternative. Polyvinyl Chloride, otherwise known as PVC is a hard plastic pipe typically used in plumbing applications. Polyvinyl Chloride Pipe is the third most widely produced plastic in the world behind only polyethylene and polypropylene. Wikipedia quotes that PVC is â€Å"cheaper and stronger than more traditional alternatives such as copper or ductile iron.It can be made softer and more flexible by the addition of plasticizes, the widely used Phthlates. In this form, it is used in clothing , upholstery, and electrical insulation. † After inspections of commercial and residential installations, Inspectors have discovered that using PVC pipe can lead to destructive and possibly harmful conditions. It was noted that if the water heater scales up due to minerals in the water supply, it can cause the flue gas temperatures to rise which can lead to the fittings and pipe melting.Melting of the PVC pipe can be very dangerous. If behind a wall or in the ceiling, a melted pipe can leak condensation and create mold growth behind drywall. Even more dangerous is the release of carbon monoxide gas out of a melted pipe. Carbon Monoxide is a lethal gas and can lead to a fatal situation. Manufacturers sometimes recommend using PVC for their installations. Research has found that although th ey recommend using PVC pipe, it is not necessarily safe and I would not recommend using it due to the melting hazard.The funny part I find is that although there is not a standard in any of the codes in the United States for PVC or plastic combustion flue vents, most manufactures ask you to reference the U. S. code. There is a Canadian standard which allows temperatures of the flue to exceed the temperatures limits of the manufacturer of the PVC material. The Canadian standard (ULC S636) covers the venting of gas fired appliances. It classifies the temperatures of the venting systems in three different classes.The fist class is a class one venting system for gas fired appliances producing flue temperatures of 135 degrees C (275 F) but not more than 245 C (473 F). A class two venting system produces temperatures of 135 C (275 F). A class three venting system is classified into 4 temperatures. 1) up to and including 65 C. 2) up to and including 90 C. 3) up to and including 110 C. 4) u p to and including 135 C. I did a little research on a major manufacture of PVC and other plastics, JM Eagle, and could not find any PVC manufactures that can reach those limitations as gas flue temperatures can reach above 250 F.In closing and after my research, I find that using Stainless steel for your gas furnace or boiler flue is not only essential but necessary as a safety precaution. Although it is a little more expensive, you will not have the melting hazard and the risk of the release of Carbon Monoxide. ———————————————————————————————————- References: http://www. plumbingengineer. com/may_11/code. php Is PVC an acceptable vent material for flue gases? By Ron George CPD http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride www. jmeagle. com

Maya Angelou Essay

In researching poet, Maya Angelou, I was able to explore her personal life, as well as her writing styles and techniques. While she is an extraordinary individual, she portrays a strong independent woman capable of holding her own. A great experience in learning about Angelou, the project itself I found to be rather droll. Having to find criticism about one of the worlds greatest poets, was extremely difficult. The assignment was also time consuming, and I found myself often wondering why everything needed doubles. While the information gathered for this project focused on Maya Angelou was engaging, the task in analyzing the poet rather than the poetry, was prolonged and monotonous. Maya Angelou is one of the universe’s most controversial poet. Her fascinating life experiences and thoughts translate beautifully onto paper, and her literary elegance captivates many. In the assignment given, it was asked that two pieces of literary criticism were found. When researching such a profound writer, it was impossible to find complete critical analyses of Angelou’s work. The only thing that was found were rotten comments on a forum, or a general summary of a poems meaning. Undertaking this assignment was very tedious, for even after finding some sort of â€Å"analysis†, it was asked that one write their own poems. This was very difficult for it was difficult to decipher what was really being asked. The expectations were not clear in the way where one should have been writing like their chosen poet, or to write as themselves. Either way, the poems produced in my own assignment, were just thoughts on paper. While Angelou has no set schemes in her work, the self-fabricated poems made, were also set up the same. While it is believed the more that is researched, the more that is known, how this was conveyed in this project was not straightforward. Everything that was assigned, needed to have two or more examples. Whether one chose to look up two biographies and two literary analyses, or two literary analyses and original poems, the duplication in finding two examples was unnecessary. The message could have been depicted through one example each. Finding the information grew to be mundane, and how all of the details found would be gathered into one essay was perplexing. While I believe finding two biographies would be vital if one were to be writing a biography on the poet, It’s almost pointless when you must narrow down the information into a paragraph. Same for the literary analysis. The original poems written almost had nothing to do with the project, which didn’t make much sense. Learning about Maya Angelou was enlightening, and this project allowed me to view her work in a different light. She is able to shine a strong light on herself that sets her apart from the rest. Unfortunately, this assignment didn’t allow more of an assessment on one poem, for one paragraph is not enough to correctly articulate her notions. The project could have been absolutely successful if it had not repeated so many steps in finding the same information in separate places, or writing irrelevant and original poems. In the future, an essay based solely on one poem by an author, with only a paragraph of biographical information would benefit the student. This would allow oneself to look more into the poets techniques, schemes, and deeper meanings.

New Deal Essay

1932. Famine and homelessness afflicted millions across the country. Small shanty-towns called â€Å"Hoovervilles† popped up on the outskirts of towns and in the open areas of cities, and served as home to the most downtrodden of society. Over nine thousand banks had gone bankrupt since 1929, along with them millions of dollars that had been entrusted to their care. Franklin D. Roosevelt inherited the leadership of a nation containing thirteen million unemployed living in utter poverty.Although criticized by his political contemporaries for the vague nature of his â€Å"New Deal,† FDR came into office with a vision that, if employed effectively, would boost people’s confidence in the economy and lift the spirits of millions nationwide. â€Å"The New Deal† may have only been marginally effective in repairing the economic woes of the United States on a pure numbers basis, but it ultimately succeeded in stabilizing the â€Å"depression† in America. In my analysis, the success of the New Deal rested in the positive psychological ramifications it manifested nationwide.The New Deal brought about lasting changes in government policy, and the way Americans would perceive the federal government. According to William E. Leuchtenburg, FDR came into office after a â€Å"lame duck† session that had lasted from February to December that had only weakened the public’s already low perception of Congress. Further, American and European observations at the outset of FDR’s presidency remarked that the common, jobless poor seemed to have lost all vigor for life; listless and calmly accepting their fates, rather than taking to the streets in violent protest.Unlike their European contemporaries, the American people felt simply defeated and hopeless, without the agency to force positive change. President Hoover tried repeatedly (unsuccessfully) to coerce the President-elect into accepting his view of the Depression as well, whil e FDR carefully built a â€Å"brains trust† of intellectuals, theorists, and colleagues to develop the New Deal into a tangible program when he took office.A major obstacle to implementing New Deal programs was a strong push from the Republican side for a return to a Smithian laissez-faire society with traditional values and a myriad of small businesses controlling the bulk of the economy. New Dealers maintained that this idyllic trip down memory lane was mere illusion, and the best way to solve the country’s economic woes was to foster business-government cooperation with an emphasis on balance. As the first part of the New Deal, in the first 100 days, the FDR dministration’s goal was to restore hope and courage to the American people, and stop economic hemorrhaging. In early March, FDR issued a (legally questionable) presidential edict to proclaim a national bank holiday to protect both the banks from mass withdrawal runs and the national treasury. FDR address ed Hoover’s financial advisers’ and the deficit hawks’ concerns through the introduction of the Economy Act, which cut $500 million total out of veterans’ pensions and federal employees’ salaries in order to balance the â€Å"regular† federal budget.FDR sent the Emergency Banking Act to Congress on March 9, 1933, effectively reopening 75% of Federal Reserve Banks, and granted authority to large banking institutions to purchase smaller banks, but with strictly defined rules and regulations. As part of the act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was established to provide insurance on banking deposits up to $2500, effectively ending the risk of bank runs. Alcohol once again was sold legally on April 7, 1933 after FDR requested Congress to pledge an early end to Prohibition, and the American people began to become reassured in financial recovery with help from FDR’s â€Å"fireside chats. The Thomas Act gave FDR the authority to i nflate money and take the dollar off the gold standard, effectively allowing the economy to expand and diversify. The Securities Act of 1933 created the Securities and Exchange Commission, charged with the regulation of the stock market, correcting excesses in the banking system and the stock market, and maintaining the disclosure of financial statements. All of the aforementioned programs were simply the beginning of the New Deal, but they were necessary for facilitating social, political, and economic change in the United States.The Agricultural Adjustment Act placed limits on competitive farming, reduced crop production through artificial scarcity ensuring agricultural price inflation and padding the pockets of farmers. The AAA also paid farmers subsidies to leave farm lands uncultivated by introducing tax penalties on overproduction. This led to the slaughter of over six million piglets, unfortunately. The AAA was widely unpopular among the American public according to Gallup po lls of the time, and the Supreme Court ultimately declared it unconstitutional; that the state did not have the legal right to control the means of agricultural production.Proponents of the second New Deal introduced new legislation in FDR’s second term to provide government subsidies on lands that were used to plant soil enriching crops rather than commodities. The FERA, CWA, CCC, the WPA, NYA, NRA, PWA, and TVA were all created as part of the relief legislation to get the unemployed back to work, regardless of cost. All the relief works programs especially the CCC were designed to organize a labor force and literally create an â€Å"Army† of working men, provide them with jobs, discipline, food, and shelter while creating infrastructure support nationally through public works projects.These programs were drastically inefficient and dragged the federal deficit even deeper into debt, but they improved the morale of the population by putting millions back to work, and t hey were politically popular, giving FDR the edge to be reelected. New Deal programs were ideal for fostering active political engagement for African Americans, and gave people the strength to organize to let their voices be heard. NAACP membership was dramatically on the rise, and Eleanor Roosevelt’s tireless work for the advancement of racial equality helped spur the movement onward.Greenburg points out that the intentions of the New Deal programs at face value were designed to be racially equal, but the application of those programs brought out the discrimination that was prevalent in society at the time, especially the south. The biggest problem associated with African Americans and the New Deal was that the New Deal officials offering relief to the public only saw the need to assist whites, and that blacks had not established a greater need for assistance. Why? Good old fashioned racism, that’s why. According to Greenberg, African Americans hadn’t fallen th at far during the economic crash though.Even though African Americans had been legally free for near 80 years, they still lived in desperate poverty, and hadn’t reached the levels of financial success achieved by their white counterparts. African Americans generally didn’t own the houses they lived in, worked the least-paying and least-desirable jobs, and essentially had lived in their own economic depression long before the stock market crash of 1929. In the post-Bellum South, a quarter of African American people were categorized as illiterate, as education was not readily available for them due to racial pressures and antiquated Jim Crow laws.Southern blacks lived in more destitute poverty than most other Americans during the depression due to their already horrible lot in life. A majority of Southern blacks were sharecroppers, and didn’t even own the land they were farming. The decline of Agricultural commodities lowered farm prices more and more, until the t enant farmers were literally tending to the fields to do nothing more than lose more money, as the landowners claimed all of the subsidies from the AAA.Wealth was not well-distributed in the south, and they found that opportunity lay in urban centers especially to the north, in modern industrialized cities. What followed was â€Å"The Great Migration† between 1910 and 1940, where African Americans left the south in droves to find opportunities in the cities. They found the worst jobs in the cities coupled with the worst pay, but they were genereally free from the threat of lynch mobs and public beatings, despite not being well-liked by their new neighbors.Section 7A of the NRA required businesses to accept union employees and not discriminate based on ethnicity or race, which allowed greater legislative power for organizations like the American Negro Labor Congress. Even though New Deal programs had been introduced to unify the workingman, the results of the new legislation w idened the distrust between blacks and whites. African Americans provided a cheap labor force, and would often work as scabs during factory strikes, infuriating white union workers, causing deeper tensions.The Communist and Socialist Parties both claimed that capitalists used race as tool to divide the population against itself, and both worked tirelessly to promote equal rights for both the poor and African Americans. This caused even further disparity when these parties used racial inequality to stir up tension between established whites and poor blacks. The Communist and Socialist Parties had found a rallying cry in racial inequality, and actively promoted multiracial unions to demand equality in the workplace.There was even a conspiracy theory espoused by most southern whites that African Americans were Soviet spies, employed by the USSR to bring down the white race and capitalism. FDR’s New Deal programs certainly barred racial discrimination, but local officials were th e people who administered the programs, and the majority of these people still hadn’t changed their racial views. Greenburg points out that the fault lay not in the New Deal, but in the patterns and established segregation that was prevalent in society. It didn’t help that FDR courted southern white democrats in his bid for the election, to secure his position n office. Once he laid out the plans for the New Deal, however, he gained more support from the black community, as they were among those represented in the groups that would benefit from programs designed to empower the jobless, homeless, starving, and needy. The road to hell is paved with good intentions though; Public works projects like the WPA, the NRA (coined â€Å"affectionately as the Negro Removal Agency), and FERA all generally accepted local wage distribution policies, discriminatory hiring practices, and were all subject to public scrutiny.African Americans, not being part of the majority had a lesse r voice in the crowd, and thus were financially punished for any outspoken criticism of racial inequalities within the workplace. FDR avoided directly addressing the race issue in his first few years in office to garner continued support from the southern white supremacists that occupied the Senate.As the US entered WWII, the need for increased collaboration and unity between whites and blacks was much greater, and FDR saw the need for improved race relations (and to ward off a march on the Capitol by A. Philip Randolph and his supporters), so he issued Executive Order 8802 to legally mandate an official federal government position of anti-discrimination policy. Even though the Executive Order was technically part of the first or second New Deal, it was part of FDR’s legacy, and it has had resounding effects throughout American society.New Deal programs were carefully, politically orchestrated to have mass appeal across a broad spectrum of the US population, but unfortunately mass appeal is not sympathetic to minorities caught up in the struggle. While the New Deal provided jobs and money for millions of white Americans, improving morale and confidence in the economy, racial inequality as a product of society, left African Americans generally poor and in similar conditions they had faced before the depression.