How Anthropology Helps to Evaluate Stereotypes

Sport as Solvation to Reduce Stress

Stress is commonly known as a response, or a characteristic framework safeguard. In for the most part perceived circumstances, stress can be irritating, upsetting, and the disconnect from movement. The majority of our age will in general work, and a similar sum works in the administration business. We don't anyway acknowledge how a lot, or to what extent every week we should work. Normally the working hours consolidates somewhere in the range of 35hpw and 45hpw, however much of the time this is the standard which simply the agreement contains. The general definition is â€Å" working longer methods gaining more†, so individuals do, and reach totally records of â€Å"long hours „of work, for example, 60/70hours every week. Consequently we gather scarcely any more coins, and incredibly significant level of pressure, which reflexes at our homes, and on our wellbeing condition. This is only a little advance forward to accomplish mental catastrophe, to demolish home adjustment, or essentially get a coronary episode. Do we need this? To keep ourselves ready for action, we could set our day with some game action, which as I would like to think is the best answer for any sort of stress. Most importantly, it will medicate as out from the propensity being grinding away, at home and work once more, so check out you neighborhood to locate a pool or exercise center. At that point go along with it and attempt to arrive for in any event two times per week at starting. Nobody sais to lift the heaviest loads, yet analogically you will think that its unwinding. Precisely the equivalent with pool or some other sorts of game, for example, running. Try not to attempt to exhaust and the outcome will be ensured. You begin to rest better, your fixation will improve, and after at some point you need have the option to leave without it. Its difficult to bring an end to propensities, however recollect, nothing keep going for ever, and particularly our wellbeing. There are cash to gain, yet no wellbeing. In the event that you wish to wind up as sickly in your mid forties, disregard the game action and continue filling in as insane, anyway you need welcome the reality of earned cash since you will spend them for clinical treatment.

SEEDMATCH

SEEDMATCH © Shutterstock.com | maximmmmumSeedmatch is the biggest crowdfunding platform in Germany. The website is growing swiftly and in this article, we will look at 1) what is Seedmatch?, 2) benefits of using Seedmatch, 3) why and when to use Seedmatch, 4) options to raise funds fees on Seedmatch, 5) how to be successful on Seedmatch, 6) Seedmatch success stories.WHAT IS SEEDMATCH?Seedmatch is a German crowdfunding website that was launched in 2011. The company supports young companies with innovative ideas and products by connecting them to investors. Instead of investment opportunities being available only to a small group of wealthy businesses, angel investors or venture capitalists, the platform allows anyone to invest any amount in a startup with an innovative idea.Seedmatch is an equity based crowdfunding platform rather than a reward based one. This means that instead of a receiving a gift or an early version of the product or service in question, the investor can receive a share i n the company. This makes the products on offer more interesting to serious investors as well as smaller scale ones. The startups are under no obligation to give any voting rights to any investors that makes this an attractive opportunity for them as well.In addition, startups can use the crowd’s intelligence and opinion to test their business idea and make relevant changes to the final offer. The company has a success rate of 95 percent with over 70 rounds of successful funding. There are over 35,000 registered users on the website and total invested capital in projects is over 21 million Euro.Though there is no restriction on the type of project that can be launched for crowdfunding on the website, there are some categories that are more popular with investors than others. These include projects that have a detailed business plan, and areas such as big data, consumer electronics, e-commerce, energy, food, health, mobility, 3D printing, mobile, and IT security.HistorySeedmatch is the biggest crowdfunding or crowd investing platform in Germany. The company was launched in 2011 and by 2012, collected over 100,000 Euro in financing through successfully funded startup projects. The first project to collected 1 million Euro successfully was the “Projekt AoTerra” Today, it is known as Cloud and Heat and focuses on providing heat through the operation of cloud servers. Patented technology helps the company achieve its aim, and it is now in its second phase of crowdfunding. This was in the second quarter of 2013 and November 2013; the e-Volo collected 1.2 Million Euro.One of the biggest crowdfund generators has been a Hamburg startup by the name of Protonet. This company managed to collect 1 million Euro in just four hours on Seedmatch and then managed to collect 3 million Euro in total for their project. Though not the most money collected through a crowdfunding campaign, it is currently the record holder for the fastest million collected.Germany has a smaller venture capital presence than the United States or the United Kingdom, and the Investors are traditionally more averse to risk. The founders had to work hard in the beginning to establish credibility with these investors. The initial two projects took time to close but since then the pace has picked up considerably. The platform aims to create transparency and present each startup in the most detailed way possible through a business plan as well as videos and provide QA sessions for investors. BENEFITS OF USING SEEDMATCHSome of the benefits of using Seedmatch for crowdfunding include:Market Leader: The company is the leading crowdfunding platform in Germany. This early initiation into the crowdfunding arena has ensured that the company can understand the market and leverage existing structures to make an impact for startups and investors.Smart Investors: The pool of investors registered on the website are an intelligent swarm and take active part in the entire process from actual f unding to providing valuable feedback to the startup. This can help tweak the offering and the product to improve chances or long term success.Transparent Proces: The company has made it a point to provide a transparent process for both investors and the startups that list their products for funding. There are high standards for quality information that startups need to meet. Information provided to the crowd includes total amounts to be collected and already collected as well as information on yield potential and potential risks.Investor Privacy: Since there is a minimum investment limit of 250 Euro per investor, often investors put in larger amounts than usual for crowdfunding models. Keeping this in mind, the company aims to provide security to these investors. This is done by a strict privacy policy that protects the investor data from third parties.WHY WHEN TO USE SEEDMATCHThe website has certain criteria in place for the kind of ideas that can be put forward for funding on Se edmatch. Though there may be many creative projects and ideas put forward by startups, they may not all be appropriate for crowdfunding or even crowdfunding through Seedmatch. In general, the idea needs to be from a young and innovative company that is not yet established but has a sustainable and scalable business model. Some of the most important criteria for a Seedmatch startup include:Inspiring Idea: The idea needs to be able to generate enthusiasm among potential investors and inspire these investors as well as potential customers.Innovation: The idea being brought forward by the startup needs to be an innovative product or service with clear points of differentiation and value addition for potential customers.Trends: Often, popular ideas follow a current trend or attractive categories in both business-to-consumer markets as well as business-to-business ones. Some popular categories include education, big data and IT security, consumer electronics, e-commerce, energy, food, hea lth, mobile, and mobility.Facts and Proof of Concept: Empty marketing phrases and terminology are not acceptable, and startups need to prove that the idea will work and deliver as promised.Strong Founding Team: The team presenting the idea needs to be competent in terms of both the product development side and the sales and marketing side.Scalability: Any business idea presented needs to be sustainable over the long term and scalable over time.Strong Communication: The startup needs to be able to develop a strong and sustained channel of communication with investors during the crowdfunding campaign and beyond it. This communication should be a two sided critical exchange between the startup and its potential and final investors.Minimum Investment Goal: A startup looking to list its project for funding needs to have a minimum capital requirement of 100,000 Euro.Other Factors: Other important factors for the startup include a current website for the business, a headquarters in Germany and necessary legal documentation for the startup.OPTIONS TO RAISE FUNDS FEES ON SEEDMATCHAs mentioned briefly before, the startup listing its project on Seedmatch needs to have a minimum capital requirement of 100,000 Euro. The minimum amount that can be invested is 250 Euro and on average each investor puts in about 600 Euro. This minimum investment amount ensures that even an amateur investor takes the time to assess the viability of the project itself. This is also why the company needs to provide detailed information about its business model and viability backed by facts and figures and not just marketing jargon.A commission fee is charged by Seedmatch on all successful crowdfunding rounds. This fee is between 5 and 10 percent of the total funded amount. Any transaction costs for the transfer of funds is also charged only if a round of funding was a success.HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL ON SEEDMATCHStarting Crowdfunding on SeedmatchApplicationThe first step to listing a campaign on Se edmatch is to send the company introduction to the pitch desk. There are specific structures and formats to follow for this pitch. Once the pitch is sent in, it is evaluated internally first to assess whether the idea is viable for a crowdfunding platform. A response is usually received within 10 to 15 business days. If the feedback is positive and the idea deemed viable, the next step is to send in detailed documentation. This includes a business plan among other information. Once this is also approved, the startup is then invited to Seedmatch for a physical meeting where the business concept is discussed along with the details of the funding execution. The aim of the meeting is also to get to know the startup and for a startup to get to know the team at Seedmatch. When there are no further issues to clarify or work on, work is done on closing a funding agreement and the 4 to 6 week preparation process is initiated.Setting Up the CampaignThe point of the campaign is to tell investo rs the story of the company. The website provides support here by providing comprehensive structures that can be used to introduce a business concept. An important aspect of this introduction is a presentation video which can help give an authentic and enthusiastic image of the startup team to the investors. Seedmatch helps startups develop these if needed.Inviting People Once a profile page of information is created, funding can begin. It is up to the startup team to create a buzz and invite people to the fund page. This can be done through friends and family networks on social media outlets. The more people that hear about the campaign, the more likely the chances of reaching funding goals.Funding ConclusionOnce the target amount is reached, or a specific period of time passed, the funding round will be concluded. Investor relations can be managed through the same account on Seedmatch for the long term. It is important to keep the investors in the loop for your achievements, succe ss and even setbacks through regular reports. Continued advice and feedback can also be sought as different stages of the project are achieved. These investors should not be treated merely as a source of capital but as members of an extended team for the project, whose belief in a project is rewarded through involvement.Finding Investors on SeedmatchInvestors are generally attracted to startups that are able to:Showcase a product or service that is unique, innovative and with a clear USP.Provide accurate statements and facts about the business idea, business model and potential viability of this idea.Provide structured information in a clear and engaging way with the right graphics, the right photos and the right videos. Differentiation is key to remaining foremost in the minds of a potential investor as they go through multiple projects on the website.Demonstrate the advantages of their project and business model.Mistakes to AvoidA few basic mistakes to avoid when using Seedmatch t o fund a project include the following:Don’t make claims without facts â€" Users who donate to projects tend to question what they read and there should not be claims or marketing phrases that cannot be supported by facts.Don’t give unnecessary details â€" There is often a tendency by the project team to put too much information and long descriptions in their introduction. It is a better practice to keep the information provided brief and relevant. This can help capture and retain investor interest.Don’t forget to communicate with investors â€" More successful crowdfunded projects have usually had teams that were able to build a relationship through relevant communication with the right investors and potential customers.Don’t make errors in spelling and grammar â€" The profile presented by a project or startup is the investment offer to the outside world. This offer should be as perfect as possible and any errors in this presentation can end up separating the successes from the failures.SEEDMATCH SUCCESS STORIESSome of the most successful campaigns on Seedmatch include:ProtonetThe Product.  Protonet is a small server and private cloud. The product is targeted towards individual consumers and small businesses. Both a hardware and software solution, the product aims to help make the setup of a home network and server easier. According to the company, Protonet is a ‘one button social infrastructure and private cloud.’ The company has placed a lot of emphasis on design and usability of their product.The Campaign.  The project was listed on Seedmatch for crowdfunding. It managed to generate a record amount of 1 Million Euro in just 4 hours, unbeaten as of now on any crowdfunding platform. The total amount generated for the product was 3 Million Euro.Current Situation.  The company managed to raise money beyond expectations during its crowdfunding campaign. This means that there is more chance of a quicker product development and international expansion. The company had planned to push beyond German speaking countries in the middle of 2015, but are now in the financial position to do so much sooner. More on the Protonet success can be found here. BonaverdeThe Product.  The product is described as the world’s first roast-brew-grind coffee machine. The product claims to turn green, unroasted beans into freshly brewed coffee in under 14 minutes. Unroasted beans stay fresh longer than pre roasted ones. Therefore, the company is basing its business proposition on this enhanced flavor. When it launched officially, the company also aims to serve as an online marketplace for raw beans, connecting farmers to the end user.The Campaign.  The company is running several crowdfunding campaigns across various platforms. Their campaign on Seedmatch is ongoing, with over 1.2 Million Euro already collected.Current Situation.  The company has preorders worldwide through its other reward based crowdfunding campaigns. With capital still being raised, progress has yet to be seen. There has been some recent unhappiness from backers because of post campaign redesign of the product. Details can be found here. AoterraThe Product.  The product aims to provide heating and hot water using wasted heat from running servers. The end result is a powerful, decentralized, green solution. The project is now known as Cloud and Heat. The company identified two sources of revenue for itself: the sale of the heating equipment for free heat output and cloud services.The Campaign.  The campaign raised 1 million Euro in 2013. This was the first project to raise a million Euro for Seedmatch.Current Situation.  The company is now on its second round of funding via Seedmatch to further grow the business. The details of this campaign can be found here.

The Death Of The World - 1733 Words

Ali strolled in on a colleague, likewise a decent companion that has worked with for as far back as five years his name is Adie, his taking diazepam, a drug used in the treatment of anxiety or muscle spasms. Adie expressed that he had forgotten to carry his own prescribed ones in a hurry to get to work that day, and he could not skip his scheduled time to take the drug. Adie is asking Ali not to say anything to anybody and guarantees it was just a one-time thing, and it could never happen again. Ali believes him and chooses not to educate anybody concerning what simply happened. At that point a month later Ali see him taking another dose of diazepam, putting them in his pocket without checking with anyone and minutes after Ali see him go into the toilet. Recollecting the occurrence that happened the last month before, Ali went in into the toilet not long after he has gone in and a wrapping of diazepam was found. Ali chooses not to let him know he had seen all the happenings. Resolving the dilemma with NMC code of ethics As an authorized professional medical attendant would be the main individual included in settling on the choice on regardless of whether to report your associate’s activities, being as you were the only one who saw the occasion (Garwood-Gowers, Tingle, Wheat, 2010). NMC code of conduct that states respect people s right to privacy and confidentiality (NMC, 2015), according to the dilemma Adie is asking Ali not to say anything to anybody,Show MoreRelatedThe World : The Death Of The World766 Words   |  4 Pageschange the lives of every being on this world. Falling through the sky, a chunk of high tech scrap breaks down pieces tearing off and becoming molten, as a life of sorts insides tries desperately to survive. All effort goes in vain as the hunk of hull has no way of being controlled. 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Just like the construction beneath me, my own mind was starting to flood with thoughts of death. My sturdy shelter no longer made me feel secure. Instead, I felt frailer than ever. I wished this nightmare would just end. Though theRead MoreCancer : The Leading Cause Death Of The World Essay1558 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Cancer is the leading cause of death in the world. An astounding average of 1.6 million deaths occur due to lung cancer every year, making it the most common type of cancer worldwide (1). Lung cancer is broadly classified into two types: small cell and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). 85% of all lung cancer cases are NSCLC. NSCLC has several different histologic subtypes, some of which are: squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. Of the three, adenocarcinomaRead MoreDeath Is The World s Universal Fear910 Words   |  4 PagesDeath is the world’s universal fear. The majority, if not the entirety, dread the day of their personal reckoning. Affirmed by the studies of creditable psychologists, people become heavily motivated by anxiety for their own mortality (Thagard, 2012), harboring particular rationales for fearing its end. It be clear, apprehension of death gravitates towards the extremely real possibility of unachieved accomplishments and an uncertainty of a hereafter (Quincy, 2007). But at the same time, what happens

Downsizing Of The American Penal System - 1474 Words

Literature Review Downsizing From the 1920s to the early 1970s the United States was experiencing a state of stability when it comes to the American Penal System. Murayama (1970) speaks on the American penal system, her main focus when taking a look at the system was the issue of mass incarceration. Murayama (1970, pp 629) states that since 1970 the number of people that are incarcerated has quadrupled. As a result of this corrections experts that were both inside and outside government began to emphasize two major goals for the American penal system. First was to address the concern about rehabilitation and second was to find a way to stabilize the size of the U.S. prison system. A National Advisory Commission report from 1973 was†¦show more content†¦The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 was signed into law President Clinton in an attempt to reduce crime. The Act called for 100,000 new officers, $9.7 billion budget for prisons and $6.1 billion in funding for programs that are des igned for prevention of crimes which were designed with significant input from experienced police officers. (1998) Currently there are 2.2 million adults in the U.S. penal population which is the largest in the world. Slightly under twenty-five percent of the world s prisoners are held in American prisons. The rate that americans are being incarceration is 5 to 10 times higher than the rates in areas Western Europe and other democracies. (2014, pp 3) Travis states that the American prison population is mostly composed of individuals that are consider â€Å"disadvantaged part† of the nation s population. These type of people included men under age 40, minority, and poorly educated. (pp 6) The growth of incarceration in the United States during four decades has prompted numerous critiques and a growing body of scientific knowledge about what prompted the rise and what its consequences have been for the people imprisoned, their families and communities, and for U.S. society. (p p. 11-12) Types of Crimes Brown states that people are deeply concerned that the Justice system is locking individuals up for petty crimes such as jaywalking. Brown made it clear that he was against the use/need for

Sarbanes Oxley Act Research Paper free essay sample

Abstract The purpose of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures made pursuant to the securities law, and for other purposes. (Lander, 2004) The Act created new standards for public companies and accounting firms to abide by. After multiple business failures due to fraudulent activities and embezzlement at companies such as Enron Sarbanes and Oxley recognized a need for the revamping of our financial systems laws, rules and regulations. Thus, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was born. II. Background/Purpose The Sarbanes Oxley Act was signed into law on July 30, 2002 by then President George W. Bush. After major scandals involving multiple large firms embezzling funds, two Senators took on the task of revamping the financial system criteria to the laws in place currently. Senator Paul Sarbanes was a Democrat representing the state of Maryland in the United States Senate for thirty years. In 2002, he was the Senate sponsor of the Sarbanes Oxley Act which was unanimously passed 99-0 in the 100-member Senate. Michael Oxley was a Republican representing the state of Ohio in the House of Representatives, while a member Oxley served as the chairman of the Committee of Financial Services. Oxley was the House of Representatives sponsor of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act which passed overwhelmingly with a 423-3 vote in 2002. After the Act was put into law both retired from their positions. (Institute, 2010) The Sarbanes- Oxley Act was established to revitalize investor’s belief that the financial market is a sound body and uncorrupt. The Act focuses primarily on large public firms in light of failing corporate giants such as Enron, which incurred over 1. 2 billion dollars in debt and had to file bankrupt. Looking deeper into the Enron scandal, the company created subsidiary organizations (that were named after Star War characters) to hide its financial dismay and declining financial status. As a result of these careless gestures stakeholders for Enron suffered juristically, their stock value plummeted and anyone with an investment in Enron lost big time. The corporate level executives were aware of this upcoming judgment day and failed to report to their investors or employees. Enron’s stock price peaked at $90 per share which raised flags about there being no supporting evidence behinds these claims of financial superiority. First, Forbes released an article questioning the stock prices without evidence and then Vice President of Corporate Development blew the whistle and exposed Enron and all of its upper managements wrong doing. Parties involved lost everything, but the major players were penalized by fines or jail time. Kadlec, 2002)The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was put in place to control the public dismay along with preventing this massive injustice to Americans and our financial system from happening in the future. III. Economic Impact Our economy has become increasingly complex and is expanding beyond our country’s creators imagined. Our financial system cannot function properly without the guidelines put in place by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, it’s a wonder our economy has functioned until its creation. There is no telling what amount of fraud or embezzlement has taken place since the creation of our country’s financial structure without these guidelines. Accounting principles set in place by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act maintain the credibility of the accounting profession and financial system as a whole; it serves as a checks and balances mechanism. The biggest change in result of SOX was the creation of the Public Company Oversight Board which provides oversight for auditors of public companies establishes auditing and quality control standards for public company audits and performs inspections of the quality controls at audit firms performing those audits. Arens, Elder, Beasley, 2013) Another particular â€Å"game changing† piece of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is Section 404 which created unprecedented requirements regarding reporting internal control procedures. (Green, 2004) IV. Requirements for Publicly Traded Companies Public companies issuing securities, public accounting firms, and firms providing auditing services whether they are domestic or foreign must comply with Sarbanes-Oxley. (Sarbanes-Oxley Act Section 404, 2002) Additionally, publicly traded companies with a market capitalization greater than $75 million must comply with these new rules.(Don E. Garner, 2008) A company’s management is required to provide an external auditor with all financial statements for the current review period. Upon reviewing these statements the auditor issues a report classified as unqualified, unqualified with explanation, qualified, adverse, or disclaimer based on what they find or do not find. All public companies reports are availab le on the Securities Exchange Committees website, below is a sample of what this report looks like. You can imagine what a relief this was for investors, to be able to search any company and find statements solidifying their prospective investment. Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm The Board of Directors and Shareholders of McDonald’s Corporation We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of McDonald’s Corporation as of  December  31, 2012  and  2011, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended  December  31, 2012. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of McDonald’s Corporation at  December  31, 2012  and  2011, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended  December  31, 2012, in conformity with  U. S. generally accepted accounting principles. We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), McDonald’s Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of  December  31, 2012, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated  February  25, 2013, expressed an unqualified opinion thereon. ERNST YOUNG LLP Chicago, Illinois February  25, 2013 McDonalds Corporation  2012 Annual Report  45 Young, 2013) In its annual report, the Company must report on internal controls over its financial reporting. Four key elements must be included in this report: Statement of Responsibility by Company Management (the CEO and CFO) for establishing and maintaining an adequate internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting. Secondly, Statement identifying the framework used by management to evaluate the effectiveness of the Companys internal control over financial reporting. Managements Assessment of the effectiveness of Internal Controls over financial reporting. Lastly, Attestation by the companys external auditor on Managements assessment of the effectiveness of the companys internal controls and procedures for financial reporting. (Sarbanes-Oxley Act Section 404, 2002) V. Impact on Company Costs/Market Implementing SOX requirements can be particularly costly to qualifying companies. In addition to being responsible for the entire audit cost, they are responsible for implementing and updated an internal controls system. The Act imposes heavy penalties for all that do not remain in compliance. Slaughter, 2012) After the Enron scandal investors were extremely weary with their investments SOX had a two part effect on the market. First, the authors of the bill intended to give investors’ confidence in a previously broken market. Second, the law aimed to cut short opportunities for companies to defraud institutional and individual investors. The Sarbanes Oxley Act inadvertently may have shrunk the market, by setting these requirements they discouraged some small and medium sized businesses from going public to avoid these extra costs. Additionally, this act has kept away some of the foreign business’ because of all of the regulation associated with being a public firm in the United States. VI. Effectiveness Sarbanes-Oxley is effective as it was created to be. SOX was not created to put an all-out stop to fraudulent activity, but to monitor and control it as much as possible. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is underrated in my opinion; it put a major stop to these horrifying activities of corporate level executives thinking they can just ride off into the sunset with other people’s money. The Act holds these people and their organizations accountable and has an actual protocol how companies should be reviewed and what the consequences are for non-complying companies. Although costly to businesses this is what is best for the financial market and the investors for work together and thrive. Paul Regan, president of accountancy Hemming Morse in San Francisco and a pioneer forensic accountant, notes that â€Å"there’s still plenty of fraud. But if we didn’t have Sarbanes-Oxley, the misstatements would be significantly worse. † (Curtis C.Verschoor, 2012) Barbara Roper, director of investor protection at the Consumer Federation of America, expresses reservations about the law’s efficiency â€Å"Sarbanes-Oxley has clearly enhanced the integrity of the financial markets and the quality of financial reporting,† she says. â€Å"My criticism is that the reforms are being eroded. It’s chugging along but still facing challenges. † ( Office, 2006) Works Cited Arens, A. A. , Elder, R. J. , Beasley, M. S. (2013). Auditing and Assurance Services. Old Tappan, NJ: Pearson Education. Curtis C. Verschoor, C. (2012, September 05). Has Sox Been Successful?

USC Receives Largest Increase in Applicants in 20 Years

University of Southern California has always been one of the most competitive universities in the US. This year, the competition got ever tougher. USC received a total of 64,000 applications for the Class of 2022. That’s a 14% increase from the 56,000 applications the university received the year before. It’s the largest applicant pool USC has ever had, and the largest percentage increase the university has seen in the last 20 years. The large applicant pool means the admissions office has no choice but to force the acceptance rate even lower. This year 8,200 students were offered admissions to be a part of the USC Class of 2022. USC acceptance rate dropped by 3% from last year to an all-time-low 13% acceptance rate. Last year, USC’s freshmen class size was 3,358 with a 37.1% yield. USC should expect a similar class size, with the hopes of boosting their percentage yield. The accepted students this year are diverse and high-achieving. The accepted students of the Class of 2022 has an average unweighted GPA of 3.86, and 1 in 7 of them are the first in their family to go to college. 26% are from underrepresented minorities (black, Latino, Native American, and some who reported multiple ethnicities), 25% Asian, 16% Latino and 6% African American. Additionally, 17% of the accepted students are international students from China, South Korea, Canada, India, Brazil and more. Congratulations to the USC Class of 2022! We’re excited to see what you do as a USC Trojan. Whether you got into your dream school or not, your admissions experience is valuable and we want to feature your application story. Join otherUSC Admitsand turn your success into insights for future applicants bycreating a profile. Plus, you get to earn some extra money!

Keep Your Body In Top Condition With Our Health And Wellness Tips

Keep Your Body In Top Condition With Our Health And Wellness Tips Freedom comes in various ways to the college freshmen and continues to reign throughout college. Students daily face new decisions, assignments writing, difficulties and problems and can quickly let their health fall to the wayside. They find it difficult to maintain healthy lifestyles that afterwards negatively effects their mental health, effective studying process and regular sleep. However, with a few simple changes in your diet, sleep and exercise habits it will become easier to preserve a healthy living. Well-being of both your physical and mental health is guaranteed! Nutrition What you drink and eat has a direct impact on your overall wellness. Most college students cannot maintain a healthy diet because of busy schedules. However, without careful attitude to your eating habits, you can easily put on that freshman 15 or even more. Keep the following healthy eating tips in mind to avoid sickness, impaired mental function and lack of energy: Dont skip breakfast. Begin your day with a balanced, healthy meal. If you are short of time, just take a granola bar or some fruit with you and eat it on your way to college. Drink enough water. It is well-known that consuming water is essential for better concentration and keeping yourself from overeating. Thats why take a bottle of water with you to classes. Limit fast food. No doubt, junk food is tasty and easy to consume when you are short of time. However, make sure that eating fast food doesnt become your habit. Drink alcohol moderately. Students are notorious for binge drinking and partying. Consume alcohol beverages in moderation to avoid a lot of calories and hangovers. Dont fight stress by eating. When youre stressed before the exam or important event, it can be yummy to eat some cookies or chips. Instead of grabbing snacks, think about having a break or working out. Exercise Sport and exercise reduce stress, boost brain function, improve mood and quality of sleep. Fitting in exercise into the busy college schedule isnt easy, but consider the following tips to make it a part of your regular routine: Walk to class. Of course, taking a bus is much quicker, but walking to college allows you to burn some calories and just enjoy the nature before a busy day at college. Visit a gym. Most college campuses provide students with perfect sport facilities. Find out what your particular college offers and get active. Ride a bike. Biking will give you a few minutes of exercise before and after classes. Its fun and active. Work out with a friend. With someone else youll be more likely to exercise. Take advantage of such opportunity and you wont be bored for sure. Invest in some low cost home gym equipment. Youd be surprised at just how inexpensive many pieces of home gym exercise equipment are. Check out a website such as HomeFitnessTalk.com for some great home workout ideas! Sleep Are you getting enough sleep? If you are like most college students, probably not. Unfortunately, a lack of sleep causes stress, depression, high blood pressure and decreases productivity. Follow these tips to ensure you are resting enough. Dont study in bed. Try to divide your sleep space from work space as working in bed can make getting to sleep harder. Keep your room quiet and dark. If you want to get asleep, make your room cool and dark. Your body will prepare to the resting time much easier. Take naps. If you have some free time during the day, take a short nap. Youll be surprised how it can boost your energy level. Discuss bedtimes with your roommate. If you share a room with someone, discuss the sleeping times as each of you have own schedules. Your health and wellness depends on how you take care of yourself. Be sure to follow our simple tips to develop better habits for a healthy lifestyle. Be happy and energetic!

Tips for Remembering How to Spell Wednesday and Other Tricky Words

Tips for Remembering How to Spell Wednesday and Other Tricky Words Some words are tricky to spell even when you’re an adult, so imagine being a young learner trying to remember all those spelling rules. There are many tricky words in the English language and spelling rules don’t always apply.  The old adage â€Å"rules were made to be broken† is certainly true when it comes to spelling rules. â€Å"I before e except after c† is usually true  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ except for words like weird, heist, and feisty. If your student (or you!) always has a particular word or two that prove challenging, try these tricks, a  mnemonic device, or even a rhyme to help you remember. These tips can help your students remember how to spell commonly confused words like Wednesday, weird, niece, Renaissance, dessert, beautiful, accommodate, separate, and together.   How to Spell Wednesday One of the easiest ways for remembering how to spell Wednesday is to break it down into its individual syllables- Wed nes day. Pronounce it â€Å"Wed NEZ day† in your mind so that you don’t forget the d in the first syllable or the e in the second. Another trick is to use a mnemonic memory device. A mnemonic device is a technique to improve one’s ability to remember something. A common mnemonic trick is to create an acronym with the beginning letter of each word. For example, a mnemonic device for remembering the planets might be, â€Å"My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos.† This helps us to remember Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Try these mnemonic devices to help you remember how to spell Wednesday or make up one of your own: â€Å"WE Do Not Eat Sandwiches on WednesDAY† or â€Å"WE Do Not Eat Soup DAY.† How to Spell Weird The best way to remember how to spell weird is keeping in mind that it’s  a weird word because it doesn’t follow the â€Å"I before e except after c† rule. If that doesn’t help, try this trick for remembering how to spell it: We are weird.  We is the beginning of weird. How to Spell Niece Niece nicely follows the i before e, except after c rule; but it can still be confusing. Here is a tip to help you remember how to spell niece. My niece is nice.  Ni is the beginning of nice and ni is the beginning of niece. It may also help to remember that niece is spelled like piece, so make up a sentence using those two words to help you remember. Try something like, â€Å"My niece ate a piece of pie.† How to Spell Renaissance One way to remember how to spell renaissance is to think: â€Å"Rena is sance.† This can be particularly helpful if you know someone named Rena. How to Spell Dessert Dessert is tricky because it seems that it would only have one s, making the e a long vowel sound, Similarly, it would seem like desert would need two s’s to avoid the same. These sayings are helpful in remembering which word has one versus two ss. Dessert is twice as good as the desert. Strawberry Shortcake dessert and Sahara desert How to Spell Beautiful One helpful trick is the saying it is important to be a beautiful person inside and out. That way you will remember  beautiful begins with be a. You might also try a mnemonic device such as â€Å"Big Elephants Are Under Trees In Forests Until Light† or make up one of your own. How to Spell Accommodate Remember that accommodate is a big enough word to accommodate two c’s and two m’s. How to Spell Separate Many people misspell separate because of the as and es in the word. An easy way to remember to spell separate is to remember that there is a rat in the middle of the word. How to Spell Together As a young student just learning to spell, a trick to spelling together is by breaking the word down to â€Å"to get her.†

Quality Management and Accountability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quality Management and Accountability - Essay Example Key to the success of the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) programs are seven characteristics namely, the amount of influence exerted by the change agents, their responsibility and autonomy in specific areas of assignments, space for innovative ideas, adaptability to change, satisfaction, teamwork and shared vision coupled with a benchmarking criterion towards the objectives (Weeks, Helms & Ettkin, 1995). These characteristics rest upon a common a propellant perception of agents concerning the needed change. The new millennium heralded a phase of new challenges in many sectors, and so healthcare organizations haven’t been spared either. With the expectation of taming escalating costs, pressures to modernize, harmonize and reconcile quality with the former have force their way to accreditation boards, the media and concerned agencies. Embracing partnerships becomes unavoidable under these circumstances. Quality improvement, therefore, becomes more of a â€Å"te am sport† that engages individual centered processes into a comprised common vision. Precisely, teams are collaborative integral components of quality improvement efforts involving persons operating either from the same or different disciplines but with a shared vision of optimizing patient-service outcomes (Ovretveit, 1999). Notably, success within healthcare organizations operates more or less like powerful sport cars whose quick movements depends on the engine inexistence and the control mechanics applied. Employee engagement is the hallmark of connectivity within any organization. An engaged personnel gives an organization the power it so requires to make tangible moves towards its mission with an accelerated propensity in compared to those of the competitors. From the top management down the apex of leadership role, a synergetic approach with results concerning the work load only comes with prior and proper understanding and agreement on the course taken (Weeks, Helms & E ttkin, 1995). Accordingly, success comes with assured, climatic readiness for change. The relationship between physicians directly responsible for matters of healthcare and hospital executives charged with administrative responsibilities spanning from regulatory obligations to resource control is critical to any aspect of quality improvement process. The real enemy to the process of change lies in a dysfunctional healthcare system (Fawcett, et al., 1995). As mentioned above, there needs to be commonality in values and concerns share by both physicians and healthcare executives as the basic framework for successful communication bridging the hierarchical gap towards a collaborative, as opposed to confrontational/competitive relationship (Bero, et al., 1998). A functional workforce-engagement criterion holds the key to clinical priorities with regards to useful new technologies required as well as essentiality of scientific methodologies in tandem with evidence-based decision making. Further, understanding and agreement are important planning, implementation, and assessment tools. According to the case study done by Weeks, Helms, and Ettkin (1995), the degree of understanding and agreement of the course taken by healthcare entities lacks uniformity with wide discrepancies over perceptive responses touching on matters of change. Whereas the need for change is plausible in the responses from the executive wing

Database Modeling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Database Modeling - Essay Example It might be important to have alternative contact addresses for students in case of unexpected situations. Therefore, in order to cater for such a situation, we need to create additional tables to handle the addresses. One table named email-address will contain the following fields: id, email address and student-id. Likewise, another table named phone-number will be created containing the following fields: id, phone number, and student-id. Finally, another table will be street-details. This table will have the following fields: id, street-name, city-name, state, and student-id. The four tables created to satisfy the requirements of 1NF. They are also in 2NF since they do not contain any partial dependencies. All fields in each table are uniquely reliant on the respective primary key as 2NF requires (Buxton, 2009). The four tables also fulfill the requirements of 3Nf since all fields present depend on the primary key for their values. The next table that requires normalization is named course-information. This table contains the following fields: Course-Id, course-title, and course credit. This table is already in first normal form since it does not contain multi-valued fields. This table also fulfills the requirements of 2NF since all fields in the table rely uniquely on the primary key. This table also fulfills the requirements of 3NF since each field in that table is dependent on the primary key. The last thing now is to create a relationship between a student and the courses that they take. This can be done by employing a many to many relationships between student-information table and course-information table. In order to accomplish this relationship, another table is required.  

Observations at the Park Essay -- Observation Essay, Descriptive Essay

Observations at the Park A cigarette butt lies next to my foot, still emitting a trace of smoke. Nearby on the dusty asphalt a pigeon waddles self-consciously, bobbing its head as if pecking the air for some invisible food. A squirrel churrs a threat to his brother, challenging him to romp. The walkway before me never becomes silent. A buzz of voices blends with the city soundscape of cars driving and trucks backing, swingsets squealing and sparrows chirping. A toddler, holding tightly to his sister's stroller, yells "Achtung! Achtung! Achtung!" at a squirrel that crosses two inches from his foot. His mother comforts him, in German. A man sits down on the bench across from me, eyelids dropping on his creased red face as he stirs his cup of coffee. The bench I sit on is green, painted over years of dents and names scratched in wood. My backpack sits to my left with its main zipper opened just wide enough for me to extract my notebook and pen. At my right is my suitcase. Its pockets are crammed full like the subway this morning, barely room left to breathe, creaking and comp...

Pride and Prejudice: Mr Wickham Essay

In the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’, written by Jane Austen, there are many different characters, each with their own roles to play in order for the story to reach its final product. Among these many characters is George Wickham. Though generally brushed off as a minor character, George Wickham plays a vital role in the relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Through both his lies and his amatory adventures, Wickham is the source of both Elizabeth’s loathing and love for Mr Darcy. Throughout the novel, Elizabeth’s opinion of Mr Wickham changes dramatically. For the first half of the novel, Elizabeth adores Wickham and believes him to be the perfect gentleman. He achieves this high appraisal mainly through his false recount of his previous affairs with Mr Darcy, saying of Darcy â€Å"It is wonderful, for almost all his actions may be traced to pride; and pride has often been his best friend. It has connected him nearer with virtue than with any other feeling† (page 75). The false recount of Wickham’s affairs with Fitzwilliam Darcy confirms Elizabeth’s previous opinions of Darcy, which she presents through saying: ‘I have spent four days in the same house with him and I think him very disagreeable† (page 71). She is lead to believe that Darcy reserves only the slightest acknowledgement of anyone but his closest friends and family – the people of his class. Wickham however appears, to Elizabeth, to be quite the opposite of Darcy and she thinks of him that whatever he says is said well and whatever he does is done gracefully (page 77). The dramatic antitheses between each man’s personalities highlight the gentlemanlike poise of Wickham, making him the more attractive of the two. What then changes Elizabeth’s attractions to Mr Wickham, is the discovery of his previous amatory adventures. Wickham was involved in three amatory adventures, mentioned throughout the course of ‘Pride and Prejudice’. The first of these escapades was his failed elopement with Georgiana Darcy. This played a vital role in Darcy’s opinion of Mr Wickham and eventually led to Elizabeth’s realisation of Wickham’s true character as well. Elizabeth’s opinion of Wickham’s past with Georgiana is apparent toward the end of the novel, when she says to Mr Darcy ‘†¦that I might have prevented it! I, who knew what he was’ (page 236) Wickham’s second adventure was very short lived and is often overlooked. It was his attempt at marrying Miss King who, according to Elizabeth, is a good sort of girl and the inheritor of her Grandfather’s fortune (page 134). This escapade is significant as it slightly shapes Elizabeth’s opinions and affections towards Mr Wickham. Where she once thought of him as a possible husband, after this escapade, she says to her aunt, ‘I am now convinced†¦ that I had never been in love’ (page 132) His final and most significant of his adventures was Wickham’s elopement with Lydia Bennet. This elopement is very significant as it shapes Elizabeth’s opinions of both Wickham and Darcy, greatly. Elizabeth was frightened when she heard of Wickham’s failed elopement with Georgiana and when he runs away with Lydia, her fright elevates to utter disgust and loathing. When, however, she finds out Darcy’s part in the whole affair, Austen hints of disappointment from Elizabeth, that she had treated him so impartially. Elizabeth is really made to think about these two men before her, each so different in both personality and in appearance and she begins to find it easier to see the good in Darcy and her affections toward him heighten. This is shown at the end of the novel when Elizabeth sees Darcy again and thinks to herself, ‘A man who has one been refused. How could I be foolish enough to expect a renewal of his love? ’ (Page 290) It is not just the results of Wickham’s elopement with Lydia, however, that makes Elizabeth rethink her answer to Darcy’s previous sentiments. The extreme difference in character of the two men also highlights Darcy’s integrity. The extreme differences in Wickham’s and Darcy’s personalities are the source of Elizabeth’s feelings towards them both. At the start of the novel, Wickham’s natural manners and easy going nature highlight the pride and arrogance of Mr Darcy. Darcy tries to explain his awkward personality to Elizabeth, saying; ‘We neither of us perform to strangers’ (page 153). Elizabeth however is taken by Wickham’s cordiality and brushes Darcy off. Towards the end of the book however, events change and the two men swap personalities completely. Wickham’s evident greed and self-centredness is then highlighted by Darcy’s change in air. Austen highlights Darcy’s personality change through his conversations with the Gardiners. Mrs Gardiner says of Darcy; ‘But how come you told us he was so disagreeable†¦ he has not an ill-natured look. On the contrary, there is something pleasing about his mouth when he speaks’ (page 219). For a long time, Wickham’s pleasant nature caught Elizabeth up in prejudice and she avoided Darcy’s ill-natured countenance. Her prejudice however, dissipated when she saw both men’s true personalities and the dramatic difference between Darcy’s air made Elizabeth rethink her opinion of him and her affections towards him heightened greatly. It was because of Wickham that these changes in Darcy were so conspicuous. In conclusion, Wickham played a vital role in the relationship of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy. At the start of the book, through his lies and manipulations, Wickham confirms Elizabeth’s loathing of Mr Darcy. By the end of the book however, Mr Wickham has unconsciously changed Elizabeth’s opinions of Mr Darcy through the results of his three amatory adventures and through the obvious change in Darcy’s countenance – highlighted by Wickham’s poor qualities.

Health Management - Managing the aftermath of an adverse safety incident Free Essay Example, 2000 words

The errors that are done with precedent reactions can be minimised by enhancing the regulations that are stated in the institution (Kalra, 2011: 17). Stringent actions should be implemented on such activities. This will reduce any instances of these accidents occurring since the people that are committing them will be careful. Apparently, when the medical practitioners are hell-bent on their job, these instances will never occur in the medical practitioner. Similarly, there is need to clearly state the objectives of the profession (Kalra, 2011:18). The profession deems to reduce any errors that could jeopardise the quality of services that are offered. Therefore, any person that would want to jeopardise the quality of services will be unequivocally revoked from the institution. This will leave the only practitioners that would want to make the best approach in treating patients. According to recent research, it is considered that the anaesthetic accidents are prevalent in the nursin g profession. Anaesthetic is the practical activity of inducing a person to sleep when there is a need for operation. The person is almost dead as most parts of the body are dormant. We will write a custom essay sample on Health Management - Managing the aftermath of an adverse safety incident or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The person’s senses are not functional, though there could be minute reaction. For instance, when a person is induced to anaesthetics, the person’s senses are disabled for a period of time. The anaesthetic combination is dependent on how long the doctors would want the patient to sleep (Arias, 2010:13). Some doctors would like the patient to sleep for less than six hours since it is a minor surgery. However, some doctors take over 6 hours in the surgery room and would need a medical prescription that will make the patient to sleep for a longer time. This allows the doctors to perform all the process and surgery that is needed on the patient without any disturbance. It could be a threatening occurrence when a patient wakes up in the middle of an operation. Therefore, there is a need to make keen decisions on this particular issue. Apparently, there are some instances where this particular issue is not given the best attention and dedication it needs. This has led to some life threatening occasions in the health sector and has led to undivided attention from the managers. The doctors make minute mistakes but these mistakes are detrimental to the health of many people. For instance, some doctors make errors in the measurements of the anaesthetics (Healy, 2011: 13). The anaesthetics that are supposed to be injected in the patient are supposed to be measured according to the stated time limits and other parameters.

The Importance Of College Education - 912 Words

The Importance of College Education 4. with a college education young adults are more likely to make more money or have better pay jobs than those without a higher education. In the article, â€Å"More Students Getting Graduate Degrees† writer Cecilia Capuzzi states that â€Å"in every academic major group, more education resulted in more money(2). With this said the more Knowledge and education a person gains the more likely they are to be financially successful. A person with an associates, bachelors, or master’s degree will be more financially successful than those without a higher education. In fact, only 14 percent of people with a high school diploma earn more than the median worker with a college degree (Halton 1). The chances are of becoming financially successful are less likely to happen to those who have only graduated from high school. College graduates even tend to earn more if they take the same job as someone with only a high school education (Halton 2). 5. The economy today is very competitive in the workforce and employers are more likely to hire someone with a college degree. The degree signals to employers that recipients can complete a demanding program and that they have already been vetted by an institution (Capuzzi 1). Having a college degree also stands out to employers letting them know that they are highly skilled and that they are also reliable. The more experience and education an individual has the more likely they are to get hired. Employers look forShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of College Education1142 Words   |  5 PagesJacartier McGee Education is the single most important factor in the growth of our country. Specifically, higher education paves a future and provides opportunity for students that attend college and gives them a shot at a career. 50 years ago, college was strictly for the elite, high class Americans. Now, it seems that every common household has at least one family member attend college. But with the increasing drop out rate today, students seem less interested in learning at college and their prioritiesRead MoreThe Importance Of A College Education? Essay1692 Words   |  7 Pages A college education has a different meaning for every person in the world. To someone a college education could mean that they’re smarter than most, or it’s one more step closer to their future goals, or it could just be another piece of paper to make their family proud. The importance of a college education depends on what a degree means to the person. I think the true purpose of a college educ ation should be base more on a personal level, and not a broad level. The reason why I thinkRead MoreThe Importance Of College Education1257 Words   |  6 Pageswhen deciding whether to go to college or which college to attend. The importance of college has been a long-debated topic that is becoming more and more popular. It used to be that a high school education was necessary to succeed, and a college degree was merely beneficial. However, today college has escalated into something that is considered necessary to succeed. New York Times columnists, David Leonhardt, states that â€Å"if youre someone who can get into college, going is practically a no-brainerRead MoreThe Importance Of A College Education?1419 Words   |  6 PagesZhao English 101C Professor A.Pino Nov 13th 2017 The importance of a college education In the period of their high school career, the students shall begin to ask and consider the college education’s importance. The answer is that the accepting college education offers chances to graduates, which are more widespread to those who have the levels of senior high education or less. Most of people understand that they desire to accept a college education, but they do not know why or how it would fulfillRead MoreThe Importance Of A College Education1511 Words   |  7 PagesFor many Americans, a college education is essential to future success.† His statement taps into one of the biggest issues in America. While education is a strong value in this country, after high school, the percentage of people getting an education dramatically drops. Although many people choose to not go to college, there are also many people who do not go simply because they cannot afford it. Without the skill set that one acquires during these crucial years of education, many Americans thenRead MoreThe Importance Of Education In College924 Words   |  4 PagesGonzalez from Resilient Scholar is helping me also by guiding me towards help and tutoring. I am currently taking two summer courses at Glendale Community College through a special program   EOP is hosting there.   Geology 101 and Astronomy 152 is what I am currently taking at GCC. I have met with Dr. Joong-won Lee a very respected professor in the College of Health and Human Development, and he has helped my set up a plan of which courses I should take until I graduate from Csun. He helped me make a veryRead MoreThe Importance Of College Education756 Words   |  4 Pages140 colleges/institutions in the United States today as confirmed by infoplease.com and job options are endless. These institutions offer people a â€Å"gateway† to achieve long term success. In today’s society, there is the ongoing debate on whether or not college is worth it. Various valid points are brought up from ea ch side. These points are what make this topic so debatable. Although there is a debate on whether a college education is worth it or not, in my opinion the answer is clear. College educationRead MoreThe Importance of College Education705 Words   |  3 Pageswhether or not to attend college can be difficult, especially given the tremendous costs associated with tuition, books, and campus living. Moreover, getting a good job or earning an attractive income is not necessarily guaranteed with a college degree. The decision of whether or not to attend college must come from within, and must transcend thoughts about money. For me, going to college represents a genuine personal feat. There are three main reasons why college education is important to me. FirstRead MoreThe Importance Of College Education1138 Words   |  5 PagesCollege Education 1. INTRODUCTION My issue is the debate if college education is worth it. Many people think going to college is the ideal thing to do but there is also people who think college is not worth all the time and money. In 2016, the employment rate was highest for young adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, 88 %. College prepares young adults for the real world and everything they need to know. Typically, college graduates have higher employment rates and have a better chanceRead MoreThe Importance Of College Education1593 Words   |  7 Pages Most parents encourage their children to achieve a college degree because they believe it is a passport to success. Nationwide it has been known in order to get ahead, go to college. College helps young adults socialize, be independant, and allows them to find themselfs. College graduates have been known to posses higher employment rates, and greater work benefits. Also, college can be a huge milestone in ones life. That being said, these are most likely the reasons why the majority of high school

The Fallacies Of Callahan s Arguments - 1550 Words

Philosophers throughout history often have a pessimistic outlook on life. Socrates, Lucretius and Epicurus are just some of a number of philosophers that argue against the liberal view of life. Daniel Callahan is a contemporary philosopher that explores the role of medicine in modern society. Callahan argues against the liberal view of life by saying that people should focus on living full and fitting lives. In the first section, titled The Fallacies of Callahan’s Arguments, I explore the problems with his ideas and show that his argument does not justify setting a limit to human lives. In The Argument for the Continuation of Life, I argue for the liberal view of life and support it with Christine Overall’s views. Human beings should be able to extend their lives as they see fit and setting limits based on anti-life extension ideas would go against the individual’s right to choose. THE FALLACIES OF CALLAHAN’S ARGUMENTS: Daniel Callahan begins Chapter three with a critique of the modern state of medicine; he believes that medicine has placed too much effort on life extension. Callahan then tries to determine the goal of medicine through his beliefs. He states, â€Å"I want to argue that medicine should be used not for the further extension of life of the aged, but only for the full achievement of a natural and fitting life span and thereafter for the relief of suffering† (Callahan, 53). In his thesis, he states that he believes that medicine should only be used for the relief ofShow MoreRelatedContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesglobal management accounting community. Alnoor Bhimani London School of Economics December 2005 CONTENTS ‘ FOREWORD Anthony Hopwood PREFACE Alnoor Bhimani CONTRIBUTORS 1. New measures in performance management Thomas Ahrens and Christopher S Chapman 2. Contract theory analysis of managerial accounting issues Stanley Baiman 3. Reframing management accounting practice: a diversity of perspectives Jane Baxter and Wai Fong Chua 4. Management accounting and digitization Alnoor Bhimani 5. TheRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290 . Many of the designations by manufacturers

We’ve Had Enough of NAFTA Perspectives in Withdrawing Our Membership Free Essays

After 14 years of existence, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has still yet to prove its worth as an effective regional trade bloc. As an avenue to promote free trade and globalization, NAFTA has been much criticized for its inability meet the objectives and levels of political and economic integration. In this case, the debate of whether the United States should withdraw its membership in the NAFTA or not will enable us to assess the viability of this regional trade bloc in the age of globalization. We will write a custom essay sample on We’ve Had Enough of NAFTA: Perspectives in Withdrawing Our Membership or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was in December 1992 that the leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States have given their nods to draft the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (OAS, 2008). Approved in the US Congress in 1994, NAFTA the agreement went into effect 1 January 1994 (OAS, 2008). The main goal of NAFTA is to build a framework for North American countries to ease out the trade barriers in order to promote a steady flow of exported and imported goods in the area. Aside from allaying the barriers that hamper trade among the three countries, NAFTA also aims to achieve â€Å"greater openness in the trade of services and in foreign investment†. Another important purpose of NAFTA is to permit â€Å"the three countries to cooperate and coordinate on environmental and labor issues† (Jones, 2003). However, problems began to arise when environmental and labor concerns in this agreement became convoluted. Critics began to scoff NAFTA to be promoting inequality to the region. It is also revealed later that there are trade policies that are questionable that could be proven to be detrimental in the long term perspective. In the globalizing world, it is but logical that most trade groups contain countries in the same area of the world to offer trade agreements, like NAFTA, to obtain mutual benefits. Yeung et al. (1999) offered these reasons why countries form regional trading blocs: 1. Economic Development. Many countries attempt to achieve economic growth by creating their own industries and by embracing a policy of imports substitution. However, many industries encounter problems related to limited domestic markets and the inability to achieve economies of scale. Under these circumstances, many countries pool their resources and create larger markets by integrating their economies. 2. Managing Trade Regionally. Many countries regarded global trade institutions as too bureaucratic and slow in responding to both trade opportunities and trade problems. As organizations expand their membership, they tend to become less responsive to their members, ideological differences proliferate, negotiations take forever, and reaching consensus is often very difficult. Neighboring countries usually have similar cultures and philosophical outlooks. The smaller group can respond faster than the global groups to problems and trade opportunities. 3. Economic Competition. Countries can become far more economically prosperous by forming trade blocs. European countries, for example, viewed economic integration as a way to stimulate trade in Europe. But Europeans also believed that economic growth in Europe would enhance their ability to compete with the United States and Japan. 4. Political and Strategic Considerations. Although trade appears to be the primary reason for economic integration, many countries form trade blocs for political and security reasons. NAFTA reflected a trade-policy response to the regionalization of capitalist competition at a global level. Content rule, tariff reduction schedules, and other NAFTA provisions are designed to favor its members. Premised on an improved capacity to export commodities produced under low-cost conditions in Mexico into the high-price consumer markets of North America, Western Europe, and Japan, NAFTA is an attempt to reclaim economic power in a capitalist world system. Petras and Morley (1995) argue that â€Å"NAFTA is the centerpiece of a new economic strategy †¦ which Washington hopes to use as a springboard for its reemergence as a more competitive player in the world market† (p. 128–129). Moreover, Olson (2005) indicated that NAFTA promised a â€Å"win-win† scenario for Mexico and the United States because having it would mean more jobs and increased wealth, which in turn would bring greater stability to the area and lessen migratory pressures. Indeed, it is undeniable that NAFTA has brought about the sharp expansion of regional trade and investment in the region. From 1993 through 2004, â€Å"US merchandise exports to and imports from Mexico have increased by 166 and 290 percent, respectively† (Hufbauer 2005, p. xxxvii). As Mexico is burdened with gargantuan debt, they regarded this trade agreement with the United States as an essential step in achieving economic development. The United States desired to maintain stability in Mexico and saw abundant and inexpensive Mexican labor as beneficial to U.S. companies that were anxious to gain a competitive advantage over the Japanese and Europeans. Canada, wanting to retain its favorable trading relationship with the United States, viewed economic integration in North America as a way of countering U.S. dominance of the Americas (Vega-Canovas 1999, p. 230). However, NAFTA could not go unfazed without mudslinging from several critics. Jubasz (2004) revealed that the most reliable data available demonstrated how economic globalization of trade like NAFTA has caused the most dramatic increase in global inequality and poverty in modern history. Globalization of trade had only benefited the countries with bigger economies to dominate over economically-challenged countries. The policies of economic globalization such as free trade, financial liberalization, deregulation, reduced government spending, and privatization had concentrated wealth at the top. It had tried to removed from Third World governments and communities the very tools needed to ensure equity and to protect workers, social services, the environment, and sustainable livelihoods. In this way, economic globalization and its institutions—including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO, and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), have created the most dramatic increase in global inequality—both within and between nations—in modern history and have increased global poverty. More specifically, NAFTA has been accused to have caused the environmental degradation in Mexico.   Gallagher (2007) observed that â€Å"rises in income have been small and environmental degradation has been large† in Mexico since the NAFTA was established. Costly environment degradation is slowly eating away the natural resources because the proper mechanisms were not put in place to help Mexico manage its economic growth in an environmentally sustainable manner. To keep at pace with NAFTA, Mexico doubled spending on environmental protection and started a much-needed industrial environmental inspection program. However, shortly after NAFTA was signed and fiscal and financial woes set in, attention to the environment are totally ignored. Moreover, labor issues had rocked NAFTA in the 1990s. It had been an issue during Ross Perot’s presidential bid against Clinton and famous claim of an impending â€Å"giant sucking sound† helped frame the political debate, but also alluded to important economic trends that affected them all. Fact is that Mexicans complain of the devastating impact it has had on small farmers in Mexico after being integrated in NAFTA. Dugger (2003) reported that the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a research institute in Washington, D.C. filed a report concluding that NAFTA failed to generate substantial job growth in Mexico, hurt hundreds of thousands of subsistence farmers there, and had miniscule net effects on jobs in the United States. Income inequality is greater and illegal immigration continues unabated (p. A9). The World Bank, on the other hand, found that NAFTA brought significant economic and social benefits to Mexico and argued that Mexico would have been worse off without the agreement (Dugger 2003, p. A9). Clearly, there is a big problem with the level of integration among the United States, Canada, and Mexico in NAFTA as compared to that achieved by the European Union. NAFTA, unlike the EU, does not provide for the free movement of people across borders. NAFTA countries pursue their own independent trade, foreign, domestic, and defense policies. Compared with the Europeans, who have given up some aspects of national sovereignty in exchange for European political and economic unification, NAFTA members jealously guard their sovereignty. In this case, there should be strong reforms needed in the NAFTA trade policies to make it more favorable for Mexico. If unfair regulation persists and environmental concerns are still ignored, it is high time that United States should withdraw its membership from the NAFTA because it does not bring the greater good that it promises for the region. Works Cited Dugger, Celia W. Report Finds Few Benefits for Mexico in NAFTA, New York Times, 19 November 2003, A9. Gallagher, Kevin P. In Mexico, Free Trade Has Led to Large-Scale Environmental Degradation. In Miller, D. (Ed). Current Controversies: Globalization. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007 Hufbauer, Gary Clyde. NAFTA Revisited : Achievements and Challenges, Washington, DC: Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2005. Jubasz, Antonia. â€Å"Globalization Is Making World Poverty Worse.† In Balkin, K. (ed.), Poverty. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Olson, Eric L.  Divided states of the Americas: human rights and democracy in Latin America: a progress report.  Sojourners Magazine  35.3  (March 2006):  28-34. Organization of American States (OAS). NAFTA. 6 February 2007. http://www-old.itcilo.org/actrav/actrav-english/telearn/global/ilo/blokit/nafta.htm. Petras, James, and Morley, Morris. Empire or Republic: American Global Power and Domestic Decay. New York: Routledge, 1995. Vega-Canovas, Gustavo. â€Å"NAFTA and the EU: Toward Convergence?† in Yeung et al. (Eds.). Regional Trading Blocks in the Global Economy, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 1999. Yeung, May T., Perdikis, Nicholas and Kerr, William A. (Eds.). Regional Trading Blocks in the Global Economy; Cheltenham, UK: Edward How to cite We’ve Had Enough of NAFTA: Perspectives in Withdrawing Our Membership, Essay examples

Regulating Natural Monopolies

Question: Discuss about theRegulating Natural Monopolies. Answer: Introduction In this paper, the researcher seeks to investigate and present a detailed explication behind the rationale for governments to wish to establish the price that natural monopolies charge at the level whereby the demand curve (D=AR=P) intersects the average total cost curve (ATC). Understanding Natural Monopolies Government Regulation The main challenge with monopolies is that when they are left uncontrolled by the government, they will most probably decide to undertake production at an output level that is far lower and offer products at prices that are extremely higher compared to those from virtuously competitive sector (Berg Tschirhart, 2010). A natural monopoly shall produce at point at which the price charged is above he MC, showcasing resources under-allocation towards commodities. The monopoly limits the output and raise its price and in so doing, he is assured a maximum profit, though at a societal cost of less overall consumer welfare or surplus. Surprisingly, in certain industries, due to vast array of output upon that economies of scale are witnessed, it makes increasing sense sometimes for solely one firm to partake. Those markets remain regarded as natural monopolies and certain instances include cable television, along with natural gas besides other industries which have vast economies of scale (Braeutigam, 2015). Government regulators are trapped in dilemmatic setting in speaking to natural monopolistic businesses like electricity sector. An electricity firm that has a monopoly in a given marketplace shall anchor the price along with output decision on profit maximization law which every unfettered business shall; it shall generate at a point whereby their MR equates their MC. The challenge is for a natural monopoly since MR is below price charged, that implies that maximizing profit output level (whereby MC=MR), MC will be below price: proof of allocative inefficiency that is never sufficient electricity shall be generated and price shall be extremely abnormal for certain customers to acquire. In this manner, the need for government regulation arises. The government concerned with acquiring the right quantity of electricity to the right quantity of the individuals (allocative efficiency) might decide to establish a price ceiling for electricity at a level at which the price equates MC of the firm. This, nevertheless, shall probably be underneath ATC of the firm taking in mind that ATC drops over a vast array of output, a setting that will culminate to losses for a business, and might result into collapse. Therefore, many administrations have established a price ceiling whereby price is equivalent to ATC of a firm, implying a firm shall break even solely earning a normal profit substantially merely sufficient to enable the firm run the business; this is regarded as fair-return price. As show above, government regulation of monopolies is meant to only allow the monopolies to gain the normal profits. It is clear that this can only be achieved at a point whereby administration creates price charged by natural monopolies at a point whereby the demand curve intersects the ATC curve where firms can break even. This will make the monopolies to only obtain the revenues required to cover the monopolys total amount of variable and fixed expenses during a given period of time. The administration might decide to undertake regulation of natural monopoly to safeguard interest of consumers. For instance, monopolies enjoy market power for establishing higher prices unlike competitive markets. The administration have various options to choose from when regulating the monopolies including price capping, barring the monopoly power growth and yardstick competition. Reasons for Government Regulation The government will regulate monopoly to bar excess price from being charged by monopolies. In the absence of administration regulation, natural monopoly might place price beyond. This will culminate into allocative inefficiency hence a drop in consumers welfare. The government also regulate to ensure better service quality. In case a natural monopoly enjoys a power over a given service provision, it might have less incentive to provide good service quality. The administration will thus regulate to make sure that the monopoly firm meet the minimum service standard. The government will also regulate to control the monopsony power. For a monopoly firm, it will be well placed to abuse the buying power of monopsony. For instance, supermarkets might utilize their overriding market location and hence squeezing farmers profit margins. The regulation will also be done to indorse competition. In certain businesses, it is conceivable to promote competition, hence there shall be little sense for regulation by government. The government also regulate due to natural monopolies. Certain sectors are natural monopolies and hence because of huge economies of scale, it will be supremely efficient to only have one firm. Accordingly, there is no need for encouraging competition by the government and hence it is indispensable to regulate firms to bar the exploitation of the power of monopoly. Average Cost Pricing The government uses price capping to regulate the monopolies from charging the high price above that of a competitive market. For example, for freshly privatized industries like gas, water and electricity, the administration has established regulatory agencies including OFGEM (electricity and gas markets), OFWAT (tap water) and ORR (office of rail regulator) in the United States. These bodies undertake to limit the surges in prices. The average cost pricing is helpful in this case. This is the regulatory described as the enforcement of a price point for a particular commodity which equals the entire costs sustained by monopoly providing or producing. Such an approach is used by the government to reduce the flexibility of the monopoly which makes sure that monopoly cannot capture the margins beyond and above what is reasonable (Train, 2011). In this way, the government is able to eliminate the threat that consolidating an industry into one single suppler pose to the free market along with their customers since it limits the manipulation of the price by monopolies through a comprehensive control of the supply. In this sense, the government will minimize monopolization alongside maintenance of competitive equality. Accordingly, the government will ensure that monopolies do not lower that economic output of a given society and hence its wealth by regulating the prices charged by the monopoly to a point whereby demand curve crisscross ATC curve to bar a natural monopoly from profit maximization rather than fair returns or normal profits (Posner, 2014). Price Regulation For a competitive firm, the profit maximization takes place where the MC is equals to price at the market. Nevertheless, because ATC of a natural monopoly drops repeatedly, the MC shall normally be smaller than ATC. This is because the ATC describes average entire costs encompassing vast fixed costs whereas MC is solely additional cost of generating an extra unit. Accordingly, a natural monopoly shall recurrently lose cash in case price charged is restricted to its MC (Loeb Magat, 2014). The government comes into play to dictate the better regulated price which would that which permits the monopoly to alter the price denoted as fair-return price sometimes which equates to the monopolys ATC or the normal profit as show in the diagram below. The above price would permit the natural monopoly to endure as a going concern. Nevertheless, it would fail to incentivize the monopoly firm owners to reduce costs. Therefore, this kind of the government regulation of monopolies could be improved by permitting a natural monopoly to maintain certain profits received by decreasing costs (Gmez-Ibez, 2013). It is acknowledged that not such a price is beneath price charged by monopoly which maximizes profits, which sets the price equivalent to level at which MC=MR Conclusion It is apparent from the deliberation above that certain commodities can be offered at a lower cost by natural monopolies than competing firms. The primary feature of a natural monopoly is that its ATC diminishes continually over any amount demanded by the market. In case the sector has a vast fixed cost, a single firm will offer commodity at a point far lesser cost compared to numerous firms. This is due to the fact that ATC of each firm will be much higher compared to when it is a natural monopoly. Therefore, a natural monopoly will provide a commodity for a lower price in absence of any competition. Certain examples of a natural monopoly encompass the distribution of landline phone, tap water, natural gas and electricity. The government regulation is, therefore, appropriate to make sure that a natural monopoly only charges the fair-return price or normal profit without reducing costs sat a point at which AR curve intersects ATC curve. References Berg, S. V., Tschirhart, J. (2010). Natural monopoly regulation: principles and practice. New York: Cambridge University Press. Braeutigam, R. R. (2015). Optimal policies for natural monopolies. Handbook of industrial organization, 2, 1289-1346. Gmez-Ibez, J. A. (2013). Regulating infrastructure: monopoly, contracts, and discretion. Loeb, M., Magat, W. A. (2014). A decentralized method for utility regulation. the Journal of Law and Economics, 22(2), 399-404. Posner, R. A. (2014). Natural monopoly and its regulation. Stanford Law Review, 548-643. Train, K. E. (2011). Optimal regulation: the economic theory of natural monopoly. MIT Press Books, 1.

10 qualities that will make you an excellent writer

10 Qualities that will make you an excellent writerWhilst people's definitions of what makes a good writer differ, there are certain qualities that they all share. So what does it take to be an excellent writer? Here are a few qualities to have that will make your writing more effective...Well Read:  You may notice that most famous writers are fond of reading books and novels, and this has a lot to say for the art of reading and how it can help the way you write. It's useful in that it can help your writing flow – how it is structured and so on. The more you read also means the more you are enlightened to; ideas, themes, arguments and facts. Frequent Writer:  If your aim is to be a great writer, you need to pursue it. Write as much as you can – daily, if possible. So many ideas and concepts will be running round your mind all day so write them down! That doesn't mean that every time you sit down you have to create an astonishing essay or novel, it doesn't need to be turned into something ‘whole' immediately. It's just a way to capture these creative thoughts so you can come back to them when you have more of a base to use. Developing the habit to write regularly will help you to excel. Disciplined:  When sitting down to write anything, you should set aside time to do just that – purely writing with no distractions. Good writing doesn't happen with Facebook on in the background. The best way forward is to schedule in times for writing (just writing), taking necessary breaks when needed, until it's completed. It's all about passion and devotion for what you're writing! Imaginative:  Something else is that is prompted by the art of reading and writing, among other things, is your imagination. However, to be imaginative, you must have the ability to pick up on things, feel inspired by it and expand on it. This quality will aid you in your writing and help you to create brilliant and stimulating things – watch this space! Observational:  One trait that every great writer must have is the skill of observation. They should have an attention to detail that can't be matched, both in their writing and around them in day-to-day life. On top of this, it helps to be a good listener. It's the combination of visual observation and oral observation that helps their writing to be full of different emotions and relatable to a variation of people, not just like the writer themselves. A Storyteller:  To write, you must be a good storyteller. That's not only if you want to write fiction, it counts for any kind of writing too. With storytelling, it's necessary to simplify everything down and formulate it well so that it's easily for the reader to digest. However, it only appears to be simple – it actually holds complex concepts that writers deconstruct to make it easier to take in. No one enjoys sitting and reading a convoluted essay or novel that just frazzles their brain, writers have got to express their ideas clearly! Critical:  A good writer must also be a good critic, of both their writing and other people's. Everything that has been written will always have some sort of critique, and that's the way it will always be. Not everyone's opinions and views are the same so it's incredibly difficult to please absolutely everyone with what you are saying. Provide evidence of your point and that's all that you can do. However, don't see any criticism as a negative. Being critical of your own ideas and others', forms new ideas for you to write about. Thick Skinned:  The things you write may not always be received by those who edit or read them as well as you would hope. This can obviously be disappointing, however remember that there will be a bunch of people that will entirely agree with what you are saying. Plus, you know that you can bounce off the criticism into a new pond of ideas, all without taking it to heart. Editor:  Every good writer should have a good editor, even if it is just you. You should be able to spot any grammatical errors a mile off, and proofreading and editing should all be scheduled into the work's progress and completion. Don't skimp on the time you need to proofread and edit because you never know how you re-reading it could change it for the better. These two things bring a lot to the whole process – they don't settle for second best, they tease the absolute best out of every writer. Patient:  Finally, every good writer must have patience. It's a virtue after all! Good writing takes time and it takes effort. If you're feeling jaded by the number of re-drafts you're doing, don't be – no renowned works came out perfectly the first time. As Mark Twain once said, â€Å"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words†.

How to Write Dialogue That Captivates Your Reader

How to Write Dialogue That Captivates Your Reader How to Write Dialogue That Captivates Your Reader And unfortunately, your first reader will be an agent or an editor. You can’t slip anything boring past them. Your job is to make every word count. That’s the way to keep your reader riveted until the final page- no small task. Making every word count is how to write compelling dialogue. Readers love dialogue because: It breaks up intimidating blocks of narrative summary. It differentiates (through dialect and word choice) and reveals characters. Done well, it can move the story without author intrusion. But, as you have likely discovered, writing great dialogue is hard. If yours is bloated or obvious or telling or is in any other way uninteresting, readers won’t stay with you long. So how about we leave them no choice? Need help writing your novel?  Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. How to Write Dialogue in 6 Steps Cut to the Bone Reveal Backstory Reveal Character Be Subtle Read Your Dialogue Out Loud Create a Make My Day Moment Step 1. Cut to the Bone Unless you need to reveal a character as a brainiac or a blowhard pretending to be one, omit needless words. Obviously, you wouldn’t render a conversation the way a court transcript includes repetition and even um, ah, uh, etc. But even beyond that, see how much you can chop without losing the point. Like this: â€Å"What do you want to do this  Sunday?  I thought wWe could go to the amusement park.† â€Å"I was thinking about renting a rowboat,† Vladimir said.  on one of the lakes.† â€Å"Oh, Vladimir, that sounds wonderful! I’ve never gone rowing  before.† That doesn’t mean all your dialogue has to be short and choppy- just that you’ll cut the dead wood to keep to the point. You’ll be surprised by how much power it adds to your prose. Step 2. Reveal Backstory Layering in backstory through dialogue is another way to keep your reader turning pages. Hinting at some incident for the first time is an automatic setup that demands a payoff. Example: As they headed toward the house, Janet whispered, â€Å"Can we not have a repeat of Cincinnati?† Jeanie shot her a double take. â€Å"Believe me, I don’t want that any more than you do.† â€Å"Good,† Janet said. â€Å"I mean- † â€Å"Can we not talk about it, please?† What normal reader wouldn’t assume they will talk about it at some point and stay with the story until they do? As the story progresses, you can reveal more and more about your protagonist’s past and have your story come full circle. This accomplishes two things: it offers a setup that should intrigue the reader, and it helps you avoid flashbacks. Need help writing your novel?  Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. Step 3. Reveal Character Your reader learns a lot about your characters through dialogue. You don’t have to TELL us they’re sarcastic, witty, narcissistic, kind, or anything else. You can SHOW us by how they interact and by what they say. Step 4. Be Subtle Dialogue can accomplish a number of tasks. Here are three: 1. Subtext- where people say other than what they mean. This can be fun. Example: My friend sold a short story to a general-market magazine years ago about a girl named Cindy who falls in love with the slightly older boy next door, who sees her as just a little sister type. When they get to high school, Tommy is the big man on campus, captain of the football team, dating the head cheerleader, and pretty much ignoring Cindy. She’s just his younger neighbor and friend. Tommy leaves for college and word soon gets back to Cindy during her senior year of high school that he and his girlfriend have broken up. So when he comes home after his freshman year of college and is changing a tire on his car, Cindy just happens to walk outside. She strikes up a conversation with Tommy, and he looks up, stunned. Who is this beautylittle Cindy from next door? She says, â€Å"Making a change, are you?† Tommy looks at the tire and back at her and says, â€Å"Yeah, I actually I am making a change.† Cindy says, â€Å"Well, I’ve heard that rotating can be a good thing.† And he says, â€Å"Yeah, I’ve heard that too.† That’s subtext. They’re not saying what they really mean. They’re not really talking about changing the tire, are they? 2. Sidestepping- when a character responds to a question without answering it. Instead, what the character says is so profound and unexpected that it offers a whole new understanding of what’s going on. Example: In the movie Patch Adams, the late Robin Williams played a brilliant young doctor who believes the Old Testament adage that â€Å"laughter is the best medicine.† He goes into the children’s cancer ward of a hospital wearing an inflated surgical glove on his head, making him look like a rooster. He wears bedpans for shoes and stomps about, flapping his arms and squawking. The children find it hilarious, but hospital directors consider it undignified and demand he stop. Patch Adams is trying to make one girl in particular- a hospital volunteer- laugh. But while everyone else thinks he’s funny, she never cracks a smile. Finally, Patch leaves the hospital to open a clinic in the country. Imagine his surprise when that humorless young lady appears to help him set up. At one point, she goes outside to rest, so Patch follows and sits opposite her. He says, â€Å"I’ve got to ask. Everybody thinks I’m hysterical, but you. I’ve tried everything. What is it with you? Why don’t you ever think anything I say is funny?† After several seconds of silence, she says, â€Å"Men have liked me all my lifeall my life† And we realize by the way she says it, she was abused as a child. Suddenly, we understand what this girl is all about. She doesn’t trust men, and she doesn’t laugh, because life isn’t funny. The way she responded did not answer his question. Her problem had nothing to do with him or his humor. Finally, Patch realizes that some things aren’t funny. Some things you just don’t make fun of. Sometimes, you need to quit cracking jokes and just listen. It’s a great turnaround in the story. And an example of sidestep dialogue. 3. Silence The old truism that silence can be golden rings true for our last technique. Many, including Abraham Lincoln, have been credited with the line: â€Å"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.† One of the toughest things to learn as a writer is to avoid filling silent gaps. Just like we shouldn’t tell what’s not happening in a story, neither do we need to write that someone didn’t respond or didn’t answer. If you don’t say they did, the reader will know they didn’t. Example: â€Å"Well John,† Linda said, â€Å"what do you have to say for yourself?† John set his jaw and stared out the window. â€Å"I’m waiting,† she said. He lit a cigarette. Linda shook her head. â€Å"I swear, John, honestly.† Now, too many writers feel the need to write here, â€Å"But he refused to say anything,† or â€Å"But he never responded.† Don’t! We know, we get it- and it’s loud, effective, silent dialogue. The reader knows because John is saying nothing, and yet saying everything. Silence is golden. Step 5. Read Your Dialogue Out Loud One way to be certain your dialogue flows is to read it aloud or even act it out. Anything that doesn’t sound right won’t read right either, so rewrite it until it does. Step 6. Create a â€Å"Make My Day† Moment Certain iconic lines of dialogue have become as legendary as the films and books they originate from: â€Å"Frankly my dear† â€Å"There’s no place like home.† â€Å"We’re not in Kansas anymore.† â€Å"To my big brother George, the richest man in town.† â€Å"What we have here is failure to communicate.† â€Å"Go ahead, make my day.† â€Å"May the force be with you.† â€Å"Houston, we have a problem.† â€Å"Run, Forrest, run!† â€Å"You had me at hello.† Most writers - even bestselling novelists - never create such an unforgettable line of dialogue. But striving to create one is a worthy effort. Ironically, it should fit so seamlessly it doesn’t draw attention to itself until fans begin quoting it. How to Use Dialogue Tags to Identify Speakers Dialogue attribution tags- he said, she said, etc.- indicate who is speaking. Resist the urge to get creative here. Said is almost always your best choice. Teachers who urge you to find alternatives are usually unpublished and believe agents and editors will be impressed. Trust me, they won’t be. Avoid mannerisms of attribution. People say things. They don’t wheeze, gasp, sigh, laugh, grunt or snort them. They might do any of those things while saying them, which might be worth mentioning, but the emphasis should be on what is said, and readers just need to know who is saying it. Keep it simple. All those other descriptors turn the spotlight on an intrusive writer. Sometimes people whisper or shout or mumble, but let their choice of words indicate they’re grumbling, etc. If it’s important that they sigh or laugh, separate that action from the dialogue. Jim sighed. â€Å"I can’t take this anymore.† Not: Jim sighed, â€Å"I can’t take this anymore.† Though you read them in school readers and classic fiction, attribution tags such as use of reply, retort, exclaim, and declare have become clicheÃŒ d and archaic. You’ll still see them occasionally, but I suggest not using them. Often no attribution is needed. Use dialogue tags only when the reader wouldn’t otherwise know who’s speaking. I once wrote an entire novel, The Last Operative, without attributing a single line of dialogue. Not a said, an asked, anything. I made clear through action who was speaking, and not one reader, even my editor, noticed. A common error is characters addressing each other by name too often. Real people rarely do this, and it often seems planted only to avoid a dialogue tag. Fictional dialogue should sound real. Don’t start your dialogue attribution tag with said. Rather, end with said. said Joe or said Mary, reads like a children’s book. Substitute he and she for the names and that will make it obvious. said he or said she just doesn’t sound right. Use said after the name for the best sound. Joe said or Mary said. Resist the urge to explain, and give the reader credit. The amateur writer often writes something like this: â€Å"I’m beat,† exclaimed John tiredly. Besides telling and not showing - violating a cardinal rule of writing - it uses the archaic exclaimed for said, misplaces that before the name rather than after, and adds the redundant tiredly. The pro would write: John dropped onto the couch. â€Å"I’m beat.† That shows rather than tells, and because John’s action has been described, we don’t need an attribution tag to know he’s speaking. How to Punctuate Dialogue Few things expose a beginner like incorrect punctuation, especially in dialogue. Agents and editors justifiably wonder if you read dialogue, let alone whether you can write it, if you write something like: â€Å"I don’t know.† she said. Or, â€Å"What do you think?† He said. To avoid common mistakes: Start a new paragraph for each speaker When one character’s dialogue extends to more than one paragraph, start each subsequent paragraph with a double quotation mark, and place your closing double quotation mark only at the end of the final paragraph. Place punctuation inside the quotation marks, the dialogue tag outside: â€Å"John was just here asking about you,† Jim said. The attribution tag goes after the first clause of a compound sentence: â€Å"Not tonight,† he said, â€Å"not in this weather.† When dialogue ends with a question or exclamation mark, the dialogue tag following the quotation marks should be lowercase:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’m glad you’re here!† she said. Action before dialogue takes a separate sentence: Anna shook her head. â€Å"I can’t believe she’s gone!† Quoting within a quote requires single quotation marks: â€Å"Lucy, Mom specifically said, ‘Do not cut your bangs,’ and you did it anyway!† When action or attribution interrupts dialogue, use lowercase as dialogue resumes: â€Å"That,† she said, â€Å"hurt bad.† Dialogue Examples If you’re old enough to remember the original Twilight Zone (hosted by Rod Serling) or Dragnet (starring and narrated by Jack Webb), you know how dialogue set the tone for their shows. Serling was sometimes whimsical, sometimes mysterious, but always provocative. â€Å"Consider one middle-aged adult, lost in space and time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jack Webb, as L.A. police detective Sergeant Joe Friday, was always deadly serious and monotone. â€Å"Just the facts, ma’am.† Contrast those with the dialogue between Tom and his Aunt Polly in Tom Sawyer. If you’re anything like me, you were laughing from page 1. There! I mighta thought of that closet. What you been doing in there? Nothing. Nothing! Look at your hands. And look at your mouth. What IS that truck? I dont know, aunt. Well, I know. Its jam- thats what it is. Forty times Ive said if you didnt let that jam alone Id skin you. Hand me that switch. The switch hovered in the air- the peril was desperate- My! Look behind you, aunt! The old lady whirled round and snatched her skirts out of danger. The lad fled on the instant, scrambled up the highboard fence, and disappeared over it. Great dialogue can set the tone for your entire story and also differentiate characters, as we discussed earlier. In Huckleberry Finn,  Mark Twain delineates between Huck the Southern white boy and Jim the runaway slave by just hinting at their respective accents. Twain doesn’t use tags to tell who’s speaking, yet the reader never confuses the two. Huck says, â€Å"Jim, did y’all ever see a king?† Y’all is the only word in that sentence that implies a Southern accent, but it’s enough. Jim says, â€Å"I sho enough did.† Huck says, â€Å"You liar, Jim. You never seen no king.† Jim says, â€Å"I seen foh kings in a deck of cards.† Huck’s bad grammar and Jim’s sho and foh are the only hints of their dialects. Contrived phonetic spelling would slow the reading, but look what Twain accomplished with simple choices. The Cardinal Sin of Dialogue The last thing you want is to produce on-the-nose dialogue. Apply to your own work those principles and the tools I’ve outlined here, and I believe you’ll immediately see a huge difference. So will your reader. In the Comments, ask me any questions regarding how to write dialogue. Need help writing your novel?  Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide.