Essay --

After carefully considering the area of both homes, including the crime rate, median home prices, schools in the area, etc, as well as the improvements needed on property A and the ones already done on Property B, I feel that Property A in Chapel Hill, NC would be, in my opinion, a better investment property. If I had a family, were just starting out and could do some of the work myself, this would be a good investment in my future. Chapel Hill was rated in the top ten best places to live, in Money Magazine. It has beautiful weather, nice neighborhoods and lower population per square foot. It also has six, 5 star rated schools in the area and the crime rate for this neighborhood is very low. The town is centrally located with an international airport within 20 miles as well as bus stations within 30 minutes. There is a local transit system as well as taxi's. I also believe this home would have a higher resale value for the long-term, as the median comparable home values in this area , at this time, are around $350,000. I would purchase all new appliances for the kitchen, purchase a new washer and dryer and add new carpet in the bedrooms with ceramic tile throughout the rest of the home. I would add some fresh paint inside and out, as well. Then, I would add some subtle landscaping. The bushes and trees that are already there, are in good shape and are a good start. However, it looks like the lawn needs to be reseeded and the yard could use some color. I would add a couple of rose bushes and some other flowers around the perimeter of the home to brighten things up. I could do it all for about $20k for a total cost of $145,500, if I did all the work myself. If I wanted to go a few steps further, I would add all new bathroom fix... ...in and clean up, tape off and paint all walls and trim, install new cabinets, lighting and fixtures. Then I would go through and lay carpet and tile I had selected. The next step would be to start on the outside of the home and paint all exterior walls and trim. Then I would start reseeding the lawn, planting flowers and handling any other landscaping, like a sprinkler system to water the yard and plants. Finally, with everything fresh and new, I would place the house for rent, for sale or simply move in. Word Choice Word Choice Suggestions Suggestions for improving word choice appear in the text underlined in blue. Select this text to view the tips. [ Previous | Next ] Analysis complete. Select an item below to view the notes associated with that item. Title Checker Spelling Grammar Word Choice Style Vocabulary Words Grade Facebook printable summary report

Foreign and Drug Policy Essay -- American Government Politics Essays

Foreign and Drug Policy In examining the transitions in US government policy related to drug abuse and trafficking, historians are consistently confronted with the difficult task of analyzing the different motivations for variations in strategy from the Nixon administration to the present. In this specific case, our investigation centers upon the interplay of United States foreign policy in Latin America in the 1980’s (pursued mostly by the CIA) and the broad campaign against drugs both at home and abroad. At first glance, one might suppose that a moral ideology such as the war on drugs would be a multi-faceted operation with little available room for compromise. After all, an analogous crusade against terrorism has emerged as the overriding logic and driving force behind current foreign policy, so why shouldn’t narcoterrorism have a similar place in initiatives abroad? It would make sense that since we are now committed to eliminating any support for states that sponsor terrorism, nations like Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, and Honduras should be dealt with in a similar manner for their complicity in drug trafficking. As we now know, this was not the case, thus further scrutiny is required. The framework for this analysis will be an in depth reading of multiple sources with differing viewpoints chronicling the events in the expansion of the Latin American narcotics trade. Our analysis begins with Oliver North, the military coordinator ultimately empowered by the National Security Council to conduct and oversee covert operations supporting Nicaraguan rebels, the Contras, in their resistance campaign. As part of Reagan’s fierce stance against communism, Latin America had become a battleground between American CIA ... ...ionale and a new direction for combating the widespread narcotics abuse in America, namely increased investment in treatment of addiction. Works Cited: Kerry, John et al. Senate Committee Report on Drugs, Law Enforcement, and Foreign Policy. Available online http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/ARCHIVE/KERRY.html. Access date 5/25/04. Korsmeyer, Pamela and David Musto. The Quest for Drug Control. Yale University Press: New Haven, 2002. Marshall, Jonathan and Peter Dale Scott. Cocaine Politics: Drugs, Armies, and the CIA in Central America. University of California Press: Los Angeles, 1991. Massing, Michael. The Fix. University of California Press: Los Angeles, 1999. PBS Frontline. Interview with Oliver North. Available online http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/special/north.html. Access date 5/23/04.

Organizational Profile of UT Bank Ghana Ltd Essay

The Chief Executive Officer of UT Bank has been Mr. Prince K. Amoabeng since its establishment. The bank has 24 banking halls nationwide, 2 loan centers and 16 ATM outlets. Kumasi Branches which are the focus have 40 staff members which comprise of 2 Management Staff, 25 Senior Staff and 13 Junior Staff. The branch has four departments namely; Banking (Operations), Wholesale Banking and Investor Relations, Retail Banking and Administration (UT Bank, 2011). Organizational culture Basically, culture is defined as â€Å"the way we do things around here† (Deal & Kennedy, 2000) or â€Å"the way we think about things around here† (Maull, Brown & Cliffe, 2001). Deal and Kennedy (1982) argue that culture is the single most important factor accounting for success or failure in organizations. They identified four key dimensions of culture: 1. Values – the beliefs that lie at the heart of the corporate culture. 2. Heroes – the people who embody values. 3. Rites and rituals – routines of interaction that have strong symbolic qualities. 4.  The culture network – the informal communication system or hidden hierarchy of power in the organization. Groeschl and Doherty (2000) pointed out that culture consists of several elements- implicit and otherwise. Most often these elements are explained by terms such as behaviour, values, norms and basic assumptions. According to Schein (1996), culture may be studied at its most visible level through the examination of its artefacts and creations, which include physical space, technology, art, symbols, language, mottoes, and overt behaviour are the values espoused by individuals as the organisation faces and deals with new situations. These represent â€Å"what ought to be, as distinct from what is†. The culture of an organization develops through the course of social interactions rather than being imposed, and creates system of shared meanings to mobilize members of the organization in pursuit of the desired aims and objectives. Morgan (1997) focuses on the whole organization, the cultivation of harmonious relations at all levels, the merging of individual with common goals and a reliance on worker responsibility (Japanese approaches) as success factors in organizational culture. Successful organizations build cohesive cultures around common set of norms, values, and ideas that create a focus for doing business. Organizations are socially created and exist as much in the minds of their members as they exist in concrete structures, rules and relations. Organizational culture facilitates the acceptable solutions for knowing the problems, which members learn, feel and set the principles, expectations, behaviour, patterns, and norms that promote a high level of achievement (Marcoulides & Heck, 1993; Schein, 1992). Analysis of the culture of the organization based on observation The observation was made on the basis of the artefact, norms, values and, the assumptions and beliefs within the organisation. The observation followed through the working periods of the organisation: the observer was as objective as much as possible. Artefacts From the observation, every office and employee had stickers of â€Å"Loan in less than 48hours† and crests embossed to their breasts respectively. Also, each branch had the missions and vision of the bank hanged on the walls of the banking halls. The bank’s physical arrangement is a well-planned architecture of the office which shows clearly the various departments. Also, it was observed that the office design is one that fit the organisation and what it does. It has offices for various departmental heads and that of a shared office for the other employees which enhanced communication. There is no specific dress code for the employees, but the employees are also smart and formal in appearance. However, on Friday, employees wear prints made of the colours and descriptions of the bank. Employees spoke a corporate language which is English; but also intermittently spoke Twi when attending to the illiterate clients as well as casual conversations among staff. Values and Norms From the observations, the values of the bank are not only visibly seen on their walls, but also clearly evident in the behaviours of the employees. It was observed that, the general demeanours of the employees exude respect, integrity and high level professionalism. Workers reported to work as early as 06:00 GMT, and left the office as late as 21:00 GMT. Workers were willing to go the extra mile to keep the customers happy. According to Hunt, Boal and Sorenson (1990), leadership is a process involving the leader, task and situation and indeed. Most of the leadership literature confuses the definition of effective leadership by failing to make clear distinctions in some definitions, such as between leaders and non-leaders, effective and ineffective leaders, as well as overlooking the definition of the levels of leadership (Bennis, 1998; Bergsteiner, 2005; House and Aditya, 1997) Leaders are often tangible images of successful endeavour in organizations, serving as role models and mentors for the more junior and aspiring employees. The evaluation and explanation of leadership is the domain of theorists and researchers who offer organizations a range of approaches or theories, which may be said to evolve from the changing expectations of organizations. Leadership is â€Å"the process wherein an individual member of a group or organisation influences the interpretation of events, the choice of objectives and strategies, the organisation of work activities, the motivation of people to achieve objectives, the maintenance of cooperative relationships, the development of skills and confidence by members, and the enlistment of support and cooperation from people outside the group or organisation† (Yukl, 2002). When leaders are effective the influence they exert over others help a group(s) or organization(s) to achieve its performance goals. On the other hand, if leaders are ineffective, their influence does not contribute to and often detracts from, goal attainment. Leadership depends on the use of power, influence, vision, persuasion and communication skills to coordinate the behaviour of individuals and groups so that their activities and efforts are in harmony. Leaders encourage employees to perform at a high level to achieving targeted oals (Jones et al. 2007). Leadership in UT Bank Ghana Limited, Kumasi Branch UT Bank believes in quality leadership and its management opines that leadership is all about team-building and the expression of selfless work ethics. The leadership is a participatory one and as such it is a rule that all employees irrespective of the management level address one another by the first name. There is a vision for the organization; guiding, training, coaching and motivating employees to work effectively to achieve the organization’s objectives. The trend is to empower employees, give them as much freedom as possible to become self-directed and self-motivated. Often, that means working in teams. Teamwork aids communication, improves cooperation, reduces internal competition and maximizes the talents of all employees on a project. Strength and limitations of UT Bank Ghana Limited, Kumasi branch as organisms Strengths The organisational culture and leadership in the organisation helps develop an understanding between the organization and its environments. This describes the organization as existing in an open system where the environment has a great impact on the way the organization is run. It shows that the management of UT Bank can often be improved through systematic attention to the â€Å"needs† that must be satisfied if the organization is to survive. It emphasizes survival as the main task facing the organization which helps the goals to not be an end in themselves, but media of survival. The leadership in UT Bank shows that there is no best way of managing – thus, the best way of management is determined by the events happening at any point in time. It clearly shows that different approaches to management may be necessary to perform different tasks within the organisation. Limitations A careful look at UT Bank as an organism makes one assume that the organisation is functionally organised which leads to â€Å"functional unity† – interdependence where every element of the system works for all the other elements. However, in organizations, self-interest is a major conflict and also different elements of an organization are usually capable of living separate lives and often do so. Also, the rise in importance of the organic metaphor in UT Bank has undermined the efficiency of bureaucratic organizations. The metaphor leads UT Bank and its environments in a way that is far too concrete. This is because organizations and their environments can be understood as socially constructed phenomena. Their shape and structure is much more fragile and tentative than the material structure of an organism. It is misleading to suggest that UT Bank need to â€Å"adapt† to its environment or that environments â€Å"select† the organizations that are to survive. On the contrary, organizations have a choice as to whether they are to compete or collaborate. Collaborating organizations actions can have an impact on the environment. Conclusion Since an organisation is an organism made up of systems working together, keeping such systems in good and workable conditions is very crucial to the survival and subsequent success of the organisation. Culture and leadership can be seen as effective lubricants to the effective functioning of an organisation. The culture of an organization is many times created by those who lead it. The culture of an organization speaks directly to the beliefs and practices that it holds to be true. When thinking about culture a leader must help define why the organization exists and to lead by example. Thereby satisfying the needs of employees organisations operate more effectively and people truly become the lifeblood of organisations.

The schematization of aesthetics was founded in Ancient times

The schematization of aesthetics was founded in Ancient times, which is manifested in Plato and Aristotle’s philosophies. Plato stance on aesthetic is very negative because it can distract the innate nature of soul. But his pessimism on aesthetics specifically of arts in general is best represented in his conjecture that an art â€Å"is thrice removed from reality†. Aristotle, on the other hand, has positive note on aesthetics because he sees art as representation of Forms or of truth. From these two ancient philosophers, the debate and conceptualization of aesthetics has transformed greatly in different periods. Friedrich Nietzsche posits that aesthetics is a means of preservation, meaning, beauty for him is encapsulated in terms of life prolongation. Leo Tolstoy postulated that aesthetics is based on peasant artistry because these workers understand the beauty of life. The complexities of aesthetics have metamorphosized throughout the progression of different civilizations and epochs of philosophy. In line with this, contemporary aestheticians like Jun'ichiro Tanizaki and Susanne K. Langer joined the bandwagon to advance aesthetics epistemic views. And these contemporary philosophers agreed on one point, that aesthetics or the valuation of beauty, as well as, its intricacies, nuances and elements, is greatly influenced by geographic positioning. This assertion was deduced from the fact that in every period novel idea on aesthetics sprouted wherein this period shaped new debates on the topic at hand. In summation, each period in philosophy supplemented new keys on the development of philosophy. In Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows, he juxtaposed Oriental aestheticism to Western aestheticism wherein he highlighted the significance of going back to the remnants of the past because it served as the defining moment of every stance on arts. He argued that one must embrace his own aesthetics even if it is tarnished and old because it is the precursor of one’s culture and tradition, and therefore, any concept of beauty from foreign culture must be disregarded altogether since it can eradicate the innate nature of one’s aesthetics. This is very prominent in the character of Tanizaki because when he was just a budding novelist he appreciated Western aestheticism, which has influenced his writing during those times, until he realized that he must represent Japanese concept of arts and beauty through literature. Tanizaki conjectured that the key note in Japanese concept of beauty is founded on the ideas of shadow. The architectural blueprint of traditional Japanese highly embodies shadows manifested through the quiet and murky interiors, which emanates a nostalgic atmosphere due to the independent existence and presence of shadows.   Tanizaki reinforced his idea of shadow in the articulateness of beauty in the form of polished tableware, temple toilets, kimonos, and Japanese stage, which are highly affected by the intensity of its dark spectrum. In lieu to this, Tanizaki pointed out that if light was applied on Japanese aesthetics all of its essence will diminish because light is the attribute of Western aestheticism, and likewise will happen if darkness was incorporated to Western arts. His basis on the above mentioned arguments is embedded on his credence on the delineation of Western culture and Japanese culture. According to Tanizaki, Western citizens in ancient times give importance to gold because it emanates unspeakable beauty when candlelight reflects it. On the other hand, Japanese people vehemently dislike light because it exposes the imperfection of their own white skin. According to Thomas J. Harper (translator of In Praise of Shadows), Tanizaki distinguish Japanese aestheticism based on shadows because it shows an unfathomable yet beautiful reverence and somberness, which is lacking in the magnificently lit arts of the West. Like Tanizaki, Langer also believed that one’s perception of aesthetics is dependent of his geographic positioning. At the first chapter of her book entitled Philosophy in a New Key: A Study in the Symbolism of Reason, Rite, and Art, she defined philosophy as â€Å"characterized more by the formulation of its problems than by its solutions of them†[1], which implies that each groups or societies see things in different perspectives and in their perception of things, they have their own understanding of what they see and have their own questions about it. Therefore, when it comes to beauty or aesthetics definitive schema, each society has the authority to posit their own stance about it, and mostly their stance is deeply rooted in culture and tradition. Tanizaki’s key of aesthetics is logically plausible in Langer’s philosophy since she espoused a relativistic means of understanding the nature of things and the contingency of the universe, in context with aesthetics. But Langer has her own philosophic inclination on beauty, wherein her key is discourse and representation. For Langer, aesthetics expresses the emotive form of arts through symbols and logic. But it must be noted that she saw that the main problem in expressing aesthetic is the means of expressing it. According to her, music possesses a degree of mood or emotion towards the meaning of life wherein it represents a form of epistemic valuation and truth. This music that embodies a certain feeling of purely perceptible matters can be expressed in innumerable manners, but the musician has to figure out which manner because wrong choice of manner will annihilate the content of its emotion and its purity. In toto, Langer saw philosophy as perpetually progressing, as well as aesthetics, because different epochs have either discovered or created a new key to elucidate the universe. She purported that the fecundity of new keys in the philosophical realm will always exists because human understanding is innately transformational. Unlike most philosophers like Bertrand Russell who argued that novel ideas in philosophy is impossible because what is left to humanity is to recycle old philosophies, Langer believed that the pasts has influenced on our present cogito but it does not necessarily follow that it will shape the present landscape of philosophizing. The point is that man’s rationality is not fixed; therefore present and future generation can discover or create a new motif of intellectual intercourse, which will eventually define the philosophy of their period. Tanizaki and Langer’s philosophies on aesthetics are significant because of its willingness and openness to the possibility of new keys, in terms of new perspectives and theories. It broadens the horizon of philosophical enterprise since new schemes and conceptualizations are doomed to realization. The only danger on their stance on the concept of â€Å"new keys† is that it jeopardized the universality of things, specifically of aesthetics or beauty. Their postulate that aesthetics valuation is based on geographic positioning or dependent of one’s social constructs breathes relativism, meaning, every perspective on aesthetic is sound and valid, or to put it simply â€Å"beauty is in the eye of the beholder†. And worse, the innateness of aesthetics seems impossible to be exposed because of diverse perceptions on it. REFERENCE: Langer, Susanne K. Philosophy in a New Key: A Study in the Symbolism of Reason, Rite, and Art 3rd edition ed: Harvard University Press, 1957. Tanizaki, Junichiro. In Praise of Shadows. Trans. Charles Moore, Edward G. Seidensticker and Thomas J. Harper: Leetes Island Books 1980. [1] Langer, Susanne. Philosophy in a New Key: A Study in the Symbolism of Reason, Rite, and Art.   Harvard University Press, 1957 p.4.

Charges against parties Essay Example For Students

Charges against parties Essay Strict Constr.Judges should use strictly legal precedent for legal opinionsStrict-aka-legal formalism//Broad-aka-Legal RealismBroad Constadapting changing law to fit needs of contemp. society. Impoundmentpres. refusal to fund program-if he doesnt support. Jud. activism(lib.)active role for courts;they should use jud. review to strike down on laws that violate const. or its principles. Judicial Reviewinterpret const. ; constit. of actions by gov. branches. Jud. self-rest.(cons)restrained role for courts;theyshould find actions of other branches of gov. constitutional ; permissible. libertarianindiv. freedom-all aspects of politics ; gov. liberalssocial equality/gov-soc;econ probs-not instilling morals. Plebiscite nat. poll dis/approval for policies or leaders in power. Pocket Vetoif pres. refuses to sign or veto, during 10 day consider, if Congress remains in session-bill=law w/out pres. signature. Pol. cultureshared values of society-affect what people want how they express those demands. Func.-partiesrecruit candid.,promote policies, connect st. local branches nationaly, assign peop to tasksposit. in gov once elected, internal dialogues-how govern,provide nat. organ. to coordin functionsThomas Painesfrom Britain; hates monarchy; as long as central Common Sense -power, rights of indiv. were in danger. Charges-partiesno clear vision or braod choices;aimed at getting elected; corrupted by interest gr. $; breakdown in par loyalty changed nature of political leadership weakened gov.

Nutrition for Health and Social Care (DISCUSSION) Assignment - 1

Nutrition for Health and Social Care (DISCUSSION) - Assignment Example The sugars that compose carbohydrates are called monosaccharide, and can combine to form very complex carbohydrates. The structure of a simple monosaccharaides is shown below. Digestion of carbohydrates initiates right from the mouth. The food is mixed with salivary amylase which breaks down the polysaccharides in the food. The saliva also assists in moistening of the food to allow it go down the stomach easily. From here the food is moved down to the stomach and is referred to as a chime. Here the stomach produces acids that kills bacteria in the food and stops the action of salivary amylase. In the pancreas and the small intestine, in the duodenum the pancreatic juice/amylase is added to the chime so as to break the polysaccharide to a disaccharide. In the small intestine, lactose, sucrose and maltose are produced to further break the food into a monosaccharide. These can therefore be absorbed into the lower parts of the small intestine by the villi into the blood system. In the colon, other carbohydrates that were not digested are partly digested by intestinal bacteria n\and the rest excreted as feces (DUGGAN, WATKINS & WALKER, 2008). Carbohydrates are essential since they provide energy for the body. They are therefore essential for the functioning of the central nervous system, circulatory system and other essential systems of the body. Fats and lipids are a wide group of compounds that are soluble in organic solvents and others in the water. Although there is no definite structure of fats, most of them belong to the triglyceride class, which assumes a three fatty acid glycerol backbone bond. The image of their structure is as shown below. The major issue to be considered in the digestion of fats is solubility. The digestion of fats is aided through emulsification. Their digestion begins in the stomach where hydrochloric acids, mucus and gastric enzymes are combined to form gastric juice.

Nora Sakari - Case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nora Sakari - Case - Assignment Example Owing to the smaller size of Sakari, it would expand and increase its market share. Nora is likely to furnish the JV with its long-term good working affiliation with Japanese associates. By entering into a JV with Nora, a larger company, Sakari would benefit from the JV through enhanced marketing capability, which would in turn reinforce its market position. As it appears, Sakari, even though smaller, is the best partner for Nora because it provides Nora with exactly what it needs and each have a working idea of the other because they have been negotiation partners. b) Nora-Sakari’s negotiations failure can be attributed to mutual unawareness about their respective cultures. There was strong opposition from negotiating camps from both Nora and Sakari. First, Sakari seems to have no trust on Nora’s objective of forming the JV as they insinuate that Nora would duplicate their technology, thus becoming a major rival in the market. Coupled with internal politics, the negotiation was deemed for failure. Second, there was a tussle regarding the split of equity ownership. Sakari proposed Equity split of 49% and 51% for Sakari and Nora respectively. On the contrary, Nora gave a counter proposal of 30% and 70% equity split for Sakari and Nora respectively. Third, Sakari proposed that it provides the JV with digital switch basic structure while Nora wanted the digital switch basic structure to be made from the JV Company in order to gain contact with the switching technology. Fourth, Sakari’s proposal for royalty payment was 5% of gross sales while Nora proposed 2% of net sales of the JV. Fifth, there was inconsistency on salaries and perks suggested by the two companies. Last, Nora and Sakari could not agree on where to resolve the negotiation stalemate. The failure to understand variations in national culture and organizational politics played a huge role