Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Online issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Online issue - Essay Example sing with the advancement in technology and the most common today affect money transactions, social websites, corporate security and personal privacy. When it comes to conducting money transactions online the main challenge is based on password management where the passwords that most people put in place are likely to be broken or hacked easy. However, this is not only an educational challenge but also an administrative one since the company under which a person is doing their transaction should be able to counter this (Bortz, 1). The common issue is that when the transaction is being conducted there is no sure way to determine if it is really that person doing it; additionally, with current authentication standards, often people take on faith that theyre being contacted by the "real" sender the message claims. Concurrently, with social websites becoming more popular day after day, the chances and issues of insecurity continue to pile up too in terms of information and privacy concerns all over the world. Malevolent people have been attracted by the tome and easy access of user’s personal information available on social networking sites; surprisingly, the same technologies that attract users to participate also make the sites prone to infectious malware that can shut down an organizations networks or even steal credentials (Pelgrin 1). Common risks on social websites include phishing, spoofing and web application attacks that attempt to steal a person’s identity; the attacks are often successful due to the assumption of being in a trusting environment social networks create and the more information a person posts, the more information becomes available for a potential compromise by those with malicious intentions. It’s very advantageous conducting business online since it offers entrepreneurs a variety of recompenses and to be more convenient than other methods; despite the advantages, however, there are also some problems that can arise when doing

Monday, October 28, 2019

Registered Nurse Essay Example for Free

Registered Nurse Essay Every teenager normally decides what they plan to do with the rest of their life in the last years of high school. A statistic shows that 57% of high school teenagers want to become a registered nurse after they graduate. A registered nurse or RN is someone who treats patients, monitors and records their condition, helps establish a plan of care, educates patients or the public about a medical condition, and provides advice and emotional support to patients’ family members. A registered nurse has to contain special traits such as being caring, compassionate, highly observant, quick to catch things, calm in an emergency, detail-oriented, observant, enjoy interacting with people, emotionally and physically strong, and have outstanding communication skills. RNs work in hospitals, physicians offices, home healthcare services, nursing care facilities, correctional facilities, schools, summer camps, and with the military. The starting salary for an RN is $65,950 a year and will increase if you decide to specialize in one or more than one types of medicine, but before making all that money you first have to complete the process of becoming an RN. A high school diploma is required along with the associates degree in nursing, a a bachelors degree in nursing, or diploma from an approved nursing program. Most RNs have said that they took Biology, chemistry, physics, geometry, algebra II, pre-calculus, English, computer science, physiology, biomedical science, and foreign languages in their high school years. These subjects help the RN in their everyday jobs. Most registered nurses were a nurses assistant before going to college to get their degree. By doing that, you get to see hands on what they do everyday, but it is not required. The need for RNs will increase 21% between now and 2020. Several RNs in Dothan have said they loved their job, but wish the pay was higher. The pay depends on the state you work in, but is on average $65,950 a year or less. They have also said that mathematics plays an important role in their everyday work. From working with prescriptions to adding or subtracting a persons weight gain or loss. Technology is also another very important key factor in an RNs everyday routine. They clock in and out on a machine. They use computers to keep up with patients files and to diagnose patients. If you are working with a patient in a rehab facility, you will use different types of technological machines depending on the persons illness or injury.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Music And Censorship Essay -- essays research papers

In our society today, some musicians and their music drain and plague the moral and spiritual well-being of the people; therefore, censorship offers a necessary action that we must take to keep the world from becoming a land of decadence. The musicians lives are not examples for the children or the adults. The lyrics of many songs are not suitable for anyone. All types of music need some kind of censorship. Censorship makes a person realize that music is good for the heart. Censorship totally makes people act better, and when thinking better, this sustains a better society. The lives of some musicians contain types of anarchy and self-gratification. Once the musicians realize that people want not just their music but them as well, they act as gods, which no one can touch. For example, think of it like a secret dictatorship, and we breathe as a fascist society, which puts fun and feelings above the Lord, above all. Many of the musicians consist of non-religious people who live only for fun and only for themselves. Why then would we, especially as Christians, put our total devotion in them? It exists like wanting to ride with a blind driver rather than one with perfect vision. In addition many of the musicians use drugs and stimulants to satisfy their hunger for themselves and for pure fun. The musicians tend to use drugs massively, to get out of the very real world that they consist so much a part of. Popularity seems pleasing but when one has the affections and total devotion of a mass of people, that person can not handle it because that person does not have Jesus' personality and only He could truly control that much fidelity. One person who truly could not handle the excitement was Jimi Hendrix. Instead of performing as himself and using his talent for good, he used rebellion and used many drugs. On stage, Jimi Hendrix would put hits of acid in his headband. When he perspired, the sweat, containing acid would run down into his eyes and make him "higher than a kite." Most people never actually saw Jimi Hendrix the person, but a blurred vision of him. When Jimi performed on stage at Woodstock, a man from the crowd asked him, "Jimi are you high?" He simply replied back to the man, "Thanks man I got mine," causing the crowd to act wild almost as if he had saved someone's life, but ironically he uni... ...loud out the Biblical ones. Just like one negative number will make a positive number come down. Censorship offers a better society in general, in which we can all live in harmony and learn to respect music power. People would respect the laws more because there would be a definite decline of ungodly things, acts and thoughts with censorship we won't think on ungodly things as much, therefore have a better society. Fewer crimes would be committed because there would be no musicians telling the public to break them or kill cops. People make musicians their idols and want to do what their idols say. With censorship we would learn to meditate on the right things. We would see the essence of music and learn to see the total spectrum of life rather than just our life. Good thoughts with productive meaning would flow through our heads. We would hear positive things and make us think about positive things in general. Christian music is a great example of what we should listen. People would learn to answer things with their minds and not their fists. People would think about positive ideas and positive outcomes to quarrels, that usually involved fighting or "back-stabbings."

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Arthur Miller and the American Dream

As Voltaire once said, â€Å"Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game. † Similarly, my grandfather compares people to decks of cards. He believes that for each person, different cards are missing from the deck, accordingly giving each person different abilities. In this example, fate is literally in the cards. Though an unsuccessful salesman, Willy Loman’s infallible belief in his dream shows that he never considered the salesman card was â€Å"missing† from his deck.The notion of the American dream falls back on the blind optimism and faith of Americans. In Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman futilely chases the American dream, which is an unattainable, impossible fantasy to Miller, used to show the blind faith in Americans, and depicted as a character flaw rather than attribute in the protagonists of the play. To begin, the tone o f the novel set by Arthur Miller is a critical and cynical attitude towards the idea of the American dream.A widely accepted definition of the American dream is the perception that through hard work, one can achieve a life of personal and material happiness. Moreover, the representation of the American dream in the play is at odds with the general belief that hard work generates success. Willy tells his sons, â€Å"Be liked and you will never want† (33). If this were actually the case, his hard work combined with being well-liked would have been the recipe for personal and materialistic happiness.Though Willy Loman is constantly working, his obsession with the superficial qualities of being liked contrasts with the more tenacious and rewarding understanding of the American dream. Miller shows us just how unbelieving he is in the American dream when he wrote the plot of Death of a Salesman, in which the protagonists chase unattainable desires. Through Miller’s critical take on the American dream, he is trying to portray that Americans are blindly faithful and optimistic; Miller openly criticized such a principle. Happy says on page 23, â€Å"You’re a poet, you know that Biff?You’re a—you’re an idealist! † Making Biff an idealistic, underachieving son of a daydreaming failure adds to the irony of the American dream in the play. Another example of the author’s perspective was the way in which Miller suggests that the idea of the American dream hinders people from enjoying the success they have already achieved, in Willy’s case, having a loving family. The Lomans were optimistic during situations where it was unwarranted; their expectant approach to failure and disappointment is more proof of Arthur Miller’s disapproval of the American Dream.Because Arthur Miller believed the American Dream was chased in vain, he portrayed it as a character flaw rather than an attribute in the protagonists in th e play. Willy Loman, the protagonist (as well as his own antagonist), brought himself to his own demise when he could not discern his own life from his Dream. Miller’s antagonistic approach towards the various get-rich-quick dreams Biff, Happy, and Willy entertained also shined through at the impossibility of their execution. His hostility towards facets of the American mentality comes through in the self-destruction of Willy because of his all-consuming dream.For the same reason, Biff’s longing for the symbolically free West showed that Willy instilled his blind faith and materialistic desires in his son’s dream as well. Biff asked Happy with enthusiasm, â€Å"Listen why don’t you come out West with me? † (23). Although intending to come to terms with his own life, Biff’s longing for the West is glorified by his father’s undying faith in his own Dream. Biff and Willy Loman’s dependency on their fantasies show another, more neg ative, aspect to having dreams.Death of a Salesman is one of the foundational texts describing the American dream. Arthur Miller wrote the play in the mindset of an adversary to the American dream. Death of a Salesman displays Miller’s disapproval for the American dream and blind optimism, and displays chasing a dream as a weakness rather than a strength. In the play, Arthur Miller shows us that although it is important to teach of success, it is equally important to prepare for failure. In a game of cards, you can have all the strategy in the world, but fate is in the draw.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Adoption And Foster Care In California

With the advent of societal changes the numbers of children in foster care has risen, as have the complexity of their problems. In Califoronia, approximately 100,000 children are in out-of-home placement with parental substance abuse the most common reason for entry (California Department of Social Services, 7).A study by Lewis and associates (1995) reported the number of drug exposed infants entering foster care increased 3000% from 1981 to 1993 in Los Angeles County. Takayama and colleagues (1998) reported that nearly 80% of the children entering foster care in San Francisco Country had a substance abusing parent and over 90% of infants entering foster care were prenatally drug exposed.  Foster explains that perniciously addictive crack cocaine and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome have largely been responsible for dramatic increases of children with health related problems being placed in foster care (Foster, 11).   â€Å"Children whose parents abuse alcohol and drugs are al most three times more likely to be abused and more than four times more likely to be neglected† (Foster, 14).Another factor increasing foster care population is the reductions in welfare benefits, which have shown a relationship to increases in child abuse and neglect referrals (Children's Defense Fund, as cited in Freundlich, 2000).According to the Children's Defense Fund (as cited in Freundlich, 2000), child abuse and neglect referrals went up 12% when the families' welfare benefits were reduced 2.7%.   These same Los Angeles County figures showed an increase the following year of 20% referrals when benefits were reduced by 5.8%.Many children are placed in child protective custody because of neglect (Foster, 29) with the second most common reason being physical abuse, but in a number of cases children enter foster care because of reasons related to poverty.   Finally, the welfare mandatory work requirements for benefits with scarce provisions for child care exacerbates t he tensions that a single parent faces.With the 5-year lifetime welfare cap and a 20% reduction in the Food Stamp Program many families will not be able to sustain a safe and stable home.   In response to these reductions and pressures, more children may enter into the protective care and stay longer.In addition to reduced income, some families with disabled children stand to lose their Supplemental Security Income, due to tighter eligibility requirements (Freundlich, 35).   In all, there are twice as many children entering the child welfare system as there were 20 years ago (Foster, 35).Adoption in some form has been used to help families since recorded history.   A common form of informal adop tion utilized in colonial America was to indenture child ­ren to a family for the purpose of learning a trade (Hacsi, 164).Later, orphan asylums were operated to feed and house â€Å"poor and parentless children† (Foster, 41). Extreme poverty led some families to â€Å"place- out† their own children until they became economic ­ally viable family again (Hasci, 165). These informal adoption measures were gradually replaced as a new professionalism in child welfare began.The growing involvement of state and federal govern ­ment in child welfare and the establishment of the juvenile court system in 1900 altered and â€Å"greatly increased the numbers of state wards† (Hasci, 172).California led the way in 1915, by regulating and licensing placement home agencies and in 1920, started making payments for out of home care for those declared needy by the juvenile court (Hasci, 172).California state government encouraged adoption rather than boarding-out because it saved money and cut ties to biological parents who were thought of as being â€Å"morally delinquent† (Hasci, 173).Depression era funding created Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) with the goal of keeping children in the home by supporting impoverished families (Hasci, 173).   Th e role of government continues to dictate child welfare policies based on prevailing societal attitudes and current research.During the 1960s, federal foster care funding and the discovery of the â€Å"battered child syndrome† combined to further change the dynamics of child welfare.   Child pro ­tection against abuse became a nationwide concern and there was money in the coffers to fund a foster care system (Foster, 47).Money, awareness, and mandatory reporting laws increased foster care rolls from 300,000 in 1962, to 500,000 in 1977 (Foster, 49).   Numerous laws have been passed to organize and encourage adoption rates.   Originally the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 was enacted to offset an unintended conse ­quence of foster care.Moving from one foster home to another repeatedly exacerbated the adjustment and developmental problems of children already exposed to unstable and unsafe home environments.   It was hoped that this law would expedit e reunification efforts while slowing down foster drift by encouraging preventative strategies.Currently, adoption policy guided through President Clinton's 1997, Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) focuses on a parallel approach which emphasizes reuni ­fication and permanency options simultaneously.   Parents who are unable or unwilling to aggressively pursue reuni ­fication dictates will lose parental rights; however, much less time is wasted because of the joint approach and, therefore, children gain permanent homes sooner (Foster, 55).Although it seems logical now to encourage foster parents to adopt their foster children, affectionate ties were discouraged and sanctioned by many court cases (Stephens, 1992).   Prior to 1974 two-thirds of the states, including California, discouraged adoption by foster parents (Meezan, & Shireman, 14).Information had been postulated too regarding the deleterious effects of a lack of permanence in children's formative years.   As earl y as 1952, researchers Bowlby and Robertson discovered and described the three phases of protest, despair, and detachment that an infant or toddler will display when separated from their affectionate care giver and by 1969, Bowlby had published the first of three volumes about the importance of early and consistent attachment.However, the dissemination of this important finding was not significantly applied to practice until Congress passed the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, thereby recognizing the importance of permanency placement (Katz, 220).In December 1996, President Clinton directed the US Department of Heals and Human Services (DHHS) to develop strategies to achieve permanency more quickly for children in the foster care system and double the number of adoptions to 54,000 by fiscal year 2002.Data available at the current moment showed that while the number of children in foster care increased from 242,000 in 1983 to almost 500,000 in 1995, the number of ad options of children in out of home care stayed between 17,000 to 20,000 during this same period (Maza, 445).Clinton’s directive, disseminated by DHHS as Adoption 2002: A Response to the Presidential Executive Memorandum on Adoption made two important recommendations: (1) States were to develop plans to double their adoptions and set annual targets for the adoptions to be finalized through 2002 and upcoming years; (2)States would be rewarded with an annual financial bonus for each adoption finalized over the baseline number of adoptions (Maza, 449). Subsequently, the Adoption and Safe Families Act was passed and disbursements to child welfare agencies were authorized to increase the number of children adopted.It qualified a state to receive $4,000 for each adoption over the baseline of previous years and an additional $2,000 for each adoption finalized with a Title IV-E Adoption Assistance agreement (an additional payment for children with special needs) (Maza, 450).Medical, b ehavioral, developmental and educational (if appropriate) assessments are necessary to finalize an adoption. These assessments are confidential and are kept in the child’s record to document appropriate and mandated care. In San Francisco County and Los Angeles County, HIV screening is also a routine part of medical assessment for at-risk children in foster care.In 1996, the California state Department of Social Services formed the Adoption Policy Advisory Council to review adoption policies in California. The council created the Concurrent Planning Workgroup to develop and implement a model of concurrent planning as part of this effort (Williams, 18).This group assisted in developing Assembly Bill 1544, which became state law effective January 1, 1998, as Chapter 793, Statutes of 1997. Chapter 793 requires that a concurrent plan be developed for every child entering out-of-home care. Concurrent planning is a well-known approach to facilitating timely permanency for children in foster care.The concurrent plan names the child's permanency alternative to reunification – adoption, guardianship, or emancipation – and describes the services necessary to achieve this if reunification fails.Chapter 793 also explicitly clarified that certain concurrent planning activities -placement in a fost-adopt home, detailing services necessary to achieve legal permanence for child if reunification fails in the case plan, or providing such services concurrently with reunification efforts – could not, in and of themselves, be evidence of a failure to provide reasonable efforts.The law did not require that the permanent plan be pursued concurrently with the reunification plan. When reunification appears likely, â€Å"concurrent planning services† may consist of reassessing the family's situation in 90 days (Williams, 19). Chapter 793 also added a section to the Welfare and Institutions code requiring the court to query the birth mother at an early hearing regarding any presumed or alleged fathers.The court is subsequently responsible to provide hearing notice to all alleged fathers, with a paternity determination required of all men who respond. The hope is to avoid delays due to birth fathers' surfacing at termination of parental rights hearings and requesting parental rights and services, or objecting to termination of parental rights (Williams, 21). The California law also requires that the case plan describe whether the parent was advised of the option of relinquishment.WORKS CITEDFreundlich, M. Adoption and ethics:   The market forces in adoption.   Washington, DC:   ChildWelfare League of America, 2000California Department of Social Services, Data Analysis and Publications Branch, 2000Foster, L. K. Foster care fundamentals:   An overview of California's foster care system.California Research Bureau, California State Library, 2001Hacsi, T. From indenture to family foster care: A brief history of child placing.   ChildWelfare, 74, 162-181, 1995Meezan, W., & Shireman, J. Care & commitment. Albany, New York:   State University ofNew York Press, 1985Katz, L. Effective permanency planning for children in foster care.   National Association ofSocial Workers, 220-226, 1990, MayMaza, P.L. Using administrative date to reward agency performance: The case of the federalAdoption Incentive Program. Child Welfare, 79(5): 444-456Williams, L. Concurrent planning implementation guide. Sacramento, CA:CaliforniaDepartment of Social Services, 2001

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Martin Luther King Essays

Martin Luther King Essays Martin Luther King Essay Martin Luther King Essay Martin Luther King Jr. was born Michael King in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15th 1929 to Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. He was the middle child, with an older sister and younger brother. His mother was a teacher and his father was a minister and they always supported their children and encouraged them to stand up for what they believed in. He married Coretta Scott when he was 24, and they became the parents of four children; Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter and Bernice. He attended a primary school for blacks, while his white playmates attended a different one.King was no longer invited over to their houses, which led to his mother explaining their history of slavery and segregation to him. While on a high school excursion, he and his black classmates refused to give up their seats on a bus, only moving because their teacher was in tears after being verbally abused by the bus driver. This experience gave him his first taste for wanting to give black people rights. King graduated high school at the age of 15. He attended Morehouse College, a university for blacks which both his father and grandfather had attended, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology four years later.He then went to Crozer Theological Seminary and Boston University where he achieved his Ph. D. Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister and a civil rights activist for African Americans. He stood for desegregation, blacks having the right to vote, fair hiring and other b asic civil rights. He succeeded in gaining most of these rights into American law in the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. His civil rights career began when he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott following Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat.He is most known for his legendary I Have a Dream’ speech, which he gave at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in which he stated His Dream’- I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’†¦ One day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. King strived to keep all protests and marches peaceful and used Ghandi as a model for his actions.In this, he proved to the world that non-violence is effective and set a standard for future freedom demonstrations. In spite of this, he and his family were threatened, their home bombed on multiple occasions and he was put in jail more than 16 times. Many whites strongly disagreed with his actions and went to great lengths to prevent him from succeeding. He continued his work regardless. Martin believed A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live. Martin Luther King Jr. arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, to protest the unequal pay of sanitation workers.At 6:01pm on the 4th of April, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of his motel room. He was hit by a sniper’s bullet, which went into his cheek, through his neck and stopped at his shoulder blade. He was taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead an hour after he was shot. He was 39. Nationwide riots broke out, disregarding King’s major beliefs and resulting in 3000 arrests. April 7th was declared by President Johnson as a day of mourning and around 150,000 people attended his fu neral. Thousands of his supporters took part in the sanitation workers’ protest anyway; it was a success.James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder but some believe that he was innocent, including a number of members of King’s family. Conspiracy theories cropped up and many speculated about FBI involvement. Ray pleaded guilty and was given a 99 year jail sentence; he died 20 years later. The motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot is now the National Civil Rights Museum Before the premature end of his life, King wrote 5 books, travelled 6 million miles and won a number of awards, such as Time’s Person of the Year Award, Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album.He was also the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Most importantly he changed the lives of African Americans back then and today.http://history1900s. about. com/cs/martinlutherking/a/mlkassass_3. htmen. wikipedia. org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr. nobelprize. org/n obel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio. html 6. After realizing that the letter was in reply to â€Å"Letter From The Clergymen†, I searched an online version of the letter and realized that there was a deeper reason behind why Rev. King, Jr. was compelled to write his reply. I did my best to research and hopefully present the catalyst for the whole situation throughout my essay. 7. I made sure to use full paragraphs when discussing the various topics included in the essay. I wrote it on the basis of one full paragraph of at least 4 sentences detailing everything pertaining to the subject of the paragraph. 8. There are many survey results out there that truthfully show us the reality that the African American community of the nation can still do with a little more attention and equal rights and treatment when it comes to certain specific situations that affect out society. We can start with the results of the academic testing results in the majority of African American student body schools. 9. I would perhaps want to be able to show how racial discrimination and segregation still manages to exist in today’s modern times. I do not fully believe that this has been eradicated even with the current freedoms that the African- Americans seem to be enjoying. If anything, it continues to grow and no longer affects just the African Americans but most of the non white races living in our country. Everything that caused the letter to be written still exists and it is only a matter of time before the words of   Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once again reverberate in the air.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Sandalias Finas De Cuernavaca S.A.

Synopsis With the change of domestic business environment, Mexican footwear manufactures faced the competition from foreign competitors. The local trade association had sponsored a seminar on Total Quality Management (TQM) to assist its member companies. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a participative management style that stresses total staff commitment to "customer" satisfaction. It is mainly focused on the development and implementation of quality-focused corporate management systems. The purpose of the system is to achieve the coherence, integration, and comprehensiveness of quality management. Sandalias, one of foot-wear manufacture companies, suffered two main management problems- higher fixed & operating costs and human resource problems due to the change business environment. The management was confronting how to adopt TQM which could be a way of correcting the main management problems but is also based on different cultural background than those of Mexican employees. According to implement TQM well, Sandalias should focus on satisfying its customers, rearrange the manufacturing process in effective and efficient way, continuous educating and training its employees who should initiatively participate in quality improvement. Two main management problems With the changing of business environment, the footwear sales of foreign manufactured products increase constantly in Mexican shoe market because of their competitive price and quality. Sandalias encountered two main problems, higher fixed & operating costs and human resource problems respectively. Higher fixed and operating costs Firstly, inefficient manufacturing process and low productivity levels. The allocation of the five department involved in manufacturing process was not arranged appropriately, which could lead to the waste of time and energy. The company needed to rearrange the floor plan of the plant. The arrangement of each de... Free Essays on Sandalias Finas De Cuernavaca S.A. Free Essays on Sandalias Finas De Cuernavaca S.A. Synopsis With the change of domestic business environment, Mexican footwear manufactures faced the competition from foreign competitors. The local trade association had sponsored a seminar on Total Quality Management (TQM) to assist its member companies. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a participative management style that stresses total staff commitment to "customer" satisfaction. It is mainly focused on the development and implementation of quality-focused corporate management systems. The purpose of the system is to achieve the coherence, integration, and comprehensiveness of quality management. Sandalias, one of foot-wear manufacture companies, suffered two main management problems- higher fixed & operating costs and human resource problems due to the change business environment. The management was confronting how to adopt TQM which could be a way of correcting the main management problems but is also based on different cultural background than those of Mexican employees. According to implement TQM well, Sandalias should focus on satisfying its customers, rearrange the manufacturing process in effective and efficient way, continuous educating and training its employees who should initiatively participate in quality improvement. Two main management problems With the changing of business environment, the footwear sales of foreign manufactured products increase constantly in Mexican shoe market because of their competitive price and quality. Sandalias encountered two main problems, higher fixed & operating costs and human resource problems respectively. Higher fixed and operating costs Firstly, inefficient manufacturing process and low productivity levels. The allocation of the five department involved in manufacturing process was not arranged appropriately, which could lead to the waste of time and energy. The company needed to rearrange the floor plan of the plant. The arrangement of each de...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Answer ACT Reading Questions 5-Step Guide

How to Answer ACT Reading Questions 5-Step Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The ACT Reading section is challenging for many students because of the intense focus required to answer questions accurately in such a short time frame.Quickly getting to the root of each question is tough, but it's definitely a skill that you can learn with practice. This guide will present an example-driven step-by-step process for interpreting ACT Reading questions and give you the inside scoop on some of the sneakiest tricks the Reading section has up its sleeve. What’s in This Guide, and Who Is It For? This guide provides a step-by-step outline of how to approach ACT Reading questions and determine exactly what they’re asking.The steps can also function as tips in isolation.You won’t need to complete all of them for every question (especially because the ACT is so fast-paced and the questions are typically pretty straightforward), but I think understanding this process before the test will help you to get through questions that confuse you at first glance. The second part of the article lists a few tricks the ACT Reading section has up its sleeve. You should learn to spot them so you can avoid making careless mistakes.If you tend to have difficulty with the ACT Reading section (or reading isn't your strong suit in general), I’d recommend taking a look at the steps and tips in this article.They'll give you a nice confidence boost on the test! Step-By-Step: How to Break Down ACT Reading Questions This is a comprehensive step-by-step process that you can use to understand and answer ACT Reading questions.Here’s the question I’ll be using as an example: Which of the following most clearly distinguishes between the â€Å"two ways† suggested by the author’s assertion that â€Å"we can’t have it both ways† (line 54)? A. Women haven’t until recently been allowed to see the depths in Shakespeare, but nobody bothers to read Shakespeare anyway.B. Women haven’t written as well as men because they’ve been too busy being spouses, but nobody takes time to read women writers anyway.C.Women haven’t written as well as men because they have not had the same educational opportunities, yet there are many great women writers no one reads.D. Women have always had an abundance of Shakespeares, yet have not experienced the kind of education it takes to appreciate Shakespeare. Step 1: Do a Quick Read of the Question (and the Relevant Line Numbers If Applicable) First, read the question to get a more general sense of what it’s asking. On the ACT, many questions are clearly worded, so it’s not necessary to go through all the additional steps to interpret them.This should serve as a checkpoint to gauge the difficulty level of the question and how much time you need to spend dissecting its meaning. If you’re given a line reference number, revisit the line and the paragraph where it occurs to jog your memory about the context.Here’s the paragraph we need to revisit for this question (line 54 is bolded): For the fact is that we can’t have it both ways. Wecan’t simultaneously espouse the line that womenhaven’t until recently been allowed the depth of education and experience to become Shakespeare, while alsoclaiming that we really have an abundance ofShakespeares, if anybody would just take the time toread us. Now that you've grounded yourself with a basic idea of what you’re looking for, you can dig into the meat of the question (ew). This is what I pictured while writing thatlast sentence (and it's also what the expression on my face looked like). Step 2: Underline Important Terms and Phrases Let's start looking at the nitty-gritty of what exactly the question is asking. In this step, we'll underline the most important terms and phrases.These might include: Words and phrases that indicate main idea or detail questions: Summarizes Lists States Paraphrases Main point Primary purpose Point of view [Number] paragraph EXCEPT or LEAST Compare or contrast Words and phrases that indicate inference questions: Can be inferred Suggests Implies Is meant to Represents [Most nearly] means Words and phrases that indicate questions about author/character intention or feelings: Establishes Indicates Illustrates Distinguishes between ([Character] or [author]) feels Could be characterized Agree or disagree Mood and tone For the sample question, these are the parts I would underline: Which of the following most clearly distinguishes between the â€Å"two ways† suggested by the author’s assertion that â€Å"we can’t have it both ways† (line 54)? We know for this question we’re looking for a description of the contrast between the â€Å"two ways† cited in the passage.The function of the correct answer choice (distinguishing between), the actual subject of the question (â€Å"two ways†), and the reference spot in the passage (line 54) are the key aspects of this question that could be underlined for clarity. Important tip: Don't underline a million things in the question. This step is useless if you're not emphasizing specific parts. In a parallel case, whoever overzealously highlighted this book is going to be extremely frustrated when they try to study later. Step 2.5: Rephrase the Question (If Necessary) This is an optional step that I would suggest taking if you still aren’t completely confident that you understand what the question is asking.Since you’ve underlined the most important parts, you should be able to rephrase it in a way that’s more easily digestible. For the sample question, this might look something like: Which answer choice describes the contrast between the â€Å"two ways† outlined by the author in the 5th paragraph? At this point, you have enough information to start thinking about potential answers. Step 3: Consider Relevant Evidence in the Passage and Make an Answer Prediction Now that we know what the question is asking, it’s time to look back at the passage and see if we can make any predictions about the answer.Look at the surrounding context, not just the specific line or lines mentioned in the question.Once again, here’s the paragraph we need to look at to find the answer to this question: For the fact is that we can’t have it both ways. Wecan’t simultaneously espouse the line that womenhaven’t until recently been allowed the depth of education and experience to become Shakespeare, while alsoclaiming that we really have an abundance ofShakespeares, if anybody would just take the time toread us. The incompatible â€Å"two ways† described in the paragraph are: 1. Women haven’t been given the same educational opportunities as men, and this accounts for the existence of fewer famous female writers. 2. There are just as many female literary greats out there as male, but their works are ignored by society because of gender bias. The answer choice that we’re looking for will present the incompatibility of these two conceptions of the situation. It would be something like: Women don’t produce as many great works of literature as men due to lack of educational opportunity. Vs. Women’s contributions to literature would be considered as great as men if their work was given more exposure. *Writes great work of literature only to realize it's been smudged beyond recognition by absurdly puffy dress sleeves* Step 4: Eliminate Incorrect Answer Choices We know what we’re looking for, so we can move on to ruling out three of the four answer choices: Which of the following most clearly distinguishes between the â€Å"two ways† suggested by the author’s assertion that â€Å"we can’t have it both ways† (line 54)? A. Women haven’t until recently been allowed to see the depths in Shakespeare, but nobody bothers to read Shakespeare anyway.B. Women haven’t written as well as men because they’ve been too busy being spouses, but nobody takes time to read women writers anyway.C. Women haven’t written as well as men because they have not had the same educational opportunities, yet there are many great women writers no one reads.D. Women have always had an abundance of Shakespeares, yet have not experienced the kind of education it takes to appreciate Shakespeare. Let's go through each of these choices based on the information we've learned so far: Choice A can be eliminated because the â€Å"two ways† have nothing to do with Shakespeare’s works specifically.Shakespeare is only mentioned as a stand-in for famous writers in general.Although the first part of the answer is almost in line with one of the issues mentioned (women not having access to education), the second part doesn’t work. Choice B can be eliminated because of the first part of the sentence.The author doesn’t say anything about women being too busy being spouses to craft great works of literature. Choice C looks correct based on our predictions.It checks out both for the first claim (women haven’t written as well because they haven’t had the same educational opportunities as men) and the second claim (there are lots of great women writers out there, but no one gives them a chance). Choice D can be eliminated because it’s too focused on the Shakespeare aspect of the author's statement.As I said earlier, Shakespeare is used simply as a representative for all well-known and well-respected literary talents. How do we know Shakespeare wasn't just a bearded lady? I imagine hair removal was more difficult back then, and this is one pretty dude. Step 5: Commit to a Final Answer Based on our findings in the previous step, it looks like Choice C is the one we want. Before bubbling it in, read over the question and chosen answer one last time to ensure that everything makes sense, and there are no careless mistakes. It's always a good idea to double check the question and answer before you commit so that you don't miss anything! Not So Fast...Look Out for These Tricks If you follow the steps in this article, you shouldn’t fall for the ACT’s tricks, but considering the fast-paced nature of the test, you’re bound to rush through a few questions. If you don’t pay attention to exactly what the question is asking and what the evidence tells you, you could run into trouble.Be wary of: Half-Correct Answers Often when the answer to a question has two or more parts, some of the choices will be partially correct.This can be tricky because you might start reading an answer choice, notice that it lines up with what you predicted for the answer, and bubble it in without noticing that part of it doesn’t make sense. This could have happened on the question we just answered.In Choice A, the first part of the answer made some sense, but we found that the second part was wrong, and Choice C was actually the correct answer.To avoid falling for this trick, read through all parts of every possible answer carefully before committing to your choice. This looks like a nice solid roaaaaaaaahhhhhh (metaphorical representation of what will happen if you don't read carefully) Superfluous Details (or Overly Specific Ones) Sometimes the ACT likes to insert little sneaky incorrect details into answers that look correct at first glance. Take this question, forexample: Choice F is the correct answer even though Choice J may appear more specific and accurate if you don’t look at the details too closely.Choice J mentions numbing the spinal cord, which is a more detailed description of the process than Choice F’s generic â€Å"release of chemicals.†However, its inclusion of the pituitary gland in the second part of the answer makes it incorrect. The chemicals do â€Å"block pain signals in the spinal cord,† but the pituitary gland is only referenced when the passage states that acupoint stimulation sends impulses there.The chemicals don’t prevent signals from being sent to the pituitary gland, so Choice J is wrong-o.To avoid falling for this, use process of elimination to rule out all answers that give even the tiniest extra details that don’t make sense in the context of the passage. I wonder how acupuncture was even discovered in the first place. If I'm trying to get some pain relief, the last thing I think about is stabbing myself with tiny needles. LEAST or EXCEPT Questions Some questions on the ACT will ask you what the answer is NOT. This is perhaps the most classic variety of tricky question. Here's an example: Even though the words "least" and "except" are in all caps, many students miss these key words by not reading carefully enough. If you notice a LEAST or EXCEPT in a question, make that the first thing you underline.As you go through the answer choices, clearly cross out any options that accurately reflect the information in the passage. These questions are generally on the easier side if you don't get confused by the trick! Objective Truths (but Inaccurate Answers) The ACT likes to include answers on the Reading section that might look good to you if you skipped straight to the questions.These answers include real facts or very reasonable assumptions that would look like logical choices if you didn’t consult the passage directly.Here's an example: If you were rushing through this passage and only looked at the question, you might be tempted by almost all of these choices. Choice A includes a specific name, which makes it seem like it's directly related to the passage.Choice B also sounds logical at first glance. People in the 18th century were probably impressed by unusual weather because there wasn’t that much else around for entertainment value.Choice C is kind of weird, so it’s a less likely temptation, but it’s still something that you could think was plausibly true. Here’s the actual section of the passage the question references: Choice D is the correct answer because it accurately explains the purpose of the quote in the context of the author’s larger point.But you can see how the â€Å"truthiness† of the first few choices might confuse you if you didn’t read thoroughly. ALWAYS be vigilant in your search for direct evidence. Just because something is true or logical out of context doesn’t mean it’s the answer you want! Prepare for the best BRAINstorm in memory on the ACT. Conclusion Reading questions on the ACT can be misleading at times, so it's smart to have an effective way of breaking them down before you take the test. Once again, here are the steps you might take to dissect and conquer challenging questions: Step 1: Do a Quick Read of Question (and Relevant Line Numbers if Applicable) Step 2: Underline Important Terms and Phrases Step 2.5: Rephrase the Question Step 3: Consider Relevant Evidence in the Passage and Make an Answer Prediction Step 4: Eliminate Incorrect Answer Choices Step 5: Commit to a Final Answer As you follow these steps, be on the lookout for ACT tricks that might throw you for a loop. Examples include: Half-Correct Answers Superfluous Details (or Overly Specific Ones) LEAST or EXCEPT Questions Objective Truth (but Inaccurate Answer) What's Next? Want more tips? Check out our ultimate prep guide to ACT Reading, which includes every article we've written about this topic. If you're in a time crunch, read this article on how to cram for the ACT and (potentially) raise your score 4 points in 10 days! Practice tests are the most critical study weapons you have in your arsenal. Learn how you can use ACT practice tests to improve your score in just 20 hours. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Reading lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Postmodern at The Truman Show Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Postmodern at The Truman Show - Essay Example A tool by which to analyse The Truman Show is irony. What this means essentially is that the levels of meaning intersect only through the audience, because the levels of meaning are all contained in one artistic work but can only be dissected by the audience, who connect with the artist through the work. It is irrelevant which medium the work is in for it to be ironic and in fact the term post-modern essentially means only that it comes in the period after the modern. The audience and the artist have become familiar to such a degree that levels of meaning can be understood by one another without explicit definition or formulation, with shifting definitions and formulations seeming to be more of a conversation. We must use irony so that the conversation can be analysed. Much of the conversation is mediated by Christof, the character who created the Truman Show, who directs from the Lunar Room. Christof may be seen as a form of alter ego for Truman, because whereas Truman believes that he is leading his own life, in reality he is being led by Christof. The Lunar Room is a command post through which all the characters in Truman's world - Seahaven Island - walk on their ironic way from an ever intruding, yet supervening, reality. "It's a life", says Christof, about Truman in the opening sequence in the Lunar Room, although we are not given to understand whether he is referring to himself or to Truman. He speaks with a self-reflexivity, using the collective pronoun "we", but we - as the audience - do not know for sure whether Christof regards himself as the "we", because Christof is an actor in a movie. Perhaps the contextualising of the film means that the real irony lays in the fact that Peter Weir is Christof and Christof is Weir. Such appropriation of identity never really leaves us throughout the movie. Each character in the movie has multiple characteristics. For example, Meryl who plays Truman's wife speaks rapturously: MERYL Well, I mean, there is no--there is no difference between a private life and a public life. My--my life is my life, is The Truman Show. The Truman Show is...a lifestyle. It's a noble life. It is...a truly blessed life. The post-modern characteristic is that Meryl's life is not her life at all, it is not The Truman Show; it is neither public, nor private. This aesthetic denies that it is aesthetic through repetition and irony - note the repetition of "there is no", "my - my", "The Truman Show". What Weir's script and the magnificent acting of Laura Linney - as Hannah Gill, as Meryl Burbank - has achieved is to erase the lines between fantasy and reality; however we need a point of contact with the movie. It becomes essential for us to identify with Truman Burbank. There is a very neutral aesthetic running throughout The Truman Show whose purpose is to draw as many of the audience as possible into the drama. Along with the controlled action, which many audience members will be able to identify with, Truman works in the seemingly ubiquitous corporate world: TRUMAN (to mirror cam) I'm not going to make it. You're going to have to go on without me. No way,

Friday, October 18, 2019

Analysis of Mill's Idea To Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Mill's Idea To Women - Essay Example They showed superior strength and abilities than that of women due to their physical advantages. Because of the great difference in terms of physiology, women were expected to display an acquiescent nature in society. Later on, when men had stepped in to nearly all major professions, John Stuart Mill, a nineteenth-century philosopher, endeavored to persuade others that women should be given equal rights as men. According to his article entitled Subjection of Women, Mill declares that women are willing to give of themselves in order to make an impact in the development of the society. However, in some ways, they have been dispossessed of their human rights and in other ways have been taught to be reliant on others. At present, through enduring struggle and effort for their rights, women have finally succeeded but a number of obstructions hinder them from freely practicing their rights. Although men, throughout time, subjugated women, the vision of pursuing independence has never cease d. Mill states, â€Å"a considerable number of [women] have occupied themselves practically in [†¦] their own family and household.† (827) During earlier times, women’s rights were not given great significance and it was regarded that their only duties was to take care of family or give birth. Women were limited from making decisions for their lives. Nonetheless, they continued to fight for freedom and equality, and influenced European history with two noteworthy attributes: a bete-noir to warfare and a compulsion to philanthropy (827). Even though women seemed to continually struggle being in a man’s world, their eagerness and assurance to attain inalienable rights has never been lost. In addition, Chinese women also strove for their freedom and became successful when they confronted the unjust sexism in their community. As a depiction and representation of this, Empress Wu, who was a well-known governor in history and who governed during the Tang dynasty, was able to make it into an affluent age in Chinese history. Notwithstanding the disparagement of the people who believed that ruling a country is men’s work, she did not relinquish and eventually made her reign successful. A good number of negative cases about women have presently disappeared, and many cases have provided evidence and proof that women are competent and are able to lead the world to move forward. Illustrious women such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Theresa, Helen Keller, Anne Frank, Amelia Earhart, Margaret Thatcher and Oprah Winfrey have contributed, inspired and have influenced the world, to a great extent, by their own efforts. Women’s rights were eventually secured but new encumbrances occurred and prevented females from gaining independence once more. To acquire pleasures and distractions in this materialistic world, some women, particularly the ones who are attractive and beautiful, preferred to live depending on men for support and provision. Fo r the reason that some women fixed their eyes on money and social standing, a number of of them anticipated to marry rich or high-status men in order to be taken care of, to be supported with less problems in careers, to achieve higher education, or to be secured with high-salary jobs. Greed caused them to lose direction and control of their independence. At this point, the problem is no longer about the independence of women, but it is the fact that women did not make full use of their talents and abilities. People must deal with this substantial predicament and re-evaluate what abilities girls should present both in family and in social activities. Poor conduct is intolerable and it causes divergence between principles and morals of the day. Being well

A Small Scale Study on the Perspectives of Saudi Undergraduate Assignment

A Small Scale Study on the Perspectives of Saudi Undergraduate Students on the Use of Smartphones as a Motivational Learning Tool in Preparatory Year Language - Assignment Example he primary language of international trade, science and technology and since Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil producing country, English is perceived as an integral part of the human resource development agenda of the Saudi government (Alseweed, 2009). Given the Saudi government’s commitment to improving English language skills in Saudi Arabia as evidenced by 6 years of compulsory English at school and the unsatisfactory results, several studies have been conducted on identifying the reasons for the unsatisfactory acquisition of English language among Saudi students and how to best motivate Saudi students for improved results (Alsewee, 2009; Liton, 2012; Khan, 2011). Informed by adult learning theories, this research proposes to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of smartphone use in preparatory year language learners in Saudi Arabia. Adult learning theories inform that adult learners are more complex than children learners and that as adults, experienc es together with fixed opinions and perceptions instruct that adults are more amenable to learning that takes account of their specific needs and interests (Hough, 1984). Barrs (2011) considered the learning needs and interests of young adult students and the advances in mobile technology and argued that smartphones in particular have a particular value as a language learning tool for young university students. For the most part, these students own and use smartphones regularly. Moreover, young university students also rely on a number of smartphone applications for sharing and processing information and have access to this information via smartphones on a continuous level. Therefore smartphones can be used to channel the interest, experience and technological needs of young adult students as a... This study will therefore contribute to adult learning theories and the exploration of the possibility of smartphone technologies as a means of enhancing Saudi Arabia preparatory year student’s acquisition of a second language. A qualitative case study will be conducted among male students in the preparatory year at a college in Saudi Arabia. A phenomenological approach will be taken in that students will be interviewed as a means of discovering their experiences with leaning English and their attitudes toward smartphones as a learning tool and how this correlates with their interest and learning needs. The aim of this proposed research is to determine the extent to which the use of smartphones is a viable learning tool for improving the language proficiency of preparatory year language students in Saudi Arabia. Since this research focuses on a specific programme in Saudi Arabia, it is a social phenomenon that is more appropriately investigated using a qualitative case study. Since this research is investigating an educational programme with a view to determining whether or not the use of smartphones can improve language proficiency and thus motivational learning, an illustrative case study will be conducive to achieving this research objective. The illustrative case study will allow for the collection of rich and detailed person-centred data, describing individual perspectives and feelings and thus informing whether or not smartphones are appropriate learning tools for young adult language learners in Saudi Arabia’s preparatory language programme.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Role of Leader in Managing Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Role of Leader in Managing Conflict - Essay Example Prior to the discussion of conflict management, it is vital to comprehend the meaning of conflict. Kleynhans (2009) described a conflict as an active disagreement between people with different opinions, values or interests. The Foundation Coalition (n.d) defined conflict as the bone of contention among individuals or groups due to differing goals, needs and ideas. Marshall (2006) defined the sources of conflict to be diverse in nature; †¢ Differences in the values and customs of the individuals †¢ Presence of limited number of resources, thus provoking individuals to compete †¢ Lack of information or barriers in communication †¢ Presence of hostility in relations In terms of the initiation of conflicts, the health care industry is no different. Health care sector faces numerous instances of conflicts on a daily basis; some of the instances might be witnessed between doctors and nurses whereas others amongst the nurses. Pierre, Hofinger and Buerschaper (2008) stated that health care professionals are faced with intense moments of unexpected scenarios, rare illnesses and reactions that require dynamic and effective decision making. Such capabilities are even greatly required in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) where patients are faced with life threatening situations. Therefore, this study seeks to critically discuss the role of a leader in managing conflict in a CCU, using real life examples and case studies from the health care sector. An example is drawn from critical care unit in Riyadh Military Hospital to identify the real life instances of conflicts in a health care organization. This paper seeks to critically analyze the different types of conflict management strategies and techniques with the aid of the available literature and theories, as well as the approaches that can be adopted to avoid conflicts in the health care sector. 2. Nature of Conflicts in a Health Care Organization Certain degree of clashes of ideas about tasks and projects are often witnessed in a health care organization. Hovatter (n.d) stated that conflicts are mainly initiated when needs are not met effectively. He further stated that conflicts involve the inhibition of achievement of tasks of an individual or group by the actions or ideas of an individual or a group. In the light of this notion, it can be stated that there are mainly two types of conflicts that are found in an organization; group and individual conflict. Group conflict pertains to collective disagreement over something by a group of people in the organization. On the other hand, individual conflict is more personal and it mainly involves individuals. In order to solve the conflict s, the leaders need to assume the responsibility of ensuring an amiable and supportive environment in the organization. The health care sector has witnessed great changes with the passage of the years. Fagin and Garelick (2004) stated that doctors have been considered as the main sources of knowledge and authority over the possession of medical information. Doctors have been known to be educated while nurses have been trained to follow the instructions of the doctors in the most effective manner. However, Fagin and Garelick (2004) also stated that the gap in the acquisition of knowledge has been reduced by the improvement of standard of training of nurses, which became effective in 2000 by the Department of Health’s Project. Vivar (2006) also agreed that the broadening of the scope of training and education of the nurses has resulted in greater conflicts between doctors and nurses.

Federal Government Housing Policies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Federal Government Housing Policies - Term Paper Example The contemporary housing assistance plans involve the comparatively flexible grants for the state as well as the local governments. This is done so as to assist the homeless people, build up reasonably priced housing and offer support to the first-time buyers. This was also done to encourage community development as well as more planned, direct support programs that would assist in providing low-priced apartments and even rental vouchers to the deprived families, managed through quasi-public, local public and the private intermediaries (McCarty & Et. Al., â€Å"Overview of Federal Housing Assistance Programs and Policy†). The main objective of the paper is to analyze the housing policies adopted by the federal government related to the mortgage and funding system. With this concern, the discussion of the paper will intend to identify the strategies implemented by the federal government persuade lenders and low-income borrowers in dealing with highly risky loans and mortgages. Furthermore, the paper will analyze the role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the recent sub-prime crisis of 2008. Government Policy Intervention The condition of extreme and mispriced mortgage liability is the main reason behind the current boom in the housing markets. It is not possible to understand the unusual character of this particular cycle without recognizing the parts that links the policies on the demand-side as well as the supply restrictions. The boost in the housing prices was positively aggravated by the policies that facilitated cheap credit, especially for borrowers belonging to the low-income group. With the increasing prices, the enterprises those were government-sponsored, started becoming quite insistent in assisting lending activities. This significantly contributed to the rising prices of households (Glaeser & Gyourko, â€Å"Rethinking Federal Housing Policy†). During the early period of 1980s, the subprime lenders such as Household Finance Corp along w ith thrifts like Long Beach Savings and Loan provided funding services for home equity. They also provided services frequently for second advances to borrowers whose credit record was still to be recognized or even had financial records that were disturbed. At times it mirrored setbacks like divorce, unemployment, medical emergencies etc. Rates of interest charged on the subprime mortgages with considerable collateral which was the house were not as soaring compared to the car loans and also quite lesser than the credit cards. The benefits of the mortgage were coagulated and intensified in the year 1986 over the various other varieties of debt with the assistance of the Tax Reform Act. This act excluded taking away of the interest payments on the customer loans, whereas, the subtraction was retained in relation to the payments for mortgage interests (Stanford University â€Å"Subprime Lending†). Throughout the period of 1980s and the beginning of 1990s, prior to computerized â€Å"credit scoring†, a statistical method that was utilized to gauge the credit value of a borrower, initiated the evaluation of risk and mortgage lenders along with the subprime lenders depended on other attributes at the time of underwriting mortgages. During the period of 1990s the mortgage companies as well as the banks along with the securities organizations of the Wall Street

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Role of Leader in Managing Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Role of Leader in Managing Conflict - Essay Example Prior to the discussion of conflict management, it is vital to comprehend the meaning of conflict. Kleynhans (2009) described a conflict as an active disagreement between people with different opinions, values or interests. The Foundation Coalition (n.d) defined conflict as the bone of contention among individuals or groups due to differing goals, needs and ideas. Marshall (2006) defined the sources of conflict to be diverse in nature; †¢ Differences in the values and customs of the individuals †¢ Presence of limited number of resources, thus provoking individuals to compete †¢ Lack of information or barriers in communication †¢ Presence of hostility in relations In terms of the initiation of conflicts, the health care industry is no different. Health care sector faces numerous instances of conflicts on a daily basis; some of the instances might be witnessed between doctors and nurses whereas others amongst the nurses. Pierre, Hofinger and Buerschaper (2008) stated that health care professionals are faced with intense moments of unexpected scenarios, rare illnesses and reactions that require dynamic and effective decision making. Such capabilities are even greatly required in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) where patients are faced with life threatening situations. Therefore, this study seeks to critically discuss the role of a leader in managing conflict in a CCU, using real life examples and case studies from the health care sector. An example is drawn from critical care unit in Riyadh Military Hospital to identify the real life instances of conflicts in a health care organization. This paper seeks to critically analyze the different types of conflict management strategies and techniques with the aid of the available literature and theories, as well as the approaches that can be adopted to avoid conflicts in the health care sector. 2. Nature of Conflicts in a Health Care Organization Certain degree of clashes of ideas about tasks and projects are often witnessed in a health care organization. Hovatter (n.d) stated that conflicts are mainly initiated when needs are not met effectively. He further stated that conflicts involve the inhibition of achievement of tasks of an individual or group by the actions or ideas of an individual or a group. In the light of this notion, it can be stated that there are mainly two types of conflicts that are found in an organization; group and individual conflict. Group conflict pertains to collective disagreement over something by a group of people in the organization. On the other hand, individual conflict is more personal and it mainly involves individuals. In order to solve the conflict s, the leaders need to assume the responsibility of ensuring an amiable and supportive environment in the organization. The health care sector has witnessed great changes with the passage of the years. Fagin and Garelick (2004) stated that doctors have been considered as the main sources of knowledge and authority over the possession of medical information. Doctors have been known to be educated while nurses have been trained to follow the instructions of the doctors in the most effective manner. However, Fagin and Garelick (2004) also stated that the gap in the acquisition of knowledge has been reduced by the improvement of standard of training of nurses, which became effective in 2000 by the Department of Health’s Project. Vivar (2006) also agreed that the broadening of the scope of training and education of the nurses has resulted in greater conflicts between doctors and nurses.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Mgmt Organization design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mgmt Organization design - Essay Example This gives them more experience in the work, which promotes creativity and innovativeness. Organic structure is less efficient than mechanistic structure. However, organic structure has more flexibility and employees can adapt quickly with the changes. Organic structure is most appropriate in uncertain, dynamic, and changing work environments. In addition, since the organization is decentralized and using the organic model structure, mutual adjustment is also common in the organization and plays an important role in the company. Therefore, employees are allowed to use their judgment instead of standardized rules to guide decision-making. This makes it possible to inject new synergistic ideas in the process of decision-making. Moreover, integration is working well in the company. For example, if there is any trouble, the whole staff or the employees will work together to solve and coordinate this

Monday, October 14, 2019

Business Communication Essay Example for Free

Business Communication Essay His vision to give young, fashion forward men and women a unique way to express their individuality through style resulted in millions of customers worldwide and propelled his designs to the forefront of the fashion industry. It all started in 1990, with a mere $1,100 in his bank account, Madden started crafting shoe designs from his Queens-based factory and the  Steve Madden  brand was born. With a lot of courage, years of experience in the footwear industry, and unique creative designs,  Steve Madden  formed his own successful enterprise. A year later, Madden introduced a redefined version of platform shoes, resulting in one of the most spectacular success stories in the early 1990s. Inspired by his favorite rock and roll stars of the 1970s, the thick, chunky heel became  Steve Maddens  signature and a phenomenon in womens shoes. Maddens footwear vision is continuously evolving. Steve once said, What inspires me is what I see people wearing on the streets of the world from New York to London and beyond. I get my ideas and inspiration from pounding the pavement all over the world. Today, fashion is dictated by individual style. To me, the fashion of the future is anything that a young guy or girl feels good wearing as long as  its put together in the right way. (www. stevemadden . com) Today, the  Steve Madden  brand represents a lifestyle. It is about embracing fashion while still maintaining that funky independence that first defined the brand 20 years ago. Expanding now into apparel and other accessories such as dresses, handbags, belts, sunwear, cold weather, outerwear and hosiery,  Steve Madden  is always looking toward to the future. As 2013 begins, more exciting opportunities are on the horizon including re-packaging, new store design rollout and expansion in global markets. The days when the future did not seem so bright In April 2002, Mr. Madden found that neither his investors nor federal judges take too kindly to stock manipulation and securities fraud. Steve Maddens talents as a shoe designer helped him build a 240 million dollar empire in his own name. But by his own admission, that wasnt enough he was greedy for more. His greed cost him about eight million dollars and control of the very company that brought him such riches. Madden was sentenced in 2002 to 41 months in prison for his role in a stock swindle scheme coordinated by the now-closed brokerage, Stratton Oakmont. His wrongdoings include conspiring to manipulate the stock prices of more than 20 companies, including his own. And, he did it at the expense not only of the public but his own investors who lost more than 100 million. Besides paying restitution, Madden had to resign as CEO of Steve Madden Ltd and leave the board of directors. He is also barred from holding a position as officer for seven years. However, he did retain a creative position until his prison sentence began that fall and will likely fill that capacity upon release later this spring. Meanwhile, those left to keep the company going in his absence quickly started their damage control efforts. A new board of directors was quickly assembled. Among those elected were Maddens brother and a corporate accounting guru. Once their former leader began repaying his debt to society, company heads began cleaning Steve Madden Limiteds financial house; making sure stock prices accurately reflected the health of the business. The company fully cooperated with the SECs investigation and hired an independent auditing company to keep watch over the process. Those days and even today, the companys financial practices are an open and well-kept book. Anyone could get the latest financial news from the same site by loging on to for the latest shoe designs. After heading off anymore potential legal woes, management began to focus on keeping the business itself walking tall. If the companys sales reports were any indication, not having Steve hasnt really hurt Steve Madden Limited. While the founder has been in a Florida prison, the companys management built on his vision by expanding into other areas. Steve by Steve Madden moved the company from the trendy 16 to 24 year old demographic into upscale footwear for a more mature crowd. The company licensed Candies and Unionbay footwear for men. Rather than try and replace or substitute Maddens design eye, they took what they had and introduced it to new markets. It worked. According to company reports, nearly all of the brands have increased profit margins and inventory levels. In a press release, management expressed hope that their profits would have increased in 2005 as compared 2004 (which actually happened). 2. Corporate Communication after the Bad Publicity But prison didnt break Steve Madden—or his company. Like so many of todays celebrity convicts, from Martha Stewart to Paris Hilton, Madden says he emerged a changed person. He served out his sentence, doing yardwork, teaching business classes to other inmates, reading four books a week (from The Devil Wears Prada to David McCulloughs Truman) and pumping iron obsessively. I used to wear this tank top in prison, he says. And Id stare at myself and flex. I never did that before. He even got married, to a Madden employee who came for regular visits. And when he was released in April 2005, Madden says, he was stronger physically, mentally, spiritually than hed ever been. After the return of Steve Madden from prison, he decided not to shy away from the imminent release of its namesake founder fro m prison. The company was promoting the return of its creative leader in a series of eye-catching posters and print advertisements, and is having some fun with it in the process. While the ads do not say where Madden has been, one suggests, in a wink-wink kind of way, that Mr. Madden has not been on a sabbatical, a secret mission or up the  Amazon  collecting snakes: A new meaning for the word spring time. Steve returns. Spring 2005. The company had launched a rather interesting press campaign celebrating Steve Maddens upcoming release from prison. One features a girl wearing an ankle bracelet and another features an empty pair of shoes with the words, Theres one pair of shoes thats been impossible to fill. Steve returns Spring 2005. Others allude to Madden getting sprung in Spring 2005. Financial Dynamics, the shoe retailers investor relations agency, says the campaign is a positive way of dealing with the prison sentence. It makes light of the companys troubles, sending a message that the board is over it and customers should feel the same way. Its also a sure fire way to get people talking about the brand. When it comes to sales, the only bad publicit y is no publicity. Once upon a time, a company, particularly one that sold products to the public, would shun publicity if it possibly could when a senior executive encountered legal woes. The idea that a company especially one like Steve Madden, which sells shoes mostly to teenage girls and women in their 20s would actually run ads calling attention to its leaders prison past would have flabbergasted experts in fields like brand identity, advertising and public relations. I love controversy; I love pushing the envelope, but when you have a younger customer you have a responsibility to take the law and authority seriously, said James LaForce, partner at LaForce Stevens in New York, a marketing communications agency specializing in fashion and entertainment clients. That was of course before Martha Stewart, whose public image has, by initial measures, seemingly gained in stature after her release from federal prison. A colorful paper flap decorated with a photograph of her cradling a chicken, declaring Welcome home, Martha, was attached to the cover of Aprils Martha Stewart Living magazine, published by  Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Companies like Mr. Maddens and Ms. Stewarts may also be more likely to embrace their convicted executives, since those executives have plenty of influence in the boardroom. Reticence about an executives past also predates a world in which rappers can find the sales of their music increasing in seeming lock step with the severity of their scrapes with the law. Its in now to be out, out of prison, that is, said Paul Cappelli, chief executive at the Ad Store in New York, an advertising agency that creates campaigns for brands like  JetBlue. I could see myself suggesting something like this to a client, Cappelli said, that instead of ignoring the 5,000-pound elephant in the corner, you might as well bring it out into the open and make hay of it. Robert Passikoff, who has been tracking consumer response to the Martha Stewart brand as president of Brand Keys in New York, a brand and customer-loyalty consultant, said that his index of its value had recently risen. The index has climbed to 96, Mr. Passikoff said, compared with a bottom of 62 lower than  Enron, he said before she entered prison. (The peak was 122 in May 2002. ) Is the new badge of honor, I served my time? We are not sure it doesnt ultimately hurt, even if the American public is largely forgiving when people serve their time. The campaign is trying to make him the face of the brand but who wants the face with numbers under it? Steve Madden is different from Martha Stewart, because unlike her, he was never the brand. He was the label, so a lot of people dont know who the guy was and didnt know he went to jail. That has worked to Steve Maddens advantage so far,, citing the history of the Madden brand index: It was 110 before Madden went to prison and fell only slightly, to 106. However, it is worth mentioning that consumers seem to be more forgiving about men than women. Brian Russak, a senior editor at Footwear News in New York who covers Madden, said: It seems like an obvious play to Martha Stewart, but I have to wonder whether that resonates with Maddens consumers. We often say here the target consumer doesnt know there is a Steve Madden. Trey Laird, president and executive creative director at Laird Partners in New York, an advertising agency that creates campaigns for fashion and apparel brands like DKNY and Gap, also drew distinctions between Madden and Stewart. The Madden ads are kind of cute and clever, but this is not a Martha Stewart situation, when the whole country is watching because shes a cultural icon. I dont feel most consumers know about Steve Maddens sentence, he added, or if they knew, they forgot about it. The Madden campaign can be perceived as a parody of Ms. Stewarts story meant to get people talking about the brand, Laird said, particularly because the Madden brand has never been a brand that has taken itself seriously. For instance, a recent Madden campaign featured caricatures of its customers with comically oversized heads. A statement by Financial Dynamics read: Steven Madden Ltd. looks forward to the much anticipated return of the unique talent and creative design expertise of Steve Madden in the spring of 2005. Further, the company believes the current advertising campaign embodies and enhances the Steve Madden brand. If the rise in Martha Stewart stock is any indication, getting out of prison seems to be in. The publicity generated by Maddens return could translate into increased exposure and, in turn, increase sales in the future. Plus, having him back at the head of the creative team will bring his company something it hasnt had in a while his ability to give the millions of women who buy his shoes what they want. So, If theres one thing Americans enjoy more than watching the mighty fall, its granting them forgiveness. You have to go through a process. You made your mistake, you did your time, Madden says. You have to be a little contrite to get redemption. To judge from the recent performance of his company, Maddens been forgiven—at least by that segment of the population that favors shoes with animal prints, polka dots and four-inch heels. Sales were $475. 2 million in 2006, up from $375. 8 million the year he was released, while net income more than doubled to $46. 3 million. Madden is quick to admit that hes made mistakes. But he says he wouldnt change a thing about his life. Everything Ive done has gotten me to where I am today, he says. His prison experience has clearly had an impact on his designs. The next offering from the prison groom: wedding shoes, called I Do. Its a huge market, he says. Marriage is sort of back on track. And so is Steve Madden. . The Crisis 3. 1. Chain of events In summer 2004, Maddens luck turned when he was indicted for stock fraud and money laundering in both the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. According to the charges, Madden secretly purchased stock on behalf of the principals of two corrupt penny-stock brokerage firms Stratton Oakmont Securities of Lake Success, Long Island, and Monroe Parker, of Purchase, Westchester helping them manipulate 29 initial public offerings, including that of his own company. That same day, the Securities and Exchange Commission came after him with a civil suit alleging Madden had employed devices, schemes, and artifices to defraud. If convicted in either of the criminal cases, Madden would face up to more than twenty years in prison and several million dollars in fines. If he were to lose the SEC case, which was put on hold until the criminal cases were completed, he could be forced to pay millions more. Even worse, he ran the risk of being barred from serving as an officer or director of any public company, including his own. On the day of his arrest, while Madden was busy pleading not guilty to all charges and pledging his East Hampton country house and the Long Island homes of two friends in order to make bail, shares of Steve Madden Limited fell almost 15 percent to $11. 85 before nasdaq halted trading. Two days later, when the stock (which trades under the ticker SHOO) reopened, it fell to $6. 88. Though the stock has traded up as high as $13. 88 due to a recent rally in the footwear sector, it has yet to regain its pre-indictment momentum. The storys sad. Its a great story. Its a real American story. My old friends took me public, they turned out to be crooks, and Im innocent†, Madden has been quoted to say. While the indictment has severely damaged Steve Madden Limiteds standing on Wall Street – there was a consolidated class-action shareholder lawsuit pending against the company, and it has hired Bear Stearns to explore all possible strategic options, including an outright sale it hasnt tarnished Steve Maddens reputation as a design and marketing genius. He has some special knack at figuring out what teen girls want to wear, says Sanford Bernstein analyst Faye Landes. According to teen-market consultant Irma Zandl, who ranks Madden with Nike and Adidas in the top five brands that girls favor, his shoes are popular because they are fabulously over-the-top. Steve Maddens are not for the conservative girl, she says. If hes going to add leopard skin, hell do it ten times more outrageously than anybody else. Its for people who think less is less. Every week following his indictment, Madden used to get more than a thousand e-mails from his customers, only a handful of which referred to his legal predicament. In fact, the company not only refused to retrench, instead it was aggressively expanding. At that year’s Grammy Awards, the company made a bid for high-profile customers by giving out fluffy leopard-print slippers to special guests. Three days later, at the Western Shoe Association show in Las Vegas, Madden introduced his newest product line at the time: Steve Madden Mens. 3. 2. The players While Madden was working his way up in the shoe industry, his best friend, Danny Porush, was stuck in a rut. After five years at Boston University, he left without getting a degree and bounced from job to job, working for, and starting up, a variety of small businesses, including an ambulance company called SureRide Ambulette. In 1988, while watching his son in the playground of his Bayside, Queens, apartment complex, he met an unlikely mentor: a dental-school dropout and former door-to-door meat and seafood salesman named Jordan Belfort. A short, brash, young Jewish guy, Belfort boasted he was making $50,000 a month selling penny stocks out of a boiler room in Great Neck. As Porush would later testify, Belfort confided the business was half a scam, but the chance to increase his income tenfold was a siren call Porush couldnt resist. Two days after they met, he closed down SureRide and joined the firm. Using fanciful scripts, the brokers Belforts childhood friends from Queens, Porushs golf buddies, money-crazed kids recruited from Long Island college campuses sold and manipulated tiny, high-risk IPOs, according to testimony, by grossly exaggerating their prospects, boasting that they had inside information, and generally saying whatever was necessary to make a sale. Their underwritings encompassed a vast array of low-rent businesses and all had the same trading pattern the stocks would soar when they touted them but then come crashing down when the brokers unloaded their stakes. In 1992, Steve Madden made a decision that at the time seemed natural enough: He hired his best friends firm to be his banker. While Madden knew that the SEC had already accused Stratton of engaging in price manipulation and employing high-pressure sales tactics, he considered it a legitimate company. They cleared through Bear Stearns, Madden recalls, pointing out that Strattons link to the giant firm gave it an aura of respectability. Besides, Stratton was not only willing to raise capital for Steve Madden Limited in the private markets, it wanted to take the tiny, unproven company public. Like his friend Porush, Madden was going to enter the big leagues. On December 13, 1993, only seven months after the first (and, at that time, only) Steve Madden shoe store had opened on Broadway in SoHo, Stratton Oakmont took the company public at $4 a share. The most active stock on the nasdaq on the day of its offering, SHOO closed at $8 a share, a huge gain in the pre-Internet era. Just a few months later, it sunk to $3. With only $5. 3 million in sales, a net loss of $900,000, and a boom-bust trading history, the company simply seemed to be nother one of Strattons overhyped IPOs. But it wasnt. In 1994, Madden surprised his critics. With hardly any advertising, Madden increased sales by almost 40 percent. The next year, sales tripled to $39 million, prompting Madden to hire Rhonda Brown, the former merchandise president of Macys East, to become his chief of operations. Soon, Madden had celebrity customers Carmen Electra, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Neve Campbell, Alyssa Milano, Mary J. Blige. By 1997, the company was generating $59 million in total sales, operating seventeen stores, and introducing a clothing line designed for a customer who doesnt break the law but does break the rules. That spring, in a lengthy profile in  Footwear News,  Madden compared his company to an underground rock-and-roll band that gets its first hit single. Meanwhile, over in lake success, Porush and Belfort were struggling to stave off failure. While they were still raking in tens of millions a year from stock manipulations, regulators were working to put Stratton out of business. In March 1994, they nearly did: As part of a settlement with the SEC, Belfort was barred from the securities industry for life. But Porush managed to garner a lighter sanction, barred for just one year from supervising other brokers. In the wake of the ruling, Belfort continued to control the firm through Porush. Inevitably, though, the relationship between the partners soured. In January 1997, the company eventually filed for bankruptcy. By that time, Gregory Coleman, an agent in the FBIs securities-fraud squad at 26 Federal Plaza, had been investigating Stratton for several years. In 1995, under instructions from federal prosecutors, Coleman sent out a flurry of subpoenas to some of Strattons clients, including Madden, in an effort to create a panic that would culminate in a race to the governments door. One year later, U. S. Customs officers in Miami arrested a young French private banker who worked for Union Banquaire Privee in Switzerland. The arrest was made as part of an unrelated money-laundering sting operation, but hoping to win a lighter sentence, the banker began to talk. By sheer coincidence, he had two clients who were of particular interest to the government: Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush. On September 2, 1998, just a few minutes after pulling out of the driveway of his Old Brookville mansion to take his 5-year-old daughter to the video store, 36-year-old Jordan Ross Belfort was arrested for conspiracy to commit money laundering and securities fraud. The next day, 41-year-old Daniel Mark Porush was nabbed down in Boca Raton. Faced with maximum sentences of twenty years in prison, both men came to the same conclusion: After only a week in jail, they decided to flip. It was like taking down the heads of a major crime family, says former assistant U. S. ttorney Joel Cohen, the prosecutor in the indictment. But in this case, the organized crime was the brokerage business. Porush and Belfort secretly wore wires to record their friends and dragged down dozens in their wake: lawyers and accountants, bankers and brokers. 3. 3. Effects For the government, Steve Madden was one of the biggest catches in the dragnet. The shoe mogul had been a focus of the investigation for some t ime; the SEC had cited his companys IPO as one of those that had been manipulated, and believed that Madden was routinely getting, and flipping, stock in other Stratton deals. Although some of Strattons IPOs had grown into profitable businesses, only Maddens company had become a significant success. But according to Belfort, the celebrity CEO was also a rat hole, a place to hide stock. Porush, his P. S. 1 buddy, didnt hesitate to give him up either. Madden, as he recently testified at the trial of Strattons former auditor, was deep into the fraud with us. According to the Madden indictments, the designers personal connection to Stratton began in 1991, when Madden agreed to secretly buy and sell stock in Stratton deals on Porushs behalf with the understanding that he would incur no risk. (Porush, as a principal of the firm, was restricted in his ability to trade stock in these companies. ) The deal was that Madden would earn a predetermined profit on each transaction, then kick back to Porush a significant portion of the proceeds, either in cash or by purchasing stock from Stratton that was deliberately overpriced. Once Belfort was barred from the securiti es industry in 1994, Madden allegedly entered a similar agreement with him regarding the Stratton spinoff Monroe Parker. But according to the SEC, Madden wasnt only ripping off the general investing public, he was ripping off his own shareholders as well. In early 1993, the SEC alleges, Madden agreed that the IPO of his company would be a manipulation similar to previous Stratton IPO manipulations . . . such as Master Glaziers Karate International. In exchange for his agreement to follow Porush and Belforts instructions, they allegedly promised that even if SHOO . . . went bankrupt, Madden would make money on the SHOO IPO. In addition, as Belfort recently testified at the Stratton auditors trial, Belfort had a secret deal with Steve Madden to maintain control of his company after it went public. Because Belfort and his partners had financed Steve Madden Limiteds early development, they owned a majority stake in the company before it went public. But the National Association of Securities Dealers refused to list SHOO unless Belfort then under investigation for securities fraud dramatically reduced his stake. As Belfort testified, he agreed to sell his shares to a corporation controlled by Madden to placate the NASD, but it was a bo gus transaction. Under the secret deal which we had written down and legally signed, says Belfort, he was the true owner. Belfort exerted an extraordinary influence over the company. Strattons auditor, who was a friend of Belforts, also became Maddens auditor. In 1994, after Belfort was kicked out of the securities industry, he even joined SHOO as a consultant. In addition, according to Porushs testimony, key Madden employees were given stock in Stratton IPOs as part of their compensation. (A Madden spokesperson denies such an arrangement existed. ) As Porush explained, Part of the package when we recruited people for Steve Madden was . . . because youre in with us, youll make money on every new issue. In 1997, the Belfort-Madden friendship ended abruptly around the time Belfort asked Madden to sell some of the SHOO stock he secretly owned. Madden refused, and the dispute quickly turned into a bitter lawsuit, during which Belfort produced the deal they had signed. Madden admitted the signature was his but insisted he had been manipulated and tricked into signing by someone he had trusted as my friend, business associate, underwriter, and confidant. According to Madden, the demise of the friendship actually preceded the lawsuit, when Belfort started showing up stoned for work. I have no intention of allowing Jordan Belfort to ruin SMLs bright future by threatening me or by tarnishing the companys reputation, Madden vowed at the time. Ultimately, he settled the suit for $4. 3 million in cash, an outcome that favored his adversary. In the fall of 1999, around the time the government went public with the news that Porush and Belfort had been secretly cooperating, the U. S. Attorneys Office approached Maddens personal attorney, Joel Winograd, to discuss its case against his client. Soon, rumors that Madden might be indicted began wending their way around Wall Street. . Assessment As many people saw it, the fact that Madden had an account at Stratt on doesnt mean he knew what Porush and Belfort were doing, let alone that he was in any way involved. Madden was buying stock and making money, buying stock and losing money. He made more than he lost, but he didnt know what improprieties they were involved in. As Madden himself put it in the course of his lawsuit with Jordan Belfort: My strengths as a businessman lie in the design and sale of womens shoes, and I have never been comfortable with complicated or technical legal or business documents . . . I have always relied on the people around me. When asked why Madden employed Belfort as a consultant at Steve Madden Limited in 1994, after he was barred from the securities industry, his lawyer replies, Steve Madden is a loyal friend and a devoted human being. He didnt turn his back on Jordan Belfort in his time of need. And what about the $80,000 cash kickback Madden allegedly gave to a Stratton golf buddy in the locker room of the Engineers Country Club in Roslyn, Long Island? Its totally ridiculous, says Winograd. Cash? The government can explain from here to kingdom come. There is no way Steve would have had that amount of cash, and he wouldnt have had that in a bag walking around a country club. I think these fellows have watched too many spy thrillers. Lets say Steve was fooled, Mr. Madden’s lawyer summarizes. You can be savvy in business, but you may not be savvy in love and friendship. In any case, Steve will overcome, he vows. His company will continue to have record quarters of sales and earnings, and this will have a fairy-tale ending. Perhaps. But even if Madden was acquitted in both of his criminal trials, he still lost the civil case and, control of his company. For Steve Madden Limited, such an outcome might be manageable. Mr. Madden is extremely talented and a tremendous business partner, and hes wonderful, says the companys president, Rhonda Brown. But we could continue to grow our business profitably . . . whether hes on the golf course, or whatever. For Steve Madden the man, it could be devastating. My life, he says, is my company. 5. Conclusions Throughout the paper, we have researched and debated both sides of the issue and conversely presented both approaches by those involved or ever taking interest in the matter. Some say that the fashion mogul got what he deserved, bashing him for being a fraud under a publicly endearing persona, while others, close friends and devoted customers alike, stood behind him and helped if not the man, the company itself from disaster. Should a great visionary not content himself with being the image upfront and the genius behind the empire he built and instead take charge of other key areas that make a business successful rather than trusting others, trusted friends or proven experts with managing them? That may be true and perhaps this was where Mr. Madden made the biggest mistake of all. While the case was and still is controversial, the company succeeded in overcoming the crisis and continues to be among the most profitable and booming shoe fashion business in the States.