The Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby Essay Example For Students

The Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby Essay On April 10, 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby, a novel that would later become one of the best known pieces of classic literature in history. However, at the time of its publication, Gatsby was fairly unpopular ad the reviews were never consistent. As shocking as it may seem, I believe it is because Fitzgerald’s intelligence and creativity levels were way ahead of his time, which is evident when one pays close attention to the themes of the novel. Forgiveness, love, and memory of the past are just a few themes you will come across in this story. Aside from these, there is one other theme that is much more dominant and could possibly have been the cause of The Great Gatsby’s slight lack of initial success. It is the basis of everything the characters in the novel do as well as everything they feel. It is what they use to justify their actions, and it is what everyone longs for. This theme is better known as the American dream.The Great Gatsby is representative of the American dream in multiple ways. There are some aspects of the novel that symbolize the overall corruption of the American dream; there are others that signify the love of wealth, and the division of rich and poor. We will write a custom essay on The Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now What exactly is the American dream? The American dream can be described as an idea, a concept, and a way of life. It can even be described as a form of ignorance. According to SinisaSmiljanic, some people say it is the search for wealth, prosperity and a higher social status. Others feel it is basically having a good life- settling down and being able to provide for their family. All of these ideas can be accredited to the fundamental idea of the American dream. Robert L. Pearson sums up the American dream as the bel. .. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925. Great Gatsby and the Fall of the American Dream, The. . â€Å"Great Gatsby American Dream Essay†. 2013. May 2013. html>. Pearson, Robert L. â€Å"Gatsby: False Prophet of the American Dream†. The English Journal Vol. 59, No. 5. May 1970: 638-645 Saveriano, Jerry W. World’s Fairs- Back To the Future. 2014. December 2010. com/2010/12/24/worlds-fairs-back-to-the-future/>. Smiljanic, Sinisa. The American Dream in the Great Gatsby. 2013. April 2011. academia.edu/3071602/The_American_dream_in_the_Great_Gatsby>. SparkNotes Editors. Sparknote on The Great Gatsby. 2002. 13 Jan 2014 com/lit/gatsby/>.

Free Essays on Silence Of The Lambs

What is Forensic Anthropology? From within the specialized area of osteologythe study of bones- comes the application of the methods and techniques of analyzing skeletal remains for cases that will apply tf legal importance. Osteological analyses yield clues as to how populations of people might have lived, how old they were when they died, if they were female or male, their state of health (or disease), types of trauma they may have experienced as related to climate, warfare, and occupation. Forensic anthropologists help identify individuals who died in mass disasters, wars, or due to homicide, suicide, or accidental death, and applying the evidence to a case legally. Anthropology is the "study of humans" in a broad sense. There are primarily three subfields of anthropology, or three general areas into which the study of humans can be classified: Cultural anthropology, Archaeology, and Physical (or Biological) Anthropology. A fourth subfield, Linguistics (pertaining to language), seems to have been absorbed by the other three subfields in many cases today. Cultural Anthropology Cultural Anthropology: this subfield deals with myriad aspects of human society, culture, behavior, beliefs, ways of life, etc. It can include studies of non-technologic societies, technologic societies, past and present. Many areas of anthropology over lap eachother. For example, cultural anthropology may overlap with studies of foreign language, economics, psychology, sociology, political science, the medical field, ecology, women's studies, history, and so on. Archaeology Archaeology is the study of past cultures, through peoples' material remains (i.e. artifacts). The lifeways of past peoples can be studied from the artifacts they leave behind, which can range from items as small as bits of pottery and tools to large dwellingshuts, houses of worship, etc. Archaeological research covers a vast array of cultures throughout time and spacef... Free Essays on Silence Of The Lambs Free Essays on Silence Of The Lambs What is Forensic Anthropology? From within the specialized area of osteologythe study of bones- comes the application of the methods and techniques of analyzing skeletal remains for cases that will apply tf legal importance. Osteological analyses yield clues as to how populations of people might have lived, how old they were when they died, if they were female or male, their state of health (or disease), types of trauma they may have experienced as related to climate, warfare, and occupation. Forensic anthropologists help identify individuals who died in mass disasters, wars, or due to homicide, suicide, or accidental death, and applying the evidence to a case legally. Anthropology is the "study of humans" in a broad sense. There are primarily three subfields of anthropology, or three general areas into which the study of humans can be classified: Cultural anthropology, Archaeology, and Physical (or Biological) Anthropology. A fourth subfield, Linguistics (pertaining to language), seems to have been absorbed by the other three subfields in many cases today. Cultural Anthropology Cultural Anthropology: this subfield deals with myriad aspects of human society, culture, behavior, beliefs, ways of life, etc. It can include studies of non-technologic societies, technologic societies, past and present. Many areas of anthropology over lap eachother. For example, cultural anthropology may overlap with studies of foreign language, economics, psychology, sociology, political science, the medical field, ecology, women's studies, history, and so on. Archaeology Archaeology is the study of past cultures, through peoples' material remains (i.e. artifacts). The lifeways of past peoples can be studied from the artifacts they leave behind, which can range from items as small as bits of pottery and tools to large dwellingshuts, houses of worship, etc. Archaeological research covers a vast array of cultures throughout time and spacef...

Feminist Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feminist - Assignment Example The devaluation of nurturan work is one of the most widespread forms of the feminization of poverty, and encompasses a wide array of different issues. The most simple of these is the simple fact that nurturant work, though highly skilled in many respects, provides only minimal income to people practicing it. Often nurturant work is given to people too young to legally work, for instance, in the form of baby-sitting, and thus often usually pays far below minimum wage because of its unregulated aspect, as well as the fact that the people engaging in this form of work often cannot find other work due to their age and are willing to take very low paying jobs. The pattern of nurturant work being undervalued, however, is not simply limited to young people making less than minimum wage, but continues in all stages of life. Nannies and operators of daycare are often highly skilled people with years of experience, needing to hold certification in infant CPR, early childhood development and so metimes education, yet despite these facts are often paid significantly less than someone doing unskilled hard labor such as construction, and far less money than other skilled trades such as carpentry or plumbing. The simplest way nurturant work is devalued is simply the fact that people are unwilling to pay the amount for it that its skill level demands. While the underpayment of people employed in nurturant work is one of the simplest ways nurturant work is undervalued, nurturant work’s devaluation within the welfare system is far more sinister and dangerous in the long term. Despite wide-spread knowledge of the importance in properly raising children (conservative governments who slash welfare systems are often the most ardent defenders of the needs for women to raise children) welfare systems consistently refuse to recognize the raising of one’s own children as a valuable form of work to society. Many welfare systems around the world have a form of â€Å"work req uirement† based on the notion that if people were not forced to work long hours at useless jobs at below minimum wage to be able to get their welfare check, they would simply stop working and enter the welfare system out of sloth. These systems, however, tend to make no recourse for parents raising children of their own, forcing them to spend long hours away from home, making it impossible for them to raise their children as they want to. Through these systems governments are essentially saying that nurturant work is not actually work, and not actually valuable to society in any way. Though these types of oppressive welfare systems obviously affect parents of all genders, as women tend to be parents and single parents at a higher rate than men welfare systems tend to be disproportionately oppressive towards women. Emerging as they do from hetero-patriarchal governments that dominate the world, it is unsurprising that welfare systems intrinsically devalue nurturant work, one of the definitive forms of feminine work. Even for women who do not have to rely on the welfare system, however, systems of oppression operate to devalue nurturant work and force women to, because of nurturant roles, have significantly less earnings potential and stay in or close to poverty. The United States is one of the worst countries in the world in enforcing equity for people who must provide nurturant care, only forcing employers to grant

Holcims Romanian Unique Venture Yields Positive Results for all Essay

Holcims Romanian Unique Venture Yields Positive Results for all Stakeholders - Essay Example The plants needed only refurbishment and improvement. Secondly, operating in the country offers opportunities to widen the company's market share as the country can serve as a gateway to other countries of Eastern Europe. Furthermore, Romania is relatively politically stable and has a friendly business atmosphere. Romanians were also known for their enterprising character. One of the concerns usually arising from cement production is that the process uses large amounts of fossil fuel and involved large amounts of CO2 emissions. What Holcim did was to use contaminated and expired pet foods as a fuel substitute. 13,000 tons were gathered from the country's groceries and manufacturers. This endeavor was undertaken with all the environmental and safety regulations inspected and audited by a third party. Holcim discovered that each ton of pet food replaced 1.2 tons of traditional fossil fuel. Along with the use of fly ash instead of clinkers, the use of the pet food reduced C02 emissions by 74%. It also helped the country tackle with its toxic waste disposal problem. Believing that people are the foundation of value creation, Holcim offered wages that were 7% higher than the cement industry average and 15% higher than Romania's general industry. The work force was also represented by an independent trade union.

Is the Euro area converging or diverging Critically discuss whether Essay

Is the Euro area converging or diverging Critically discuss whether the Euro becomes a vehicle for creating divisions in Europe - Essay Example The union has undeniably attained some of these targets. It has assured price stability, making a striking change to its inflation prone member states. Most of the countries within the Euro area benefited from an accountable nominal interest rate reduction (Blanchard 2007). Due to the changes experienced in terms of the major domestic demand expansion and the persistent deterioration of their current accounts, the member countries also enjoyed a reduction in real interest rates. The Euro area has increased trade intensity for all countries lying within its dynasty. Within the Euro area, states that are more economically advanced have witnessed the greater financial integration. The union has accelerated this change. Lastly, it has enhanced the level of business synchronization (Allington, Kattuman & Florian 2005). However, despite the major achievements, the performance of the economy of the Euro area over recent years has been on the decline. The debt crisis and specifically the slow recovery from the 2008-2009 recession in the core EU Member States, has triggered many questions on the capabilities of the Union (Estrada, Là ³pez& Galà ­ 2013). The higher number of cases of debt crisis and inflation amongst its member states has caused arguments whether the endorsement of a common currency, may be behind the scenario. The currency endorsement has acted as a factor of divergence in terms of growth and unemployment (Andrà ©s, Eva & Javier, 2008). According to Estrada, Là ³pez and Galà ­ (2013), in order to examine the convergence and divergence of the countries, the performance of their labor markets, evolution of key competitiveness measures, current account imbalances and the factors affecting it such as productivity and wages have to be properly analyzed. All through the nine years of operation, the European Monetary Union was associated with a strong convergence in terms of lowering unemployment rates across the member countries.

Working With Sexual Abuse Victims Social Work Essay

Working With Sexual Abuse Victims Social Work Essay Sexual abuse has been a growing concern in our society. The statistics on sexual abuse in America are alarming. According to Finkelhor (1994) approximately 150,000 confirmed cases of child sexual abuse were reported to child welfare authorities in the United States during 1993 (p.31). Lucinda stated, I have worked with children who have been sexually abused and it is a devastating experience for the individual. Working with an individual who has a history of sexual abuse would be very difficult. The individual will likely be guarded and possibly closed off from the surrounding environment. He or she may not want to talk about what happened in their past, and want to shut it away so they never have to relive the horror that happened to them. Since this abuse is not as visible as physical abuse, it is harder for people outside the abuse to recognize it. The individual in the abuse may feel that it is their fault, or they are inviting the abuser into the relationship. The abused individual may also feel that when speaking about the abuse to another person, that person will judge them think it is the fault of the abused. Core Issues Some of the core issues in treatment while working with someone diagnosed with a history of sexual abuse is gaining the clients trust so that they may disclose their history of being sexually abused and feeling safe and not being judged. Lucinda stated, For me, the most important factor for the clinician is to gain the trust of the individual first before the client feels safe enough to share such an experience with a total stranger. Sexual abuse is a touchy subject to some and some individuals do not disclose having been sexually abused because they feel ashamed or guilty or they fear being judge has damaged goods. According to Levs post, 88% of cases of sexual abuse are never disclosed by the child. In agreement, Alaggia (2005) states, 50% to 80% of victims do not purposefully disclose childhood sexual abuse before adulthood (p.454). Another core issue is the ability to gain that initial trust between the client and the clinician. For someone that has had a history of sexual abuse this can be a hard aspect to have happen. This is understandable because at some point in that persons life they lost the ability to trust when someone took that opportunity away from them. Its like that individual had their bond of trust violated and that may carry over as an adult for the ability to trust their own feelings and judgment. Additional core issues noticed with those sexually abused would be placing the blame on themselves or taking the responsibility for what has occurred to that individual. Also, having a constant fear instilled in them that something is wrong with them. Perhaps even issues with power and control because one may feel that was stripped away from them. An abused child will not open up unless they can trust again (trust is obviously something that is tarnished and even lost through the abuse). Another core issue in treatment while working with someone diagnosed with a history of sexual abuse is using memory to work through the trauma. As Courtois (1992) points out, Therapy is geared not only to the retrieval of autobiographical memory, but towards the integration of affect with recall to achieve resolution of the trauma. Because so many feelings, emotions of the memories are difficult to deal with on a day to day basis, many victims of sexual abuse tend to dissociate and therefore can suffer from dissociative disorder and PTSD. I think it is extremely important to address sexual assault of males. So often is hard to come forward about the assault but as Hopper (2010) addresses, Approximately one in six boys is sexually abused before age 16. He goes on to talk about the long lasting affects of sexual abuse and how it can become a perpetuated cycle of being hurt: Avoiding getting close to people and trying to hide all of ones pain and vulnerabilities may creating a sense of safety. But this approach to relationships leads to a great deal of loneliness, prevents experiences and learning about developing true intimacy and trust, and makes one vulnerable to desperately and naively putting trust in the wrong people and being betrayed again. A core factor for many that are abused is that they are not alone. Many times knowing that others are dealing with a similar situation can make a huge difference. Therapeutic Models The types of therapeutic modality that works best for someone who has been abused should be determined based on the individual and the therapist preference. In the article by Courtois (1999) discusses that the resolution of sexual abuse trauma requiring retrieval of memory and the working through of the associated affect. This is important so the individual can heal by having fully acknowledged what has occurred to them in the past. The article further states, memory retrieval is an important component of the therapeutic process. As a therapist, an essential task when working with the client, would be having them acknowledge the abuse that has happened to them and be able to retrieve the full memory to proceed in the healing process. Courtois (1999) notes how memory deficits are quite characteristic of trauma response and are utilized in the interest of defense and protection. This is an essential point for the clinician to understand in working on trauma resolution in general and me mory retrieval in particular. The strengths perspective acknowledges the client as the expert, which allows the memory retrieval to be a lot easier, and to be more accurate from the client. It is crucial that clinicians be educated when working with individuals who have a history of childhood sexual abuse. Stearn (1988) states, to diagnostically assess and treat clients in the most effective manner, social workers need to discover how each sexual abused clients views himself or herself, significant others, and the world (p.466). Jennings (1994) examines ways of using a broad spectrum of creative approaches, such as art, play, dance, music and drama, and combinations of those, to work with people who have been traumatized by experiences of sexual abuse (p.471). Lucinda stated, In my opinion, the best therapeutic modality that would work best with clients who have a history of childhood sexual abuse is using the strengths perspective. The client is the expert on his or her own experience because only they know how they felt and what actually occurred during those moments. Bell (2003) believes the strengths perspective involves turning away from rational, empirical models that order and codify reality, toward a constructivist view, which holds that the identification of human problems reflects not objective reality, but the perspective of the one doing the looking. With this constructivist understanding, three assumptions emerge from the strengths perspective. First, clients have personal and environmental strengths and are more likely to act on those strengths when they are affirmed and supported. Second, the strengths perspective views the client as the expert on his or her own experience. Third, the roles of the social workers shift from expert and fixer to collaborator who respects and fosters the strengths of the client (p.513). Lucinda stated, I feel that being empathetic, understanding, and compassionate are important in working with these clients. According to Calof (1993) listening to their stories and helping them explore the truth of their experiences has enabled many to turn their lives around (p.45). Family therapy is also important. Acknowledging the important and loving family members and their role in the victims life can help. With their love and support, the abused can work with the family to form treatment plans and other means of support. As social workers, we have to not only listen to what our clients are saying but also read their body language as well as anything else they give us as clues. They are children who have been violated and are reluctant to speak because in their minds they did something wrong. We have to work collaboratively with the non-offending family (if that is obvious), schools, doctors, and other professionals so that we can get a full picture of the childs symptoms, behaviors, and problems. Once we establish there has been abuse and from whom, we must remove the abuser if that has not already been done. Only then will we be able to work with the child towards a state of healing. Healing cannot happen when someone is still being abused. However literature does state most do not disclose what has happened until they are adults. Sometimes, it is not possible to remove the abuser if nothing is said about the abuse. As social workers, we would have to take every incident as it comes and deal with it as soon as possible. Unfortunately and sadly, most sexual abusers get off with a slap in the hand while the children they abuse suffer for the rest of their lives. Essential Task for Therapists An essential task for the therapist is providing a safe environment. Ensuring that a victim of sexual abuse feels comfortable in their setting is a pertinent factor in providing treatment. Also, maybe the sex of the therapist will matter. If the victim is female and was sexually abuse by a male, she may only feel comfortable speaking with another female. Lana stated, The women in my placement have expressed many times their fears and anxieties when in groups with men after sexual assaults that they faced both as children and adults. As therapist we should not only be treating for sexual abuse, we should also be doing more about prevention and education to all young children. It should not take years for a person to disclose that they were abused as child without having the ability to address the abuse. They should not have to go through the feelings that it was their fault or the one to blame. Laura stated, I think it is very important for children to understand that it is often an adult that they know who becomes an abuser. Schools teach stranger-danger, and to fear the stranger, when often the threat comes from an individual close to or seen by the child. Children need to be aware that there are monsters who can appear as nice people, who are not only strangers, and the only way to make something bad go away they have to talk. Some ways to do this is by using examples of what is appropriate from different people is the best way to get things across. Also, using child-like language is very important as well. U sing characters from TV and books can be used as examples of love and family as long as the child can relate and understand in a certain way. A therapist of someone who has a history of sexual abuse would need to patient and empathetic, while urging the individual to share their story. The individual has likely lived many years of hiding the abuse and trying to act like it never happened, while trying to live a normal life. This is not possible, as the horrible history will present itself in varying disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, dissociative disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder and create upset in their life. The therapist must create an era of trust and safety in which the individual can feel comfortable and able to speak about their past. I think the therapist needs to ease into the revelations in order to help the individual to feel more comfortable; with each small piece, followed by safety and reassurance, another may follow, allowing the individual to reveal their past. This is really the ideal, and the therapist will need to be able to help the person overcome the varying disorders and o ther issues in their life.

The Western Frontier of the Gods :: Short Stories Jehovah Essays

The Western Frontier of the Gods Long ago, in the days of miracles, there were those gods who believed they were truly helping humanity with their divine interventions, and those who believed they harmed humanity with their interventions. A council was assembled of all major deities of the areas after the fall of Rome at their hands. Seven delegates in all from each pantheon, and of course the Jehovah with 6 of his arch-angels. From Asia to the Americas, the Nordic countries to the far southern tip of Africa, they assembled in on a neutral ground, space. People had always looked to the heavens, and thus it was a public domain to the gods, and this is where they put together the Treaty of Ba. The treaty stated that for 2000 years none of the gods would intervene, and would instead go into a deep slumber for the allotted time to see whether their intervention was in fact bad. After the 2000 year span, they return in the year XX to find the world to be a corrupt and desolate place. The fertile fields of their home lands covered in cement housing, streets of asphalt, and mass produced breeding grounds of greed and other various sins. The gods were aghast, even those that supported intervention of the gods were unable to comprehend the corruption that had taken place in their absence. They searched for only minutes before they found the answer, a spider. A huge spider, with millions of followers, thousands of avatars ranging from personal computers to corporate mainframes, and a web that spanned the globe. The stage was set for the third world war, this one not fought with godlike weapons, but with the weapons of the gods themselves. Wary of bringing about destruction, the gods crept to their most loyal followers, and spoke with them in seclusion. Their goal was to gather the masses and take the enemy by surprise. There was no point in destroying their followers without a fight, so silently the gods crept onto the scene, moving as the ninja. The struggle of Jehovah After careful deliberation, Jehovah decided to visit the Rabbi Gladstein. This man had been quietly removed from the church for his treachorous teachings that God would return to help not only the Jews, but all people.

Courting and wedding rituals in America and Afghanistan

Both countries use symbolic traditions in their beliefs of courting and weddings.  The fact that both Afghan women and North American wear a white dress at the wedding proves that the countries believe in a certain set of values. The color white overall is a sign of purity. For the signing of the documents and the after party of the wedding, Soraya wears a green dress, â€Å"we were seated around table, Soraya and I dressed in green-the color of Islam, but also the color of spring and new beginnings†(Hosseini 179). A green dress would show loyalty towards Afghanistan.North Americans believe it is bad luck to let the bride and groom see each other the night and day before until the wedding. The groom and bride in Afghan traditions are not to be left alone at all before the wedding, â€Å"Soraya and I never went out alone together while preparations for the proceeded-since we weren’t married yet, hadn’t even had a Shirini-khori, it was considered improper† (Hosseini 178).Afghans and North Americans both have the marrying couple in the center of attention, â€Å"A procession of uncles, aunts, and cousins followed as we made our way through the hall, parting a sea of applauding guests, blinking at flashing camaras†(Hosseini 179). Most of the time they are up on a stage while saying their vows, â€Å"I remember sitting on the sofa, set on the stage like a throne, Soraya’s hand in mine, as three hundred or so faces looked on†(Hosseini 180).The similarities between two different cultures are mostly found in the beliefs of the people and their traditional symbols.

Comparison of Assassins essays

Comparison of Assassins essays Assassins generally are categorized as people whom kill or attempt to kill prominent figures in their time. Everyone else involved in the attempt of or succeeding in executing another individual might be described as a killer, murderer, and so on. This paper will describe any similarities or differences in the below listed individuals considered as assassins: Of the individuals mentioned above, all of these men either attempted to or actually managed to assassinate a political figure in our history. Some of these figures were better known than others, but were well known by American society at the time. A brief description on the background of each of these men will provide the base level data for our analysis. Each of them will also be characterized due to their prior history and background using models provided by those who psychoanalyzed assassins and their profiles. John Wilkes Booth was born in a log cabin near Bel Air, Maryland on May 10, 1838. The son of Junius Brutus Booth and Mary Ann Holmes had stood in the shadow of his father, the renowned actor, and his older brother, Edwin. The Booth family in general was known for alcoholism and bouts of depression.  ¡Wilkes ¡, as people would call him, was a great supporter of the South when the civil war broke out. His brother was a staunch supporter of Lincoln. Wilkes had chosen to stay in the north, which struck most people that knew him as  ¡odd ¡. John Hinckley Jr. was the youngest of three children and born in Ardmore, Oklahoma, on May 29, 1955. The family moved several times, first to Texas, then to Colorado. Like Reagan's mother, Hinckley's mother also belonged to the Disciples of Christ; his father became a born-again Christian in 1977. A well adjusted, privileged child, as a teenager Hinckley became withdrawn and obsessed with public figures, including John Lennon. His obsession with the movie  ¡Taxi Driver ¡ not only diluted him with a...

A Non-Violent Revolution essays

A Non-Violent Revolution essays Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, later to be known as, Mahatma Gandhi, or great soul, was born in 1869, a time of political struggle and British rule, to a high caste Indian family. In 1888, at the mere age of 19, Gandhi set sail for England, where he had decided to pursue a career in law (www.sscnet.ucla.edu). After a year of unsuccessful law practice, Gandhi traveled to South Africa to join a legal company. Gandhi was shocked when he encountered first hand the extent of the European racism towards the Indians when he was thrown out of a first-class train compartment, because of his skin color, though he had, in his possession, a first-class ticket.( This incident only fueled his strive for independence and respect for the Indian people. Later, Gandhi would come to be known as one of the most influential men of all time, inspiring not only his own people, but also changing politics and international relations forever. Gandhis influence and struggles based on revolutionary ideas of non -violent protests and resistance not only changed Indias, as well as many other countrys, policies and standard treatment towards lower-class citizens, but also influenced countless people to come. Gandhi first began using non violent resistance in South Africa and soon emerged as great the leader of the South African Indian community. His theories and practice of peaceful resistance (Satygraha) were revolutionary and soon had an enormous following. (www.sscnet.ucla.edu) Although Gandhis disciples mainly included oppressed Indians, tired of their treatment from the British, whom at the time controlled much of the prosperous country, their power would not be denied. At the time, Indians could not own land, engage in trade, and were forced to pay high taxes to live in their native land. In many places, Indians werent even allowed to vote. In 1915, Gandhi returned from South Africa to his homeland, India. At t...

Four key Elements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Four key Elements - Essay Example The economic costs of the disaster was estimated to be more than $ 150 million since the disaster impacted in more than 90,000 square miles destroying property in Mississippi and Louisiana (Schneider, 2011). The key four elements of disaster response showed incapacity in addressing fire outbreaks, engaged in haphazard evacuation and inappropriate assembly points of the victims. The state and federal agencies lacked coordination and proper communication systems of identifying hazards and coordinating the response and recovery efforts after the disaster (Cooper & Block, 2007). Resources from state and federal agencies The state and federal agencies were not adequately prepared for the disaster since the collapse of man-made levees led to destruction of more than 90 percent of utility infrastructure and lethal pollution. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) lacked adequate emergency response mechanism and proper chains of command. FEMA experienced multiple challenges including deployment of personnel, deployment of command system, poor communication and coordination of search and rescue efforts (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). FEMA did not establish a joint field office and failed in assisting in the deployment of medical assistance teams. Both New Orleans office of Emergence Preparedness and Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (LOSHEP) lacked enough personnel and experience in disaster management (Cooper & Block, 2007). New Orleans Police department was trapped in water thus making it difficult to provide communication and warning signs to the citizens. Existing laws also limited the Department of Defense authority is responding. The Departent of of Health and Human services (HHS) was slow in the response and coordination of public health services following the disaster. The department lacked enough personnel in the treatment of ill citizens, assuring citizens of the safety of food and environment (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). First responders Most of the first responders were local citizens who just watched the disaster from rooftops and trees. The first responders failed to communicate or switch off the electricity. There was a breakdown in communication systems due to damage of the cell phone towers and radio antennas. The available police officers had to communicate on two radio channels thus delaying the issue of critical information (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). Secondary emergency services Most of the secondary emergency services entailed National Guard troops and other secondary emergency response units such as NGOs like Red Cross contributed in the clean up and relocation of the victims (Schneider, 2011). The NGOs were instrumental in offering food reliefs, medication and shelter to the evacuated victims. Humanitarian organizations also provided blood donations, counseling services and logistical supplies. Private sector resources The private sector resources responded adequately to Hurricane Katrina. The private sector resources were utilized in all operations including evacuation, search and rescue, temporary shelters and medical response (Schneider, 2011). Private fire-fighting companies and security companies helped in evacuation, rescue and search missions. In addition, pharmaceutical companies assisted in providing cheap medicines (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). Alternative actions that may result in positive outcomes In the future, the state and federal agencies must

Should firms price discriminate, why or why not Essay

Should firms price discriminate, why or why not - Essay Example Such concerns will be depicted in this paper and each will be discussed in detail. Price Discrimination Evolution is not only associated to management practices of business organisations, but also to what these organisations are operating for--those are stakeholders. Consumers, being a predominant external customer of companies, have also evolved in terms of their preferences. They collate different prices of similar products offered in different market environments and decide whether or not to buy such a good or service (Turow, 2005, p.125). For instance, consumers can now demand certain attributes of products that these companies produce resulting the market to become dynamic and diversified (Poynor Lamberton & Diehl, 2013, p.394). With such a smart choice, companies also conduct an investigation on their target market and decide whether such a segment is or not a profitable market (Turow, 2005, p.125). ... From this point, companies can charge a maximum price to the market segment with a more price inelastic demand and a minimum price for the market segment with a more elastic demand. With this kind of technique, companies can achieve a higher level of producer surplus from the increase in their total revenue and profits. To increase the profit, the company should exert effort to balance marginal revenue and marginal cost in each group of market (Stigler, 1987, cited in Elegido, 2011, p.635). Barriers to Prevent Consumers Switching. Consumer switching is significant in the theory of consumer preferences wherein the combined effect of their budget constraint and choices can affect the entire decision making process of customers, leading them to switch from one supplier to another (Elegido, 2011, p.637). For price discrimination to work, companies must prevent consumer switching--a method in which lower-priced products that are sold to customers can be resold by the latter to those custo mers who are willing to pay for its premium price. It must be noted that companies must not use price discrimination if they cannot eliminate the threat of consumer switching as they cannot compete for both types of consumers: â€Å"high and low willingness to pay† (Corrocher & Zirulia, 2010, p.150). Paradigms of Price Discrimination First-Degree or Perfect. First-degree or perfect price discrimination is a pricing tactic whereby companies charge each customer a different price for similar products purchased with no cost relation. Three results are prevalent when it comes to using this tactic: an increase of profits, a decrease in the level of consumer surplus, and an increase in the level of producer surplus (Mankiw, 2012, p.316).