Mgt 311 Learning Team Reflection Week 4

Organizational Development Team D Learning Team Reflection December 3, 2012 This week we learned about the influence of how organizational structure is on behavior. Also we learned how to analyze and influence an organizational culture on behavior. Then there is how power and politics influence people’s behavior. We talked about mechanistic structure and organic structure. When talking about mechanistic structure, the employees know how to present themselves, why there is no room for them to mess up. (Robbins & Judge, 2011).When people are at work they have to act one way compared to the way they act at home. If the business does not put into place a strong organizational culture, then there could be a lot of unethical behavior in the place of business. This would show the people that work at the place of business and the customers that there is a low organizational structure. All work places of some kind of influence of power and politics. Without the right kind of power and politics in the place of business this could cause discord for people that work in the business.If this kind of behavior is not watched it could cause other people in the business to feel left out or not appreciated in the right way. In week four we took a look at power and leadership, here we contrasted the two. Power is the influence someone has over another person and leadership uses power to attain goals. It is important that one does not have to be a leader to have power. Many people have the power to coerce others without having the leadership role. We could relate to formal power and compare it to the workplace. We use the different formal powers; coercive, reward, and legitimate powers every day.When our employees fail to comply with company goals they can get written up which could result in termination. We also use rewards for employees who exceed goals. Exhibit 13-2 in chapter 13 was very humorous; it gave political labels and compared it to effective management. For exam ple, the political label ‘passing the buck' is known as ‘delegating authority' for effective management. The things we learned that made us think more was about virtual organizations. Some of us did not know what the full term meant and now we can say that the company one of us works for is one of the utsourcing companies from a virtual organization. Some of the leading companies have the profit that they do because of the flexibility and low overhead. Organizational behavior is here for the people to have a better understanding of the people they work with. The more that we know our surroundings and the people that work in the place we are able to know how to influence the individual or group. This will help each person to feel a part of the team and in return the business will run better because the people working there will not mind doing the work.

A Dream Deferred – a Literary Comparison

The Dream Deferred – A Comparison Kristy Andrews Axia College of University of Phoenix In Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun, the author reveals a hard-working, honest African-American family struggling to make their dreams come true. Langston Hughes' poem, Harlem, illustrates what could happen if those dreams never came to fruition. Together, both Hansberry and Hughes show the effects on human beings when a long-awaited dream is thwarted by economic and social hardships. Each of the characters in A Raisin in the Sun has a dream for which they base their whole happiness and livelihood on attaining. However, the character of Lena Younger, or Mama, differs from the other members of her family. Time after time, Mama postpones her dream of owning a house and garden to perpetuate the dreams of her family members. Finally, when Mama receives the $10,000 insurance check, she feels that her dream can become reality, and purchases a house in Clybourne Park. Her dream â€Å"drys up like a raisin in the sun† when she learns that Walter gave the money to Willy Harris, who mysteriously disappears. Mama does not shatter simply because her dream has not been fulfilled. Lena Younger's strength of character has come from the steadfast endurance of hardship and a refusal to be conquered by it† (Phillips 51). Mama's economic hardships may have killed her dream, but she has not allowed it to kill her. You can feel the desperation not only in the poem but also through the character of Mama as you read the passages of the poem and story. The symbolism of â€Å"the dream† in A Rai sin in the Sun is equal to the symbolism used in the poem by Hughes. In the story, we see what can happen to a dream that is deferred, which is what the poem speaks directly about. The social inequality which the Younger's encounter also does not hinder Mama's compassion. Mr. Lindner temporarily shatters Mama's dream of owning a home when he comes to the Younger’s prepared to give them money to move from Clybourne Park. The derogatory use of â€Å"you people† by Mr. Lindner has little to no effect on Mama's steadfast decision to move to Clybourne Park. Mama's dream of a house simply modifies. She does not care that the house is located in a neighborhood where there are no colored people. Mama concerns herself only with the fact that she and her family will own the house and not have to dwell in the tired, old apartment on Chicago's south side. In a sense, Mama's dream has â€Å"crusted and sugared over like a sugary sweet† (Hughes Lines 7-8). Her dream has changed to fit the circumstances she must cope with. The character of Mama represents those who do not shrivel up and die just because their dream does. Walter Lee Younger, Lena's son, is second only to Lena in arousing sympathy and pathos from the audience. The entire play shows the development of Walter's quest for manhood. Similar to Lena, Walter's dream of owning a liquor store becomes hindered by his economic station, or lack of money, and his social position. In the opening scenes of A Raisin in the Sun, Walter does not occupy the position of head of the household. This secondary position to Mama demonstrates his frustration with his limiting environment, and even Walter's job show subservience and inequality as a chauffeur to wealthy white people. Elizabeth Phillips comments, â€Å"Consequently, he [Walter] is forever on the lookout for a means of making more money, not only to enable him to give luxuries as well as necessities, but also to satisfy the deep inner need of every man to prove that he is capable of great achievement† (54). Walter's great achievement appears as a failure at first before revealing the man that he has become. The destruction of Walter's first and superficial dream of owning a liquor store perpetuates Walter's downfall. This symbolizes Langston Hughes' question, â€Å"Does it [a dream deferred] stink like rotten meat? â€Å": (Line 6). The death of Walter's dream occurs when Willy Harris disappears with Walter's and Bobo's money. Walter finally understands Lena's sacrifice for him and the family with the words, â€Å"That money is made out of my father's flesh†¦ † (Hansberry 1747). Walter's lost dream rots his strength until he sinks to his lowest point in the play: Walter plans to accept the money from Mr. Lindner in return for agreement not to move into the house in Clybourne Park. â€Å"But in the ultimate test, Walter Lee cannot sell his own soul† (Phillips 55). The pride of both Walter and the family makes it impossible for Walter to accept Mr. Lindner's offer. Walter's final stand made to Mr. Lindner provokes Lena to announce to the family that Walter Lee has â€Å"finally come into his manhood† (Hansberry 1757). Walter lee Younger represents those who rise above their own weaknesses even after all the dreams they work for have been deferred. The character of Beneatha Younger illustrates the best-educated member of the Younger family. Beneatha dreams of becoming a doctor. This dream originates from a childhood experience where a playmate injured himself while sledding, but a doctor was able to save him, with only a small scar left as evidence of the accident. This left Beneatha with the determination to learn medicine. Beneatha's obstacles differ greatly from both Walter's and Lena's. First, Beneatha is only twenty years old, and attractive. Women such as Beneatha were expected to marry and have children, not become a doctor or have any education pasts that of high school. Second, Beneatha's extreme naivete towards the world around her affects her perception of her family's and Asagai's actions and words. When Beneatha learns of Walter's loss of the money, she calls into question whether she will ever be a doctor. Mama reassures her that she will, God willing. Beneatha responds by blaspheming God. The deferment of Beneatha's dream causes her faith to â€Å"fester like a sore and then run† (Hughes Lines 4-5). Beneatha's faith had not wavered before, but now that all she has ever wanted is precariously hanging in the balance, she questions if God exists at all and that maybe it is man â€Å"who makes miracles,† referring sarcastically to her brother's grievous mistake. Beneatha feels that all that she has worked for since she was a child has been stolen from her. This burden of doubt, â€Å"sags like a heavy load† (Lines 9-10). However, Joseph Asagai offers the solution of coming with him to Nigeria and becoming a doctor there, which fulfills both of her dreams of finding her African heritage and becoming a physician. Beneatha demonstrates her immaturity be her naive interpretations of Asagai's actions and words (Phillips 59). She misunderstands Asagai's proposal of marriage, and is unable to give the man who loves her so much and understands her so well a concrete answer. Beneatha's complex character reveals another hidden quality towards the conclusion of the play. After Walter's confrontation with Mr. Lindner, Mr. Lindner states pompously, â€Å"I take it then that you have decided to occupy† (Hansberry 1756). The simplicity of Beneatha's reply is illustrates in the statement, â€Å"That is what the man said† (1756). Beneatha executes an ironic reversal where she refers to Walter as ‘the man' and not the white Mr. Lindner. Hansberry indicates with the previous statement that Beneatha has the capacity to recognize greatness in others as well as the ability to respond with warmth and love to words and acts of family pride and dignity. Beneatha still encompasses some immaturity, but she shows great potential for good. Beneatha Younger symbolizes the immature person whose dreams are not completely decimated. The strength of character against social and economic hardships produce dreams that have the potential to prosper. The affects of a dream deferred vary intensely from person to person, as seen in the variety of characterization in the Younger family. Lorraine Hansberry draws a vivid description of the influence a dream can have on human beings. Similarly, Langston Hughes' poem Harlem depicts how human beings react when a dream dies. Edward J. Mullen notes that Hughes' poem represents the idea that, â€Å"the inhabitants of this 1951 Harlem seem to be seeking feverishly and forlornly for some simple yet apparently unattainable satisfaction in life† (142). Both Hansberry's play and Hughes' poem establish a powerful and human reaction to the death of a dream. The eloquence and reality of this is believable and almost felt personally by the reader due to the excellent use of symbolism, imagery, and other literary devices by each author. It is very easy to see how these two literary works are similar since they re dealing with exactly the same theme; i. e. that of the dream deferred. However, remarkably there are also several differences. Since the poem by Hughes is of modest length, there are not nearly as many literary devices used for this type of literary work. However, it is the more powerful of the two in bringing the message across because you feel the same feelings after reading it even though it takes merely seconds to finish. Hansberry takes us through a heart-felt journey in which she hones her writing skills and uses several literary devices such as characterization, irony, and climax. She has a protagonist and antagonist, a setting, and makes use of allegory where â€Å"every aspect of a story is representative, usually symbolic, of something else, usually a larger abstract concept or important historical/geopolitical event. † (Braiman) A Raisin in the Sun provides a compelling allegory of human nature, illustrating choices made and the consequences of such choices through its sharply-defined characters. Clearly these two literary works have similar as well as different aspects. They both include mood, tone, similar themes, and symbolism, and yet they both are introduced to the reader in very different ways. These works, although written many years before some of the people who read them, are very important to the literary canon today. They represent something that is still a part of our culture today, and they are very useful references to show how an author can use many different literary devices to capture the same initial theme when writing, especially since they are two totally different types of literary work; i. e. that of poetry and plays. It should be â€Å"required reading† for any professor teaching the techniques of writing when teaching about literary devices and how they are used. Bibliography Hansberry Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. [1959] Literature. 5th ed. Eds. James N. N. Pickering and Jeffery D. Hoeper. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, O. 1700-57. Hughes, Langston. â€Å"Harlem. † [1951] Literature. 5th ed. Eds. James H. Pickering and Jeffery D. Hoeper. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, 1027-28. Mullen, Edward J. Critical Essays on Langston Hughes. Boston: G. K. Hall, 142. Phillips, Elizabeth C. The Works of Lorraine Hansberry. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1973. 48-62. Braiman, Jay. â€Å"Mr. Braiman’s English Online. † http://mrbraiman. hom. att. net/lit. htm.

American Literature Essay

?American literature is any written work of art that is created in the United States. American literature is like all literature, it has literary experiences and contextual history of America. It depicts how America has changed is still changing today. American literature has changed over time just like most canons of literary works. The uniqueness of American literature is that America from its beginning had a special philosophy of life and freedom. The special philosophy of life and freedom that made American literature so unique was reflected in its writings. Americans believed and had faith that God was and is the given of all our rights and freedom. We as Americans had faith in ourselves that we could succeed in anything that we try doing. The literature that we Americans wrote made life worth living because it was displayed for the world to read and understand that life was what we made it. Also by Americans having the ability to spring back from diversity made life worth living and George Washington was a perfect example of this. Literary canon is basically a suggested list of readings that belongs to a country or a certain period in time. Literary canon contains literary works that is mainly by authors who are accepted as an authority in their field and their writings constituting a serious body of literature in any given language. The works that are collected that is included in a literary canon is approved largely by cultural and academic institutions and is observed as literature of that language. Literary work’s popularity is not based only on the quality, but on the relevance of what matters to the context historically, socially, and artistically. Literary canon relate very well to what is going on in society because of what is most important at that time work is being written. The context of the society, whether it is historical, social, or artistic, that is basically the topic. Ethnic writers express the special challenges of realism, naturalism, and regionalism within the American literary experiences. Realism labels a movement in English, European, and American literature that gathered force from the 1930s to the end of the century. Realism attempted to record life as it was lived rather than life as it ought to be lived or had been lived in times past. William Dean Howells stated that realism â€Å"is nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material. † Present-day literary theorists are probably more aware of what may be called â€Å"the crisis of representation†-the difference between representation and the thing represented-than were these realists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Naturalism is understood by some as an extension or intensification of realism. It introduces characters from the fringes and depths of society whose fates are determined by degenerate heredity, a sordid environment, and/or a good deal of bad luck. Regionalism writing, another expression of the realist impulse, resulted from the desire both to preserve a record of distinctive ways of life before industrialization dispersed or homogenized them and to come to terms with the harsh realities that seemed to be replacing these early and allegedly happier times. By the end of the twentieth century, every region of the country had a â€Å"local colorist† to immortalize its natural, social, and linguistic features. Ethnic writers define literature as literature that is written by people of a different culture, language, religion, or race. It differs from the canon of traditional American literature because literary canon is a list of work from American instead of from a different race or religion. The historical, socio-political, and cultural topics that might be covered by ethnic writers would be slavery and how the slaves were treated during that time. Slavery is a topic that can be covered under all three. Government issues are a topic that could be covered under socio-political. The debate against government issues such as health care and taxes could be something that ethnic writers could write about. It does not differ from the canon of traditional American literature because the writings have to be by authors who are accepted as an authority in their field and their writings of literature in any given language.

The ideal decision making process is unrealistic Essay

The ideal decision making process is unrealistic - Essay Example Decision-making is the process of choosing among alternative courses of action in order to attain goals and objectives. Decisions made in an organization are subject to 'group thinking', which might lead to failure in implementation of policies and strategies, like what happened in the Bay of Pigs invasion by the US army (Janis, I. 1972, quoted in Salaman, G. 2002, p. 9- 38). The failures can be analyzed from two perspectives, namely (Valentine, E., 1994, quoted in Salaman, G. 2002); The behavioral diagnosis is very important as the human information processing is influenced by external factors such as beliefs and political influences. According to Millar, S. J., Hickson, D. J. and Wilson, D. C. (1996), the complexity of the modern organizations increases the importance of making key decisions. Pettigrew (1973, quoted in Salaman, G. 2002) suggests a 'contextualist' framework for exploring the behavioral dimension of organizational failures. Accordingly, at any point in time, the organization's capabilities, prospects, decisions and actions are rooted in the preceding events, choices, and experiences that comprise its history and shaped its culture. The lateral relationships existing in the organization can be called 'office politics', where the executive is a tactician and philosopher who 'must live by his wits, competitive instincts, understanding of social forces and ability as a leader. So the behavior perspective of organizational decision making makes it necessary to understand the Behavioral theory of the firm. Behavioral theory of the firm The behavioral theory of the firm helps to understand the actual process of making business decisions and provide detailed observations of the ways in which organizations make these decisions (Cyert and March, 1963, quoted in Salaman, G. 2002, p. 62). Cyert and March propose two major organizing devices: a set of variable concepts and a set of relational concepts. The variable concepts are organizational goals, organizational expectations, organizational choice and organizational control. There are also four major relational concepts, namely; Quasi-resolution of conflict- The coalition in an organization is a coalition of members having different personal goals. Members require some procedure for resolving conflicts, such as acceptable-level decision rules, sequential attention to goals, or both. Uncertainty avoidance- The modern decision theory is concerned with problems with decision making under risk and uncertainty. Organizations avoid uncertainty by anticipating events in distant future by using decision rules emphasizing short term reaction to short term feedback and thereby devising ways to make the environment controllable. Problemistic search- According to this theory, the search is stimulated by a problem and is directed towards finding a solution for that problem. Organizational learning- Organizations exhibit adaptive behavior over time, with respect to three different phases of the decision process: adaptation of goals, adaptation in attention rules, and adaptation in search rules. So the organizations require a decision making model that can be applicable in its

Writing an Effective Report in the Field of Criminal Justice Assignment

Writing an Effective Report in the Field of Criminal Justice - Assignment Example When I visited the store, the counter had been messed up, items fallen here and there. There was evidence that there was a fight since there were blood stains on the floor and the items such as keys, phone, computer mouse and keyboard. This is how Grace narrated her ordeal: â€Å"It was on 3rd May, 2014 when this incident occurred. Nothing was strange during the period as customers streamed in and out as they normally did.At around ten, three men entered the store and went directly to the fruits shelf. When they first came in, one of them went to the fruit shelf and another stood beside the counter and asked me how I was and left to meet the one at the fruits section. The third one went to the bakeries section which is at far end of this store. Two minutes later, they converged at the fruit section. All of a sudden, one of them pulled out a gun; I think it a revolver, and shot twice in the air. All the customers in the store ran off leaving me trapped in the counter desk by the two other men. One of them started beating me up using a hammer which he held in his hand repetitively. I asked him to stop and take away all the money in the cash drawer but he would not hear of it. I cannot say where the two of his frien ds were when he was bashing me.† Grace narrates that she managed to cheat death when she faked unconscious. The second suspect left her alone for the dead and they left with the third suspect carrying a small plastic bag full of money. In deed the girl was beaten mercilessly. In my investigation, she had attended the Mediheal University Hospital in Texas for treatment just after she made the statement with the police. The doctor noted that she had sustained severe soft tissue injuries on the back, shoulder and her left hand. She had broken one of her ribs on the right hand side of the body. The doctor, in her medical report, notes â€Å"These injuries are severe. The soft tissue injuries on the back, left shoulder and

Ernesto Che Guevara, Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ernesto Che Guevara, Latin America - Essay Example On the other side, most representatives of the U.S. government overseas have always displayed a powerful ideological commitment, and never more so than during the Cold War years of the 1960s. They are often criticized, in fact, for taking a messianic approach to diplomacy. Their ideology encompasses individualism, personal rights, equal opportunity, popular democracy, and free-enterprise economics, despite whatever gaps may exist at home between ideals and reality (Llosa 45). In Cuba, 'Che' Guevara's legacy is found in spying and high number of suicides among young people, revolutionary ideas of workers and peasants, and their fighting against the government. Today, many young people in Latin America follow his ideas and ideology believing in the guerilla struggle and strike actions. In Cuba, 'Che' Guevara's ideology is still valued and followed by young people who struggle for social transformations and democratic freedoms (Anderson 161). Che' Guevara's ideology determines the social processes by which citizens and elites construct democratic state institutional structures through collective forms of organization (political parties, civic associations, social movements). Given the historical, centralized executive control over elections and the checking of the legitimacy of electoral outcomes in single-party regimes. Following Anderson (1998), the most important was "his literary legacy to Cub and a means to ensure that revolutionary principles he stood for survived on the island" (653). Guevara not only had challenged the orthodox communists' attitude toward revolution for nearly a decade but also in the process had incurred widespread... In Cuba, ‘Che’ Guevara’s ideology is still valued and followed by young people who struggle for social transformations and democratic freedoms. Che’ Guevara’s ideology determines the social processes by which citizens and elites construct democratic state institutional structures through collective forms of organization. Given the historical, centralized executive control over elections and the checking of the legitimacy of electoral outcomes in single-party regimes. Following Anderson, the most important were â€Å"his literary legacy to Cub and a means to ensure that revolutionary principles he stood for survived on the island†.Guevara not only had challenged the orthodox communists' attitude toward revolution for nearly a decade but also in the process had incurred widespread hostility. The Congo expedition might have provided Cuba with the revolutionary success it sought, but it had clearly failed. When it did, Havana returned its focus to its home turf. The Cubans had long made efforts throughout Latin America to create a sustainable revolution, doing so with relatively minor investments of men, training guerrillas from abroad, sending arms overseas, dispatching advisers to nascent rebellions.on 461).

What Is So-Called Asian Business Model How Well Does The Indian Essay

What Is So-Called Asian Business Model How Well Does The Indian Business System Fit That Model - Essay Example The business model of Asia is also quite dissimilar from other western nations. The Asian business model has progressed through several periods of transformations. Several aspects such as globalization, improvement in information and communication technology, and deregulation along with evolving competition have influenced the business model of Asia (Crown, â€Å"Challenges in Asia†). Thesis Statement The discussion is based on analyzing the different aspects of the Asian business model. The objective of the discussion is to observe how the Indian business system or organizations fit in the Asian business model and to describe one other Asian system which fits the Asian business model either better or worse than India’s business system. What Is So-Called Asian Business Model? Asian business paradigm has developed through three major phases of improvement. In the first phase, i.e. during 1970s to 1980s, Asia used to pursue the features of ‘Japanese Model’ of business. According to that model, organizations tended to follow quality products and operational superiority in business. The Japanese model focused more on business growth rather than earning profit. Lifetime employment was a vital part for that Asian business model. At that period of time, the central elements of this Asian business model were huge investment, large savings and financial growth. These elements were described as success-deriving factors for organizations by the professionals. However, in the third phase, i.e. from 1990s to present day, professionals have highlighted certain systematic deficiencies of the Asian business model, which had resulted in Asian financial crisis in the year 1997. The Asian business model had also resulted in the collapse of several Asian organizations (Delios and Singh 1-20). At this point of time, it is vital to outline the major differences between the Asian business model and the US business model. During the period of 1950s to early 1990s, the Asia business model was associated with the so-called ‘crony capitalism’. Crony capitalism is usually related with strong government participation in business. Thus, it can be observed that close association existed between the government and the organizations in this kind of business model. Such close association was directed through discussion board which was used to organize investment plans. Government assistance to organizations was related with strict performance standards about exports and technical values. In Asian business model, the relationship between business and financial system comprised long-term association between organizations and banks. This aspect had empowered Asian organizations to consider long-run vision in the investment decisions. Thus, organizations were not constrained by the threat of aggressive take-overs. Asian organizations pursued internal business practices which were different from those of Western organizations. For instan ce, Asia business model is related with maintaining loyal association between management and employees. Conducting business in this model is based on interpersonal relationships

The Psychology of Adult Learning Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Psychology of Adult Learning Case - Essay Example I have selected this student for the case study because she is one of the most successful and influential models in my life. In contrast with most of the students her age in Saudi Arabia, KM loved going to school from the beginning of primary classes. In addition, KM, as was evident to those who have known her from her youth, has a strong character and power to change things she does not like. She loved working and helping other people, which has helped her to become a doctor in her future life. The theory of motivation is going to be applied to illustrate how it psychologically influenced KM to pursue this particular career. As such, the attached transcript (Appendix 4) will relate these issues to the existing theoretical position within psychology and adult education. In particular, this case study will investigate how these theories are related to the participant’s experience. The interview for this case study was conducted in the participant’s home on Sunday 31 December. Before this date, the interviewer sent KM an online copy form of the â€Å"invitation to be interviewed† and the â€Å"case study participation consent form†. After having a discussion about the issue online, the participant and the interviewer agreed that it would be better for both of them to meet at the participant’s home. The reason for this choice was that both sides would feel more relaxed and comfortable in a private and familiar setting as this would be more suitable within the culture of both the participant and the interviewer. In addition, this was where the participant studied and read during the period of her school and college attendance. The interviewing method was also chosen because it allows the participant to express her views in a free manner. It also allows the interviewer to gain first-hand information about the participant’s views towards a particular subject area.

Intorduction to Communication-Emotinal Responses-repost Assignment - 1

Intorduction to Communication-Emotinal Responses-repost - Assignment Example This may affect communication in one way or the other. Further people undergoing vial emotion of stress/depression are more susceptible to affect communication(Flaherty, Mike, and Larry Erickson,p.10). In this case, it can be observed that Paul Sir (the father) and Paul Junior (son) had been involved in constant fight and quarreling. They tend to disagree in almost everything that they do inside and outside their Motorcycle shop. Due to frequent argument and disagreements between the father, Paul senior, and the Son, Paul Junior, they business relationships broke-up. From the series American, chopper it can be observed how the American Junior was influenced by the emotional of anger which intern motivated high to become innovative/creative., Through the emotional of anger Paul Junior become motivated in designing motorcycles that have more features as compared to the one’s manufactured by his father, Paul Senior. Therefore, when working in the situation where I hear Paul senior and junior fighting, I could feel so remorseful because I could not Imagine hearing father and son fighting as arguing. It seems unbiblical and culturally unacceptable (Flaherty, Mike, and Larry

College Athletes Should be paid Essay Example for Free

College Athletes Should be paid Essay Today, professional sports are no longer just fun and games like they used to be, they are a business. And college sports are the same. High-level college sports provide a majority of a universities’ income. From ticket sales to television contracts, universities are making millions from their sports. And while this is all happening, the athletes are receiving a scholarship and little more. Although a full ride to college may be nothing to complain about; when the situation is more closely examined it is realized that for some athletes, that isn’t enough. If universities are making millions of dollars off of their superstar’s jersey, then he should be entitled to some of those earnings. That money is rightfully his or hers and college athletes deserve the money that they earn through their hard work and dedication just as the professionals do. College athletes need to be paid because the universities are using their talent for money opportunities, for some athletes the pros isn’t guaranteed, and an injury on a sport scholarship could set some up for failure. The biggest controversy with all the revenue â€Å"The NCAA is a multi-billion dollar industry that generated over $845 billion last year due to their players’ ability to entertain and perform to their fullest extent at all times.†(Sonny) College Athletes Should Be Paid Today, professional sports are no longer just fun and games like they used to be, they are a business. And college sports are the same. High-level college sports provide a majority of a universities’ income. From ticket sales to television contracts, universities are making millions from their sports. And while this is all happening, the athletes are receiving a scholarship and little more. Although a full ride to college may be nothing to complain about; when the situation is more closely examined it is realized that for some athletes, that isn’t enough. If universities are making millions of dollars off of their superstar’s jersey, then he should be entitled to some of those earnings. That money is rightfully his or hers and college athletes deserve the money that they earn through their hard work and dedication just as the professionals do. College athletes need to be paid because the universities are using their talent for money opportunities, for some athletes the pros isn’t guaranteed, and an injury on a sport scholarship could set some up for failure. The biggest controversy with all the revenue â€Å"The NCAA is a multi-billion dollar industry that generated over $845 billion last year due to their players’ ability to entertain and perform to their fullest extent at all times.†(Sonny) College Athletes Should Be Paid Today, professional sports are no longer just fun and games like they used to be, they are a business. And college sports are the same. High-level college sports provide a majority of a universities’ income. From ticket sales to television contracts, universities are making millions from their sports. And while this is all happening, the athletes are receiving a scholarship and little more. Although a full ride to college may be nothing to complain about; when the situation is more closely examined it is realized that for some athletes, that isn’t enough. If universities are making millions of dollars off of their superstar’s jersey, then he should be entitled to some of those earnings. That money is rightfully his or hers and college athletes deserve the money that they earn through their hard work and dedication just as the professionals do. College athletes need to be paid because the universities are using their talent for money opportunities, for some athlet es the pros isn’t guaranteed, and an injury on a sport scholarship could set some up for failure. The biggest controversy with all the revenue â€Å"The NCAA is a multi-billion dollar industry that generated over $845 billion last year due to their players’ ability to entertain and perform to their fullest extent at all times.†(Sonny) College Athletes Should Be Paid Today, professional sports are no longer just fun and games like they used to be, they are a business. And college sports are the same. High-level college sports provide a majority of a universities’ income. From ticket sales to television contracts, universities are making millions from their sports. And while this is all happening, the athletes are receiving a scholarship and little more. Although a full ride to college may be nothing to complain about; when the situation is more closely examined it is realized that for some athletes, that isn’t enough. If universities are making millions of dollars off of their superstar’s jersey, then he should be entitled to some of those earnings. That money is rightfully his or hers and college athletes deserve the money that they earn through their hard work and dedication just as the professionals do. College athletes need to be paid because the universities are using their talent for money opportunities, for some athletes the pros isn’t guaranteed, and an injury on a sport scholarship c ould set some up for failure. The biggest controversy with all the revenue â€Å"The NCAA is a multi-billion dollar industry that generated over $845 billion last year due to their players’ ability to entertain and perform to their fullest extent at all times.†(Sonny) College Athletes Should Be Paid Today, professional sports are no longer just fun and games like they used to be, they are a business. And college sports are the same. High-level college sports provide a majority of a universities’ income. From ticket sales to television contracts, universities are making millions from their sports. And while this is all happening, the athletes are receiving a scholarship and little more. Although a full ride to college may be nothing to complain about; when the situation is more closely examined it is realized that for some athletes, that isn’t enough. If universities are making millions of dollars off of their superstar’s jersey, then he should be entitled to some of those earnings. That money is rightfully his or hers and college athletes deserve the money that they earn through their hard work and dedication just as the professionals do. College athletes need to be paid because the universities are using their talent for money opportunities, for some athlet es the pros isn’t guaranteed, and an injury on a sport scholarship could set some up for failure. The biggest controversy with all the revenue â€Å"The NCAA is a multi-billion dollar industry that generated over $845 billion last year due to their players’ ability to entertain and perform to their fullest extent at all times.†(Sonny) College Athletes Should Be Paid Today, professional sports are no longer just fun and games like they used to be, they are a business. And college sports are the same. High-level college sports provide a majority of a universities’ income. From ticket sales to television contracts, universities are making millions from their sports. And while this is all happening, the athletes are receiving a scholarship and little more. Although a full ride to college may be nothing to complain about; when the situation is more closely examined it is realized that for some athletes, that isn’t enough. If universities are making millions of dollars off of their superstar’s jersey, then he should be entitled to some of those earnings. That money is rightfully his or hers and college athletes deserve the money that they earn through their hard work and dedication just as the professionals do. College athletes need to be paid because the universities are using their talent for money opportunities, for some athlet es the pros isn’t guaranteed, and an injury on a sport scholarship could set some up for failure. The biggest controversy with all the revenue â€Å"The NCAA is a multi-billion dollar industry that generated over $845 billion last year due to their players’ ability to entertain and perform to their fullest extent at all times.†(Sonny)

Shipping companies listed on New Yorks Stock Exchange

Shipping companies listed on New Yorks Stock Exchange This study was based on 21 shipping companies listed in New York Stock Exchange, over the period of 2005 to 2009. On the table below the selected shipping companies are shown. Shipping Companies listed in the New York Stock Exchange DIANA SHIPPING INC NAVIOS MARITIME HOLDINGS INC 3 SAFE BULKERS INC 4 GENCO SHIPPING TRADING LIMITED 5 TEEKAY CORPORATION 6 TSAKOS ENERGY NAVIGATION LIMITED 7 EXCEL MARITIME CARRIERS LTD 8 DANAOS CORPORATION 9 AEGEAN MARINE PETROLEUM NETWORK INCORPORATION 10 FRONTLINE LIMITED 11 SEACOR HOLDINGS INCORPORATED 12 NORDIC TANKERS 13 GLOBAL SHIP LEASE INCORPORATION 14 GENERAL MARITIME CORPORATION 15 SEASPAN CORPORATION 16 SHIP FINANCE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED 17 KIRBY CORPORATION 18 OVERSEAS SHIPHOLDING GROUP, INC 19 DHT MARITIME INCORPORATION 20 INTERNATIONAL SHIPHOLDING CORPORATION 21 TIDEWATER INC This paper seeks to examine the relationship among three corporate governance mechanisms (board composition, chief executive status and audit committee) and some firm performance measures (return on investment capital, return on equity, Return on Assets and Current Ratio). Also, the essay examines the relationship among these three corporate governance mechanisms and the operating performance (Net Sales to Operating Cost) of the corporations. Part 1 Corporate Governance Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions affecting the way a corporation (or company) is directed, administered or controlled with the objective to enhance shareholders wealth. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the stakeholders involved and the goals by which the corporation is governed. It is supposed that better corporate governance leads to better corporate performance by preventing the expropriation of controlling shareholders and ensuring better decision-making. Corporate governance is a priority along with financial indicators when evaluating investment decisions according to investors. The majority of them are prepared to pay a premium for companies having high governance standards. On the opposite, there are also bad forms of corporate governance that lead corporations to problems. Good corporate governance is considered to be a fundamental necessity to run a firm successfully. Moreover corporate governance is a process which can ensure growth for a firm and the economy in general. Most of the selected shipping companies are foreign private issuers established in Marshal or Bermuda islands. The minority of the selected companies are U.S corporations. Consequently most of them are not required to comply with the corporate governance practices followed by U.S. companies following the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listing standards. However, they are required to state any significant differences between their corporate governance practices and the practices required by the NYSE according to Section 303.A.11 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual.  Furthermore almost every chosen shipping company adopts NYSE required practices, such as having a majority of independent directors, establishing audit and compensation and nominating committees as well as adopting a Code of Ethics.   NYSE requires companies to adopt and disclose corporate governance guidelines.   The guidelines should address to the director qualification standards, the director responsibilities, the director access to management and independent advisers, the director compensation, the director orientation and continuing education, management succession as well as an annual performance evaluation. However,   most of the shipping companies trade in NYSE are not obliged to comply with these rules due to that they are foreign private issuers as well as most of them are offshore. For these companies there is no obligation of complying with any corporate governance guidelines or code of ethics. Shareholders can be informed via the annual reports and Code of Ethics, both of which have been publicly filed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission available on the companies web-sites. Corporate governance guidelines and shipping companies intend to publish an overview of the Companys gu iding principles which focuses on social issues. This Code cannot cover every applicable law or provide answers to all questions that may arise but it can set out general principles about an organization belief on matters such as mission, quality, conflicts of interest, internal reporting, privacy or the environment. Furthermore, it may define proper procedures to determine whether a violation of the code of ethics has occurred. Code of ethics and corporate social responsibility is a neglected issue in the shipping industry. Traditionally there is no reason for the shipping companies to invest in advertising or in any other activity that could improve their image. Consequently the main goal of the management of a shipping company is to attract as many as possible new clients. Any characteristic that can improve the reputation of the company is not a priority for the managers of a shipping company. Many years have passed and shipping companies were not obliged to follow some rules of social responsibilities. Fortunately, the last decade various regulations have been imposed to the operation of a shipping company, although the control mechanisms were not always efficient. Board of Directors An important aspect that influences the corporate governance is the board of directors. The board of directors plays an important role to the company operation. It oversees top management and is entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring and supervising the company resources and operation. Moreover, it undertakes the obligation of appointing a qualified person as the Chief Executive Officer and other management staff. Therefore, the board is seen as a team of individuals with fiduciary responsibilities of leading and directing a firm, with the primary objective of protecting the shareholders interests with high sense of integrity and commitment to the firm. The role of the Board is significant in designing efficient corporate monitoring and ratification mechanisms. With respect to reducing agency costs at the Board level, Boards of directors have three key decision rights: (1) Monitoring (2) Ratification (3) Reward and punishment rights. They may even remove top managers from their positions and sanction them for their decisions. NYSE rules require the size of the board of directors not to be smaller than three members. As it can be observed by the survey the size of the board of directors of the sample is between five and seven members. Although there are some shipping companies that have more than seven members in the board and some others that have less than five members. It can be concluded that the majority of the board members in the board of directors are outside directors (member of a company board of directors who is not an employee or stakeholder in the company). The role of independent directors on the board of directors is to effectively monitor and control firm activities in reducing opportunistic managerial behaviors and expropriation of firm resources. The majority of the board members are outsiders for most of the companies; some of them use relatives as well as acquaintances as board members. This indicates a tendency for the shipping companies to be governed by a closed team of people. In accordance to NYSE rules the board should have audit, compensation, and nominating committees made up entirely by outside directors. Almost all of them are consisted by the three obligatory committees opposed to the majority of the selected shipping companies that do not have the obligation to comply with the NYSE rules. The role of these committees is significant; they are assigned to evaluate the board The role of the Audit Committee The purpose of the Audit Committee is to: Monitor the integrity of the firm financial statements. Monitor the qualifications, independence and performance of the company independent auditors. Monitor the performance of the company internal audit function. The audit committee ensures that the books of the company are not fake and that shareholders are properly informed of the financial status of the firm. In this essay it is made an effort to examine the importance of the audit committee in shipping companies listed in the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE requires from a listed U.S. company to have an audit committee with a minimum of three members. But it is permitted by Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that audit committees of foreign companies can have less than three independent members in the audit committee. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Status The Chief Executive Officer position and the whole management team is an important position to hold in a corporation. They are responsible for Operating the firm in an effective way. Preparing the annual operating plans and budgets. Establishing an effective system of internal control. In this essay it is examined the role of the Chief executive officer (CEO) in the shipping companies. There are two types of leadership structure i.e. combined leadership structure and separated structure. Combined leadership structure happens when the CEO is also the chairman of the board. On the other hand separated leadership structure takes place when the Chairman of the board is a different person from the CEO. Many studies identifying the implications of CEO duality exist. It is thought that the operating performance may be improved as a result of less debate among the CEO and chairman and/or other directors. From the sample of the shipping companies that it was taken a significant tendency cannot be provided. In some of the shipping companies the CEO is also the chairman of the board while in others is not. Part 2 Methodology The aim of this research is to figure out if the corporate governance mechanisms have an effect on firm performance. Therefore, the measurement of firm performance is primarily comprised of two factors: operating and financial performance. The data used for this research were extracted from the audited financial statements of 21 shipping companies listed in the New York Stock Exchange. The survey covers the time period through 2005 2009. The sample consists of the annual observations for the board size of every company, for the CEO status and for the size of the audit committee of every shipping company. The aim of the research is to find if these corporate governance mechanisms influence the operating and financial performance ratios. Consequently regression models have been constructed in order to prove the association between the corporation governance in operating and financial performance. Microsoft Excel and the statistical package Eviews were used so as to collect the data run the appropriate regressions and identify the results. Moreover except from the companies annual reports a lot of information was extracted through the Thomson Database. In the end panel data methodology was adopted because it combined time series and cross sectional data. The method of analysis is that of multiple regressions and the method of estimation is Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). By running the appropriate regressions via Eviews and by using Return on equity and the profit margin as the dependent variables, the results were considered inadequate. Consequently it was considered integral to proceed to further research. That is why the below financial ratios were used as dependent variables. For the financial performance: Return on equity ratio: Profitability ratio, it can indicate the management effectiveness Return on assets ratio: Profitability ratio, it can also indicate the management effectiveness Return on investment capital ratio: Profitability ratio, it can also indicate the management effectiveness Current ratio: liquidity  ratio Finally in order to measure the operating performance: The above formulas contributed on calculating the ratios of the shipping companies for the time period of 2005 2009. Moreover, many independent variables were used to define the most accurate and specifically those that would give some results. Consequently as independent variables are defined the above: Out_Board = the proportion of the independent directors over the total directors. CEO = if the same person occupies the post of the chairman of the board and the Chief executive is defined by valuing with zero, otherwise value with one. Audcom1 = the proportion of the audit committee. In the end in order to run the regression, the economic models should be defined. For the return on equity: For the return on assets For the return on investment capital For the current ratio So as to measure the operating performance of the shipping companies the above economic model was used. Furthermore the above parameters should be defined. ÃŽÂ ²o:Constant term ÃŽÂ ²1:Coefficient of the regression ÃŽÂ ²2: Coefficient of the regression ÃŽÂ ²3: Coefficient of the regression eit: Disturbance term Empirical Results and Discussion It is important to mention some important data before continuing to comment on the outputs of the regression. First of all the regression outputs will be tested for all the three confidence intervals 90%,95% and 99%. In order to have a statistical significant output the t statistic has to be greater than 1.64, 1.96 and 2.576 respectively. Moreover so as to have a statistically significant variable the p value has to be less than 0,1 , 0.05 and 0.01 respectively. As it can be observed from the table below, the three independent variables are statistically insignificant because the t statistics are lower than the critical values. Moreover it can be confirmed because all the p values are greater than the level of significance. Dependent Variable: ROE Method: Panel Least Squares Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 99 Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. OUT_BOARD -0.00683 0.552604 -0.01236 0.9902 CEO 0.017437 0.17098 0.101982 0.919 AUDCOM1 -0.002796 0.101423 -0.027571 0.9781 C 0.18661 0.529641 0.352334 0.7254 R-squared 0.000114 Adjusted R-squared -0.031461 F-statistic 0.003613 Prob(F-statistic) 0.999698 S.E. of regression 0.791347 Dependent Variable: ROA Method: Panel Least Squares Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 99 Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. OUT_BOARD -0.095721 0.061678 -1.551956 0.124 CEO -0.032232 0.019084 -1.688972 0.0945 AUDCOM1 0.009389 0.01132 0.829387 0.409 C 0.140099 0.059115 2.369954 0.0198 R-squared 0.078318 Adjusted R-squared 0.049212 F-statistic 2.690791 Prob(F-statistic) 0.050602 S.E. of regression 0.088325 Dependent Variable: ROA Method: Panel Least Squares Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 99 Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. OUT_BOARD -0.104552 0.060653 -1.723773 0.088 CEO -0.028425 0.018493 -1.537033 0.1276 C 0.171387 0.045439 3.771807 0.0003 R-squared 0.071644 Adjusted R-squared 0.052303 F-statistic 3.704289 Prob(F-statistic) 0.028204 S.E. of regression 0.088181 It is evident from the tables above that there is a correlation between return on assets and the independent variables. On the first table it can be observed that the CEO independent variable is statistically significant on 10% confidence interval. Also R- Squared is 7.16% of the variability of the return on assets and is explained by the regression. On the second table one independent variable is excluded from the regression in order to prove that the proportion of the outside directors over the total number of the board is also statistically significant at the 90% confidence interval. It is evident that these two variables influence the financial performance of the shipping companies that are selected in the sample. On the table below it is shown the regression output between the return on investment capital and the independent variables. It can be observed that the proportion of the outside directors and the CEO are statistically significant on the 90% confidence interval. It implies that the majority of the sampled firms, in the period under study, have separate persons occupying the posts of chief executive and the board chair. Dependent Variable: ROIC Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 97 Method: Panel Least Squares Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. OUT_BOARD -0.108758 0.062348 -1.744367 0.0844 CEO -0.031869 0.019189 -1.660741 0.1001 AUDCOM1 0.00542 0.011377 0.476405 0.6349 C 0.199476 0.059341 3.361532 0.0011 R-squared 0.081182 Adjusted R-squared 0.051542 F-statistic 2.738981 Prob(F-statistic) 0.047783 S.E. of regression 0.088251 Dependent Variable: CURRENT_RATIO Method: Panel Least Squares Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 99 Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic OUT_BOARD 0.554821 1.498786 0.37018 CEO -0.636588 0.463736 -1.372737 AUDCOM1 0.538569 0.275082 1.95785 C 0.954122 1.436504 0.664197 R-squared 0.047648 Adjusted R-squared 0.017574 F-statistic 1.584356 Prob(F-statistic) 0.198271 S.E. of regression 2.146311 Another ratio so as to observe the financial performance of a company is the current ratio. By running a regression it can be concluded that the audit committee size is statistically significant at a 90% and 95% confidence interval. Because of the different financial performance ratio it can be observed a different correlation between the dependent and the independent variable. On the particular output the positive relationship between the liquidity ratio and the audit committee seems to be a very reasonable result. Shipping companies follow the corporate governance guidelines which are given by the NYSE for the audit committees. In the end a regression was run for the operating performance of the shipping companies. On the table below it is shown that the proportion of the outside directors is statistically significant at 90% confidence interval with t statistic greater than the critical values. Also it is shown that the audit committee variable is also statistically significant for all the confidence intervals. But the R squared of the output is very low which means that only the 8.76% of the variability of the dependent variable is explained. Dependent Variable: OPER_PERF Method: Panel Least Squares Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 99 Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. OUT_BOARD -0.951585 0.50254 -1.893552 0.0613 CEO 0.083654 0.15549 0.538005 0.5918 AUDCOM1 -0.23875 0.092234 -2.588514 0.0112 C 3.109729 0.481657 6.456321 0 R-squared 0.087671 Adjusted R-squared 0.05886 F-statistic 3.043024 Prob(F-statistic) 0.032629 S.E. of regression 0.719653 Descriptive statistics The table below presents the result of the descriptive statistics analysis between the dependent variables and the independent variables by measuring the mean, the standard deviation and the percentage of distribution range of the pooled years of the sample under study. Descriptive Statistics Oper_Perf Roa Roe Roic Cur_ratio Out_Board CEO AUDCOM1 Mean 1.741854 0.078202 0.18183 0.11603 3.243112 0.762211 0.474747 2.808081 Median 1.527139 0.072055 0.156449 0.110134 1.86132 0.777778 0 3 Maximum 5.409894 0.513177 3.84573 0.368966 70.57955 1 1 5 Minimum 0.889839 -0.42841 -4.60062 -0.41285 0.1406 0.428571 0 1 Std. Dev. 0.737746 0.090581 0.779185 0.09045 7.100746 0.153031 0.501903 0.816623 Skewness 1.867152 -0.45139 -1.94635 -1.54254 8.614659 -0.20659 0.101139 0.250996 Kurtosis 8.233289 16.32647 24.76835 14.17857 81.7566 2.085215 1.010229 3.44567 Jarque-Bera 177.3846 735.9403 2017.183 549.1192 27351.86 4.156112 16.50043 1.858795 Probabil. 0 0 0 0 0 0.125173 0.000261 0.394791 Sum 179.411 7.741993 18.00119 11.3709 327.5543 75.45889 47 278 Sum Sq. D. 55.51539 0.804091 59.49867 0.793579 5042.06 2.295021 24.68687 65.35354 Observ. 103 99 99 98 101 99 99 99 As it can be referred from the table above the number of the observations is all close to the hundred. This is because some of the data were not available and could not be extracted from the financial reports. Moreover another reason of the lack of some data is that some of the shipping companies were listed in the New York Stock Exchange after 2005. Conclusion The aim of this essay was to prove that there is a relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and firm performance using a sample of 21 shipping companies which are listed in the New York Stock Exchange from 2005 until 2009. The study used firm performance ratios and three mechanisms to prove the above relationship. Panel data methodology is employed; the method of analysis is multiple regressions and the method of estimation is Ordinary Least Squares. The study concludes to the followings: There is no significant relationship between ROE and none of the independent variables. There is a significant relationship among ROA and CEO status and the proportion of the outside directors. There is significant relationship among ROIC, board composition and CEO status. There is a significant relationship between Current ratio and audit committee. And there is a significant relationship among operating performance, board composition and audit committee. Concerning future research, efforts should be made to increase the sample size and the corporate governance variables to achieve a clearer view about the affection of the corporate governance mechanisms on the shipping companies. It can be said that shipping industry has been expanded all over the world from family to family. It is a closed industry which excludes many people. Consequently the nature of the industry makes it very difficult to perform an in depth research and establish an outcome. References Web Sites http://www.investopedia.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org http://www.dianashippinginc.com Home page

Cultural and gender comparison of Russia and the US Essay -- essays re

Cultural Comparison of Russia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gender roles in Russia have dramatically changed since the fall of the former Soviet Union and the fall of communism. It is hard to look directly at the constitution of Russia seeing as though the drafting and redrafting of their constitution is still underway. However, looking at the constitution of the former Soviet Union, you can see it is clearly stated that: â€Å"Women and men have equal rights.† It is very clear that in the Soviet Union they were trying to make it so that women and men were equal. It is still clear today that those same basic ideals are present in Russia. Women are clearly more equal in their country than in ours. In the workforce as well as in the home, women play a more equal role than in the present day United States. However, for the sake of this paper, let us just look at the infrastructure of Russia, formerly known as the Soviet Union or USSR.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In terms of employment, the former Soviet Union had the largest percentage of women in the labor force than any other comparative society. This still remains the case in the present day Russia. Unemployed women in Russia will be quickly employed. They have a very high success rate of reemploying women if they were to lose their jobs. â€Å"Compared to Western women, although Russian women have a much higher representation in law, medicine and engineering as well as in the skilled trades, such as metalworking and construction,...

The Rise and Subsequent Fall of the Third Reich Essays -- Weimar Repub

The Rise and Subsequent Fall of the Third Reich Living in the crumbled remains of Germany, or the Weimar Republic, in the 1920’s was a dismal existence. Hyperinflation was rampant and the national debt skyrocketed as a result of the punishing features of the Treaty of Versailles. During the depression, however, a mysterious Austrian emerged from the depths of the German penal system and gave the desperate German people a glimpse of hope in very dark times. He called for a return to â€Å"Fatherland† principles where greater Germany was seen as the center of their universe with zealous pride. Under Hitler’s leadership, Nazi Germany rapidly grew and expanded, continually approaching the goal of world domination and the â€Å"Thousand-Year Reich† that Hitler promised the German people. Only a few years later, Nazi Wehrmacht soldiers could be seen marching the streets from Paris to Leningrad (St. Petersburg, Russia). The German Empire, however, like all other expansive empires, had its limits and int egral components such as resources, manpower, and industrial capacity began to fall in short supply further crippling the Nazi war machine. Basically, by 1944, â€Å"Nazi Germany’s fundamental problem was that she has conquered more territory than she could defend† (Ambrose, 27). Hitler conquered a vast area and vowed to defend every single inch of his empire with every last drop of blood at his disposal. As Frederick the Great warned, â€Å"He who defends everything, defends nothing† (Ambrose, 33). It is interesting to study any empire’s rise and fall because similarities are always present, even with some nations today promising to fight the evil, when it reality, it might be becoming what it vows to fight. The story of the rise of the Thi... ... in is destined for some sort of collapse. Nobody in this world would like to compare their own nation to fascist Germany or any other fallen empire but numerous similarities can be found. There is increasing resistance to the government and its actions which are facilitated by the fact that our Constitution allows us to do so freely. Our social security system is going to collapse in the near future if not efficiently revised as those receiving it continue to grow. Military forces are continually being depleted to maintain order in our occupied territories of Afghanistan and Iraq. Where does the expansion end? The United States can not keep tying up its most vital resources abroad. It is an increasing economic cost that has little hope of decreasing anytime soon. Expansion has proved fatal for all nations throughout history. Are we next? I sure hope not.

Technology & Business Essay -- essays research papers

Preliminary draft of Q1: The Internet has opened up a range of new marketing opportunities for the commerce world. A wide range of advertisement options are available: Banner ads Text ads Popups Targeted ads The last is of particular interest because it can provide advertisements targeted at the location of the user (country, town etc). Take this example: Your business has a small advertising budget and you want to do some Internet advertising. Every click your ad gets, that costs you money. Say you only operate in Masterton, do you want people from Auckland or USA to see your ads and click on them, hence costing you money? Internet advertising is much cheaper than TV marketing. The bid for a 30 second advertising slot in the Superbowl went for a record 2.4 million dollars. Most Internet Advertising agents do not charge you for the amount of times your ad is viewed, but by the amount of people who click on it, this makes it much cheaper than TV advertising. Google Adsense program uses an advanced computer program to analyze the content of the page and deliver ads relevant to the page content. For example: Your looking at a page reviewing books, the targeted ads will show bookstores in your area. http://www.gaebler.com/Television-Advertising-Costs.htm https://adwords.google.com/select/main?cmd=Login&sourceid=AWO&subid=US-ET-ADS&hl=en_US https://www.google.com/adsense/?sourceid=aso&subid=ww-et-awhomegap&hl=en_US Preliminary draft of Q2: Since the...

An examination of the presentation of two magazine advertisements Essay

There are two magazine advertisements advertising two separate products both jewellery in nature. A stainless steel Rolex watch named the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’. An expensive sophisticatedly designed watch for people of the wealthy businesspersons category. The other a ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘exclusive Triple ring’; suitable for a gift to a lover or a self-indulged treat, this is aimed at the average workingpersons category as it says ‘Need send no money now’, and ‘For only i 75. 00’, both money saving phrases. Both have a key selling point. The advertisement for the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ key selling point is the fact that the Rolex is boldly shown in a large picture at the bottom of the page. This catches the attention of the reader and quickly conveys the subject and nature of the advertisement. This also intrigues readers to read the article, which means that they will find out more about the product and get a better understanding of the piece, therefore increasing the chance of a sale. The advertisement for the ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ has a similar key selling point. The ring is boldly situated at the top centre of the entire page. This is the first image that the reader will acknowledge and will catch the attention of the reader and quickly convey the subject and nature of the advertisement to them. Also the title of the advertisement – ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’, gives an instant sense of wealth and adventure to the advertisement enticing the reader to read the rest of the article therefore increasing the chance of a sale. Examples of imaginative and factual language are apparent in the presentation of both advertisements. One advertisement advertises a ‘sliver triple ring’, which has been entitled the ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver triple ring in gold font. Aphrodite was a ‘heavenly Greek goddess of beauty and love’ from Roman Greek times. The ring does not contain or consist of Aphrodite’s jewels. But if it did, however, the ring would be of astonishing value. This portrays the ring to be of an extremely higher value than the asking price. This draws attention to the advertisement as people are drawn to the sheer wealth portrayed by the advertisement, this is also emphasised by the gold font. This then seems to be an astonishing bargain when the ring is priced at seventy-five pounds. This will create a boost in sales as it forges the bargain to be of greater saving than what actually exists. The order form is entitled ‘Post now to secure your order! ‘ This makes the reader think that the product is in demand and that the order form must be sent with haste in order to obtain one. The ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement uses factual language in its presentation. Quotes are used in this presentation: ‘For Sir Norman Forster, good design is generated by people’s needs. He has answered these needs with outstanding architectural solutions in his native England, throughout Europe – and most notably – in Hong Kong. It was Foster’s design for the head quarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank that confirmed his position at the forefront of international architecture. ‘ This quote emphasises the importance of ‘Sir Norman Foster’, and how much he is revered internationally. It emphasises the fact that massive international corporations turn to ‘Sir Norman Foster’ when in need, and he answers them; perhaps portraying him to be more important, bigger, and more powerful than these corporations who come to him. ‘Sir Norman Foster’ is thus seen to be a very big, important man to the reader. He is wearing the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ showing that the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ is â€Å"The Watch† for people of his class. To the reader this may give the impression that if the watch is good enough for someone as revered as ‘Sir Norman Foster’, then it is more than good enough for him or her. An example of imaginary language in the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement includes the entire text. It uses ambiguous language to represent a link between Sir Norman Foster’s work, and the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’. For example when it says: ‘Good design is generated by people’s needs. He has answered these needs with outstanding architectural solutions’ This could be talking about the watch answering people’s needs all over the world, or Sir Norman Foster’s architecture designs answering people’s needs. Also: ‘This supremely elegant building epitomises many of Foster’s beliefs as an architect. ‘ This can be seen as a metaphor with the ‘building’ representing the watch epitomising ‘many of Foster’s beliefs as an architect. ‘ ‘The interior is extraordinarily light and airy. This is achieved by a complex of steel supports which leave vast uncluttered spaces’ This is another good example of the ambiguous language used. Showing the unique architectural structure of the building that also relates to the watch. This language is used for the same purpose in both adverts. It is used to give a positive view on the product and making the product an object of desire. Persuading the reader that the product is something that would be ultimately worth possessing. Having this language presented in the title is a better way of presenting it, as this is the initial information that the reader digests, therefore leaving a positive impression. Presenting it in a block of writing means that the reader will not be as enticed to read a block of writing as to a more visual or digestible document. There are typical phrases presented in both advertisements. The ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ advertisement has many examples of ‘typical’ phrases. ‘For only i 75. 00’ is very typical, trying to emphasise and give the impression that the asking price is ‘only’ a fraction of the true value. ‘You need send no money now’ is another example of a ‘typical’ phrase. The aim of this is to convince the reader that they are getting a good deal and that they are in control. The reader will be more willing to purchase the product of the finance is not immediate. The general intended impact on the audience from both advertisements is that the product that they are selling is an object of desire. They would be revered to if in possession of the product as it is ultimately worth possessing. There are typical phrases presented in the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement: ‘Is it any surprise he should wear a Rolex? ‘ This is giving emphasis to the point that he is a man who is revered internationally so consequently there is only â€Å"one watch† for him – the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’. This has the effect on the reader that makes the watch appear at a higher level of desirability as it is underlining that the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ is the watch for people of his class. One immediate difference that is clearly visible is the background colour. The advertisement for the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ has a simple plain white colour background contrasting with the black font. This gives the advertisement a contemporary, sophisticated feel to it. Although it posses this quality, the colour does not have an enticing effect to the reader to draw them in to view the advertisement. This strongly affects the effectiveness of the advertisement to the reader. The ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ however, has very enticing qualities. The background colour is a deep, rich alluring purple with complementing white, symmetrical, silhouettes of religious statues. To contrast, this already has a visual advantage over the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement, as it will lure more readers to it as the colours are more eye catching and attractive. It gives the advertisement a sense of mysticality, exploration, and wealth. This will make more of an impression on the readers mind and will make then remember the product, or desire the product to a higher degree. The text colour of the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement contrasts with the background colour making the text stand out to the reader giving it a contemporary sense. The text font is not very bold making it unpalatable to read. The colour scheme in the picture of ‘Sir Norman Foster’, top central to the page, is related to the advertisement. In the picture, ‘Sir Norman Foster’ is surrounded by completely white background and surroundings. This is linked to the background of the advertisement. Completely white. ‘Sir Norman Foster’ is wearing black in the picture. This represents the link between him and the text in the advertisement, showing that the text is related to him. In the background right of ‘Sir Norman Foster’ is one of his famous metallic masterpieces of architectural art. This represents the watch in the foreground of the advertisement. Both are of a stainless steel colour and are represented as â€Å"masterpieces†. This colour co-ordination is very effective in showing the link between ‘Sir Norman Foster’ and his internationally recognised designs, and the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’. The colour of the watch is diverse from the general colour scheme of the advertisement. This makes the watch appear to be superior and different from the rest. The entity of this colour scheme creates a contemporary feel. It gives the watch images of sophistication and wealth. The ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ advertisement colour scheme compliments the ring. The background consists of a deep dark rich purple colour, the same as the ‘Jewels’ on the ring. ‘Aphrodite was the ‘heavenly Greek goddess of beauty and love’ and this is a colour associated with love. Therefore both colours convey love and romance. Also in the background are faint silhouettes of two white statues standing as pillars, as if to be the entrance to a temple or similar. Surrounding the ring is a subtle, restrained white glow. Signifying purity and perfection. This white glow compliments the silhouettes beneath the purple, conveying the image that the ring is linked to the statues making the ring appear to be holy, and sacred. â€Å"Sparkles† have been added to the corners of the ring making it appear to be glistening relating the ring to wealth and luxury. The background purple is increasingly dark all the way down the centre of the page. Around the ring the background is brighter as if the ring has lit it up. It appears as if the ring has come from the darkness and lit up the surroundings similar to the discovery of hidden treasures. This conveys that the ring is full of adventure. It is a sacred treasure to be discovered and the reader can discover it. The gold colour of the title ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ creates an image of wealth and prosperity, assuring the reader of the wealth of the product and the value of owning the product. Subtitles are in a light blue, turquoise colour. This contrasts with the purple and makes the subtitles appear bold and stand out. The text of the subtitles is black opposing the light blue, turquoise colour making the text apparent to the reader. This makes the information in the advertisement more digestible as it is broke down into sections. The Order Form consists of a faint yellow colour and has a red title, ‘Post now to secure your order’. The red signifies danger and importance to the reader making the s evident immediately. Urging the reader to hasten and buy the product. The entity of this colour scheme gives the ring a sense of wealth and class. It creates images of wealth, prosperity and affluence. The layout of the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement oozes sophistication. The layout of the almost symmetrical block text mounted on a plain white background gives the whole advert a sense of sophistication and contemporary design. The title is spread across the top of the page in the same format as the text. This is a better way of presenting the title as apposed to having a diversified, more decorative font. The picture of ‘Sir Norman Foster’ is central to the top of the page. The text is presented round the picture. This signifies his importance and significance, as the advert appears to revolve around Sir Norman Foster’s picture, as if he is the core of the ‘Rolex’ advertisement, as if he is the front of the advertisement. The large colour image of the ‘Rolex’ communicates the nature of the advert quickly and effectively. This draws the attention of the reader and will entice them to read the text. This layout reflects the target audience to be sophisticated successful businesspeople who very contemporary and have wealth. The layout of the ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ advertisement is very original. The first piece of information is the price at the top of the page: ‘An Exclusive Silver Triple Ring For Only i 75. 00*! ‘ This will be the first piece of information that the reader will take in. This will make them curious to find out what is marked at this price. The main focus is on the ring at the top centre of the page following on from the title. This grasps the attention of the reader and will entice them to read the text and find out more about the product. Subsequently the subtitles follow. They are positioned further down the page, as it is only relevant information to the reader if they are interested in purchasing the product. At the very bottom of the page is an exploded diagram of the ring split into three layers. This gives the reader the impression that they are getting more value for their money, i. e. three rings for the price of one. In the bottom right corner of the page is the order form. This is presented at the bottom, as it is only relevant to the reader if they have read all of the text above and wish to make a purchase. This layout reflects that target audience to be average workingpersons. All that phrases presented boldly in the advertisement are all to do with low finance and superficial wealth. After a careful examination of the presentation of these two magazine advertisements I have come to the conclusion that the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement is the more successful advertisement. My reason for this is that the aim of this advertisement is to give the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ an image of sophistication, and contemporary design. It does not try to persuade the reader that they are getting a good â€Å"bargain† for their money but to make the object more desirable. The ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement is simple and easy to digest, whereas the ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ advertisement has a lot of information and does not convey it well. The ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement uses almost all factual language and does not need to use imagery to sell the product. This has a greater positive effect on the reader as they feel that they are being sold genuine quality, as apposed to inferior, superficial products. The ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement is plain and spacious, making an easy view. But the ‘Jewels of Aphrodite’ silver ‘Triple ring’ advertisement is cluttered uninviting to view. Also the ‘Rolex – Oyster – GMT Mater II’ advertisement uses a practical example of a consumer of the product who is approving the watch showing the reader that it is the genuine article and that they can see for themselves how superior the product really is.

Preschool for all

As a father of three boys, ages four, two, and most recently, a two month old, I have been Interested about the education options available for them. It was not until I attempted to conduct my own research on the early childhood education, specifically preschool for my oldest son, then three years old, did I realize the difficulty In doing so. Having been a member of The united States Air Force, I was afforded the opportunity to enroll my children into the robust, yet sometimes frustrating, Child Development Center that is established on each Air Force base.Living in a world of checklists and constant inspections, I did not worry about the quality of the program. As I transitioned to be a civilian, my head began to swim at what is considered high quality education for my growing boys. I thought that I knew about preschools, it seemed like common sense to me. After the first few classroom discussions into our exploratory research papers, the overarching topic for my fellow students wa s â€Å"Twenty First Century Families†. I knew that my recent struggle would fit perfectly.Starting with only a question and without a clue, I set out to find out why here were not any affordable options for high quality preschools. The Investigation began with a conversation with my wife about the topic. She reminded me that President Obama spoke about this very topic In the â€Å"2013 State of the union Address†. In a speech that took just over an hour, President Beam's address to the nation set forth many challenges for Congress as well as the citizens of The united States of America. One challenge in particular came about half way through the speech.Obama noted that although the secondary and collegiate education is something that should be pursed, the education of our youngest citizens would not e ignored by his administration. He goes on to state, â€Å"Every dollar we invest in high- quality early childhood education can save more than seven dollars later on by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime† (â€Å"Remarks†). I fully support this Initiative by the President. It seems easy for law makers to get wrapped up In meeting the demands for their constituents, but what about the youngest constituents?It did not take me long to realize that what I thought I knew about the subject was about to get more complicated. However, for the future of my three boys, I looked deeper into the debate. To my surprise, President Obama brought up the same topic in the â€Å"2014 State of the Union Address†. Buried about one third of the way into the speech, President Obama transitioned into the early childhood education topic yet again. At first, I thought to myself, â€Å"If he cannot push this forward, this issue must run even deeper than I thought†. President Obama explains that the best investment in young child's life is one of a high-quality education.As he brought the topic to a clos e in his speech, President Obama states that despite Congress stalling, â€Å"thirty states have raised pre-K funding on their own† (â€Å"President†). He added, â€Å"As Congress decides what It's going to do, I'm going to pull together a coalition of elected officials, business leaders, and philanthropists willing to help more kids access the high-quality pre-K they need† (â€Å"President†). This put me at ease, but I was convinced that President there were going to be several political gains to be made if each state were to follow through with their end of the bargain.Although it seemed like a strong use of taxpayer funds, I was not convinced that the expenditure was worth it. While I still support his proposal, I felt there were more layers to the onion that needed to be led back. I still did not have an answer as to why there were not any affordable preschools that I considered to be high quality. While I was sifting through dozens of abstracts throu gh the Academic Search Complete database, there was one in particular that caught my eye from the Congressional Digest, entitled â€Å"Early Childhood Education†.As the third source for my exploratory research paper, this article shed some light on the history of the Universal Preschool debate. The origins of the universal preschool debate began in 1965 with President Lyndon B. Johnny's Head Start program. This eight-week summer course was aimed at low-income families with children in the kindergarten age group. It did not take long for this program to become popular both as a political topic, but also as a tool for social change. The program came at a time in America that was plagued by the war in Vietnam.Head Start grew in size over the next 40 years. Today, there are forty-five different Federal programs that provide assistance and services to families with children under the age of five. However, there is still a long-standing debate over the continuing performance in ter ms of supportive services and curriculum for children ender the age of five. There is, however, no standing debate to the powerful remarks made by President Johnson in 1965 regarding the newly developed Head Start program, â€Å"Children are inheritors of poverty's curse and not its creators.Unless we act, these children will pass it on to the next generation† (CTD. In Early). My thought process began to shift a little. While I did know that the Head Start program existed, I did not know that it was so closely related to preschool age children. In my experience, the Head Start program was intended for those with difficulties adapting or learning in a public school setting. Still, I peeled back another layer from this debate. Using the discovery that a large number of separate Federal programs are involved with assisting families, I sought out a source from the opposite end of the debate.The forth source I selected to help me understand the debate of â€Å"Preschool for Allâ €  was from the National Affairs Journal. David Armor and Sonic Souse wrote the article, â€Å"The Dubious Promise of Universal Preschool†. Both authors are professors at the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. I read the article with an open mind already knowing the opposing conservative lean on the Journal. David Amour and Sonic Souse recapped a brief history of the debate, also mentioning President Johnny's initial Head Start proposal in 1965. But they quickly moved on to statistics and interpreting surveys that had been conducted.I found myself taking notes as I learned about the rapid growth in the asses of the Head Start program that ballooned from 400,000 in the asses to nearly 900,000 children (Armor Souse 37). The authors soon dive into concerns over the quality of the program, citing again the forty-five different Federal programs that support Head Start. They further explain hat the locally developed curriculums are frequently pointed out as the weakness in the overall program (Armor Souse). Additionally, â€Å"most Head Start teachers do not background in childhood education with an associates degree (Armor Souse, 39).I was taken back by this discovery. The quality of instruction seemed to be directly related to the experience of its instructor. The history of the Head Start Program is indeed a remarkable one. As one of the longest running Federal Government programs that attacks one of the poverty issues that exist in our country, Head Start surely has it's merits and drawbacks. The idea of â€Å"Preschool for All† started from a modest attempt to help low-income families with small children prepare for kindergarten. It later grew into the national debate we see and participate in today.Knowing that there were indeed instances where states have had promising success, I aimed my focus at the state of Oklahoma. According to an article I found in The New York Times using the database tool Lexis's, â€Å"Oklahoma! Wh ere the Kids Learn Early', two time Pulitzer Prize winning author Nicholas Kristin depicts a story about two young girls, ages three and four aiming to break the cycle of poverty which is about so much more than a lack of money' (Krzysztof. The girls' great grandmother had a baby at 13, their grandmother followed with a baby at 15, â€Å"the mom had her first baby by 13, born with drugs in his system† (Krzysztof.I was shocked as I keep reading. The inequality of these innocent children Jumped out at me. Suddenly, the debate took a different shape. In an interview that the author conducted with Republican Tulsa City Council member Skip Steele, â€Å"This isn't a liberal issue,† he added, â€Å"this is investing in our kids, in our future. It's a no- brainier† (Krzysztof. While I had researched nearly a dozen sources and discussed several of them here, none put the face to the story quite like this article. It is a stark reminder that there is a face behind all th e numbers, figures, and charts that make up statistics.The exploratory paper I began soon did not feel like an assignment anymore. It seemed like I was apart of a movement for the future of our nation. After conducting the research and having time to analyze the information, I still feel that Preschool for All is absolutely the right thing to do. With it's earnest beginnings during the Vietnam War, to the humble town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, my Rooney throughout this exploratory paper was very interesting. I was surprised to find out that about the number of Federal government programs that have oversight in the Head Start program.

Admiration

I love my parents, but I personally admire an American leader, Steve Jobs. In my opinion he was the best CEO of Apple and of course the most famous. As you know he is no longer alive, however his accomplishments are still remembered by people worldwide. In fact Jobs was not an easy person to work for – by that I mean he had a temper and many people found It hard to work with him, but they still did! This was because he was an absolute genius and his subordinates knew that he would make the company thrive.Many people, Including me don't really care about his attitude problems since his Inventions are fantastic. SYNC has named Steve Jobs the most Influential person of the last 25 years. Thus, he Is also my hero and without him I would never have been able to play games with the touch screen, listen to music, take photos and make phone calls on the same device. It Is clear that Steve Jobs had an undeniable passion for what he did. Passion Is to make a difference.Such passion Is w ell established as one of the key ingredients in the world's most successful businesses. It's something I ‘eve come to actively look for to become a successful individual. As a result, stilettos is always the basketballs for s ©eking 4 success There are some leaders who are great because of their charisma while others are famous for their intelligence. Steve jobs is a perfect example of this It is a shame he died at such a young age, I think he could have helped society much more with his inventions – but I guess that was his fate.

Benefits of Volunteering Abroad

The Benefits of Doing Volunteer Work Abroad Being a volunteer abroad does not give you monetary compensation for the time spent working. However, the time spent on volunteering abroad can improve the community and the world at large. The unselfish work that you do has innumerable benefits – for both oneself and others. Although you may not receive a fat cheque for the effort that you put in undertaking volunteer work aboard, there are many indirect benefits volunteering for work abroad. Here are some of the benefits of doing volunteer work abroad In everyday life you experience situations that call for your help. A passion to help others can be fulfilled by volunteering for work abroad. Committing your time and energy to the cause that you care about will bring you immense satisfaction. Improving Your Skills There are two things which are important in every individual's life: a) Change and improvement in one's skill b) Sharing the skills, knowledge and experience with others When you do volunteer work abroad you get a chance to do both. Each person that you interact with when you volunteer has some skill and knowledge to impart. You get to learn more and more things about the issue that you support. You can get an opportunity to practice the new skills that you learned while volunteering. Also, you get an opportunity to pass on the knowledge that you have. The satisfaction of sharing your knowledge with co-volunteers and children can be rewarding. 1 / 3 The Benefits of Doing Volunteer Work Abroad Make New Friends You can make many new friends when you do volunteer work abroad. The volunteers and employees of non-profit organisations are often some of the kindest people you can meet. These people are always ready to help, no matter what the problem. These people are unselfish and live in the hardest of conditions to make the world a better place. They are the best people you will come across, so make sure you value your friendship with them. You also get to meet people from diverse backgrounds that you may never get an opportunity to meet in your daily life. Feeling good about helping others Have you ever given a meal to a stranger or helped someone who is sick? If you haven't, then I suggest you give it a try. If you have helped someone, then you know how it feels to help others without expecting anything in return. You get the same feeling when volunteering abroad for a cause that you care about. You will feel good when you help someone. Over time, you will realise that you are addicted to helping others and you want to devote as much time as possible to helping others. Make a Difference The fact that you can make a difference in someone else's life will give you immense satisfaction. Volunteering aboard will give you an opportunity to help others. Putting in time and effort will help in: a) Making a difference in someone else's life b) Making the community and world at large a better place to live in. This effort that you put in will have a long-lasting impact on the community. 2 / 3 The Benefits of Doing Volunteer Work Abroad Confidence Building When you volunteer for work abroad you face many new challenges. These challenges help in developing your skills and improving your self-confidence. Also, you have so many people to help you that you learn a lot from them. These experiences will help you to deal with difficult situations in everyday life. So, volunteer for cause that you believe and help improve yourself – and the world. 3 / 3