Pressing Play to a New Playlist free essay sample

The smell of Korean barbeque permeates my nose as I attempt to perform a Bollywood dance on the sidewalk. I cross the street to my local bakery as my ears are filled with French melodies from La Vie En Rose. My iTunes playlist waits patiently in my palm as I decide which country to visit next. Shuffle. The serene sound of classical Italian tunes serenade my ears and I instantly find myself in an elegant gondola, drifting down the Grand Canal. My imagination can often get the best of me. Imagining diversity is the only thing I can achieve when growing up in a town that is predominantly Caucasian. Though I have been attending the same school and living day to day with the same people since preschool, I have always considered myself overtly different from my peers. While they would listen to the Backstreet Boys, my ears would be enchanted by the foreign melodies of China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. We will write a custom essay sample on Pressing Play to a New Playlist or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While my friends would go home to pizzas and steaks, a traditional bowl of hot and sour catfish soup would be waiting for me on my dining room table. Peers look at my life with curiosity but I view it with great appreciation. The plethora of cultures in my life has contributed significantly to my ability to view situations with different perspectives. My multi-Asian background along with my participation in global service projects have both helped to expand my ability to understand and discuss the development of humanity and its cultures in an insightful way. Traveling to El Salvador in 2011 with my Project Humanitarian Involvement group was the first time I realized I was capable of changing the world. I accomplished wonders in El Salvador and I built lasting relationships with the amigos I made there. Seeing the power of simple deeds being accomplished, such as building homes, change so many lives made me wonder, â€Å"If I can build a home to transform a life in El Salvador†¦what else can I do? And where†? As I press play to a new playlist in my life, I plan on further immersing myself into different communities and cultures of the world by focusing on international relations. I hope to surround myself with individuals from different cultures who will help me challenge and develop my own beliefs about myself and the changing world. I also plan to further advance my Spanish studies and improve my literary skills in Chinese and Vietnamese. My aspiration of learning languages is not only driven by my passion for seeking diversity, but also by the fact that I do not know where the shuffle setting in my life will take me. An amazing aspect of the shuffle setting on my iPod is that I never know what song to expect next. I do not know what extraordinary things my education will lead me to accomplish or what wondrous lands I will set foot in, but I do know that I am ready to escape this little peninsula that I call home and embark on new adventures into the world. I hope to encounter new experiences every day and that the shuffle setting in my life never ceases to quench my thirst for diversity. My expectation for my future is that there will no longer be a need to imagine myself riding on a gondola or hearing Bollywood music from my headphones. I am ready to turn the shuffle setting off on my iPod, and on in my life.

The Ultimate Goal of a Customer-Oriented Organization Is to Maximize Its Customer Satisfaction Essays

The Ultimate Goal of a Customer-Oriented Organization Is to Maximize Its Customer Satisfaction Essays The Ultimate Goal of a Customer-Oriented Organization Is to Maximize Its Customer Satisfaction Paper The Ultimate Goal of a Customer-Oriented Organization Is to Maximize Its Customer Satisfaction Paper The ultimate goal of a customer-oriented organization is to maximize its customer satisfaction. This topic is about the relation between the profit of a customer-oriented organization and its customer satisfaction. â€Å"The customer is KING. †. It heralds the emergence of new business paradigms that will keep pace with a world rapid changing under the impact of development. The following word will show what are the changes of marketing, what is the customer satisfaction, why the customer satisfaction is important, what is the customer-oriented organization, how to be a customer-oriented organization using the knowledge of marketing. Marketing is an organization function and a set of processes for creasing, communication, and delivering value to customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. (David L. Kurtz Boone 2010, Principles of contemporary marketing PP7) Marketing creates form, time, place, and ownership utilities. Formproduction of the good, driven by the marketing function; Timemake product available when customers want to buy the product; Placemake product available where customers will buy the product; Ownership (Possession) once you own the product, do what you want with it. ( udel. du/alex/chapt1. html, 16-11-2010) Marketing has been a part of business; its importance has varied greatly. Marketing has four eras in the history: the production era, the sales era, the marketing era, and the relationship era. The production era: The prevailing attitude of this era held that a high-quality product would sell itself before 1925. The sales era: In this era, firms attempte d to match their output to the potential number of customers who would want it in about the 1920s to 1950s. The marketing era: Marketing concept is company-wide consumer orientation with the objective of achieving long-run success. The relationship era: This era in the history of marketing emerged during the final decade of the 20th century and continues to grow in importance. Relationship marketing involves developing long-term, value-added relationships over time with customers and suppliers. (David L. Kurtz Boone 2010, Principles of contemporary marketing PP9-11) Now the main era is still in the marketing era. Marketing does not occur in a vacuum. The marketing environment consists of external forces that directly or indirectly impact the organization. We have some environmental forces: societal, political, economic, competitive, and technology. Societal Forces: Pressure to create laws Since marketing activities are a vital part of the total business structure, marketers have a responsibility to help provide what members of society want and to minimize what they dont want. Societal forces pressure political forces to create legal forces governed by regulatory forces. Political Forces: Forces in the marketing environment that are shaped by elected (and sometimes appointed) officials that impact the decisions made by a business organization. Government officials can enact laws that could cause serious harm to specific business sectors. For example, a state that passes laws prohibiting off-shore drilling would dramatically affect oil drilling companys business outlook. Through environmental scanning a business looks at these political forces that might affect them in the short and long term. Economic forces: Marketers may need to adjust their marketing mix as the economy passes through different stages. ( udel. edu/alex/chapt3. tml, 16-11-2010) Customer-oriented organization is one that allows the wants and needs of customers and potential customers to drive all the firms strategic decisions mind is that has the business philosophy incorporating the marketing concept that emphasizes first determining unmet consumer needs and then designing a system for satisfying them. Today, the marketing era is also the most important era, although it has had four eras. The organizations build on the marketing era’s customer orientation by focusing on establishing and maintaining relationships with both customers and suppliers. wordiq. com/definition/Marketing_orientation, Marketing orientation– Definition, 16-11-2010) Marketing mixing is a framework which helps to structure the approach to each market. The mix is a bundle of variables which are offered to the customer. These include the product or service itself and the price which should be charged. In 1960 Jerome McCarthey presented the 4Ps to the world. Product: This me ans the products or services quality, the functions, the features and benefits of its design plus packaging, guarantees and level of after-sales service. Choices can be made about any of these aspects. Price: It includes recommended prices to end-user customers, distributors trade prices, cash discounts, bulk discounts, terms of credit. Place: It means where and when the customer buys and consumes the product or service. Place is sometimes referred to as the marketing channels, physical distribution, logistics or location. Promotion: It means the promotions mix or the communications mix. This mix includes advertising, sales promotions, publicity, direct mail, exhibitions, display, packaging, selling and even word-of-mouth. Customer satisfaction, a business term, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. It is seen as a key performance indicator within business. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Customer_satisfaction, Wikipedia, 18-11-2010) Customer lifetime value: This phrase relates to a very simple concept. Every interaction you have with a customer should be done on the basis that their value to you is the total of all the purchases they will ever make, not that one sale. For example your most valuable customers are probably not those who make the biggest purchases, they are the ones who come back again and again. This way of thinking also allows you to consider marketing approaches that do not require you to make back he cost of acquiring a customer in a single sale; The cost of acquisition: It has been demonstrated that it is up to 20 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to keep an existing one. A traditional sales approach can be likened to pouring new customers into a bucket with a hole in the bottom-the weaker your levels of customer retention the larger the hole. saferpak. com/csm_articles/Customer%20satisfaction_%20loyalty%20and%20profit. pdf, Customer satisfaction, loyalty and profit. understanding the links between service and the bottom line, 16-11-2010) Excellent service organizations intensively study the key drivers of people who use their products. Key drivers are the needs, wants, and expectations that are most imp ortant to customers, and they should be part of the organization’s knowledge base. The best way to learn these key drivers is to continually and carefully study customers. Many managers think they understand the factors that contribute to customer satisfaction and intent to return. Most times, however, management’s perception does not represent the customers’ point of view, creating a disconnect between what managers think consumers prefer and what consumers actually want. (http://onlinesuccesscentre. com/tag/key-drivers-of-customer-satisfaction/, â€Å"Customer Relationship Management. 8 Common goals for a CRM Program. What are Key Drivers Of Customer Satisfaction? 18-16-2010) There are three steps to build customer relationships: Determine mutually satisfying goals between organization and customers; Establish and maintain customer rapport; Produce positive feelings in the organization and the customers. ( businessballs. com/crmcustomerrelationshipmanagement. htm,18-11-2010 ) The organization should build up a â€Å"Customer-Centric Business Structure†: Customer segments that the organization wants to excel and dominate; the unique value targeted customers receive through our products and services; the critical few things that must be done well to deliver the customer value; basic building blocks to enable the creation of such critical capabilities. http://doc. mbalib. com/view/24c1de252959a991d26e421ea6a464b6. html,16-11-2010) Customer service deals with a wide range of practices used by businesses to make their customers satisfied. These practices can range from polite and friendly service to going the extra mile to ensure satisfaction is achieved. Many businesses, especially smaller ones, refer to t his as the key factor in the development and success of their business. Companies that strive on developing these techniques always prosper over their competitors. There are four benefits of an effective customer relation management strategy: The organization increases profit. Business studies tell that the longer the company keeps a customer, the more money it will make in the long run. This is due to the fact, that customers always spent a little money in a new business relationship, and a lot more – when the business deals are running smoothly. The organization will survive in a competitive market. Effective customer service has grown in business for staying. With an increasing globalization, faster competition and a fast running technology and the reducing of trade barriers, competition is fierce. There are several suppliers around the world, eager to make business and to snatch your customers and the opportunity to satisfy customers. If you do not deliver to the customers – you will not survive. The organization will reach a higher

Homework 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Homework 3 - Essay Example The physical stimulus of temperature is transduced in the development so as to modulate the expression of the genes coding for steroid genic enzymes and sex steroid hormone receptors. In the temperature dependent sex determination, every individual possesses an equal ability of becoming either male or female. Temperature triggers the activation of one sex-determining cascade. Temperature dependent sex determination is an evolutionary precursor to the genotype sex-determining mechanisms, mainly characteristic of birds and mammals (Becker 249). Exogenous estrogens are used in embryos for the production of females at temperatures that produce only males. On the other hand, an aromatase inhibitor is administered to produce males at temperatures that produce only females. Aromatase is administered since it is the key enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens (Valenzuela & Lance 211-227). In the temperature dependent sex determination, temperature is the regulatory factor that determines the sex of the organisms. It is during the incubation period that the temperature is controlled in favor of the desired sex. The method has proved to be efficient form of environmental sex determination

The impact of Social media on the political life in the Arab Countries Assignment

The impact of Social media on the political life in the Arab Countries - Assignment Example These influences are both positive and negative and are seen across the region. This research will rely much on information from other secondary sources in order to build up a good understanding of the whole concept. In this regard, previous studies and literature review will be an important consideration. The research will further rely on empirical study as a way of gaining in-depth primary source of information. In this regard, there will be a conclusive use of documentation review, interviews and questionnaires which will be used to gather much information. There has been a growing concern in the recent past reading the use of the social media in politics. Indeed, this concern arises out of the fact that politicians have realized the huge potential and opportunity presented by search media. In this regard, Twitter and Facebook is used extensively as a way reaching millions of people. The recent happening seen in the Arab world which led to several cases of uprising were majorly fueled by the social media. People used such media in creating awareness and championing for their rights. Indeed, there is a growing fear that the social media is being misused in gaining political mileage and this certainly needs to be addressed. In order to enhance the realization of the objectives, the research will focus on a case study which will center on one country so as to provide a clear picture of the whole situation in the Arab world. This will further reduce the challenge of having to deal with many countries in a region that is typically similar in most

Presentation for the Global marketing into CVs and Wallgreen PowerPoint

For the Global marketing into CVs and Wallgreen - PowerPoint Presentation Example The company has stores in more than 32 states and is expanding gradually in Florida. The expectations of the Florida market have been beyond anticipations due to customer acceptance and better sales figures in the new areas of expansion. Another marketing strategy used is altering the format of the stores, which has generated high margins of profit. CVS has moved from a 9600 square feet prototype convention to bigger and better free standing facilities, which has seen $22 billion in sales and ranked second among competitors in 2012 (Callegarri, 2003). On the other hand, Walgreens has based its marketing strategies on customers. This has resulted into a huge shift in direction. The strategies used include: identifying the customer need; building relationships internally between customer service, IT and operations and marketing departments; a clear outcome and goal and marketing communication; and making the company system simpler. This has seen Walgreens open more stores to cater for customer need as a marketing strategy. Another marketing strategy used by Walgreens is customer initiatives such as the launch of Customer Centric Retailing initiative in 2008, which brought huge profit margins (Nulman,

Linear Sequential Model

Linear Sequential Model Introduction Software process (Jean, Badara David 1999) defines the way in which software development is organized, managed, measured, supported and improved. Although they may show different levels of sophistication in mastering their processes, all organizations involved in software-development follow a process of some kind, implicit or explicit, reproducible, instrumented, adaptable or otherwise. Software Development Organization in general has come to realize that the key to successful delivery (on time, on budget, with the expected quality) lies in the effective management of their software process. Generic phase Pressman (2001) mentions that software engineering can be categorized into three phases, regardless of application area, project size or complexity. The definition phase focuses on what. That is during definition, the software engineer attempts to identify what information or data is to processed, what function and performance are required, what system behavior can be expected, what interfaces are to be established, what design constraints exist and what validation criteria are required to define a successful and working system. The development phase focuses on how. That is, during development a software engineer attempts to define how data are to be structured, how function is to be implemented within a software architecture, how procedural details are to be implemented, how interfaces are to be characterized, how the design will be translated into a programming language, and how testing will be performed. The methods applied during the development phase will different, but three specific technical tasks should always occur: software design, code generation, and software testing. The support phase focuses on change associated with error correction, adaptations required as the softwares environment evolves, and changes due to enhancements brought about by changing customer requirements. The support phase reapplies the steps of the definition and development phases but does so in the context of existing software. Four types of change are encountered during the support phase: Correction: Even with the best quality assurance activities, it is likely that the customer will uncover defects or bugs in the software. Corrective maintenance changes the software to correct defects. Adaptation: Over time, the original environment (e.g., CPU, operating system, business rules, external product characteristics) for which the software was developed is likely to change. Adaptive maintenance results in modification to the software to accommodate changes to its external environment. Enhancement: As software is used, the customer/user will recognize additional functions that will provide benefit. Perfective maintenance extends the software beyond its original functional requirements. Prevention: Computer software deteriorates due to change, and because of this, preventive maintenance, often called software reengineering, and must be conducted to enable the software to serve the needs of its end users. In essence, preventive maintenance makes changes to computer programs so that they can be more easily corrected, adapted, and enhanced. Linear Sequential Model / Waterfall Model Linear sequential model or be known as waterfall model is one of the approaches in Software Development Process Models that software engineer used to defined and design which are used during the development process of software. Parekh (n.d.) clearly stated that all these phases are cascaded to each other so that second phase is started as and when defined set of goals are achieved for first phase and it is signed off. Phases of Linear Sequential Model (Startvbdotnet Contributor, n.d.) Feasibility The feasibility study is used to determine if the project should get the go ahead. If the project is to proceed, the feasibility study will produce a project plan and budget estimates for the future stages of development. Requirement Analysis and Design Analysis gathers the requirements for the system. This stage includes a detailed study of the business needs of the organization. Options for changing the business process may be considered. Design focuses on high level design like, what programs are needed and how are they going to interact, low-level design, interface design and data design. During these phases, the softwares overall structure is defined. Analysis and Design are very crucial in the whole development cycle. Any mistakes in the design phase could be very expensive to solve in the later stage of the software development. Much care is taken during this phase. The logical system of the product is developed in this phase. Implementation In this phase the designs are translated into code. Computer programs are written using a conventional programming language or an application generator. Programming tools like Compilers, Interpreters and Debuggers are used to generate the code. Different high level programming languages like C, C++, Pascal and Java are used for coding. With respect to the type of application, the right programming language is chosen. Testing In this phase the system is tested. Normally programs are written as a series of individual modules, these subjects to separate and detailed test. The system is then tested as a whole. The separate modules are brought together and tested as a complete system. The system is tested to ensure that interfaces between modules work, the system works on the intended platform and with the expected volume of data and that the system does what the user requires. Maintenance It is cannot be avoided fact that a system will need maintenance. Software will definitely undergo change once it is delivered to the customer. There are many reasons for the change. Change could happen because of some unexpected input values into the system. In addition, the changes in the system could directly affect the software operations. The software should be developed to keep or save detail of changes that could happen during the post implementation period. Project Output in a Waterfall Model As Freetutes.com Contributors (n.d.) has seen, the output of a project employing the waterfall model is not just the final program along with documentation to use it. There are a number of intermediate outputs, which must be produced in order to produce a successful product. The set of documents that should be produced in each project are: Requirement document Project plan System design document Detailed design document Test plan and test report Final code Software manuals (user manual, installation manual etc.) In order to certify an output product of a phase before the next phase begins, reviews are often held. Reviews are necessary especially for the requirements and design phases, since other certification means are frequently not available. Reviews are formal meeting to uncover deficiencies in a product. The review reports are the outcome of these reviews. Based on the information given by The Software Tester Contributor (n.d.), below are the advantages and disadvantages for Linear Sequential Model. Advantages of Linear Sequential Model Emphasizes requirements before design. Single system design phase emphasizes planning and design of the system architecture and technology before coding begins. Milestone reviews encourage close scrutiny of phase exit and entry criteria. Sequential progression through phases readily maps to configuration control points and the establishment of baselines. Model structure is readily understood and communicable to all stakeholders. Disadvantages of Linear Sequential Model Testing does not receive focus until after the system has been specified, designed and coded. Many different units and sub-systems could be developed within the one project and the Waterfall Model implies that these are all specified and designed in one clump which does not reflect the reality Customer involvement is not throughout so issues with requirements are not always realized until later in the lifecycle. Linear progression through the phases can result in issue identification being pushed downstream resulting in many cycles of rework causing delays. The customer does not get to see the software until the very end. Project managers cannot always get a true picture of project health and progress, especially in the earlier phases. Rapid Application Development (RAD) Pressman (2001) describes rapid application development (RAD) as an incremental software development process model that emphasizes an extremely short development cycle. The RAD model is a high-speed adaptation of the linear sequential model in which rapid development is achieved by using component-based construction. If requirements are well understood and project scope is constrained, the RAD process enables a development team to create a fully functional system within very short time periods. Normally it takes about 60 to 90 days. RAD Models Phases Stages of Rapid Application Model (RAD) Pressman (2001) Business modeling: The information flow among business functions is modeled in a way that answers the following questions: What information drives the business process? What information is generated? Who generates it? Where does the information go? Who processes it? Data modeling: The information flow defined as part of the business modeling phase is refined into a set of data objects that are needed to support the business. The characteristics or can be called as attributes. Each object is identified and the relationships between these are objects defined. Process modeling: The data objects defined in the data modeling phase are transformed to achieve the information flow necessary to implement a business function. Processing descriptions are created for adding, modifying, deleting, or retrieving a data object. Application generation: Rather than creating software using conventional third generation programming languages, the RAD process works to reuse existing program components when possible or create reusable components when necessary. In all cases, automated tools are used to facilitate construction of the software. Testing and turnover: Since the RAD process emphasizes reuse, many of the program components have already been tested. This reduces overall testing time. However, new components must be tested and all interfaces must be fully exercised. Advantages of Rapid Application Development (RAD) My Project Management Expert Contributor (n.d.) The time required to develop the software is drastically reduced due to a reduced requirement analysis business requirements documentation and software requirement specification and planning stage. All the software prototypes produced can be kept in a repository for future use. The reusability of the components also fastens the phase of the process of software development. It is much easier for a project manager to be accurate in estimating project costs which of course means that project cost controls are easier to implement and manage as well. It is a big cost saver in terms of project budget as well as project time and cost due to reusability of the prototypes. If a component is being picked for the repository, it is already tested and hence need not be tested again. This helps in saving time required for testing. The project management requirements are collected in a dynamic manner. Every time there is a prototype ready, requirements are studied and matched. If there are any additional requirements, these are then included in the next prototype built. Disadvantages of Rapid Application Development (RAD) My Project Management Expert Contributor (n.d.) This method may not be useful for large, unique or highly complex projects This method cannot be a success if the team is not sufficiently motivated and nor is unable to work cohesively together. Success depends on the extremely high technical skills of the developers. There are times when the team ignores necessary quality parameters such as consistency, reliability and standardization. Hence this can make project quality management hard to implement during the project management life cycle Comparison between Linear Sequential Model and Rapid Application Model Below are the comparison for linear sequential model and rapid application model that are clearly stated by e2x limited Contributor (2005) Linear Sequential Model Development Linear Sequential Model development demands that all the requirements are identified and detailed at the start of the project. The system architecture is then defined, and detailed design of the system carried out before programming starts. The system is usually delivered in modules that, once finished are then integrated and tested. The big problem with linear sequential model development is that it assumes all the requirements, the architecture and the design can be identified, fixed and signed off up front. If this is done correctly, development and delivery of the system should be little more than the correct translation of the design into code. Experience has shown that it is incredibly difficult to produce requirements of such detail and completeness that the system delivered is exactly what the customer wanted. We have also seen that the transition from design to programming, from programming to integration, and from integration to testing can be fraught with problems; usually caused by misunderstandings, incorrect assumptions and discrepancies not identified during the requirements, architecture and design phases. Linear sequential model development can, and does work, but doing it right is typically very expensive. However, even when waterfall is practiced well, it is not very good at dealing with change. Every change in the requirements requires a change request, often submitted to a change control board. Linear Sequential Model works best when change is restricted. RAD (Rapid Application Development) In a RAD project, the customer is involved early on in working with technologists to quickly produce prototypes that embody the requirements. This gives the customer and users a chance to play with the technology early on to firm up their requirements and identify any gaps or incorrect assumptions. RAD projects then typically head in one of two directions. Some will become linear sequential model development projects, with the prototypes being formalized as requirements. Others will seek to develop the prototypes into proper implementations. The later approach often leads to a number of poorly engineered and poorly integrated solutions as fleshing out a prototype is not the same as developing a proper solution from the ground up. As with linear sequential model development, RAD can and does work. However, successful RAD projects tend to be those where the final solution is actually relatively close to the prototype in terms of implementation. Front-office solutions for exotic financial markets built around spreadsheets, and one-off, limited scope, database-and-forms applications are good examples. Conclusion As a conclusion, if I am a project manager for a specific software project, I would choose rapid application development (RAD) as one of my method to develop software. By using RAD, I can roughly know what end-user want with their software, I can get clear view what the software can do, how the software behave and what type of performance that I can predict out. On top of that, RAD also enabled the team to work quicker and we can produce high quality software that can meet end-users need.

Movie Response: Boys Don’t Cry Essay example -- Film Movie Boys Dont

Movie Response: Boys Don’t Cry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First I just want to say that if I didn’t have to watch this movie for class, then it wouldn’t normally appeal for me to watch it. I didn’t have anything against this movie; I just personally do not like watching movies that have a negative vibe like it did at the end of this movie. I know that this movie was supposed to be based on the true story of Teena Brandon, however, after watching this movie, I looked up the true story and it turned out that the movie was really faithful to the actual real life events that occurred.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At first, as I was watching the movie, I was confused as to why Teena wanted to dress up at as a man and be called Brandon. I thought that maybe she was just lesbian that didn’t like dressing like a girl and wanted more of the masculine look. But then I found out that she was just having issues with not feeling right being a woman. She felt that she was stuck inside the wrong body. That’s why she wanted to dress up as a man, and later on actually be able to get the operation that would make her a man physically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the movie, I really wanted her to go back home and leave those people she met at the bar. Personally, I could tell that those people were not, â€Å"good people.† They seemed like they didn’t have their life straight. It seemed like Teena/Brandon wanted to leave, but for some reason, she decided to stay. I think it was mainly because she felt that she was accepted by them, mainly becau...

Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower

Catherine Zulfer, a former employee of playboy filed a suit against them alleging that Playboy Enterprises violated provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The former employee reports that playboy retaliated against her for refusing to participate in fraudulent activity against Playboy’s shareholders (Katz, Marshall& Banks, LLP, 2013). Without receiving permission from the board of directors, Christopher Pachler, Chief Financial Officer, instructed Zulfer to gather one million dollars in bonuses for various corporate officers of the company.At that time Zulfer felt that Pachler was attempting to embezzle the money from the company, therefore she denied the request until it was approved by the board. Zulfer then informed Playboys General Counsel and the Securities and Exchange Commission of the request that was made by Pachler. Soon after Zulfer made the report, she claims that retaliation against her began. She was excluded from company meetings and discussions, crucial information to her position was withheld from her, and her accounting staff was diminishing (Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP, 2013).On December 31, 2011 Zulfer was terminated, although Playboy describes it as a layoff. Issue: Did Playboy violate the whistleblower-protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (â€Å"SOX†)? Rule: The Playboy Company retaliated against Zulter for refusing to participate in fraud regarding the playboy shareholders. Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, (SOX) one rule prohibits any employer from retaliation against and employee. Another rule is that under this law employees are protected when they speak of a wrongdoing within the workplace.â€Å"Under SOX, employers are strictly prohibited from retaliating against employees who report illegal or unethical conduct. Employees are also protected when making disclosures about shareholder fraud or violations of SEC rules and regulations. † (Halunen, p. 1, Para. 1) Analysis: Append reflecti on Zulter dismissal was retaliation against her by the playboy company, because she reported and activity of fraud with the playboy shareholders.In this case, Zulter was continually excluded from meetings and discussions, withholding crucial information she needed to carry out her corporate accounting responsibilities, and eliminating corporate accounting staff. Conclusion: In the end, the courts dismissed playboy’s argument reaffirming that under the bylaws of (SOX) employees are protected from employees from retaliation for reporting violations of â€Å"any rule of regulation of the SEC.Zulfer was protected under the SOX Act, whistle-blower‘s of publicly traded companies are protected. Employers are not supposed to retaliate or discriminate against employees in the terms and conditions of their employment. The plaintiff provided information regarding violations the company was participating in; the violations that can be of a federal fraud statute, a rule or regulati on of the SEC, or a provision of Federal law relating to fraud against shareholders.The team agrees that Zulfer was protected under the Act and that the Act is there to bring forth more white collar crimes that would not otherwise be disclosed if the was not there to protect and compensate. SOX promotes honesty without fear, the whistle-blower provisions of the SOX Act provides a general framework for ensuring that employees (including attorneys and auditors) disclose information which may harm investors. Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Catherine Zulfer, a former employee of playboy filed a suit against them alleging that Playboy Enterprises violated provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The former employee reports that playboy retaliated against her for refusing to participate in fraudulent activity against Playboy’s shareholders (Katz, Marshall& Banks, LLP, 2013). Without receiving permission from the board of directors, Christopher Pachler, Chief Financial Officer, instructed Zulfer to gather one million dollars in bonuses for various corporate officers of the company.At that time Zulfer felt that Pachler was attempting to embezzle the money from the company, therefore she denied the request until it was approved by the board. Zulfer then informed Playboys General Counsel and the Securities and Exchange Commission of the request that was made by Pachler. Soon after Zulfer made the report, she claims that retaliation against her began. She was excluded from company meetings and discussions, crucial information to her position was withheld from her, and her accounting staff was diminishing (Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP, 2013).On December 31, 2011 Zulfer was terminated, although Playboy describes it as a layoff. Issue: Did Playboy violate the whistleblower-protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (â€Å"SOX†)? Rule: The Playboy Company retaliated against Zulter for refusing to participate in fraud regarding the playboy shareholders. Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, (SOX) one rule prohibits any employer from retaliation against and employee. Another rule is that under this law employees are protected when they speak of a wrongdoing within the workplace.â€Å"Under SOX, employers are strictly prohibited from retaliating against employees who report illegal or unethical conduct. Employees are also protected when making disclosures about shareholder fraud or violations of SEC rules and regulations. † (Halunen, p. 1, Para. 1) Analysis: Append reflecti on Zulter dismissal was retaliation against her by the playboy company, because she reported and activity of fraud with the playboy shareholders.In this case, Zulter was continually excluded from meetings and discussions, withholding crucial information she needed to carry out her corporate accounting responsibilities, and eliminating corporate accounting staff. Conclusion: In the end, the courts dismissed playboy’s argument reaffirming that under the bylaws of (SOX) employees are protected from employees from retaliation for reporting violations of â€Å"any rule of regulation of the SEC.Zulfer was protected under the SOX Act, whistle-blower‘s of publicly traded companies are protected. Employers are not supposed to retaliate or discriminate against employees in the terms and conditions of their employment. The plaintiff provided information regarding violations the company was participating in; the violations that can be of a federal fraud statute, a rule or regulati on of the SEC, or a provision of Federal law relating to fraud against shareholders.The team agrees that Zulfer was protected under the Act and that the Act is there to bring forth more white collar crimes that would not otherwise be disclosed if the was not there to protect and compensate. SOX promotes honesty without fear, the whistle-blower provisions of the SOX Act provides a general framework for ensuring that employees (including attorneys and auditors) disclose information which may harm investors.

Guidelines for Using Abbreviations in Formal Writing

Guidelines for Using Abbreviations in Formal Writing Provided they are not obscure to the reader, abbreviations communicate more with fewer letters. Writers have only to ensure that the abbreviations they use are too well known to need any introduction, or that they are introduced and explained on their first appearance. - From The Cambridge Guide to English Usage by Pam Peters Despite what you may have heard in school, abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms are commonly used in formal writing (though youll find them more frequently in business and the sciences than in the humanities). Exactly how they should be used depends on your audience, the country youre living in (British and American conventions differ), and the particular style guide youre following. 10 Tips for Using Abbreviations Correctly Using Indefinite Articles Before Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms: The choice between a and an is determined by the sound of the first letter in the abbreviation. Use a before a consonant sound (for example, a CBC documentary or a U.S. official). Use an before a vowel sound (an ABC documentary or an MRI).Placing a Period at the End of an Abbreviation: In American usage, an abbreviation that includes the first and last letters of a single word (Doctor, for example) is usually followed by a period (Dr.), while In British usage, the period (or full stop) is usually omitted (Dr).Abbreviating the Titles of Doctors: For medical doctors, write either Dr. Jan Jones or Jan Jones, M.D. (Dont write Dr. Jan Jones, M.D.) For nonmedical doctors, write Dr. Sam Smith or Sam Smith, Ph.D. (Dont write Dr. Sam Smith, Ph.D.)Using Common Abbreviations: Certain abbreviations are never spelled out: a.m., p.m., B.C. (or B.C.E.), A.D. (or C.E.). Unless your style guide says otherwise, use lower case o r small capitals for a.m. and p.m. Use capital letters or small caps for B.C. and A.D. (the periods are optional). Traditionally, B.C. comes after the year and A.D. comes before it, but nowadays the abbreviation commonly follows the year in both instances. Abbreviating Months and Days: If the month is preceded or followed by a numeral (14 Aug. or Aug. 14), abbreviate months as follows: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sep. (or Sept.), Oct., Nov., Dec. Dont abbreviate May, June, or July. As a general rule, dont abbreviate the month if it appears alone or with just the year- and dont abbreviate the days of the week unless they appear in charts, tables, or slides.Using the Abbreviation Etc.: The Latin abbreviation etc. (short for et cetera) means and others. Never write and etc. Do not use etc. at the end of a list introduced by such as or including.Placing a Period After Each Letter in an Acronym or an Initialism: Though there are exceptions, as a general rule omit the periods: NATO, DVD, IBM.Punctuating an Abbreviation at the End of a Sentence: Use a single period when an abbreviation appears at the end of a sentence. The single period does double duty- marking the abbreviation and closing the sentence.Avoid RAS Syndrome: RAS syndrome is a humorous initialism for Redundant Acronym (or Abbreviation) Syndrome syndrome. Avoid redundant expressions such as ATM machine and BBC corporation. Avoid Alphabet Soup: Alphabet soup (a.k.a. initialese) is a metaphor for using an overabundance of abbreviations and acronyms. If youre unsure whether the meaning of an abbreviation is familiar to your readers, write out the entire word.

Barbie essays

Barbie essays Since the beginning of time, toys have often been an indicator of the way a society behaves, and how they interact with their children. For example, in ancient Greece, artifacts recovered there testify that children were simply not given toys to play with as in the modern world. The cruel ritual of leaving a sick child on a hillside for dead, seems to indicate a lack of attention to the young (Lord 16). The same is true of todays society. As you can see with the number of toy stores in our society, we find toys of great value to our lives and enjoy giving them to children as gifts. Ask just about any young girl what she wants for Christmas and youll undoubtedly get the same answer: A Barbie. But what exactly has caused this baby boomer Barbie craze, and how did the entire world get so caught up in it? The answer lies in Ruth Handlers vision for the first childrens adult doll. Mrs. Handlers eleven and one-half-inch chunk of plastic began causing problems even before its public debut in 1959, yet has managed to become one of Americas favorite dolls. Ruth Handler and her two young children, Barbara and Ken, were merely sightseeing in Lucerne, Switzerland, when Mrs. Handler first saw the doll she herself had been trying to create (Lord 29). In the window of a small gift shop was an eleven and one-half-inch tall plastic doll with a slender womans body and a long blond ponytail. Her name was Lilli (Bad Girl 1). She had been created from a cartoon character in a West German tabloid similar to the National Inquirer (Lord 8). Dressed provocatively, and with a seductive look in her eye, Lilli had become a popular pornographic gag gift for men (Bad Girl 1). Excited to see her long-time idea a reality, Mrs. Handler bought three of the dolls and hurried home to begin work on her own doll (Bad Girl 2). It was 1956, and within three years, Ma...

The ethical dilemmas surrounding gay marriages Research Paper

The ethical dilemmas surrounding gay marriages - Research Paper Example Despite that, the past Christianity was much stricter than the present (Jonathan, 2004). Regardless of such, there are ethical implications that surround such relations. They have not been accorded certain basic benefits, rights and protection granted to heterosexual couples under the state from the federal law. Though gay couple lives in relationships that have a strong commitment on love among one other, responsibility and a right to enter into relation with a partner they choose, they are denied certain human rights legal and economic stability given by institution of marriages. Gay Rights have been denied at many instances. From the article, wedding professionals in at least six states were reported on a case of antidiscrimination. The cake baker refused on religious Grounds offer services to gay couples. In another case at New Mexico, a supreme court ruled against Albuquerque photography business. They had violated state antidiscrimination law. They refused to take photos of a lesbian couple’s commitment ceremony. Moreover, a number of cases were pending in other states such as Colorado, Illinois, and New York and other (Jonathan, 2004). Religious rights deny Gays Equality. The acceptance of gays has continued to grow in America ,but most still strongly convict them that homosexuality is abhorrent ,as gays violates some of gods most basic commandment for humanity and that acceptance of gays in America in abhorrent to God. From the article, a person is quoted saying that his refusal to cake baking on same sex marriages was not motivated by â€Å"hatred of gays† but rather a â€Å"desire to live his life in obeying Gods word." Despite such, constitution guarantee of religious liberty that protects them both there believe the right to act on their belief. They are wrong. Religious Beliefs and Religious Acts-Religiously motivated discrimination is rampant among conservative Christians. They have failed to convince

Application of Leadership Models in Schools Essay

Application of Leadership Models in Schools - Essay Example   A produce leadership method can be ineffective since a leader focuses on production and demonstrates a little effort to address concerns of other people. This factor goes against the ISLLC Standard 2 of developing an instructional program and school culture conducive to the staff professional growth and the students learning. The standard is violated because the principal does not nurture a program that facilitates learning and teacher`s professional growth. The Path-Goal Theory illustrates to a leader different ways to motivate subordinates in accomplishing the goals of the organization. The grid focuses on enhancing the performance of employees through focusing on factors that motivate them. The leadership styles associated with the path-goal theory include Supportive leadership where the leader focuses on demonstrating sensitivity to each person. Another form is the directive leadership where the manager communicates goals and assigns definite tasks to each. Participative lead ership involves a leader consulting with his subordinates and considers their expertise and ideas before deciding on the cause of action. The final style in the path-goal model is the Achievement-oriented leadership that makes a manager set high standards and challenging goals for his team (Practical Management, 2010). In a supportive leadership style, a school principal pays equal attention to every teacher and student as he tries to take care of all issues affecting their performance and well-being.  Ã‚