Descartes Dualism Proposal Is An Interesting Concept

Descartes dualism proposal is an interesting concept due to its simplicity. Yet, being so simply makes one more and more want to dismiss. His argument begins with what is known as Real Distinction. This is the term used to describe a substance or non-physical object that exists on due to the help of a higher being or power—be it God or science, though Descartes would likely argue for God. The mind, in Descartes view, can only exist because of this higher power. One knows the mind exists simply due to being able to ask the question of its existence. However, to prove that the body exists one must think about the physical nature, shape, and sensations of said body. In Descartes sixth meditation he discusses the idea that a person can conceive their mind without their body, but cannot conceive of the reverse. This argument seems to be the most sounds. One example that can be used to describe this idea is simply a body switch. If a body is separate from the mind—given that the mind is where we produce thoughts—then it may be entirely possible to switch bodies. There are many examples of this throughout fiction and even religious text. Movies like Freaky Friday where a mother and a daughter have their bodies swapped to reincarnation, where one literally dies and their mind is â€Å"reborn† within a new body all together. The very fact that this concept is so ingrained in our society hints that Descartes may have been on to something. Humans can, in most cases easily see the

Teenage Teens Getting The Dangerous Drugs - 1154 Words

As human beings, we stay up to date with the most recent news articles and watch when statistics begin to rise. It’s great to see how many more young teens are graduating high school and college, and moving on with their lives. One of the most recent skyrocketing numbers however, is the heroin epidemic that we have going on. Is it becoming easier for kids to get their hands on the harder drugs? Are we going to being to see that after the legalization of other drugs kids want to experiment more and are now moving onto harder and more dangerous drugs? How are these young adolescent teens getting the drugs, and how are they finding out where to find them in their community? With this paper, I want people to think about what they can do to try†¦show more content†¦When I saw the numbers of how many users there were in the United States, I can honestly say that I wasn’t shocked. Just where I live, Bellefonte, PA, there has been multiple heroin arrest in the past yea r. â€Å"Agents arrested nine in Center County drug bust† shut down a half- million-dollar heroin and cocaine drug operation. They arrested at least nine people that were in connection with the crime. In the article, one of the senior deputy attorneys, General Patrick Leonard, said, â€Å"They are here from New York City and Philadelphia.† (Morelli). Which brings up the question, how far will this drug travel and why is it so easy to get your hands on such a hard drug? There are many obvious signs to recognize if someone has a problem with heroin. Some of the less noticeable ones would be shortness of breath, dry mouth, and small pupils. Some more noticeable physical signs of heroin abuse would be the disorientation, cycles of hyper alertness followed by suddenly nodding off, and often appear droopy. There are also things that lay around the household that can be noticeable signs of heroin dependency. These can be things like burned silver spoons, small plastic bags with a white powdery residue in them, and/or aluminum foil or gum wrappers with burn marks on them. Soon enough loved ones will begin to notice other signs that someone has built

Indo Anglian Literature Free Essays

string(34) " a fast in order to make it rain\." Indo Anglian Literature Indo Anglian Literature refers to the body of work by writers in India who write in the English language and whose native or co-native language could be one of the numerous languages of India. It is also associated with the works of members of the Indian diaspora, such as V. S. We will write a custom essay sample on Indo Anglian Literature or any similar topic only for you Order Now Naipaul, Kiran Desai, Jhumpa Lahiri who are of Indian descent. It is frequently referred to as Indo-Anglian literature. (Indo-Anglian is a specific term in the sole context of writing that should not be confused with the term Anglo-Indian). As a category, this production comes under the broader realm of postcolonial literature- the production from previously colonised countries such as India. History IEL has a relatively recent history, it is only one and a half centuries old. The first book written by an Indian in English was by Sake Dean Mahomet, titled Travels of Dean Mahomet; Mahomet’s travel narrative was published in 1793 in England. In its early stages it was influenced by the Western art form of the novel. Early Indian writers used English unadulterated by Indian words to convey an experience which was essentially Indian. Raja Rao’s Kanthapura is Indian in terms of its storytelling qualities. Rabindranath Tagore wrote in Bengali and English and was responsible for the translations of his own work into English. Dhan Gopal Mukerji was the first Indian author to win a literary award in the United States. Nirad C. Chaudhuri, a writer of non-fiction, is best known for his The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian where he relates his life experiences and influences. P. Lal, a poet, translator, publisher and essayist, founded a press in the 1950s for Indian English writing, Writers Workshop. R. K. Narayan is a writer who contributed over many decades and who continued to write till his death recently. He was discovered by Graham Greene in the sense that the latter helped him find a publisher in England. Graham Greene and Narayan remained close friends till the end. Similar to Thomas Hardy’s Wessex, Narayan created the fictitious town of Malgudi where he set his novels. Some criticise Narayan for the parochial, detached and closed world that he created in the face of the changing conditions in India at the times in which the stories are set. Others, such as Graham Greene, however, feel that through Malgudi they could vividly understand the Indian experience. Narayan’s evocation of small town life and its experiences through the eyes of the endearing child protagonist Swaminathan in Swami and Friends is a good sample of his writing style. Simultaneous with Narayan’s pastoral idylls, a very different writer, Mulk Raj Anand, was similarly gaining recognition for his writing set in rural India; but his stories were harsher, and engaged, sometimes brutally, with divisions of caste, class and religion. Later history Among the later writers,Vikram Seth, author of A Suitable Boy (1994) is a writer who uses a purer English and more realistic themes. Being a self-confessed fan of Jane Austen, his attention is on the story, its details and its twists and turns. Vikram Seth is notable both as an accomplished novelist and poet. Vikram Seth’s outstanding achievement as a versatile and prolific poet remains largely and unfairly neglected. Shashi Tharoor, in his The Great Indian Novel (1989), follows a story-telling (though in a satirical) mode as in the Mahabharata drawing his ideas by going back and forth in time. His work as UN official living outside India has given him a vantage point that helps construct an objective Indianness. As for the history of the gradual development of Indian drama in English, one may consult Pinaki Roy’s essay â€Å"Dramatic Chronicle: A Very Brief Review of the Growth of Indian English Plays†, included in Indian Drama in English: Some Perspectives (ISBN 978-81-269-1772-3) (pp. 272-87), edited by Abha Shukla Kaushik, and published by the New Delhi-based Atlantic Publishers and Distributors Pvt. Ltd. in 2013. Sarojini Naidu and her art of poetry; Such a gem of a work by the author, Dr. Deobrata Prasad . he has carefully assimilated all the aspects and life span of Sarojini Naidu before divulging anything. such a systematic work is rare to single out in today’s era. Dr. Prasad has really taken care of every minute details prior to bringing forth such a marvel in the field of Indian English literature. This has been acclaimed as rare literary work in the literary fraternity in switzerland. Dr. prasad was even nominated as literary man of the year several times. The Guide The Guide is a 1958 novel written in English by the Indian author R. K. Narayan. Like most of his works the novel is based in Malgudi, the fictional town in South India. The novel describes the transformation of the protagonist, Raju, from a tour guide to a spiritual guide and then one of the greatest holy men of India. The novel brought its author the 1960 Sahitya Akademi Award for English, by the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters. Railway Raju (nicknamed) is a disarmingly corrupt guide who falls in love with a beautiful dancer, Rosie, the neglected wife of archaeologist Marco . Marco doesn’t approve of Rosie’s passion for dancing. Rosie, encouraged by Raju, decides to follow her dreams and start a dancing career. They start living together and Raju’s mother, as she does not approve of their relationship, leaves them. Raju becomes Rosie’s stage manager and soon with the help of Raju’s marketing tactics, Rosie becomes a successful dancer. Raju, however, develops an inflated sense of self-importance and tries to control her. Raju gets involved in a case of forgery and gets a two-year sentence. After completing the sentence, Raju passes through a village where he is mistaken for a sadhu (a spiritual guide). Reluctantly, as he does not want to return in disgrace to Malgudi, he stays in an abandoned temple. There is a famine in the village and Raju is expected to keep a fast in order to make it rain. You read "Indo Anglian Literature" in category "Papers" With media publicizing his fast, a huge crowd gathers (much to Raju’s resentment) to watch him fast. After fasting for several days, he goes to the riverside one morning as part of his daily ritual, where his legs sag down as he feels that the rain is falling in the hills. The ending of the novel leaves unanswered the question of whether he did, or whether the drought has really ended. The last line of the novel is ‘Raju said â€Å"Velan, its raining up the hills, I can feel it under my feet. † And with this he saged down’. The last line implies that by now Raju after undergoing so many ups and downs in his life has become a sage and as the drought ends Raju’s life also ends. Narayan has beautifully written the last line which means Raju did not die but saged down, meaning Raju within himself had become a sage. The Shadow Lines The Shadow Lines (1988) is a Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novel[1] by Indian-Bengali writer Amitav Ghosh. It is a book that captures perspective of time and events, of lines that bring people together and hold them apart, lines that are clearly visible from one perspective and nonexistent from another. Lines that exist in the memory of one, and therefore in another’s imagination. A narrative built out of an intricate, constantly crisscrossing web of memories of many people, it never pretends to tell a story. Rather it invites the reader to invent one, out of the memories of those involved, memories that hold mirrors of differing shades to the same experience. The novel is set against the backdrop of historical events like Swadeshi movement, Second World War, Partition of India and Communal riots of 1963-64 in Dhaka and Calcutta. The novel brought its author the 1989 Sahitya Akademi Award for English, by the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters. [2] Plot summary The novel follows the life of a young boy growing up in Calcutta and later on in Delhi and London. His family – the Datta Chaudharis – and the Prices in London are linked by the friendship between their respective patriarchs – Justice Dattachaudhari and Lionel Tresawsen. The narrator adores Tridib because of his tremendous knowledge and his perspective of the incidents and places. Tha’mma thinks that Tridib is type of person who seems ‘determined to waste his life in idle self-indulgence’, one who refuses to use his family connections to establish a career. Unlike his grandmother, the narrator loves listening to Tridib. For the narrator, Tridib’s lore is very different from the collection of facts and figures. The narrator is sexually attracted to Ila but his feelings are passive. He never expresses his feelings to her afraid to lose the relationship that exists between them. However one day he involuntarily shows his feelings when she was changing clothes in front of him being unaware of his feelings. She feels sorry for him. Tha’mma does not like Ila. ‘Why do you always speak for that whore’ – She doesn’t like her grandson to support her. Tha’mma has a dreadful past and wants to reunite her family and goes to Dhaka to bring back her uncle. Tridib is in love with May and sacrificed his life to rescue her from mobs in the communal riots of 1963-64 in Dhaka. Clear Light of Day Clear Light of Day is a novel published in 1980 by Indian novelist and three time Booker Prize finalist, Anita Desai. Set in Old Delhi, this book describes the tensions in a post-partition Indian family during and after childhood, starting with the characters as adults and moving back into their lives through the course of the book. While the primary theme is the importance of family, other predominant themes include the importance of forgiveness, the power of childhood, and forgiving those you are close to. Plot summary The book is split into four sections covering the Das family from the children’s perspective in this order: adulthood, adolescence, childhood, and the time perspective returns to adulthood. The book centers on the Das family, who have grown apart with adulthood. It starts with Tara, the wife of Bakul, India’s ambassador to America, greeting her sister Bimla (Bim), who is a history teacher living in Old Delhi as well as their autistic brother Baba’s caretaker. Their conversation eventually comes to Raja, their brother who lives in Hyderabad. Bim doesn’t want to go to the wedding of Raja’s daughter, showing Tara an old letter from when Raja became her landlord, unintentionally insulting her after the death of his father in law. In part two the setting switches to partition era India, when the characters are adolescents in what is now Bim’s house. Raja is severely ill with tuberculosis and is left to Bim’s ministrations. Aunt Mira (Mira masi), their supposed caretaker after the death of the children’s often absent parents, becomes alcoholic and dies of alcoholism. Earlier Raja’s fascination with Urdu attracts the attention of the family’s Muslim landlord, Hyder Ali, whom Raja Idolizes. When he heals, Raja follows Hyder Ali to Hyderabad. Tara escapes from the situation through marriage to Bakul. Bim is then left to provide for Baba alone, in the midst of the partition and the death of Gandhi. In part three Bim, Raja and Tara are depicted in pre-partition India awaiting the birth of their brother Baba. Aunt Mira, widowed by her husband and mistreated by her in-laws, is brought in to help with Baba, who is autistic, and to raise the children. Raja is fascinated with poetry. He shares a close bond with Bim, the head girl at school, although they often exclude Tara. Tara wants to be a mother although this fact brings ridicule from Raja and Bim, who want to be a hero and a heroine, respectively. The final section returns to modern India and showcases Tara confronting Bim over the Raja’s daughter’s wedding and Bim’s broken relationship with Raja. This climaxes when Bim explodes at Baba. After her anger fades she comes to the conclusion that the love of family is irreplaceable and can cover all wrongs. After Tara leaves she decides to go to her neighbors the Misras for a concert and she then decides that she will go to the wedding. The God of Small Things The God of Small Things (1997) is the debut novel of Indian writer Arundhati Roy. It is a story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the â€Å"Love Laws† that lay down â€Å"who should be loved, and how. And how much. † The book is a description of how the small things in life affect people’s behaviour and their lives. The book won the Booker Prize in 1997. The God of Small Things is Roy’s first book and, as of 2013, is her only novel. Completed in 1996, the book took four years to write. The potential of the story was first recognized by Pankaj Mishra, an editor with HarperCollins, who sent it to three British publishers. Roy received half-a-million pounds in advances, and rights to the book were sold in 21 countries. While generally praised, the book did receive some criticism for its verbosity and controversial subject matter. [1] The story, told here in chronological order, although the novel shifts around in time, primarily takes place in a town named Ayemenem or Aymanam now part of Kottayam in Kerala state of India. The temporal setting shifts back and forth from 1969, when fraternal twins Rahel and Estha are seven years old, to 1993, when the twins are reunited at age 31. Much of the story is written in a viewpoint relevant to the seven-year-old children. Malayalam words are liberally used in conjunction with English. Some facets of Kerala life which the novel captures are communism, the caste system, and the Keralite Syrian Christian way of life. Without sufficient dowry for a marriage proposal, Ammu Ipe becomes desperate to escape her ill-tempered father, Pappachi, and her bitter, long-suffering mother, Mammachi. She finally convinces her parents to let her spend a summer with a distant aunt in Calcutta. To avoid returning to Ayemenem, she marries a man who assists managing a tea estate whom she later discovers to be a heavy alcoholic who physically abuses her and attempts to prostitute her to his boss so that he can keep his job. She gives birth to two children, fraternal twins, Estha and Rahel, yet ultimately leaves her husband and returns to live with her mother and brother, Chacko, in Ayemenem. Also living at their home in Ayemenem is Pappachi’s sister, Baby Kochamma, whose actual name is Navomi Ipe, but is called Baby due to her young age at becoming a grand-aunt, and Kochamma being an honorific title for females. As a young girl, Baby Kochamma had fallen in love with Father Mulligan, a young Irish priest who had come to Ayemenem to study Hindu scriptures. In order to get closer to him, Baby Kochamma had become a Roman Catholic and joined a convent, against her father’s wishes. After a few lonely months in the convent, Baby Kochamma had realized that her vows brought her no closer to the man she loved, with her father eventually rescuing her from the convent, sending her to America for an education, where she obtained a diploma in ornamental gardening. Due to her unrequited love with Father Mulligan, Baby Kochamma remained unmarried for the rest of her life, gradually becoming more and more bitter over the years. Throughout the book, Baby Kochamma delights in the misfortune of others and manipulates events to bring down calamity upon Ammu and the twins. While studying at Oxford, Chacko fell in love and married an English woman named Margaret, Shortly after the birth of their daughter Sophie, Margaret reveals that she had been having an affair with another man, Joe. They divorce and Chacko, unable to find a job, returns to India. After the death of Pappachi, Chacko returns to Ayemenem and takes over his mother’s business, called Paradise Pickles and Preserves. When Margaret’s second husband is killed in a car accident, Chacko invites her and Sophie to spend Christmas in Ayemenem. The day before Margarget and Sophie arrive, the family visits a theater to see The Sound of Music, where Estha is molested by the â€Å"Orangedrink Lemondrink Man†, a vendor working the snack counter of the theater. His fear stemming from this encounter factors into the circumstances that lead to the tragic events at the heart of the narrative. On the way to the airport to pick them up, the family (Chacko, Ammu, Estha, Rahel, and Baby Kochamma) encounters a group of communist protesters. The protesters surround the car and force Baby Kochamma to wave a red flag and chant a communist slogan, humiliating her. Rahel thinks she sees Velutha, an untouchable servant that works in the pickle factory, in the crowd. Velutha’s alleged presence with the communist mob makes Baby Kochamma associate him with her humiliation at their hands, and she begins to harbor a deep hatred towards him. Velutha is an untouchable (the lowest caste in India), a dalit, and his family has served the Ipes for generations. Velutha is an extremely gifted carpenter and mechanic. His skills with repairing the machinery make him indispensable at the pickle factory, but result in resentment and hostility from the other, touchable factory workers. Rahel and Estha form an unlikely bond with Velutha and come to love him, despite his untouchable status. It is her children’s love for Velutha that causes Ammu to realize her attraction to him and eventually, she comes to â€Å"love by night the man her children love by day†. They begin a short-lived affair that culminates in tragedy for the family. When her relationship with Velutha is discovered, Ammu is locked in her room and Velutha is banished. In her rage, Ammu blames the twins for her misfortune and calls them the â€Å"millstones around her neck†. Distraught, Rahel and Estha decide to run away. Their cousin Sophie Mol convinces them to take her with them. During the night, while trying to reach the abandoned house across the river, their boat capsizes and Sophie drowns. Once Margaret Kochamma and Chacko return from Cochin, where they have been picking up airline tickets, Margaret sees Sophie’s body lay out on the sofa. She vomits and hysterically berates the twins as they had survived, and hits Estha. Baby Kochamma goes to the police and accuses Velutha of being responsible for Sophie’s death. She claims that Velutha attempted to rape Ammu, threatened the family, and kidnapped the children. A group of policemen hunt Velutha down and savagely beat him for crossing caste lines, the twins witnessing the horrific scene and are deeply disturbed. When the twins reveal the truth of Sophie’s death to the Chief of Police, he is alarmed. He knows that Velutha is a communist, and is afraid that the wrongful arrest and beating of Velutha will cause unrest amongst the local communists. He threatens to hold Baby Kochamma responsible for falsely accusing Velutha. To save herself, Baby Kochamma tricks Rahel and Estha into accusing Velutha of Sophie’s death. Velutha dies of his injuries. Hearing of his arrest, Ammu goes to the police to tell the truth about their relationship. The police threaten her to make her leave the matter alone. Afraid of being exposed, Baby Kochamma convinces Chacko that Ammu and the twins are responsible for his daughter’s death. Chacko kicks Ammu out of the house. Unable to find a job, Ammu is forced to send Estha to live with his father. Estha never sees Ammu again, and she dies alone and impoverished a few years later at the age of thirty-one. After a turbulent childhood and adolescence in India, Rahel goes to America to study. While there, she gets married, divorced and finally returns to Ayemenem after several years of working dead-end jobs. Rahel and Estha, both 31-years-old, are reunited for the first time since they were children. In the intervening years, Estha and Rahel have been haunted by their guilt and grief-ridden pasts. Estha is perpetually silent and Rahel has a haunted look in her eyes. It becomes apparent that neither twin ever found another person who understood them in the way they understand each other. The twins’ renewed intimacy ultimately culminates in them sleeping together. In the last chapter of the book, ‘The Cost of Living’, the narrative is once again set in the 1969 time frame and describes Ammu and Velutha’s first sexual encounter. It describes that â€Å"Instinctively they stuck to the Small Things. The Big Things ever lurked inside. They knew there was nowhere for them to go. They had no future. So they stuck to the Small Things†. After each encounter, Ammu and Velutha make one promise to one another: â€Å"Tomorrow? Tomorrow. † The novel ends on the optimistic note, â€Å"She kissed his closed eyes and stood up. Velutha with his back against the mangosteen tree watched her walk away. She had a dry rose in her hair. She turned to say it once again: ‘Naaley. ‘ Tomorrow. † References †¢ Haq, Kaiser (ed. ). Contemporary Indian Poetry. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1990. †¢ Haq, Rubana (ed. ). The Golden Treasury of Writers Workshop Poetry. Kolkata: Writers Workshop, 2008. †¢ Hoskote, Ranjit (ed. ). Reasons for Belonging: Fourteen Contemporary Indian Poets. Viking/Penguin Books India, New Delhi, 2002. †¢ King, Bruce Alvin. Modern Indian Poetry in English: Revised Edition. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1987, rev. 2001. (â€Å"the standard work on the subject and unlikely to be surpassed† — Mehrotra, 2003). †¢ Desai, Anita. Clear Light of Day. 1st Mariner books ed ed. New York: Mariner Books, 2000. Print. How to cite Indo Anglian Literature, Papers

Public Relations Best Practices

Question: Discuss about the Public Relations Best Practices. Answer: Introduction: Public relations refers to a mechanism in which in any company or firm can inform or relate to media and public regarding the issues that arise within them. The Public Relations is the core organizations informer about how its image can be shaped or will be affected. Any public relations officer speaks to the specific audience and makes all the attempts to build a good image and healthy relationship between the organization and its publics. Among the most used platforms for the public relations communication include brochures, newsletters, press releases, the Internet and social media. 80 percent of organizations have designed Corporate Communication affairs departments that ensure communication and social responsibilities are undertaken efficiently to enhance good understanding between the public and the companies (Center and Allen 2014, 18) Roxy Jacenko is a business person in Australia with two kids. She is married to a former banker; Oliver Curtis was convicted of conspiracy of Insider trading. She is the owner of a Public Relations agency. The company she owns is called Sweaty Betty Agency. Sweaty Betty Agency. The company attempts to know who its publics are, what they need and who they are trying to reach. She is a Public Relations practitioner who contributed to the well-being of many companies. Among those that have been boosted include Oliver Peoples, Peugeot, Harris Scarf, and Coles Supermarkets. Taking the case of Roxy expertise as a publicizer and an outstanding Australian renown in her personal decent, there are many public relations best practices that the guru can be judged against. Some of the practices will be discussed below (Jacenko and Roxy 2014, 26) Enhancing the Profession As far as professionalism and career development are concerned, Roxy Jacenko has struggled to ensure ethical standards in the Public relations expertise are boosted. First Roxy has a public relation agency which handles the issues regarding public relations practices. The company can give many students a good experience. The body offers training to various students who apply for internship or attachment to ensure they all meet the requirements required in the public relations industry. Every year, the Public Relations Bureau receives several students who come for training. In that way, Roxy is helping those who belong the Public Relations expertise to gain more experience and ethical standards that are necessary for the experts operations. The Sweaty Betty Agency offers job opportunities to graduates who have pursued public relation accredited from various institutions in Australia and hence contributing to the national economy. In doing so, they will gain an experience which can enh ance them to outstanding in the country and internationally (Stepinska and Agnieszka 2014, 19). Serving as an Ethical Practitioner Roxy as a Public Relations guru is serving as a measure to moral conscience. She raises the hand or gets concerned whenever the Public Relations ethical standards are violated in the industry. For instance, when the husband is jailed over conspiracy to insider trading. She visits him twice a week and I firmly believe she gives the husband a good piece of advice on how he should maintain his reputation and that of the company (Stacks and Don 2013, 28). So that, he is a role model to the community. She, however, in the process play a role of counseling which is a real virtue to community and organization building. More practitioners will reflect from her most of the practices she undertakes that are acceptable to the industry. Being Accountable As an ideal Public Relations specialist, one needs to be professionally and personally accountable for all the actions and decisions made by them. Roxy is one of them, and that is why she is a guru and a celebrity on the same. During her business journey, she did not use her airplane because of rain and had to opt for company aircraft which was more secure. When she hears the husband has been arrested, she does not panic; rather, she takes her snapshot and updates the public on Instagram about the arrest. However, she does not return before completing her economic purposes she had planned for before; Roxy comfortably accomplishes her deals then returns to visit the husband two weeks after the arrest (Watson and Tom 2014, 12). Viewing the Publics as Similar Players Ideal Public Relations professionals consider seeing the publics as equal players in relationships that are led by mutual concern and not for personal interests. In doing so, all the issues should be addressed as known problems and for self-purposes. Therefore, the publics should be informed about the affairs that affect them. For instance, when Roxys husband got arrested, she informed the publics through Instagram and expressed her feeling about it as revealed by her snapshot. It makes the other publics feel recognized as participants in the corporate and public affairs (Parsons and Patricia 2013, 33). Giving Accurate Honest Information The central role of public relations is to inform and build a good relationship between the publics and associated organizations. A Public Relations Officer is the mirror to the publics and therefore, he or she should be correct in everything they speak out or decide to do needs to be genuine. For instance, Roxy did it right as she tells the truth why she used a different airplane than hers. Roxy is also faithful to inform the public that she is away while the husband gets arrested and shows her very own mood at that moment. Considering how she speaks to the public and during events; she is accurate and gives precise information. A virtue every Public Relations expert requires (Muller-Ackerman and Barbara 2013, 32). Creating a Positive Image Taking note of the publics centered approach will allow a Public Relations practitioner to measure the impacts of the decisions and actions to be undertaken, as long as they affect particular publics (Seib and Kathy 2014, 9). All the publics should be considered before any decision or action is arrived at. Taking Roxys case, she informs the publics especially on Instagram what has happened because it affects them as a community (Ames and Spetner 2013, 28). First, the community where the husband (Oliver Curtis) comes from and Roxy has to worry about the situation since, they are part of them. It is a good choice she made. However, she is proud to have a family, and this gives her good reputation as the public eye. Visiting the husband demonstrates the social responsibility she bears to her family. However, every Public Relations Specialist or agency faces numerous challenges, issues and problems. All the three aspects differ from organization to organization depending on its location, nature and operational systems. Roxy Jacenko as a Public Relations veteran and a celebrity encounters various issues, challenges or problems in her career. Among them include transparency in the Sweaty Betty PR, her reputation and that of the company as the husband is found guilty and sentenced, competition from other agencies, financial ability and the potential to serve the whole (Zerfass, Ruler and Krishnamurthy 2014, 40). Bibliography Center, Allen. 2014. Public Relations Practices: Managerial Case Studies And Problems. Boston: Pearson. Jacenko, Roxy. 2014. The Spotlight: A Jazzy Lou Novel. Stepinska, Agnieszka. 2014. Media and Communication in Europe. Berlin: Logos Berlin. Stacks, Don. 2013. Primer of Public Relations Research. New York: Guilford Press. Watson, Tom. 2014. Evaluating Public Relations: A Best Practice Guide to Public Relations Planning, Research Evaluation. London: Kogan Page. Parsons, Patricia. 2013. Ethics in Public Relations: A Guide to Best Practice. London: Kogan Page. Accessed from: https://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=98828. Muller-Ackerman, Barbara. 2013. Public Relations Toolbox: A Collection of Best Practices For School Counselors. Chapin, SC: YouthLight. Seib, Kathy. 2014.Public relations ethics. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. Stacks, Michaelson. 2014. A Practitioner's Guide to Public Relations Research, Measurement and Evaluation. New York, N.Y.: Business Expert Press. Ames, Spetner. 2013. The Public Relations Writer's Handbook The Digital Age. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass. Accessed from: https://rbdigital.oneclickdigital.com. Zerfass, Ruler, Krishnamurthy. 2014. Public Relation Research: European and International Perspectives and Innovations. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag fuÃÅ'ˆr Sozialwissenschaften / GWV Fachverlage, Wiesbaden. Accessed from:https://site.ebrary.com/id/11034797.

Transpose by Bad Suns free essay sample

Bad Suns are rising. In its debut EP, â€Å"Transpose,† the band breaks through the clouds and illuminates its path to relevance. Widely viewed as up-and-coming in the indie scene, Bad Suns shines with exceptional vocals, instrumental diversity, and production. Formed in 2012, the California-based band is relatively young, with members in their late teens and early twenties. The group began its career touring with the likes of The 1975 and The Vaccines, and only recently found itself rising to prominence. Bad Suns released its first album this June and many expect it to surge in popularity, just as Bastille did two years ago. The band incorporates an impressive number of unique sounds on its debut EP. Lead singer Christo Bowman admits to being heavily influenced by rock bands of the 70s and 80s, and it shows. On the title track, the band supplies a healthy dose of traditional guitar and mixes it into the modern popular indie style. We will write a custom essay sample on Transpose by Bad Suns or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This type of melting-pot innovation is comparable to that of The Cars in the late 70s. The Clash and The Cure are also noted as major inspirations. Bowmans smooth vocals are an ideal fit for the groups wavy, dreamlike melodies. This complementary combo is especially successful in the track â€Å"Salt.† The lyrics on the album are impressive for Bowmans experience level. While most novice songwriters lean on cliches or simple rhyme schemes, his work is in a world of its own. This creative leap brings substance to Bad Suns music, which is rare to find today. â€Å"Cardiac Arrest† dominates the EP. Led by midnight guitars, a forceful beat, and a chorus bursting with sound, the song seems destined to make a strong presence on alternative radio. The other three songs could also be quality singles, showing the bands consistency. â€Å"Transpose† is one of the most spectacular releases of the year. While the band does not severely challenge the status quo of todays indie scene, it manages to find creativity within the boundaries and excels in all musical categories. If the band continues creating such quality work, do not expect the Bad Suns to be setting anytime soon.

The Social Web Divided by Race

The Social Web Divided by Race The advent of the internet as a communication tool brought with it promises of equality and fairness as far as racial, religious and ethnic boundaries are concerned. Many considered it as a platform that will guarantee equality by enabling strangers and people of diverse cultural, religious and racial backgrounds to interact together in a rather harmonious manner. However, the recent developments, as portrayed by some social sites, have indicated otherwise.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Social Web Divided by Race specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is increasingly being observed that individuals belonging to the same race are clustering on certain social media websites. A case in point is the racial distribution of the micro blogging website Twitter. Although this social website seems to encompass users from all races, a closer look shows that the Hispanic and the African American audiences form the ma jority of the users. These groups are also equally on the rise with regards to their commitment to the site. Another social site, the Pinterest.com, boasts of more than ninety per cent of white users from the United States. On the other hand, the Tumbir.com has witnessed a steady rise of the Asian Americans in the recent times. Even though the social media has become a crucial communication tool, it is highly divided on racial grounds. All these said and done, there is an interesting twist to this. The claim that the social media is divided by race could be farfetched and also lacks the truth in it. This is owed to the fact that very few individuals commit themselves to creating these divisions. Up to now, there is yet to be a social media site that is created by the sole intention of representing a particular division within the society. The truth of the matter is that the divisions that exist within humans are as a result of their own creations but they rarely pin down to the colo r of the skin. Some of these social media sites that have been victims to condemnations of racial divisions are actually serving other purposes. For instance, the Pinterest.com is composed of mostly females and mothers who benefit from the online site as a platform of putting up images of the things that they consider most favorite. It is worthwhile to note that it is normal to find busy mothers attracted to Pinterest.com because of its easier pin as compared to Tumblog or blog. This worked in favor of the Pinterest.com, which grew through invitations. Mothers therefore found out new members on whose mindset they shared. The dominance of the membership of the Pinterest.com by the white race could only be attributed to the consequence of the place of birth and growth of the social media site. A more credible argument concerning the Pinterest.com should be the sexuality of the dominant gender of the users and not the race.Advertising Looking for research paper on communication strategies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Apparently, more than seventy per cent of the users are females. The contents of this blogging site are feminist in nature and the audiences being centered on are females. Based on these scenarios, it is therefore apt to argue that the social media site, Pinterest.com, is more divided along the gender lines with sexist themes than the alleged racial boundaries. The growth of Twitter among the African Americans and the US Hispanics is also not a deliberate thing. It can be attributed to several factors and it should first be noted that most smart phones and cell phones that are possessed by residents of these areas contain Twitter as one of the applications. This makes their handsets reliable for tweeting at any given time. It is also important to note that Twitter does not disclose the race of the user. This makes the claim that the blacks and the Hispanics to be the dominant race on twitter invalid. Nobody chooses to join a social media site because other members of his or her race belong to it. Therefore, social media sites are not platforms of racial divisiveness. Similarly, the social media site, Tumblor, which is synonymous with the Asians is only so because they use it to discuss pertinent issues, which affects them like culture. This therefore makes it a cultural issue, not a racial one. The social media has contributed in positioning some races in certain strategic prejudicial locations in the global society. During the 1950s and 1960s, black people were astoundingly positioned as the social problems, because of the development of some documentaries during those times. The problem was orchestrated by the need to offer the black immigrants to Britain housing, jobs and the social ills that came with their arrival such as crime, prostitution and congestions. On the contrary, the social media sites have helped suppress some social barriers. Thanks to the se sites, there have been more frequent interactions across various races. Unlike in the past, where only a clichà © of the elite were allowed to own and use the digital media devices, today the devices are relatively cheaper and accessible. Moreover, frequent mobilizations and empowerment have ensured that even the minority and marginalized groups of people access the devices. The impact of this is that information has been able to travel into all corners of the world within split of seconds thereby increasing the interactions. The media has also come with a new mode of representation that is exhibited by people of different ethnicities. The adoption of communication technology by different ethnic groups in the world has a number of variations. These variations cause differences that emanate from a number of factors. To begin with, it is important to understand ethnicity to include such diversifications as cultural practices, racial orientations, the national originality and the s ocioeconomic variables.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Social Web Divided by Race specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is also worthwhile to note that the adoption of technology has very little to do with formal education because of the dynamics that therein. Conversely, the possession of income plays an important role in the adoption of technology. This is attributed to the empowerment to purchase such technological equipments as computers, satellite dishes, VCRs and the cable televisions (Dupagne and Salwen 25). The representation of news and ideas in the social media has helped portray the social lives of groups of people across the globe. Their mindsets and opinions are formed and shaped by what they receive from the social media. This catapults the importance of the ethnical or racial representation of the news and ideas from the social media since it has the potential of affecting the manner in wh ich certain ethical groupings distinguish things or are perceived. Different ethnic groups represent themselves in different ways in the media. On the other hand, different media firms have unique and predetermined ways of representing various ethnic groups especially those ethnicities from the minority cultures. Normally, these representations are characterized by cultural dominance undermining. In addition, the kinds of the representations exhibited by the media lack equality and knowledge of their identities (Mainsah 183). When left on their own, different ethnicities would use the social media to not only represent themselves but also to articulate their ideologies with regard to the perceptions within their context. These ideologies, in most cases, are the natural motivations within which a given ethnic group finds a common sense of purpose that pertains to the political and social leanings. Their representations within these contexts enable them to be classified into appropria te categories of race and culture. By the very fact that the media has the ability of controlling and shaping the beliefs and attitudes of a population, some ethnic groups are notorious in intimidating other ethnic groups through the use of the media. A case in point is the use of televisions to represent some ethnic minorities such as the non whites in America. For instance, the conservative cultures that inhabit the Amazon forests have always been represented by the media as being backward and primitive. In essence the attitudes and beliefs of the whites towards these minority group of people have been mostly so. They too believe that indeed these are primitive ethnic groups as opposed to them, who are civilized. By this, the media has contributed to the formation of the attitude of looking down upon an ethnic civilization by a selected mass through ideological motivation (Arora 87). Some ethnic groups have also adopted some rare but chilling forms of representation in the media. For instance, the black people, who are Afro-Caribbean, often portray themselves as gangsters and criminals. These acts of violence and crimes are hugely demonstrated in the videos and songs that are composed and sang by this culture. This has impacted on the stereotyping against them by the whites who consider them as reckless, irresponsible and violent.Advertising Looking for research paper on communication strategies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Apparently, the media has the power to determine and dictate the kind of representation a particular ethnic group wants to disseminate to the public. While it can be true that some black neighborhoods are full of criminal and violent activities, it is also true that most black people are in pursuit of moral uprightness and are committed to the transformation of the society into a more prosperous destination. It is needless to say that the president of the United States of America is black. However, the media will rarely report any progressive news about this minority ethnic group because of the stereotype that has always described the group. It is important to note that more of these stereotyping is orchestrated by the ethnic group themselves. For reason best known to them, this ethnic group has found it wise to identify themselves with negative attributes. Actually, all these attributes are depicted in the media for all to see and judge. Stereotyping has contributed to the subordin ation of certain ethnic groups in accordance with the white ideological hegemony. In yet another focus, the black people have always identified themselves or rather their underdeveloped nature to be closeness with nature. In retro respect, the whites were associated with civilization through the media. This further promotes the kind of stereotypical representation, which characterizes boils down to racial discourses. The television media is also known to have adopted and perpetuated some seemingly cultural way of life of the blacks from the earlier films which portrayed them as contented slaves, entertainers and the noble savage. Through the actions of the television media, the white viewers have been fed to the preconceptions of the way of life expected of the blacks. This kind of subjugation is what makes the media an important tool in the perpetuation of stereotypical actions (Ryan 201). Another important minority group consists of the disabled people. Apparently, these individua ls have had to undergo untold forms of discrimination and sufferings due to their physical state. In order to reverse this trend, some of the people who belong to this minority group have made efforts to come together and use the media to articulate their issues and concerns in a bid to communicate to the public their issues. One such media destination is the internet. The internet has provided a platform for the disabled people to participate in online discussions with themselves and the non disabled internet users. In such media, they do realize that their physical constraints are made more flexible in addition to establishing their own identities. In addition, the internet also boosts their chances of accessing the most useful information concerning the appropriate care that is required of them. This is a shot in the arm to this minority group since they are mostly limited and restricted to move in search of such pieces of information from physical locations. The internet also al lows the disabled people to connect online and this necessitates the flourishing of their culture online because they are able to connect with one another no matter where the other comes from and the level of impairment and mobility that characterizes them. However, not all this is a bed or roses. The internet, on the other hand, has exposed some disabled people to more abuse and harassment from either fellow or non disabled internet users. Worse still, a good number of digital technology systems tend to legitimize the oppression of the disabled people by offering discriminatory services to the non disabled users only. Further the media being highly commercialized tend to apt for the mainstream voices who boasts of more cash compared to the disabled minorities. In the same breath, most of the websites meant for disabled are normally characterized by the pleas for charity. This in a way makes them less attractive as compared to the mainstream internet websites. One other shortcoming of the internet lies in its diversification into relaying messages and information in the form of graphics, animation, text, video and audio. This has the potential of leaving out the disabled people who have the hearing, visual and mobility impairments (Mcgonagle 287). The Asian people as an ethnic group have also used the media to perpetuate portions of their values and norms. Apparently, some of these values and norms defy the normal ways of family interactions. Subsequently they have subjected themselves to immense prejudices from the mainstream media. The media, in essence, have always conveyed the Asian families as being so insensitive and overbearing thereby forcing their daughters to participate in predetermined marriages deprived of love. They are also portrayed as wealthy billionaires whose occupancy of the western world is because of their wealth and nothing else, not brains. This is indeed a subjugation of an ethnic group by the media. Still, in Asia, some terrorist grou ps have used the media and the internet to offer threats or claim responsibilities from the terrorist activities that have been conducted in a given part of the world. The impact of this is that the rest of the World has always associated terrorist activities with the Muslim world. This, in turn, does a lot of reputational damages to the non terrorist Asian citizens. Other regions of the world where reports of biased representation of the minority groups have immensely been witnessed include France, Finland, Netherland and Germany. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, is said to be awash with enough policies to help curb this vice. Speculations are, however, rife that this is just in paper. In France, for instance, the citizens who hail from North America are required to submit their representation with the French audiovisual media that belongs to the French majority. This is a gesture aimed at alleviating the prevailing discrimination that arises from the media industry. Such eff orts include encouraging the minorities to seek efforts within the media industry in a bid to enhance fairness and representation equitably (Mcgonagle 290). Online discussion board participation and identity and multiculturalism have also been exhibited in the media in various forms. Online discussion, normally, consists of various rubrics upon which conversations are held as the fresh discussion topics or new threads are added. A user must first register to become a member after which he or she can post reactions to threads or even initiate new threads. The online discussion boards serve an important purpose of integrating different cultures amongst the participants in addition to preserving their identities. They provide an opportunity to the participants to share and discuss things that could otherwise be difficult to talk about on face to face value. Besides, they are avenues of showcasing the identity of the users which they explicitly portray with regards to the discussion of an important context (Stokes and Reading 219). The participation in the online discussion board brings forth the cross cultural exchanges amongst the participants in various aspects. When they take part in such discussions, they get to combine their religions with ethnicity in an expression of differentiation. By posting their photos in such forums the participants are able to tell their identities and that of their countries. For instance, a participating Muslim female student might want to post a photo of her wearing a headscarf. This is in itself an indication that the participant is from an Islamic background of which she is proud of. This could be helpful in informing fellow participants at a glance, some of whom might be interested in learning some Islamic teachings or sharing the same with her. The online discussion forums are also instrumental in the exploration of divergent personal trajectories by the participants. Users have the opportunity to infuse what they learn outsi de the internet and share it with the online friends. People of diverse backgrounds such as race, class and gender can participate in a flat discussion and interaction through sharing of ideas. Offline power relations are normally propelled online. This has also helped some users to locate and find life partners in marriages. It also helps participants to work together on projects and in essence maximizes learning process. In addition, it ensures that the participants assume responsibility and participate in active learning in conformity with the expectation of the regular learning in the online discussion. For students, it ensures that all of them participate by not only interacting with their lecturers but also engaging their peers in content exchange and negotiations (Reitz, Breton and Dion 23). The cultural identities were reproduced or contested in the process of self-presentation in various ways through civilizations. The reproduction of cultural identities can be attributed t o a variety of events ranging from the historical background of a community to the community’s way of life. Some cultural identities were reproduced through the activities of the colonialists such the colonial expansion and the economic imperatives on their subjects of colony. Yet, some other cultural identities were imposed by use of force by other established cultures that considered themselves civilized. In essence, they suppressed the local cultures and values together with the norms of life. The cultural identity of any society can further be understood through the examination of the political economy and the institutions. The conceptualization of culture in anthropological ways provides the means through which the cultural practices offer meanings. Apparently culture is by description an act of giving meaning to life and its ways. These meanings are not theoretical but rather practically demonstrated by people. Hence, the cultural practices of a given group of people. T his meaning makes culture to be a thing, not of possession but something that is practiced. Another important cultural identity practice is nationalism; the national and cultural identity is a sure means of uniting the citizens of a given nation and culture within the boundaries of a given territory. However, this political status quo that is hence formed can in turn be challenged by cultural institutions. When dissident voices such as the civil society, marginalized women and other minority groups within a given cultural and national territory participate in challenging the national status quo, they are contributing to the development of the culture of the given nation. Apparently, these opposing groups will always oppose the culture adopted by the nation, which they feel does not serve the common good of the country (Stuart 108). The digital media can be used as a vehicle for identity formation in some unique ways. The use of the digital media has been on the increase over the pas t few decades. This could be attributed to reasons such as efficiency, reliability and in some cases easier portability. According to the Deloitte Touchà ©, thirty eight per cent of the population of the United States watches the television shows online while thirty six percent use the mobile handsets as devices for entertainment. Another forty five per cent are reported to be using their digital devices to create online contents such as videos, blogs and websites. All these uses involve the sharing of information across a diversified composition of the audiences. The audiences and the disseminators of the information must therefore strive to preserve their identities (Steinberg 305). The identity formation by the digital media can be achieved through participating in online discussions, writing web content in the internet, commenting on various topics on news blogs such as BBC and CNN, writing online magazines and posting various updates on both Twitter and Facebook. By so doing, the user is likely to set his or her authority by stating a firm view point which in most cases is influenced by his or her social setting or historical background. Digital media devices such as Smartphone, iPod Touch, e-readers and tablets have some unique applications that enable users to easily interact through chats and updates, photo upload and many others. A user can use this opportunity to convey particular information or upload a photo that portrays his or her cultural identity. By doing this he is developing and forming an identity. The kind of identity could be the type of attire the user prefers and the language of use (Spencer 129). Ethnic Minority and Visibility and Digital Media Many ethnic minorities have been victims of invisibility by media companies registered in their host countries. A case in point is the way the France media covers issues that pertains to its extra citizens. Not only are they given very rare airtime but very few of the television journalist are from the blacks, Arabs and Asian origins. A more sober take to this scenario is that persons from all races must be accorded equal representation so that they too can feel and enjoy a sense of belonging similar to their fellow citizens of color. Apparently, the television media holds an important position in life since it exhibits the cultural, social and domestic environment. It is therefore unnecessary for the television stations to purport that the models conveyed create identification problems to the minority citizens. The very fact that the minority ethnic groups do not see the models in their television sets that resemble them is tantamount to killing their self esteem (Burd, Drucker and Gumpert 283). Furthermore, the digital media should be tasked with playing a cohesive role in a society. Therefore, when they poorly or negatively represent a minority ethnic group in their television, they are only contributing to dividing that nation. This will lead to resentments towards t hat media station besides fueling incitements towards the minority ethnic groups by the mainstream citizens. The only way this situation can be reversed is through adopting equal and fair representation of all races regardless of the positions and the numbers they constitute within the population. Inclusion of the minority tribes in employment by the media industries is also a good way of addressing this. Considering the fact that most media stations are for commercial purposes, it is important to note that even people from the minority tribes are consumers of the advertised goods and services within the media stations. For instance, a television station that does not give fair representation to the Asians in Europe assumes that all the people from that continent should not purchase the products being advertised. This has a negative consequence to the business community and the social interactions of the nation. The visibility or lack of the minority ethnic groups within the digital media must be addressed by bringing everybody on board. Everybody here include both the perpetrators and the victims. It must never be assumed that all the minority groups lack visibility or experience invisibility due to deliberate oppressions from the mainstream groups. Some minority groups actually love to take part is some activities that portray in negative light. For instance, some of the African Americans living in Europe mostly like to Americanize themselves by associating in weird behaviors and activities. To the other minority ethnic groups like school children who might be experiencing problems with enough visibility of the digital media, empowerment and demonstrations may be the only way to go. School going students are the favorites because through the media, their behavior and creativity can be developed. The visual representation in this digital age should be done in such a way that it encompasses and takes care of the needs of the almost forgotten minority groups. F or the communities that are yet to receive the full access of some advanced and yet technical digital media devices, simple improvise can be made to bridge the gap. As a motivational factor and to fulfill the hunger for digital technology, schools that are located in remote areas can be involved in such projects as digital imaging. Participants will feel the impacts and assume the ownership of the project (Abbott and Shaikh 458). In order to successfully achieve this, there are a number of measures that should be put in place to ensure that the goals are met. The students should be encouraged to integrate creativity into learning within their curriculum through the use of digital technology. This provides utmost motivation and inspiration. The improvised technological devices made by students not only enhance creativity but also help in decision making and responsibility assumption by the students. Moreover the success of such projects further motivates the partisans. Needless to sa y, most technological devices have the rooms for corrections since one can always delete unwanted applications. This is also a stronger motivational drive to the students. In addition, it strengthens the student (De-Leeuw and Rydin 452). Conclusion As much as the social media has improved and revolutionized the communication industry, there are some concerns on the racial divisions within this area. For example, the number of African-Americans and Hispanics using Twitter is so high in spite of the fact that they were for a long time absent in the television scene and other conventional media platforms. Although there are many positive things about social media, racial segregation is a great problem that should be addressed given that it could spark huge problems in the future. However, the problems linked to the social media revolution cannot overshadow the gains that it has brought to the world as a whole. Abbott, Chris, and Alim Shaikh. Visual Representation in the Digital Age: I ssues Arising from a Case Study of Digital Media Use andRepresentation by Pupils in Multicultural School Settings. Language and Education 19.6 (2008): 455-466. Print. Arora, Ranjit K. Race and Ethnicity in Education. Edinburgh: Ashgate Publishing, 2005. Print. Burd, Gene, Susan J. Drucker, and Gary Gumpert. The Urban Communication Reader. Cresskill: Hampton Press, 2007. Print. De-Leeuw, Sonja, and Ingegerd Rydin. Migrant childrens digital stories : Identity formation and self-representation through media production. European Journal of Cultural Studies 10.4 (2007): 447-464. Print. Dupagne, Michel, and Michael B. Salwen. Communication Technology Adoption and Ethnicity. Howard Journal of Communications 16.1 (2006): 21-32. Print. Mainsah, Henry. ‘I could well have said I was Norwegian but nobody would believe me’: Ethnic minority youths’ self-representation on social network sites. European Journal of Cultural Studies 14.2 (2011): 179-193. Print. Mcgonagle, Joseph M . Ethnicity and visibility in contemporary French television. French Cultural Studies 13.39 (2002): 281-292. Print. Reitz, Jeffrey G., Raymond Breton, and Karen Kisiel Dion. Multiculturalism and Social  Cohesion: Potentials and Challenges of Diversity. London: Springer, 2009. Print. Ryan, James. Race and Ethnicity in Multi-Ethnic Schools: A Critical Case Study. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 2008. Print. Spencer, Steve. Race And Ethnicity: Culture, Identity And Representation. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print. Steinberg, Shirley R. Diversity and Multiculturalism: A Reader. New York: Peter Lang, 2009. Print. Stokes, Jane C., and Anna Reading. The Media in Britain: Current Debates and Developments. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2000. Print. Stuart, Hall. Questions of Cultural Identity. London: Sage, 1996. Print.

Consider the functions of directors,company secretaries, auditors and Essay - 1

Consider the functions of directors,company secretaries, auditors and shareholders. In what ways do they contribute to the operation of both private and public limited companies - Essay Example Therefore the given essay analyses the role of all these four groups of actors (directors, company secretaries, auditors and shareholders) in order to demonstrate the importance of each of them in operation of both private and public companies. Firstly, directors are the key actors for the company’s performance on market. In general, they are important because they create the policy of the company (Osemeke, 2014). In the circumstances of either private or public limited company, this role changes only slightly. In fact, private company may have sole director, while public limited company needs two or more directors (Rosenfalck, 2013). In addition, Directors Board becomes the only significant representative, if there is no existing controlling stakeholder in the company (Davies, 2010). Frequently, this situation appears in private companies (Rosenfalck, 2013). Furthermore, the directors of the company are trained to act their instructions or directions. For example, when there is a serious loss in capital of public company, directors have to gather an extraordinary general meeting not later than 56 days from the day of half or less capital reduction (Rosenfalck, 2013). According to Osemeke, (2014), failures and bankr uptcies of the company are mostly to result an ineffective directors board. In this context, ineffective work of the board has been shown in a recent failures of big companies like Enron and HIH (Convill and Bagaric, 2004). Moreover, Davies (2010) said that directors should care and promote the company’s success and do independent actions. In fact, directors of public companies must be sure that they hire competent company secretary (Rosenfalck, 2013). Among the main flaws of directors that have a direct effect on the company’s performance, according to Osemeke (2014) â€Å"lack of training and induction

Health care reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health care reform - Essay Example hon $350 billion per year, or 20-25 per cent of American citizens hard earned dollars away from its doctors, its hospitals as well as its patient care into the pockets of their executives, administrative employees, shareholders and politicians.1 U S medical reforms should allow all Americans (including Veterans) as well as the 40 million or so uninsured American citizens into the Medicare Health Insurance Corporation. Since almost all American physicians, Hospitals, and clinics in the Country already accept the current operations of the Medicare Insurance Company, hardly any infrastructure investments on the health care delivery end will be necessary. 2 A much required medical reform in the U S would be to allow Medicare, much like the current Veterans Administration System and every private health insurance company and government health care system around the world, to bid on medications from pharmaceutical corporations for its Medicare drug formulary. Every physician or doctor, not to mention pharmacists recognizes that the U S does not actually require a choice of a dozen needless medicines in each pharmaceutical category. For instance, American citizens require only 2-3 statins for countering the adverse affects of high cholesterol, a few types of antibiotics for common sorts of infections, two kinds of beta-blockers for hypertension / high blood pressure, and several generic types of painkillers.3 The present quality of contemporary medical records software lags at least two decades behind business software used for similar purposes. Thus, the U S government should attempt to fund as well as to challenge America’s best software corporations to finally develop standardized electronic medical records software. Up to date and fully functioning computer software for use in doctors’ offices and hospitals is required in order to increase the efficiency as well as the over all productivity levels of physician charting, billing and prescribing.4 In the

Employment and Family Essay Example for Free

Employment and Family Essay This paper is about Family Related Issued: Family and Medical Act, in studying the case where it matters that a parent literally had nothing to do with a biological child in order for the child to take advantage of the Family and Medical Act (FMLA) to care for that parent. The motive in this paper is to determine the size of the business can have any effect on whether Toney is eligible for family leave under the FMLA. I will discuss whether Herman can or cannot imply that if Tony takes a leave of absence under the FMLA, he may not have a job when he comes back. In this paper I will give describe who is covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993? In this case I will explain the extent to which an employer can make his or her own determination as to the eligibility of an employer under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Explain if it matters that a parent literally had nothing to do with a biological child in order for the child to take advantage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to care for that parent. The Family and Medical Act is a law endorsed by the United States that needs big companies top management team to offer its employees, the coverage to (FMLA) for their job compensations due to a short term or long term serious health illness that effect the employee to be off from work because they need to assist a family member, spouse pregnancy, or care of children. In the case it did not matter if Tony was his biological son or not. In the Family and Medical Leave Act there is a limit on the amount of sick and vacation time that can be used and it is apparently stated in this law. Also, if there is enough time they are allowed to by law. With a lot of companies they now used PTO days that include vacation and medical days at work that employees can use after six months or one year depending on the business. In was not specified in the video how long Tony had been employed with the company, as the request was for three weeks off. Under normal circumstances the business would ask foe a written request for the leave of absence or medial leave on the FMLA form. And the company would also like to have at least a two week notice in most causes so the employee would have time to get a substitute while Tony is out on leave. Explain whether the size of the business can have any effect on whether Tony is eligible for the family leave under the FMLA. Herman thinking and his thoughts was a concerned for the company, but the business size does not matter. Herman is utilizing Tony as a business prerequisite from medically taking care of his father that is in need of his assistance. This companies has more that enough employee that could cover Tony while on leave, though Herman shows concern about the sales of automobiles being sold due Tony absence. Herman main issues of Tony taking time off is because of the affect it will have on their business. Even more this makes Tony eligible for the FMLA during this time. (Halbert, Ingulli 2010) Explain whether Herman can or cannot imply that if Tony takes a leave of absence under the FMLA, he may not have a job when he returns. Herman cannot imply if Tony takes a leave under the FMLA, but he must make Tony aware that there is not guarantee that he will have a job when he is able to come back to work. This kind of action or treatment is not fair at all and the FMLA Act protects the employees if they are eligible to take a leave to assist their family of serious illness, to take care of newborn, or accommodate other family responsibilities. Because Tony is a valuable employee, one of the companies top auto salesman by word of mouth as number one marketing strategy. Herman has a great concerned, that he may not have another strong salesman that could fulfill the service like Tony provided for the company and to the customers (2010). Describe who is covered by the Family and Medical Act (FMLA) of 1993. The Family and Medical Act of 1993 were put into place to promote the stability and economic security of families as well as the nation’s interest in preserving the integrity of families. The Family and Medical Act applies to any employer in the private sector who employers 50 or more employees each working at least 20 calendar seeks in the current or preceding calendar year. This law covers all state, local governments, and local education agencies. Title II of FMLA covers most federal employees, who are subject to regulations issued by the Office of Personnel Management. Also, the employer can not use the practice if forcing employees to behave in an involuntary manner such as threats or intimidation of their jobs should they chose to take a leave under the FMLA. (Halbert, Ingulli 2010). Explain the extent to which an employer can make his or her own determination as to the eligibility of an employee under the Family and Medical Leave Act. An employer determines the eligibility of the employees based on the annual worked hours by the employee. Human Resource also request that a written FMLA form is completed with end two weeks of the request leave. Should an employee have not been notified within a 30 day the employer can make a decision of eligibility, causing a deferral of the FMLA? In addition, an employer is providing medical certification which would prove the leave would clarify eligibility for leave. If there is reason to believe by the employee that the employer does not plan to return to work at the end of the leave the employee has the right to terminate the FMLA request. Employer also has the right to terminate the FMLA as well if there falsified information given by the employer. Halbert, Ingulli 2010). The Family and Medical Leave Act is a benefit for companies, employees and families in the place of work to allow ones job functions, and personal responsibilities to be taken into consideration. During the time of leave the employees receive an income and security doing the time off. Other benefits to employees is receiving aide from relatives in the time of need, and the organization have an advantage from yearly d ecrease in staff earnings, which will lower the preparation and employment costs, and improves the performances of the employees. There have been thousands of employees that have used the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and business programs of essential to developing effective impact reporting that is positive or concentrating on improving the performance of their employees, and allowing the employees to know that there are limitation in the law for exclusion of more than thirty percent of employees that do not meet the criteria for the leave, which would prevent the employees who meets the criteria from going on any leave due to there is no extra funding or budget to cover the cost. Halbert, Ingulli 2010). Conclusion In conclusion of the Family and Medical Leave Act the matter that a parent literally had nothing to do with a biological child in order for the child to take advantage of the law was enacted by the United States and requires large business to provide their employees with this coverage to protect the employment for family related issues such as a serious health illness or care of children. Secondly, this law is also effective with companies that employers that have at least 50 or more employees on staff. Thirdly, Herman cannot imply if Tony takes a leave under the FMLA, and in this law he must make Tony aware that there is not guarantee that he will have a job when he is able to come back to work. Fourth, in this case in the year 1993 the FMLA was presented to employers for employees that are eligible for the leave of absence and met the criteria required for the companies. And last we have explain the extent to which an employer can make his or her own determination as to the eligibility of an employee under the Family and Medical Leave Act when the hours worked in a year time, written notice submitted to human resource has been submitted in a timely manner and medical certification has been documented will allow the employee to have the time off on leave.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I read A tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. The story takes place in the summer of 1912 in Brooklyn New York. Johnny and Katie Nolan met very young in 1900. Soon, after six months of meeting, and getting married they have their first child, Francie Nolan who is eleven when the book begins. Later they have their second and last child Neely Nolan. As Francie grows up she begins to lose her innocence through a tree-throwing ritual and an encounter with a sex offender who was shot by Katie. Her father drinks more and more and becomes worthless. Katie then becomes pregnant with a third child, Annie Laurie. Johnny dies on Christmas day, which was five moths before his daughter was born. Francie stops believing in God the Christian faith and begins to do poorly in school. Francie and her brother work after finishing middle school in order to help out Katie. She can only afford to send one of he kids to school so she decides to send Neely, and Francie continues to wor k which allows them to live a little easier.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  World War I begins in America and this causes the world to change. Francie finds her first love, however he leaves to marry his Fiancà © before going to war. Francie is left with a broken heart but soon she meets a another boy. Then, Sergeant McShane asks Katie to marry him and she accepts. He has enough money to support them fully without hardship, and allowing Francie and Neely to go to college. They move out of their apartment the day before the wedding while Francie gets ready to leave for college.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I feel that Betty Smith relates to many other early 1900 writers in America. She brings forward the realities and struggles of poverty that many other writers have written about. In almost every chapter and character, Smith addresses the hardship of poverty, which gives the reader a feeling of how life was in the early 1900s. I feel that Scott F. Fitzgerald’s writing in his book The Great Gatsby is similar to Betty Smith’s writing because this book is all about the tragedies that are associated with excess money. This gives two sides of two different worlds in America around the same time. However, both writers write about the positive aspects of the two different money backgrounds and the negative aspects.

Hispanic Culture

Since 1970, United States of America has seen a considerable amount of immigration because of economic chaos and civil wars in Latin American countries. The fight between the government of El Salvador and leftist guerrillas in 1980 brought about 500,000 immigrants to United States. They settled primarily in California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Washington, D. C. The civil war in Nicaragua in the year 1980 drove an estimated 800,000 Nicaraguan immigrants to the United States Mexican Americans are the most prevalent Hispanic group within the United States. Their history can be dated to four centuries within America, contrasting in different regions. In States like California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada have great amounts of Mexican Americans. (Mexican Americans, 2007). Most of Mexican Americans residing in the United states converse in their own native language. Spanish is usually the solitary language that they use . But english is the universally unrestricted language in the general community. As many generations have passed, a new verbal communication has emerged, called Spanglish, which is a blend of both Spanish and American. America has always been harsh on Mexican Americans. Mexican Americans had a hard time elevating their financial and social status in this country, as they were judged by the color of their skin. The Chicano Movement changed the lives of Mexican Americans’ in the United States. This movement secured these people in the economy with civil rights and economic opportunity. Significant number of Mexican Americans are Roman Catholic. Their religious beliefs influence their perceptions on various aspects of their life, including view on sex, education, and politics. Puerto Ricans are the second largest groups of Hispanics . they reside in large numbers in New Jersey and New York. Puerto Ricans are not considered foreign immigrants, since they are technically American citizens (Puerto Rican, 2008). Puerto Ricans do not have a â€Å"proper language†. They use Castilian Spanish. They differ from other Spanish-speaking groups in the way the pronounce. These people are generally racially and ethnically diverse, and recognize racial variance amongst themselves. They generally call themselves as â€Å"Negro†. Most Puerto Ricans are eligible for benefits in America, since Puerto Rico is a United States commonwealth. But many feel that as they are eligible for benefits in welfare programs, it keeps them within a cycle of poverty. The general population that is not benefited tend to work in the industries around New York and New Jersey. Puerto Ricans are generally Roman Catholic. However, in recent years, it is reported that only 70% of the people consider themselves Catholic, while the majority of the remaining group consider themselves as Protestant. Traditionally, fathers and husbands are seen as the head of the households. Sons take the responsibility of taking care of the â€Å"womenfolk†, specially their younger sisters. They generally have extended families. Cuban Americans are the third largest group of Hispanics within the United States. Most of the Cuban Americans were originally born in Cuba, but moved to United states as a result of Fidel Castro’s communist dictatorship (Cuban Americans, 2008). The older generations of the society continue to carry on their prominent language of Cuban, but it is the younger generations who have started to choose a different path. The new generation prefers to communicate in English than Cuban. Large communities of Cuban Americans can be found in New York City, northern New Jersey, Los Angeles and southern Florida. Most Cuban Americans are successful in these communities, because they back others who share their cultural backgrounds. The new generation are redefining themselves as the older generations are passing away; some seeking identify from their culture, while many others distance themselves from their ethnicity backgrounds. It has been found that out of every 14 Cuban Americans in Southern Florida having entrepreneurial business these people have the highest entrepreneurial rate among all other Hispanic groups. Many Cuban Americans live in little communities of Cuban descent. So they don’t feel the necessity to go out of their community. Thus, a higher rate of business ownership exists. Cuban Americans had a vigorous role in redefining the American Political scene. Most of the Cubans are against Fidel Castro’s Communist government. So any movements or policies that are against his government are supported highly amongst the Cuban American communities. Also any Cuban-related policies within the legislation of the United States are significantly influenced by Cuban Americans (Roots of, 2008). Most of the Cubans are generally Roman Catholics; however this trend has been greatly modified to â€Å"syncretism† by a huge amount of support since Catholicism’s early introduction into Cuban’s history. Most of the Cuban Americans often have extended families, including parents and children, and older relatives (those who are widowed or dependent on others). The chances of intermarriage with individuals out of their ethnicity and culture are very low, as this is against their family value. Dominican Americans form a newer national community in America. They are still in the process of creating a unique atmosphere and place for themselves amongst both the American culture and Hispanic groups (Dominican American, 2008). The official language of Dominican Americans is Spanish. But English is also popularly spoken, and even a French dialect is sometimes heard amongst the Dominican American culture. Most of the Dominicans that come to America face language barriers, alongside with poverty as a major concern. Now a days many Dominican Americans have moved up from a previous immigrant status to a conventional status amongst a common American society. Within the last past few years, the economic status of Dominican Americans has begun to diversify itself, as racial acceptance has become more acceptable. This diversification is amongst different groups of Africans, Hispanics, and American Indians within the Dominican culture. There are no Dominican member in The U. S. House of Representatives although they do exist within the political scene as council members. Dominican Americans have been elected as officials in some other states as well (Buffington, 2008). Most of the Dominican American are Roman Catholics ( a leading statistical amount of 90%). Nonetheless, a small group of Protestants also exist within their communities and culture. But even smaller than this, a small percentag e of African religious beliefs too exist within the society. Cuban Americans in the New York area constitute as much as seven percent of the total population (Schaefer, 2006). Dominican Americans have been making serious steps to the development of their community, and at the same time are increasing their knowledge base so as to be recognized as an important cultural group. The new generations of Dominican Americans are as Dominicans as they are Americans, speaking both languages, English and Spanish. Dominicans have succeeded and have made rapid achievements in all fields of life. (Dr1. com. Dominican Americans). The terms Hispanic or Latino are used to describe people who come from a variety of different countries and cultural settings. These names are given to different ethnic groups when they come to the United States. The four major Hispanic groups – Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican Americans have their own separate identity. There are also many similarities that connects them in linguistic, cultural, political, economic, and familial categories. The Spanish language helps to combine them together, though there are some differences in dialect. Roman Catholicism is the major religion followed, but each group also practices Protestantism and other Christian denominations. Puerto Ricans are considered legal citizens of the United States of America. The Mexican Americans and others are still working on to get a legal status. Hispanics in the United States have contributed significantly to its society’s customs and culture for many centuries. These contributions range from politics, public service, military, business, science, organized sports to even the entertainment industry. Their impact on the society can be understood only if we take a closer look. It is quite surprising as many historians have not acknowledged Hispanics’ impact on history, as they are just as intricate within America’s history as any other race or nationality (Contributions of,2008) References Cuban Americans (2008). Wiki. Retrieved January 14, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_American Mexican Americans (2008). Wiki. Retrieved January 14, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican-Americans Puerto Ricans (2008). Wiki. Retrieved January 14, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rican Americans of Hispanic Heritage Web site: http://www.neta.com/~1stbooks/dod2.htm (2008) Cuban Americans. Retrieved June 23, 2008, from MSN Encarta Web site: Buffington, S. (2008) Dominican Americans. Retrieved June 23, 2008, from Every Culture Web site: http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Dominican-Americans.html Hispanic Culture Eemah Pizza Mrs. Katherine Miracle Introduction to Public Speaking 18 February 2013 Outline for Speech The Hispanic Culture influencing The American Culture Specific Purpose: I want my audience to have a better knowledge of The Hispanic Culture; how it differs from The American Culture and influences it as well. Thesis: While Hispanics may not seem important to society, Americans should learn about their culture. Introduction Attention Getting Device: * â€Å"Strangers in a new culture see only what they know. † -Unknown Credibility:I came here when I was seven years old and all I really knew about the United States was that everyone is a â€Å"gringo/a† (white boy/girl). Americans are only white, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Those thoughts took a U-turn when I arrived at JFK Airport in New York City, New York. Then I thought to myself as well if they had a stereotype for Hispanics. Eventually, I did encounter stereotypes, consisting of: â€Å"You’re Mexican; you eat tacos; you’re illegal. † * Thesis: Even though Hispanics may not seem important, Americans should learn about the Hispanic culture. Preview: The Hispanic culture influences the American culture in many ways. The largest minority in the United Stated is made up of Hispanics. And being able to speak Spanish fluently opens many doors and helps a person understand the culture better. Body I. Americans learning about the main concerns in the Hispanic Culture A. From a young age, Hispanic kids are taught good manners, respect, and that family is the foundation of everything. Family is the number one priority in the Hispanic culture. 1. According to Ohioline. osu. edu† Traditionally, the Hispanic family is a close-knit group and the most important social unit.The term familia usually goes beyond the nuclear family. The Hispanic â€Å"family unit† includes not only parents and children but also extended family. In most Hispanic families, the father is the head of the family, and the mother is responsible for the home. Individuals within a family have a moral responsibility to aid other members of the family experiencing financial problems, unemployment, poor health conditions, and other life issues. â€Å" 2. Hispanics are very dependent on Family and spending time together is a major factor. a.If a Hispanic person travels, or moves to another city/town and they have family members that live there as well, it is very common for that person to stay there with that family and/or live with them. b. Spending time together, which is very often, is a valuable part of a Hispanic family (birthday, holidays, graduations, weddings, etc†¦). [Transition: Hispanics want what’s best for their family even if it means migrating to another country and becoming the largest minority for that country. Spanish, Hispanics native language, has become a worldwide known language. In my second main point, this will be explained in further detail. II. Hispanics are the largest minority in U. S. and being able to speak Spanish fluently opens many doors for people. A. According to the University of Illinois. â€Å"Spanish is spoken by more than 500 million people worldwide; half of the population in the western hemisphere speaks Spanish† 1. The United States has shown over the past 30 years a huge growth in the Hispanic population; U. S. population is made up of 11% of Hispanics and it has become the largest minority in the U. S. a. According to the U. S. Census, the number of Hispanics in the U. S. grew by 57. 9% between 1990 and 2000. b.California, Texas, New York, and Florida are the states that have a high percentage of Hispanics. c. 28 million people in The United States speak Spanish. d. 31 million individuals are identified as Hispanics. [Transition: As more Hispanics come to The United States, the impact they have in the culture is seen through all types of media. That is why it’s important to know how Th e Hispanic Culture influences The American Culture. III. The most important reason why Americans should learn about The Hispanic culture is because The Hispanic culture influences The American culture. 1. The Hispanic population has grown rapidly in the 21st century.This means that Hispanics have influenced The American Culture throughout their presence in The United States. How? From politics to business, art, music, film, and FOOD! a. In the 2012 Presidential Election, President Barack Obama had the votes of 71% of Hispanics, according to pewhispanics. org. b. You ask â€Å"who is Lupe De Los Santos? † Group Manger, The Clorox Company; Helped create the shows: â€Å"The Biggest Loser† & â€Å"Dale Con Ganas† c. Two other areas that Hispanics have succeeded are through films and music. Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Enrique Iglesias, and Selena have all added a unique flavor to the music industry.In the film industry there are more Hispanic actors/actresses for examp le America Ferrera, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zoe Saldana and George Lopez. d. Food is vital to a Hispanic family. It’s what brings everyone together after a long day of school, work, etc†¦ Home cooked warm delicious meals that are made out of love and touch the soul. Now in the American culture, people see more Mexican restaurants, more Hispanic spices, etc†¦ According to DonQuijote. org â€Å"In the business world, the businesses whose owners are Latin Americans have been growing three times faster than others, generating 2 billion dollars a year.Some of these companies include: Latinvox, Ron Bacardi, Goya Foods, Tampico Beverages Inc. or Univision Radio. † As you can see, there is a lot to learn about the Hispanic culture. There are a lot of influences that both cultures have on each other. But most importantly, Hispanics are the second largest minority group in the United States and speaking fluent Spanish will open many doors for a lot of people. Le arning the language makes it easier to understand the beautiful culture. * â€Å"We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors.But, they all fit nicely into the same box. † -Unknown Work Cited Hispanic Americans: The Second Generation. N. d. Web. . â€Å"Latin American Influence in the USA. † DonQuijote. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Ohio State University Fact Sheet. † Understanding the Hispanic Culture, HYG-5237-00. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. . Wadham, Tim. â€Å"A TASTE OF Latino Culture. † School Library Journal 3p 58. 9 (2012): 55-56. Print.

Coast4Life Inc.

This report outlines the strategic options available to Coast4Life for the upcoming fiscal year. Through my research, I have identified the current situational analysis that is necessary to be considered for the options that will be provided in this report. Current situational analysis: Vision: Coast4Life cruise will be the first choice for vacationers who are seeking a safe, enjoyable and unique cruise experience in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Mission: Coast4Life meets the needs of vacationers by offering safe, enjoyable and unique cruises along BC coast at affordable prices and at a high quality of service.Coast4Life strives to minimize the safety effects of cruising on ecology and maximize the safety of customers, staff and marine life by ensuring ships are well maintained and environmental and safety regulations are exceeded. Preferences: The Board of Directors(BOD) preference is to be profitable and maintain a positive net income in light of upcoming economic downturn. The G eneral Manager of the Fraser dry dock believes it defines the reputation on BC Coast for Coast4Life safety. Constraints: Cash available on hand is $10,461,000 and an after tax rate of return on 16%.Key Success Factors: Coast4life cruises wants to provide high quality services to the passengers. Refer to the passenger/crew ratio in comparison to industry averages(see Appendix 3-1). Current Financial Analysis(See Appendix 1- Financial Ratios): Ongoing increase to Coast4life’s abilities to meet its short-term obligations. In light of the slight increase of acquiring additional assets, our revenue streams still continues to outmatch this on a steady basis; however, the incremental revenue is declining with each year.Our service offerings grow; generating incremental income each year; nevertheless, Coast Native and Natural Splendour gross margin’s are the same, and each offers different services. Company’s ability to cover interest is growing over the years, and our debts are declining. Coast4Life’s ability to convert investments into profit has increased. Strategic Options: To cut costs. Option#1: Divesture of the Fraser dry dock Pro(s): Gain on sale of $7,274,000; in favour of BOD preferences and in line of providing the necessary funds to maintain incremental financial targets for upcoming economic downturn(see Appendix 3- 2).Con(s): Against general manager’s preference, as can affect the reputation of the company – the quality of safety regulations the company adheres to. Option #2: Registering Coast4Life’s ships in Liberia Pro(s): Wages&Salaries will be cut by 30%; In favour of BOD’s preference to cut costs – $1,423,530 would be saved by outsourcing from Liberia(see Appendix #3- 3). Con(s): Affect quality of service provided by the crew; be against the mission statement Hiring unskilled labour can potentially increase management expenses(Additional Training).Minor options: For materiality purposes with respect to revenue sources the following are minor options to generate additional revenue: Option #1: Switching customer target markets Pro(s): By targeting 40-60 year olds, revenue streams will increase by 20%, which could also increase all financial ratios by the same rate and, thus be in line with the vision statement. This target group can afford a more unique experience given industry annual family income of $78,000. For ages 40 -60 Industry is higher by 8% so we have space to grow and target this age group (see Appendix 3-4). Con(s):By changing target there is no guarantee that revenues will be maintained throughout the downturn in the following fiscal year even with growth in tourism industry in Canada. Option #2: Implement a web-based booking system Pro(s): Can potentially save the company up to $1,341,250 [($2,146,000Ãâ€"10% reduction)/16% after tax rate of return] in travel agent commissions over the life of the company and assist in further increasing the companyâ⠂¬â„¢s activity ratio Can be paid off in less than 4 months. The payback formula proves that no cash is needed to be spent, as through the incremental savings this investment will be recouped(see Appendix 3-5).Cons: Decrease word of mouth advertising via travel agents. Increase global competition due to the online presence. Recommendation Given the uncertain future ahead, it is best to be conservative and in line with the current mission statement for company objectives. It would be best that Fraser dock would be divested and web-based booking system would be implemented. This would cut costs and increase revenues via savings that can be earned without risking the reputation of the company or established revenue stream. With this consideration, the company will still have enough resources to maintain its financial position.