Stalins Purge The Greater Holocaust Essays - Old Bolsheviks

Stalin's Purge: The Greater Holocaust Joseph Stalin was ruler of the Soviet Union from 1929-1953. While he was in power the Great Depression devastated the world economy, the Nazis invaded the U.S.S.R., Berlin was cut off from the rest of the world, and the Cold War began. In many countries his philosophies were believed to be highly effective, but some of his actions are just being uncovered , and denounced, in ?Western? countries like the United States. One part of Soviet history, only now being recognized for what it really was, is the ?Great Purge? Stalin initiated to rid the Stalin(Groilers-Communism) country of all people who didn't support him as ?the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union?. Stalin was born on December 21, 1827 in Gori, Georgia, and given the name Joseph Vissarionovich Djugashvili. He adopted the name Joseph Stalin later in his lifetime. (World Book 825; Groilers-Stalin,Joseph) His father was an alcoholic, beat his wife, as well as, Stalin. Stalin's father died in a fight when his child was only eleven. His mother wanted Stalin to become a priest, so she sent him to seminary school when he was 14 years of age. (Groilers-Stalin,Joseph) At the school, Stalin learned about revolutionaries and became one himself. Eventually he quit school and became ?a full-time revolutionary? against the Czar and the Russian monarchy. He was arrested in 1904 and joined the Bolsheviks. Stalin was arrested and exiled four more times between 1906 and 1913. (World Book 825) When Stalin escaped from exile he met Lenin and joined the Bolsheviks. In 1912 he was appointed to the Bolshevik Central Committee. Arrested and exiled by the Czar in 1913, he returned in 1917 after the ?November Revolution?. (Groilers-Stalin, Joseph) Stalin was appointed secretary of the Central Committee in 1922 and became ?power hungry?. Before his death, in 1924, Lenin wrote a not saying that Stalin was reckless and needed to be removed from power. The leading Bolsheviks ignored the note and continued increasing the amount of power Stalin had. Between 1924 and 1928, Stalin used his position to remove his opposition from ?the Party?; he was the unchallenged leader of the Soviet Union by 1929. (Groilers-Stalin, Joseph) As leader of the Soviet Union he ordered the creation of the collective farms to aid in the rapid industrialization of the country. Poor management of the farms caused thousands of people to die in a famine; Stalin continued collectivization at an increased r! ate after the famine. (World Book 826) Stalin's purge began after the death of Sergei Kirov. It is believed that the ?murder was probably arranged by Stalin as a pretext for eliminating all opponents.? (Groilers-Great Purge) Stalin used Kirov's death as an excuse to charge Party members and Army generals with treason or conspiracy and sentence them to death. Almost all of the members of the Central Committee and the 17th Congress were killed or arrested; some were sent to labor camps known as Gulags. At first, the purge was secret; show trials in Moscow were evidence of the purge's existence, later on. The purge spread from high-ranking officials to people associated with Lenin and then to common workers and farmers. Anyone perceived as a threat to Stalin's power was killed. The ?officer-corps? were so Stalin would have total support in the lower ranks of the armed forces. (Groilers-Great Purge) Everyone was considered a suspect by the secret police. During this time Stalin began to produce his own personality ?cult?. Some people used this cult as a way to avoid being killed by the secret police. (Groilers-Stalin, Joseph) During the purge the secret police ordered spying on important industrialists. They also ordered neighbors to spy on each other, children to report on heir parents, children to watch their siblings, and adults to spy on their employers/employees. (World Book 826) With so may people being arrested or killed, or just disappearing, many began to lose faith in Stalin's leadership. Not many spoke openly spoke out against Stalin for fear of their lives and Western nations did not find out the true extent of the purge because it was not discussed in public. (Soviet Political System 28) One of the most adverse affects of the purge was that when World War

Consitution, Declaration of Independence, & Bill of Rights essays

Consitution, Declaration of Independence, & Bill of Rights essays Although many people today get them mixed up, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights each had a specific purpose and use. The Declaration of Independence, for example, was written in 1776 and was the Americans way of telling Britain that they had put up with enough of her unfair policies and actions, and they wished to depart from the British Empire. Instead of just saying the American Colonies wanted out, plain and simple, the document was written in such a way where it pointed out exactly what the British (more specifically, the king) had done to bring the situation to such a breaking point, justifying their need for separation. After the war was over, the new country was still divided into independent states, which in turn kept the immediate success of America on hold. There were those in this country that saw the need for the states to band together and have a strong national government. Each state selected representatives that were sent to Philadelphia to work out a plan to help the country succeed. Through all of the debate and arguments, the Constitution was formed, taking place of the Articles of Confederation. The main idea that came from the Constitution was the power of the national government was divided into three branches. By doing so, the fear of having a leader-turned-tyrant would be eliminated. It also fixed the loopholes of the Articles of Confederation, which did not give the government the right to regulate trade or collect taxes. This new document was very specific and set out a guideline to work with. After the Constitution was written, it had to be ratified by nine out of thir teen state conventions. Seven were gathered without much of a problem, but the remaining six held off. After much persuasion, eventually nine states were gathered (all but New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and Rhode Island). Washington, Madison, and Jefferson, who all went into t...

A nuture theory of human behavior

A nuture theory of human behavior The nature versus nurture debate is one of the most convoluted in the field of psychology. In the 17th century, a French philosopher, Renà © Descartes posited that â€Å"we all, as individual human beings, have certain innate ideas that enduringly underpin our approach to the world† (Crawford, 1989 p 64). The use of the terms â€Å"nature† and â€Å"nurture† henceforth has referred to the roles of heredity and environment respectively in human development. Some scientists believe that human beings behave as they do in response to genetic predisposition. This is known as the nature theory of human behavior and is the view espoused by naturalists (Scott, 1995). Other scientists think otherwise; that people think and behave in certain ways because they are taught to do so. This is known as nurture theory of human behavior and is the view of empiricists. Presented in the paper are the theories of nature vs. nurture, elucidation of perception, intelligence and perso nality within the debate. In addition, the paper discusses eevidences in favor of nurture and the influence of environment on behavior and morality. In exploring the nature versus the nurture debate, the writer presumes that nature endows human beings with inborn abilities and traits while nurture takes these genetic tendencies and molds them as humans learn and mature. Theories of Nature vs. Nurture According to naturalists, personality is natural. This group believes that personality is a result of evolutionary process. Human beings, it believes, inherit behaviors due to a complex interaction of genes. As such, genes control their behaviors. They believe that form and characteristics measured with personality tests remain stable throughout human life. They further believe that human beings may sharpen their types or personality but can never change them altogether. Darwin’s Theory of Evolution led naturalists such as George Williams, William Hamilton, and many others to the idea of personality evolution. They proposed that physical organs and personality is a result of natural selection (Herschkowitz, 2002). Human beings do as their genes dictate. In support, Steven Pinker (2004) includes conservativeness, religiousness and liberalism as gene related traits. William Paley, in agreement, believes cognitive capabilities, temperaments, and cheating behaviors are inheritable. There are however various assumptions about nature. Evolutionary psychologists believe that behaviour is a result of natural selection in the environment of evolutionary adaptation (EEA). Interpersonal attraction therefore can be explained as a consequence of sexual selection – men and women select partners who enhance their reproductive success (Crawford, 1989). Arguments for the supremacy of nurture posit that personality is nurtured. This group argues that one does not get personality from inheritance. They argue that the mind is a blank slate at birth. The definition of nu rture has extended to influence of development that emanates from prenatal, parental, peer influence and extending to the role of media, marketing and socio-economic status (Scott, 1995). They dispute that types and characteristics measured with personality tests change incessantly throughout one’s life. Harvard psychologist B. F. Skinner’s, experiments, produced birds that could dance and play tennis. Today, known as the father of behavioral science, Skinner ultimately went on to prove that human behavior could be conditioned in much the same way as animals. If environment did not play a part in determining an individual’s traits and behaviors, then identical twins should be the same in all respects, even if reared apart. However, a number of studies show that they are never exactly alike, even though they are remarkably similar in most respects (Michaels, 2001).

Justice, Ethics and Law - critical evaluation of one of the three Essay

Justice, Ethics and Law - critical evaluation of one of the three topics below - Essay Example They insist that the idea of all people possessing certain rights by virtue of their humanity, even in the absence of legislation, is baseless and only loose talk.2 The ambiguity regarding the credibility of human rights dates back to the 18th century shortly after US Declaration of Independence in 1776, and thirteen years ahead, the French declaration of ‘the rights of man’. The US Declaration stated that every man is ‘endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights’ while the French Declaration asserted ‘men are born and remain free and equal in rights’. Not long afterwards, Jeremy Bentham, in his writings between 1791 and 1792,3 differed with the concept of human rights and called for its dismissal. Bentham claimed that the idea of human rights was borrowed from the Americans and was not practical. Even today, there is still widespread disagreement on issues relating to human rights. Most critics maintain that human rights lack coherence, cogency and legitimacy while some still point out grey areas such as social and economic rights.4 Amartya Sen5 proposes several guidelines for the elements of a human rights theory that adequately address the issue of legitimacy of human rights. I will consider these six guidelines as conclusions to arguments which he bases on one or more premises explained under each subheading. The paper will analyse each of these conclusions and their supporting premises and critically assess their legitimacy and any alternative suggestions. Sen claims that human rights are primarily ethical demands rather than legal commands.6 He makes this conclusion based on two premises. First, even though human rights have often resulted in legislation, it is considered a further fact, as opposed to a characteristic of human rights. Second, Sen states that human rights are agreements on certain ethical affirmations and the

Ethical concern related to low-wage workers Essay

Ethical concern related to low-wage workers - Essay Example First of all, in order to create a background for my essay, I would like to start with a definition of the term 'ethics'. This term is taken from the Greek, and the Greek word 'ethos' means 'character'. Nowadays, ethics can be defined as the set of rules for interpersonal communication, which takes place either on daily basis or at the level of big business. "Making ethical decisions in business is often difficult because business ethics is not simply an extension of an individual's personal ethics or a society's standards of right and wrong" (answers.com, 2005). Just being a righteous person, who fits ethical criteria, might not be enough to handle the problems, which occur in the workplace, such as the treatment of low-wage employees and their career development. It is important to note that many professions have already responded to the demanding business problems - in particular, with the creation of "codes of ethics, statements of corporate goals, sponsor training and educational programs in ethics" (ibid) , the installation of internal jurists who deal with various ethical improprieties, and with creation of special telephone hot lines, which allow employees report anonymously possible ethical violations. A code of ethics contains certain standards of behavior, which are obligatory for the representatives of a certain profession. Moreover, a code of ethics generally provides professionals with information about the obligations towards one another, their customers, employees and the whole society. "A code of ethics is generally developed by a professional society within a particular profession. The higher the degree of professionalism required of society members, the stronger and therefore more enforceable the code" (ibid). The main function of a code of ethics is to guide employees and employers in the most complicated ethical questions, in particular those which are especially unclear. Decisions in such cases can be made more effectively and easily if the code informs about what actions should or should not be taken and about the penalties for morally wrong behavior. Many companies have their own codes of practice, or codes of ethics, which correspond to the mission of the organization and the organizational culture. There are several ethical concerns associated with low-wage workers. The most widespread ethical dilemma, which arises in many organizations is 'utility vs. morality' (Bernstein, 1997). The ideas of utilitarianism, which penetrated the business, have been developed into the utilitarian approach to ethical concerns, which concentrates on "taking the action that will result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people" (poznaklav.com, 2005). For instance, employing low-wage workers, entrepreneur, who follows utilitarian principles, would attempt to determine whether using low-wage employees would bring prosperity to the company. For instance, those business owners, who use low-wage foreign employees in response to price competition, will probably benefit from such decision. On the other hand, using low-wage workers is likely to decrease the wages of the other employees, decreasing at the same time their standards of living and thus, reducing their ability to purchase the good s the company produces. Those company owners, who support the ideas of morality (Blank, 1997) would probably pay living wages to all employees regardless

Product Quality Essay Example for Free

Product Quality Essay List some important physical properties of the fabric. The properties of textile fabrics are important for the control of quality, as well as for end use determination. There are several physical properties of fabric which affecting the performance and aesthetic of fabric. The first one is fabric count, it influences thickness of the fabric. It is the number of ends or picks per inch for woven fabrics, or the number of wales or courses per inch for knit fabrics. Variation occurs because of the weaving or knitting process and from finishing processes. Usually the higher the fabric count, the better the quality and the higher the cost. The second is fabric unit weight. It is the mass per unit area. It is expressed in one three ways; ounces per square yard, ounces per linear yard, and linear yards per pound. It is significant in determining both end use and quality. Moreover, it is fabric width. It means the distance from one edge to the other. Measurement is made perpendicular to the fabric edge, usually including the selvage area. The width is expressed in inches and is usually an average number of measurements taken at evenly spaced interval along the fabric pieces. Next one is fabric shrinkage. It is the process in which a fabric becomes smaller than its original size, usually through the process of laundry. It is undesirable property to the apparels. So the material has to be either shrink resistant or shrink recoverable, such as anti-shrink finish is to keep the fabric smooth and free from undesirable shrinkage. The last one is fabric thickness. It is the distance between the upper and lower surfaces of the material. It is measure under a specific pressure. Warmth and bulk properties depend on the fabric thickness- to-weight ratio. It can also be used as a performance indication of abrasion resistance or shrinkage tests. Generally speaking, the thicker the fabric is, the more comfortable in wearing. 6. What is the commonly used fabric inspection system? Mainly, two industry methods used are the Ten point and Four point systems. The most commonly used is four-point system. A minimum of 10% inspection of fabrics is required. The four-point system derives its name from the basic grading rules that a maximum of four penalty points can be assessed for any single defect. Normally, we inspect 10% of the rolls we receive and evaluate them based on this system. This way, we can avoid fabric related quality problems before it is put into production The following table shows the point system. Size of Defect| Penalty Points| Length of defects in fabric (either length or width)| Defects up to 3 inches| 1| Defects gt; 3 inches lt; 6 inches| 2| Defects gt; 6 inches lt; 9 inches| 3| Defects gt; 9 inches| 4| Holes and openings(largest dimension)| 1 inch or less| 2| Over 1 inch| 4| After inspection, the inspector will add up the defects points and then use the following formula to determine the rate of points per 100 yards. There are some common fabric faults, such as bow, skew, hole, mispick etc. Fabric checker should know common defects found in fabrics and he must recognize defects on the fabric at the time of fabric inspection. For the acceptance criteria and calculation, 40 points per 100 yards is the acceptable defect rate. The ten point system for piece goods evaluation was approved by the Textile distributors institute and the National Federation of Textile, in 1955. It is designed to identify defects and to assign each defect a value based on severity of defect. The system assigns penalty points to each defect depending on its length and whether it is in the warp (ends) or weft (fill) direction. The following table shows the point system.

Double Standards between Men and Women Essay -- divorce laws, gender di

Some double standards that i’ve witnessed would be between men and women. Men are perceived to be stronger than women mentally and physically. Women are usually seen as victims and men are seen as the bad guy. A lot of women love to play the victim and point the finger at the men. A lot of women will run and try to defend women to help them play the victim role even further. Women are not victims and should be held accountable for their actions. In a relationship, a woman can go out to get a cup of coffee with a male friend, but if a male was caught doing that exact thing he would be accused of cheating. This is all caused by stereotypes. A stereotype is a classification of a group of people. It is not always accurate. At a young age men are taught that boys don’t cry and not to talk about their feelings causing them to bottle up, while women are free to do the opposite. Many women are sensitive, but not all of them. There are some very tough women in this world who aren’t afraid to speak their mind and don’t take every little thing to heart. Another thing men are...

Computer in Life Essay

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘computer’? Do you think of technology? Or maybe one of the ways to get on Facebook which I am sure many of you are thinking right now or you might even imagine a boring office full of screens and keys with people typing frantically in front of. All of those visions are correct, but first let’s take a look at the history of several inventions that led the creation of computers which has dramatically changed the world of technology. The first machine that was invented, which worked like a computer, was a gear-powered German device dubbed the Calculating Clock created by Wilhelm Schickard in 1623. It operated by pulling or pushing rods set inside a glass case. 20 years later, in 1640s, a similar device known as a Pascaline was invented and became famous dramatically.. In 1944, the Harvard Mark-1 computer was completed. That computer was approximately similar to a modern computer, but it was a large calculator driven by a camshaft with no stored programs. This massive computer filled a large room and was a joint effort between Harvard University and IBM. Personally, I believe that one of the most important inventions in my life has always been a computer. I was raised in this technological world where computers are a necessity. Computers dramatically transform my life in terms of education. They acknowledge me with the events that happen around the world, which I think are extremely important to learn. They give me an efficient, convenient and cozy way of work and study. Computers do not just provide me with education or learning experiences, but they are also one of the means of entertainment and globalization. They provide me with leisure time watching movies online or listening to music. According to me, it is one of the most relaxing ways to release the stress from studying and working day and night. Also in terms of globalization, with the aid of computers, I can visualize and make conversations with my long distance family and friends. They assist me in keeping relations with my family and friends, even though I am extremely far from them. I, as a student, strongly believe that computers are extremely important in terms of education as I mentioned before. Before computers were invented, I (you were born after computers were invented) as well as everyone else relied on books to provide them with educational knowledge. Now that computers are available, I never search through hundreds of pages of books. I can just surf the Internet in the blink of an eye to research for learning information. If I need to type anything or write an essay, I have easy access to my Microsoft word or Notepad in which I can also save the information and open it whenever I desire to and if I make any errors typing, it provides me with the correct word or information. Isn’t that amazing? It’s like a human sitting in the back of the computer screen reading my essay and correcting it of any mistakes I may make. Furthermore, the computers also assist me when it comes to math, such as math problems like logarithms, sine, cosine, and tangent can be awfully difficult to calculate and may take students a long time to do so manually. Luckily, with the help of computers, students may turn a five-minute problem into a one-minute problem. Computers have also made a major impact in the business field. They have gained importance as they have increased the productivity and efficiency of workload. Large amounts of data in the personal lives as well as in business and industrial sectors are stored on computers. Overall, as I provided you with all the benefits of computers, according to me, computers are one of the necessities in today’s technological world. In today’s world, it is almost impossible to think that one can survive without computers. They have become a gadget of almost daily use for people of every age. With the computer industry growing rapidly, the computer technology has also brought about a revolution of laptops and palmtops replacing the desktop, which are still popular in many of the industries. With the reduction in size, it has become quite easy to carry the computers and use them to the fullest. Computers are extremely helpful in terms of education, entertainment, globalization, etc. People might think that there might be negative aspects to the inventions of computers, but as far as I am concerned, I do not believe that the statement is true. The computers have had numerous positive effects and they will continue to do so in the future as well.

Richard Layard stated that ‘happiness comes from outside and within’ Essay

Happiness is described as a positive feeling that ranges from Joy to contentment. Everybody would like to be happy. It is believed that people who are happy are more successful, productive, have better relationships and better health. We would like to maintain these feelings when we have them. Richard Layard uses the terms ‘outside’ and ‘within’ to describe where happiness comes from. ‘Outside’ factors include influences like relationships, social identities and culture. ‘Within’ looks at influences such as biology, thoughts and feelings. So the ‘outside’ relates to social influences and ‘within’ relates to personal factors inside the individual. This essay aims to find evidence of these multiple influences in order to explain Richard Layard’s statement. First it will address ‘within’, next it will look at the ‘outside’, finishing with a conclusion. A key biological factor of happiness is linked to a healthy lifestyle and eating the right food. Exercising and eating right increases the body’s level of endorphins, which naturally gives us a boost. Certain foods stimulate the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin regulates mood, appetite and sleep, and is what produces the feelings of happiness and satisfaction within us. If we have low levels of serotonin we feel depressed and anxious. Judith Wurtman (1996) (cited in starting psychology 2011) found a connection between low levels of serotonin and a diet low in carbohydrates. People on high fat, high protein, low carbohydrate diets reported feelings of depression anger and tension which were unusually high. Foods that stimulate serotonin contain a chemical called tryptophan. Foods like fish, nuts, beans, eggs, oats and chocolate all contain this mood boosting chemical. So what we put in our bodies can affect our level of happiness. When Layard states happi ness comes from ‘within’ he is drawing on these biological factors. But are some of us born with a genetic predisposition to be happier than others? Richard Davidson et al. (2000) (cited in starting psychology 2011) used an EEG to measure where the brain is active when we are happy. It found that happy people show more activity in the front of the brain on the left  hand-side than the right and vice versa when people are unhappy. Some people naturally use one side of their brain more than the other, using the left side more means you are likely to show higher levels of happiness regardless of your experiences. This theory was tested on babies and toddlers. Both left hand-sided babies and toddlers showed less distress when separated from their mothers and were better at new situations than babies and toddlers who were right hand-sided. This shows some level of happiness is genetically inherited again a ‘within’ factor of biological evidence to support Layard’s theory. Davidson teamed up with Jon Kabat-Zin to see if mediation had any effect on the right and left front brain activity. They carried out an experiment on a group of high pressure workers. The group was divided into two and one group was taught how to meditate, the other was told they would start later. Eight weeks later the group who learned to meditate were significantly happier, coped better with stress and had greater immunity when given a flu vaccination than the group who had not yet started. It also showed that their level of brain activity had shifted to the left. So although the brain and how it works is fundamental in how happiness is produced you can effectively train your brain to work in a different way by altering its plasticity. (Starting Psychology 2011) All these biological factors contribute to our level of happiness and is what Layard meant by ‘within’ influences. These are not the only influences on our happiness; relationships and environment play a large role too. Richard Layard’s (2005) research into happiness identified a list of seven factors that promote wellbeing. The list states family and close relationships are the number one factors for happiness as they are emotionally sustaining. This tells us that the ‘outside’ influences of relationships that Layard refers to are essential. (Starting Psychology 2011). Relationships start in the womb and continue throughout life. Early relationships influence the emotional development of children and a securely attached child is confident, has high self-esteem and knows it is loved and valued, creating happiness. The findings from Mary Ainsworth (1978) (cited  in Starting Psychology 2011) when she observed one year old babies in her experiment ‘the Strange situation’ confirms this claim. Children played in a room and their reactions were recorded when the parent left and a stranger entered. Securely attached children were happy to explore and play whilst the paren t was present, but became distressed when left. They were easily comforted when the parent returned, however when a stranger entered the child could not be comforted and resisted the stranger. Insecurely attached children were less confident in exploring, were indifferent to the presence or absence of the parent and indecisive about whether they wanted comforting or not. A recent UNICEF report (2007) showed how significant relationships with family and friends are in producing happiness in children. This report was about children’s wellbeing in twenty-one developed countries, and the UK found itself at the bottom of the list, behind poorer countries. The reason for this ranking seemed to be poor quality relationships with family, friends and peers. It emerged that being loved and supported by family and friends was the most important elements for a happy childhood. (Starting Psychology 2011). In adulthood people who manage good communication are happier than others. Robert Lane (2000) also argued we gain happiness from people’s affection and acceptance of us and it is this feeling of being valued that influences our mood. When we are with people we exchange positive non-verbal communication. Our body language promotes friendly interaction which leads to laughter and happiness. Also several large studies have shown a link between expressing gratitude and high feelings of happiness according to Seligman (2005). When we thank someone we not only make the person feel good it increases our mood. All these examples show evidence of what Layard meant by ‘Outside’ influences on our happiness. (Starting Psychology 2011). In conclusion many contributing factors make us happy. These few examples are biological and social influences confirming Richard Layard’s opinion that ‘happiness comes from outside and within’ It seems that a combination of influences are essential in contributing to our overall happiness, there are  many other factors that also play a part in our happiness, but it is clear from this evidence that a person’s biological state and close personal relationships directly affect levels of happiness.

The Dos and Don’ts for Sharing Opinions in an Interview

The Dos and Don’ts for Sharing Opinions in an Interview â€Å"It’s not polite to discuss politics or religion.† We’ve all heard it- and it’s good policy in the workplace, where people of all perspectives come together to get the job done. But how should you handle it if someone else- specifically, an interviewer- asks you for your opinion on a controversial subject? Here are 5 tips to keep in mind as you prep for your interview.DON’T feel obligated to answer.This is not a question that should come up in the course of a regular job interview. Maybe the interviewer is taking advantage of a casual setting (say, over a lunch during an extended interview process), or is just not aware of what’s appropriate and what’s not. Just because someone may be able to offer you a job does not mean they’re entitled to truth serum-level answers. Would you give him or her your Social Security number? Your bank account balance? You should consider your personal opinions just that†¦personal. Youâ₠¬â„¢re not obligated to give a full and honest answer if you’re asked for your opinion.DO respond with a question.In a case like this it’s perfectly fair to answer with a cautious question of your own, like â€Å"what makes you ask?† You may just be stalling for time and hoping to defuse the line of inquiry, but it’s a legitimate next step.DON’T use it as a launchpad for your favorite political rant.It may seem like an open opportunity to unleash the real you, but that’s deceptive. If you do give your honest opinion about abortion/gun control/healthcare reform, you run the risk of alienating the interviewer. Sure, it wasn’t especially fair of them to set you up like that, but human nature being what it is, they may disqualify you based on your opinions and not your qualifications.I fell prey to this temptation once, as an intern in college. I was 19, and was positive I had politics all figured out. During a lunch with colleagues, I sh ot off at the mouth about my disdain for the president at the time- only to find out later that one of the colleagues present was a huge supporter of President [name redacted]. I wasn’t asked to return to that group the next summer. In all likelihood that wasn’t the main reason, but it could have been. And I still cringe when I think about how unprofessional it was for me to unleash my righteous political fury at a work lunch.DO try to change the topic.It’s okay to give a mild, middle-of-the-road response and then move back to the interview track. If the interviewer asks you about your political affiliation, try something along the lines of, â€Å"I’m pretty fed up with all politicians these days. I’m more interested in what I can do every day to make things better.† It may sound lame, but at least it dodges a potential bullet.DON’T open the door to this question yourself.If your notebook has a â€Å"Feel the Bern† campaign sti cker on it, or you have a â€Å"Make America Great Again† tattoo, make sure those are out of sight when you walk into the interview. Similarly, if you’re, say, a vegan and you object to the fancy leather shoes the interviewer is wearing, don’t go out of your way to point out the folly of his ways. Again, this should be about your qualifications- not your personal views and beliefs. You probably won’t be able to convince this person of the superiority of your opinion in one sitting, and even if you do, you’ve already put yourself in a box before you even get a job offer.There’s plenty of time to talk about your personal opinions with friends and family, or on anonymous internet news comment sections. The job interview is just not the place for it. And if you’re asked to bring in your personal opinions on potentially controversial topics, you should feel comfortable in sidestepping that land mine.

Issues in corporate finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Issues in corporate finance - Assignment Example Most important, companies have to understand the value of trading-off aspects of capital because such practise results to better performance. The trade-off theory of capital structure maintains the positive relationship between earnings and leverage. Empirical evidences, however, argue that such observation is fallible (Sarkar and Zapatero, 2003). Despite the contradicting outcomes, trade-off has considered as valuable mechanism in gauging corporate revenues. In most instances, the trade-off theory has consistently predicted information related to debt structure. The theory suggests that weak firms are more inclined to finance exclusively with bank debts. Apparently, weak firms tend to ignore other debt sources in particular public debts. Another important idea posited by the theory is that the optimal debt structure seen among strong firms pertains to combinations of bank and market debt. Basically, strong firms have become adept in successfully managing both bank and market debts. It has to be noted that the nature of both debts are differently perceived. Strong firms have the capacity to acquire different forms of debt instruments because of their financial scope. In uncertain markets, the strategy of using varied debt mechanisms allow strong firms to be more flexible in handling risks. According to Brealey and Meyers (2000), the trade-off theory pu... Furthermore, critics claim that the theory is ill-equipped to justify relevant practises. The concept developed by Modigliani and Miller (1958) revolves on the market imperfections that eventually affect capital structures. Indeed, market imperfections occur in several forms. The most prominent observed among firms include taxes, market distresses, and agency costs. For most firms, the challenge is to create an optimal capital structure when these market imperfections emerge. The theory assumes that after a certain firm establishes the optimal combination of financial resources all succeeding financing is raised in the same proportion of debt and equity financing. This, however, is expected to vary in the method of reporting and practising. Among publicly trading companies, Houston and James (1996) observed that there is an insignificant use of market debt. The percentage of non-market debt among listed companies is greater in value as evident in the majority of firms preferring non-market debt. In addition, the listed firms that use market debts show that non-market debts still occupy the most shares on the overall debt. Johnson (1997) pointed out that the long-term debt structure suggests better use of market debts. Among the users of market debt, more than half of the total long-term debt is considered as market issued. Trade-off has usually been used to determine financing decisions. Traditionally, firms either maintain a target capital structure or follow the hierarchy of financing. Pinegar and Wilbritch (1989) conducted a survey on firms belonging to the Fortune 500 on their financing preference. Based on the results, majority of the firms listed in Fortune 500 have been using target capital structure to

Suicide among young men in the United Kingdom in related to the press Research Paper

Suicide among young men in the United Kingdom in related to the press - Research Paper Example Social phenomenon of various kinds is analysed using evidence to back up claims. Evidence gathering for such purposes needs to be traced out meticulously in order to create a true reflection of the society and its problems. This paper attempts to analyse the social problem of suicide in Great Britain in order to ascertain a particular direction for research. Overlying trends will be identified and any anomalies in social behaviour will be segregated. These social anomalies will be investigated later as â€Å"major memoirs† while this â€Å"minor memoir† will delineate the various resources that could be used to research the identified issue. Moreover, the credibility, relevance and suitability of the sources will be established to present a strong foundation for research. Social Problems Social problems can be seen as any social conditions that produce harm to any segment of the society’s population. Moreover, social problems can also represent various social con ditions and acts that may violate a society’s norms and values. (Eitzen et al., 2009) Social problems can be produced by social psychological behaviour or through implications of the social structure. (Beeghley, 2000) For example if a person is a drug addict then there could be multiple causes for it. One reason could be that the person in question has friends or other social influences that encourage the use of drugs. This reason would constitute the social psychological aspect of the explanation. Another reason could be that the person in question is unemployed, depressed or otherwise repressed by social institutions to an extent that he feels that drug use is the only solution. Such an explanation would constitute a social structural explanation of the problem. Social problems can proliferate if portrayed in such light. Suicide: Social Problem or Private Problem Suicide can be seen as any act initiated by a human being to end his or her own life with complete knowledge and established intent. (Hawton & van Heeringen, 2009) Various reasons can be attributed to suicide including social, biological and other explanations. Perhaps the most significant work on suicide was produced by Emile Durkheim in analysing suicide using scientific methods. However there has been rampant debate regarding the nature of suicide as a personal or as a social problem. The act of taking one’s own life is nonetheless a purely personal problem. The lack of social commentary on any issue tends to make such issues personal. Previously suicide was treated as a purely personal problem. However media spotlight on the issue aided in the transformation of suicide into a social problem in recent years. (Samaritans, 2011) In order to ground things in more concrete reason it is best to analyse the statistics for suicide to form a clearer picture. Suicidal Trends in Great Britain The suicide rates in Great Britain must be traced from official sources in order to guarantee their c redibility. Moreover, suicide rates need to be adjusted for their consistency with population growth. As population levels grow each year, the suicide rates must reflect this growth or suicide rates would seem to keep decreasing each year. The government of Great Britain compiles statistics for suicide as well as other such issues each year. These statistics are available on the official statistics portal of the government better known as the Office for National