You Wouldnt Want To Experience This Essay Example For Students

You Wouldnt Want To Experience This Essay Sophomore year. Those were my â€Å"rebellion† days. It started at the end of my freshman year in high school where I began socializing by attending kickbacks, parties, or any social events that I was invited to. Of course, it is where I met a lot of people who introduced me into a whole new world where smoking and drinking were involved. Don’t get me wrong; after all, I am a teenager. Every year, my high school would have a Sadie Hawkin’s Dance. As always, I did not have a date to the Sadie Hawkin’s Dance, because it is where the girl asks the guy out to be her date for the dance. We will write a custom essay on You Wouldnt Want To Experience This specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now It was impossible for me to get a date, because I never had the courage to ask a guy out to be my date. I was too shy and afraid to get rejected. To be safe, I never asked. This time, I chose to go to the dance with a couple of my guy friends who I’ve known for awhile. â€Å"Dude, ready for that dance tonight? † asked Jun. â€Å"Hell yeah! Who else is going with us? † I asked. â€Å"Um I think, it’s just you, Martin, Dan, and me. What’s up? † â€Å"Mmm nothing, just wondering! Don’t forget, 6:00pm† The dance was on a Saturday night from 7-11:00 pm. I told Jun to pick me up from my house at 6:00 pm, because I knew that they are always late no matter what. I was super excited about the dance that I started getting reading by 3:00 pm. I picked out my clothes, laid them down on my bed, and stared at them for a good 5 minutes. Finally, I jumped into the shower where I washed my hair twice, because I wanted it to smell nice. I blow dried my hair and then used the straightening iron to straighten my hair. I busted out my make-up kit and started applying them to my naked face. After hours of doing my hair and make-up, I barely had any time left to put on my clothes and shoes. Honk Honk) â€Å"Gwyneth, hurry up!!! † yelled Dan. â€Å"Coming! 1 minute! † I replied. I grabbed my dance ticket, school ID, money, house key, and out through the door I went. As soon as I got into the car, I realized that I haven’t eaten a proper meal since 2:30 pm and it was already 6:15 pm when they came to pick me up. I didn’t mind, because surprisingly, I was not hungry! â€Å"Alright, what’s the plan? We got an hour to kill before we hit up the dance,† stated Martin. â€Å"I copped a bottle a few days ago, ya’ll down to drink? † asked Dan. â€Å"FUCK YEAH! † answered everyone, except me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to drink, I was just thinking about how I didn’t have any food in my stomach to help soak up the alcohol. Of course, being a teenager, I was careless and made the wrong decision that eventually lead to the most regretful thing that I ever did. We arrived at the school parking lot 10 minutes before 7:00pm. Therefore, we ended up hanging out at the parking lot for a little bit more. By hanging out, I meant drinking a $35 Hennessy with only 4 people in a back of a van parked at the school parking lot. â€Å"Oh shit, I forgot to grab shot glasses or cups! said Martin. â€Å"Whatever, fuck it. It’s just us anyways, we’ll just drink straight from the bottle,† stated Dan. â€Å"Uhhhhhhhhhh. Why not! † I said with a little hesitation. The bottle was opened and was handed directly to me. I grabbed the bottle and started drinking from it. I chugged two small gulps. It was disgusting, but at that time, I didn’t think about the taste. All I cared about was having fun with my friends on a Saturday night. We passed it around, one person at a time. After a couple rounds, we were down to a couple more gulps left. .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 , .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 .postImageUrl , .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 , .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966:hover , .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966:visited , .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966:active { border:0!important; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966:active , .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966 .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9aef35be55e693f792eec8d6860fb966:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Accountant Liabitlity EssayBut before it got to me one more time, I told them that I was definitely buzzed and did not want any more alcohol in me. I wanted to enjoy the night, not get drunk and pass out. Finally, after Dan and Martin finished drinking whatever what was left in that bottle, we all walked towards the school together. We stood in line for another 5 minutes getting out permission slips, ID, and dance ticket checked out. Those 5 minutes felt like a good 30 minutes, I don’t know why. â€Å"Okay guys, I’m gonna go look for my friends for a bit, catch up with you guys later. I’m gonna have fun, so do you guys,† I said. â€Å"Don’t have to much fun, Gwyneth. † Martin said with a slight wink. I smiled and walked away. My night has officially started, I thought. I was dancing the night away, laughing with my girl friends, and definitely feeling the music. Moments later, I felt a sudden urge to walk to a corner and tilt my head down. I was very dizzy. Little did I know, the alcohol inside me finally took action 100% and took over my whole mind and body. That was the last thing I remembered. Tossing and turning, while hugging my blanket and rubbing my feet together. I woke up on my living room couch. â€Å"What the hell happened, how’d I get home? † I whispered to myself with confusion. I got up, walked into my room and went back to sleep. Again, I woke up a couple hours later. I grabbed my phone and started texting my friend, Meggie. Me: Hey, do you know what happened last night? I literally woke up in my couch Meggie: Hey girl, haha! You’re parents came to pick you up. Everything is fine, the cops didn’t cite you so I’m sure you’re all good. Me: WHATTTT? MY PARENTS? I’M GOING TO DIE. THANKS GIRL, I’LL TALK TO YOU LATER At that moment, sweat came rushing out of my pores. My life is over. I knew that, it was impossible to try and lie my way out of this. I got caught. An hour passed and I eventually had to get out of my room and face my parents. So, I walked out of my room and slowly walked into the kitchen where they were about to start eating breakfast. I was scared. â€Å"Sit down,† said my dad. â€Å"Do you know what you did yesterday night? Did you know that you were puking everywhere, while you’re so called friends just watched you. You made a complete embarrassment of yourself yesterday night for what? Did you know that the cops were about to cite you? Where did you drink? Who did you drink with? Why? † yelled my mom. Trust me, those questions were not even half of what she asked me. She went on for another 15 minutes, until she finally shed a tear. The interrogation stopped. The whole time, I had my head down. I was so ashamed of myself; I could not look my parents in the eye, especially my mom. Then, she said the most hurtful thing she has ever said to me. â€Å"You disappointed me and your dad last night Eat; you must have a bad hangover,† said my mom as she wiped her tears. Silence. Hearing those words come out of my mother’s mouth broke my heart into pieces. It took a very long time for things to go back to the usual, but it was never really the same. Every time I went out, I would always be reminded to not do anything that will disappoint my parents again. Being a teenager should not be an excuse to do anything that you know you will end up regretting. One thing I learned from this experience is to always think about the consequences before you act. So I ask you, â€Å"how was your Sadie Hawkin’s Dance experience? † Mine was definitely unforgettable.

Power And The Glory - An Un-Holy Priest Essays - Free Essays

Power And The Glory - An Un-Holy Priest Essays - Free Essays Power And The Glory - An Un-Holy Priest Power and the Glory - An Un-Holy Priest There is uncertainty as to why Green chose to have the priest in his novel, The Power and the Glory, be such an appalling person. Normally, one thinks of a priest to be the holiest being among all people on this earth. This belief is not proven to be true, however, in this novel. In Christianity, you learn that priesthood is one of the closest things to purity and Godliness that exists on this earth. They dont engage in sexual relationships, and they certainly dont do anything that is against the law. In The Power and the Glory, however, the priest, lovingly known as the whisky priest, does the opposite of these regulations. Firstly, he is an alcoholic. In this time, alcohol was an illegal substance, yet the priest still takes part in drinking it. It seems that almost every situation in which the priest is involved throughout the book, he drinks. In the very beginning, when he first meets Mr. Tench and gets alcohol, all the way through the end when he is arrested and killed for being caught with Brandy. The next subject matter that gives me confusion about the priest is his relationship with Maria. He had sex with her, and she had his child. This is something that among priests is absolutely unheard of, and it bewilders me that the whiskey priest would be involved in such things. The reason the priest was being searched for is because religion was outlawed. Anyone who was found practicing religion was to be put to death. One would think that all the priests would declare their belief in God, and would be willing to die for him. The whisky priest ran from confrontation about his being a priest, and instead, died for alcohol. Throughout the book, I tried to think of the priest as a good man, because most are. The contradiction of his behavior and his beliefs, however, seems like Greene was trying to make his readers think otherwise. An exact reason is not known as to why Greene chose to make this character the way he is, one can only guess. My presumption about the alcoholism is that the priest was so afraid of being caught because of his religion, that alcohol was a way out for him. It made him feel at ease and carefree. Although some might think that the priest should know better than to get involved with alcohol, perhaps he was so overwhelmed with emotion, that drinking seemed to be the only thing he could do to keep from going insane. As far as the priests relationship with Maria goes, I think that may have just been a one time fluke. He is a man, and men have hormones that sometimes take control of them and make them unable to think rationally. All of the shocking things that the whiskey priest did caused much confusion to me and most likely to the other readers as well. The most coherent explanation I can come up with to these questions about the priests behavior, is that we are all human. When God sent us to this planet, he knew that we were not faultless. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone sins, even priests. After all, they are human too.

Snowy Owl Facts

Snowy Owl Facts Snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus) are the heaviest owls in the United States. They are notable for their striking white plumage and their extreme northerly range which includes tundra habitat throughout Alaska, Canada, and Eurasia. While they are relatively rare, they are often spotted in winter when they hunt in windswept fields or dunes. Fast Facts: Snowy Owl Scientific Name: Bubo scandiacusCommon Names: Arctic owls, great white owls, white owls, Harfangs, American snowy owls, snowy owls, ghost owls, tundra ghosts, ookpiks, ermine owls, Scandinavian nightbirds, and highland tundra owlsBasic Animal Group:  BirdSize: Body: 20 to 28 inches; wingspan: 4.2 to 4.8 feetWeight: 3.5–6.5 poundsLifespan: 10 yearsDiet:  CarnivoreHabitat:  Northern United States, parts of Canada; migration takes them to parts of Europe and AsiaPopulation:  200,000Conservation  Status:  Vulnerable   Description The plumage of an adult male snowy owl is mostly white with few dark markings. Females and young owls have a sprinkling of darker feathers that form spots or bars over their wings, breast, upper parts and the back of their head. This speckling offers superb camouflage and enables juveniles and females to blend well with the summertime colors and textures of the tundras vegetation. During the nesting season, females are often are heavily soiled on their underside from sitting on the nest. Snowy owls have bright yellow eyes and a black bill. Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Snowy owls range from the western Aleutians in Alaska to northeastern Manitoba, northern Quebec, Labrador, and the northern United States. They are primarily tundra birds although they sometimes also inhabit grasslands. They venture into forests only on very rare occasions, if ever. During the winter, snowy owls often move southward. During their migration, they are sometimes seen along coastlines and lake shores. They sometimes stop at airports, possibly because they offer them the wide-open habitat they prefer. During the breeding season, which snowy owls spend in the Arctic, they nest on small rises in the tundra where the female carves out a scrape or shallow depression in the ground in which to lay her eggs. Snowy owls rely on prey populations that fluctuate significantly over time. As a result, snowy owls are nomadic birds and go wherever there are ample food resources at any particular time. During normal years, snowy owls remain in the northernmost parts of Alaska, Canada, and Eurasia. But in seasons when prey is not abundant in the northern stretches of their range, snowy owls move further southward. Occasionally, snowy owls move to regions that are farther south than their normal range. For example, during the years of 1945 through 1946, snow owls made a widespread, coast-to-coast incursion into the southern stretches of Canada and the northern parts of the United States. Then in 1966 and 1967, snowy owls moved deeply into the Pacific Northwest region. These incursions have coincided with cyclic declines in the lemming population. Diet During the breeding season, snowy owls survive on a diet that consists of lemmings and voles. In parts of their range where lemmings and voles are absent, such as the Shetland Islands, snowy owls feed on rabbits or chicks of wading birds. Behavior Unlike most owls, snowy owls are primarily diurnal birds, usually active during the day, from dawn to dusk. Sometimes snowy owls do hunt at night. It is important to remember that within their Arctic range, snowy owls experience long summer days and hunting at night simply isnt an option as there are few or no hours of darkness. The opposite is true in winter when day length shortens and hunting during daylight hours is reduced or eliminated as the sun remains below the horizon for long stretches of time. Outside the breeding season, snowy owls make very few vocalizations. During the breeding season, snowy owls are a bit more vocal. Males make a barking kre or krek-krek call. Females produce a loud whistling or mewling pyee-pyee or prek-prek sound. Snowy owls also produce a low-pitched hoot that carries through the air for long distances and can be heard as much as 10 kilometers away. Other sounds snowy owls make include hissing, bill snapping and a clapping sound believed to be created by clicking the tongue. Reproduction and Offspring Normally, snowy owls lay between five and eight eggs per clutch. But in good years when prey such as lemmings is abundant, they lay as many as 14 eggs per clutch. Female snowy owls lay their 2.2 inch long eggs at two-day intervals so that the young emerge from the egg at different times. Mud-brown hatchlings emerge from their eggs at about the size of a newly-hatched chicken. Hatchlings in the same nest are of differing ages, with some having hatched as much as two weeks apart. Snowy owl chicks weigh only about 45 grams at birth, but they grow rapidly, gaining about three grams each day. They mature over the course of two years, at which point they weigh approximately 4.5 pounds. Javier Piva Flos/Getty Images   Conservation Status There are approximately 200,000 snowy owls in North America. Despite conservation efforts, these unique owls are now considered to be a vulnerable species. While breeding areas are usually far away from human interference, climate change is impacting the snowy owls Arctic habitat; the number of these birds is on the decline. Relatives of the Horned Owl Until recently, snowy owls were the only member of the genus Nyctea but recent molecular studies showed snowy owls to be close relatives of the horned owls. As a result, taxonomists have moved snowy owls to the genus Bubo. Other members of the genus Bubo include the American horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls. Like other horned owls, snowy owls have ear tufts but they are small and usually kept tucked away. Sources â€Å"Basic Facts About Snowy Owls.†Ã‚  Defenders of Wildlife, 10 Jan. 2019, defenders.org/snowy-owl/basic-facts.â€Å"Snowy Owl.†Ã‚  Audubon, 21 Mar. 2019, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/snowy-owl.â€Å"Snowy Owl.†Ã‚  National Geographic, 24 Sept. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/s/snowy-owl/.

Three Steps To Start a New Business Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Three Steps To Start a New Business - Term Paper Example During times such as this, small starts up businesses are advantaged because the opportunities in a recession are numerous (Bradberry, 2011). However, first step entrepreneurs should follow three steps. These are creating the business identity, registering the business, and funding the enterprise. The first step involves refining the business idea. While most entrepreneurs are stuck in wondering how to begin, simply thinking of opening a business is the beginning. What entrepreneurs must contend with is that there will always be challenges in starting a business (Ready, 2011). In order to be successful at this point, the entrepreneur must define the concept of their business. The entrepreneur will have to make a decision on the form of business they will create. This can be a limited company, a partnership, or a sole-proprietorship, the simplest of which is sole-proprietorship. At this point, do what you know. Think about your past actions in terms of the way you can transform them i nto products and services. There are three main aspects here. One should emulate what others have done, do what feels best for one’s situation, and aim to solve a common problem. In addition, the business plan needs to be worked on in its entirety at this point. This will help the entrepreneur in gaining confidence, focus, and clarity (Butler, 2008). In a sole entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur will have personal liability for the business’ debt, although he/she will earn all the profit. Sole proprietorship is relatively inexpensive with low formation costs, as well as not having to file accounts or have them audited by government-accredited agencies (Butler, 2008). If an individual is in business with another entrepreneur, then the individuals can form a partnership. In this case, both will be jointly liable for debts accrued as partners. Taxation is done separately for each partner; while this form of business owners can have limited liability for the purpose of debt s. Partnerships also have more formal structures as compared to a sole proprietorship. These must be registered with the relevant government agency. They could also decide to form an LLC, in which case their liability is limited to how many shares the individual entrepreneur has bought. This is the most expensive with registration and account costs, taxable profits, and separate taxation for each of the entrepreneur’s dividends and salary (Butler, 2008). After giving an identity to the business, he/she wants to start, the entrepreneur should then move on to the regulatory and legal requirements that they require to fulfill. First, they must register with a government agency for the purposes of the national insurance, tax, and their PAYE payments (Broad, 2012). In addition, the entrepreneur will need to get a VAT registration PIN. With regards to VAT, the government has various schemes for different entrepreneurs. If one chooses to be part of a partnership, then he or she will have to outsource to an accounting organization. This is important for protection of each partner in case of liability claims. These accountants are trained and certified with professional qualifications in public accounts. The choice of accounting firm will be important in relation to the nature of the business since every accounting firm has a unique way of member

Research Paper on Inflation for the Country China

On Inflation for the Country China - Research Paper Example Causes of Higher Inflation in China Evidently, the higher inflation in China can be attributed to numerous factors. According to Yu (2011), the Chinese government’s increased currency control ended up in an artificial decline of foreign exchange rate of the Yuan and this adverse situation in turn amplified manufacturing and export business activities. Macroeconomic theories clearly state that decline in the real value of currency is the most severe impact of higher inflation. At the same time, the cheaper Chinese currency made imported food items and energy resources unaffordable to the country’s people. Economists strongly argue that the county’s unprecedented development rate have added to a severe demand pull inflation. In china, unbridled growth of consumerism together with rampant rise in population continues increase in consumer demand. Probably, the increasing consumer demand in turn would significantly augment business activities and ultimately the cost o f production. As a result, firms are compelled to charge higher prices for their products that would be unaffordable to lower and medium class customers. Many of the economists and corporate business magnets are of the belief that the value of the Chinese Yuan would improve in near future. This expectation has resulted in huge inflows of hot money and other long term investments to the Chinese economy. This large volume money inflows to the country cause asset bubbles in Chinese property market, especially in the industrially developed cities like Shanghai and Beijing. Consequences of Higher Chinese inflation According to Feldstein (1998), it has been identified that the inflation always hurts people’s standard of living since rising prices force them to pay more for the same goods and services. As Flynn (2011) reports, the inflation has a direct influence on gas prices in China as a result of governmental regulations that vehemently try to combat inflation. This situation ma kes the financial planning a troublesome task because the increased gas prices lead to home value loses. Inflation also badly affected the people’s retirement planning due to the increasing uncertainty regarding the future. Since the Chinese people are compelled to spend more and more on same goods and services, they would not have excess amount available to save. Similarly, if people expect further inflation, they are more likely to be extravagant as they envisage worse condition in near future. This economic condition turns to be one of the potential challenges to the Chinese economy as it may lead to further inflation. During the last three years, the difference between demand and supply and the resulted inflation went beyond Chinese government’s control; and consequently buyers trimmed down their day to day expenses in order to vie with the increasing price level. At the same time, producers cut down their output levels so as to retain minimum profit margin. In tot al, both these situations seriously affected the economy as they minimized long term economic gains. How to Manage Inflation in Chinese Economy? According to Premier Wen Jibabo, â€Å"China must continue efforts to control food and housing prices to ease soaring inflation and maintain economic development and social stability† (cited in SPK Group Co., Ltd., 2011). Wen also advises authorities to increase the outputs of farm

Football Essay Essay Example for Free

Football Essay Essay Football is a complex sport with many specifications, and although millions of people watch football, not all of them understand what is truly â€Å"behind the scenes† of each game. When thinking of a football game normally the different teams come to mind or a particular athlete stands out, but football is much more than that. There are more people than just the athletes that are involved with a football game, including the coaches of the teams, referees who call the shots, trainers who build up the athletes’ skill levels, and last the fans who support the teams. Each player is equipped with a type of â€Å"armor† they must wear to protect themselves. The rules of the game can be hard to comprehend until you become physically involved in a football match, but reading the rules may give a decent understanding of how football is played. Although football may be one of the most highly watched sports, there is more to the game than just the flashy jerseys and the bulky player. Who makes up a football team? There are exactly eleven players to a team. Each athlete has a designated position to participate in. Football does not just consist of the players in the game, but also the coaches, referees, the trainers and every single die-hard fan. Coaches assist the athletes in giving them adequate plays to score touchdowns; they push each athlete to their breaking point, because they know that each of them is capable of so much more. Even sometimes coaches are mentors to the rookie athletes, who later on become legends in football. Referees are there to make sure all of the rules are followed and to call out penalties when one of the rules has been broken. Theses game officials, the men on the field we all love to hate, but without these keepers of the rules, a football game could not progress with any sort of structure or sanity. Die-hard fans of football; watch, eat, sleep and live football as a religion, has a designated team or teams that they support and encourage. Fans are a ginormous part of the support the athletes receive. Football Trainers provide the athletes with the experience to preform adequately, medical assistance when injured and the rehabilitation to create star athletes. The over-all support from the individuals’ assistance constructs an athlete. Aside from the people involved in football, it is all too easy to mistakenly think of football as a game of athletics, and nothing more. Football actually encompasses a challenging mental game, paired with strategy and athleticism in order to secure a win. Before you head out to the field, preparing with and without your equipment will help you gear up for a more successful game. Athletes are protected with a type of armor. Football is classified as a contact sport, but it has been more accurately described as a collision sport. Consisting of; shoulder pads, helmet, face mask, chin strap, mouth guard, leg pads and cleats. Every article helps protect the athlete from getting injured. Shoulder pads are one of the most important pieces of equipment, because they allow you to tackle, block and run the football with a reduced risk for injury. As for the helmet attached with a chinstrap and facemask, it is made of hard plastic with foam pads inside to protect the head. Players are not supposed to hit opponents in the head, but the helmet is necessary because players often take shots to the head because the game is played at such a fast pace and players get hit in the head unintentionally. Mouth guards that the players wear can help prevent dental damage, and thigh pads are designed to protect the thigh or quadriceps area on the front of the upper leg, which help players who are frequently tackled and also hip pads are worn as part of a girdle under the pants or they can be attached to the pants with a belt. Linemen often prefer high-top cleats, to give them extra support and stability, while high performance players, such as wide receivers, running backs and defensive backs, will often wear low-cut cleats that are lightweight and allow for more maneuverability. All of this equipment is essential to how football is played. A game starts with the kickoff, the ball is placed on a kicking tee at the defenses thirty-yard line, and a placekicker kicks the ball to the offense. A kick returned to a man from the offense, tries to catch the ball and advance it by running to where he is positioned at the point from when the offense will begin its drive, or series of offensive plays. When a kickoff is caught in the offenses own end zone, the kick returner can either run the ball out of the end zone, or kneel in the end zone to signal a touchback as a sign to stop the play. The ball is then placed on the 20-yard line, where the offense begins play, a play begins with the snap, at the line of scrimmage, where the play begins, and the quarterback loudly calls out a play in code and the player in front of him. The center passes or snaps the ball under his legs to the quarterback, from there the quarterback can throw the ball, hand it off, or run with it, or the quarterback can sometimes the ball to confuse the defense, anyone on the offensive team is allowed to pass the ball as long as the pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage. A pass is complete if the ball is caught by another offensive player, usually the wide receiver or tight end, but if the ball hits the ground before someone catches it, it is called an incomplete pass. The defense prevents the offense from advancing the ball by bringing the ball carrier to the ground. A player is tackled when one or both of his knees touch the ground, then play is then over and also ends when a player runs out of bounds. All progress in a football game is measured in yards, the offensive team tries to get as much yardage as it can to try and move closer to the opponents end zone. Each time the offense gets the ball, it has four downs, or chances, in which to gain ten yards. If the offensive team successfully moves the ball ten or more yards, it earns a first down, and another set of four downs. If the offense fails to gain ten yards, it loses possession of the ball, as the defense tries to prevent the offense not only from scoring, but also from gaining the 10 yards needed for a first down. If the offense reaches fourth down, it usually punts the ball or kicks it away. This forces the other team to begin its drive further down the field, but if the offense cannot score a touchdown, they may try to kick a field goal. Football is a very complicated sport with many simple, but important aspects. For most people who enjoy football, they cannot wait until football season starts. The players on the field are told what to do by the coaches, who call different plays, while performing those plays the athletes use the skills obtained from their trainers. Football is a game of strength, ability, and toughness, for it is a very physical and mentally tough gridiron sport. Wearing the protective gear helps these athletes prevent major injuries during the game. Each piece of equipment provides protection to certain parts of the athlete’s body. The rules of football can be complex to understand right away, but become more easier to comprehend once physically engaged in a game.

Existentialism :: essays research papers

Existentialism is perhaps one of the world’s oldest philosophies. It has been dated back to nineteenth-century Danish and Greek philosophers. It is a simple idea, yet it has so many different ideals within it that it is almost impossible to define. There are many parts that make up one whole, basic idea. The many parts have been defined by famous existentialist artists and writers such as, Nietzsche, Chamfort, Sartre, and Kafka. These works have all proven many points about existentialism; however, even the pros cannot decide on one basic idea. That is why there are so many different interpretations of this famous ideal. If there were a single definition it would have something to do with having your own ideas and being free to choose any path.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you were a believer in existentialistic ideals chances are you would not participate in society and/or your own life very much. Albert Camus believed that to be a true existentialist you had to remove yourself from society as much as possible since a belief in the foundation of government was to conform. Conforming to society norms is considered bad, it doesn’t allow the individual to progress and reach his own decisions Camus realized, however, that restricting himself from all social conformity was impossible. In his award-winning book, The Stranger, Camus depicts a man with very little emotion. Once in a while he shows a bit of heart, but for the most part, he is gives a robotic appearance. This character is based on existentialistic views, he tries to stay out of society as much as he can. He does the same thing from day to day. The character expresses no feeling about anything except that light is a sign of evil or annoyance, while the dark becomes a place of calm and seriousness. In society, the common idea is that light is good and evil grows in the darkest of places, but in Albert Camus’ novel, evil is good and the light is bad. They’re many other parts of existentialism. Camus influenced many of the writings on this subject although he did not stand unchallenged.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many existentialists believed that man had no reason for life. In other words, there was no God and no reason to live life with rules of any kind because there is nothing in the end anyway. This thought did not gain the existentialist popularity with many religions.

ASIC v Adler Essay

The case of ASIC v Adler is very unique as well as complicated since it involved several breach of duties in the Corporations Act 2001. The HIH collapse was caused by very bad corporate governance. Such breach of duties are, section 9 (director’s duties), section 180 (duty to act with care and diligence), section 181 (duty to act in good faith and for a proper purpose), section 182 (improper use of position), section 182(2) (business judgement rule), section 183 (duty not to improperly use information) and section 260A (financial assistance). All of these contraventions under the Corporations Act 2001 will be discussed in detail below. Section 9 – Who Is A Director And Their Duties Under section 9, a director of a company is defined as a person who is appointed to that position such as a director or alternate director, regardless of what name it is given to that position. Section 9 also includes certain people to be directors even though they are not properly appointed. Such people can act as a director even though without proper appointment of director position. This is where they act in the position of a director (which can be also known as de facto director) or the directors are used to act in accordance with the person’s instructions (which also known as a â€Å"shadow director†). Directors’ duties need to be existed in order to protect shareholders from the risks of directors giving harm towards the company. Shareholders basically have risks such as fraud, where the directors took control over the assets belonging to the company by using it for their personal interest, and mismanagement, whereby directors made an incompetent decision with the financial standing of the company. Furthermore, section 9 also defines the â€Å"officer of a corporation†, which basically includes company executives who held senior positions in the board  level. Such persons can be identified in certain situations where that person (the executives) makes or joins participation into making decisions in which affects the whole or substantial part of the company’s business activities or, the person who has the authority to affect in a significant way towards the company’s financial standings or, basically the same definition of a â€Å"shadow director† where the person are acting towards the instructions given to them to act. In the case of ASIC v Adler, the court held that Adler, the director of HIH, was also an officer of wholly-owned HIH subsidiary which can be related under the section 9 definition of directors. This applies to Adler even though he was not properly appointed as a director or an officer of the subsidiary. Since he has the role of director, the subsidiary holding company and also a member of HIH investment committee, this has showed that he participated in the decision making of the company’s business in which affected it the whole or substantial part of the business. As Santow J gave his judgement on this case, he gave a good summary of principles applicable to directors’ duties. Some of it are; a director must continuously kept informed of the activities of the company, they must be familiar with the fundamentals of the business whereby the company is doing. Section 180 – Duty To Act With Care And Diligence In the section 180(1), it provides that a director or other officer of a company need to exercise their powers and discharge their duties with a standard of care and diligence in which a reasonable person will do if they were the director or officer of a company due to company’s circumstances (section 180(1)(a)) and occupied the office and had the same responsibilities in the company as the director or officer (section 180(1)(b)). Executive directors are full time employees of the company who involved in the day-to-day management of the company. They have special responsibilities with their position and have a high knowledge of daily operations of the company. Non-executive directors, on the other hand, do part-time and have regular involvements in the company. In the case of ASIC v Adler, Williams who was the managing director for HIH and HIHC as well, contravened section 180(1) as he failed to ensure there were proper safeguard before HIHC gave the loan to PEE. Fodera, who was the finance director of HIH, contravened section 180 as he failed to discuss a proposal to give $10 million loan to PEE to the HIH board or its investment committee. As the executive directors of the company, both Fodera and Williams failed to carry out their role properly without informing the HIH board of their intention. Section 180 (2) – The Business Judgement Rule In the section of 180(2), the section provides that a director or any other officer who makes a business judgement rule, will not be held liable in respect of the judgement under the statutory, common law or equitable duties of care and diligence, in which all of the elements can be shown. Such elements are, the judgement was properly made in good faith and for proper purpose, there was not material personal interest in the subject as of the matter of the judgement, the directors and the officers informed themselves about the subject matter of the judgement to the extent they appropriately believed to be reasonable and also the judgement was believed to be in rational in the best interest of the whole company. All of these would be reasonably justified unless any other person in such position thinks that it is completely unreasonable. The business judgement rule basically gives the directors with a â€Å"safe protection† from a personal liability in the relation of the business judgements that they take are valid which is in a good faith and in the best interest of the company. This is because some of their business decisions may turn out to be profit-making or a total loss in honest and rational way. Some of the main reasons for the business judgement rule defences are risk taking and activities in entrepreneurial activities will be encouraged since directors are aware of the specific legislation that if they act honestly,  they will not be punished or personally liable as a result of adverse judicial review. Another rule defence is that better business judgement will be made as a result of removing of some uncertainty of liability under the statutory duty of care and finally, the shareholders interest are better provided by engaging risk taking activities. To make directors be liable for such small erro rs of decision will promote risk-adverse decision-making with contrast effect on the economy. If the directors or other officers are able to satisfy the above requirements, they will have â€Å"safe protection† which makes them to be protected from liability for any breach of their duties of care and diligence. This means that their business judgement in such situations will be reviewed by court. Under section 180(3), the business judgement is defined that any decisions to take or not to take action with respect to matter that is relevant to business activities of the company. This only refers to business decisions that has made relevant to the business activities. It does not include any decisions made in the position of directors powers such as the power to issue shares or pay dividends. By referring to the case ASIC v Adler, the court held that all three Adler, Williams and Fodera breached their statutory duty of care as stated in section 180(1). They also, however could not rely on the business judgement rule as their defence. Firstly for Adler, the business judgement rule did not applicable for him since he cannot satisfy the section 180(2)(b) since he had a conflict of interest in the relation of his decision to invest the $10 million payment from HIHC in PEE. Secondly for Williams, the business judgement rule did not apply to him because of his failed to ensure the correct safeguards were enforced was not business judgement for the purpose in section 180(3). However, even this was a business judgement, since he was a major shareholder of HIH, he basically has material personal interest as in the section 180(2)(b). Other than that, Williams also failed to present any evidence that his judgement was done in good faith for the proper purpose as stated in section 18 0(2)(a). Finally, Fodera cannot rely on his business judgement rule as he failed to refer the transaction of PEE to the HIH board or its investment committee. This was not a business judgement as  stated in section 180(3). Section 181 – Statutory Duty To Act In Good Faith And For A Proper Purpose Under section 181(1), it says that a director or other officer of a corporation to exercise their powers and discharge their duties in bona fide (good faith) for the best interest of the company and also for a proper purpose. The section 181(1) can be contravened if the director thinks that they are actually doing their duties for the best interest of the company in which any other director, in that situation, thinks that is clearly unacceptable approach to do it. This may be happen when a director have a conflict of interest personally with the interest of the company they are handling. In the case of ASIC v Adler, it can clearly be seen that Adler, had contravened the section 181(1) to act in good faith by properly excising his powers and discharging his duties for the best interest of the company. This is because, the transactions that occurred in the HIH, HIHC and PEE had been improperly used, for the sake of his personal interest. Section 182 – Improper Use Of Position Under section 182, the section states that it restricts officers or the employees of a company from improperly using their power to gain advantage for themselves or for any other persons to the company. In the case of ASIC v Adler, the court held that Adler had contravened the section 182 due to the arrangement of $10 million loan from HIHC to PEE which was then to be used to acquire HIH shares on the stock market. This transaction was merely done for the purpose of supporting the HIH shares to increase the price and thereby selling the HIH shares owned by Adler Corporation before PEE could sell off their HIH shares. Because of this transaction, PEE had incurred a total loss of investment by reselling on the HIH shares. In regard of this transaction, Adler was held that he had improperly used his position as a director of HIH, officer of HIHC and director of PEE to gain advantage for the Adler Corporation. The court also held that Williams, also had breached his duties as a director for both HIH and HIHC under section 182, to help gaining advantage for Adler Corporation. This is because Williams, used his position improperly by authorising the $10 million load payment without proper approval from the HIH’s investment committee, which he was required to disclose under the HIH’s investment guidelines. Other than that, the court also held that Adler improperly used his position as a director in the PEE transactions of acquiring a number of unlisted capitals at the cost price from Adler Corporation without obtaining independent valuations of these ventures. With these transactions successful, Adler and Adler Corporation was able to exclude himself from these commercially unviable business operations. Adler basically knew that each of those businesses were having major cash flow problems and each had a significant risk that they would ultimately collapse. Adler, however, failed to disclose his personal interest to the HIH board other than Williams and Fodera. Section 183 – Improper Use of Information As stated in section 183, a person who gets information because they are or are not director, officer or employee of a company, must not misuse the information just to gain advantage for themselves or to any other person whereby causing failure in the company. Section 183 also applies towards resigned or retired directors, officers and employees as well. Informations such as insider information can be taken as an advantage by any person in order to gain benefit by using it to themselves or by giving to other person. In the case of ASIC v Vizard, the court held that Vizard involved in the contravention of section 183, whereby he gained the insider information as he was the non-executive director of Telstra. He misused the information in order to gain advantage for CTI, Brigham and himself as well whereby based on the information that he receives (Telstra board’s decision to acquire  other company and selling their interest on another company), he would act accordingly to buy or sell off his shares ahead of Telstra. S260A – Financial Assistance In section 260A, the section states that it forbids a company financially assisting a person to obtain or acquire shares in the same company of its holding company. However, if some of the conditions are met then the company may proceed to do such transaction. Some of the conditions are, giving the financial assistance will not materially prejudice the interest of the company, its shareholders or the company’s ability to pay its creditors (under section 260A(1)(a)), the financial assistance is validated by the shareholders (under section 260B) or the financial assistance is relieved or exempted (under section 260C). Financial assistance is can be basically referred to where a company is lending money to a person to buy the company shares. This means that the company gives a certain amount of money to a person so that the person buys some of the company’s shares. Another example is where a company gives a surety or guaranteed a person’s loan in which the sum of the loan will be proceeded to buy shares in the company. The company is basically providing a loan to a person for the sake of buying back its own shares off the stock market. Another example is where the company is giving its own assets as a security to a person’s loan in which the loan money will be used to buy the shares of the company given its assets as security. The section 260A clearly states that a company is restricted from giving financial assistance to a person to buy its own shares in the stock market as it will cause material prejudice. By analysing the case of ASIC V Adler, it can be seen that Adler, who was controlling PEE, was clearly contravened the section of 260A by which giving financial assistance to PEE through HIHC, a subsdiary of HIH, which is also a company controlled by Adler. This financial assistance given to PEE, was then used to buy the HIH shares on the stock market. This transaction gives a false impression over the stock market as well as its investors that Adler was supporting the falling share  price of its company, HIH, by buying the shares personally. However, the court found out that Adler does not have the intention to make easy profit and reselling the HIH shares. The real purpose was to increase the HIH share price in benefit of Alder Corporation Limited as substantial shareholding in HIH. The actual evidence is that when PEE went to sell off the HIH shares, it was done only after Adler Corporation decided to sell off its HIH shares in which leads to total loss for PEE’s investment. The Supreme Court of New South Wales held that the main intention of the transaction was that HIHC gave PEE financial assistance in order to acquire the shares in HIH which is HIHC’s holding company. Due to this transaction, according to Santow J, both HIHC and HIH suffered material prejudice, which therefore, contravening section 260A.

Letter from Birmingham City Jail Essay

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King wrote the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† in an exceedingly effective way. King used his intelligence, virtue, and honesty to write an appropriate reply to the criticism he received. He also used logic and emotional appeal. In the first paragraph King says, â€Å"†¦ Since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He gives the ministers importance. He recognizes that these men are of â€Å"genuine food† and accepts their sincere criticism with humbleness. Dr. Martin Luther King says, â€Å"I am sure that each of you would want to go beyond the superficial social analyst who looks merely at effects and does not grapple with underlying causes.† He demonstrated that he knows and respects that the ministers are intelligent and that they are in agreeance in some aspects. He later says, â€Å"But I have tried to say that this is normal and healthy discontent can be channelized through the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. Now this approach is being dismissed as extremist. I must admit that I was initially disappointed in being categorized.† King expresses his beliefs as to be called an extremist. He does not believe his nonviolent actions should be labeled â€Å"extremist.† Dr. King says, â€Å"If I have said anything in this letter that is an overstatement of the truth and is indictive of an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me.† In this statement, he not only apologizes for any exaggerations, he also shows a great deal of respect to them. King says,† Anyone who lives in the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere in this country.† King gives the ministers a feel of belonging. As long as they live in the Unites States they will be accepted. King later says, â€Å"Like so many experiences of the past, we were confronted with blasted hopes and the dark shadow of a deep disappointment settled upon us.† King describes his disappointments as dark shadows creating an image for his audience to relate to. He says, â€Å"For years now, I have heard the word† Wait!† It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This â€Å"wait† has almost always meant â€Å"never† even though this may have been written in a placid manner, the ministers can feel that his actual emotions behind this sentence was anger. Further on in the letter he says,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦when  you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as seek to explain to your six-year old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that had just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told Funtown is closed to colored children, †¦and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness towards white people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  once again his audience can feel his anger. He creates images of this innocent little girl crying of disappointment slowly changing into someone resentful of White people. A great deal of this letter was logical. In paragraph 6 King says, â€Å"In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps (1) collection of facts to determine whether injustices are alive, (2) negotiation, (3) self-purification, (4) direct action. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham. There can be no gainsaying of the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community.† King states the four basic steps and recognized that there is a certain way to behave. Later King also says, â€Å"I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts, the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law.† Martin Luther King used a very logical appeal by saying; when a crime is committed consequences are inevitable. Anyone who commits a crime is punished. King later says, â€Å"One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters they were in reality standing up for the best in the American dream and the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage, and thusly, carrying our whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in the formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.† He used God and religion as a logical appeal and to his audience, as ministers, God and religion are indeed especially logical. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King used his knowledge, values, and integrity to generate a suitable reply to the ministers. He replied in an effective manner with elegance and tranquility. He used reason and emotion to make his  response further successful.

Flame Tests Lab Report Essays

Flame Tests Lab Report Essays Flame Tests Lab Report Paper Flame Tests Lab Report Paper If one can tell if a planet has oxygen on it based on its bright line spectra, research could be done to tell if people can live on the planet or not. This would be a huge advance in science if it was possible to tell if people can live on other planets by knowing the elements on the other planets. This would solve the problem of the world becoming over-populated and would help prevent the spread of disease. Introduction- The purpose of this lab was to see what colors are characteristic of particular metallic ions in a flame test and use their characteristic color to identify other elements. Another purpose is to understand how fireworks work. A flame test is used to identify certain metals in a compound or single element. 1 When an electron jumps up to a higher energy state the element is in its excited state. Elements are only in their excited for a brief moment. When the electron moves back down to a lower energy state, it emits light and produce a flame color. L Sometimes there is more than one flame color because an electron might go from the as orbital then go to the up orbital which means two colors will be produced. Every element emits a different flame color or colors. : These colors can be put on a bright line spectra which shows every color that the element produces in a flame test. 1 Each element has a unique bright line spectra and thus can be identified by using its bright line spectra. When the element is in a compound, it can be burned to produce the flame. The color of the flame corresponds with each element. When there is an unknown compound, the metal can be found by using previous data from previous tests. By looking at the color you can see if it matches any previous tests and possibly find the name of he metal. Flame tests can also be used to find the color of fireworks one wants to use. By using the metal that emits the color one wants in fireworks, one can get the desired color. This experiment will be conducted using the same spatula, the same Bunsen burner, the same kind of acid and nitrate bonded to every one of the metals. It will also be conducted with everyone in the lab using safety goggles and everyone wearing closed toed shoes. There are no relevant waste concerns in this lab This experiment will show that every element has a different right line spectra and this can be used to identify elements in space or anywhere. It will also show that flame tests can be used to make certain colored fireworks. I predict that all of the metals tested will emit different colors of light. I also predict that all of the metals will emit a color in the visible spectrum. Materials- Chemical Splash Goggles Well Plate Marker Pen Barium Nitrate (Baa(NON)2) Copper Nitrate (Cue(NON)2) Strontium Nitrate Lithium Nitrate (Lie(NON)) Potassium Nitrate (K(NON)) Sodium Chloride (NCAA) Calcium Nitrate (Ca(NON)2) Monochrome wire loop Beaker, 50-ml Hydrochloric Acid Lab Burner Wash Bottle with distilled water 1 Unknown Solution Experimental- The safety equipment was put on. The spatula was cleaned off to make sure there is no residue on it. The Bunsen burner was set up and the flame was adjusted to the desired height. One of the samples was put on the spatula and the formula of the salt solution was recorded into Table 1. The spatula with the salt solution was put over the flame. The color of the flame was recorded in table 1. The spatula was put in hydrochloric acid, then put into water, and then put over the flame to burn off any residue from the salt solution. This procedure was repeated for the other seven salt solutions and the one unknown solution. The equipment was cleaned off and put away at the end of the experiment Data- Table 1: Table 21 Table 2: Test of Unknown Solution Unknown Color K(NON) Light Orange Results and Discussion- The data in table 1 shows that every metal tested emits a different color during a flame test. This happens because every metal has a different bright line spectra. Table 2 shows that you can identify a metal in a compound by using a flame test. The metal in the compound was identified by the light orange color seen during the flame test. Table 1 proves my hypothesis to be correct. Conclusion- The purpose of this lab was to see what colors are characteristic of particular metallic ions in a flame test and use their characteristic color to identify other elements. Another purpose was to understand how fireworks work. This experiment can help to identify elements in space to help scientists know whether a planet has oxygen or not. It can also alp one determine what metal to use in fireworks to portray a certain color. The experiment was conducted by burning a salt and recording the color of the flame. This experiment showed that every metal emits a different color and this proves the hypothesis to be correct, that every metal emits a different color when put into a flame. This experiment also shows that a metal can be identified by looking at the color of the flame and matching it to previous data results. This also proves my hypothesis to be correct. Table 1 and Table 2 prove both of my hypotheses to be correct. More experiments can be done with machines to find the exact wavelengths of light for every element. If the exact wavelengths can be found, it would be easier to identify elements with a flame test. Possible sources of error in this experiment were that the monochrome wire may not have been fully cleaned off every time, the color might have looked different because of other light sources, and there could have been particles in the bottom of the Bunsen burner. Acknowledgments: The author of this paper thanks Union Springs High School for use of their facilities to conduct this experiment with.

Balanced Scorecard

Since the Market downturn in October 2007, a challenging set of economic events has been rocking the financial services industry and AXA equitable has since experienced major changes to keep the company competitive. A well-developed balanced scorecard is what AXA Equitable needs in order to remain a worldwide leader in the financial services industry. In the past, management have believed that the factors critical to the success of a company were based solely upon financial measures; this is why the Balanced scorecard was developed. The BSC has gained increasing popularity as an effective management tool that aligns employee actions and goals with corporate strategy since first being introduced in 1992 (Davis Albright, 2004). Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton proposed the balanced scorecard (BSC). The Balanced scorecard is a widely recognized tool to support decision making at the strategic management level which improves the satisfaction of the strategic objectives (Kaplan Norton, 1992). The BSC provides feedback on internal business processes, performance, and market conditions in order to review the trategy and future plans and  Large U. S. companies, such as General Electric and Federal Express, and non-profit and public organizations have implemented the BSC approach (Creamer Freun, 2010). According to the module, â€Å"financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation (Baltzan, Phillips, Haag 2010). The balanced scorecard deals with a proposed model that embraces both financial and non-financial aspects to measure performance of an organization in the financial services industry (Wu, Tzeng, Chen, 2009). The  balanced scorecard[pic](BSC) is a multi-criteria evaluation concept that highlights the importance of performance measurement, and it recognizes that performance measurement should be incorporated in both of financial and non-financial measures; it captures not only a firm’s current performance but also the drivers of its future performance (Tseng, 2010). The balanced scorecard would be a positive force for AXA Equitable as it is a vital part of an overall strategy to become and remain an industry leader. Since times can be unsettling and while no company is immune from the challenges of a volatile market, management should strive to identify the factors that are critical to the success of the company. AXA Equitable needs to implement the measures listed on the balanced scorecard to achieve the company’s critical success factors. This will strengthen the company and continually improve AXA Equitable’s ability to manage through turbulent market conditions when necessary. The Balanced scorecard has four main parts. The balanced scorecard is developed along the four well-known perspectives of Financial, Customer, Internal Business Process, and Learning and Growth Performance, which, at any point in time of measurement, characterize the current status and future potential of organizations (Craig Moores, 2010). The financial perspective includes the measure of an organizations financial performance. For instance, it measures revenue growth, shareholder’s value, assets under management, and cash flow. This perspective links the company to its shareholders with main attention to the question: â€Å"How do we look to our shareholders and those with a financial interest in the organization? † Financial goals include achieving profitability, maintaining liquidity and solvency both short term as well as long-term, growth in sales turnover and maximizing wealth of shareholders (Asosheh, Nalchigar, Jamporazmey, 2010). The customer perspective includes the measure of an organizations market share, customer satisfaction, customer retention, customer referrals and value added activities. This is the second external oriented perspective that takes a look at the organization’s customers, who are the crucial factor for financial success generating revenue by buying products and services. The question is: â€Å"How do our customers perceive us in term of products, services, relationships and value-added? † (Asosheh, Nalchigar, Jamporazmey, 2010). The internal process perspective includes the measure of an organizations productivity, research and development, customer complaints and returns, and operational speed. This Measure focuses on the internal processes that will have the greatest impact on customer satisfaction and achieving an organization’s financial objectives. Firms should decide what processes and competencies they must excel at and specify measures for each of them (Asosheh, Nalchigar, Jamporazmey, 2010). The learning and growth perspective includes the measure of an organizations turnover ratio, hiring goals, education and training of new and existing employees, and number of new and improved products or services. This perspective identifies the infrastructure that the organization must build to create long-term growth and improvement. Intense global competition requires that organizations continually improve their capabilities for delivering value to customers and shareholders. Thus the question remains: â€Å"To achieve our future vision, how will we continue to improve and create future value for our stakeholders? † (Asosheh, Nalchigar, Jamporazmey, 2010). The best way to measure AXA Equitable’s financial performance is the shareholders value. This shows the value that the shareholders perceive AXA Equitable to be worth. There is strong evidence that the balanced scorecard is an effective strategic management tool that leads to improved shareholder returns (Crabtree DeBusk, 2008). The primary objective of management should be maximizing its shareholder’s value. Since the turbulent economy, AXA Equitable shareholder value is back on the up rise again. This can be seen with the stock price. AXA Equitable stocks, just like most other companies, were not immune to the highly volatile market conditions; However with the market getting back together, the stock price is gradually rising again. The management decisions at AXA should be geared towards maximizing the wealth of AXA Equitable shareholders, which means increasing the value of shares owned by existing shareholders. A good measure of AXA Equitable’s superiority over its competition would be the ability to generate consistent and high total returns that it gives to its shareholders over time. Major company issues will exist with AXA Equitable if management interests are not aligned with those of shareholders. When managers pursue self-serving behavior rather than the maximization of shareholder wealth, several symptoms may become apparent: low stock returns, below-average operating performance, and suboptimal investment decisions. The likelihood of company problems is higher when managerial incentive systems do not coincide with shareholder wealth maximization (Manry Stangeland 2003). It is very important that AXA Equitable management put the interest of the shareholders first. Research suggests that firms with management that pursues its own interests at the expense of shareholders will perform comparatively worse than firms with management whose interests are aligned with shareholders (Manry Stangeland 2003). When a company like AXA Equitable is able to generate wealth for its shareholders year after year, it is able to differentiate itself from the competition and creates better value for its shareholders. Investors who purchase AXA Equitable shares hope that the returns they get on their investments would be higher than what they could get from putting those funds in a risk-free savings account. This shows that the investors are definitely willing to tolerate more risk of ownership in AXA Equitable because of the chance of making higher returns. Assets under management are a measure of the total market value of client assets with the company. AXA as a whole has 1. 46 trillion dollars in assets under management, making it the 13th largest company in the world. One of the biggest advantages of having assets under management as a critical success factor on the balanced scorecard is that focus on increasing the total value of assets under AXA demands continuous efforts and improvement by the management and employees of AXA. This financial measure is not only obvious to AXA management and employees but also those outside the company, i. e. the public. Ranking organization like Fortune 500, use the figures for assets under management as a financial success measure to rank companies against their competition and industries. Constantly increasing the sale of financial products or services is a very important aspect of a company especially one in the financial services industry. AXA Equitable offers a wide range of financial products and services like fixed income investments, equity investments, individual retirement accounts, education planning accounts, life disability insurance and annuities to its clients. The products or services is used to address their needs and help shape their financial futures. The sale of AXA Equitable’s financial products or services is crucial in measuring the financial success of the company. The product or services sale is exactly how the company makes money and becomes profitable. Employees of AXA Equitable earn production credits after each sale of its products or services. Production Credits are the total amount of compensation that AXA Equitable pays to its employees in form of commission for the sale of its products or services. The total amount of production credits earned by each employee is the best way AXA uses to measure employee performance. The Production credits can also serve as a measure of financial performance that AXA Equitable uses as a requirement for other benefits other than commission for its employees. Benefits such as medical plan eligibility, stock options, stocks appreciation rights, AXA Share plan and AXA Equitable Advantage. AXA Equitable should strive for consistent and positive investment results for its investment portfolios. This is very important to a company that deals with attracting new prospects and retaining existing clients. An AXA Equitable client, for example, with a portfolio with poor investment results will not remain with the company if that client can get better results with other financial companies outside of AXA Equitable. AXA Equitable financial advisors manage the managers. Portfolio managers manage the investment portfolios and financial products inside AXA Equitable. Those managers are in turn, managed by the financial advisors that make these investment portfolios available to the clients. The portfolio managers are responsible for picking the equities and bonds available in each portfolio, making changes and the investment results for the portfolios they handle. Clients can benefit from a professional allocated portfolio of AXA Equitable funds that delivers automatic diversification, risk management benefits, quarterly rebalancing, and consistent investment results. The customer perspective section of he balanced scorecard cannot be effective if customer satisfaction is not the number one focus. The first and most important rule for any company in the financial services industry is that the client is of the utmost priority. Financial advisors should learn to put the interest of their clients first before any other interests. Companies in a service industry should understand that customer satisfaction is a great measure of performance. Banks and other companies that deal with providing financial services to the public must first put more emphasis on customer satisfaction, and then on financial return. These companies must ensure that their customers remain loyal to them and develop new markets to attract new customers (Wu, Tzeng, Chen, 2009). A crucial part of maintaining client satisfaction is understanding the clients and their needs. AXA Equitable and its advisors are responsible for making financial recommendations and providing its clients with financial products and services, and financial education to address their needs and help the clients create the retirement of their dreams. AXA Equitable should take sending out client satisfaction surveys to every client on the anniversary date of purchasing a financial product or service very seriously. This Client Satisfaction Index survey is a true measure of customer satisfaction and has helped the company identify the key drivers of client satisfaction. AXA Equitable uses this survey to get client feedback on their financial products and the level of service that their advisors showed the client throughout the year. Value added activity is an important way a company can separate itself from the competition. Companies in the financial services industry primarily offer financial products or services to their clients. Why would a client want to use AXA Equitable’s products and service versus another financial company like American International Group (AIG)? What can AXA Equitable offer that client that no other company can? For example, every financial advisor is required to provide the clients with a contract after every sale of a financial product or service. This contract usually contains copies of signed forms and prospectus. It is better to hand deliver these contracts instead of mailing it to the clients. AIG, a major competition for AXA Equitable, usually sends out thank you cards and client referral forms after every new sale of the company’s financial product or service. This is very effective because it showed that AIG appreciates the client and their business. Value added activities can be as simple as remembering a customers’ favorite drink. Whatever the activity is, managers must find a way to capitalize upon it, as doing so will enable them to gain a competitive advantage. AIG uses this service-oriented strategy to get additional referrals and establish relationships with their clients. BSC is an effective performance measurement tool in performance improvement, which positively affects service quality (Ghani, Said, Laswad, 2010). Exceeding client expectations is another critical success factor on the balanced scorecard that AXA Equitable and its employees should incorporate. When this strategy is taken seriously and done correctly, the clients are satisfied; they stay with the company longer, purchase additional financial products or services and most importantly, refer others to the company. Customer satisfaction offers an immediate, meaningful and objective feedback about clients’ preferences and expectations (Mihelis, Grigoroudis, Siskos, Politis, Malandrakis, 2001). AXA Equitable has provided several tools like eRelationship ® for its financial advisors for client contact. The eRelationship ® platform is a good way for the advisors to have continuous contact and build strong relationships with their clients all year long. For example, doing the simple things like remembering and sending out birthday cards, wedding anniversary cards, seminars invitations, could go a long way in building and maintaining credibility, trust and satisfaction with the clients. When the financial advisor is compassionate and is always willing to help, the clients can now see the true value of the advisors. AXA Equitable needs to generate clients constantly to be successful in the financial service industry. To be successful in this business, the financial advisors have to constantly be in front of their clients. Activities that drive the success of AXA Equitable financial advisors include prospecting and meeting new clients, number of appointments set, running appointments and appointments closed. AXA Equitable uses to 5-3-1 weekly matrix to guide our advisor activities They will be successful every week if they can have five prospecting visits, run three client appointments and sign up one new client†. Internationale Nederlanden Groep (ING), another major competition in the financial services industry uses a performance management strategy to keep track of employee activities. The financial advisors are required to submit their performance goals, development plans, and action plans at the beginning of every quarter to their managers. At the end of the quarter, performance reviews are conducted by the managers to measure the activities and production of the financial advisor. The balanced scorecard will help enhance communication between the client and the organization to ensure favorable organization performance (Wong, Lam, Chan, 2009). The internal business process perspective measures efficiency and productivity level within the company. During the client appointments, after the recommendations have been presented to the client, how quickly and efficiently can AXA Equitable provide the financial products or services needed to the client? This can be done with a software called eDox ®. eDox ® is an online database software that the financial advisor carries with him to every appointment with clients. eDox ® contains information about every product that AXA Equitable offers to its clients as well as links to products from other companies that AXA Equitable advisors can also offer to its client. Intra-industry trade (IIT) has been central to increasing the variety of products available to consumers (Moshirian, Li, and Sim. 2005). eDox ® also serves as a tool that top management uses to send out memos, journals, sales ideas, and information on new product launches to every employee of the company. When the client agrees to go ahead with the advisors recommendation and get the financial products; all the applications and forms necessary to make the sale can also be found on eDox ®. A continual review and constant improvement of eDox ® would be very important to keep productivity levels high to become an industry leader. AXA Compliance department is faced with the task of keeping AXA Equitable and its financial advisors compliant with the governing rules made by the Security and Exchange Commission. The Security and Exchange Commission set rules, regulations and guidelines that govern all the companies in the financial services industry. The SEC draws up new regulations periodically that sometimes make business very difficult in the financial services industry, for example, the 90-24 transfer rule, which involves more documentation for transfers of funds between one financial companies. Meeting these guidelines and standards set by the Securities and Exchange Commission is important to eliminate client complaints, trading malpractice, and negative internal and external audit for AXA Equitable Growth within a company like AXA Equitable does not always have to mean more profits because it is in the financial services industry. To become a leader in this industry, the financial company would have to hire more financial advisors to acquire more clients, which in turn leads to more productivity within the company. AXA Equitable should set hiring goals for its managers each year that the company expects to be met because an increase in the number of financial advisors every year will cause an increase in the amount of business written in that year. AXA Equitable and other companies in the financial service industry are constantly rolling out new financial products or services to keep pace with market volatility and unlimited client needs. The companies equip these products with better features and benefits to make them more attractive to the clients and stand out from the competition. AXA Equitable should be committed to providing its financial advisors with the resources necessary to build a lifelong career. Companies facing intensive competition also have a greater impetus to find ways to differentiate their products and services from those provided by competitors, this frequently results in a greater number of product and service lines and differentiation sought through increased customization of products and services in order to meet specific customer desires. (Guilding and McManus, 2002). The Learning center at AXA Equitable is set up to train and support new and experienced financial advisors. For example, when a new financial advisor is hired, the advisor is required to take some necessary courses on AXA Advisors Virtual University (AAVU) to learn everything about the company, its policies and financial product or services. American International Group (AIG) is another company that has a similar new employee development strategy. AIG developed a New Branch Employee Orientation Program where new employees receive online orientation sessions that include information about AIG, as well as company policies and benefits. AXA Equitable should require additional sessions for training and development for their financial advisors. These sessions should include experiences and accomplishments of experienced licensed financial advisors to keep the all other financial advisors motivated and knowledgeable about everything going on with the company and the industry as a whole. Introducing a balanced scorecard in an organization and implementing the critical success factors identified on it will not be an easy task. When firms develop a  scorecard they often start with a strategic performance measurement system which includes a set of financial and non-financial measures. Afterwards, the cause and effect relationships between the different (sets of) measures are developed further to translate the firm strategy to operational activities (Wiersma, 2009). AXA Equitable’s Management and employees will have to cultivate a change initiative. The increasing use of balanced scorecards is changing the way top managers run their companies. When envisioning a firm’s future development, they no longer focus chiefly on monetary success indicators in the financial area, Instead balanced scorecard is designed to complement financial measures of past performance with their measures of the drivers of future performance (Asosheh, Nalchigar, Jamporazmey, 2010). Companies need to address issues to help assess competition in their industry. The Balanced Scorecard is generally implemented at the corporate, business unit, and individual level, and also becomes a powerful tool for the directors to monitor the implementation of the corporate strategy.

The Relationship Between Magnetism and Electricity by Bidisha Essay

The Relationship Between Magnetism and Electricity by Bidisha Mukherjee - Essay Example Similarly, a changing magnetic field produces and effects an electric current. However, if a static charge is placed in an electric field, or if the magnetic field is made static, one field would neither produce nor effect the other field. This phenomenon has been put to use in many devise which work on the principle of changing fields. The basic reason for the interplay of fields is that in an atom, a negative charge, the electron, is spinning around a positive core, the nucleus, producing a loop of electric field as a result of this motion. This electric field in turn produces a magnetic field. The article then proceeds to describe the concept of a field, and the scientists who have worked on this relationship between the two fields. It then lists several principles or characteristics of this interchange of fields. It focuses mainly on the need for movement of the particles if a field is to be induced by another field. It also states that both the poles of a magnet, the north and t he south pole, coexist, and there can be no existence of one without the other.